Not speaking Russian..

[Misha]

You forget one thing in the list:
7. Being a foreigner but acting with enough confidence and blending to be taken for one who has the knowledge of a local: even cheaper as being a local at times.

If you don't speak the language, the moment you say a word you will no longer blend in.

[Muzh]

My experience was actually fun and exciting and I didn't speak Russian. I did fairly well all things considered.


I'm not quite sure why everyone seem to equate this to money. The way I look at that is, I was prepared to spend roughly the same amount of money for a typical vacation/travel in Russia as I do anywhere else including in my home country.


You'll be fine. Just do it.

That's exactly what I did the first time I went in 1999. Man, did I feel so out of place. Like filthy rich.

Today, I would budget like if I was going to the OBX or the Caribbean and most probably will run short. Very different now.

Still, think of it as a vacation and plan accordingly.

[mendeleyev]

For some simple words and phrases to help you read signs and order food, etc:

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=16058.0

[Ooooops]

If you don't speak the language, the moment you say a word you will no longer blend in.

He-he...   Long time ago, during our first trip to Moscow with my husband in 1997 I took him to Kremlin.   As you know there are 2 different prices for tickets - for Russians and for foreigners which is about twice the price.   Anywho, I've decided to save some money, bought 2 Russian tickets and told my absolutely no-Russian speaking darling to say "DA" if ticket person will ask anything.   So he did - go through the check point, "Русский?"  - "Da".   End of story.   

[Misha]

He-he...   Long time ago, during our first trip to Moscow with my husband in 1997 I took him to Kremlin.   As you know there are 2 different prices for tickets - for Russians and for foreigners which is about twice the price.   Anywho, I've decided to save some money, bought 2 Russian tickets and told my absolutely no-Russian speaking darling to say "DA" if ticket person will ask anything.   So he did - go through the check point, "Русский?"  - "Da".   End of story.   

You are still proving my point Oooooops. He was not going to the museum alone, he was going with you, a Russian-speaker. Had he been alone, and isn't this what we are discussing, a man traveling alone, just saying "da" would not have been sufficient.


Besides, I did that once at the Tretyakov Art Gallery in Moscow. Bought the ticket, but was asked a much more complex question by the woman collecting tickets at the top of the stairs and I did answer her in Russian. Of course, she heard that I had an accent and then sent me back to pay the full foreigner price at the cashier's office below 

[Ooooops]

You are still proving my point Oooooops.

I'm not trying to prove anything, I've just shared a funny story.      And I think that overanalyzing is a killer for the adventure spirit.   

[Misha]

[size=78%]And I think that overanalyzing is a killer for the adventure spirit.  [/size]

Well, I made a simple statement that I thought was self-evident and I was overanalyzed so it is hard to know who is telling a joke and who is being overcritical 

[lonedrake]

Here is a joke

I am an Italiano.
One day ima gonna LA to bigga hotel. Ina morning I go down to eat breakfast. I tella waitress I wanna two pisses toast. She brings me only one piss. I tella her I want two piss. She say go to the toilet. I say you no understand, I wanna two piss onna my plate. She say you better no piss onna plate, you sonna ma bitch. I don't even know the lady and she call me sonna ma bitch.

Later I go to eat at the bigga restaurant. The waitress brings me a spoon and knife but no fock. I tella her I wanna fock. She tell me everyone wanna fock. I tella her you no understand. I wanna fock on the table. She say you better not fock on the table,
you sonna ma bitch.

So I go back to my room ina hotel and there is no sh***s onna my bed. Call the manager and tella him I wanna sh**s. He tell me to go to toilet. I say you no understand. I wanna sh** on my bed. He say you better not sh** onna bed, you sonna ma bitch.

I go to the checkout and the man at the desk say: "Peace on you." I say piss on you too, you sonna ma bitch, I gonna back to Italy !

[Ooooops]

This is my favorite language joke   

A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it at the other patrons."Why?" asks the confused, surviving waiter amidst the carnage, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
"Well, I'm a panda," he says. "Look it up."
The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation. "Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

[mendeleyev]

Oooops

He-he...   Long time ago, during our first trip to Moscow with my husband in 1997 I took him to Kremlin.   As you know there are 2 different prices for tickets - for Russians and for foreigners which is about twice the price.   Anywho, I've decided to save some money, bought 2 Russian tickets and told my absolutely no-Russian speaking darling to say "DA" if ticket person will ask anything.   So he did - go through the check point, "Русский?"  - "Da".   End of story.

My first visit to the Pushkin Museum started the same but had a different result. We purchased two Russian tickets and the future Mrs M told me to stand behind her in line and not say a word.

When we reached the lady I now fondly think of as "Comrade Sourpuss," she took our tickets then looked me over. I said not a word and did not look her in the eye either. Suddenly she snapped in a loud voice, "You are American, a foreigner. This is a Russian ticket--go buy another."

Hoping to save face as the plaza was filled with people I filled my chest with air and extended my hand out to point the way to the future, hoping it would be a gesture of firm confidence. Every Lenin statue in the Eastern world would have been proud of me at that moment.

Thinking that it was my clothing or shoes that gave it away, I decided to tell her than I was a "new Russian" (mafia) and thus of course whatever about my non-Russian clothing or shoes would be self explanatory. So in my best Lenin statue pose I said in a loud reply what I thought was, "Excuse me, but I am a new Russian man!" In hindsight I should have used человек for man, but no, I didn't.

Unfortunately there is only a slight difference between a common word for car (машина = machine/car) and another term for man, мужчина. The entire plaza broke into laughter as I dramatically declared to Comrade Sourpuss and to everyone within earshot, "Excuse me, but I am a new Russian CAR!"

