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Russian people in general Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next

Way to Russia Talk Lounge Forum Index -> Russian People

Author	Message
macroman99 Just Starting Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 5	Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 4:29 am    Post subject: Russian people in general I made my first trip to Russia in March of 2006. I was there for 2 and a half weeks. What a marvelous experience, I would go back anytime and in a flash. I flew to Moscow from Atlanta, Georgia, USA. I had a 13 hour layover until my connecting flight to Barnaul. I met many kind Russian people even though they tend to be quiet and not very outspoken with strangers, this is understandable. I visited Barnaul to meet my fiance, she will emigrate to the US in about 4 to 5 months. If it be possible I would obtain Russian citizenship and yet retain my US citizenship so that travel between America and Russian would be without the hassle of tourist visa. I do not know if this is possible, but I favor doing this. Russian people have a very unique history which has had its affect on their psyche. How do Russian people in general view the new government and the economic atmosphere? Are their many Americans living and working in Russia and if so are they relegated to specific areas or cities. I have heard that there are about 10,000 Americans living and working in Moscow. All things considered I fell in love with Russia, its people and their ways and wouldn't hesitate to live there myself, provided I could gain employment.
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MrSpice Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431	Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 7:04 am    Post subject: Re: Russian people in general macroman99 wrote: I made my first trip to Russia in March of 2006. I was there for 2 and a half weeks. What a marvelous experience, I would go back anytime and in a flash. I flew to Moscow from Atlanta, Georgia, USA. I had a 13 hour layover until my connecting flight to Barnaul. I met many kind Russian people even though they tend to be quiet and not very outspoken with strangers, this is understandable. I visited Barnaul to meet my fiance, she will emigrate to the US in about 4 to 5 months. If it be possible I would obtain Russian citizenship and yet retain my US citizenship so that travel between America and Russian would be without the hassle of tourist visa. I do not know if this is possible, but I favor doing this. Russian people have a very unique history which has had its affect on their psyche. How do Russian people in general view the new government and the economic atmosphere? Are their many Americans living and working in Russia and if so are they relegated to specific areas or cities. I have heard that there are about 10,000 Americans living and working in Moscow. All things considered I fell in love with Russia, its people and their ways and wouldn't hesitate to live there myself, provided I could gain employment. I think you're just excited and did not get an objective impression about the country because you only visited it for 2.5 weeks.
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Ekaterina Talk Show Host Joined: 28 Sep 2005 Posts: 265 Location: Moscow	Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 5:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Russian people in general MrSpice wrote: I think you're just excited and did not get an objective impression about the country because you only visited it for 2.5 weeks. It is just your thoughts MrSpice. There is another forum mate who has already immigrated from the US to Volgograd. You know I have been living here for almost 38 years and still love the country and the people.
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krasatulya VIP Joined: 29 May 2005 Posts: 590	Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 6:24 pm    Post subject: You have to admit, Ekaterina, 2 1/2 weeks vacationing in a foreign country, no matter how pleasant the experience, is a little premature to decide it is a place you would like to live.
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surfguy Lounge Wizard Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 6979	Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 7:17 pm    Post subject: delete Last edited by surfguy on Sat Sep 16, 2006 5:12 pm; edited 1 time in total
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MrSpice Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431	Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:12 pm    Post subject: Re: Russian people in general Ekaterina wrote: It is just your thoughts MrSpice. There is another forum mate who has already immigrated from the US to Volgograd. You know I have been living here for almost 38 years and still love the country and the people. I love the country and its people. That does not make it a great place to live. I loved people in Mexico and have visited Mexico 6 times. It does not mean I want to permanently move to Mexico, live and work here. Living in another country is a totally different experience from visiting. All I am saying is that when you visit a city like St Petersburg and you have dollars in your pocket and you stick mostly to the center, it look great and you don't see the many problems that the country has. You take any critisizm of russia personally because you like your country and it's very understandable. But the reality is that for someone who has a job and has an established life in the US, life in the US is much more comfortable. You can argue with it, but it's true. Obviously, one can have a high-paynig job at a large Moscow bank and live like a king in Moscow. But this would be an exception, not the rule. Especially in smaller cities in Russia, life is kind of tough - in terms of amenities, income, opportunities, stability, transportation, roads, etc. It does not mean that there won't be people who would prefer living in Russia to other places - lots of people returned from the western countries to Russia to take advantage of business and other opporunities, or simply because they hate living in the foreign land ("na chuzhbine"). Money and comfort are not everything. But making this kind of judgment after 2.5 weeks of a fun vacation is not wise.
