Thread: Почему Вы хотите жить в России?

An I'm-just-wondering thread.

America has always been a symbol of ideal life: low prices, high life quality, wealth, civilization... Almost every second person on Earth wishes he was born in the US. But no place on Earth is a paradise, and there will always be people who long for changes. What don't you like about your country? Why have you chosen Russia as a place to relocate to?

Please, share your motivation!

Originally Posted by Mist

America has always been a symbol of ideal life

To whom?

low prices

Er... Are you kidding??

Almost every second person on Earth wishes he was born in the US.

Where did you get these statistics?

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by Mist

America has always been a symbol of ideal life

To whom?

To the whole world. At least this is the way the states keep positioning themselves. One gotta be blind not to notice it. In fact the word "symbol" here is more like a synonym of "stereotype".

Originally Posted by Оля

Er... Are you kidding??

Hey! Waky-waky! Compare fuel prices in USA with those in Russia. There are a lot of things America gets for free. Should I explain the world famous dollar trick? Plus compare American salary and welfare rates with those of Russia.

Originally Posted by Оля

Where did you get these statistics?

That's just what I hear from people around me. Maybe not every second, but just very many people. The USA is quite a successful country, so I just can't get what there's to escape from. So I'd like to hear from those willing to change America or Europe for Russia. Pretty interesting. I love Russia, but still I used to face the truth: it's not the best country to relocate to - no offence, just my opinion. It's ok if you are born in Russia, but for a European / American it may appear to be a little bit wild.

To the whole world.

Please don't say on behalf of the whole world.

At least this is the way the states keep positioning themselves.

Exactly. I expected the answer to be "to Americans".

Hey! Waky-waky! Compare fuel prices in USA with those in Russia. There are a lot of things America gets for free. Should I explain the world famous dollar trick? Plus compare American salary and welfare rates with those of Russia.

I actually don't think we can find an American who would agree with you about "low prices" in America... But we should better ask Americans. Not everyone in America has a good salary and welfare, and fuel is not everything.

Originally Posted by Оля

Where did you get these statistics?

That's just what I hear from people around me. Maybe not every second, but just very many people.

Mist, I am very sorry to tell you this and don't want to hurt you, but... if I remember well, you are from Ryazan. A small provincial town, not so far from Moscow, by the way... You know, before I read this thread, I didn't know how big is the difference in thinking in Moscow or Saint Petersburg and that in small towns like Ryazan where people only dream every day to leave for "somewhere". To think that everyone is happy in America, it's so naive. Like living in Ryazan and thinking that if people there wish they were born in America that's how it is on the whole Earth. I assure you, in Moscow or StP people around you do not think that America is the best place in the world, and not every second person at all dreams to be born in the USA. At least, I never met anyone of the kind. America is just another country with its own drawbacks, where beggary exists, too.
Just watch a bit of American movies, at least.

Are things really so bad in Ryazan?

Originally Posted by Mist

An I'm-just-wondering thread.
What don't you like about your country? Why have you chosen Russia as a place to relocate to?

For me there are a lot of reasons, and it isn't so much that I dislike the USA, as that there are many things I like about Russia and Ukraine. First and foremost: they speak Russian! Everybody does, it's great! Also, I really like the people. If I might make a generalization, Americans might have more money, but Russians have more value. Does that make sense?

where are all these people that want to move to Russia? Maybe Chinese and Vietnamese.

Originally Posted by Оля

Are things really so bad in Ryazan?

As far as job searching is concerned, yes, they really are. I'm looking for a job where I could apply my foreign language abilities, but here in Ryazan there're very few such openings.

Another thing is that one shouldn't compare life in small Russian towns with that in St. Pete and Moscow. Big cities are other Russia, it's just like in any country.

Originally Posted by Matroskin Kot

First and foremost: they speak Russian! Everybody does, it's great!

I'd love to move to some English speaking country for the same reason.

Originally Posted by Matroskin Kot

Also, I really like the people. If I might make a generalization, Americans might have more money, but Russians have more value.

That's a very laudable motive, but upholding values it is not an easy way to go. I hope you understand what I mean.

