" Ripped off Thinking about going to St Petersburg, Russia, this Fall. People who have experience in Russia tell me it is much more likely to be robbed than before 1990. Maybe this is true only in especially bad parts of large cities. Can anyone tell me if they have any feeling of whether it would be worth the trip? I am going there to see if there are any medical doctors who really need to come to the US. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks beforehand for your help. Sam Stand samstand@yahoo.com "

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" I was in Russia until the beginning of this year and have lived in Russia for a number of years. In general, crime is worse than it was 10 years ago, but still not all that bad and better than in many American cities. Being a foreigner makes matters somewhat worse, since you tend to stand out more and are more of a target. Personal security do''s and don''ts: 1. Do avoid strangers who go out of their way to ingratiate themselves with you. If your gut feel tells you that strangers aren''t really interested in getting to know you, trust your instincts. 2. Do try to learn a little Russian before you go (this is good advice for any country). Buy a small pocket dictionary and carry it with you. Good things to know are: How to read the Russian alphabet How to count (to at least 100 in multiples of five, since you''ll need to pay for things) The words/phrases ""Yes"", ""No"", ""Permitted"", ""Forbidden"", ""I want"", ""That one"", ""There"", ""Stop"", ""Here"", ""How much"", ""Please"", ""Thank you"", ""Now"", ""Later"", ""Where"", ""How"", ""When"", ""Minute"", ""Hour"", ""Second"", ""OK"", ""Normal"", and the words for your favorite foods and drinks (these are often close to their English equivalents) 3. Having acquired a limited ability to read Russian, you should go to a metro station and purchase a Russian-language map of the city. You can purchase a drivers road atlas for a few dollars and suddenly have the ability to match up the street names you see on the sides of buildings with the names printed in your atlas. If you get lost, don''t hesitate to ask someone for directions -- you''ll want to look for someone who looks friendly and good-natured. Russians can be quite terse and abrupt and they can also be very friendly -- just take this as the way they are. 4. Do try to dress down whenever possible. Look at what people are wearing on the street and make a minimal effort to blend in. If you are Caucasian this should be fairly easy. If you are not, then expect to be hassled by the police and make a point of getting registered within three days of arrival and having your passport and visa with you at all times. 5. Do stop by the embassy if you get a chance and read up on whatever the latest scams are, but take whatever the embassy tells you with a grain of salt -- in the past their warnings have been extremely conservative. The embassy might also have a Foreign Commercial Service office there which can help you. 6. Do relax. Nothing will make you stand out more than looking especially nervous. 99% of all Russians are pretty decent folks and will help you with directions if you get lost if you are polite and friendly. Being surrounded by decent people discourages criminals and makes public streets with lots of pedestrians extremely safe during the day. At night you should be a little more cautious, but should still be safe if you stick to the main streets. 7. If you are really nervous, hire an interpreter/guide. I wouldn''t expect you should pay more than $100 - $200 per day for this service (possibly less if you hire someone through the St. Petersburg Times). This might be a good way to get around for a few days until you become used to the place. An interpreter might be able to teach you a little Russian. Try to avoid becoming dependent on an interpreter for your basic communication requirements. 8. Don''t be afraid of taking ""gypsy cabs"", but Do be careful about the cab you choose. It helps to watch other people do this first. The routine is: -- You stick out your arm with your palm facing down. -- Look for a male driver (women will almost never give you a ride) driving alone -- Open the rear passenger door, and tell the driver where you want to go -- The driver will either tell you to sit (Sadeetyes), shake his head no (you might confirm this with ""Nyet""), or name a price. You could try haggling over the price, but you are unlikely to lower the price more than 25% or so. If you don''t like the price, your best option is to just say no and close the door. If the driver doesn''t mention a price, you should suggest a price to him. I would expect the going rate is somewhere between $.50 and $1.00 per kilometer (payable in roubles). The cabs parked in front of hotels tend to be up to several times more expensive and the drivers are often unpleasant as well (not dangerous mind you, just unpleasant). 9. Do plan on everything taking at least twice as long as you expect it to take. 10. The best restaurants will have lots of customers. Restaurants with few customers usually have few customers for a good reason (I''ve never been able to understand this, but a number of beautiful restaurants with lousy service and dishonest waiters seem to be capable of remaining open for years in defiance of the normal laws of a market economy). 11. Expect to pay more for things because you are a foreigner. Your hotel will cost more, taxi drivers will charge you more, museums will charge more. Your natural urge will be to resent this as it will strike you as unfair. In a sense it is, but Russians expect that since foreigners have more money they should pay more. If this still strikes you as unjust, bear in mind that many Russians pay up to 50% of their salary in taxes (wage plus pension taxes) which you will be exempt from while you are in Russia. If this still strikes you as unjust, then accept the situation or choose not to go, as this is not something you will be able to change. 12. Do take some time out to be a tourist and don''t, under any circumstances, miss going to the Hermitage. Also, if you''re planning on visiting St. Petersburg, you should plan on going as soon as possible as it will start getting pretty cold in October and September might have a few cold days as well. St. Petersburg tends to be a pretty windy city, so take along some warm clothes and a sweater for the nights. Hope this helps, Aaron Leatherwood (aleather@oracle.com) "

