Post: #401

(11-30-2012 07:29 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  worldwidetraveler - great report and good insight into the culture. I have not been but feel these women get hyped up a bit too much, mostly due to the fact they are skinny/slim.

Thats important if you come from obese America. However, if you live in Asia slim isn't special. FSU girls are very feminine though.

Post: #402

Having done some research, Novosibirsk is actually smaller than I thought (1.5 million), plus it has a subway, so transport will be much easier than any other city. Cons are prices are higher, and there will be some foreigner presence, also lots of rich locals.

Keep in mind that in the summer the universities are empty, so smaller towns are actually better in summer than during the school year. Conversely, big cities like Kiev and Petersburg are better during the school year than in the summer.

Here's a list of clubs in Krasnoyarsk:

http://kras.menu.ru/type/182#!/type/182/page/1

Here's a vkontakte profile for a tango club:

http://vk.com/id94276316

Some more pages:

http://vk.com/hustlesib

http://vk.com/club30043956

Post: #403

(12-02-2012 02:53 PM)jimukr104 Wrote:  

(11-30-2012 07:29 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  worldwidetraveler - great report and good insight into the culture. I have not been but feel these women get hyped up a bit too much, mostly due to the fact they are skinny/slim.

Thats important if you come from obese America. However, if you live in Asia slim isn't special. FSU girls are very feminine though.

When you live in the Anglosphere you have to deal with the obesity issue. The girls in the pics are a bit skinny, not complaining mind you!

BigDave - what city do you recommend?

Post: #404

(12-02-2012 02:53 PM)jimukr104 Wrote:  

(11-30-2012 07:29 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  worldwidetraveler - great report and good insight into the culture. I have not been but feel these women get hyped up a bit too much, mostly due to the fact they are skinny/slim.

Thats important if you come from obese America. However, if you live in Asia slim isn't special. FSU girls are very feminine though.

Yes that feminine vibe is unique. Quality could be better in Serbia or Croatia, but I want the least westernized white girls I can find. That is what the Siberian mission is all about.

Post: #405

More photos from Krasnoyarsk...

[attachment=8913]

[attachment=8914]

[attachment=8915]

[attachment=8917]

Post: #406

Saw this today and thought you guys might find it interesting.

Russia's Demographic Challenge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYZlHFrMixw

Post: #407

(12-03-2012 10:29 AM)DirectDanger Wrote:  Saw this today and thought you guys might find it interesting.

Russia's Demographic Challenge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYZlHFrMixw

(12-03-2012 10:29 AM)DirectDanger Wrote:  Saw this today and thought you guys might find it interesting.

Russia's Demographic Challenge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYZlHFrMixw

Note the dissenting opinion about birth/death rates in the comments. That commenter states that in other stats he looks at, births are up and death rates down.

One thing I have noticed with the Slavic women I've known is that they frankly and openly want to have children. In fact, I believe it is viewed as more or less "abnormal" not to want to have children.

The manly careerism seen in USA women doesn't seem present in the same way, perhaps because few professions in Russia offer the upper-middle class dream Americans are chasing -- 500K house, 40k car, etc.

In the USA, women seem to pursue a "career first" -- at all costs. The fertility rate for women with doctorates is really low -- I think 1.3, little more than half the replacement rate.

This is one of the most appealing things about Slavic women to me. they are not in combat with nature, and view feminism, and certainly strident hostile feminism as a bizarre aberration to some degree. (This is also occurring in women under 25 in America) .

I've noticed before-- getting turned down by a Slavic girl can be less humiliating that a grudging date acceptance by an American.

They seem far more in touch with their femininity. They don't hate you for wanting them, like some American women do.

Post: #408

Brownbear is banned. We need another insider.

Post: #409

(12-04-2012 02:44 PM)presidentcarter Wrote:  Brownbear is banned. We need another insider.

Wait, really? What did he do? Dude was gold! Any other Russians here?

Post: #410

(12-04-2012 05:46 PM)Volk Wrote:  

(12-04-2012 02:44 PM)presidentcarter Wrote:  Brownbear is banned. We need another insider.

Wait, really? What did he do? Dude was gold! Any other Russians here?

Trolling on another thread, good knowledge from the dude however

Post: #411

Another possibility is Tomsk. 500K people, lots of universities, and thus university students. Timing will be critical to be there during school year and not during break. There was a guy on Roosh's Bang Ukraine thread that looked knowledgeable about Russia (i.e. the Tomsk idea is his), and I invited him to post on this thread so hopefully he does.

Post: #412

Hey guys, I'm here due to Menace's recommendation. I probably won't be going to Russia any time soon - getting too old for this shit. I'd seriously recommend that you guys do NOT go to Novosibirsk. Novosibirsk itself is quite nice - large city, but logistics sucks ass. The Novosibirsk State University (NGU) - where all the hotties are, is a 40 minutes ride away from the Novosibirsk downtown down a oft congested highway, in Akademgorodok (little Academic City).

