Looking and behaving like a pure Muscovite can be useful when visiting Moscow. It partially reduces the risk of being robbed and can allow to buy tickets to some museums and other cultural and entertainment establishments at a lower price, due to many of them set higher prices for foreigners. One of the Russian media (Moskovskaya Pravda) has recently analysed the Muscovites` habits and given some recommendations on how to behave to be counted a local citizen.

Muscovites are always in a hurry. They run, run, and run. That is why it is not recommended to walk around with your mouth widely open. The eyes of a real Moscow citizen never range over the faces of passers-by or the other passengers in the underground. A Muscovite moves along the street with their eyes bent on the ground or staring straight to nowhere; in the underground they use a book or a newspaper. If one wants to look like a student, they need to plug the headphones in their ears and take a notebook with lectures. In transport a Muscovite can learn foreign languages, make up a design project, watch a film about nature on their pocket PC, call their friends and relatives, or choose a recipe for supper – in transport Muscovites can do almost everything.

No smiles – one of the traits of native citizens of the city is rugged gloominess. There is not need to say hello to the people in the lift or in the yard. A typical Muscovite does not even know the names of their neighbours. They also are not inclined to get into conversations about personal things and can talk for hours without telling anything particular: to talk about the weather, traffic jams, overcrowded public transport or weekend plans. Attitude towards other people in public places can be characterised as “if you are not a close friend or relative, you do not exist for me”.

According to Moskovskaya Pravda, clothing style of the Moscow citizens is another important issue. Remarkably, they rarely wear garish China-made “Pradas” and “Dolce-and-Gabbanas”. They tend to choose their clothes based on the matter of comfort, quality and pragmatism. There is an opinion that Muscovites normally look like they are going to the country house while the city guests look like they are going to visit the UK Queen. Unlike Europeans and non-Muscovites the native Moscow citizens usually do not believe in the discount systems and sales. They think that even if there is a difference in prices, it will be inconsiderable.

Muscovites can be recognized by not only the clothing style but language also: they use some “branded” word in their speech and even have their local jargon.

Those who have lived in Moscow for a long time are usually not fans of the places much visited by tourists, such as Red Square, Poklonnaya Gora, Arbat, etc. For having a walk they are most likely to choose a park.

At the same time many Muscovites choose the underground when they need to meet with their friends for going somewhere together. The phrase “…in the centre of the station” is the most wide-spread formula that is why one can see tens of people waiting for someone on in the centre of the underground stations .

Source -
    pressa.irk.ru

Lavrentyeva Natalya