Job Discussion Forums

[discostar23]

Hello Everyone

I am new here and I have accepted a position at a school on OBRUCHEVA
St in Moscow for January.

i have a few questions being a newbie. I lived in Korea for the last 5 years and I know that I was surprised by some things when I got there...like lack of ovens in apartments.

1. Well lets start off with the question : Do they have ovens in typical apartments?

2. Do they sell beer at convience stores or just beer store? I do not drink vodka..will this be a problem with the locals?

3.How cold does it really get in Moscow? I come from Canada where -20 is a typical day.

4. Are there bars and restaurants that foreigners typically go to?

5. What food do you miss the most living in Russia? In Korea it was lays potato chips.

6. Speaking of Bee, what is a typical brand? tuborg? heinken? Is imported beer brewed in russia (may seem like a funny question but in asia most imported beer is not brewed in its original country)

Well thats it for now. I am super excited about going.

[rogan]

1 Yes
2 Yes, and at street corner kiosks. Not drinking vodka will not be a problem - there are many Russians who do not do so.
3 Temperatures in Winter can drop to -20 or below occasionally in Moscow
4 Yes - many are listed on expat.ru and also in the Moscow Times
5 Not much - there are many large Western style supermarkets selling most Western goods
6 Western beers as well as many Russian brews are readily available.

[spiral78]

On the issue of cold, it kinda depends where you're from in Canada. In the west (Alberta, Sask.) the cold is dry cold....wet cold, like Moscow, is FAR colder. Yeah, I know it sounds weird, but the damp cold seeps into your bones through all the layers of warm stuff like dry cold never does.

I sometimes have friends from Calgary visit me in Europe, and some have been to Moscow as well. They are shocked at how much colder -10 is when it's damp on top...

If you're used to the damp cold in central/eastern Canada, that's more like it!

[discostar23]

Good thing i come from Nova Scotia. It is funny how there can be so many different types of cold. I mean I lived in Korea where it got to be about -10 and I was frozenbut -10 is a typical winter day here where I might be seen without hat or mitts.

Thanks everyone for answering my questions.

[Red and white]

[discostar23]

thanks for the answers
I have a few more questions;

1. How much does internet cost? Do they keep track of what you download?

2. Do most people have cell phones? In Korea cell phones were the way of life.

3. In my work dress code they say i must wear "high waisted trousers". I wrote them and they replyed "no jeans no pants...trousers only that cover your butt n underwear" I am super confused as to what they mean. I mean am I going to be having my pants come up to my armpits?

4. What is your favorite russian food?

5. Are you able to buy a pass which works both on the metro and the bus system?

[expatella_girl]

1. Internet costs vary depending on location.

2. Every Russian in Moscow has a cell phone glued to his/her head. There are cell phone stores on every corner, in every Metro station, every five feet.

3. What they mean is that the pants should not be jeans but made of a trouser material, and should not be cut down around the pubic area (you'll see....)

4. Favorite Russian foods: Kapusta piroshki, borsh, blini, julienne. Russian food is largely bland and boring. Available vegetables are generally of the root variety unless it's the dead of summer.

5. Yes, you can buy universal all transit pass good for both Metro and bus. You will find the bus system in Moscow to be fairly useless for the most part. The Metro rules.

[kazachka]

[discostar23]

Ok last ones...

1. Where is the best place to exchange my money when I first come over? at the airport or at one of the exchange stands near the metro?

2. Are winter boots a must? i havent owned a pair since I was about 12.

3. Will most shops be closed the weekend of January 8-10th for russian orthodox xmas?

4. Are spices hard to find? Should I bring my own?

[spiral78]

Having worked in Moscow in March-April 2007 (the end section of a long, cold winter) I can say that you will DEFINITELY need winter boots. Take nicer shoes with you to work. Unless you live right on top of a metro station, don't try hoofing it through snow, slush, and worse in anything other than boots that are at least mid-calf (and preferably insulated).

This is exactly why many corporations in Moscow have large coatrooms for their staff - it's for everyone's layers and boots.

[Sashadroogie]

1. Airport is the usual rip-off rate like anywhere else, so don't change it all there. The small street Obmen Valyut exchanges are usally OK, but I never feel fully comfortable using them. They had quite a reputation years ago for all sorts of tricks. So I usually use my own regular high street bank to change cash. Not as bad a difference in the exchange rate as you'd think, but much more safety. Maybe that's just me...

2. Good shoes and boots. Rubber-soles only: leather soles slip everywhere, especially on the highly polished metro marble, even when it isn't also frozen. But don't invest in a really expensive pair, as they probably won't last the year of extreme wear and tear anyway. Russians buy new shoes regularly for this reason.

3. Shops never seem to close for anything, and certainly not for church holidays.

4. All spices and what-not available easily, for a price, in the large supermarkets. Don't know what and for how much as I'm not a foodie.

Good luck! And welcome to Russia in advance.

[spiral78]

Yeah, I forgot about those Moscow supermarkets. The one in 'my' neighborhood really had some of the best food supplies all round I've ever seen. Making me hungry just to think of it....

[canucktechie]

[Sashadroogie]

This is very true. Keep that useless shrapnel the shops give you as change: you'll need it for the marshrutkas. Metro is great, but try getting to Michurinskii Prospect from the nearest stations, which are about 2km away.

[discostar23]

thanks everyone.

I think I'm a 20 min walk from a subway station. Glad to know I can get spices there although I still think I will bring my own. In Korea they use to have the little ethnic restaurants where u could get a shawma for like 3 dollars...so miss those places too. Getting excited and nervous about going but I am sure this is natural. Just waitng for those damn visa documents.