Way to Russia Community and Forum

MrSpice · Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431

Only: I just read your post and for the record:
1) I did not love Russia when I lived there and was dreaming of immigrating to the US since I was about 7 or 8 years old. I must admit some of those thoughts and dreams were rather naive and I did not fully appreciate certain things that I took for granted while I lived in Russia like relationships, friendships, lack of materialism in how me and most of my friends at the time perceive life.
2) I am not trying to spoil anything. El Casey will discover himself all the pros and cons of modern russian life. And since he "has people" everywhere, he will probably be fine.
3) I am not worried that El Casey won't like it there - I know he will like certain things and will be surprised how rotten russia is on many others.
4) Why are you judging me and making those ridiculous statements as if you really know and understand anything?

cyndy22 · Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2005 5:27 pm Post subject:

No it doesn't seem like a party to me and that's just fine. While cities can be exciting, I happen to like a quiter lifestyle. I don't find life bland. In fact it is the simple things in life that make me happier. So what if my pool is a big thing for me. I love swimming and the freedom to swim when I want to in solitude, even at night under the stars, buck naked. I love when Alex's friends are here and they are jumping and playing in the pool and yard. I like living near my parents and siblings and being able to see them without jumping on a plane. I like the beauty of the Connecticut River valley where I live and the incredible vegetables and fruits that grow and taste so good. Well I won't bore you but there are many more mundane things that I like regarding my life in small bland town USA. Smile

And we do occasionally venture out to cities and other countries. But I am always happy to come home. But then again I am 49 and have already done alot of "living" as Casey defines it. Life is good and sweet. Smile

MrSpice · Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431

If you mentioned swimming naked in the first place, I would agree with you :)

Now that you expended on what you like about your living, I agree with you much more. It is important to live close to the relatives you love. And yes, being close to nature is great. I myself love escaping the city and ejoying the quiet moments you mentioned. But for most people that grew up in a city like Moscow or St Petersburg, spending all your time in such a quiet place would seem rather boring. I guess when we think about this kind of life, we associate loneliness with it, because we don't have relatives in a "small town USA", like you do. If we did, we would probably like your lifestyle much better. Most immigrant parents live in large cities in the US because they are mostly poor and depend on government help/assistance.

init6 · Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2005 6:23 pm Post subject:

"Encouraging" and "WTR Talk Lounge" are mutually exclusive, Cyndy! Laughing

The whole thing that SO many people seem to either gloss over or complete ignore is the fact that 1) I have never said that everything is great in Russia while everything sucks in the US, 2) it's not material concerns that are my interest regarding what I'm doing (including monetary compensation), 3) I've admitted that I don't have a lot of experience in large cities and 4) I have a lot to learn. Yet apparently some of you feel the need to continually re-hash that. That's not even a criticism, I just don't understand why.

And yes, I might get assaulted or even killed in Moscow, especially since I have a penchant for seeking out shifty characters in the attempt to better understand their take on life. Obviously I'm going to reign that in in Moscow since it's not a laughing matter there, nor is it safe to ask too many questions to people you think are trustworthy. I almost feel like, despite the scores of quotes, links and references I've posted to back up my commentaries you guys think that all I did was buy the LonelyPlanet Moscow Guide and brand myself an expert. What the f*ck, over?!

I mean, seriously, you have a guy like Winston Wu who has travelled there three or four times and stayed there a goodly bit each time. We all know what a misogynistic fruit loop he is, but did any Muscovite beat his ass for flirting with his girlfriend? Apparently not. He hasn't been shot, stabbed, beaten or killed (to my knowledge). He didn't even manage to get assaulted until he left Moscow and travelled to Novgorod! The worst that really happened to ol' Winnie Wu over there was getting constantly ripped off and we all know whose fault that was - and it ain't the Russians.

Given what we know about the above fellow is it worth worrying about me (a 183cm, 100kg fellow)? Confused

As I mentioned above, I'm not going there completely alone, I have academic and cultural support, the only reason I'm going to be there this academic year is to learn the language - so don't you guys think I'll be functional soon enough? I'm attending a program designed to get you fluent and pass the equivalency exam in 10 months!

Bottom line is, I'm not concerned (within reason) about the safety of Moscow. It's widely considered safer than post-Giuliani NYC and if you want a real trip through hell, try moving to Detroit and then tell me all about Moscow. Fat idiot tourists go there every year and they do not die in droves! I need to lose a couple of pounds ( Razz

) but I'm no idiot and I don't stumble around in a grinning stupor like most tourists do, nor do I EVER dress like one. A main reason that I'm taking VERY little clothing with me is so I can work up a "Russian" wardrobe, the better to fit in.

If I get killed or seriously injured there, so be it. If I stay here I'm emotionally and intellectually dead (and I'd rather be physically dead than that).

So instead of telling me what a stupid asshole I am for moving to Moscow and how everything is "OMFG teh aw3some, d00dz!" in the USA, just say "Good luck, sport. Don't get killed." Hell even people that I don't get along with bought me drinks and wished me luck at my "retirement party" last Friday. Wink

cyndy22 · Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2005 6:39 pm Post subject:

I guess much of it depends on what you are used to doesn't it! It's funny that you mention lonliness as something that would be associated with living in small towns. While perhaps might be true in a very small town, say under 5,000 people, I have found quite the opposite. For example, my town which has about 20,000 people and where I have lived now for 17 years is a friendly community. Perhaps because my husband has a business in town and both of us have been active in local government and civic groups, we know a lot of people here. And having a child in public school here, well you tend to meet other parents. We know our neighbors pretty well. I don't feel that lonliness is an issue living here, at least not for me. Perhaps if I were single and not involved in the community, I would feel otherwise. I think sometimes in cities, even though there are many more people, people can sometimes feel even lonlier.

