zboy1 wrote:Winston, I want to ask you this question because there's a possibility I may be teaching English in Russia (Central part of the country, near Kazakhstan) soon. The school is preparing an invitation letter for me and should arrive sometime next month (hopefully!). What are some of the things I should learn before the move, and what are some tips you can give me about the women there? Anyone else besides Winston that has experience in Russia should also jump in and contribute to the thread.
Great question. As i told Mr S in another thread:
"You are right. Russia is a great place to date. The women are very down-to-earth, tall, feminine and proud to be women. They act humble too and are easy to talk to and flirt with. I've been there three times and can say that from first hand experience. It has a lot of culture too and the vibe feels rich and authentic, like the collective soul of people is deep and rich (hard to put into words) so it feels like a place that intellectual types can connect with. People there are not afraid to talk to strangers too, which is very refreshing if you come from the US.
However, Russia has many drawbacks. There are lots of scams and petty crimes and people aren't very generous. The streets are not always safe at night, not as safe as in Asia. People there can be more violent than in Asia. They also aren't very trusting. Russians do not use the word "friend" as easily as Americans and Chinese do. But if you practice good street smarts and use common sense, you can usually avoid trouble. The vibe also feels chaotic, which is nice in a way, because there's that "anything goes" type of vibe.
Yeah the Russian winter is very bad and cold and snowy. However, if you live in the southern area like Volgograd or Sochi, you can avoid the Russian winter. It's not as cold there, and it doesn't snow. So if you were to live in Russia, you could go to those southern cities during winter, if possible. Or you can go to Ukraine too. It doesn't snow there because it's further south.
Do you mean Putin is leaving, Mr S? Why? He's been president for so long, even when I was there in 2004. I just hope they don't get another Gorbachev, who bows down to the West and gives in to it. Either way, Russia is definitely a place where men are men and women are women.
There is also a rich soul in Russia and a feeling of deep authenticity that you can feel in the air there that is hard to put into words. You have to go there for a while to know what I mean. I'm sure CheezRaider and Ladislav can attest to what I mean.
So consider those things Mr S. You might like it there."
So why are you going to Kazakhstan? That would even be better for an asian guy, because it is a FSU asian republic, and has both asian culture and russian culture. So your asian race wont count against you there. Plus you are tall and FSU women like that.
As for tips, i would say learn some basics of the language. Download pimsleur russian. Its an audio language series that requires no computer or brute memorization and very little involvement. Its the easiest way to learn a language. Just play it in the background all the time and you will remember the words and phrases after a while with very little effort.
You gotta keep in mind that FSU hate stinginess so you gotta not appear that way. Russian guys say you gotta pretend to run out of cash to not appear stingy.
Dont worry about the language barrier though. I met many travelers in china who got around fine without speaking any chinese. So the language barrier thing is a myth. I even met an old lady from america who traveled alone around china and tibet and never spoke any chinese, yet she got around fine. I was shocked. So it definitely is possible and easier than you think to get around in a foreign country without speaking the language.
Btw if you want, ill send you a free copy of my travel and dating guide to russia in pdf format.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
