biggish data

Why Manchester specifically? Have you ever been there?
In my opinion (very personal opinion) Manchester is no more than a very big mall.

I haven't been there, but I'm a crazy Manchester United fan. All my friends, who have been there say that it's like a fan's heaven there.
I started learning English just cause I wanted to go there. Here I am - a recent university graduate with a degree in linguistics and teaching foreign languages.... and getting ready to move to the States... Well, I guess hockey, Washington Caps and Ovi will work as long as my man is going to the games with me.

Leave Spain for last, because I have a feeling that once you visit you are going to want to stay. I tried staying in Barcelona, but God wanted me to meet my wife instead, so I had to return to USA after running out of money because of seven months without a job. If I had "my job" in Barcelona, I would move tomorrow, even if my wife never gets the golden American passport that so many people treasure.

Great advice, thanks. So, it's really dangerous for me, cause I started learning Spanish just cause I wanted to go to Barcelona (I would learn Catalan instead, but I don't think they teach it in Russia).

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-11 08:02:00

So your wife is way more smarter than you? Oh wow. I speak three languages and met my wife by chance in Prague. I WIN!

I speak 4 languages and I'm way younger than you, which means that I have plenty of time to learn even more languages

I definitely have more hair than you do, but it's OK, cause I'm a girl. No gel in my hair.
Does that make me smarter? Wow.

Having known lots of people who have done work/travel, I'd take it with a grain of salt.

I did work&travel. No, I didn't want to live in the States. I'm glad I went though, cause it really changed my opinion about the States to the better. Not to mention that I fell in love there :luv:

My plan was though:
summer 2008 - USA
summer 2009 - UK
summer 2010 - Spain.
And the USA was the first country on the list, cause it was a lot easier to get an American visa than a visa to Britain. I couldn't go to Spain, cause at that time I just started learning Spanish. Starting dating my fiance messed up all the plans and I still haven't been to neither Britain nor Spain. But, oh well, we'll catch up with my plans together after we get married I guess.
Yes, some students do work&travel cause they want to move to the States, but I think I heard that only 5% of students actually stay. I know tons of people, who did W&T, only 3 of them live in the States now (one girl got married and 2 other girls go to colleges there).
I personally never wanted to live in the States. I don't mind living there though, but I would be happy in Russia too.
Studying/working/living in the UK (especially in Manchester)... at least for a couple of years was my long lasting dream. I had to give up on that one though.

what a "real Russian woman" is.

It's me!

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-11 06:54:00

There is a huge difference in the standard of living between urban and rural areas in Russia and Ukraine. I do not think anyone would deny it (and expect to be taken seriously). While I am sure you will have fun at the party, I am also sure you do not want to live in a dacha year round...which is why it is a dacha.

Gary, seriously, I would live outside of the city provided that
1) it takes no longer than 30-40 minutes to get to some big city
2) I have a car to travel to the city on a daily basis (study, work etc.)
It works for both Russia and the USA. I told my fiance that as a city-girl I will never be able to live in the middle of nowhere and I need to breathe this polluted air and hear the city noise from time to time, otherwise I won't survive :lol:

That's why I'm really glad that Baltimore and DC are so close to the place where we are going to live.

The biggest problem with rural areas in Russia is unemployment, really. And since I'm not a big fan of gardening and stuff, it's not a good place to live for me ever. Some people do move to the countryside when they retire though and live in their dachas :yes:

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-09 11:57:00

And when you drive an hour outside of St.Pete...or Moscow for that matter ..what's it like then eekee? Ya we know don't we.

I'm going to check it out tomorrow.
My friends are throwing bachelorette party for me at my friend's dacha. I bet we won't suffer there :lol:

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-09 05:54:00

Outside of Moscow Russia is one giant sh*thole. If there were ever an example of somewhere in Russia not being a sh*thole, it would have made news by now. Travel through Russia and let us know where in Russia it's not a sh*thole, then get back to use on that.

My city is not

St. Petesrburg is definitely not.
Kazan is pretty nice, Sochi etc.
There are nice places, so stop insulting my country. I love it. And I know it better.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-08 15:21:00

Ever been to Russia? Just wondering where you get your impression that it's a "sh*thole." Yeah I'm sure you can point out a few examples, but it's a big country.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-08 14:36:00

I love NYC. I hate Moscow.

I hate both :rofl:

I love DC, Kiev and... well... my city. I haven't been to St. Petersburg, but I'm pretty sure I'll love it if I go.