MrSpice · Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431

I actually did not say anything about safety. I think that if you are reasonable and know where you are going and careful, you should be fine. I know lots of people that went to Moscow and came back without any trouble. And I think as time goes on and you get settled in the city, you will get an even better idea on how to get around the city safely and will probably know your way around. Once you learn spoken Russian well enough to communicate to people on the street, you will feel even more comfortable.

I don't know where you got that figure that 20% of people in Moscow speak English. This is definitely false. Maybe 20% speak some English, but that "some" English is several words or some basic expressions for most people. Many people in Russia study English in school, but very few actually know and speak it. But since you are already taking russian courses, you should be fine.

I think you should concentrate in the last few days on learning russian expressions and basic words so that you can get around the city if you are in the area where no one speaks English and most signs are in ciryllic - that is very possible. Say, you skip your metro station or there are some repairs in progress and you have to find your way.

In any case, good luck and have fun!

MrSpice · Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431

cyndy: I agree with you. I know many people that feel very lonely here in New York.

El Casey: This info sheet is kind of reasonable, especially in the Crime section:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1006.html

I am sure you read it many times before, just giving it to you again as a reference.

init6 · Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2005 6:48 pm Post subject:

I didn't mean (or do) to say that 20% are fluent. I know that's not the case. It's really not an issue for me. I can read Russian just fine and I can speak very basic Russian already (i.e. I can ask for directions, order food, find bathrooms, tell time, etc, etc). Worst case I certainly know enough Russian to ask someone to point me in the direction of someone who speaks English.

When I leave on the 18th I'm not flying into Moscow anyway. I'm flying to Frankfurt to spend a week or more with the family I stayed with in '96, who all speak fluent Russian (this is Eastern Germany I'm going to). I will definitely be asking them to speak to me in Russian as much as possible which will teach me a lot.

And my last post wasn't aimed at anyone in particular, so please, no one take it too personally. It was a general rant. Wink

MrSpice · Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431

Just for the record - what I meant was, you won't find anything close to 20% of people in Moscow that speak English well enough for a very basic conversation, not to mention fluent conversation. I think the number of people that fluent English in Moscow is very small, probably in low single digits. But based on what you just described, you should be fine.

One word of sincere warning: since you have dark hair and probably a nice tan (being from Florida), expect to be stopped by the russian police on the streets a lot. And this is not the time to be cool and independent. They can and do abuse their power. I know some real stories where people were taken into police precincts and had to buy their way to freedom. There is a small chance of that happening, of course. If all your documents are in order and you have them on you, there's a 99% chance that they will let you go after 1-2 min. They are not nice people, most of them at least.

Intourist · Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 8:47 am Post subject:

e · VIP Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 654

Having always fully understood and sharing your sentiments about the United States and your reasoning for leaving since you started posting here from the get go, I find it very inspiring to see you (and someone) taking advantage of opportunities present to you to learn and understand oneself and the world around you with the aim of educating and improving it, and yourself in the process. Not to mention, one of your dreams and goals: to live and experience Europe and Russia, is finally coming true. =D>

I'm sure you'll be back in WTR soon anyway to tell us all about your experiences, or when you're up all night on the computer, procrastinating on a school project and posting here instead.

Until then, take care and good luck sport. Don't get killed! Wink

Xela · VIP Joined: 06 Jul 2005 Posts: 781 Location: Shanghai

Casey,

May I wish you all the very best in your travels in Russia. By all means you appear to have a healthy desire; and with your wisdom I am sure that your time in Russia will not be half as difficult as Scary Spice thinks.

Nevertheless, I am sure you have already envisaged life becoming much easier, once you have met your very own Russian 'translator'! Smile

Incidentally, if Russian officials do ever give you an unfairly hard time whilst questioning you; take private comfort in the fact that they are only doing it out of nothing but fear, and also because they know that there is one small part of the world that has made them look very inferior in front of the former nations who they thought once looked up to them:
The Caucasus.

Intourist · Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 1:19 pm Post subject:

Xela · VIP Joined: 06 Jul 2005 Posts: 781 Location: Shanghai

I would agree to an extent, however if you want to make some extra income in Russia, there are far more expedient ways of doing this other than becoming a cop.

Many Russian policemen have grown up scared witless over Caucasians, as have the pro-fascist movements(indeed without Caucasian faces in the Red Army, it would never have seemed half as formidable a force to either Russians or foreigners); hence why they need their monikers, to offset this latent fear.

But they still lose; I doubt there is a single Russian cop or fascist, who would dare say a word to a Chechen Obshina, let alone show any masculinity within 500 yards of them.

vitalsigns · Lounge Wizard Joined: 25 Dec 2004 Posts: 2784

Yes, deleted.

Way to Russia Community and Forum

Way to Russia warm-up: place both your hands in front of you and then count one word for each finger, starting from the left thumb: "Conversation Is a Way of Finding Out What You Think".

Latest forum activity (view all)

mediashark

Daria

cyndy22

Most recent activity (view all)

Latest Blog Posts

Way to Russia on Facebook

Escape Beyond the Arctic Circle

Pics from Russia

	Way to Russia Talk Lounge Forum Index -> Russian Contexts, Myths and Truths	All times are GMT + 3 Hours Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Next
Page 2 of 5