Thread: Travel Blog; CIS/ex-USSR countries (i.e. Russian speaking)

I'm in Minsk, but I'm finishing my university this year. And I should introduce my diploma work this Tuesday.

Also I don't drink neither coffee, not wine Also I'm very boring and asocial person, so I don't think it is a good idea

Originally Posted by Dmitry Khomitchuk

Also I'm very boring and asocial person

At least, you're a quite honest person which is so rare nowadays...

Oh, I just have to tell Marcus something; When I arrived in the UK, I had £800, a job offer for a junior job, and nowhere to stay. There has not been a lot of inflation since then, it's pretty much the same amount of money nowadays as it was then. Thanks to my country, I had a rather good & free education behind me (although not in the area I was going to work), and thanks to the EU I needed no work permit. But the rest is my own doing. I learnt IT because I enjoyed it and because I had to.. and now I am a manager. I left Sweden because of some complicated personal stuff which I won't bore anyone with here.

Originally Posted by Hanna

Oh, I just have to tell Marcus something; When I arrived in the UK, I had £800, a job offer for a junior job, and nowhere to stay. There has not been a lot of inflation since then, it's pretty much the same amount of money nowadays as it was then. Thanks to my country, I had a rather good & free education behind me (although not in the area I was going to work), and thanks to the EU I needed no work permit. But the rest is my own doing. I learnt IT because I enjoyed it and because I had to.. and now I am a manager. I left Sweden because of some complicated personal stuff which I won't bore anyone with here.

I guess you did alright. Just for an account, would you like then to go to some Eastern European country and stay there? Like the one you're staying in now? You see, your impressions as a tourist may be as good as they ever could, but what about living there? By the way, have you come across anything like shortages of anything in stores there? I heard they started running out of some food supplies, because the people are trying to get rid of their local currency in whatever ways they can, having stopped believing in it... (they've been buying up food, clothes, almost everything that is sold for the local currency)

Originally Posted by Dmitry Khomitchuk

Also I don't drink neither coffee, not wine Also I'm very boring and asocial person, so I don't think it is a good idea

No worries at all! I am just so grateful for all your super helpful advice here.
And Eric is right (for a change, lol!!!) it's cool to be honest.


Just one more local knowledge question if you don't mind
Do you know how to get to the Minskoe More area by train? I mean, where in the station to buy the ticket etc?

Originally Posted by Hanna

Just one more local knowledge question if you don't mind
Do you know how to get to the Minskoe More area by train? I mean, where in the station to buy the ticket etc?

Firstly, try something like The Grand Central, I'm almost sure that's gonna do for you.

How hard would it be for you to get a 3 month Schengen visa and travel around a bit in Europe and stop in Germany (for example) to take a langauge course?

I haven't tried yet. In general, it's not easy in comparison with other countries (we have a lot of visa free regims). It depends upon the country: the UK has strict policy, while Finland has not. I've heard people could easily get long visa to Italy. My brother has had a big journey across Europe.
But visa is one problem, another one (much more important) is money. Getting average Belorussian salary, one will never be able to travel to Germany and take some courses. Even good Moscow salary (1500 euros) is not enough.

Looking at Moscow, it's a very expensive town to visit as a tourist. I have never been there and I am not sure if I am going to include it in this trip, assuming I can get a Russian visa here in Minsk. And the more Moscow becomes some kind of luxury shopping & partying town, the less different and interesting it is for me to visit. I am interested in the things that are unique about Moscow and Russia, not the stuff you can get in London or Paris. I actually want to visit places in Siberia...! St Petersburg I have been in twice before although a very long time back, but I am not massively interested in going there as a priority. Like everyone in Scandinavia, I am a bit fascinated by Murmansk. From reading here in on this forum, I have got interested in Tatarstan and Kazan too. There are a couple of forum members in Moscow that I really like though, and I'd love to meet with them.

Originally Posted by Marcus

Even good Moscow salary (1500 euros) is not enough.

