The expat life in the FSU

[mendeleyev]

We ask the ladies to come to our countries, sometimes with little understanding of the significant changes she will face. But sometimes it works the other way around and a guy picks up his life and moves to the FSU.

Here is an interesting story of one expat:





Please tell how you voted and the thoughts behind your answer.

For those interested in the topic here is some good starter reading material: http://expat.ru/forum/showthread.php?t=356748

[Misha]

I am established in my career, my wife likes Canada and to have a quality of life equal to what I have now and expect to have in 2 to 3 years, I would have to make much more there than I do here. That would be close to impossible, so neither I nor my wife have any desire to pack up and move to Russia.

[Faux Pas]

Interesting topic Mendy. Kudos for starting it.

I have enjoyed every minute I've spent in Russia. I realize all of my visits have been of a vacation variety. I literally get the royal treatment from all of my Russian family and acquaintances each time I visit. That makes it difficult to imagine and skews the reality.  I get giddy every time we go.

I have tried to imagine how I might make it if, I could see a way financially to make the move permanently to Russia. My particular profession wouldn't transfer well or equate to the same lifestyle my wife and I enjoy in America which, is much the same profession as yours albeit on a smaller scale.

I've no doubt my wife would love to be living in Russia and visiting the US rather than vice versa. I would love to make that a reality for her but, under the current conditions, I do not see that in the near future. All I can do at this point is work harder to hopefully make those options available later. If there were no financial considerations, I could live there or here but alas, there is the reality 

[Kokopelli]

Not sure as it would depend on the circumstances with my gal.

To be more accurate, yes, it is possible.



I believe I have posted this before.
So, between the two videos you have Moscow and a rural part of Russia.

[Muzh]

I voted "It depends on my gal"

It's very simple, it would also depend on our son. Not to mention the wife re-started her career in medicine so I'll go wherever she needs me to go.

Not to mention that I can retire in 160 CALENDAR days and we can live in UA like royalty on my pension alone, but it is time for wifey to bring home the bacon. 

[cc3]

We ask the ladies to come to our countries, sometimes with little understanding of the significant changes she will face. But sometimes it works the other way around and a guy picks up his life and moves to the FSU.

For those interested in the topic here is some good starter reading material: http://expat.ru/forum/showthread.php?t=356748

If interested in moving to Ukraine, monitor http://www.expatua.com/forum/

[mendeleyev]

Thanks, CC3.

Here are some cool videos about life in Kyiv (Kiev):

[mendeleyev]

[mendeleyev]

So how is it to ride in the Kyiv (Kiev) Ukraine metro underground subway now that English has been added to the announcements and some of the signs? Now we find out ...

[SANDRO43]

the Kyiv (Kiev) Ukraine metro underground subway now that English has been added to the announcements and some of the signs?

That TRIPLE definition would accommodate the Parisians and Londoners, too .

[calmissile]

Great video of the subway Mendy.  Thanks for posting.
Look forward to taking the subway on my next trip.

[mendeleyev]

 

[Muzh]

One thing I noticed on my last trip (pre-Euro 2012) was the amount of adverts sprouting everywhere in the Kyiv and Kharkiv metros. There was an LG banner covering an original decoration in Kharkiv. Sad.

[mendeleyev]

Good observation. Whereas in Moscow the city is removing ads. They're gone from the Metro escalators and from most wagons. Over the last few years thousands of street and highway billboards have been thinned out and now the city is removing sidewalk adv signs. This is all being done in the aim of cleaning up the city as Moscow will be the gateway to most visitors for Sochi2014.

[Oops]

I've no doubt my wife would love to be living in Russia and visiting the US rather than vice versa.

Have you ever asked her and got a very enthusiastic "Lets do it!"?   I'm curious because we did have an offer to move to Moscow for few years for work and I've said "No" to it (being from Moscow myself).   

[IAmZon]

Excellent topic!


In every place, one meets a handful of people with whom to spend most of the time.   And, the internet creates a great sameness to every where in the globe (at least for me and my work).  I like to travel and experience new things probably more than any other activity. Perhaps I get bored easy?  If I were a rock star, I am sure I would be a one hit wonder.


But, there are certain places with very special qualities and charm that spoke to me.   


For "quality of life" it is hard to beat South America.  There is luxury.  There is "house staff." There is a relaxed and privileged way of life for an expat.   


But, there are certain manners and "quality/depth" in many of the people that I met in Eastern Europe / Ukraine that was very noticeable and attractive.  Life there is a history lessons that recalls not the best of human times.   The nature is overlooked by most reports.   Living in Kiev would be a downer.  I would not do it.   The northern latitudes are too cold.   Living in Kharkov or Poltava?  These cities have a charm and continence that is certainly attractive.   I could imagine PART TIME without effort.


It is interesting to note the low esteem that those in Eastern Europe, and especially Ukraine, have of their homeland.   The opposite is true for many other locations that are most people don't even know exists; Bucaramunga, Colombia for example.

[mendeleyev]

Yesterday I ran across a LiveJournal blog entry from a young man who had lived for a time in the USA and then returned home to Russia. In his photo he was standing on Revolution Plaza just before the corner entry to Red Square, with a McDonalds coffee in his hand.

