Many questions

[socksthegnome]

I am a sixteen year old (a bit young for such questions, but none the less) and my girlfriend (18) and I are interested in moving to Russia. I'm sure you get these kinds of questions all the time and I apologize for asking them again. Any info you could give or suggestions on where I could get said info would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance. Now, the questions:

Where is the best place to live in Russia (i.e. city (which cities?), suburb, town...)?
How much could a person who speaks both English and Russian (I plan on majoring in the language in college) make?
How much would it cost to live in Russia (1 bedroom, bath, kitchen)?
What kind of job could a person with said qualifications get?
Is there insurance available in Russia/how would I get medical help if needed?
How bad is the crime rate in Russia? What protection would my girlfriend and I need?
Any suggestions for how to get prepared now?

Again, sorry for the burden. Any info would help. Thanks.

[ILay]

The best place to live in Russia:
depends.
Tell more about you - what is your lifestyle, where do you live in, interests etc.
How much could a person who speaks both English and Russian (I plan on majoring in the language in college) make?
depends. If you are able to make money by just speaking Russian (or English) - tell me how
As a teacher of English language (and a native English speaker) - ab. USD 500 - 1000 net per month.
How much would it cost to live in Russia (1 bedroom, bath, kitchen)
USD 40 - 200 per month depending on a place of living.
Say, USD 40 in Astrakhan to USD 100 in St.Petersburg to USD 200 in Moscow.
Is there insurance available in Russia/how would I get medical help if needed?
Yes, there is insurance available. Basically, each Russian citizen gets the insurance paid by govmnt, so medical service is free of charge. But as the level of services is quite low, many companies offer more expensive medical insurance for their workers as a part of the compensation package. You, for sure, can pay yourself for the insurance. Starting with USD 200 per year.
How bad is the crime rate in Russia? What protection would my girlfriend and I need?
Crime rate - more than in small Scandinavian cities, less than in NY. The best protection is to know how to act in the edge situations. The rules are about the same in any big city.

---

tell more about your self and your plans and I'll be able to provide you with more information.

[socksthegnome]

Well, to start off with, I'd say my reasons for wishing to go to Russia are philosophic, if I might be so bold as to catagorize myself as a philosopher in the first place. I live in middle America suburbia and I'm sick of the capitalistic environment I've grown up in. It deforms families, ruins lives through the almighty buck, and the gross jadedness is digusting. I want to find a place where the world doesn't revolve so much around American capitalism (I realize Russia would, of course, have some of the same elements.)

I have wanted to live abroad since I started reading serious literature (dabbled in it in 6th grade and seriously dove into it my freshman year.). Through all my reading of different cultures and experiences, one country and place struck me as most unique among them all. Russia. Russia seems to be something unto itself and ever since I read Crime and Punishment my freshman year, I've had the dream of one day making it my residence.

I want a place where the only thing to do is sit down and watch tv, go see a movie, or desecrate the country I live in. From what I've seen and read of Russia, all I have idealized would be obtainable. I don't expect to live lavishly, on the contrary, I want the opposite. I want to experience life, instead of being caught up in a falsification of what life should be (spending 35 plus years working, just to retire and find yourself with just enough from the government to scrape by). Like Thoreau, I'd like to take charge of my life and find a path of my own. My Walden is Russia.

Now that I've explained my philosophy (if it is badly written, I apologize, I'm composing this rather quickly and won't have time to revise), I will add a bit more about myself.

Physically (if you are interested in that) I'm sixteen, six feet, 150 lbs., Caucasian, junior in high school, etc. I have a girlfriend (very serious), whom will accompany me to Russia. I speak, presently, only English (though I've taken a couple years of Spanish and a semester of French and seem to pick up languages much faster than most.), but, as stated before, I will major in Russian in college.

I will write more on my return. Presently, I must go to lunch.

Socks

[socksthegnome]

Back to the topic...

I'm an A/B student, and I would say I'm above average intelligence. I've never been out of the country, but I have moved several times and travelled a bit with my family, so I know the how momentus it is to change one's situation like I plan to do. I'd like to call myself a writer, but I don't have the right (no play on words intended). I want to experience things before I sent them down on paper, in permanence.

Anyway, I hope that's enough. If you have anymore questions, just ask, I'll readily answer. Sorry if I was longwinded or strayed from the topic too much. Thanks for all the help.

Socks

[mastodon]

Socks:

I sincerely hope you intend on learning Russian before you get to Russia. Your intention for going to Russia is quite serious. The language is rough. French and Spanish [especially in high school] are bad determinates for projected propensity to understand Russian. Functional mastery of Russian takes the equivalent of years of study and immersion in a native speaking environment. Only then can one grasp intonation and inflection.

Aside from language being the first and most obvious hurdle, you'd have to deal with the economics of the issue. Again, I'd need to know when you plan to go to Russia [before or after college / study]. You cite the homewrecking force of capitalism in America - try corruption in Russia.

I suppose you'd have to present some sort of timeline for me to comment further.

[socksthegnome]

First off, I simply mentioned Spanish and French to say I am rather quick at picking up things, including foreign languages, I'm not saying I'm exceptionally brilliant, just that I do very well with language, memorization, etc.

I do plan on majoring in Russian in college and would like to spend some time in full emersion during my college years. Though I've never studied it, from what I've seen, Russian is very complex and I'm perfectly willing to take up the challenge.

I do realize to some extent the corruption of Russia, though I haven't had time to really look into Russian politics and such. But, there is a certain nationalism in Russia, it seems that America lacks. I find that very appealing. Other than that, I just love Russia for some unexplanable reason.

I wouldn't be going, once again, until after 4 or 5 years of college (add to that 2 years of high school), so it is a rather far off, but I figured I get my barings on the situation now and make sure I really want to work towards said goal.

Socks

[mastodon]

Socks:

I was initially a little concerned. I thought you were planning on leaving in a month and was getting some last minute helpful hints.

I'm a Russian Studies major. I am also getting a couple minors in both the Russian and Chinese languages. I don't plan on living in Russia, but if the opportunity arises - I would.

Feel free to ask any more questions. ILay is the most able when it comes to answering questions about living in Russia. Sadly, he is busy and doesn't get to drop by often.

If you want any insight into Russian Politics or news we have discussion forums for them.

Welcome to Russia.com.