[Xeo]

I'm currently learning Russian and I'm pretty young. I'm looking to travel after my formal education is done. (OR perhaps study abroad). Is russia still the haven for guys I have heard it being described as? And travelers who would share some tips and wisdom would be appreciated.

[NerdyNomad]

Good for you. If I could go back in time, I would learn Russian. Being 35 and someone that struggles learning languages... it's too late for me. The younger you are, the easier it is to learn languages, so I recommend learning it as quickly as possible.

Russian speaking countries seem to have the best women in the world.

[d_hzy]

In short, yes.

[choichoi]

From personal experience. I was presented with the opportunity to travel through Russia after a 9-month deployment to Afghanistan along the Trans-Siberian; a trip starting in Ulanbataar and ending in St. Petersburg over the course of one month. Do you know what my biggest fear was? It was getting jumped by Neo-Nazis because of being Black (more like yellow brown). I survived 9 months inside of fucking Talibanland and I was afraid of a hypothetical racially motivated altercation. Fuck that shit!

I went and thank God I did. After that trip I committed myself to studying Russian and I fell in love with the history and culture. And now, even though I live in China, I get to practice my Russian (and Chinese) still because there are tons of FSUers here.

Just fucking do what you're doing man. And for God's sake, don't just go because you think it's a PUA/Manosphere haven. You will set yourself up for disappointment. Keep studying and fuck what I or anyone else says.

[Xeo]

Thanks for the reply guys. It means a lot!

[gmoneysauce]

(12-27-2016 11:32 PM)NerdyNomad Wrote:  

Being 35 and someone that struggles learning languages... it's too late for me. The younger you are, the easier it is to learn languages, so I recommend learning it as quickly as possible.

Dude, I am 48 and I am learning a couple of languages after not really learning any since my early 20's. I am finding that my knowledge of English, which has increased as I have read more and more, is helping my learning of latin based languages and my experience in learning a second language is helping me learn a third.

I think that the biggest factor is fear. I would recommend just getting on italki.com and finding someone to teach you and hitting it hard. Don't give up!!!

[Philosopher]

I spent about 5 years in Russia, teaching English for Corporate clients, slinging stocks, and working as a translator. The girls there are amazing compared to American girls. Fortunately for you, most of them know some English.

I gotta say the most difficult thing is finding an apartment to rent not too far from a metro station in Moscow and try to avoid having roommates as it is too much of a hassle dealing with their bad habits or being delinquent.

[YMD]

I don't mean to be rude, but I'd say that you'll never know whether a particular country is good or bad for you until you visit the country by yourself.

In the last year, I visited a country which is often well thought of on RVF, but I didn't enjoyed the place that much. On the other hand, I visited another country and enjoyed it, even though the country is not discussed on RVF as often as the country.

This may not match the OP's question, but let me tell you that staying in a particular city for a long period is better than staying for just a couple of days.
Ideally 1 week or more, but this can be an issue if the place has nothing which holds your interest. Again, you'll never know whether it's enjoyable or painful to stay in a particular place until you do that by yourself.

You said you you study Russian, and this is great. Knowing the local language will definitely help you to enjoy staying in a foreign land. (I didn't do that before I visited Poland. Polish people I met there did't speak English as much as I previously thought)

[churros]

I'm in a similar situation. Going to Russia for one month with no prior experience, very basic language skills. Is St. Petersburg or Moscow the better option?

[WashedUPVet]

(12-30-2016 09:39 AM)churros Wrote:  

I'm in a similar situation. Going to Russia for one month with no prior experience, very basic language skills. Is St. Petersburg or Moscow the better option?

Both great choices. I found SPB girls more interested in me, but less sophisticated and poorer english. Moscow girls have better english and more sophisticated. But both are excellent choices. I prefer Moscow if I had to choose, but it is more expensive.

[crispytaco]

(12-27-2016 11:32 PM)NerdyNomad Wrote:  

Being 35 and someone that struggles learning languages... it's too late for me. The younger you are, the easier it is to learn languages, so I recommend learning it as quickly as possible.

