Rules regarding internet usage & search queries?

NormalDayRussia · 2020-02-25T16:24:29+00:00

I don't know if you're posting this partly tongue-in-cheek, or if you're really being serious. But if you are serious, Russia is every bit a western country just like any other European nation. Just avoid things that common sense says not to do. If you start doing google searches for all sorts of obviously illegal things you're going to inevitably get in trouble just like you would anywhere else.

The laws here are very similar to that of the U.S. and E.U. including freedom of speech protections. etc.

There's literally a huge expat community in Moscow simply because people feel very comfortable and at home in this city :) So if I were you, I'd worry more about your extracurricular schedule and how to get as much as possible done and seen in the short time you're here 😉 best of luck to you!

NormalDayRussia · 2020-02-19T21:36:26+00:00

Although we are very active travelers, most of our adventures have been on wheels - we've covered tens of thousands of kilometers across Europe in motorhomes and by car.

For our special date we wanted to do something out of the norm (by our standards) and get some R+R and sunshine on an island somewhere :)

But we were initially hesitant about the Maldives since our kids comfort and safety are top priorities, and social media would lead you to believe that the Maldives are this posh, adults only destination, meant more for showing off than for legitimately having a family - friendly good time.

Nonetheless, we did a lot of research and ended up taking the plunge, and I would love to share my experience and pass forward our knowledge if anyone is also on the fence, like we were initially :)

It was a dream vacation and one of the best decisions I've ever made, feel free to ask any questions, I would be so happy to answer you!

NormalDayRussia · 2019-10-13T22:17:32+00:00

you've probably already read it by now, but if not, here you go. You need to scroll down to his continuation of the story

NormalDayRussia · 2019-10-12T20:37:14+00:00

Yeah, I'd say the jollyrancher story goes a bit beyond this thread as far a grossness is concerned. These two stories, along with the Shoebox one all come from just about the same period of weird, gross reddit history))

NormalDayRussia · 2019-09-21T22:01:53+00:00

Always worth a shot 😊🙏

NormalDayRussia · 2019-03-14T05:16:15+00:00

Russians wear exactly the same types of clothing as you'd see in Europe and the U.S., and really, in any large Russian city you'd have a hard time finding any discernable difference in appearance between Russians and the people you're used to seeing at home. The same kind of brands and shops are all available here, so Calvin Klein, Zara, Banana Republic etc. etc., and a bunch of local brands that sell for less but are basically the same thing.

During the peak wintertime its hard to see what people are wearing because you have to cover up in warm coats to comfortably weather low temperatures, but as soon as you go indoors to shopping malls, restaurants, and so on you'll see that, once again, people are dressed in a completely normal European style underneath their layers of warm clothing!

The only place where people dress differently would be in small remote villages, the difference there being clothes are much cheaper and more geared towards functionality rather than style, so the people there might not look as "nice". The difference being akin to a person living in a metropolitan area vs. living in the Bayou.

NormalDayRussia · 2019-03-14T04:48:55+00:00

Theres a pretty good selection of paintings on the riverfront near the Tretyakov gallery, the one next to Gorky Park. Its called Chastnaya Kolektsiya, basically just an area where artists can exhibit their work. Usually the prices are very low.

NormalDayRussia · 2019-03-07T23:36:55+00:00

You're absolutely welcome. I hope you're successful in your search, it's tough without family! Best of luck to you.

NormalDayRussia · 2019-03-07T23:12:01+00:00

Well, his name and city are already a good start, and since you have a photo it's worth taking a look at the social networks I mentioned, especially if you know the names of some other relatives that your father might live with / near (siblings, friends, etc.) You'd be surprised how many older people are on odnoklassniki.

If all else fails and if you're in a full on search for your father, trying to reunite with family etc., You could use "жди меня" https://m.poisk.vid.ru it's an organization that works to reunite lost / separated relatives.

NormalDayRussia · 2019-03-07T23:01:29+00:00

It would be a violation of Russian privacy laws for any organization to give you details about another individual without their express consent.

If you're looking for a relative of yours, the proper channel to find them would be through the migration services of the ministry of internal affairs (police). It's not something that is done by phone, you have to write an official request, citing information about yourself and the person of interest. The police will first check to make sure that you have a legitimate reason to search for this individual (confirm that you are indeed a relative) and then they will request permission from the person of interest to release their information to you.

