Ask an American living in Russia anything. I'm coming up on the end of a 3 month stay in Volgograd

Ask an American living in Russia anything. I'm coming up on the end of a 3 month stay in Volgograd.

Other urls found in this thread:

blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2010/12/30/chromium-6-found-in-tap-water-of-31-u-s-cities/
cnn.com/2016/01/11/health/toxic-tap-water-flint-michigan/
twitter.com/NSFWRedditVideo

What is your favourite colour?

Grey and red obviously

кpacный, red

why are you in Russia of all places

I read a lot of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy in highschool, and I decided I wanted to learn the language. My university has an exchange program, and because the rouble is so weak, it really hasn't been terribly expensive. You can get cheap beer here from a restaurant for 50 roubles, which is like 80 cents. It's even cheaper in grocery stores. I'm in Volgograd rather than Moscow or Petersburg and inflation hasn't quite caught up yet. Best schwarma I've ever had gets sold at a stand here for 150 roubles

The food here is better than I expected; borsche is excellent, and there are a lot of really cheap food sources nearby. I live in the south, so there is a farmer's market with fresh fruits, vegetables, and honey for reasonable prices. The main shitty thing about dining is the lack of potable water; it isn't free in restaurants and the stuff from taps is generally unsafe unless it's boiled. Buying water cases and relying on them kind of sucks

Have you fired any Russian firearms we can't import into the US? If so, or if you plan to; you should start a thread on /k/ about it. Maybe renting things at a range will not be that expensive if you say inflation is not that caught up yet. If you are into that kind of thing.

What are the women like?

How attractive are you?

Did you get funny looks?

Have you led any labor revolutions?

I'm not Slavic, but I still pass okay as a local until I open my mouth. There aren't many foreigners in my city outside the university, so they see it more as a novelty than an inconvience. Most international students are Middle Eastern or African and they literally would stare at me the first few weeks I was here because I was American. Not in a cruel way or anything, but I'm pretty sure it was the first time many of them had seen an American. We have a good looking girl in our group and according to her they weren't as benign with her. I think there's truth to that, but I also think there's a fair amount of exaggeration

As a rule, very attractive. They tend to dress more femininely than back home. I look pretty young, and I'm thin, but I've seen pretty girls with uglier people than me. I tend to stick to my group of friends from America, so I haven't really tried to pick up women, but I think I could if I tried. I do think it would be weird though, since as far as I know, none of the other Americans have tried seriously. I'm 21 and most of the others are around that age if that means anything

Only the one in my heart. There is a very interesting contrast between old Soviet monuments and Orthodox ones. I spend a little time in Moscow, and the reaction after the fall of the USSR towards embracing Orthodoxy I find a bit nausiating. There are gift shops in every cathedral I visited (Apparently the Bible verse where Christ turned over the stalls in the temple isn't emphasized in Orthodoxy) and there's a cathedral in Moscow that was literally reconstructed (it was destroyed by the Soviets) with mob money in the '90s. I think the pendulum has shifted in the other way back to the "glory of the USSR", and frankly, at least to me, that kind of fanaticism, while not attractive by any means, is preferable to the kind of capitalist tinged religiousity that preceded it. I mean, there's a church next to Mamaev Kurgan for fuck's sake

>and frankly, at least to me, that kind of fanaticism, while not attractive by any means, is preferable to the kind of capitalist tinged religiousity that preceded it. I mean, there's a church next to Mamaev Kurgan for fuck's sake

nice meme

How common is it to find Russians with a good level of english? how do they usually react when they know that you're american?

>Volgograd Shawarma

Fuck yeah, I had some amazing shawarma there during Victory Day.

Have you been to any other cities?

In Petersburg, pretty common, in Moscow, rare, but possible, in Volgograd, pretty unlikely. People are generally friendly and patient, I've definitely run into at least a few who were unpleasant, but they're the minority

>With mob money in the 90s
Is there something wrong with that?
I honestly don't understand people's problem with mobs
They're literally just small illegal government/banks/unions

a week in SPB, a week in Moscow, 3 months in Volgograd. Victory Day was pretty sweet, especially in Volgograd

What kind of fanaticism do you like the most?

>Is there something wrong with that?
>I honestly don't understand people's problem with mobs
>They're literally just small illegal government/banks/unions
who take everything from defenseless people and give almost nothing in return

I'm glad to hear that. There's really nothing like Victory Day, everyone is just so happy.

Before you leave, you need to try a soda called Baikal (and tarhun) made by Chernogolovka. I love the stuff.

And how different is that from government/banks/unions?

There's a reason why when a society collapses it moves closer to the mob
It's because the mob is organized and already used to working sort of without the government

The water issue is the same in most parts of southern Europe. So it's not a russian thing.
It's very normal in most parts of the world.

