DEV Community: JUG Ru Group

"I thought it would be more of an old Soviet kind" — Jon Galloway on the Russian visa process, Sovietness, and tech conferences

JUG Ru Group — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 12:02:10 +0000

Many people find traveling to Russia an extreme and exotic adventure. Some say snow covers its territory all year round. Some think there are different digits in Cyrillic script. Is it that way?

"To Russia with love" is a series of interviews with techies from Western Europe and the USA, who came here to share their experience at JUG Ru Group conferences. We'll talk about expectations and impressions, people and culture, cities and conferences, visas, and security. So stay tuned.

Our guest today

Jon Galloway is the executive director of the .NET Foundation. He works at Microsoft as a Technical Evangelist focused on ASP.NET and Windows Azure.
He's co-author of Professional ASP.NET MVC, writes samples and tutorials like the MVC Music Store, and is a frequent speaker at conferences and international Web Camps events.

Jon's been doing professional web development for 17 years, including high scale applications in financial, entertainment, and healthcare analytics. He's part of the Herding Code podcast, twitters as @jongalloway, and blogs at http://weblogs.asp.net/jongalloway.

Expectations

Ruslan: Hi, everyone. My guest today is Jon Galloway and we are going to talk a little bit about his experience of traveling to Russia. The first question is easy. How many times have you been to Russia?

Jon: Hello! I think, four times.

Ruslan: What were the purposes of your trips?

Jon: I think the first time I came here was for a Build tour. I was with a group of people and that was a little easier because I went not alone. After that, I've been here for a few conferences. Then I came one time to the Microsoft office and we just helped people with some Azure things they were trying to set up.

Ruslan: Could you try to recall, what were your expectations before your first travel to Russia? Regarding the country, the culture, the people.

Jon: I really didn't know what to expect. I mean I met Russian people, but I didn't really know much about the country. And so I just came with an open mind. Having traveled to Europe before, I didn't expect that Moscow and Saint Petersburg would both feel not that different from a lot of other parts in Europe. I thought it would be more foreign, more different.

Ruslan: More Soviet.

Jon: Yeah! I guess so.

Ruslan: Well, it's been Soviet for decades. So, did Russia actually meet your expectations?

Jon: It actually exceeded my expectations.

Ruslan: Could you give an example of any mismatch of expectations and reality? I got the idea that you didn't expect it to be like this, but were there any details that blew your mind?

Jon: I love to travel, I love to see new things and so I really enjoy, for instance, the food or going to Red Square. Just seeing the place was exciting, different than I thought. It was in some ways a lot more modern than I thought than I had been let to believe. I thought it would be more of an old Soviet kind of thing. And if I was in the middle of Moscow and didn't closely read the signs, I wouldn't know that I wasn't, you know, in Germany or France or something.

Visa

Ruslan: What was the hardest part of your trip process? From the idea to come and right to the moment when you were on your way back home from Russia.

Jon: The hardest part by far was just applying for the visa. It's not that hard, but it was the hardest part. I needed to fill out forms, to list every international trip in the past 10 years, and as a conference speaker, I travel internationally several times a year. I used the TripIt app. And so I went on the TripIt and looked up every place I had gone to. I had to fill that out. And it takes a little time, you don't want to do it at the last minute. You need to start on that months in advance. I did that before, I didn't work with the DotNext conference for that and I understand that you can help with that.

Ruslan: We usually try to, right.

Jon: So, when I first traveled to Russia, I also needed a business invitation letter and it was a little confusing. So, that was really it. As the visa had been so hard to fill out, I was worried that when I got here they would say: "No! It's not okay!" or something. But when I got to Russia, it was like "check-check, okay — stamp", and, please, you can go.

Conferences

Ruslan: You give a lot of talks. Do you feel any difference in the audience comparing the United States, Europe, Southern Europe, Russia, Northern Europe? And what would you say about the Russian audience?

Jon: Well, I would say that the DotNext conference is very technical. A lot of the talks here are about compilers, and you'll see assembly code on the screen, and it's just kind of standard here, so I do feel that level of technical intensity is higher here. I like that there is a translation, especially for the keynotes and things like that, but some of the talks are in Russian — that's to be expected, but that's something to just know.

Ruslan: But we usually try to put at least one English talk for each time slot, so you don't have to be wandering around, waiting for an English talk.

Jon: You're right. I appreciate that. And, for instance, I went to a talk at DotNext, and it was so good, just the slides, I was happy. [laughs]

Ruslan: Nice! Actually, the reason why we don't translate all the talks except for keynotes is that all these in-depth technical talks are almost impossible to translate simultaneously.

Jon: I understand.

Ruslan: The same reason we don't translate English talks to Russian for the Russian audience. Some attendees say things like: "Well, why should I know English coming here? Look at the schedule! I've got only half of the talks!" and we usually answer: "Just study English, please! Because nobody will be able to translate Federico Lois talk."