But yeah, every city has its fans - I agree. There are tons of people, who would say that Moscow is the best place in the world etc.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-07 08:03:00

I don't want to sound all pessimistic, but it's really difficult to make Russian friends here. The attitude towards foreigners is often (maybe 70% of the time for me) distrust, rudeness, or downright hatred, and a hectic city life doesn't provide much opportunity for socialization anyway. It doesn't matter how good your Russian is, you're not Russian, and you never will be. You will always stand out as a foreigner; sometimes, as a foreigner who's been here for years rather than a tourist, but still not a Russian. That will give you problems in terms of making friends, so if you're a very social type it'll be difficult for you. Outside of my SO's friends who have become my friends, I only have two Russian friends.

Nah, it's not about you being a foreigner. The thing is that so many people from Moscow tend to hate anybody, who lives outside of ????. I mean I've lived in Russia since I was born, I don't even know how many times I've been to Moscow and I have only one good friend in Moscow... not to mention that this friend is originally from Lviv, Ukraine :lol:

Well, there are other people I talk to from time to time, but... it's not like having good friends.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-06 12:45:00

Make sure they don't forget their 2 years of obligatory service in the Russian military. I'd hate to think they were draft dodgers.

1 year.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-02 04:20:00

You will not be able to work legally in Russia FOR A LONG TIME. I considered it as my fiancee wanted the same when we were waiting. I decided against it as it would take longer than here.

Yup. I would love to live in Russia too, but not being able to work for quite a while is a big issue, add language barier and the fact that I'm graduating from the university, so it's gonna take a while for me to start making enough for 2 people...

But maybe one day we'll make that move.. I really don't know though in what way it can be beneficial for my fiance (unless he really wants to learn Russian at some point), but it will be beneficial for me and my parents. And my friends.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-06-30 18:14:00

LvivLovers, thanks!

OK, I finally have time to hijack my own thread and write a report about my interview

There were about 10-12 people on that day, mostly women with kids and I was the last one to have my interview, so I got to listen to everybody's elses interviews. Most people had their interviews in Russian - it was just me and one more girl, who spoke English to the CO. The intervies didn't last longer than 5 minutes - except for a pregnant girl's interview (as far as I understood she was married to an American before that).
The CO actually asked only a couple of questions concerning my fiance: how we met - I told the whole story about how we met in summer 2008 in the USA all the way untill his first trip to Russia, the CO just asked "and you were back the next summer?", I said "yes" and that was it. She also asked me about his job. She did look at the pictures too, and then she was just asking me about my trips to the States (I've been to the US 3 times on J-1 Work and Travel visa), where I worked, what kind of job I had, where I stayed, which place I liked more etc. And then she said that everything was in order and she approved my visa.
So, I'm done with this part of my visa journey :dance:

P.S. My parents got their visas in hand already. I'm waiting to receive mine

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-30 14:38:00

Thanks again, my visa was approved today (the interview was rescheduled last minute)

I will write a complete report later tonight, after I get home

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-28 03:16:00

Thank you all! Now my interview is the only thing that's left. Done my medical today with a girl, who's also about to move to the US

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-27 08:15:00

Yay! My parents' visas were approved today! And I didn't even have my own interview yet!
My fiancé sent the invitations for them, saying how important it is for us to have them over for the wedding and I filled out the forms for them. The CO asked about my age and my fiance's age, asked whether my parents have more kids (and I have a brother) and then he asked a couple of questions about my brother and that's it! Didn't even look at any of the paperwork proving their ties to Russia

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-26 07:54:00

Brit in Russia...

The only difference I know is that there is no packet 4 in Russia

I meant packet 3, sorry

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-31 14:24:00

Brit in Russia...

The only difference I know is that there is no packet 4 in Russia, so the interview appointment procedure is different.
But on the whole it's pretty much the same, I think...

I also used this link a lot during the process: Fiance(e) Visa, Moscow Consulate Guide.
Good luck to you with your visa journey!

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-31 14:18:00

Recieved NOA2

Right now it's a 2-3 months wait between NOA-2 and the interview. In my case it's 2,5 months from NOA-2 to the interview (and the whole process took us about 6,5 months, which is not bad compared to others).

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-02 08:16:00

Send it to ECE with a translated transcript. Alla's were evaluated as Masters degrees. Sergey is in a 3+2 program for a masters degree in physics, but it actually a 4+1. Don't ask, I am confused enough already. But it is "rocket science" what would you expect?

