Vorkuta,
Inspiring post and best of luck in your adventure in Russia.
I think this should be a lesson to all of us that we are all different and different places will appeal to different people.
While Vorkuta loved Moscow, as a brown person, I can't wait to get the hell out of here after almost 2 years of living in Moscow. I'm tired of the hostile looks from the people on the metro, locals mistaking me for Turkish/Arab and not believing that I'm American, the constant denial of entry into bars/clubs despite dressing up, Russian guys trying to start shit with me, ice queens who don't even give me a chance to open them because they don't want to be seen talking to a brown person, mean people with no sense of humor, shitty weather, crappy and expensive food, the list goes on...
this is all despite having a respectable job, salary, and large apartment, and fluent Russian, and a decent social circle (threw a few successful house parties in my time here). The racial issue is a killer in Russia, and yes, while the women are more attractive and the money is better, there are plenty of other places in the world that don't cause this level of heartache and frustration. Russians don't even pay lip service to tolerance and treating minorities equally.
Given that I just got a SNL with virtually no effort in a recent trip to Poland as well as makeouts galore in my last night in NYC before leaving to Russia (while this remains a rare occurence in Russia) I know it's not me - it's the place. Even in central asia, despite hostility from the guys, I was getting a much more receptive response from the women. Scandinavia was even better.
So, you have to seek your own pussy paradise - it may not be obvious, and while the forum helps, you have to do some searching yourself.
As for Russia, good luck! It's not the 90's anymore so business opportunities will take more networking and you will have to offer something unique - local companies are also trying to hire more Russians instead of paying fat expat salaries. Also, the economy is starting to stagnate, so be wary of hitching your wagon to something that doesn't have a optimistic future. For all the talk of the decline of the West, Russia faces an even worse future when their demographics collapses and oil prices fall as the shale gas boom goes online. On the other hand, the consumer market is still growing, oil prices are high and people have money to spend, so if you find something that works, you can do very well for yourself, as long as you have trustworthy partners and friends in the right places for protection.
Either way, best of luck and I look forward to reading about your Russia adventures from the USA, or China (if things line up). Perhaps I'll feel a sense of regret about what could have been, but life is too short to battle with a place just because someone else likes it.
As the Russians say, "разные люди" (different people)
Inspiring post and best of luck in your adventure in Russia.
I think this should be a lesson to all of us that we are all different and different places will appeal to different people.
While Vorkuta loved Moscow, as a brown person, I can't wait to get the hell out of here after almost 2 years of living in Moscow. I'm tired of the hostile looks from the people on the metro, locals mistaking me for Turkish/Arab and not believing that I'm American, the constant denial of entry into bars/clubs despite dressing up, Russian guys trying to start shit with me, ice queens who don't even give me a chance to open them because they don't want to be seen talking to a brown person, mean people with no sense of humor, shitty weather, crappy and expensive food, the list goes on...
this is all despite having a respectable job, salary, and large apartment, and fluent Russian, and a decent social circle (threw a few successful house parties in my time here). The racial issue is a killer in Russia, and yes, while the women are more attractive and the money is better, there are plenty of other places in the world that don't cause this level of heartache and frustration. Russians don't even pay lip service to tolerance and treating minorities equally.
Given that I just got a SNL with virtually no effort in a recent trip to Poland as well as makeouts galore in my last night in NYC before leaving to Russia (while this remains a rare occurence in Russia) I know it's not me - it's the place. Even in central asia, despite hostility from the guys, I was getting a much more receptive response from the women. Scandinavia was even better.
So, you have to seek your own pussy paradise - it may not be obvious, and while the forum helps, you have to do some searching yourself.
As for Russia, good luck! It's not the 90's anymore so business opportunities will take more networking and you will have to offer something unique - local companies are also trying to hire more Russians instead of paying fat expat salaries. Also, the economy is starting to stagnate, so be wary of hitching your wagon to something that doesn't have a optimistic future. For all the talk of the decline of the West, Russia faces an even worse future when their demographics collapses and oil prices fall as the shale gas boom goes online. On the other hand, the consumer market is still growing, oil prices are high and people have money to spend, so if you find something that works, you can do very well for yourself, as long as you have trustworthy partners and friends in the right places for protection.
Either way, best of luck and I look forward to reading about your Russia adventures from the USA, or China (if things line up). Perhaps I'll feel a sense of regret about what could have been, but life is too short to battle with a place just because someone else likes it.
As the Russians say, "разные люди" (different people)