Jon: Yeah.

Ruslan: Because it's impossible if you're not Federico Lois or CLR developer. So that's just it.

Jon: That's the main kind of thing that I would say comparing different audiences. It's very deep technical content.

Culture

Ruslan: The next question is also about people and culture. Russia is well known for being extremely direct, especially comparing to the United Kingdom or the United States. Did you experience this? I mean, some people even see it as rudeness, that Russians are being rude, while they're just direct. For example, they can say "your code is shit" or something.

Jon: [Laughs]

Ruslan: And they mean it, but they don't want to insult you or offend you.

Jon: Yeah, I haven't felt that here. People are direct, but not much more direct than in the United States. So, in terms of places… You know, people in the US are very direct, people here are direct, people in the UK actually are relatively direct, they'll say: "With respect, your code sucks." You know, things like that. In some places in Europe where I've been people won't talk, won't ask questions, but then they'll tell you privately that your code sucks. [Laughs]

Security

Ruslan: There are two types of security I would like to discuss with you. The first one is your personal security, if you feel safe outside, walking all around the city, and so on. You've touched this topic, saying that it's almost like in Europe. The second is about the security of facing governmental bureaucracy and so on — when you cross the border, inside and outside, how do you feel? And how does it match the reality?

Jon: I would say the security feels very much like the rest of Europe. I felt safe. This afternoon I was just walking around Red Square by myself and was just wandering the sidestreets. There are metal detectors on the entrance to the Red Square, and there are definitely metal detectors going anywhere in Europe lately. There are armed guards, and I'm happy that they're there. So that's kinda standard. You go through metal detectors, the guards normally don't even talk, you just put your stuff, you walk through, and they nod at you, and that's all. So I feel as safe here as anywhere I travel.

Ruslan: What about coming into the country, what was your experience? I mean, usually, it's okay. Did you face any problems, or time-consuming stuff, or questions?

Jon: No. Honestly, I've had much worse times going through customs in London than here. [Laughs]

Ruslan: There are not so many countries with a terrible visa process. For example, the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom. China is okay for Russians. As for my personal experience, this year I traveled to the United States, and it's the same as for Americans getting a Russian visa. I also had to list all the countries you've been to during the last 5 years, and for me, it makes no difference, 5 or 10 years, cause it's hundreds of places.

Jon: Right. I've had the same. For me, I think, going to India was a lot to fill out, and also Brazil for some reason was a lot to fill out. One funny thing: I'm always scared anywhere I fly a long way with a visa, I don't want to get there and hear them say: "You did it wrong, you have to fly back home." That's the only scary part for me.

Ruslan: Yes, I totally get it, I had the same thoughts during my flight to the US.

Jon: Exactly! So when I flew here the first few times, I would print out my business invitation letter, I print out my visa, I print out the copy of my passport and everything, just because I wanted to be sure. But this time when I flew here, they didn't even talk to me, they took my passport, they looked at it, they flip it through, they stamped it, and I walked in. One recommendation for anyone, who wants to go to Russia. I do recommend getting a 3-year visa, if you can, rather than just getting the shorter visa. It costs a little bit more money, but if you are planning to be here more than one time, by having a 3-year visa I didn't have to do any work this time.

Ruslan: That's a great hint.

Experience

Ruslan: What were the biggest surprises for you during your first travel or any other? One positive and one negative case, if there is any.

Jon: Okay, one interesting positive case is if you learn the Cyrillic alphabet, you can read a lot of signs. I can't listen to Russian and understand anything, but if I look at a sign, there is a good chance I can read some of the words.

Ruslan: Like the word "transport".

Jon: Well, yeah. Just like "стоп", it's "s-t-o-p", but with a different spelling. Your letter "C" is our "S" and so on. So if you learn those letters, you can read a lot of signs, and that was just a happy surprise for me, that I spent a lot of time going around: "Oh! That says "pizza"! That says this! That's…" That was nice. As for something negative… Traffic and waiting in traffic.

Ruslan: We do our best for you to feel the atmosphere of San Francisco.

Jon: Yeah, exactly! It's not really any worse than in any other big city. But, for instance, I just went to Red Square and I waited half an hour ride each way. And it's few miles, you know. But it's no real difference from any other big city.

Ruslan: It is just bothering.

Jon: Yeah. One more positive thing to mention — the metro system is amazing! It's very well organized, it's the circles and the lines. It's very nice, and it's also beautiful, all the metro stations. People visiting another city are scared of the metro and they just want to get an Uber or taxi or whatever. I recommend: if you have the time, take the metro. It's worth it.

Ruslan: And sometimes it's even faster.

Jon: True!

Ruslan: This time when I traveled to Moscow from Saint Petersburg, I decided to take a taxi to the railway station. And there was a moment when I realized that if I don't get out of the car and go to a metro station, I won't make it, I'm gonna be late for my train. So I went to the metro and as a result, I made it 10 minutes before the train left. If I had stayed in the taxi, I would have been late.