Attention whore leave
Reeeeseeeeeeee

>And how different is that from government/banks/unions?
Now it's my turn to tip my fedora

governments have accountability, are elected, provide services, and maintain infrastructure.

mobs are only concerned with themselves and perpetuate power through fear

Uhh because one says it follows the law and the other doesn't say it follows the law.

Use filters or large pumps with 20l bottles.

This.

Italians will get triggered if you ask for tap water.

>Governments have accountability
Says who?
Do you really believe your vote matters?

Do you think the mob has never built up or maintained infrastructure?

Government is just a very well regulated socially acceptable mob

>le libertarian argument

>Government is just a very well regulated socially acceptable mob
This, at least in Russia.

Yeah and? I'm not a libertarian but they're not wrong
The similarities between government, unions, banks, corporations, and mobs are striking

Mobs are just as necessary as the government

How much dirtier and bleak it is compared to your hometown?

Is Russia third world?

I guess OP is dead from AIDS already.

Sorry, was cleaning up after dinner. I'm froma suburb of Detroit, which is much nicer than here, but here is nicer than a lot of places I've visited in Detroit

boil your water and carry a reasonably-sized water bottle around in your bag. I did this in every country, even those with "drinkable" tap water.

Petersburg is very European, at least if you don't stray too far from Nevsky. Moscow more uniformly decayed, and here in Volgograd, it's a mixed bag. There are plenty of new cars and the steets are clean, but the roads can be pretty bad even in the busy parts of the city and I've seen more than a few stray dogs roving around at night.

how much years/months it took to master Russian?

I've studied it for 2 years and my Russian is still awful. My professor can speak without an accent, but that took him a very very long time

>took him a very very long time
Cause i am learning Russian here

Hahaha my friend has studied for 2 years and says he's fluent. Now I can tell him he's lying.

>cyprus

Is this attempted humor or a cypruseeee

>years and says he's fluent. Now
It takes 3 years to make a normal conversation
and master grammer

its a joke for Cyrus the great
it makes Iran angry

Isn't tap water in the states unsafe as well? It tasted really bad when I was there so I never drank it.

he is. Using the proper case/gender accurately and consistently is a bitch on its own, not to mention vocabulary

cхyяли ты тaкoй хитpoвыeбaнный?

Not where I live, unless you're paranoid about fluoride. There was a big scandal about the water in Flint being unsafe, but it was only a scandal because the water is usually so safe

how the fuck do you like .. what ?
if you get a chance would you settle in Russia ?

I guess I'm just spoiled with our water then

kek

It's safe, but depending where you live, it can taste pretty bad. I live in San Diego, so our tap water tastes like someone left copper coins in there and let it sit in the sun all day. Pretty gross. If you go up to the mountains just a few hours away, the tap water tastes like bottled water.

Translate i can only understand
how the fuck you like .... ? then what ?

What suburb? I too hail from that area, but on the west-most side before it becomes bumfuck nowhere until Lansing.

What university are u studying at back home?

No, I probably wouldn't live here, it's not that it's unsafe, but I would never feel secure. The economy is too weak and the government is too arbitrary in their rhetoric towards foreigners

How do you like our freedom? You can download anything, nobody bats an eye. Even cp is almost ok, as long as you do not distribute it.

I'm from Livonia, but I go to school out of state.

Nothing meaningful.

Ah nice I'm from Brighton. My cousins went to Livonia Churchill. Just graduated from U of M. Good luck with ur Russian studies. They seem like nice people.

I use rutracker at home, so it's not much different. Stuff downloads faster, I guess

I think their rhetoric towards foreigners is what keeps them such a pure nation though. It wouldn't be the same Russia without hating foreigners.

Go meat Edward Snowden he lives in moscow

>such a pure nation
u wot

haha no.not at all..

blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2010/12/30/chromium-6-found-in-tap-water-of-31-u-s-cities/

cnn.com/2016/01/11/health/toxic-tap-water-flint-michigan/

>Go meat Edward Snowden
It's like you NSA cucks don't even pretend anymore.

i bet if you posion him with ricin you could escape the U.S before they realized it and get some reward.

Are you employed? What's your job?

wtf i was just saying after watching the new movie trailer

>governments have accountability, are elected, provide services, and maintain infrastructure.
Not in Russia

>Go meat Edward Snowden

US is not different in this regard.

In the north they're racially pure. The south is filled with Muslims which I hear they tend to not like.

Пpoигpaл

I am a student full time, but I work part time at home. I didn't get a job in Russia

Do you go on 2ch? If yes, how is it comparing to Sup Forums?

Literally a shithole.

People use too much slang there, it's hard for me to understand. It's good practice though

>It's good practice though
Not really. Outside of internet you won't see people """""""converse"""""" like those organisms do.

>Outside of internet you won't see people """""""converse"""""" like those organisms do.

So, just like Sup Forums

Ololo