More and more people are coming to visit Belarus each year. Their nationalities and their cultures differ as well as reasons they decided to come here. No wonder that on arrival they experience some sort of cultural shock. So what are the differences or, rather, certain peculiarities typical of our country that strike foreigners most apart from clean beautiful streets and their peaceful, quiet and safe atmosphere even at night?
Let’s start with our picturesque nature. Many visitors say that they are impressed by our beautiful abundant lakes and rivers. That’s why Belarus is often called a blue-eyed country. Some people also mention our impassable forests which are rich in flora.
The next topic dear to any tourist is food and our supermarkets and shops in particular. A lot of foreign guests associate Belarus with “strange shops where there is a completely different service”. One person made such a remark: “In shops you can many shopping assistants which stand at different counters. The counters are closed and only they can open it for you. You can’t take the food from such counters yourself. It seems like you are in a museum”. Other foreigners dwell on the variety of our dairy products. They say, that such foodstuffs as sour cream or kefir (a sort of a milk drink) are difficult to find in Europe.
We should also say a few words about our money here. We don’t have any coins which is quite surprising for many guest visitors. They find some difficulty while trying to get used to that. But all in all, they add that it is a nice experience. There are also some sweet remarks about our people and traditions. Some of them are even funny and far from being true. You know, the first impression can be deceitful, right? Here what some of the foreigners write.
“I have been to Belarus and I think Belarusians have some problems with drinking. They just don’t do it right. Every time I came to somebody’s place in Belarus, there always were many people around and they were drinking heavily. I tried to avoid such places” (tourist from Great Britain) Well, we would like to spare a few words here. Such drinking behavior may be typical of some of our country fellows but not all people are like that! A lot of Belarusians disapprove of such behavior as well. So just don’t generalize, please!
There is one more funny comment. Just don’t take it too seriously. “Don’t even try to quarrel with Belarusians. This can end up in a fighting. But if you did, treat them on vodka and you will surely be forgiven".
Some people think we still live in medieval times. Here what Jon from Ireland says: "I was impressed to find out that people from Belarus listen to Pink Floyd or U2. I thought they only listen to folk songs" This remark made our day.
And, sure, we have left for dessert the most pleasant part. The beauty of our women, right you are. Many people say, we have really many beautiful girls here (and not enough man to match them). Our girls are famous for their pure Slavonic beauty: blue eyes, blond or fair hair and blue eyes. Here the comment about our girls that we like most: “There are many beautiful women in Belarus, but men lack in quantity. As every Belarusian woman dreams about family, she has to look better than the others in order to compete with other women and get their prize”. It is a funny comment but with a grain of truth in it.
There are much more to say about Belarus. Different people have different impressions and there will always be something to surprise you here.
Just visit Belarus and see what will impress you in particular.
