Life in Russia

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St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow

Before you go...

Students travelling to Russia for any length of time almost invariably have problems at the airport with excess baggage; if you don't when you go, you certainly will when you come back! If you've never been to Russia before and your knowledge is based on news footage of bread queues at the time of the last economic crisis in 1998, you're likely to pack a lot of unnecessary things in the belief that you can't buy anything there. The fact is that especially in the big cities, you can actually buy everything you can in the West (with a few exceptions, see below), even if it isn't the same brand. Good things to put off buying until you get to Russia include:

• A very warm winter coat. Don't spend a fortune in Britain when you can get something cheaper and warmer in Russia. Ladies' coats are often more elegant there too. If you don't mind wearing fur (and you probably won't once you've experienced the Russian winter), a sensible idea is to buy a second-hand fur coat from a charity shop at home. Wearing fur is more than acceptable in Russia.
• Winter boots. These are much cheaper in Russia, where they are made to cope with snow and ice rather than as a fashion accessory.
• Toiletries. You can get everything there, so don't take a month's supply with you. Contrary to popular stories, soft toilet paper and most brands of tampons are available.
• A Russian-English dictionary. These are readily available in bookshops, so it's not worth taking up your luggage allowance with a dictionary. You can even buy the Oxford Russian Dictionary for about half of what you would pay in England. It is easy to sell it before you leave at the end of the year.
• Camera films and batteries are much cheaper in Russia.

'The first time I went to Russia I didn't take any summer clothes, which was a real problem from May onwards as temperatures can reach over 30 degrees (the family I lived with actually ended up sewing things for me!)'
Catherine Engelhardt

'Marmite, and lots of it. Blue tac.'
Hannah Lilley

'Thermal underwear. Mosquito spray - can't get it out there for love nor money. I think Russians are all immune.'
Nathan Lechler

'Rope. You will need someplace to hang your laundry to dry, if you don't want to pay the dezhurnayas [in the student hostel] to do it for you.'
'Recipes. Unless you don't like your region's cooking at all, you will miss all of those great dishes from home. There are a few markets that will have the raw ingredients, but cooking is up to you.'
Renee Hillaire

'My guitar. (Keep your interests going)'
Andy Schofield

'Mosquito repellent is essential!'
Anna Hart

'A pair of slippers; Moscow is an extremely muddy city and so not taking your shoes off immediately upon entering a house leads to all sorts of dirt being trodden into the carpet.'
Matthew Stankiewicz

'A photocopy (or 50) of EVERY single document, most importantly your visa.'
Isobel Walsh

'Speakers so that you can use your walkman as a stereo.'
Carrie Devitt

To this list I would add vitamin tablets, especially vitamin D for the winter when (especially in the north) you won't get any sun, and calcium. A pair of slippers is not only essential to avoid treading mud into the flat; Russians tend always to wear slippers indoors and if you don't have your own, your host family will probably lend you a very large pair of spare ones which will have you sliding around the flat and tripping over things all year. It is impossible to survive the winter without a warm, comfortable pair of shoes or boots, whether you take them with you or buy them there. Simple medicines such as Paracetamol, Lemsip (absolutely essential) and Imodium can be useful to have with you. I also found it impossible to buy good sunscreen. Take nice coffee and Cadbury's milk chocolate if you can't live without it. If you take credit cards, make sure you have the 'phone number and details to cancel them immediately if they are stolen.

While you're there

Sunset over the Moika Canal, St Petersburg

'On my first trip to Russia I was surprised by the level of bureaucracy which is still in practice. A really simple exercise like buying a train ticket can become a major operation. It’s not hard to get used to this after a while, although working in Moscow definitely reinforced this impression. Also, women in Russia still have considerably less social freedom than in Western Europe.'
Catherine Engelhardt

'Completely different culture from England. Politeness, in shops, bureaucrats' offices etc, is unheard of, but real friendship is quite easy to come by in comparison with the experience of international students in this country. If you don't want to drink too much, steel yourself - many Russians really just don't get the concept of stopping at your limits and will try to get you as leathered as they are. Seriously.'
Nathan Lechler

'Blend in. It makes getting around very easy.'
Renee Hillaire

'In provincial Samara attitudes were very much more conservative, especially regarding expectations of young women (and being foreign obviously rendered you even more helpless). I was surprised to find myself having to convince people I was capable of doing stuff, from moving a chair to more significant things...and then felt bad that I was being culturally insensitive or something. For the first time I felt placed into a particular role and set of expectations because of being a girl. In the presence of larger groups of Russians our age, I was always surprised at the apparent lack of interaction between the blokes and girls; the girls tended to be fairly quiet and stick together.'
Alyson Tapp

'Just be aware of personal safety- especially in smaller towns where people have seen fewer foreigners. It might be worth knowing that travelling is unusual for Russians - especially for a group of females - but don't let that put you off - we found that people who seemed a little too interested rarely meant any harm. Also beware of drunken men and angry babushkas at all times!!'
Anna Hart

For more advice, see the Safety and Security page.

