Work it, girl: Bathrobes and curlers are fine for home, but you'd better be dressed to the nines when you step out (the more brand names, the better). http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/502072?mbid=synd_ytravel
It's the biggest, baddest, most billionaire-heavy country in Europe—are you ready for it? How to flirt, drink, and bathe (yes, bathe) in the new Russia
Soviet-era immigrants in the United States are often shocked when they actually make it back to Putin's Russia: Everywhere are status symbols, glitzy sushi joints, and fortunes made and lost with each blip in the price of oil. If it's that hard for former citizens to adjust, just imagine what a kindly Midwestern businessman (or woman) goes through. Russia and Europe can feel like continents separated by a common lineage: Modern Moscow can feel like London but also Dubai, St. Petersburg is Paris with a little Mumbai thrown in, and the vast frontier can feel like the Far East (because part of it is). The disorientation has less to do with architecture than with the little tics of dress and behavior—an effusive toast, a brusque rebuke, an offhand remark, or an exotic spice that lets you know you're not in Denmark anymore. You can have a lot of fun—and do a lot of business—in Russia, provided you bring an open mind, a little backbone, and some patience for a culture, a government, and an economy that sometimes fly high but often lose their footing.
Part I: BUSINESS
Rules of the Business Meeting
"Trust but verify" is one Russian cliché that still rings true—and nowhere more so than in the business meeting. As a foreigner, your value as a colleague and partner is being constantly appraised, from the first firm handshake to the last vodka at thebanya. Ilya Merenzon, a Russian-born businessman (and publisher of Russia! Magazine) who splits his time between Russia and the United States, trots out a common Russian expression: "You need to prove that you're not a camel," he says. Camel, in this case, means phony. Luckily, there are some simple ways to make a good first impression. (More... http://grishoyedova.blogspot.com/p/news-bugs.html)
"Trust but verify" is one Russian cliché that still rings true—and nowhere more so than in the business meeting. As a foreigner, your value as a colleague and partner is being constantly appraised, from the first firm handshake to the last vodka at thebanya. Ilya Merenzon, a Russian-born businessman (and publisher of Russia! Magazine) who splits his time between Russia and the United States, trots out a common Russian expression: "You need to prove that you're not a camel," he says. Camel, in this case, means phony. Luckily, there are some simple ways to make a good first impression. (More... http://grishoyedova.blogspot.com/p/news-bugs.html)
