So, I am a part of the quora community , albeit a very inactive one. I happened to answer this question and with 108.5k Views and 2761 Upvoters, I did not expect the answer to become so popular.. I was pleasantly surprised. So here it is, the question and the answer i gave, unedited.
p.s so much happened, but this is just a copy paste from quora
Q. What is it like for an Indian to live in Russia?
A-
I was in Russia for my internship, and let's just say, you don't know what's culture shock till you're living there. Your notions of life as you know it, is about to change.
Initially, when you first land in Russia (I was living in Moscow), you're not going to be able to stop smiling. Finally, you're in Russia. The country you've only heard so much about. Then, you'll notice, people shooting you strange looks. Yes, that is because you were smiling like an idiot at strangers. You'll soon grow to realise, smile there is a privilege. Russians don't smile much in general as a rule. But once you get to know Russians personally you'll find them to be warm and quite friendly.
Next, you have a Russian image of them being alcoholics who just LOVE their vodka. Haha, nope. They're more in love with their tea. (Green tea, not Indian milk tea, which they find very strange in taste) You're sure to be offered tea in every house you visit. A lot like india, that way. In case, you do have vodka with a bunch of Russians , DON'T EMBARRASS YOURSELF BY MIXING IT WITH COKE OR SPRITE OR WHATEVER(wish I knew that then!) Russians often sip their vodka neat. That's because they're used to cold weather and vodka warms you up wonderfully.
Generally, the pace of life in Moscow is very fast. People walk with determination and they always look busy. And, they are always impeccably dressed. Smartly, suited and booted.
Being a vegetarian, yesss. It's very difficult, but not altogether impossible. Check out "glow subs" that's a lot like subway only much cheaper and another joint is kartoshka (it means potato) which is jacket potatoes with lots of fillings. Try varenikki as well (like, indian momos)
I can not stress this enough, please carry your own spices from India because spices in Russia are either very expensive or not very easily available. We had quite a tough time even to locate basic spices and , eating out everyday might prove to be very expensive. That's right, Moscow is incredibly expensive whereas St. Petersburg is much more tourist-y and therefore, easier on your pockets. Another thing, there's no free water in russia. Yep, you'll have to pay for water when eating out. And water there, is of many kinds. Still, sparkling, fruit flavored.
Oh, you'll have to pay for ketchup in McDonald's. No free ketchup there too.
Next thing, which is a huge cultural shock is the PDA. Russians are all over the place! As an Indian, where all forms of physical love is meant only for bedrooms (not counting all the couples making out behind gardens, of course) you'll find Russians very okay with hugging, kissing and much more in public. Try not to gawk, its very rude. Another aspect of living in Russia is the warmth people with exude towards Indians. They simply love Indians, if put simply. They love our complexion and they love Bollywood. The most famous Russian song (dont be surprised if you hear a Russian hum this song) is Jimmy Jimmy from Disco Dancer movie. Another hit favorite movie there is Seeta and Geeta. They're were numerous times, when my best friend and I were stopped on the street , while Russians exclaimed "ooh, you too Seeta Geeta!"'
English is not very widely spoken there, barely people there know or can converse in the language. In Moscow. Even the metro stations have ONLY Russian names. St. Petersburg is better, they have lots of English signs. But, like us soon enough you will start understanding Cyrillic(Russian alphabets) .
For all your souvenir shopping , check out Ismailovsky market (end of dark blue metro line). It's cheap and the prices are highly negotiable. Avoid shopping near Kremlin.
Have a great time in Russia! You've successfully made me reminisce all my Russian memories. :')
You're gonna be fine there. Have fun :)
Here is the link to my other blog posts about Russia - http://tanushreelahoti.blogspot.sg/2014/05/faqs-frequently-asked-questions.html
p.s so much happened, but this is just a copy paste from quora
Q. What is it like for an Indian to live in Russia?
A-
I was in Russia for my internship, and let's just say, you don't know what's culture shock till you're living there. Your notions of life as you know it, is about to change.
Initially, when you first land in Russia (I was living in Moscow), you're not going to be able to stop smiling. Finally, you're in Russia. The country you've only heard so much about. Then, you'll notice, people shooting you strange looks. Yes, that is because you were smiling like an idiot at strangers. You'll soon grow to realise, smile there is a privilege. Russians don't smile much in general as a rule. But once you get to know Russians personally you'll find them to be warm and quite friendly.
Next, you have a Russian image of them being alcoholics who just LOVE their vodka. Haha, nope. They're more in love with their tea. (Green tea, not Indian milk tea, which they find very strange in taste) You're sure to be offered tea in every house you visit. A lot like india, that way. In case, you do have vodka with a bunch of Russians , DON'T EMBARRASS YOURSELF BY MIXING IT WITH COKE OR SPRITE OR WHATEVER(wish I knew that then!) Russians often sip their vodka neat. That's because they're used to cold weather and vodka warms you up wonderfully.
Generally, the pace of life in Moscow is very fast. People walk with determination and they always look busy. And, they are always impeccably dressed. Smartly, suited and booted.
Being a vegetarian, yesss. It's very difficult, but not altogether impossible. Check out "glow subs" that's a lot like subway only much cheaper and another joint is kartoshka (it means potato) which is jacket potatoes with lots of fillings. Try varenikki as well (like, indian momos)
I can not stress this enough, please carry your own spices from India because spices in Russia are either very expensive or not very easily available. We had quite a tough time even to locate basic spices and , eating out everyday might prove to be very expensive. That's right, Moscow is incredibly expensive whereas St. Petersburg is much more tourist-y and therefore, easier on your pockets. Another thing, there's no free water in russia. Yep, you'll have to pay for water when eating out. And water there, is of many kinds. Still, sparkling, fruit flavored.
Oh, you'll have to pay for ketchup in McDonald's. No free ketchup there too.
Next thing, which is a huge cultural shock is the PDA. Russians are all over the place! As an Indian, where all forms of physical love is meant only for bedrooms (not counting all the couples making out behind gardens, of course) you'll find Russians very okay with hugging, kissing and much more in public. Try not to gawk, its very rude. Another aspect of living in Russia is the warmth people with exude towards Indians. They simply love Indians, if put simply. They love our complexion and they love Bollywood. The most famous Russian song (dont be surprised if you hear a Russian hum this song) is Jimmy Jimmy from Disco Dancer movie. Another hit favorite movie there is Seeta and Geeta. They're were numerous times, when my best friend and I were stopped on the street , while Russians exclaimed "ooh, you too Seeta Geeta!"'
English is not very widely spoken there, barely people there know or can converse in the language. In Moscow. Even the metro stations have ONLY Russian names. St. Petersburg is better, they have lots of English signs. But, like us soon enough you will start understanding Cyrillic(Russian alphabets) .
For all your souvenir shopping , check out Ismailovsky market (end of dark blue metro line). It's cheap and the prices are highly negotiable. Avoid shopping near Kremlin.
Have a great time in Russia! You've successfully made me reminisce all my Russian memories. :')
You're gonna be fine there. Have fun :)
Here is the link to my other blog posts about Russia - http://tanushreelahoti.blogspot.sg/2014/05/faqs-frequently-asked-questions.html
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