British expat Danni Armstrong, who has lived in Moscow for nearly ten years, said people in Russia are much more restrained than those in Britain. Armstrong shared his experience of living in Russia during an interview with news outlet Lenta.ru.
Armstrong grew up in a working-class suburb of Manchester. In his youth, he took up boxing and wanted to become a sports journalist. Because all the top countries in boxing were Russian-speaking at the time, he decided he needed to move to Russia and learn Russian.
Today, Armstrong speaks fluent Russian and has worked on television. Reflecting on national temperaments, he admitted he was not sure about the common belief that Britons are the most restrained people, stating that Russians show far greater restraint in daily life.
Airplane seat encounter
To illustrate his point, Armstrong recalled an incident on a flight when he had to change seats. After approaching a female passenger, he apologized in English and asked if he could sit down. She looked at him with a specific expression and asked why he wanted to sit there.
Armstrong said he recognized her facial expression immediately because he had seen that default dissatisfied look on women probably a thousand times in Russia.
In a related report, married couple Ekaterina and Patrick, who moved to the United Kingdom, described how they make friends with English people. They complained about an unpleasant trait among Britons, saying they have very dark humor that can offend others.
