Cultural Trends
当有人试图评估国家的种种折磨ntial for an independent study or research, they pay close attention to the youth. Young people are viewed as an asset for development, and depending on their perceptions of the future and the goal that they want to work towards, the country has a chance to enhance the quality of life and achieve greater things on the global arena. Youth is what brings the change, because they are eager to move forward and do not have any fears associated with this process. During the last 4 weeks here, I have met many Russians and got an idea of what particular qualities do young people here have that distinguish them from American or other European colleagues. Young people in Russia are big fans of their own culture, customs, and generally are very patriotic. The phenomenon I have noticed here is that young people would rather go to a concert of traditional song and dance as opposed to a rock or pop performance. It is not to say that they are very traditional, or too conservative: this is something that they like and appreciate, something that is dear to their heart. Foreign music, unfortunately, is made for the big market, is highly commercialized, and is the same for everybody. Don’t get me wrong – Russians still listen to the most popular artists and appreciate various genres, but their heart still beats faster when the ear catches folk motives. Generally speaking, young people in Russia are not drastically different from the rest of the world, but they still are keeping true their values and traditions, what makes them Russian. They are very friendly, outgoing, and very fun to be around. It is a great pleasure to get to know them throughout my time here.