There are a number of myths on the Internet about Russian ladies. Some claim that Russian women are submissive; others that all Russian women are beautiful. I remember reading an article that all this “Russian ladies for marriage” business is a huge scam and that it is impossible to find a good Russian lady online. While there are reasons behind most of the myths, they are still just myths and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

Even though usually successful, Russian-American marriages are full of challenges and it is always better to be prepared for them instead of expecting a paradise-like marriage. Plenty of things may go wrong and it is hard to predict all of them, but here are a few major things to keep in mind before you get frustrated with your Russian wife.

1.   Your Russian wife telling you what to do and acting too “motherly”.

The question on how long it will take for a Russian wife to adapt to the life in the United States is usually asked by the impatient and frustrated newlywed husbands.

A paradise-like marriage, described by marriage agencies turns out to be a reality which is not always pleasant. Surely, the wife is still beautiful, feminine and family-oriented, but she is also homesick, possibly depressed and incredibly frustrated with the new culture (which is not what she expected at all) and the new language (which she thought she already knew). As a result, her husband in frustrated as well because after all the money, time and effort he spent searching for a Russian wife and bringing her over, he deserves paradise, peace and a perfect marriage.

Russian wives are known for their loyalty, dedication to their families and great parenting skills. Without a doubt, these are wonderful and desirable qualities, however they often cause Russian women to be overprotective and motherly when it comes to their man. This usually annoys most Western men who are taught to be independent from their early childhood.

In the Russian culture, women are not fighting to be the same as men. Both women and men have certain roles which are expected of them and which they know they are good at. If a husband is supposed to provide for the family, the wife is expected to take care of the house, the children and… the husband.

Marriage agencies swear that Russian-American marriages are the most successful ones. They often make it sound that if you found yourself a Russian wife you can relax and be sure that she will be loyal, faithful, forever gorgeous and make your life a paradise. While it is true that statistically (according to INS) Russian-American marriages don’t end in divorce as often as Russian or American marriages do, many intercultural couples are still having their fair share of problems.

If you have been in Russia or any other Former Soviet Union republic, you probably noticed that Russian homes and apartments are arranged a bit differently. Some things which may seem odd to you are common and expected in Russia, so don’t be surprised if your Russian wife tries to change some things around in your home.

Russian culture may be hard to understand because it often contradicts itself. Russian ladies wouldn’t disclose personal details to strangers, but at the same time they wouldn’t have a problem entering each others rooms without knocking or opening their spouses mail (‘You are my husband, you shouldn’t have secrets from me”.  Russians are very emotional, but because they often hide their emotions they are often perceived as cold and impersonal.

To truly understand the culture you should live in Russia or among Russians for awhile, although even then some things still may be difficult to comprehend.

Everyone has their pet peeves and you can be sure that your Russian wife is not an exception. Here five sure ways to irritate and annoy your Russian bride.

• Make sure not to care about your looks and dress as unattractively as you can. We all know that Russian women take a great care of themselves and love to dress up. Russian males are not as obsessed with their looks, and generally Russian women are not terribly picky when it comes to men’s appearances. However, even though a Russian wife is not expecting her man to be physically gorgeous, she does expect him to follow some kind of dress code. So if you want to irritate your Russian wife, wear over-sized t-shirts with oil stains on them, dirty sneakers which you bought in the 80s and ugly jeans which don’t fit you. Better yet, dress up this way on your anniversary, birthday or when you go out to eat.

If you are in a relationship or married to a Russian woman you will most likely run into the situation of work. Will your Russian bueaty work or remain at home to take care of the household duties and children.

The issue about Russian women and work pops up quite frequently. Many Western men express concern that since in Russian culture men are supposed to provide for the family, their Russian wives may not be willing to work.

When talking about Russian culture we can’t forget to give special attention to food etiquette. Russian food etiquette differs from American and therefore should be known in order to avoid misunderstandings and possible conflict.

It is important to know that for the majority of Russians food is just food and an everyday meal is just the way to satisfy hunger and not a social event.