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RiverSouthBoy
Just Starting
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Posts: 9
Location: Ningbo,China
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 Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:38 am Post subject: Hi,a few questions about Moscow and Russia. |
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Hi,everybody on waytorussia.net! Greetings from China!
It's great to have a site like this for me to learn about Russia.
well,i'm an 18 year old student in eastern china,the city of Ningbo(near Shanghai). i'll graduate from highschool this June, as i'd like to see the outside world and i'm interested in Russia(it's unique culture it's people it's politics and everything), i'm planning to apply for the Moscow State University.
but my question may brings some unpleasantness so i hope you understand,i didnt mean to offend.... (extreme-nationalists stop reading the below ) 
here in china we can often hear news about Chinese or Korean students attacked by russian extreme-nationalists(like NAZI) ,and that most of them are gathered in moscow. Also said that if an asian was being beaten right in a street, russian passersby would just go their way like nothing ever happened.
is that all true,and is that - that serious? i wanna know if foreign students are welcome in russia. and would it be better if i walk in a street accompanied by a russian? and is the situation better in St.Petersburg than in Moscow? and,any other advices? also i take a little martial arts,but i dont think it would work if i face 3 or 4.
thanx for reading the message! |
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init6
WayToRussified
Joined: 01 Jun 2005
Posts: 363
Location: Москва, Россия
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| Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 1:15 pm Post subject: |
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I'm an American that's lived in Moscow for almost six months now (I take Russian language courses at a faculty of MGU) and I've had minimal problems. Granted I'm not Asian, so I fit in, physically, a lot better.
But there are a lot of Asians at my school (Center for Int'l Education), there are a lot of Asians in the dormitory I live in and I know that most of them have not had any problems. On the other hand, a British friend of mine said she saw two Russians holding an Asian fellow at knife point outside of our dormitory one night and looking through his bag.
I recently had my first experience with хулиганы and it wasn't all that pleasant. I came through with nothing more than a scraped knee and a jammed finger, but it was both shocking and eye-opening for me after six months of nothing but good experiences with Russian people.
Most of the fatal attacks on foreigners have actually been in Leningrad (Petersburg) and provincial cities like Voronezh rather than in Moscow. If you read the actual news articles you will see this to be true. There is, however, ethnic violence in Moscow. My roommate is Turkish and some of his friends were hospitalized after getting into a fight with a bunch of Armenians.
This isn't meant to frighten you, however. Only to inform. If you are careful, don't walk by yourself at night or in unfamiliar areas, you should be just fine. Russian people are 99.9% good folks from my experience and it's only that .1% that, unfortunately, gives some people a bad taste about Russia. I've had an enjoyable time here so far, and I've got almost five months left in the country. |
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mediashark
Moderator
Joined: 04 Nov 2004
Posts: 1599
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| Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:08 pm Post subject: |
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I have Chinese parentage, I was only stopped once in ally my life here by militsia yesterday, but I was ready to argue all the way to court and the guy got scared and looked like he was about to piss in his pants when I said my Russian husband and the embassy's secretary is on the way. 
As for these 'skinheads', I have never seen them before after living 3 years here.
There are a lot of Chinese students, and very few get attacked.
MGU is a top-notch university... if you get the chance to study there, be very thankful that you were able to. |
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RiverSouthBoy
Just Starting
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Posts: 9
Location: Ningbo,China
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| Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 9:08 am Post subject: |
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hi thank you for the posts above init6 and mediashark.
but there's another problem.
i'm applying for both MSU and SPBSU,i was about to choose SPBSU cuz i thought it was safer in st.petersburg for it's a tourism city.
but yesterday when i talked to a man from Kuwait who studies in russia,he told me that moscow is safer,it's not like 3 years ago,and there r a lot of police in the metro. and also,the living expense is cheaper in moscow than in st.petersburg.
is that all true?
and i think what is most important for me to choose a city is what i'm going to study. i'm going to learn sociology. so do u guys have any ideas on which should i choose is best for me?
thanx again
xiexie! |
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wwwadim
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 15 Apr 2005
Posts: 145
Location: Moscow Region, M-7 Highway, Noginsk
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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| RiverSouthBoy wrote: | he told me that moscow is safer,it's not like 3 years ago,and there r a lot of police in the metro. and also,the living expense is cheaper in moscow than in st.petersburg.
is that all true? |
A bit not exactly. What about comparison of living expence in Moscow and SPb. Food, clothes are equal to expence, but renting a flat is in 2 or 3 times expencive than in SPb. The cheapest flat in SPb costs now about 150-200$/month, but in Moscow the same flat would cost 500$/month. Transport (taxi, metro) in Moscow is also more expencive than in SPb.
More of all - you'll waste more time at roads, streets from Univercity or office to your home in Moscow.
Plus there are a few interesting cultural places in Moscow to visit.
What about safety? I don't know but it seems to me that SPb is more provincial city and there people are little rude and angry especially teens from huge living districts of city. And than you could have some problems with them.
But there were not any terrorists attack at SPb subway while in Moscow subway these attacks were 10 or 12 times at all. Because of it there are many police guys in Moscow subway - to prevent possible acts.  |
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Ekaterina
Talk Show Host
Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 265
Location: Moscow
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 10:55 pm Post subject: |
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Moscow State University is the best University in Russia and if you have a chance to study there don't loose it. You may rent a room right in University campus, it is interesting to live with people from different countries and not expensive. I was happy to study and live there myself.
As for safety I heard about some skinheads attacks in St. Petersburg and think that it happens more often there than in Moscow. |
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tuller
Talk Show Host
Joined: 24 Oct 2004
Posts: 234
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| Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:30 am Post subject: Moscow |
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As an American man, married to a Russian woman, and on many trips to Russia and several cities, riding the metro, overnight trains, taxis, and walking here and there, I've yet to have had a bad experience in my travels there.
I'm not saying something can't happen to you, but if you present yourself to the fine Russian people as a good person, respect them, help them when you have the opportunity, stay away from all the bad places and keep good company, then you'll most likely survive your stay there.
The same things I read about happening to foreigners in Russia, happens to foreigners and Americans alike in our own country.
Good luck on your studies in Russia...it's an awsome country.
Tuller |
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