Thanks!
lol... it is indeed "rocket science"

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-08-05 15:26:00

Thank you, eekee

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-08-04 15:52:00

I just thought of a question...
Gary, you said Alla had a couple of masters degrees from Ukraine... So are those 5-year long degrees (specialist degrees as we call them here)?
I completed a 5-year degree in Russia, so I've been wondering whether my degree is going to be transferred as bachelors or masters :unsure:

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-08-04 15:17:00

My wife holds a Jurist degree from Ukraine, and is currently working on her J.D. here. She has an amazing grasp on the English language, especially considering that she's only been speaking it for less than 10 years. And yet, as talented and educated as she is, she still looks to me to do minor editing, or at least just going over some of her papers. Jodee, I think an honest answer to your question is that although Alla has a good enough grasp on the mechanics of the language, she probably still needs a little help on the "polish" that really only comes from being immersed in the language for many years.

Right.
I have a degree in linguistics (I can finally say that! :blush:

) and teaching English/Spanish/Russian as a foreign language (it's a Russian degree though), but sometimes I ask my fiance to proofread something for me. It's never about grammar (although, I know that sometimes I make grammar mistakes too), I only ask one question: "Does it sound American?" I'm trying to make sure that I express myself the same way as people in the States do, cause a lot of Russian people with brilliant grammar skills, wide vocabulary etc. might sound rude or too categorical, just cause they tend to use Russian structures in some cases.
Also vocabulary is actually an important issue for me. While I am familiar with super-complicated linguistic terms, I might lack vocabulary on some everyday topics.

Edited by ONA, 03 August 2011 - 04:26 PM.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-08-03 16:22:00

That reminds me of my lexicology classes. I think, I still have my lectures on slang, jargon, argot etc. with some vocabulary examples for each of the sociolects :lol:

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-08-03 09:08:00

I was curious myself as to what a "ghetto a$$" is. Hopefully someone can clarify this for me.

Urban Dictionary? :lol:

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-08-03 07:40:00

"Realise" ????? Should be "realize". "the norm" is an idiom and would not be acceptable in a university level essay. Fair enough?

Sorry to interrupt, but 'realise' is British spelling (also preferred in Australian English), while American/Canadian spelling is 'realize'. So, you're both right here.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-08-03 03:44:00

I just dropped by to say congrats to both Alla and Gary!
Hope Alla is enjoying her free time

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-31 14:13:00

One year married to the most amazing woman!

Happy anniversary! :star:

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-30 13:36:00

Ready, Set, Go !!!!

Congrats! I passed the medical yesterday with Olya, she's wonderful, I wish you, guys, all the best!

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-07-28 03:14:00

Need an authentic but "eater friendly" RUB recipe!

I think you should take a case of beer into your class and explain to everyone that beer is a meal in Russia.

Vodka will be a better choice then.
Or at least some Russian beer, like Baltika.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-03-07 14:13:00

Need an authentic but "eater friendly" RUB recipe!

My wife makes her borsch without beets. I don't care either way, but it is her preference. Seems like more of a cabbage soup.

there is a "cabbage soup", it's called schee. so some people say that borsch with no beets is schee, which is also not quite right, cause it's a completely different recipe

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-03-05 06:25:00

Need an authentic but "eater friendly" RUB recipe!

Borsch without beets: can it really be called borsch? Discuss.

Borsch without beets is not really borsch... Some people cook it that way if they're abroad and can't find beets.

Btw, OP, I hate beets too, but I love borsch :lol:

I know it's hard to explain, but

I think blini/blinchiki is a good option: most foreigners like them and they can be sweet or not sweet, you can wrap in them whatever you like: fruit, cottage cheese, caviar (i know American people hate it, but my fiance loves it for some reason), salty fish, minced meat with onions, mushrooms and whatever you can think of :lol:

They're also good just with sour cream and sugar or cchocolate syrup and whipped cream.

Also, I think pelmeni are "eater-friendly". Not vegetarian, but good.
Another option is vareniki - I would say it's more Ukrainian that Russian, but still. Can be sweet, can be not sweet also.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-03-05 05:12:00

First off I am not Belarusian, and secondly I don't plan on bombing any Russian subways. But if I was Belarusian, and I did want to get rid of that dictator, then I would cut him off at the source.

Yep, babushkas, students, immigrants (including Belarusians and including illegal immigrants from other FSU countries) sponsor Lukashenko! great!
A lot of people in the world do not agree with the US policy, or any other country's policy, but nobody NOBODY has a right to use it trying to justify terrorism.
So, I'm not going to change my mind and I'm not even sure why I'm still talking to you.

Some questions ONA and please answer them honestly
1) Who continues to give Belarus billions of dollars in interest free loans ?

If you're talking about the power plant deal, as far as I know, the loan question is still open, Russia expects giving a loan for 25 years with interest rate 1-1.5%, with the ability to change it.

2) Who supply's Belarus with way below market price engergy ?

