"You have the psychology of the poor." The Englishman went around Russia and wanted to show the Russians how to do it. It was quickly put in its place. Response shocked

A Briton named Steve came to Russia several times, visited different cities and met local residents. After these trips, he concluded that many Russians underestimate their standard of living and complain too often about what they have. His observations the man shared after getting acquainted with the Russian life, writes CG.

Steve first came to Russia in 2019. At that time, he himself had many problems: he was going through a divorce, and at work there were cuts. Instead of the usual rest at the resort, the British decided to go on a trip and chose Russia for this.

First he lived in Moscow, and then went by car to Veliky Novgorod. There, Steve met a local family who invited him to the dacha. It was this meeting that he remembered especially strongly.

The owner of the house worked at a chemical plant, his wife taught at school. The family had an apartment, a car, a student son and a country house where they spent their free time. For the British, this set of benefits was unexpected, because it was about ordinary people, not wealthy entrepreneurs.

Back in the UK, Steve told his friends about the life of his new Russian family. However, many were skeptical of his words. They found it hard to believe that a person with an ordinary working profession could afford an apartment, a car and a cottage while helping a child get an education.

After Veliky Novgorod, the traveler went to St. Petersburg. The architecture of the city impressed him, although the atmosphere was not very comfortable. Later he decided to continue his acquaintance with the country and went to Siberia.

Steve reached Vladivostok via China, and from there he went by train to Irkutsk. On the way, he met a fellow traveler with whom he talked for a long time about life in Russia and the times of the Soviet Union. Such conversations helped him to better understand the views of local residents and their attitude to what is happening around them.

During several trips, the British managed to notice other features. For example, many Russians have a good command of English, and he gradually mastered some Russian words and expressions. At the same time, the Russian language Steve considered difficult to learn.

But what surprised him most was something else. According to the observations of the traveler, some Russians are used to assessing their lives quite critically and rarely think about what they already have. An ordinary apartment, a car, the opportunity to leave the city or give children an education are taken for granted.

Steve explained that people often focus on problems and do not notice their own achievements. It is this attitude that he called the “psychology of the poor”, although this formulation remains his personal assessment.

The impressions of one traveler cannot tell about the whole country. The standard of living of Russian and British families depends on income, housing costs, social guarantees and many other circumstances. Rather, Steve’s story shows how different people view their living conditions depending on their own experience and the country they grew up in.