Thread: blog on Russia

Originally Posted by Johanna

I just want to bring it up in a sensitive way because I don't want to insult super-nice Americans on this forum, like Rockzmom and others...

Thanks... if you haven't noticed... I try to stay away from politics and religion on purpose just so my oversensitive skin won't get bruised.

After reading this thread I was thinking that maybe [s:httra8qk]Lt. Columbo[/s:httra8qk] scotcher, DDT and I should start a Q&A/Blog thread about being married to foreigners and the challenges/difficulties with visas/immigration/jobs/relocation/kids and schools and so forth. I know DDT commented a while ago about the diffculties his wife had just to get her name changed once they got married! Now, [s:httra8qk]Lt. Columbo[/s:httra8qk] scotcher writes about the job issues and how hard it was BECAUSE his wife is a native instead of it actually helping him. Never would have thought it would work against him! Between the three of us we have Russia, Australia, England, U.S. and El Salvador covered! Of course for now, El Salvador is easy... just don't go there unless you bring your own mafia or have a death wish!

thanks Lt. Columbo

actually, i think it was scotcher with the wife and interesting work issues (as i dont have a wife)
if things go to plan i may return to the UK late next year and ill document the process of bringing my gf with me

Originally Posted by Lt. Columbo

actually, i think it was scotcher with the wife and interesting work issues (as i dont have a wife)
if things go to plan i may return to the UK late next year and ill document the process of bringing my gf with me

YES!!!!!!!!! those drugs are just catching up with me today and all the names are running together! now ya know why i don't drink! we won't tell your gf about this one will we??!!! OR maybe I am psychic or is that psycho

Вспомнил стихи

Французик из Бордо,
Надсаживая грудь
Собрал вокруг себя род веча
И сказывал, как собирался в путь
В Россию к варварам,
Со страхом и слезами.
Приехал и нашел,
Что ласкам нет конца,
Ни слова руссого,
Ни руссого лица,
Не встретил
Как будто бы в отечестве с друзьями ......

Можно и продолжить. Но стоит ли?

Спасибо

nice blog!

gracias

A girl who is studying in Russia and whose blog I read quite regularly was explaining that every time she gets back to Russia she has to display not only an HIV test, but also a test to confirm that she doesn't have Tubercolosis (TB) or headlice!!!

Here is her shot of the documentation she has to submit. ( She still loves Russia though, lol! )
She is explaining that there is a word for all this type of paperwork and documentation - "spravki"

Originally Posted by Johanna

Here is her shot of the documentation she has to submit.

OMG!!! О, это знакомое до боли слово - "флюорография"!!!

i did i short post on spravkas, if i needed to get them regularly i'd just buy them. you can order most types of spravka online. i know you need an hiv cert for any visa over 3 months, but i get those in England, dont know why she'd need to go through all that trouble on a study visa tho

Lt Colombo - she's Swedish, probably not as cynical and up-to-date on the shortcuts as you...

Olya - Why did you have to take a scan like that.... You are not a foreigner....?

I guess there are all sorts of people studying in Russia - including people from the third world where TB is not unusual...

Interesting to hear that there are ways around the bureacracy in Russia and that the actual controls and checks are not very solid. I'd like to hear more. It would never have occured to me to cheat on documentation in a foreign country I have to say... So what kinds of things have you cheated on?

As a contrast: I haven't done anything whatsoever in terms of registrations or documentation since moving to England - well, I had to go get a National Insurance Number; that took a few hours of queing at some kind of council office...

Got to LOOOOVE Britain and the COMPLETE lack of ANY documentation or record keeping of any kind...
It's just sooooo nice never to have to show any papers, ID, nothing.... !
Sooner or later the EU will put a stop to this state of affairs in the UK, no doubt - Or some crazy ""anti-terrorist" law will...

Originally Posted by translationsnmru

Originally Posted by sperk

The thing I don't get is why they make it such a pain in the $%Y^ for tourists who just want to spend money in Russia...sorry, can't do that.

I don't get it either. One reason is that sometimes quoted is that if visas were easier to obtain, we would be overflowed with illegal immigrants. But that seems stupid to me. We are overflowed with immigrants, but they come mostly from Central Asia. Yet we create problems to people from EU and other developed countries who could actually contribute to our economy by spending their money here.