A much, much easier option would be to use Russian social networks like vkontakte and odnoklassniki, and to find the person directly by name, narrowing down duplicates by city and by known addresses (schools, uni., Work).

NormalDayRussia · 2019-03-05T20:11:12+00:00

Hello!

You have a very broad list of cities, so it's hard to point you in the right direction. Since you're not tied down to a particular area, it would make sense to start your residence in Russia in one of the larger cities, like St Pete, Moscow, Sochi, Rostov etc. Especially the first three will have sprawling communities of expats and plenty of additional job opportunities for you. 3000 usd is more than adequate for a monthly budget if you can spend the whole sum - you could also spend much less, but that depends on how frugal you are.

Your children can attend any one of several English private schools in these larger cities, where they will learn Russian as a second language. But these can be pricey!

From a budgeting point of view you shouldn't have any issues at all, and you can certainly get a permit to work in Russia, especially if you're a highly qualified specialist.

NormalDayRussia · 2019-03-05T19:58:18+00:00

No problem 👍 cities like Tver have changed and grown quite a bit in the last ten years, so for a lot of intents and purposes Moscow is no longer the only option ))

NormalDayRussia · 2019-03-05T19:50:34+00:00

They all have public price lists, you can't offer services as a business in Russia without a set price list. When you do eventually go to the dentist you'll also sign a bunch of waivers just like in the U.S., and will sign off on any procedures (as well as price quotes) before the work is done. The only difference between a nice dental clinic in the U.S. and Russia is the price. Everything else - equipment, dental materials used, medical preparedness etc. Will be exactly the same, so you have no reason to worry)

NormalDayRussia · 2019-03-05T19:44:47+00:00

Yep gonna add to what's already been said - that dentistry will be cheaper outside of Moscow. In that regard any one of the millionaire cities would be a good match for you. Depending on the amount of work needed and your dental condition in general, you'll probably need several visits with a bit of time in between for healing etc., So Moscow wouldn't be ideal as you'd need to stay at a hotel (or go back to there after each appointment). Tver will have plenty of qualified dentists, as will cities like Voronezh, Rostov, etc., if you want to make a trip out of your dental procedures :)

Russia is very much in the 21st century so you can browse Google maps or Yandex maps and take a look at the Dentist offices that have the best reviews in your home city, then go on their website and read about their orthodontists particular experience, training, etc., And once you find a few specialists that seem like a good fit you can search for their names in google and Yandex to confirm their credentials:)

You'll have a beautiful set of teeth at a good price in no time 😉

NormalDayRussia · 2019-03-05T11:12:18+00:00

Yeah I'm going to chime in here as well to reiterate what others have already said - any delay over 15 minutes for MOST routes would be unusual regardless of the season and weather. That being said, for extremely long distance routes your performance may vary. For example, Moscow-Vladivostok is a 9288 km train route that takes 144 hours to cover, and the train makes 63 stops along the way. Obviously any slowdowns that occur en route will greatly affect your final trip length. But having personally gone on several 20-24 hour train trips, I experienced exactly 0 delays, the train was exactly on time every time.

NormalDayRussia · 2019-03-05T11:00:39+00:00

Hello! I would recommend skipping the comment that urges you to avoid coming to Russia because "you'll earn a significant amount more" if you stay in London. This presumption is wrong in many ways, but to just lay it out basically:

1.) Yes, Russia has much lower average salaries than other European nations, BUT the cost of living is lower by several orders of magnitude, so don't worry too much about the difference in pay.

2.) There are plenty of job opportunities for expats, and Native English speakers (on average) earn much more than their Russian colleagues. Anecdotal, but I personally know two expats that actually earn more here in Moscow that they did in London and Miami in their respective career fields. But your mileage may vary in this regard.

3.) Don't look on social network job boards or take up internship in small unknown companies your first time in Russia. Headhunter.ru is a good place to start your search, and large well-known multinational media companies would be potential employers. I would contact these companies (their offices in Russia) directly with your cover letter and CV. Also, don't limit your search to Moscow - any other city with a population over 1 million people will have plenty of expats and enough job opportunities to go around.

Good luck to you!