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I forgot to mention -- An excellent source of information concerning Moscow and St. Petersburg is at: http://www.moscowtimes..ru/ (for Moscow) http://www.times.spb.ru/ (for St. Petersburg)

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" Dear All who are concerned, Originally from New York City (USofA), Moscow Russia has been my 2nd home, away from home, for the past 7.5 years... and I love it here! MOSCOW or ST PETERSBURG, or any other part of RUSSIA, I consider being safe, in comparisons to a number of countries, including the states. YOU just have to be street smart, in your hometown to any foreign land. Yes, don''t stand out, but I will say, don''t under dress. The Russians are very modest, and especially the young are better dressed than abroad. Years ago, I heard a comedian state, ""Never play poker with Russians, they all have that POKER face scheme."" I didn''t understand that until i got here. More before, less today in major cities, The russians will show very little emotions, due to the ex-soviet mentality, of keeping hush hush about each other out in the front. Yet, in their homes, they will be the most generous, kind, warm, and offer you everything they can, they are very hospitable, yet if there s a drunk, laying on the sidewalk, they will let him sleep and walk around him. There are no ""HARLEMS"" in Moscow, no POOR sections where you will be scared to travel through. What is safe? I''ve been robbed in my hometown in New York City. My car was broken into also once, my cousins in England have been robbed twice in a very nice section of Sussex. And a friend killed in Boston at a campus. Bombs continue to Blow up in England, Earthquakes in Turkey, Floods in Germany, what is safe? DO TRAVEL TO RUSSIA, as you would travel in your home country. Be street smart. Simple things you need to know: - have good clean (pref) good condition hard currency for exchanging. (exhange in banks, or better lit offices) - stop by at the major hotels/shops, for an expat newspaper, if available... (unfront info & news) - register with your country embassy, if in that same city. (they will post any news info) - Go to any restaurants where you like the menu (if you can read it). (In 7 yrs, I got food poisoning 2 times; once at the American Diner here, and once at a 5 star Russian restaurant.) - Do study where to visit, what to see, before you come out. - If you see a gang of hooligans, in chains and bandanasa, with needles sticking out, don''t ask them for the time or information... - Bring warm and regular clothing with you. Weather can change immediately. - Best suggestion, if in doubt, and you are traveling by yourself, go to any high class hotel, walk up to the concierge, and ask for information. They will always be happy to help you. Even if you are not staying at their hotel, they don''t know you. - Enjoy Russia at its fullest. It''s the largest country in the world, with an unbelievable culture, and the most lovable people in the world. - Russia might be suffering today, and it will, but don''t under estimate it or the people. Most of the older generation are more better educated than us. - I love it, I love Russia! God Bless... "

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" Kato, I consider you to be a very lucky guy. I live in Houston, TX and I am extremely interested in living in Russia. To do so, however, I need gainful employment! I don''t know if you can help, but I would apreciate any advice you can give. I can send you my CV, but the short version is that I was a television journalist for 11 years and I''ve been in sales and marketing management for 16 years. I would need to be employed by a US or Western European company to receive adequate compensation (at least, that''s my impression.) Best of luck! Steve "

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" Hello everybody! My name is Robert, and I am from Holland. After having lived and worked in Saint Petersburg for two years, I headed back for Holland six months ago. During these six months I have learned that I can not live without Russia and the Russians anymore. In short: I want to go back! So if you here of any vacancies in Moscow or Saint Petersburg, where an experienced expat (with fluent Russian, English, German, French and Dutch language skills) is needed, please post a message, or write me directly at rj.hazeleger@12move.nl Thank you very much in advance, and I hope to hear from you! Best regards to you all! Robert "

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