1500 Euro (60k Russian Roubles) is definitely NOT a good Moscow salary. (This can be considered as a rather good salary in my town though, wich is located only 40 km away from Moscow, that's why I spend about 6 hours every working day in traffic jams on my way to Moscow and back, I hate that fukkin city). For example I pay 50k monthly for a flat loan only. Having a wife who is not working for now and two little kids I would went a full bankrupt with such a "good" salary in no time. I assume it's some kind of "official" number though. The most part of salary people get here "under the table" because the official income tax of 13% is a hipocritical cheat. Before you'll get taxed this 13% your employer have to pay 37% "social tax" from your salary. For example, if your employer wants to spend 100k Roubles on your salary, he have to pay 37k social tax fist from this amount and only then he charges the rest 63k as your salaly. Then you have to pay 13% income tax from this amount and after that you would get only 54,8k. These taxes are higher than in Germany AFAIK, for example, there social care from the goverment is much more advanced and the amount of this tax money stolen by corrupt officials is insignificant, unlike how it happens in Russia, there most of this taxes will be stolen anyway. That's why the majority of employers here prefer to pay a big part of salary "under the table". I wouldn't mind to pay even these rather high taxes if I would be certain that they are spent on old people's pensions, education of children, health care, etc. But I hate when I hear that some corrupt official buys a brand new Porche or builds a new luxurious house for the money stolen from taxpayers.

Sorry, I don't know, I have never been there.

Yes, on holiday I think you see things through "rose-tinted specs"
I am aware of this.

I can imagine that everyday life in this country can be extremely frustrating for people at times. Lots of bureacracy, political situation creates problems for some and many have financial difficulties.

Yes, I'd live in Eastern Europe, but I wouldn't want to live somewhere where I don't speak the language, so anywhere but the Russian speaking countries are out of the question.

I'd definitely consider Russia if the right circumstances arose.
For some personal (health) reason, I need to have a certain level of income, but I don't think it would be any problem at all to reach that in Russia.

For me, as a Scandinavian, Russia is like an extreme, bigger, cooler version of everything that we have: the nature, the climate, the culture and some other stuff..... And I really like Russian people - they have cool souls... and they are fun and smart - not to mention that the guys are gentlemen. So yeah, I'd live there if there was some good reason to.

By the way, have you come across anything like shortages of anything in stores there? I heard they started running out of some food supplies, because the people are trying to get rid of their local currency in whatever ways they can, having stopped believing in it... (they've been buying up food, clothes, almost everything that is sold for the local currency)

No I have not come across any shortages or anything at all like what you are describing.
Sounds like disinformation to me. Where did you hear that?
Everything is completely normal here.
I think that the effect will be that imported things are slightly more expensive, particularly products from Western countries.

Originally Posted by Hanna

I'd definitely consider Russia if the right circumstances arose.

Wait, didn't you write something like your Russian still left much to be desired?

Originally Posted by Hanna

For some personal (health) reason, I need to have a certain level of income, but I don't think it would be any problem at all to reach that in Russia.

Hmm, I wouldn't be so sure about that... unless you have some friends from Rublevka who would help you out with getting a job.

Visit Moscow, you will find many interesting things.

What was your profession, Hanna? I mean, на кого вы учились?

But the rest is my own doing.

I don't doubt. I said in general. An average person from Sweden, for example, can go to Belorussia and study Russian there. But an Belorussian, who gets 500 euros cannot afford such things.
I'm learning Irish now. There is a man who writes very good lessons, checks tasks and answers questions for free! And I thought I would hardly be able to go to Ireland.

Originally Posted by Marcus

What was your profession, Hanna? I mean, на кого вы учились?

I don't doubt. I said in general. An average person from Sweden, for example, can go to Belorussia and study Russian there. But an Belorussian, who gets 500 euros cannot afford such things.
I'm learning Irish now. There is a man who writes very good lessons, checks tasks and answers questions for free! And I thought I would hardly be able to go to Ireland.

Marcus, an average Belarusian does NOT earn 500 Euros a month (that's what you meant, right? (month) ) ! And never has. Salaries of 500,000 - 600,000 a month in their local currency are pretty much common there (and by the new rates, it's under $100!)...

My friends, working at factories get 400-600$, and working at IT get 1000-1500$.

Originally Posted by Dmitry Khomitchuk

My friends, working at factories get 400-600$, and working at IT get 1000-1500$.

I'd agree on the IT crowd (oh can you believe I just said "the IT crowd" ) salaries. But as for people from factories earning $400 - 600... that sounds like a myth (unless they're managers or something...)

Eric, where did you get this numbers?

Originally Posted by Dmitry Khomitchuk

Eric, where did you get this numbers?

I got some acquaintances there...

So, can you confirm my words or prove me wrong?

I know that salaries in Moscow are much more higher.