Even ole Comrade Sourpuss smiled for a moment before ordering me to reverse my new Russian car to the ticket booth, roll down the window and buy a new ticket. 

[Ooooops]

Even ole Comrade Sourpuss smiled for a moment before ordering me to reverse my new Russian car to the ticket booth, roll down the window and buy a new ticket. 

 


Yes, those babushkas seem to have an x-ray vision installed ...    I guess we got lucky in Kremlin that there was a young guy manning the ticket turnstile and not one of them old ladies.   

[ghost of moon goddess]

...
 "Русский?"  - "Da".   End of story.   

Reminded me of the Heartbreakers comedy hilarious dialogue between a Russian waiter and Sigourney Weaver's character posing as a Russian woman   

In fairness, high risks she took on were quite reasonable, considering her possible returns   

[werebear]

I am trying to get fluent in Russian right now. What is so funny is that my friends that are helping me with pronounciation always laugh because they have never heard Russian spoken with a southern accent. lol Apparently some words that I use have absolutely no equivalent in Russian, and when I get tired my accent gets worse. When I go to Moscow I don't want to have to rely on guides and translators to be able to get my way around. Of course I also have no clue as to how to use the Metro, but I figure it's like everything else that you can learn. I just have to remember to follow all of the rules that are in place and carry my papers with me. I guess to me I like to have as much information as possible before I go in-country. The biggest thing for me is to just chill and enjoy the trip, come what may.

[Ooooops]

Reminded me of the Heartbreakers comedy hilarious dialogue between a Russian waiter and Sigourney Weaver's character posing as a Russian woman   

"Lets go to the kitchen and I will fry you very well"  (c)       Slang is a very important part of learning new language, I believe.

[mendeleyev]

Werebear, first off I admire your desire to learn as much Russian as possible. Keep it up!

You will be fine. It is like any other trip as each time you return you'll know more and soon you'll be able to navigate handily yourself. Here is a link to my page on the Metro, trolley buses and the bus system. http://russianreport.wordpress.com/come-to-russia-get-a-visa/moscow-the-metro-city-transportation/

[Ooooops]

Of course I also have no clue as to how to use the Metro, but I figure it's like everything else that you can learn.

It is pretty straightforward and shouldn't be a problem.   

The biggest thing for me is to just chill and enjoy the trip, come what may.

That's the spirit!       Exercise your normal common sense as you'd do in any big city and you'll be OK.

[Ooooops]

Here is a link to my page on the Metro, trolley buses and the bus system. http://russianreport.wordpress.com/come-to-russia-get-a-visa/moscow-the-metro-city-transportation/

I totally forgot that there are NO English signs in Moscow subway!        Kiev has them, St. Pete has them, but Moscow doesn't...    Weird... 

[werebear]

I totally forgot that there are NO English signs in Moscow subway! 

That is the reason I am learning. I have to say though that once you can learn the alphabet you can learn to sound out the words. I may sound like a dork doing it but I intend to be fluent by the time I go there. Right now I am spending about 6 hours a day working on learning new words and reviewing already learned words. My reading is getting better but my writing is atrocious. lol (Don't even ask about my cursive. LMAO) Some of the syntax and sentence structure gets to me but I am starting to figure it out. I have to say though that I never knew words had genders. lol

[Noch1]

You plan on going in 5 or 10 years?

[Ooooops]

I have to say though that once you can learn the alphabet you can learn to sound out the words.

Yep.   Russian prononciation ain't that difficult, grammar on the other hand is a female dog!       But don't be too hard on yourself - knowing basics will get you quite far if you are not too shy just to talk to people. 

[Fashionista]

He-he...   Long time ago, during our first trip to Moscow with my husband in 1997 I took him to Kremlin.   As you know there are 2 different prices for tickets - for Russians and for foreigners which is about twice the price.   Anywho, I've decided to save some money, bought 2 Russian tickets and told my absolutely no-Russian speaking darling to say "DA" if ticket person will ask anything.   So he did - go through the check point, "Русский?"  - "Da".   End of story.   

Ha, doesn't always work.    Perhaps there is something in the facial expression they can read...

[Ooooops]

Ha, doesn't always work.    Perhaps there is something in the facial expression they can read...

Yes, Misha and Mendy "New Car" were not so lucky.   Don't know how we got through, must have been a fluke.  Or may be I was talking to my husband in Russian at that time to create a diversion, don't remember...   

[werebear]

You plan on going in 5 or 10 years?

Actually I am going next summer. Found a great place to rent near the Barrikadnaya metro station. 19th floor apartment. Right now I am trying to figure out how to make some friends that live there, besides my ex who moved back there. I like having people on the ground so that way I can actually learn about someplace from someone that doesn't make their living showing people around. I have heard that there are a lot of monuments in little known areas of Moscow and I hate going to most touristy places. One touristy place I will go to though is Vladamir because I have heard that there are some beautiful churches/ cathedrals there. If anyone had any ideas about some things please feel free to pm me about them. I may be wrong but to my thinking, by learning Russian it opens me up to a whole lot of areas that I will be able to see and enjoy. It may take me years to complete my learning about Russia, but I hope to be able to say that it was time well spent.

[Ranetka]

Actually I am going next summer. Found a great place to rent near the Barrikadskaya metro station. 19th floor apartment. Right now I am trying to figure out how to make some friends that live there, besides my ex who moved back there.

Do you have any (other) hobby? Find people online who are interested in the same thing, may be write to them just before you go.

[Shadow]

If you don't speak the language, the moment you say a word you will no longer blend in.

Which is something I do not even try. It does not depend on knowledge you are a foreigner, but on how much of the local habits they believe you know.