ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusReport: Chechen Women Forced to Wear Headscarves
He wants headscarves and legalisation of polygamy.
And that (along with some other reasons) is why people in Russia (at least outside Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia) don't want Kadyrov.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-03-10 12:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusLife after move...
Hi, Inna! I understand your concerns. It's not hard to understand, being a Russian girl :)
Well... i've been in the USA 3 times and the 1st time was the hardest... For the 1st 2 weeks i hated myself for coming to the US, for the next 2 weeks i still wasn't happy about the food, about the weather (too humid), about how weird people could be... it seemed like nothing could be real in the US: neither food, no relationships (i wasn't concerned about finding love though, it just seemed that it's next to impossible to find friends in the USA...). about 5 minutes before i met my fiance, i'd said that i would never date an American guy (no offence, guys :) and that seems so funny now! never say never). i like walking and finding new areas, so it freaked me out when i couldn't go somewhere, because the place was some kind of a 'hood'.
by the end of the 4th month in the US it didn't seem that bad. at least i found out that when you live in the States you always have a choice. well, you don't always have a choice of words you can say, but you can choose what to eat, what to wear, what to watch, what to listen to etc. you just need to decide what you want to be like and know to which stores and places you want to go.
it still took me 3 long winters in Russia 2 more trips to the USA to adjust to the thought that i'm going to leave my country, my family and friends behind :( and i'm still concerned about some stuff... i'm still worried about making friends in the USA.... i'm not concerned about finding people just to hang out with, i want some real friends. i still don't understand how Americans can share something very private with everybody at work or school. i don't get that excited about shopping anymore, plus it happened to be very very hard to find a pair of shoes of a decent quality which i liked in the US (believe it or not). i made my peace with poor public transport system though (since i got my driver's lisence), but... there is something i keep being worried about.
i think everything is going to be fine though. every place in the world has it's pros and cons. the most important thing though is that it's the place where you can spend the rest of your life with your best friend ;)
ONAFemaleRussia2011-02-06 15:10:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusNo love for Valentine's Day in Russia


You are way too logical. :lol:

hahaha :rofl: maybe 'girl' logical.

i just think who cares when they do it, if they do it anyway. people in some countries eat spiders or worms and don't think it's weird or disgusting :)
ONAFemaleRussia2011-02-11 14:36:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusNo love for Valentine's Day in Russia

Alla thought is was wierd and cannot believe children go dooor to door "begging" for candy.

Why? Kids go door to door begging for candy on Christmas Eve in some FSU countries.


That is interesting what you say about Kazan. I have a very good friend who is teaching English in Kazan right now. He said that when he discussed Halloween with his students they didn't like it. They could not understand all this emphasis on ghosts, ghouls, death and other morbid characters.

That seems weird for me... since i am a student from Russia and none of that seems hard to understand for me and i'm used to a lot of people celebrating Halloween in Russia. Maybe it is that way in Kazan, because of the influence of Islam in the region. As far as I know, muslim people are more opposed to holidays like Halloween or Valentine's than Orthodox people.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-02-11 04:57:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusNo love for Valentine's Day in Russia
Every year there is a massive discussion on "do we have to celebrate Valentine's" in Russia, it's a controversial issue. In 2008 they even created "Russian Valentine" - Day of Peter and Fevronia :innocent:
Young people like me, raised in 1990-s, are used to celebrate Valentines though.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-02-10 16:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFeeling like a school graduate... what can I do for a job in the US?

You may want to also check out the Finding Work in America Forum. :)

thank you, i'm working on it :)

and thanks a lot, slim, you've been very helpful :yes:
ONAFemaleRussia2011-02-12 06:56:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFeeling like a school graduate... what can I do for a job in the US?

The only thing about joining the military to work as a linguist is they very seldom have Russians translating Russian. They'll do something like send you to DLI for a year to learn Pashtu or Farsi, Mandarin, Wolof, etc., and totally waste your Russian skills. Even Spanish probably won't help you out much since so many American-born citizens speak Spanish already.

The military is a good way to get fast-tracked to citizenship. But, your chances of being a Russian interpreter in Maryland through the military are minimal, at best. More likely you'll be a shipping clerk in Germany or something. To work as a translator in Maryland, check out the NSA, CIA, DIA, etc. You could maybe find something through the Justice Dept. but there won't be as many positions available.

Good luck! And if you wouldn't mind, keep us posted. I'd love to come home and tell my wife, "honey, you can go be a secret agent while I mind the house."

Thanks for the information, it is very helpful :) the good thing is that we still have time to think it over and to look at all kinds of positions to apply.

I will keep you posted, but it's going to be at least a year before I get any job. Even if a miracle happens and USCIS starts working extra fast, i'm not going to arrive in the US sooner then the end of July.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-02-11 13:51:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFeeling like a school graduate... what can I do for a job in the US?
That's an important discussion. I have a question: has anybody considered military? me and my fiance were looking through language-related jobs and found lots of openings in US Navy for translator/interpreter positions in Maryland and they say that they hire permanent residents, so basically you don't have to wait for your citizenship. I personally would be really interested in a job like that, so hopefully they don't mind hiring a Russian citizen...
Meanwhile I'm thinking what else i can find with my degree in linguistics (English, Spanish and Russian languages), which i am hopefulli going to be done with in july, and i am also considering getting a degree in business in the USA.

I really hope that i don't have to work in retail or restaurant service ever again, i was doing it for the past 3 summers in the US and i hate it :bonk:
ONAFemaleRussia2011-02-11 08:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusBack from Ukraine/Czech

When I ask how she ever survived back home, "well, at least the sun shines in Russia."

that's funny, cause my fiance is saying that we never see the sun in Russia :lol: i promised to prove him wrong as soon as he comes here in summer time, or at least in spring.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-02-10 16:01:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusvisa type needed & source

The consulate uses a visa processing service, I have used https://russiavisa.t...russia/homepage and have had no issues.

My fiance used the same website for tourist visas 3 times. Everything went perfect :thumbs:
Actually he was getting the invitations from them also.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-02-14 17:56:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian passport

I believe you can go to the Russian Consulate in the States and get assistance if it is needed. Not sure if you are close to one.

It's possible to get an international travel passport in the Consulate, but you can only get an internal Russian passport in Russia, as far as I know.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-02-16 06:44:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian passport

If she waits, she can simply get it changed next time she goes back. There's ZERO reason for a Russian to have the internal passport in the U.S. It's kind of a hassle to do it so she's probably better off waiting until she's there for a long visit.

that can be a good option. there is like a $60 fine for it, though, but it's not a big deal i guess.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-02-09 07:09:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusGet a international driver's license before coming to the US???
I'm probably going to end up with an automatic though. Oh well, it's not a biggie. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a car I want later. As soon as I can pay for it :) Now I'll go with something he gets for me.
ONAFemaleRussia2011-02-17 15:06:00