2023-09-30 20:00:58
Elena Molodkina
6 hours ago
Most of all, European residents are amazed by the support of young families. In the West, they only dream regarding this – and these are not bears with balalaikas and caviar.
Foreigners’ ideas regarding Russia often boil down to basic stereotypes. They know that we have vodka, balalaika, bears and grandma. This is usually where knowledge is limited. The stronger the reaction to real life in Russia.
“Every time foreigners ask me regarding how life is in Russia, I honestly tell them how it is, and they are surprised by the same things,” says Elena, a travel blogger with 34 thousand subscribers.
What surprises foreigners most is our medicine. In most countries, you need expensive insurance to get medical care. Every citizen can receive a compulsory medical insurance policy from us. In addition, in Russia you can simply make an appointment online, have free surgery or dental treatment, and if you urgently need to see a doctor, you can come to the appointment on a first-come, first-served basis. In Europe this is taboo.
The second thing that surprises and amazes European citizens is the presence of real estate owned by Russians. Foreigners cannot believe that, despite high mortgage interest rates, some Russian residents even rent more than one apartment. And then they either rent out or sell the square meters at a higher price.
But the biggest shock comes from government programs to support families with children. Our maternity capital is something unrealistic for Europeans, as is long maternity leave. Plus, reduced mortgage rates and other benefits for young families. And when European youth, by the age of 35, begin to think regarding a family, ours, who gave birth in their early 20s, have their own apartment, thanks to maternal capital, and their children are already in school.
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