Going to Russia
 

I will be going to Russia in about 2 months now. I have been transferred to work in our Moscow Office for 2 years. I will be going there with my wife. So, i want to ask for any tips, advice before i go there. Also i am trying to learn Russian now and i have already decided to join an online course in https://echoee.com/. What do you guys think about that or do you guys have any other recommendation. Thanks

I'd link up with some Russians on italki.com they use skype to chat to and immerse yourself.

2 years, good luck

Thank you, will definitely check it.

echoee fees seem very high compared to one to one teaching on italki while the skype immersion conversations are free on italki.

I love the echoee link to winning Russian citizenship, there must a queue for that. :-)

I'm sorry that I don't know echoee, but just in case: I would encourage you to be sure you can transliterate before going -- being able to read a street sign or metro stop name or whatever to something in a guidebook can be very, very helpful!

Aside from language courses in high school and college, my only exposure to language instruction has been with Pimsleur's audio courses, which I've used to learn just a bit of a language before each of my last several trips. I like it's approach, and am pleased that the (few) things I learned actually worked well and were much appreciated. The caveat is that my goal was to maximize my experience as a tourist, not to prepare to live somewhere. And that is, indeed, an enormous caveat!

One other tip: When I went to Russia, back in the mid-90s, Russians <b>did not</b> smile in public. There was a cultural norm against it, one that I ended up discussing with several Russian friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. So for one thing, they immediately identified me as an American (we were known for our smiles, however "inappropriate" ;-) !) From my perspective, Russians seemed extraordinarily brusque and unwelcoming -- even those who I came to know as genuinely warm and generous and gracious people.

Good luck to you and your family -- I hope it proves to be a wonderful experience!

Several years ago, I lived in Russia for a year due to work and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. A year didn't seem enough.
Can your company provide language courses whilst you are there? You'll need more than transliteration skills, some basic phrases for every day life will be needed & help with pronunciation.
Are you covered for medical emergencies? I had lots of vaccinations before I went, might not be necessary now but I was advised to have them esp I was 100km outside of Moscow where living standards were not so good.
Moscow is a very different place to what it was 20 + years ago, it's a well off expensive city now with many more visitors . Back then foreigners were rare so stood out more. What Russians find odd is the random smiling at anyone or anything.

A better place for you to go for information might be an applicable sub-reddit such as /r/expat or /r/Moscow or /r/Russia

When I was there (mid-90s) -- a crucial caveat -- even Russians understood that my smiling, or that of other Americans, was not <b>random</b> -- they could understand and even predict the triggers, and they even admitted, after-the-fact, to having played games with me to see if they were making accurate predictions -- which they were! What the people with whom I interacted found unusual was that I smiled <b>in public</b>. Given that most of my discussions were with psychologists at Moscow's Russian Academy and St. Petersburg University, some of whom specialized in nonverbal communication, I considered these generalizations to be compelling comments about their observations at the time. Things could have changed, particularly in major cities....

Russian is not an easy language to learn, but nowadays lots of people, especially young people in Moscow speak Anglish and would be happy to help you with Russian. A good idea is to hire a personal teacher, when you come to Russia - you will have 1-to-1 lessons and he will concentrate on your errors. You can easily find a cheap teacher because a lot of students make a living from teaching. But in advance you should get prepared too, learn some grammar and populat phrases.
Considering Russia and Moscow in general, I hope you'll like it becase it's really a beautiful city and extraordinary country to explore. Wish you good luck!

<i>Going to Russia
Posted by: luffami on Jan 24, 17 at 11:57am
I will be going to Russia in about 2 months now. I have been transferred to work in our Moscow Office for 2 years. I will be going there with my wife. So, i want to ask for any tips, advice before i go there. Also i am trying to learn Russian </i>

This is going to be a challenge. For some of the issues moving to western Europe see http://www.enjoy-europe.com/moving-to-europe.htm. Russia will be more complicated.

What will your wife be doing? Is she allowed to work?

For language training have a look at Rosetta Stone Russian. After you get there a regular certificated course will be invaluable for both of you. Use every opportunity you can to learn Russian language and culture. These are golden moments.

I visited Moscow twice in the last two years...it is a great city!

Much more beautiful and sophisticated than I expected;
one can purchase everything :from a Bentley to Dior gowns (!), or if you prefer,
Zara to Gap.
I took a 3 months Russian language course before the first visit to learn the alphabet and same basic phrases..In many upscale shops and restaurants you can get by in English.
When I was there in July last year, the city was jammed with tourists from Europe, China, Japan, the Middle East.
We are already planing another trip for nex year.