Not only had he acquired a taste for morning coffee while living in the West, he had also come to see a totally different side to work and employment while away from Russia. Upon returning, in his mind, А если работают, то по старой советской системе - одни делают вид, что платят, другие - что работают...working in Russia still felt like the old Soviet system where "some pretend to pay while others pretend to work."

He is free to that opinion of course, but I'm not sure if I totally agree with his statement about work and employment. My respect is very high for the thousands of young ladies who have not only been forced to make multi-level marketing their career, but that have made it work. From up north in Arkhangelsk to down south in Kazakhstan and all across the FSU there are those who faced unemployment with the will and determination to make a living from selling various product lines from cosmetics to vitamins, etc. This is "kill it and bring it home if you want to eat" at it's most obvious, no pretending to work while someone else pretends to pay in these cases.

Some of you may remember the days in the post Soviet period where the only work one could get was to stand at the entry/exit of a Metro station and hand out flyers advertising jobs with Amway and various other multi-level marketing opportunities. At first I refused but then began to take their flyers or adverts, not out of interest in selling vitamins, but in the hope that the act of taking the material would in some way aid the individual whether they were paid by the number of adverts distributed or by the hour (doubtful).

The man in the LiveJournal blog when on to express what a couple have noted in this thread, that after returning home he felt like Russia still suffers from an extreme lack of self confidence. Из чего я сделал вывод, что в этой стране - жесточайший кризис доверия.

(Note: Thanks to Belvis for a better translation below.)

[Larry1]

Yesterday I ran across a LiveJournal blog entry from a young man who had lived for a time in the USA and then returned home to Russia.

Interesting material, Mendy.  Do you have a link to the blog handy?

Edit: Never mind - Belvis provided the link below.

[Belvis]

The man in the LiveJournal blog when on to express what a couple have noted in this thread, that after returning home he felt like Russia still suffers from an extreme lack of self confidence. Из чего я сделал вывод, что в этой стране - жесточайший кризис доверия.

Mendy, I would correct your translation. He felt like Russia still suffers from an extreme lack of trust (between people), not self confidence.
This guy shares his fresh observations on differences between life in Russia and USA just like Vasilisa done in her thread. Btw, he supports the controversial point that Russia has more civil liberties than USA.

pora-valit.livejournal.com/1383774.html

[mendeleyev]

Thank you Belvis. Your help is appreciated as just when I think I've mastered another level, it is about that time to discover there is so much more to learn about this beautiful language.

[Oops]

From this kid's LJ

И я не потерплю соседей-дагов из Обухово, поэтому я увеличил сумму за квартплату почти в два раза и пишу этот текст уже в тихом, престижном районе города.

Нетерпимость. Не переношу нетерпимости. Все беды этой страны от нетерпимости.

 

[Voyager36]

Interesting topic Mendy. Kudos for starting it.

I have enjoyed every minute I've spent in Russia. I realize all of my visits have been of a vacation variety. I literally get the royal treatment from all of my Russian family and acquaintances each time I visit. That makes it difficult to imagine and skews the reality.  I get giddy every time we go.

I have tried to imagine how I might make it if, I could see a way financially to make the move permanently to Russia. My particular profession wouldn't transfer well or equate to the same lifestyle my wife and I enjoy in America which, is much the same profession as yours albeit on a smaller scale.

I've no doubt my wife would love to be living in Russia and visiting the US rather than vice versa. I would love to make that a reality for her but, under the current conditions, I do not see that in the near future. All I can do at this point is work harder to hopefully make those options available later. If there were no financial considerations, I could live there or here but alas, there is the reality 

It would be interesting to live there. 
But Mrs. V likes it here now...

[Anotherkiwi]

From this kid's LJ

И я не потерплю соседей-дагов из Обухово, поэтому я увеличил сумму за квартплату почти в два раза и пишу этот текст уже в тихом, престижном районе города.

Нетерпимость. Не переношу нетерпимости. Все беды этой страны от нетерпимости.

 

Would someone be so kind as to translate?    Online translators give a rather garbled interpretation of the first paragraph (second one is easier to understand).

[Ooooops]

Would someone be so kind as to translate?    Online translators give a rather garbled interpretation of the first paragraph (second one is easier to understand).

In the nutshell:


"I will not tolerate neighbors from Dagestan. 


Intolerance is the main problem of Russia."

[mendeleyev]

So how does a young American find life in Russia after a year and a half?

Russia Beyond the Headlines published this interview:

I earned a double major in economics and Russian from Brigham Young University in Utah. Then I learned about a post-graduate management program at Russia’s Academy of National Economy. It turned out to be very expensive, but I was lucky to win a grant. And here I am, living in Russia for a year and a half already.

I remember my first day in Moscow; I went to Red Square of course. Frankly, I wasn’t expecting to see anything special. But when I got there I was stunned. It was so cool – to feel the history of the place, the importance of what had gone on there. And I was also surprised by how modern and European Moscow was.

Then classes started. The Russian and American education systems are very different. Here our studies are built around what students want: Professors asked us right away about what we wanted and what we expected from each given course. But we weren’t able to choose a curriculum. In America, for instance, before the beginning of each course we were given a study plan, a schedule. So we knew what to expect. In Russia, it’s always a mystery.

Read the entire interview here.