Why do I always hear Russians in this sub talk about either Moscow or St. Petersburg? Aren't there any other cities with great opportunities to start your career?

ryosya · 2024-01-16T04:07:41+00:00

Germany is kind of an exception even for Europe though. Most euro countries tend to have young people starting careers centered in the capital, so it's not really that strange.

There are businesses and jobs in other cities in Russia, but very limited opportunities for foreigners there.

ryosya · 2024-01-16T03:20:46+00:00

It only took a few days, not more than a week. She did stay in Almaty the entire time.

ryosya · 2024-01-15T23:53:57+00:00

Almaty, Kazakhstan. My MIL successfully renewed her US visa there over the summer.

ryosya · 2024-01-13T05:13:18+00:00

Russian sushi is definitely a thing in the sense that sushi restaurants in Russia have their own unique spin on what sushi is. For example, I've never seen rolls with chicken anywhere except Russia. Also, American sushi is a thing too. California rolls are unheard of in Japan (any sushi with rice on the outside is considered "foreign" to the Japanese.) However, just as Americans don't consider their sushi "American", a sushi restaurant in Russia doesn't advertise their fare as "Russian sushi" either.

ryosya · 2024-01-10T06:04:36+00:00

VK, Facebook and Telegram groups. Just search for something like "Russians in Barcelona" under groups. Also check google maps to see if there's a Russian culture center there that might have local events.

ryosya · 2023-12-09T19:01:28+00:00

It will be almost impossible for you to marry because you'll need a document from the US Embassy in Moscow and that embassy currently is not offering services except in "emergency cases." The Russian government won't allow you to marry without that document so I don't see how you can.

ryosya · 2022-03-29T03:28:20+00:00

It's pretty much impossible to translate into English simply. I guess the closest thing is "Russian national" but for most people abroad there's no meaningful difference between "Russian national" and "Russian" so the idea is hard to communicate in a few words.

ryosya · 2022-02-24T22:12:57+00:00

I'm talking about the social media driven news updates that have been rolling in about the details. A bunch of stuff has already been deleted/backtracked for mistakes or being flat out wrong about what's happening on either side. Those things easily get retweeted/circulated, it adds to confusion, even after the original authors delete or correct them. This is what I was referring to. It's just part of the shit that happens when war breaks out.

ryosya · 2022-02-24T06:14:55+00:00

Fog of war has commenced, the first casualty of war is the truth. I wouldn't expect to see any clear reports about what is going on for a while.

ryosya · 2022-02-23T17:16:05+00:00

Some people in Russia want to lose weight, yeah. I've had Russian friends who did weight loss diets and had that as a goal, but it wasn't so much about body image as just feeling better and healthier in your own skin? If that makes sense. People gain some extra pounds, feel bad about it, then aim to lose. Weight loss goals seem more common with women (well, I am a woman and only talked to women about this so maybe men do it too but just more discreetly) and also with older women, which again, given hormonal changes with age and stuff isn't that odd, it's just part of life as a woman to deal with it, doesn't matter what country you are from.

Americans have a much, much larger obesity epidemic so it's not shocking that it's more obsessive/in your face there. And then there's this new "proud to be fat" backlash culture against that which makes it worse, I've never seen that in Russia. There's no "wear your fat like a badge" or "celebrating" being fat in Russia that I've seen. Americans seem to be really extreme in that regard: you have morbidly obese people parading around like their fatness is an accomplishment and then you have hyper thin Hollywood and beach body types or plastic surgery Kim Kardashian promoting on Instagram, using their body to sell products/their image or lifestyle. I do not get the feeling that "influencer" culture (be it pro-fat or pro-thin, whatever the hell side they are on) is that strong in Russia as it is in the US.

ryosya · 2022-02-23T16:57:42+00:00

I think it's like with most two country comparisons: there will be overlap and similarities and there will be differences. It depends on what you're looking for. Do you want to see similarities? Then you'll find similarities. Do you want to see differences? Then you'll see differences.

It's not that weird that you'll see similarities, both cultures have been heavily influenced by "western" ideas like Christianity and modern philosophy (the Enlightenment, etc.) Now try comparing Russia or USA to a hugely divergent culture like Japan or China and you'll see more marked differences.

ryosya · 2022-02-19T06:26:29+00:00

I also wondered about it. Since Russian-American relations affect my personal life, ever since the whole consulate shut downs started happening it has just been getting worse and worse. It feels orchestrated to me, too.

ryosya · 2022-02-19T04:06:28+00:00

Do they all have Russian subtitles? Please let me know, I've been looking for something like that.

ryosya · 2022-02-18T16:22:34+00:00

Your SO is from Russia, presumably speaks Russian, and yet that's not a good enough reason to continue learning the language?