Gazprom, I assume. Is it bad for Belarusians that they pay less than... let's say Ukrainians? Sorry, I didn't know... Kind of got used to the thing that Ukrainians wanted the old rate.
Russia has tried to raise it though, several times, which resulted in serious mess.

3) Who openly criticized the OSCE in regards to their ridicule of rigged presidential elections in Belarus (other than Lukashenko) *hint...Kremlin ring any bells? ?

Every country does what's good for it. the important question is WHY and we alrady talked about it. Go back and read about the ways Russia's trying to keep NATO as far from its borders as possible.

4) Why do Russian presidents call Lukashenko congratulating him every time he wins his "rigged elections" ?

Russia needs good relations with Belarus.
Putin congradulated Yuschenko in 2005 after Orange Revolution.
Have you heard anything about diplomacy?

5) Why don't Russians give two sh*ts in regards to their government financially supporting the repressive regime running Belarus ?

Why do all Russians have to care about Belarus? We care about being able to see our relatives and friends in FSU countries, that's why it's important to have good relationships established. And there are people, who are from Russia, but they fet arrested in belarus too. Don't pretend like you don't know about it.

And finally, this was actually about Libya, but it also fits here. Just a quotation from an American news article:

Adds Rand's Dobbins: "What we've learned over the last 20 years is that overthrowing objectionable governments is easy; replacing them with something good is hard. The U.S. doesn't want to get saddled with the transition."

See, the USA have made some mistakes, but they also learned something from it. Maybe you should learn too?
But you'll probably never hear me, seems like you don't even want to listen. You really should learn about Russia more before saying all that bs.

Edited by ONA, 19 March 2011 - 07:51 PM.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-03-19 19:49:00

Why_Me, are you aware that saying that you can be called a terrorist? I really do hope that proper people see that, because you seem to be dangerous for people in general saying that. People in subway have nothing to do with Lukashenko, you don't have to be bright to understand that :wacko:

And yes, the fact that you are conserned about Belarus does not mean at all that the USA government or EU care that much about them and see that as a reason for not starting the VWP with Russia. And as far as I know, you're not the one, who desides (thank God).
And your opinion based on the lack of information, stubborness, unwillingness to learn, unexplainable cruelty and disrespect to other countries doesn't have to be right.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-03-19 18:45:00

So ya, no free ride for Russia in regards to relaxing any visa laws with that country and for very good reason(s).

But it's not connected anyhow with Belarus, really.

And if Lukashenko was a Russian puppet, he would never screw Russia like he usually does. But I'm really tired of it, and there is no point to explain the same stuff over and over to somebody, who won't listen to it.

So, to make the thread a little relaxed... and since Ukraine and Yanukovich were mentioned... I just love that video:

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-03-19 17:45:00

You will be fine provided you stay out of certain areas. Be warned, they won't blame you because you're Russian, they'll blame you because of how you look.

I got you. Yeah, i had a 'lesson' last summer before i started driving to work: "never go this way, take a left turn and go that way".

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-03-15 17:46:00

Wait till you get to America and a whole group of people hate you for what you didn't do.

I can't say that I had any problems for the past 2 summers... During the summer 2008 there were some crazy people :lol:

, but not so many, thank God.
Everything is fine as long as my fiance loves me though :luv:

He's got some Lithuanian heritage by the way, should we start hating each other? :rofl:

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-03-15 07:34:00

I do have to say though, having these discussions with you Ona is a breath of fresh air and a nice change from the usual threads such as ..."what's a good Russian recipe to make cook for my other half".

Thanks, but I really really do get tired of all that mess.

The only thing I wanted to say is that I wasn't saying that Russians hate ad have to hate all people from the Baltics. I asked, shall Russian people start hating Germans for what Hitler did? Cause apparently a lot of nations hate Russians for what they didn't do, so shall we start doing the same thing and justify our behaviour with all the dictruction that Nazis caused to Russia?

And also, if you really knew a lot about what's going on in Russia, you'd have noticed how much Putin and Medvedev drifted apart (compared to what was before), and getting rid of Luzhkov was Medvedev's decision.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-03-15 06:15:00

As far as the peoples of the Baltics are concerned they have a legitimate gripe with Russia imo. When your country has been invaded not once, but three times in the last century by your neighbor, and a sizable amount of your population gets deported to Siberia with a above average death count on the way to...and while in Siberia, not to mention mass raping of your women, then to top it off you have Russians moved into such a small country trying to "Russify" it...yes I can see where the Baltics might have a gripe or two.