In Akademgorodok there's not much to do. There is ONE night club that was open all the time. Otherwise, you'll be hitting the cafes, restaurants, saunas, and a place called New York Pizza. There is one hotel in Akademgorodok, called Zolotaya Dolina (Golden Hill), right by the trade center. Otherwise, the students congregate near the "beach" - i.e., the edges of a reservoir that is about a 10 minute walk from the center of the campus. Getting around means you'll be taking private taxis or waiting for the bus.

Tomsk is much nicer - the city center, on Prospect Lenina, is a wide street where there are nine universities on either side. The size is more manageable for those without a car, and the residential area is a short bus ride away. The night life isn't that exciting, but it's filled with students - just walk around during the day or night, and approach. The fact that there are fewer foreigners than in Novosibirsk can only help.

Post: #413

pozdnyshev - can you opine at all on Yekaterinburg?

Post: #414

Sorry never been to Sverdlovsk. Can't comment. But really you can't do any better than Tomsk. Foreigners are still kind of a rarity there.

Post: #415

(11-25-2012 03:54 PM)Vorkuta Wrote:  Regarding learning Russian: I can't emphasise enough how much quicker your progress will be in a class environment as opposed to self learning courses. I started of learning Russian with a book but it was only when I joined a class that I made real progress very quickly. I took 20 lessons and what I learnt in those lessons has gone on to form the bedrock of my Russian knowledge to this day. Of course that isn't possible for everyone to do,probably not many Russian courses in S.America but I cannot emphasise how much you will get back from them. To be able to direct questions at a native and hear words pronounced correctly is invaluable.

I'm sitting in on a class this Saturday to see if I want to enroll for a 10-week, 20 total hour class ($304 or $15 per hr). I find it hard to be motivated this far out from the trip and I want to have a good foundation.

Post: #416

(12-05-2012 04:04 PM)presidentcarter Wrote:  

(11-25-2012 03:54 PM)Vorkuta Wrote:  Regarding learning Russian: I can't emphasise enough how much quicker your progress will be in a class environment as opposed to self learning courses. I started of learning Russian with a book but it was only when I joined a class that I made real progress very quickly. I took 20 lessons and what I learnt in those lessons has gone on to form the bedrock of my Russian knowledge to this day. Of course that isn't possible for everyone to do,probably not many Russian courses in S.America but I cannot emphasise how much you will get back from them. To be able to direct questions at a native and hear words pronounced correctly is invaluable.

I'm sitting in on a class this Saturday to see if I want to enroll for a 10-week, 20 total hour class ($304 or $15 per hr). I find it hard to be motivated this far out from the trip and I want to have a good foundation.

study pimsleur. 90 lessons ,you will learn more than a 20 hour class. i had 6 credits of Russian in college, i learned more from pimsleur. In addition get a book to learn alphabet and additional vocabulary.

Post: #417

(12-05-2012 04:21 PM)jimukr104 Wrote:  

(12-05-2012 04:04 PM)presidentcarter Wrote:  

(11-25-2012 03:54 PM)Vorkuta Wrote:  Regarding learning Russian: I can't emphasise enough how much quicker your progress will be in a class environment as opposed to self learning courses. I started of learning Russian with a book but it was only when I joined a class that I made real progress very quickly. I took 20 lessons and what I learnt in those lessons has gone on to form the bedrock of my Russian knowledge to this day. Of course that isn't possible for everyone to do,probably not many Russian courses in S.America but I cannot emphasise how much you will get back from them. To be able to direct questions at a native and hear words pronounced correctly is invaluable.

I'm sitting in on a class this Saturday to see if I want to enroll for a 10-week, 20 total hour class ($304 or $15 per hr). I find it hard to be motivated this far out from the trip and I want to have a good foundation.

study pimsleur. 90 lessons ,you will learn more than a 20 hour class. i had 6 credits of Russian in college, i learned more from pimsleur. In addition get a book to learn alphabet and additional vocabulary.

As I mentioned, I've been doing Pimsleur quick-study Russian or whatever and I also have the popular Penguin Russian book as well as numerous apps that teach alphabet and phrases.

I just think a quality class will get me started off right. I'll see how the observation session goes. The cost is a non-issue for me - trying to go all out on this "project" of learning another language.

Post: #418

Guys, if you are learning Russian I recommend that you stick with pimsleur for at least six month. Do not study grammar. And do not use books. The problem with books and grammar is that you never learn the intonation or the pronunciation. You will end up pronouncing words like you imagine them in your native language. Trust me on this!

Post: #419

(12-05-2012 04:39 PM)pozdnyshev Wrote:  Guys, if you are learning Russian I recommend that you stick with pimsleur for at least six month. Do not study grammar. And do not use books. The problem with books and grammar is that you never learn the intonation or the pronunciation. You will end up pronouncing words like you imagine them in your native language. Trust me on this!

Pronunciation and intonation are my primary focus but I want to be able to read somewhat as well...and to know what's going on behind the sounds. For example...so far I know "I understand some Russian" as "ye pinyee-maya pa roosky" but couldn't write that in Cyrillic.

Trying to take a more holistic approach but focus on verbal communication the most.

