Job Discussion Forums

[ana]

I'd love to go to Russia and of course the first places I think of are Moscow and St Petersburg. Some people say 'wow, what an experience' others ' are you mad, there's volence and mafia and it's cold'. No doubt there are truths in both statements, but how much should I let one influence the other.

I have been reading your accounts of Russian experience and the general opinion seems to be that the bigger cities are more dangerous than the provinces and smaller towns are friendlier. Sounds like anywhere on Earth. I live in Madrid and am originally from near Manchester so I'm far from being unaccustomed to city life.

If I was offered a job in Moscow, would I have reason to be worried about going?
Can you tell me the other towns/cities worth thinking about?
Does a girl on her own have more than the usual worries?

All your help/advice/info etc will be really really appreciated.
love Ana

[Captain Call]

Ana,

I worked in Russia for 9 months, primarily in Moscow. The mafia are not going to be interested in you unless you have some intention of opening up a shop. As an ESL teacher you're not on their radar. I did see some violence in Russia, but generally it's pretty safe. Use the same common sense you would at home. I feel safer in Moscow then I do here in the U.S.

The most dangerous thing you are likely to encounter in Moscow on a regular basis is food poisoning from bad Shawma. (I got it 3 times).

It is cold but it's not impossible to deal with.

I miss Russia teribly and would love to go back. I can recomend to anyone who has a little common sense and is cultrally sensitive enough not to expect the kind of customer service and level of cleanliness they would back home.

[ana]

Captain Call,

Thanks for your reply. I have always wanted to go to Russia and never had any reasons not to. It was my friends who put a seed of doubt in my head and made me worry a little about going.

However, I have found some people who have been to St Petersburg, if only for a few weeks, and they tell me I should go to Russia. It seems only to be the people who have never been, who think it would be a difficult place to live. The cold might be a problem for me but I can't possibly justify that as a reason not to go!

Your post has made me certain about going to Russia now. I'm going though the final stages of a job offer and, if all goes well, I'm off to Moscow.

Thankyou
love Ana

[Communist Smurf]

Actually it's not so cold anymore. Most of the snow has melted and the sun is out.

I feel safe here... I wouldn't go as far as to say I feel safer here than in the States though.

I recently heard that many American women that come here end up becoming lesbians because they can't stand Russian men. Of course I don't believe it (and neither should you) but I think there is something that might be learned: Bring a man with you. I would give the opposite advise for men: Leave her at home.

Captain Call, what's wrong with you? Why in the world would you buy dirty shaurma? I use the excuse of buying it myself because it was one of the first Russian food-words I learned and was the only thing I knew how to order.

I've been here, in Moscow, for a couple of months and I just love it.

CS

[waxwing]

Nice to hear from you again CS. Got any interesting stories from the embassy?

[ana]

Saurma- what is it? I'd like to know so I don't get it by mistake! Is it really that bad?

And another thing, become a lebian, how does that work exactly? Surely all the men in America aren't so cool, sexy and of such high status that it stops american women realizing they are lesbian. But then, I've never been to America, am I wrong in my assumption?

love Ana

[waxwing]

Ana, status is not location-independent -> when you move from one country to another, it can magically change overnight.
As for becoming a lesbian, I think tovarisch smurf was joking

[Communist Smurf]

Yeah, I'm certain status has something to do with it, but I think American women are turned-off by those "Russian men of Status." I hope I'm not giving-off the impression that I'm trying to look like an expert, it's just my oppinion. Any women here ever dated a Russian man?

One thing I've noticed though, almost every Russian man I've become friends with is a cheater. So it's not a matter of whether American men are that good, but that Russian men are that bad. Perhaps I'm being too stereotypical.. but in truth it doesn't matter whether or not I'm prejudging. What matters is that Russian women know this and American women LEARN this and that's why they can't stand them.

Anything new at the Embassy? Eh... it's a secret... if I told you, I'd have to kill myself.

I have no quarrels with starting another war of the sexes threads.

[ana]

OK, whatever.

About the shaurma. What is it? From the information so far it seems to be a substance that can be passed of as food. Is it to be avoided at all costs or are there specific venders to be avoided?

What is the food like in Russia? I just realized I had no idea. (My flatmate would be horrified, food�s always the first thing he thinks about!)

Love ana

[waxwing]

I've often wondered about this Shaurma stuff myself. Everybody in Moscow always seems to mention it. Down here in Kavkaz land the street vendors just sell plain old pirozhki.

So Russian food:
there's pyelmeni - kind of like ravioli Russian style.
borsch is the famous one - a soup with vegetables like carrots and onions (+beetroot if you have the original Ukrainian variant - that's my favourite!)
smetana - sour cream, served with both of the above
black bread (chyorni khleb) - quite tasty
pirozhki - various types of pie, the stuff they sell on the streets is usually rather greasy, a bit like a savoury doughnut (sorry donut )
they like various cold salad dishes (zakuski I think is the name in general for these cold dishes, like appetizers or something), e.g. 'vinaigrette' or something, with e.g. sliced carrot or beetroot etc.
blinis - pancakes (btw 'blin' in Russian means damn! - go figure ), which can have various fillings e.g. 'ikra' (caviar). A nice delicacy!
Russians are very keen on sweets (confyeti), especially chocolate. A wide range of biscuits (pechenye) and cakes (tort or 'keks' ) available.

There's lots of regional stuff available, Ukrainian, Georgian etc. all with its own special dishes.

Generally the food is quite 'stodgy' (keeps you going for the winter), lots of soups, buterbrod (which is like an open sandwich, on which they put all sorts, like cheese, fish, sometimes salady type stuff), staples are mainly potatoes and bread.

[ana]

Thanks Waxwing,
Russian food sounds weird and wonderfull. I noticed beetroot appears often. Is it a popular Russian food?

Cakes, biscuits, sweets - sounds great. Cuisines with a variety of desserts are always good in my book. Well, it's cold in Moscow, I'll need an extra winter coat!

love Anna

[bobs12]

Hi Ana,

For a first visit I strongly recommend St. Petersburg. Moscow is a big, faceless kind of place and can be pretty overwhelming at first. St. Pete's is a nice, relatively friendly city and it's really pretty- great architecture, canals, bridges...

Finding work isn't hard, I can put you in touch with one or two places even before you arrive. I may even need to hire a teacher for my company at some point soon.

A good thing about SPb is its proximity to the border- just a few hours on a bus or train will take you to Helsinki or Tallinn or wherever. Are you planning to stay long, and when do you plan to come?

If you don't like SPb you can always move to Moscow.

Shaverma is a kind of gadost' (filth) made from genetically engineered rats It's allegedly made from chicken, but don't believe a word of it! Although it does taste good...

Good luck!

[bobs12]

Oh yeah, waxwing's food list is spot-on

I think Shaurma is the word for a shaverma shop? I never paid much attention to that, must go and check it out...

Beetroot tends to appear in grated pickled form in salads or in borsch... borsch is the best...

[ana]

Thanks Bobs

St Petersburg is a place I definatly want to go to. To be honest, it would have probably been my first choice but I have recently taken a job in Moscow. So, it's to Moscow I'm going.

Sharuma sounds like some of the chinese food I've eaten in Spain! I think I'll definately stay away from it. Some of the cakes sound good though.

Take care
love Anna

[bobs12]

All the best with Moscow, feel free to come for a visit to St. P!

Seriously, stay away from the shavermas and you'll be fine. Do you ever eat kebabs when you're not drunk in the UK?