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surfguy Lounge Wizard Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 6979	Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:31 pm    Post subject: different strokes for different folks-but the US has more to offer than any other country-and that's a fact! But that said there is a lure of living abroad and getting away from the comfort of home. I would love to retire to Costa Rica, but I would still want to be able to come back to a home here in the U.S. The pollution, the traffic, the crowds of St Pete will wear on someone after a while. I noticed that on my visit and the people who live there complain about it all the time. And the inconvenience of living outside the city makes it difficult. But as long as someone has all the money they need I guess one could live in comfort anywhere.
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MrSpice Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431	Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:20 pm    Post subject: surfguy wrote: different strokes for different folks-but the US has more to offer than any other country-and that's a fact! But that said there is a lure of living abroad and getting away from the comfort of home. I would love to retire to Costa Rica, but I would still want to be able to come back to a home here in the U.S. The pollution, the traffic, the crowds of St Pete will wear on someone after a while. I noticed that on my visit and the people who live there complain about it all the time. And the inconvenience of living outside the city makes it difficult. But as long as someone has all the money they need I guess one could live in comfort anywhere. To be honest, surfguy. traffic in LA or New York isn't much better. I don't if it's any fun to be stuck on a 405 Freeway in California. In fact, St Petersburg's public transportation is very good (especially, the Metro). The air is very polluted, but mostly in the center where there are lots of cars. So that is also not a totally right impression about the city. I take subway to work every day here in New York. My train is full sometimes, I have to wait for another train. And New York traffic is not for those with heart problems... I think traffic jams are a problem of most large densly populated cities anywhere in the world. Certainly, people in the US spend more time in traffic than people of any country. So we disagree here. Also, I think your statement that "US has more to offer than any other country" is a typical American patriotism. Obviously, many other developed countries may offer better things to some people. Some middle class person living in the US without any health insurance may think Canada or Sweden are a better places to be. But we are comparing the US with Russia - which is a developing country.
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Ekaterina Talk Show Host Joined: 28 Sep 2005 Posts: 265 Location: Moscow	Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:36 pm    Post subject: MrSpice, Sometimes on this forum appear the people who admire Russia and Russians. Notice they escape immediately when you give them a heap of shit about Russia. Some of them keep in contact with me and they hold their opinion. It has become boring on this forum after yorbcbud left. You and Vitali are very different from most Russians, you have different priorities and valuables. Enjoy yourself and each other.
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surfguy Lounge Wizard Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 6979	Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:45 pm    Post subject: Spice you are right to a degree...but name one other country in the world that has as many major cities as the U.S. does. We have S.F., New York, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, L.A. and so on and so on. We can have a city like New Orleans get devestated and it will bounce back even better. The uniqueness of our country is that when one area is down the others can pull it back up. There is no other country that can do this.
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MrSpice Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431	Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 11:09 pm    Post subject: Ekaterina wrote: MrSpice, Sometimes on this forum appear the people who admire Russia and Russians. Notice they escape immediately when you give them a heap of shit about Russia. Some of them keep in contact with me and they hold their opinion. It has become boring on this forum after yorbcbud left. You and Vitali are very different from most Russians, you have different priorities and valuables. Enjoy yourself and each other. With all due respect, what you just said does not make ANY SENSE. Do you really think that someone who is interested in a particular country would run away because someone like me pointed out the objective reality there? Should someone who said that he wants to go live in Russia after visiting for 2.5 weeks, expect that Russia is paradise with no problems at all? I would think that if someone comes to USA for 2.5 weeks and likes it, needs to know about problems one experiences in the US when that person decides to live there. Should we just say great things and not point out the reality to people? It's like choosing a wife and think that she has no shortcomings. I was responding to this guy's post. I don't know what you want me to say. Blaming me from making russia seem less exciting is ridiculous. I always think that one has to travel and see for himself. There are many great things about Russia and its people. There are lots of beautiful cities and places. But there are also problems. And how me and Vitaly think has nothing to do with that. Don't blame the messenger, please.