Originally Posted by Mist

Another thing is that one shouldn't compare life in small Russian towns with that in St. Pete and Moscow. Big cities are other Russia, it's just like in any country.

I don't dispute that, but it's just that every second person in Ryazan is not every second person on Earth.

And for me it seems like every person both in Moscow in StP is absolutely not the rest of Russia, needles to say the rest of the world. I presume that most of inhabitans of both American continents excluding Canadians would like to get the citizenship of the United States. Most of the people living in Africa and Eastern Europe try to leave their lands and move to the Western Europe. If the USA were closer all those people would chouse to live there and not in their own homecounries.

Оль, seems like the citizen of Ryazan has more rights to speak for the rest of Russia and even the rest of the World than anyone who lives in Moscow or StP.

Originally Posted by Leof

Оль, seems like the citizen of Ryazan has more rights to speak for the rest of Russia and even the rest of the World than anyone who lives in Moscow or StP.

Лёва, I think that inhabitants of Ryazan can only speak for Ryazan as well as Muscovites can speak for Moscow and residents of St. Petersburg for St. Petersburg. That's all.

And I actually think that many people in "the rest of Russia" wish to be born in Moscow. As said, we do not have statistics of that.

I agree.
But eventually Ryazan is much more like the rest of Russia. That why I thought the view from Ryazan is more objective.

It's like to say that the inhabitans of your house can speak only for your house and not for the rest of StP.
Рязанцы и россияне ближе к тождеству чем москвичи и россияне. Россия начинается где-то за МКАДой.

Во-первых, сам факт наличия жизни за МКАД-ой ещё не доказан.

And the second, nobody want to live in Russia except Russians.

Originally Posted by SAn

And the second, nobody wants to live in Russia except Russians.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=15701

I'd say exept some Russians.
I was trying to find for myself the answer for the original question and get some ideas.

The main reason why the Americans (or elseone) could want to live in Russia is very because the reasons which Mist named above. What I mean is that there is the sort of people which always look for changes and adventures or even for неприятностей на свою ass. Like Feodor Koniuhov. People which are thirsty to свершений, событий and испытаний на hardness. Some go to the polar expedition, others take the full circle trip or climb the mountains. Some start to learn Japanese or work as the Medics withour boarders and risk to catch Abola or HIV or to be killed by some separatists in Combogia. And some move to Russia. They do not want all what Mist listed.

I am sure that the ones whom Mist was asking are so rare and unique people that I am not astonished there are some.
But many people move to Russia because they can earn here lots of money. Some specialists are very wanted, not to say the stereotypes which are in our blood make all foreigners look higher and more clever that they are.

An American, a man in a nice suit and white shirt, nicely parfumed, with a strong accent and American name can somehow give ten points to the Russian man which looks the same. Why? Because since the Peter the Great we are acustomed to learn from the European samples.

So, Mist, everything you noticed works like the advantage for everyone who come in Russia from America.

Originally Posted by Leof

Some go to the polar expedition, others take the full circle trip or climb the mountains. Some start to learn Japanese or work as the Medics withour boarders and risk to catch Abola or HIV or to be killed by some separatists in Combogia. And some move to Russia...

Excellent

— I live in Russia.
— You live in Russia?!
— Yep.
— Cool!
— If this is so cool, then may be you want to go here too?
— No, thank you. I will not survive.

I'm from America, and would like to live in Russia someday. But, I'm the type who has wanderlust. I'm fascinated with foreign language and culture, and wherever it takes me, I will go. Seems to me that every country has its benefits and problems - some which may not be evident at first. I love America, but there are many social problems I would rather do without... however, the push for freedom in all areas of life is the factor behind this. So I suppose I'd rather have those freedoms, despite what they may bring, when there are other countries in the world living in oppression, etc.

But I think that's a bit off topic. Anyway, I enjoy reading people's posts about Russia here, because I won't truly be able to judge or experience the country until I live/visit there. In the same way America's greatness may be overexaggerated, I feel the stereotypes of Russia that I've grown up with are probably overexaggerated as well.