Molotov-Ribbentrop pact was a mistake, but what's the point in being aggresive and getting rid of Russians while inviting openly Chechen terrorists? And what's the point in making Nazis the heroes? People, who happened to live in the Baltics at the time of the USSR collapse are not to blame for what had been done long before they were born.
About 90% of my city was ruined by Nazis during the WWII and they wanted to make Russians, Ukrainians and Belarussians be their slaves, so shall I start hating Germans now? Will that be a smart thing to do?
Really. Just think about it for a minute - how stupid is all that!

To top it off, Russification of Russia's neighbors has always been a problem. Ask yourself why Belarus speaks Russian for the most part and not Belarusian ?

Russian was a link language and the only way people from the Baltics could speak to people from Armenia for example. It was important to have that kind of a language in a multynational country. Also, a lot of people in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan etc. were illiterate intil 1920-40s, and that was the time they actually learned how to read and write in their NATIVE languages.
In USSR people were encouraged to learn their native language along with Russian.
My dad is from Ukraine and when he went to school both Russian and Ukrainian were compulsory. And he actually knew Ukrainian better until he moved to Russia. And people of his generation from Ukraine are usually pretty good with both Russian and Ukrainian, while younger people (my age) a lot of times can speak only one of those languages or try speaking both, but none of them in a proper way.

Now, I don't really like the fact that a lot of people in Ukraine can't speak Ukrainian - even I do, although I consider myself more Russian, but Ukrainian is my second-native language (and it's relatively close to Russian :luv:

). But the reason why it's happening is not "evil Russia", it's lame language policy of Ukrainian government - people are not going to speak a language if they are forced to do it. Also, trying to borrow some words from English and make people use them instead of the words which already exist and have the same meaning (just sound too close to Russian) is just ridiculous. Also, before making students study in Ukrainian and make research papers in Ukrainian, it would be nice to have some textbooks and terms translated to Ukrainian.
I don't know what's going on in Belarus, but it might be the same thing.
Russia on the contrary has a pretty wise language policy - students in Tatarstan and other republics are allowed to get their edication in their native languages. Speaking Russian is a must, but in everyday life you're allowed to use any language you want.

Now to Luzkov. Yes he was in office before Tsar Putin took power, but he could have been removed from office years before he finally was by Tsar Putin and it didn't happen until Luzkov finally pushed the wrong buttons with Tsar Putin. Putin himself has belittled Ukraine, he has blown Grozny to pieces, invaded Georgia, and made threats against the peoples of Estonia.

I will have to fail you in Russian history and current affairs, sorry.
Putin didnt remove Luzhkov, Putin was not pissed off by Luzhkov. It was Medvedev's work, who's by the way the President of Russia at the moment.
Putin didn't blow Grozny to pieces, he actually was the one, who 'ended' the 2nd Chechen war. The 1st Chechen war started in 1994, and Eltsin was the President at that time. And the cause was that Eltsin wanted to be 'democratic' and said that republics could be as free and independed as they wanted to. Apparently, he didn't mean actual independence, but Chechens thought that he did, so they decided that they could fight for their independence and again fighting "Evil Russia" sounded good for them. Tatarstan and Bashkortostan were smarter - and now look at them, they have beautiful cities, good education, and peple over there seem to be pretty happy with their lives.
Now the Georgia thingy also happened when Putin was not the President anymore. And do I have to tell you the whole story of Abkhaziya and South Ossetia, really? It started long before 2008 and Russia was not the cause.

Speaking about democracy as a whole. I think there is no democracy, there was never any and there won't be. And I'm not speaking about Russia right now, I'm speaking about everywhere in the world. Democracy is clearly a utopia.

1) It would be a giant slap in the face/insult to anyone that has ties to Belarus for obvious reasons to anyone that has an IQ above +10.

I don't think that the USA care that much about anyone who has ties to Belarus, and I consider that to be pretty obvoius too.

Edited by ONA, 12 March 2011 - 03:32 PM.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-03-12 15:32:00

To get an honest answer on Russian hospitality in regards to their neighbors, one would have to ask someone from the Baltics and/or the Caucuses.

Please, don't even get me started on that one :rofl:

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-03-12 06:08:00

The average Russian may not have any imperialistic notions in regards to Urkaine, but it's not so with your politicians. Tsar Putin himself referred to Ukraine in the media as; "not even being a real country" and had the no class to refer to Ukraine more than once in a derogatory way by calling it; "Malorussia".

And why again? That was a response to an attempt to create a NATO base there, which is considered a threat to Russian homeland security.
So now... please remind me what happened when USSR desided to place some missiles in Cuba? How did the USA react?
That's obvious. Countries will do whatever when there's a threat, even if it's not always a fair play. It's not being 'imperialistic' and wanting a piece of land.

ONA

Female

Russia

2011-03-11 18:37:00