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Norwegian
Frequent Guest
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 15
Location: Norway
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 Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 1:18 am Post subject: Making friends in Russia |
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So, as mentioned in some other topics, Im thinking of going to St.Petersburg next year, to learn Russian. (Well at least try!). But then I started thinking.. Will it be difficult for a foreigner like me to find friends?  I'm a social person and I depend upon friends 
Or will I end up isolated at an international language school?  I guess that there at least will be some other international students in the same situation. Can anyone share their experience on this?  |
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MrSpice
Lounge Wizard
Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3431
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| Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 2:23 am Post subject: |
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| Obviously, with bad russian you won't make many friends. Snce you speak English well, you may find Russians that speak English or meet other expats or tourists. How can you be friends with someone when you can barely speak his/her language? So, learn russian as well as you can in Norway and then go to St Petersburg if friendships are important to you. |
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Norwegian
Frequent Guest
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 15
Location: Norway
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| Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 3:20 am Post subject: |
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| Yes, that's what I thought. But I will survive, and after what I've been told there should be other Scandinavians lurking around in St. Petersburg. |
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Ekaterina
Talk Show Host
Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 265
Location: Moscow
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alexey098
Frequent Guest
Joined: 23 Nov 2005
Posts: 24
Location: Saint-Peterburg, Russia
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| Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 4:07 am Post subject: Re: Making friends in Russia |
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| Norwegian wrote: | So, as mentioned in some other topics, Im thinking of going to St.Petersburg next year, to learn Russian. (Well at least try!). But then I started thinking.. Will it be difficult for a foreigner like me to find friends? I'm a social person and I depend upon friends
Or will I end up isolated at an international language school? I guess that there at least will be some other international students in the same situation. Can anyone share their experience on this? |
i've got lots of norwegian friends here, you'll be fine.
hang out in the city bar. remember this name. there'll find ppl from all over the world. in the worst case, pm me when you are here |
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brandalpayne11
Talk Show Host
Joined: 09 Sep 2004
Posts: 245
Location: NC, US
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| Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 3:24 am Post subject: |
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Mr Spice, get oof your pompass ass.! No matter where you are you can make friends. There are plenty of russians that speak english.
All ou have to do is be friendly and you will make friends out of couriosity if nothing else.
brandal |
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Schneeflocke
Frequent Guest
Joined: 03 Oct 2005
Posts: 26
Location: Petrovsky Stadium, Piter
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| Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 9:30 pm Post subject: |
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Well while in Russia I had both a clique of international friends (from the language school I studied at, you get together and go out there naturally...) and a circle of Russian friends, some of which I met there (most didn't speak English, but I already spoke Russian quite well and even if we didn't always exactly understand each other it was fun!) while going out and others that I already knew before over Internet...
I don't think you'll have any trouble!  |
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cook
Frequent Guest
Joined: 31 Mar 2005
Posts: 59
Location: Michigan, US
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:46 am Post subject: |
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My experience has been that it can be difficult to meet people simply because 1) the study abroad program that I am on places us in a college (where teenagers study...my group is all in our late teens and early 20's), and 2) the fact that a student visa makes it illegal to hold an actual paying job. However, through meeting students at other schools my friends and I have made Russian friends that we meet several times a week to hang out, play pool, watch movies, and to of course vuipit'. This process took about two months (which is normal), so with time, anything is possible.
I don't know exactly what your situation visa- and living-wise will be while you are there, but if you continue to seek out friendships with people as you already do, you will undoubtedly meet people and make friends despite any annoying problems like the ones that I listed. As far as speaking Russian goes- it helps, but as there is no such thing as a person who does not speak English (a fact which will get really annoying really quick as you try to learn Russian and everyone tries to switch to English on you) it is not prerequisite to making Russian friends. |
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MrSpice
Lounge Wizard
Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3431
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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| brandalpayne11: Unless you are an expert in sign language, you are not likely to make any friends without the knowledge of local language. So keep quiet. |
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Lord-Adrian
Frequent Guest
Joined: 07 Jul 2005
Posts: 55
Location: Russia, Orel
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 1:03 pm Post subject: |
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Why you go to study Russian to Moscow or Saint Petersburg.
It is expensive.
Visit small cities is will be cheaper. |
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