'I was disappointed by distinctly unfriendly attitude of Russian Orthodox towards me as a Catholic. This may have been bad luck on my part rather than a problem within the Russian Church as a whole (especially as I've never had any problems with Orthodox outside Russia).
Matthew Stankiewicz

'All the hospitality rituals involved after initial acquaintance with any Russian family can be quite overwhelming. The concept of going out for a drink becomes problematised, as many Russian students are completely skint by our standards, and you need to be very sensitive to this.'
Bridget Farrell

'Do not let them try and give you medicine if you tell them you're ill. For tonsillitis I was made to eat raw onions soaked in salt, then gargle the most unpleasant combinations of oils, and be forced not to drink for several hours etc. When I went to the doctor, he told me that I probably had dyphtheria (99 percent fatality). Thank God you can buy antibiotics over the counter there, I was better within twenty four hours, no thanks to Russian homeopathic remedies.'
'In St Petersburg, it was shocking how many times I got asked for sex for money (must be the way I dressed...)'
Isobel Walsh

'If you're going to spend time in Russia try to appreciate what a different mindset it is from the West. Be flexible and remember that you're the foreigner.'
'Nothing surprises me any more. It surprised me that people normally get married and have children in their early 20s. One of the most difficult things to get used to is that the police are corrupt.'
Carrie Devitt

You can read some of my impressions of life in Russia here.
One student in Russia last year kept a diary with photos on his website; you can find this here.

• Bliny with smetana (pancakes with sour cream). These are also delicious with herring, condensed milk, honey, jam, caviar or just about anything. Bliny cafes and restaurants are fairly common, and you can buy them at stands on the street too.
• Pel'meni with smetana (meat dumplings with sour cream). In fact, smetana goes with everything. You'll miss it when you leave.
• Smoked herring
• Red caviar: cheap and available everywhere.
• Pickled cucumbers and mushrooms: you know you've been in Russia too long when you start craving these!
• Honey beer
• Tvorog (a sort of soft, sweet cheese). Usually translated as cottage cheese which is not helpful as it isn't. Try it.
• Buckwheat pirozhki (pies)
• Khachapuri (Georgian type of cheese pie). Georgian restaurants are common nearly everywhere and the food is delicious. If you travel to the south of Russia to places like Sochi you'll find this everywhere.
• Soups such as borshch (beetroot soup). A good, fairly quick and easy recipe can be found here.
• Watermelons: these are often sold in what look like big cages on the pavement.
• Sudak (pike-perch). This is very common in cafes and delicious.
• Shaverma (kebabs). These can be great, or they can leave you ill for a week so be careful where you get them from. The good ones are very good, though.
• Syrok (cheese curds)
• Ice cream: Russian ice-cream is particularly good.

Least favourites:

• Kholodets (meat in jelly)
• Anything based around lard, especially sala.
• Salted dried fish - actually not as bad as it looks or sounds, but an acquired taste. Russians eat it with beer.
• Okroshka: 'the combination of chopped potato, onions, kolbasa [a type of sausage], drowned in kvas [slightly alcoholic drink, popular in summer] and served with a liberal dollop of mustard and mayonnaise is a particularly unfortunate one.'
• Unidentifiable meat: be careful as some of this is very poor quality.

Don't be afraid to try things you've never seen before. If you live in a family you'll probably get used to being offered smetana or mayonnaise with absolutely everything, especially 'salads' which have nothing to do with lettuce! Russians drink tea more than coffee - it's nearly impossible to find good coffee in Russia so this is something to take with you if you think you'll miss it. It's also a good present for your host family or Russian friends. If you ask for tea with milk you might get some odd looks; the milk is often UHT anyway and tea is better without it. Good things to put in tea are lemon or jam. Russian beer is cheaper than lemonade and not classified as an alcoholic drink; you'll see people drinking it on the street at 8am.