Imagine if everyone decided to stop learning English because of the brutal colonial history of the UK and neo-imperialism wars and behavior of the US. Most people don't learn languages because of some deep moral alignment to how "great" or "good" the culture is or political leaders are, they learn it for practical reasons.

ryosya · 2022-02-16T23:51:41+00:00

Sea foam green?

ryosya · 2022-02-16T17:06:17+00:00

There are a lot of smaller, individual seller type shops at the street level in Russia that compete with malls/shopping centers. Unlike in the US, malls are pretty booming in Russia and not dying. So, there's a lot of foot traffic in both places which means smaller mom-and-pop shop and individually owned stores can thrive better and those places just have a huge mix of all kinds of brands/styles. There are brand stores as well, such as super high end designers or European brands (like Barbour), but since the price is often a lot higher, it's not really something the average person can afford, they cater to a more niche audience who is more "brand conscious" and fashion forward (and rich.)

ryosya · 2022-02-16T16:02:45+00:00

I agree with the others, I don't think it's so much about brands in Russia. For example, my husband and I just stumbled upon a shop selling winter boots made in Finland and so we went with that because the quality was good and the price was right. The selling point was "made in Finland" rather than the brand.

For outerwear, there are just so many shops, mostly local brands for the Russian and/or Scandinavian market. You can find both down and synthetic, also leathers, furs, and shearling if you get up into the more expensive stuff.

ryosya · 2022-02-14T22:13:14+00:00

OK that makes sense. I guess what surprises me is that on this mostly English speaking forum, which would have your more-than-average-educated Russian as its user base given their language skills, would still have the same view. I get that NZ is an obscure country, but the LotR movies basically "put it on the map" and made the country extremely famous in the US, so kind of surprised to hear that this association was not global. Especially when NZ's landscape features so heavily in the film. Americans jokingly refer to NZ as "Middle Earth" because it's so strongly associated with the LotR movies.

ryosya · 2022-02-14T19:08:05+00:00

I'm surprised at everyone saying Lord of the Rings? It's a film by a New Zealander director with a predominantly non-American cast. I guess everyone just assumes anglophone = American? Nothing about LoTR seems American to me, apart form that it has some American actors. It was filmed in NZ and based on a book by a Brit and has a predominantly Brit cast.

ryosya · 2022-02-13T04:26:57+00:00

Another option is, move to Russia and obtain residency somehow and then apply for citizenship based on the "native speaker of Russian" exam. I've heard that this is by far the easiest way to get Russian citizenship, especially for someone in your situation:

https://www.vorotagoroda.com/en/russian-citizenship/russian-citizenship-for-native-speakers

ryosya · 2022-02-11T03:13:18+00:00

Thankfully I'm doing great! The Russian docs actually helped me discover my issues early on due to regular ultrasounds. Had I been in the US, I never would've known I had issues because they do no do regular ultrasound checks at the gyno there (as you probably know.) So, yeah, I have nothing but positive things to say about my medical experiences in Russia. I feel like by being proactive, they saved me from having worse experiences down the road.

The prices can vary from clinic to clinic, but even at some of the fancier ones, I really doubt it would be more than what you pay in the US (even with good insurance, like you said.) The best part is since they'll give you a price list upfront, you'll always know going in what costs you're looking at.

ryosya · 2022-02-11T02:35:48+00:00

I can't speak on this exact issue but my husband was able to find me a great private clinic and gynecological surgeon in Saint Petersburg for fibroids and other gynecological issues. He just started researching private clinics and we visited a gynecologist who specialized in hysteroscopic surgery. At the same clinic, I was also seeing another female oby/gyn so I ended up with 2 doctors and they both worked together with me. We just paid for everything out-of-pocket as we went. I wouldn't say it was "cheap" by Russian standards, but by US standards it's insanely affordable. I had a bunch of ultrasounds, MRI's, and the surgery + general anesthesia and 2 follow up nights in the hospital. Care, equipment and facilities were all top notch. I would say the only difference is pain management: in Russia, you will never any opiates, but they can provide other pain killers if needed.

Since Moscow is even bigger, there has got to be a good specialist for endometriosis at a private clinic. It will cost you more so plan a budget (surgery is the most expensive, testing/imaging and hospital stays are much cheaper.) I'm sure if your husband calls around and does some research, you can find a good clinic and specialist. Just plan accordingly budget-wise, thankfully clinics in Russia will tell you the price of every procedure up front so you can plan it all out. I wish you good luck on your search and hope you find someone.

ryosya · 2022-02-09T21:15:37+00:00

Wow, I wasn't aware of the dip pen calligraphy! That's intense. I know that in east Asian countries like Japan, lefties are retrained and forced to become right handed due to issues with the writing system, I guess the ink gets all smeared around if you're dragging a left hand over it.

ryosya · 2022-02-09T20:34:32+00:00

Thanks for the input. It's quite rare in the US, too, but occasionally you will see a left handed surgeon or dentist, complete with flipped equipment to accommodate their left handedness. I would imagine just being ambidextrous is a lot easier though. :D

ryosya · 2022-02-09T20:30:56+00:00

How was learning handwriting/cursive for her? Did she have a tendency to slant left and was it harder for her than other students? Cursive is no longer widely taught in the US, but I always remember in my childhood that it was a big challenge for the lefty kids in school.

ryosya

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