20-steps guide I found - heavy on grammer though: http://www.wikihow.com/Learn-Russian

Post: #420

I think Tomsk is a great idea, but ONLY if you can definitely have part of the trip overlapping with the school year. Spring semester in Russia runs until the last day of June. So the best time to start this I think would be mid/late May.

Tomsk also has the advantage that it is not on the transsiberian, so few tourists ever stop there. It is indeed the education capital of Siberia.

In the summer months many students leave and go home, which means the smaller towns and even villages have some hotties around.

Post: #421

(12-05-2012 04:47 PM)presidentcarter Wrote:  

(12-05-2012 04:39 PM)pozdnyshev Wrote:  Guys, if you are learning Russian I recommend that you stick with pimsleur for at least six month. Do not study grammar. And do not use books. The problem with books and grammar is that you never learn the intonation or the pronunciation. You will end up pronouncing words like you imagine them in your native language. Trust me on this!

Pronunciation and intonation are my primary focus but I want to be able to read somewhat as well...and to know what's going on behind the sounds. For example...so far I know "I understand some Russian" as "ye pinyee-maya pa roosky" but couldn't write that in Cyrillic.

Trying to take a more holistic approach but focus on verbal communication the most.

20-steps guide I found - heavy on grammer though: http://www.wikihow.com/Learn-Russian

Good luck with the class,I think you'll enjoy it and since you have a goal at the end of it ( the trip ) I think you will be able to get good quickly. You really want to make sure the teacher is actually Russian. I have met so many people who studied Russian at university,even Oxford graduates and their Russian pronunciation was horrible and their way of speaking the language far from fluent.

You really should have the alphabet down in a day,it's very simple. There are three groups of letters: ones you will recognise and know the sound of,ones you will recognise but make different sounds then you expect and ones that look nothing like the Latin alphabet. Learn them and you will be able to recognise words in Russian immediately. I studied with the 'Teach yourself Russian' book which was excellent but I used it in a classroom setting. It would have been almost useless without a teacher correcting me. I started learning before I joined a class back before the internet and youtube videos were about ( 92 ). I had never met a Russian or really heard one speak until I met my teacher. I then realised how my pronunciation was so wack as I pronounced and stressed words like an English speaker naturally would. Whilst I am in no way a good speaker now or have a Russian accent I am ten times more coherent through having a Russian teacher.

I will re-iterate that I believe you should forget grammar except how to form verbs correctly in present,past and future tense and also basic plurals ( i.e just put 'i' at the end of words as opposed to worrying about the Genative 'Ov' plural etc. ). Learning grammar is great if you have months or years to dedicate to it but you have a short window to get as conversational as quickly as possible. Use that time for verbs and vocab. However you may well get a kick out of unlocking the grammar-Gordian knot that is Russian. I personally could never get my head around it.

I think we might need to start a Russian learning thread at some point to help learners since we have fluent speakers on here who could offer advice.

Post: #422

I heard about http://www.memrise.com from Roosh's other blog. He called it possibly the best memorizing exercise in the world (paraphrasing). Anyways I Just started Beginners Russian and planted my first Harvest. It's like a game so if anyone who is going wants to do it along with me, it is always more fun.

Post: #423

(12-07-2012 09:51 AM)20Nation Wrote:  I heard about http://www.memrise.com from Roosh's other blog. He called it possibly the best memorizing exercise in the world (paraphrasing). Anyways I Just started Beginners Russian and planted my first Harvest. It's like a game so if anyone who is going wants to do it along with me, it is always more fun.

You are ahead of me 20Nation. Just need to head back to Ecuador in 12 days and get confirmation at the Russian Embassy, that my invitation letter will get me my 3 month visa. Once I get that confirmation I am 100 percent in...and will practice with you online. We can exchange msn or skype accounts.
Tomsk seems like a great place with many universities. Kind of like the Poznan of Russia. Students are always more open minded and eager to meet people of other culture, so any place with a lot of them will be good for us. And university towns tend to have less skinheads and a lot more hot young girls lol.
The only problem for us will be when to schedule the trip. I am free from July to end of October. But I know others dont have that much flexibility.

Post: #424

(12-07-2012 01:20 PM)chochemonger1 Wrote:  You are ahead of me 20Nation. Just need to head back to Ecuador in 12 days and get confirmation at the Russian Embassy, that my invitation letter will get me my 3 month visa. Once I get that confirmation I am 100 percent in...and will practice with you online. We can exchange msn or skype accounts.
Tomsk seems like a great place with many universities. Kind of like the Poznan of Russia. Students are always more open minded and eager to meet people of other culture, so any place with a lot of them will be good for us. And university towns tend to have less skinheads and a lot more hot young girls lol.
The only problem for us will be when to schedule the trip. I am free from July to end of October. But I know others dont have that much flexibility.

I'm looking at Romania for August, then Russia in Sept until whenever really.

Post: #425

By the way, once we know the guys who are definitely going we should keep our choice of location secret and also our identities. We should only PM among each other. I can feel the hate already as Vorkuta knows. This type of trip is no big deal in the DR or any place in Latin America. But in Russia, we have to be careful.