Hello All,
I don't think that I've posted or even really looked at this site in about a year. I tend to surf more when I am in Saudi Arabia rather than the US, where RWD is blocked. I just thought that I would take a few minutes to mention some of the differences between 2004 and 2008 in Minsk. These observations are in no particular order, but I thought it would be helpful to newbies who might have older preconceived notions about the FSU. During this trip, I was only in Minsk meeting my wife's friend and family whereas in 2004 I explored a much larger portion of Belarus.
I will divide this post into three sections so that people can skip things that they are not interested in.
Women
1. For people looking for Miss Right, there seems to be 3 very different age groups in the 20-40 age range due to recent Belarusian history. Please note, that this is very rough. Older than 34: Grew up during Soviet times. Spent 7 years or more in the Young Pioneers and would have been 14 or so in 1989. 27 to 33: Greatly influenced by the time of Belarusian cultural flowering. Tend to be very patriotic. Under 27: Very dim memories of Soviet times. Heavily influenced by Western trends and fashion. (Please note that these are just generalities.) Generally, educated women in the younger two age groups will have at least a familiarity and possibly a decent command of English in Minsk.
2. Women's fashion has changed. In general, women were far more casually dressed and far fewer of them wore high heels. (Please note: It is still significantly more than in the US or Europe.) Part of this might have been June vs. September, but my suspicion is that there has been a significant change.
Economy and Travel Tips
1. Minsk is significantly more Westernized. The number of taxis has tripled and so has the number of restaurants. In 2004, I remember only about 10-20 restaurants. Now, I believe there are nearly that many sushi restaurants. Another sign of this Westernization is the new underground mall which has opened. Overall, the square above the mall should definitely be checked out as the government has done a nice job in construction. (The initial hole was being dug when I was there in 2004.)
2. The high end market is beginning to develop. I'm guessing that some of the money is coming from Russia. I understand many Russians are buying real estate in Minsk as a safe place to go for summer. Several high end restaurants have opened, and a five star hotel, the Hotel Europa, has opened.
3. Prices have increased and wages aren't keeping pace. The exchange rate has declined from 2400 to 2100, and prices have gone up faster than general inflation. With the exception of alcohol, which is quite cheap, food prices aren't dissimilar to the Midwestern US. We had an anniversary dinner for friends and family, which was around $50 to $60 per person, which is similar to what would expect for some places in the US.
4. In Minsk, it is getting harder for young people to establish themselves, and I believe that it will only get harder. Housing is too expensive so many married couples have to live with their parents for several years to afford a house. I suspect that affordability will become increasingly difficult as Russia cuts of the oil subsidies over the next 3 years. This change will disrupt the entire and very fragile Belarusian economy at a time where the population is rapidly aging.
5. Belarus is pumping quite a bit of money to upgrade Minsk as part of a tourism initiative. The facades are all being renovated, the Metro is being extended, and other public infrastructure is being kept in fine shape.
6. The days of inexpensive ballet are over. When I was there in 2004, we got balcony seats for Swan Lake on a weekend for $2 each. (The ballet in Minsk is second only to the Bolshoi according to my wife; I just know that it is better than the Boston ballet by a long shot.)
7. With hotels getting increasing expensive, it definitely pays to rent an apartment. (I will post the address of the apartment that I stayed at while I was there in a subsequent post.) The flat that we rented out was in Victory Sq., had modern appliances (flat screen in bed room), and even had a satellite dish. It was 50 Euros a night, which was about the price of the local 2 star hotel. (The 4 star Hotel Minsk will run $250/night during the summer.) This person actually prefers to rent to Westerners, and she mentioned that 17 marriages have resulted.
8. The dollar no longer reigns supreme. Bring Euros. If you are exchanging money while you are in Minsk, do so at the state bank and don't go to Western Union. I found the rates to be very reasonable.
9. Early June is much better time to go than the first half of September. Having 17-18 hours of daylight is a big plus, and the weather seemed to be less variable. (Perhaps, I just got lucky.)
10. I went the entire first trip without seeing a Chinese person. I'm guessing that Minsk is now perhaps 1 to 2% Chinese as a result of the invitation program. It was quite jarring to me the first time that I saw a Chinese person and, in general, Minsk is a bit more culturally diverse than it was in 2004.
11. Tipping, which was not common in 2004, is now widely accepted. 10% is generally considered a good tip.
12. The best flight to take to Minsk is still the morning flight from Frankfort...especially if you are travelling from the US.
Myths
Finally, I would like to dispel a few myths that often float around the site.
1. My wife's closest friends are all female, both here and in Belarus. Her closest male friends are all husbands of her girlfriends. Furthermore, all of my wife's friends also have female friends.
2. There are several threads about different sexual attitudes of FSU vs. non FSU women. While there might be some tendencies that are different from culture to culture, individual diversity is far broader. Thus, generalizing really cheats people out of getting to know the individual. The whole thought that FSU women are more liberal might stem from the fact that men are dating women who are significantly younger than their home country.
Anyway, I want to wish everyone that I've corresponded with over the years well, and I hope that they are as blissfully happy as I am,
Todd