Is a matter of motivation. I'm 42, started learning Portuguese like 3 months ago, and I practice by chatting with Brazilian girls only in that language. Not bad so far.

Of course I know Russian is harder, and I started studying it as well, but again, I don't have projects / motivation to continue right now

[Constitution45]

(12-28-2016 02:54 PM)Philosopher Wrote:  

I spent about 5 years in Russia, teaching English for Corporate clients, slinging stocks, and working as a translator. The girls there are amazing compared to American girls. Fortunately for you, most of them know some English.

I gotta say the most difficult thing is finding an apartment to rent not too far from a metro station in Moscow and try to avoid having roommates as it is too much of a hassle dealing with their bad habits or being delinquent.

I get you, especially as quote on quote from an old ex pat friend. "Every expat in Moscow has something wrong with them". Still nevertheless they can party well.

Since 2014, rental prices decreased substantially, especially back in the latter part of 2015. I alway found that the suburban developments started to produce very decent apartments for an affordable amount.

[WashedUPVet]

(01-03-2017 12:34 PM)Constitution45 Wrote:  

(12-28-2016 02:54 PM)Philosopher Wrote:  

I spent about 5 years in Russia, teaching English for Corporate clients, slinging stocks, and working as a translator. The girls there are amazing compared to American girls. Fortunately for you, most of them know some English.

I gotta say the most difficult thing is finding an apartment to rent not too far from a metro station in Moscow and try to avoid having roommates as it is too much of a hassle dealing with their bad habits or being delinquent.

I get you, especially as quote on quote from an old ex pat friend. "Every expat in Moscow has something wrong with them". Still nevertheless they can party well.

Since 2014, rental prices decreased substantially, especially back in the latter part of 2015. I alway found that the suburban developments started to produce very decent apartments for an affordable amount.

"Every expat in Moscow has something wrong with them"

It is funny you say that, was it me that told you? I swear I used to say it all the time. There has to be something crazy about going from a soft Western country to the harsh realities of Russia. It takes a combination of strength and crazy to do it for any period of time. Most of the other (American) guys I knew were a bit weird... except for maybe Cicero. Dude is sharp as a tack, but knowing his stories has a risk appetite beyond the normal man.

[Constitution45]

(01-04-2017 08:38 PM)WashedUPVet Wrote:  

(01-03-2017 12:34 PM)Constitution45 Wrote:  

(12-28-2016 02:54 PM)Philosopher Wrote:  

I spent about 5 years in Russia, teaching English for Corporate clients, slinging stocks, and working as a translator. The girls there are amazing compared to American girls. Fortunately for you, most of them know some English.

I gotta say the most difficult thing is finding an apartment to rent not too far from a metro station in Moscow and try to avoid having roommates as it is too much of a hassle dealing with their bad habits or being delinquent.

I get you, especially as quote on quote from an old ex pat friend. "Every expat in Moscow has something wrong with them". Still nevertheless they can party well.

Since 2014, rental prices decreased substantially, especially back in the latter part of 2015. I alway found that the suburban developments started to produce very decent apartments for an affordable amount.

"Every expat in Moscow has something wrong with them"

It is funny you say that, was it me that told you? I swear I used to say it all the time. There has to be something crazy about going from a soft Western country to the harsh realities of Russia. It takes a combination of strength and crazy to do it for any period of time. Most of the other (American) guys I knew were a bit weird... except for maybe Cicero. Dude is sharp as a tack, but knowing his stories has a risk appetite beyond the normal man.

I can't remember exactly if it was you that told me. In general, outside of this forum, who would choose Russia to live as an expat. You need to have specific tastes or certain ideas on life to even consider the city. Without sounding like a cliche, many of those will fit with the 'red pill' lifestyle. But then again a lot of dregs from the West and those who didn't just quite "fit in" end up here. Perhaps the two overlap somewhere, not fitting in or seeking something different that the norm, can drag a man to all sorts of strange exotic places.


I would say it is the same as China, although the latter has a booming TEFL trade makes it a top gap year destination.

Ironically enough, probably half of the expats that I met in Russia, didn't go there for the girls. They were either incredibly timid and shy or they brought along their American/British girlfriends.