A first trip to Moscow/Russia

dredger

dredger

The Living Force
Hello all,

I'm being from more and more attracted by Russia, just looking at the daily way my country (Belgium) or better say all the occidental countries behave regarding the rest of the world and also, much important, how they gradually and slowly bring more and more rules/laws, globally more injustice, etc ... (this paragraph could be big but it's not the point here)

I run a small company with a few employees in Luxembourg, and I even hesitate to open a company in Russia, but that's just an idea at this moment. I anyway made some researches and found a nice french website which can help about many subjects regarding Russia, and opening a company at Moscow is part of these services (for the curious, here's the site : Le groupe Alexandre a enfin son site internet! )

But on the personal aspect of my life, I spent these last years running the company and did not take much rest. I even start to feel it physically, i do not move a lot, and as i'm single since a few years, I'm even more tempted to stay at home and continue my sedentary life. In the past I was quite more energetic and one thing I did 2 or 3 times was to draw a relationship using internet (around 1999 and after, at the start of the democratization of the "tchats") and if in another country, fly around to meet the person(s). One of these trip was my actual best souvenir (about traveling abroad), a trip to Quebec where I meet a whole family (with 3 childs) but also another person in another area of Quebec, during 15 days.

If I explained this, it's just to introduce the way I would like to discover Russia : I do not want to play the tourist, I would like to avoid to book a chamber in an hotel, I don't want to go there and be isolated, but I would like to meet people from there, to spend time with them and if they accept and have the time, that they make me discover at least some area of Moscow. They key point is that if I travel to another country, except if the main objective is "to rest", it's to meet new people, new mentalities, other way of thinking, I want to share with people, it's really the key aspect here, and in comparison, the rest is of lesser importance (visit buildings, places, museum or even typical restaurants), or, to be more precise : this would be for me quite quite less interresting to visit a specific place in Russia if I do not have with me a Russian who would be there to introduce me what I see/discover/visit. (and I do not like at all the guided visits made by a pro while being in a group of tourist coming from a tourist bus, not for me that)

So, it's the reason why I first come here on the forum, I try to find out if there are some Russians people here (from Moscow so ... to begin) who would like whether to play this role, or know someone who could play it ? Of course, it's better that the person is ... let's say one member of the C's community, so we have already a good knowledge and I would say a kind of similar vision of life shared between us. I do not ask to be hosted, just that if it's possible, I'll of course pay something for this, or refund in any manner if this would happen, but maybe the person who would "welcome" me in Russia could find me a fair hotel, not so far from where he/she leaves (or his/her family).

I would of course understand that if there's or there are such people here on the forum who live in Russia/Moscow, they probably have job, a family, activities, and I do not want someone who would feel forced, of course, but someone who would have time, who also like to meet people from other cultures, and of course, who is proud of his country (not difficult for this last aspect ;).
Note also that for a first trip, I could come only for a few days, like a week-end, or an extended week-end ...

Last details : i'm not willing to go there to find a wife/girl, and also, I do not speak a word of Russian (that's another project/idea to learn it, but this would be a big one as it's a different alphabet to learn), but just english and french.
And very last detail : I often say to my friends or family, still for joking at this moment, that I'll buy an house in Russia in the future and go live there - maybe I'll not joke anymore in the future about this, if the "descent into hell" of the europe is still continuing like this.

Well, let's send this message as a bottle to the sea,, I prefer first to try this way which would be ... in summary ... quite more in adequacy with my nature.

Thanks
 
check out the channel (you tube )
Different Russia

she maybe willing to help
speaks good english , lives in or near moscow..


but typical big city girl ..
also has husband and son...
but not into sott.net
but safe ... honest ..
been watching her vids for a couple of years...
 
Dredger,

I have been living in Moscow for the last three years - I am not Russian, but Belgian like you. I am a member here but have not been active - actually my first post since more then a year or two. If you are interested I could give you a introduction to Moscow, take you along a walk and introduce you to some of my russian friends (who speak English). If this is your first visit though and you are planning to stay not more than a few days, I would recommend to start with the tourist things. Get around the city, see the beauty, feel the history and absorb the atmosphere. To jump that step, especially if you don't speak the language, will be difficult and might even be counterproductive. The Russian has a great feeling for beauty and history, part of their inner core. So, in order to connect in a first encounter, it is good to have knowledge of that history, literature, art. The best way to do that is to visit the city tourist style, sit in a park and read a great Russian novel.

Jeremy
 
I would also recommend to book a hotel. Once you entered the country you will need to register to the immigration services to declare where you stay. If you stay in a hotel, the hotel will do that for you. If you stay in the house of a private person, that person will have to do that. This will entail quiet some legwork and some questions (as you are a foreigner) from the hosts. Maybe that is aksed too much from your host during a first visit or the host will not do it and you might get some questions when you leave the country. Normally this procedure only applies if you stay more than 7 days in Russia, but with the upcoming world championship football this rule will be temporarily changed to all incoming visitors and this within the day after arrival.
 
