Anyone here lived in a large city in the FSU?

[BrianW]

I'm interested to hear about your experiences. Thanks.

[ECOCKS]

Yep, at least three non-FSU members have lived there. Look around on several threads where living in Ukraine and Russia are discussed from the perspective of facilities, employment, healthcare, dating, legalities and social culture.

[Sculpto]

Can you be more specific about aspects you want to learn about?

[BrianW]

Basically, how difficult or enjoyable it would be for an American to live there.

[kievstar]

I personally liked living in Kiev.  But I think having a job you enjoy and ability to speak the local language is important.  Also, ability to adapt to a different culture.  Kiev is a big expat city so not as hard to adjust to as Luganks, Sevastopol, or Donetsk.  I also found it was more expensive to live per month in Kiev than compared to Brussels, Zurich, and Chicago.

[ECOCKS]

Everyone is different. Depending on your lifestyle, Kyiv is very livable or insanely expensive. If 3 million people can live there, you can too. At the simplest level you can teach English as a dilettante or try to develop as a professional. If you have capital you can look around for a business opportunity.

Kyiv and Odessa as well as the major cities are doable without the language although the potential communications problems rise the further you get from city centers and the small to mid-sized towns can be challenging. You should start learning basics (numbers, courtesies, etc.) as soon as you make up your mind you're going.

Social and cultural adaptability are important and don't overestimate your woman's ability to provide you assistance.

[Phil dAmore]

I spent almost 7 years living in St. Petersburg. Where to even begin to discuss the experiences, people and life that I led?  It's not easy, in fact I have been trying to document it for the better part of 2 years now.

About all I can say is that I would not trade my time spent in Russia for anything.  Living there, day to day taught me much about Russians and Russian life. I lived as the average Russian does, dealing with the things that they deal with on a daily basis.  I bought my food at the local рынок.  I endured the mind-numbing bureaucracy, paid all my bills at the local post office,  bribed policemen, rode the metro and маршруткы. I spent countless hours drinking with the locals and discussing everything from Dostoyevsky to dinner. I paid taxes. I lived with a wonderful Russian woman who frustrated me on a daily basis because I couldn't understand how her thought process worked.  I bought and sold an apartment and worked as an English teacher.

It was the best time of my life and not a day goes by that I don't miss it.  The vast majority of the people that I met were decent folk, just like you would meet anywhere.

[groovlstk]

I spent almost 7 years living in St. Petersburg. Where to even begin to discuss the experiences, people and life that I led?  It's not easy, in fact I have been trying to document it for the better part of 2 years now.

About all I can say is that I would not trade my time spent in Russia for anything.  Living there, day to day taught me much about Russians and Russian life. I lived as the average Russian does, dealing with the things that they deal with on a daily basis.  I bought my food at the local рынок.  I endured the mind-numbing bureaucracy, paid all my bills at the local post office,  bribed policemen, rode the metro and маршруткы. I spent countless hours drinking with the locals and discussing everything from Dostoyevsky to dinner. I paid taxes. I lived with a wonderful Russian woman who frustrated me on a daily basis because I couldn't understand how her thought process worked.  I bought and sold an apartment and worked as an English teacher.

It was the best time of my life and not a day goes by that I don't miss it.  The vast majority of the people that I met were decent folk, just like you would meet anywhere.

Phil, if you ever write a book about your experience, I'll be requesting a signed copy!

[chivo]

Basically, how difficult or enjoyable it would be for an American to live there.

It depends. I'll be celebrating my fifth anniversary in Moscow on August 17th, and have lived in 2 other cities for 6 months as well (Kazan & Naberezhnye Chelny).

It can be both incredibly exhilarating and frustrating. I can say that I have experienced many, many more good times than bad. Much will depend on your attitude, expectations, and ability to adapt. Most of the conveniences that were not available earlier in the decade are here now, so you will not be lacking for much, if anything.

The language, while obviously needed, can be dealt with as I came with no language skills at all. The quicker you make contacts (not just your woman) that can help you navigate the in's and out's, the better/easier your life will be. This is essential, language ability notwithstanding

As Phil mentioned, "where to start". If you have particular questions you would like answered, then I'd, and I'm sure others would be more than happy to answer. If you are considering making the move yourself, I can tell you that the FSU has been hit pretty hard from the crises, and it's not as easy to find work as when I came. I wouldn't even think about any local business opportunities here for any number of reasons.

I have done it all here as well, and then some. I live fairly comfortable (much better than the average Muscovite), and Moscow is not as expensive as its reputation suggests, although it's not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. Moscow is also an incredibly exciting city to live in as anyone who has ever been here can attest to. You will also have visa issues should you want to stay longer than 3 months.

Your love (dating) life will never be the same, that's for sure  .

chivo