đ·đș Things Expats Must Stop Doing in Russia - If They Want to Thrive
The expat dos and don'ts
Most expats donât fail in Russia because the country is too hard. They fail because they bring the wrong mindset.
Iâve been in Russia long enough to see patterns. People arrive excited, energized⊠and then reality eats away at their enthusiasm. Sometimes they leave quietly. Sometimes they go home loudly proclaiming âRussia isnât what I thought it would be.â
Hereâs the thing: Russia isnât broken. Their approach was.
If youâre thinking of moving here - or youâre here now but feeling the ground shifting under your feet - these are the habits you need to drop, fast.
1. Stop Idealizing Russia đ«đ§
Expectation is the enemy of reality.
The media feeds us stereotypes.
I grew up in Africa knowing âRussiaâ only through James Bond villains-deep voices, cold stares, danger lurking in every line of dialogue.
Then I arrived here and met people who were warm, funny, curious. The contrast between my mental movie and real life was staggering.
Thatâs the trap: if you arrive expecting Russia to be a certain way- perfect or terrible, you will be disappointed. Throw your expectations out. See the country for what it is, not what youâve been told it is.
2. Stop Coming Here Because Itâs a Trend đ
Trends fade. Regret doesnât.
Some people treat moving to Russia like joining a TikTok challenge. It looks exciting on social media, so they pack up without a plan.
And then winter hits.
Iâve seen people leave after a year, bitter and confused, because they never wanted Russia-they wanted the idea of Russia. If you donât choose this place for your own reasons, you wonât survive the hard parts.
Do your research. Build a plan. Decide you want Russia before you arrive, not after.
3. Stop Hiding in the Expat Bubble đ«§
If you live in a foreign country but only spend time with your own people, you never really left home.
Itâs easy to fall into the comfort of familiar accents and shared jokes. But thatâs not why you came here.
I know people who have lived in Moscow for years but donât speak a word of Russian. Their entire social circle is other expats. They might as well have moved to a suburb of their own capital city.
Break out of the bubble. Learn the language. Accept invitations from locals. Sit through awkward conversations until they stop being awkward. Thatâs how you really live here.
4. Stop Importing Western Political Lenses đ
You canât cut and paste your countryâs values onto a completely different culture.
Western political debates donât always fit here-not because people are hostile to them, but because the problems they address simply donât exist in the same way.
In Russia, you wonât see certain activist movements because the context is different. Trying to âeducateâ locals by importing your home countryâs issues is like showing up at a neighborâs house and rearranging their furniture because itâs not like yours.
Observe first. Learn the local context. Understand why things are the way they are before deciding what âshouldâ change.
5. Stop Forgetting You Represent Your Country âŒïž
Abroad, you are not just you⊠youâre everyone from your homeland.
In Russia, most people wonât immediately know where youâre from. That means your behavior becomes the stereotype.
If youâre respectful, polite, and generous, people start to see everyone from your background that way. If youâre reckless or rude, you give them a reason to expect the worst.
Think of yourself as an ambassador, not in a formal sense, but in the everyday way you carry yourself. Every smile, every act of kindness, every mistake, it all counts.
Closing Thoughtsđ
Russia isnât for everyone. Itâs not supposed to be.
But if you arrive with open eyes, without hype, and with a genuine desire to connect, this country can be extraordinary.
Drop the stereotypes. Ignore the trends. Break out of your bubble. Understand before judging. And remember, the way you live here shapes the way the next expat will be treated.
And if we all got that right⊠maybe weâd change more than just our own lives.
AndyAfroLev
- Ciao.