Post: #1

Sup guys,

I want to polish my Russian and the No1 reason holding be back is not being able to speak much.

So come spring 2015 I wanna hop on a plane and get someplace they speak Russian and stay for, like... 1 - 6 months. I guess it all depends.

So far I think Ukraine is my best bet, taking into account prices and visa problems.

All I really plan to do is study hard (4hrs a day by myself), find a teacher and get lessons (1hr a day) and then socialize a bit. No partying, no staying up late.

I run a lot, so I will be doing that, too. But that is about it.


All in all its pretty straight forward. Get on airbnb, book a flight, get a teacher, talk to people.
But there is way too much wisdom on this forum to not start a thread before I go.

Anybody got a tip on a cheap, russian speaking city somewhere?

I would not even mind a village of 200 souls, but I guess that would not be safe for a pretty boy like me. Farmers have many ways to get rid of a body.

Post: #2

The Google search term you want is "russian for foreigners". Include "Odessa" or "Kiev" or whatever city you are interested in.

Ukraine is not a bad option right now because it's so cheap here. I think all the major cities in Ukraine offer cheap Russian classes for foreigners. I would bet you would have the most options in the Ukrainian cities with the most expats which are Kiev, Odessa, and Lviv.

I'm in Kharkiv and thinking about trying one of these courses out. Would be good to hear from others who have tried any of these courses out.

Post: #3

I wouldn't let the visa itself scare you from Russia. It's a pretty straightforward process, especially if you do it through an agency. The expense is the only real negative these days.

I haven't been to Ukraine in a while, but something tells me that Kiev and Lvov (especially) would not be ideal. Even if you don't experience hostility for speaking Russian (probably not an issue in Kiev) I expect more people will try to switch to English on you.

Russia for now is actually not that bad of a deal with the ruble devaluing. Food prices in the main cities have not been hit too hard yet, but in the provinces apparently it's worse.

You can do SPB for relatively cheap if you can control your spending and pipeline contacts to help you find a long term apartment and date how the Russian guys do. There is a decent language school there with a German name or you could do one of the programs at the University, which would be good socially.

The problem with the provincial cities is that they often aren't much cheaper and even with a commitment to an ascetic lifestyle you will probably get bored.

Post: #4

"I run a lot, so I will be doing that, too. But that is about it."

I had to laugh at the statement above. Half the year when the temperature's are below freezing you won't find running on ice and snow feasible. Even when it's warm many Russian and Ukrainian cities are not conducive to running and the times I've visited places like Kiev I have seen almost no people running in the city for exercise. Your best bet if you want to run is to get an apartment by a high school stadium and run at an oval track though in most cases those places won't be close to city-center.

Post: #5

yeah, no point trying to practice Russian in West-ukraine, I know that.

Odessa I won´t go. They have the highest HIV rates in all of Europe.

@TripleG

Yeah but I´m going spring + summer, there won´t be snow and ice in spring and summer. I know eastern European males do not necessarily look up to people who exercise outside, but that is really beside the point.



Anyone ever been to Kaliningrad?

Post: #6

Did you make any decissions in the past?

Post: #7

Regarding learning Russian in Ukraine - probably Kharkov is your best bet, the same way Roosh did it.

(11-06-2014 08:01 PM)TripleG Wrote:  "I run a lot, so I will be doing that, too. But that is about it."

I had to laugh at the statement above. Half the year when the temperature's are below freezing you won't find running on ice and snow feasible. Even when it's warm many Russian and Ukrainian cities are not conducive to running and the times I've visited places like Kiev I have seen almost no people running in the city for exercise. Your best bet if you want to run is to get an apartment by a high school stadium and run at an oval track though in most cases those places won't be close to city-center.

+1.

I actually had a discussion about it with locals and they told me - "Stadiums are for things like jogging". And when I went once or twice for jogging session on Dinamo stadium in Lviv there were also other people there, men, women, various age, various form, etc...

One Ukrainian who works in Warsaw and with whom I was going by car to Lviv a few times told me he totally doesn't understand people in Warsaw jogging so close to city centre, risking knee injuries because of the ground, dealing with polluted air, etc...

Post: #8

(12-23-2014 04:56 PM)RandomGuy1 Wrote:  Did you make any decissions in the past?

I'm not sure what you are asking, why you dug up this old thread or why you can't spell words longer than four letters...


...but now that people will see this thread again, I will try to reiterate:

- I know there is a lot of information out there on how to learn Russian and I am fully capable of googling "language lessons in Russia". However, the most readily available information is often not the best and seeing how this forum has a lot of experienced travelers I thought it could not hurt to ask.

In the best case scenario somebody might come forward and say something like: "Hell, yeah, here in Armenian town XYZ everyone speaks Russian and I know this teacher who gives private lessons -... bla bla."

In the worst case scenario nobody's got a tip and nothing was lost.


Okay? Fair enough?

