Dr. Julia Ziyatdinova

Are the streets of New York really that clean? Dr. Julia Ziyatdinova, a professor from Kazan State Technological University seemed to think so when she spoke at SUNY Albany on March 19th.

After spending an hour speaking to a history class about her religion, she opened up to a couple of students outside the classroom and shared her thoughts of her first time in New York. But how different are New York and Kazan? “Old people drive cars” she said. In Kazan, elderly people are seen walking on sidewalks as opposed to driving. On a certain website where responses are made about elderly people’s driving skills, all thirteen people agreed that elderly people should be tested to renew their license every couple of years.

In a city only several hours away, the differences are unbelievable. Dr. Ziyatdinova mentioned that in Kazan, divorce is unspoken of. Although in New York as in many other places, divorce is not something we celebrate, it is very common. “Divorce is not something talked about in our culture” she said. Divorce statistics show that New York’s divorce rate was close to 46,000 in 1998 and has only been on the rise. New York ranked number five for divorces in 1998.

After listing all the differences, she did not fail to mention our public transportation system. Many can agree that it is somewhat uncomfortable but we, as New Yorkers are used to the subway system and loud people on the bus. “In our system, people behave well,” she stated after sharing that she thought people on the bus were drunk. Are New Yorkers really that out of control? She stated, “Americans are always chewing or drinking or eating something.” In Kazan, it is rude to walk with a bottled drink in the street, people don’t do it. Surprisingly, students in Kazan do not wear pajamas to class. In New York most students not only walk to class wearing pajamas, but they are carrying a bottled drink in their hand as well.

Dr. Ziyatdinova helped the students better understand that all people and places are different. Kazan does not have as much diversity as New York does or as many Chinese restaurants, but although she stated, “it’s good that people show their culture here, she does not think about moving; “I love my city” she said.