Well, I guess there must be SOME reason that is quite obvious and logical to the bureaucrats, but I don't know what it is.

well third world immigrants are quite welcome and encouraged in a free enterprising economy (global capitalism etc) (sarcasm)
to basically undermine local wages (immigrant workers have less reform leverage(language) )
workers sens of solidarity and unity (diverted anger toward those foreigners) ..........this might be one explanation :"":

in the end it will lower the level of 'living standards' for the rest of the working and middle class
they will have to move up in the employment qualification level just to keep up their marketability and business is booming
just look to the the west (us)
and of course there are other political ambition for subversions than to reduce us to a herd of gullible mass consuming dull minded sheples f those
i know i will get some for that silly rant
ps ...not a communist :"":

Originally Posted by Johanna

Olya - Why did you have to take a scan like that.... You are not a foreigner....?

Я думаю, любой человек в России знает это слово. Флюорографию нам всем делали несколько раз в жизни, в обязательном порядке, бесплатно. Если мне не изменяет память, государство таким образом следит за здоровьем школьников и студентов. Нужно ежегодно(?) проверяться (я точнее не помню).

До сих пор ежегодно проверяемся )))
пока что бесплатно... если вовремя успел (когда справки выдавали)...
Но с очередями) так как диспансеризация проходит у многих организаций в одно и то-же время.

Josmo, lol you need to be a bit more clear in what you are trying to say..

well third world immigrants are quite welcome and encouraged in a free enterprising economy (global capitalism etc) ...."

Whatever gave you that impression? There are jobs for those who manage to sneak in, but the EU is sparing no expense at trying to keep them out. Same thing in the US, I think.

in the end it will lower the level of 'living standards' for the rest of the working and middle class

Quite the opposite, they make it possible for middle class people such as me to buy cheap products in the supermarkets and elsewhere as they work as illegal underpaid sweatshop labour. Very tragic.

they will have to move up in the employment qualification level just to keep up their marketability and business is booming just look to the the west (us)

Not sure what you mean but the extreme cramming and exam pressure is in East Asian countries and they don't qualify as third world. But in the long run you can never go wrong with a good education.

ps ...not a communist

No. Maybe you are a social democrat, perfectly middle-of-the-road political view, just not in the US where you live.

I know its hard to define someone with libertarian views ...not a soc. dem, or any other category you liberals like to put me

Originally Posted by Johanna

but the EU is sparing no expense at trying to keep them out. Same thing in the US, I think.

Actually, the US is sparing no expense to keep them coming - at a rate of about a million a year. I was in the grocery store last night and I thought I was in the third world.

i can't miss it either , sperk
....in all denser infrastructures like the big cities ....funny I was just up their in medford oregon and all I saw in the service sector of jobs (minimum wage) is teen aged caucasian employees now that was a shock to me
of course that still exist in middle and rural (us) america but in general the service industry ,the ones that can't be outsourced overseas to the asiatic pacific rim or is unprofitable to do and its jobs is of demeanable qualification (most of them) will go to the lowest wage bet ,a laborer (modern slave)(used and willing to tolerate a lower (civil)living standard than most
locals (because of geographical proximity most of our cheap import labor pool comes from mexico)
less overhead cost and legal bindings in a flexible infrastructure that is in need of constant adaptability
it creates a higher official unemployment rate ,which in an acceptable rate will encourage a lower wage rate

and which brings more unemployable kids to run to the recruiting offices to enlist in the united states armed forces
which the government is right now embracing them with open 'arms' (if you catch my drift)

look at england during thatcher era ( i was an 'army brat' and lived in several nato countries in europe , i've seen those mostly underprivileged kids(lads) join up)

same in europe overinflated government bureaucracy strains the private sectors and they 'have to do theirs' to stay in or around an acceptable profit margin
...so finally we're all going in for a down spiral ride into a' bananan republic' third world style condition lol

Nice blog, Lt. Columbo. One has to ask...With all the visa nonsense, is it worth it?

well for me personally it will be the last work permit i buy becuase of the costs and hassle and time, after that ill have to see.
i guess sometimes it's more worth it than others but if it's a question of just coming over to check out the country then it most definitly is worth it