Post: #9

I was in Belarus this summer, the Minsk State Linguistic University has very cheap courses (350$/month) and they also offer accommodation for 50$ a month in a student dormitory. If you contact them they'll also help you with the visa issues.

http://www.mslu.by/summer-course-russian

http://www.mslu.by/russian-language-course

They offer lessons on all levels, and the classes are not bad at all but you need to put in the work.

The cost of living might be a bit cheaper in Ukraine but the courses that I found seemed to be all more expensive than in Belarus.
Minsk is not an expensive city except for the nightlife which is a bit pricey.

Post: #10

Belarus is getting economic wash back from Russia right now. There's big inflation happening and you get less Roubles for your foreign currency than you did a month back, a double kick in the balls. Belarus was already a bit pricey before this, so now...The low costs at Minsk Uni will offset this a bit but it still won't be that cheap for guys there who like to enjoy themselves.

If you're thinking Ukraine then go and get private lessons which can be had for €5 an hour, probably cheaper if you search about more than I did. Food and drinks are half the cost of Belarus too if you're not in Kiev. Apartments cheaper too by far. In second tier Belarus I struggled to find a place for less than $600 a month due to a few factors whereas in Ukraine you'll find one for much less.

So in summary: If you're doing the Minsk Libguistic Uni course and uni hostel then Belarus is a good option. If not taking that option in Belarus then pass on the place and go to Ukraine. Cheaper, less visa hassles, less conservative, more westerners to roll with and cheap private lessons.

Post: #11

Thank you Luisaceo and The Ligurian. That was very helpful.

@Luisaceo: Did you stay in one of those hostels? If so, how was your experience?

Post: #12

Why go to Ukraine during war?

Post: #13

(11-06-2014 06:30 PM)William Windsor Wrote:  I think all the major cities in Ukraine offer cheap Russian classes for foreigners. I would bet you would have the most options in the Ukrainian cities with the most expats which are Kiev, Odessa, and Lviv.

I definitely wouldn't suggest going to Lviv to study Russian. There is not a large Russian minority there (fortunately). The English ads for language classes that I saw there were for Ukrainian classes, not Russian. The current political environment there is not friendly for Russian speakers. And although I take their complaints with a big grain of salt, I've had people from Eastern Ukraine tell me they get a cold reception in Lviv based on their accent.

Post: #14

(11-07-2014 02:40 AM)micha Wrote:  yeah, no point trying to practice Russian in West-ukraine, I know that.

Odessa I won´t go. They have the highest HIV rates in all of Europe.

@TripleG

Yeah but I´m going spring + summer, there won´t be snow and ice in spring and summer. I know eastern European males do not necessarily look up to people who exercise outside, but that is really beside the point.



Anyone ever been to Kaliningrad?

You disregard Odessa due to the HIV prevalence rate but want more information about the part of Russia that is actually known for having a high HIV prevalence rate?

It's still nothing compared to southern Africa.

Post: #15

(12-24-2014 08:34 AM)micha Wrote:  Thank you Luisaceo and The Ligurian. That was very helpful.

@Luisaceo: Did you stay in one of those hostels? If so, how was your experience?

Search his data sheet. All the info you need is there. The new hostel is great but further from centre. The old one is shit but very central. Go for the new one.

(12-24-2014 08:42 AM)wolf Wrote:  Why go to Ukraine during war?

Because the war is in a small part of the country and because there's advantages to going now.

Post: #16

@Micha Yeah, I stayed in university accommodation, I was in the new dormitories which are better quality but are several metro stops from the lessons. There's also an old dormitory which is walking distance from the university but I was told the quality was worse eventhough the price is the same.

You do need to share a room though in both dormitories although I managed to stay alone for a while since it was during the summer months.

I wrote a whole datasheet on minsk:

/thread-39882.html

Post: #17

In terms of studying, micha wrote: "(4hrs a day by myself), find a teacher and get lessons (1hr a day)".

This sounds wildly inefficient. One-on-one language conversation (english banned) is the gold standard in learning any language. I don't spend close to 5 hours a day learning Russian, but if I did, at least 3 hours of it would be with a tutor. In moscow I pay 500 rubles (now a bit less than $10) for a 75 minute lesson at my apartment, and sometimes my girlfriends give me lessons for free. Pickup also great for Russian, but you do need a base...

Post: #18

Riga, Latvia is worthy of consideration. Though Roosh had negative experiences there, you are very close to Estonia, Finland, and Lithuania and the country is more affordable than most big cities in Russia proper. Check out the Liden and Denz school there.

Post: #19

OP, any clarity on where you will be going? I'm thinking about doing a one month intensive bootcamp in the summer. Being American, I'm leaning against Russia. I've been told to check out Ukraine, Moldova and even Armenia.

Post: #20

I know this will make me sound like a pussy, but I've cancelled all plans because of the political climate.

If that weren't a factor I'd go to Kiev probably.