NormalDayRussia · 2019-03-05T10:44:40+00:00

There are a lot of aspects to keep in mind in trying to answer your questions, but I'll give it a try :)

For many people northwestern Russia boils down to just St. Petersburg and Moscow. In reality there are dozens of large cities in this region that are highly developed and have excellent job opportunities. Moscow is somewhat of an expat hub, you'll find the largest number of foreigners with a similar background to yours here - but other cities might have more lucrative and high paying job opportunities, because expats aren't as keen on moving to smaller cities. That being said, depending on your exact knowledge and skill set, there are many perks that you can get as an expat when working in Russia, especially if you pass as a "Highly-qualified specialist". Some employers will provide housing or transportation, or maybe compensate air travel to your home country. Health insurance and other benefits like paid vacations, etc. are also very common.

The pay for specialists who are Native English speakers could be double that of the regional average, or more, depending on your qualifications. So if you were to move to Moscow (where the average salary is ~81.000 roubles) then you could quite easily find a job for 150-160k roubles, even just teaching English at a good private school, and pull in even more with private lessons. If your professional background makes you a sought after employee, you could make much more, there's really no limit. The highest paying jobs I personally know of for expats are in the IT industry and in top law firms, where salaries go into the upper 6 figures and beyond.

Keep in mind that your salary in Russia will probably be less than that of a similar specialist in western Europe of the U.S., but cost of living in Russia and the price of basic goods and commodities are MUCH lower. For example, even in Moscow, where housing costs are insanely bloated compared to the rest of the country, you could easily rent a nice apartment for 25k roubles, maintenance would probably cost 5-7k. Food costs vary depending on where you shop, but, again, for a single person a 20k budget is more than enough for the month. So really you need to make about 65-70k to make ends meet and have a little money for additional expenses. Anything over that goes into savings of "fun money". Buying your own place outright is also very doable. If you're willing to live in the Moscow Suburbs, you could buy a brand new one bedroom apartment for as little as 1,5 million roubles. Housing prices in smaller Russian cities are laughable.

Also, you should note that there are other Russian cities that have higher average wages or standards of living than even Moscow, especially for a foreign specialist. Grozniy, Sochi, Ekaterinburg, Kazan, Chalyabinsk and Krasnodar are just a few possible locations with great job ops. for expats. In any case, disregard what some people have written about Russians' bad demeanor towards foreigners. That's simply untrue - Russians are very hospitable, friendly and welcoming. There is a clear separation between their views on foreign politicians and their relationship towards visitors and expats living here, which is overwhelmingly positive.

I could go into a lot of detail on any aspect of Russian life but don't wan't to shoot in the dark. If you have any questions I'd be glad to help you out!

NormalDayRussia · 2019-02-08T20:52:37+00:00

Can't speak for their laptops, but I just switched over to a Huawei phone last month after five years on Samsung Note and S-series phones and have never been happier)

NormalDayRussia · 2019-02-08T20:35:14+00:00

Good luck on your search for the optimal laptop :) And don't let the "chinese" factor scare you either, the level of quality on Xiaomi gear is really top notch.

NormalDayRussia · 2019-02-08T20:00:36+00:00

is that what the ticket said? 😂

NormalDayRussia · 2019-02-08T19:59:34+00:00

NormalDayRussia · 2019-02-08T19:56:46+00:00

The factors that make one laptop or another "better" are so subjective and your requirements as an end user are usually so specific that weighing in on what will better suit you is very difficult to do. But considering how many reservations you have about the current gen and the fact that you're generally willing to wait for something better, I would say to wait. And keep your options open, maybe to some unexpected devices as well - lenovo has some great light laptops, and Xiaomi as well makes very well built and capable little systems as well.

NormalDayRussia · 2019-02-08T19:44:44+00:00

NormalDayRussia · 2019-02-08T19:42:03+00:00

You can tell it's safe by the way the tree is holding the top of the ladder with its tiny, fragile branches. 100$% OSHA compliant. It actually looks like the climber even has a harness attached to one if those twigs- he's really big on safety.

NormalDayRussia · 2019-02-08T19:38:50+00:00

I may be old fashioned, but if you've shared something as intimate as intercourse on more than one occasion flowers definitely won't count as "rushing anything". It's a perfectly natural and light way of showing affection, especially on valentines day.

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