December 13, 2004
Neither fear nor fur
Igor, my colleague from St Petersburg, illustrated a cultural difference between Americans and Russians today.
If you're going out hunting, your friends will say to you: "Ni puka, ni pura": Neither fear nor fur. And you'll tell them: "K chortoo!", Go to the devil!
"Russians underestimate, and then deliver more than they underestimate -- so they have a feeling of accomplishment. In America, you over-estimate, and are happy if you can deliver a part of what you promised." Our 'can-do' attitude leads us to commit, but can we deliver?