Dredger, as a general rule we don't permit forum members to solicit meetings with other forum members unless we know the individuals in question pretty well. On our private FOTCM forum, there are group meetups, skype interactions, and group visits with us here or at HQ in North Carolina. All of this is generally supervised until we feel more or less confident that the individuals are sincere and trustworthy. This is not a suggestion that you aren't, but merely based on wide experience of the net and how people are not always as they present themselves online.

Yes, we have members in Russia but I am not going to sanction that any of them invite anyone for direct interaction without first going through the vetting process that we provide in FOTCM.
 
Laura said:
Dredger, as a general rule we don't permit forum members to solicit meetings with other forum members unless we know the individuals in question pretty well. On our private FOTCM forum, there are group meetups, skype interactions, and group visits with us here or at HQ in North Carolina. All of this is generally supervised until we feel more or less confident that the individuals are sincere and trustworthy. This is not a suggestion that you aren't, but merely based on wide experience of the net and how people are not always as they present themselves online.

Yes, we have members in Russia but I am not going to sanction that any of them invite anyone for direct interaction without first going through the vetting process that we provide in FOTCM.
Click to expand...

Ah, sorry, didnt thought this was not authorized. I understand, there's sometimes a gap between someone in front of a keyboard and in front of you, and even, you still can face someone "stronger" than you, I mean, someone able to fool you. Now i'm embarrassed ... at least the answer of Jeremy help me to understand some things I did not figure out, and also that I should avoid the period of the world cup.
Laura, I hope you won't mind if i contact Jeremy using internal message system of the forum ?
 
dredger said:
Ah, sorry, didnt thought this was not authorized. I understand, there's sometimes a gap between someone in front of a keyboard and in front of you, and even, you still can face someone "stronger" than you, I mean, someone able to fool you. Now i'm embarrassed ... at least the answer of Jeremy help me to understand some things I did not figure out, and also that I should avoid the period of the world cup.
Laura, I hope you won't mind if i contact Jeremy using internal message system of the forum ?
Click to expand...

Under the circumstances, I won't object, but please note that there are very good reasons for the way we do things and work to protect our members.
 
If you have the capacity and the funds to go to Russian, then follow your heart and be inclined by using your intuition.
Just go with the flow with no preconceived notion's or anticipations of it's out come.

Allow time for as much researching as you can find across the web. With the particular points of interesting and the life style you wish to purse.

If you are thinking of living within the close proximity of a major city, then can you adapt to the country's life style that you wish?

Are you considering the times ahead, and will you be able to acquire a business visa, and a living permit being that Russia is not part of the European Union.

I think (though it may be difficult), about finding a trust worthy interpreter whom could advise you by giving you some insight's of The Good, the Bad, and Ugly aspects of Moscow.

Allow yourself some time, to live in the desired location you might consider by going incognito or casually. Non tourist so to speak. Eye's and ears wide open.

Ride all forms of transportation to see if you can adapt. As it may be while before you can acquire a limited license to drive with in the country.

But remember being in any foreign territory can have its challenges, and being mentally prepared with remembering your diet.
And it's importance that it will provide in your decision making. With limiting the influences that may not be in your best interest with your pursuits.

But have fun and explore with vigilance while you investigate a possible alternative reality.

If I can do it you surely can do it as well! Good Luck in your adventure!
 
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I have a little dictionary with common phrases and pronunciation, but if you want to meet people and learn language and customs it's great to take a course in some school of foreign languages, there are also tourist agencies (at least in my country) that have meetings like courses prior trip where people can meet each other and learn about customs of country they're going to visit, they have book clubs and go to galeries and things like that. I honestly never traveled anywhere, I don't even have a passport:-[. Inform yourself about everything and have a great time.
 
Hello, thanks c.a & Martina.
I'm trying "Rosetta Stones" to learn Russian, a bit hard but at begin, hard to pronounce ... it's too soon at this moment to say something about, but it's fun to learn with their method/software.
I think I'll opt to go there alone, during a few days, and discover, with, I hope, a basic language I could have learnt in the meantime. Hope to go still in 2018, if nothing bad (internationally speaking) happened in-between.
 
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You can enroll in Russian language course in Russia. I've done this in Russia twice for 2 and 3 weeks. Language course in the morning and exploring the city in the afternoon and evening. If you book a course with accommodation, the institution will arrange your visa invitation and assist you with the registration.
There are many online sources to learn Russian. Pushkin Institute offers very extensive free online courses from elementary to advanced level. As for applications, I use Duolingo and Memrise everyday.
 
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