Sometimes I feel like I've spent so many years with visitors and recent immigrants that I am one. Born and raised in the States, though. I have no Russian blood. I've been only once and loved it and wanted to stay weeks longer. I've had tons of friends from all over the fmr Sov Union... I'm conversationally fluent and can recite Pushkin by heart. I have a small vocabulary, but can read, write, speak, understand... Some parts of Russia hate hate Americans. I'm of Asian blood and some skinheads in the market hate all kinds of people and will just kill you for your jacket if you are not Russian street smart. I love Russia, the mindset, the pop music, movies old and new... the old culture, the ancient culture and the Russia of today. I love the excitement, tradition, craziness, and change... I am in technology and could probably get an IT-Related job. I have friends and acquaintances from Kaliningrad to Moscow to Rostov Na Don... Kharkov, Petropavlovsk and Vladivostok. I love blini, traditional borsh, pelmeni s smetyanoi, krasnuyu ikru... I can touch type on the computer keyboard in both languages and not necessarily "stuck" in either one culture or the other. I can float my ideas, foundations. I don't want to join the CIA or FSB, though. Should I just burn my frequent flyer miles and go and never come back?
Russia - 3 Answers
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1 :
They wouldn't let you in. Russia has very stringent visa restrictions.
2 :
Good question. I think the hardest part for you would be finding sponsorship for work from a Russian company to give you a visa to work in Russia. By all means it sounds as though you should pack up and leave tomorrow, but obviously the visa restrictions would prevent doing so. My advise would be to take a 3-4 week holiday there and live as most Russians would. If you still want to live there then learn the language and move. Ask your friends if they can help you get a job. Out of the cities you mentioned, the more you travel east to Siberia the more Asians there are so there is a much less likelihood of being beaten. There are many Asians in Vladivostok. Good luck with your ambition and I really hope you move to Russia, its a wonderful place!
3 :
There will be visa issues. If you find a company to sponsor you, then you're much better off. Otherwise you'll be required to leave every 90 days and stay out for 90 days before returning. You can get a visa for 180 days per year, but no more than 90 days at one time without being sponsored by a Russian employer. More info on getting a job here: http://russianreport.wordpress.com/come-to-russia-get-a-visa/employment-in-russia/
