7 books with honest stories about life abroad

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

What do the French wear, what kind of alcohol they like in the Middle Kingdom and how much life in the Emirates costs.

1. “Turkey from the inside. How do they actually live in a country of contrasts at the intersection of religions and cultures? ", Angelica Shcherbakova

Turkey should not be judged by its five-star hotels and all-inclusive system. Indeed, in fact, this is a contradictory country with interesting people. Angelica Shcherbakova, who has been living in Istanbul for 10 years, knows everything about the oriental way of life and the cool temper of the Turks.

If you are thinking of emigrating to Turkey or just want to see its non-tourist side, the book is definitely worth reading. You will deal with it:

• how does a Russian person live in the former Ottoman Empire;
• where and how to find a job for the first time;
• how Turkish medicine and education differ from Russian ones.

2. “How to go to Dubai and stay there. Non-fictional stories of a foreign woman in the UAE ", Alina Mustafina

If you dream of moving to the red-hot Arab Emirates, getting to know the honest stories of expats might come in handy. There are no sugar narratives about sightseeing and shopping in the book. Blogger and journalist Alina Mustafina boldly shows both sides of Dubai: bright fun and stuffy artificial looking glass, where emptiness is hidden behind a beautiful picture.

Whether the reception is warm or cold depends on you, the author is sure. And to make it easier to start in a new country, Alina said:

• how to adapt, rent an apartment and find a job;
• how to overcome the language barrier and get used to the difference in mentality;
• why it is better not to make Russian-speaking friends in clubs and bars;
• how much money will have to be spent if you live in Dubai with a child;
• how to get a chance for a resounding success in the Emirates.

3. "Diary of a modern geisha. Secrets of the Nightlife in the Land of the Rising Sun ", Marina Chizhova

Writer and translator Marina Chizhova has been living in Japan for 13 years. This book is dedicated to the amazing nightlife of the Land of the Rising Sun, in particular the hostess clubs for men. If you haven’t heard of such establishments, then the "Diary of a Modern Geisha" will tell you a lot about fine-looking and at first glance shy Japanese people. Here's what you will learn about them and the industry in general:

• what hostess club employees are obliged to do with clients and how much they are paid for it;
• why the male population of Japan is en masse on the "new geisha";
• how to find and, if desired, descend upon such a club.

4. “France from the inside. How they really live in the country of gourmet cuisine and haute couture ", Anastasia Sokolova-Boile

Even if you have been to France more than once, the historian and guide Anastasia Sokolova-Boallet will show what remains inaccessible to tourists: traditional lunches and dinners with the family, internal cultural codes and the French view of people and the world. And the book will also tell you what you need to be mentally prepared for if you came not just for a walk, but to live in the country of Rimbaud and Cézanne. Anastasia will describe in detail:

• how the French grow up, study, work, spend their free time;
• what Parisians wear, how they choose bags, shoes and scarves;
• what's going on at traditional French weddings,
• how much does it cost to rent housing in different parts of the country.

5. “Laowai. How China Changes People and Can a Foreigner Become “One of Our Own” ", Katerina Kulik

If you want to imagine the real life of an immigrant in the Middle Kingdom, Laowai is what you need. So in China they call foreigners who are poorly guided in local customs and orders. The traveler Katerina Kulik is the most Laowai. She moved to the Chinese city of Kunming to teach English, and in her free time she hung out with friends and wrote down everything that happened to her. Go on an adventure with Katya and her book to:

• visit China and beyond its borders virtually;
• understand the intricacies of local street food and drinks;
• imagine what people are doing in small, by Chinese standards, cities;
• find out what kind of alcohol the citizens of the Celestial Empire prefer when they want to get drunk.

6. "This unusual Poland", Marina Zhukovski

A flight attendant from Kazakhstan who has become a Polish housewife shares funny stories about the difference in cultures and mentalities. For example, what to do so that the father, a former security officer, and newly-made relatives do not fight over a family dinner. Or why Russians are mistaken for spies and how to dissuade foreign friends. Marina Zhukovski also writes how to understand the mysterious Poles and make friends with them. Also from the book you will learn:

• what to take with you to the Polish sauna;
• what if your name is sklep or is affectionately called paskuda;
• how to dress so as not to get trapped at a wedding in a church;
• is it true that the word "Russian" in Polish sounds like rudeness.

7. “The Korean Wave. How a small country conquered the whole world ", Yuni Hong

How did a tiny and impoverished Asian nation become a mega-exporter of pop culture, and who is behind it? Why did the world suddenly fall in love with Korean dramas, k-pop music and dance, Samsung appliances and a Hyundai car? Korean-American journalist Yuni Hong will introduce you to the homeland of PSY, Girls Generation and Oldboy. She will immerse you in the thick of South Korean music culture, movies and video games, reveal the secret of the economic miracle of the mysterious Asian country and explain:

• why millions of people are crazy about Korean dramas;
• what is the secret of the wild popularity of spicy kimchi cabbage;
• how the phenomenon of the Korean wave covered the world with its head.