05-08-2012, 10:21 AM
Nothing really.
Russian interpersonal relations are all about knowing someone and about barter.
Best craftsmen, unfortunately, are also often drinkers, so sometimes it is a bottle of vodka.
Electrical engineers like myself, who had plenty of good quality drinking grain alcohol (we used that and not isopropyl) can trade that.
Often it is a friend who will do it for free, but you still thank him with something.
Or you do something for him when he needs it.
But it is almost always someone you know, or your friends know.
When I was working at a factory (servicing NC tools), and needed to make a knob for an old meter, I went to one guy I knew right there, and he milled me the knob on a milling tool.
I polished it myself to a high gloss with grit paper and then polishing paste, and then went to another guy I knew at the same factory, and he chromed it for me.
None of them asked for anything (though it was a small job), but they knew if they ever needed anything electronic looked at, they could ask me.
It is rarely about the money changing hands, but this is also possible; it is not expensive, as not many people who are into that kind of activity can afford to pay too much.
Times have changed, and something may be a bit different, but I still keep hearing about those same relations persisting. Capitalism or communism, the people are the same.
Russian interpersonal relations are all about knowing someone and about barter.
Best craftsmen, unfortunately, are also often drinkers, so sometimes it is a bottle of vodka.
Electrical engineers like myself, who had plenty of good quality drinking grain alcohol (we used that and not isopropyl) can trade that.
Often it is a friend who will do it for free, but you still thank him with something.
Or you do something for him when he needs it.
But it is almost always someone you know, or your friends know.
When I was working at a factory (servicing NC tools), and needed to make a knob for an old meter, I went to one guy I knew right there, and he milled me the knob on a milling tool.
I polished it myself to a high gloss with grit paper and then polishing paste, and then went to another guy I knew at the same factory, and he chromed it for me.
None of them asked for anything (though it was a small job), but they knew if they ever needed anything electronic looked at, they could ask me.
It is rarely about the money changing hands, but this is also possible; it is not expensive, as not many people who are into that kind of activity can afford to pay too much.
Times have changed, and something may be a bit different, but I still keep hearing about those same relations persisting. Capitalism or communism, the people are the same.