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MrSpice Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431	Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 11:16 pm    Post subject: surfguy wrote: Spice you are right to a degree...but name one other country in the world that has as many major cities as the U.S. does. We have S.F., New York, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, L.A. and so on and so on. We can have a city like New Orleans get devestated and it will bounce back even better. The uniqueness of our country is that when one area is down the others can pull it back up. There is no other country that can do this. The argument like this probably goes beyond this forum. I can say that you optimism makes you a great American. However, to a sceptic (or possibly, to a realist), New Orleans would appear as one of the most disfunctional, crime-ridden, disorganized and corrupt cities in the US. One can say that not only it did not bounce back, but most of its residents did not even return there. In any developed and rich country where the government can throw billions at the problem (60+ billion in the case of Katrina), cities will come back quciker than in a place that's poor. That's common sense. Disasters happened quite often in Asia. I don't know whether Tokyo after the earthquake bounced back any slower than New Orleans. I would think that billions were wasted in the process here. FEMA is a terrible beauracracy and it's kind of similar to many Soviet-style beauracracies I saw in the former Soviet Union. Thinks are not that dandy in our country at the moment, surfguy. Beyond blind patriotism, you will see unending deficits, runaway inflation and real estate costs and excessive deopendence on cheap oil. Ekaterina will probably appreciate this - the US can learn from countries like Canada in being more tolerant and more humane to those in need (i.e., 46 milliion people here have no stable health insurance). So, please vote out your representative in November...
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surfguy Lounge Wizard Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 6979	Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 12:13 am    Post subject: In any developed and rich country where the government can throw billions at the problem (60+ billion in the case of Katrina), cities will come back quciker than in a place that's poor. That's common sense. This is exactly my point and why is it that we can do this? The fleas have all left New Orleans-but this city is being redeveloped and the levy is finally being fixed. And the city will return to an even better state. Some times it takes a flood to drown out the rats.
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vitalsigns Lounge Wizard Joined: 25 Dec 2004 Posts: 2784	Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 1:01 am    Post subject: Re: Russian people in general Ekaterina wrote: MrSpice wrote: I think you're just excited and did not get an objective impression about the country because you only visited it for 2.5 weeks. It is just your thoughts MrSpice. There is another forum mate who has already immigrated from the US to Volgograd. You know I have been living here for almost 38 years and still love the country and the people. No. Ekaterina, you, like most liberal-minded people, hate America and most americans. You will never be able to undrestand people who immigrated to America and are grateful for the better life he or she is now enjoying. Your negative comments about the US were appaling after you recent trip to the US. Stop trying to hide your true thoughts, I know exactly what you are thinking about the US. And the last thing, please, keep my name (although it is NOT my name) out of your posts. I have not spoken to you for ages why do you have to stick my name into your posts?
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charles Lounge Lizard Joined: 11 Mar 2006 Posts: 180 Location: USA	Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 6:58 am    Post subject: Come on, Mr Spice. macroman99 didn't say he was moving to Russia. He was only expressing his new love for the country & people where his fiancee comes from. Why dump a world of woe on him? Besides, he qualified his desire to live there by saying "provided I could gain employment". Apparently, he only visited Barnaul. And in March. What was the temperature in March? -10C? -15C? (Actually I believe they had a short warm period in March) But someone from Atlanta who visits Siberia in March and falls in love with it must have seen something very attractive in the people & culture. Don't assume that he was blind to the hardships of living there. You think his finacee never talked about what life is like in Russia? She's the one who's emigrating, not him.
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