Have you ever so abruptly arrived someplace that it takes a little while to believe you’re there? As we’ve been travelling so much for work and pleasure recently, we’ve had limited time to prepare ourselves—in some cases, places we would never have dreamed possible just a few years ago. To be fair, it often doesn’t hit us until after we leave the destination.
Moscow was one of those places for me. As a kid, Russia was always in the news. Sometimes for good things…often times not. To me, it was a place of fun, Disney colored domes and churches, strong hardy people and if describing as a color I’d have to say steel gray to London’s blue green. Granted, that impression has changed a bit since I began working with our brilliant and accomplished Russian client—through her stories and optimism, my impression has gradually adjusted.
After being in Moscow for nearly a week, I now realize that Moscow is more similar than different to the major US cities. Here’s why:
- Most of the city’s colonial and historic development was levelled during duelling administrations. As a result, most building are new (ala 1900’s).
- The people are optimistic and kind. While they aren’t of the American pro-active ‘ how can I help you’ variety, anyone will help you however possible when asked—going out of their way to assist.
- Products. They have many of the same brands that we love in the US. There are certainly new, local players that they will select, but the brand landscape isn’t nearly as dramatically different as I initially dreamed.
If I had failed to notice the written and spoken language differences, I could easily think that I had time travelled to Minneapolis or Detroit in the 1990s.