So, thank you, Jon!

"Once you got the visa, don't worry, it's going to be fine" — Jessica Deen about the Russian visa process, safety, and culture

JUG Ru Group — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 08:02:51 +0000

Many people find traveling to Russia an extreme and exotic adventure. Some say that once you enter the country, you won't be able to use any social media; some are afraid to be lost without any English speaking people around. Is it that way? Does each Russian drink two shots of vodka every morning?

Our guest today

Jessica Deen @jldeen is a Cloud Developer Advocate for Microsoft focusing on Azure, Containers, cloud, OSS, and, of course, DevOps. Before joining Microsoft, she spent over a decade as an IT Consultant/Systems Administrator for various corporate and enterprise environments, catering to end-users and IT professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area.

When she's not doing something geeky, you can find her doing something active, most likely running out of breath at her local CrossFit gym. Yes, she's one of those! She also enjoys biking (motorcycles and/or bicycles), shooting, eating, reading, and hanging with her 5-year-old rescue pup.

Expectations

Ruslan: Hi, Jessica! We're going to talk a little bit about your experience of coming to Russia. The first question is easy: is it your first time here?

Jessica: It is my first time in Russia.

Ruslan: What were your expectations before you came here?

Jessica: So, I didn't really know what to expect. I had heard both reassurances and positive experiences, but then I also heard worse case scenarios, where people get stopped at the border, have problems with visas, something went wrong, and so on… I love traveling, but it's not only my first time in Russia, but it's also my first time entering a country with a visa. There were a lot of unknowns, but I was also, I guess, excited.

Visa

Ruslan: Usually Americans don't need visas traveling all over the world, right?

Jessica: Correct. Traveling with a US passport, I need a visa for China, Brazil, Russia, and I'm sure there are others, but those are the 3 common ones I'm aware of. Russia was the first one I have to go through.

Ruslan: Then you have my congratulations on your first experience of having a visa! Has Russia met any expectations you've had?

Jessica: I was strongly encouraged to attend by Baruch @jbrauch and he pretty much said, that once you got the visa, don't worry, it's going to be fine, you get off the plane, you hand your card and they let you through. I said: "Okay, hopefully." And that met all of my expectations. It was very easy. I just hand it, get through, and then I was even surprised, not only did I get through very quickly — my bag came out very quickly. And I was off the plane and on my way to the hotel in 20 minutes. I have waited in passport control in other countries without visas for an hour. I guess, in that sense, it exceeded my expectations because the process of getting through was very fast.

Ruslan: Great. So, maybe there were some mind-blowing mismatches of expectations and reality?

Jessica: Long queue, questions, interrogation… Even in other countries that don't have visas, like Israel, you have interviews and they ask you several questions, and then you go through high security, and secondary screening, and so on. Russia was actually very easy.

Ruslan: That means, you've done all this job in advance in the United States.

Jessica: Well, I think the hard part, or the part that maybe takes a little bit longer, is waiting for the visa. But once you have that, the actual process, when you're on the plane and arrive in the country — that was easy.

Conferences

Ruslan: You give a lot of talks here and there, do you feel any difference in the audience? This question is more about your conference experience. I mean, it's known that Northern European people are more sort of cold and if you go to some southern countries, they are more expressive, more loud and more talkative. What would you say about Russia in this way?

Jessica: I'm just gonna use the comparison initially. When I was in Israel, I had trouble engaging the audience there. And in talking to Baruch I said that they came off this cold, I just didn't know how to read them, because it wasn't what I'm used to, as may be like in the Western US. And so he prepped me and said: "Don't be surprised if Russia's the same way." So, I used that as my benchmark.

However, in the session people were laughing, people were engaging, they came over afterward, and asked questions, and wanted to take pictures. I actually felt that it was a lot warmer than I was told it was going to be, which also exceeded any expectations or was just different from what the expectations were. So, I felt, that it was not cold, it was the opposite.

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Ruslan: Okay, great! Some people say that the Russian audience consists more of in-depth techs guys. What about the discussion you've had in the discussion zone after your talk and the questions you were asked?

Jessica: I mean, the questions and conversations I had were very positive, it was informative, it was the feedback I can take into consideration. You could tell that the audience, at least in my experience, genuinely listened and felt as so they got something out of it. And then I as a speaker can get something out of their feedback or anything that may be needed clarification, that I can then improve in future sessions to make sure that that is clarified in advance, but, I mean, overall the conversations sounded mutually beneficial.

Stereotypes

Ruslan: Russian people are well-known for being extremely direct, the culture is rather direct as well. It's not about going all around the topic, so if people want to say something like "I think, your code is shit", they say it exactly this way. Did you face that? And how do you feel about it?

Jessica: No one said my code was shit, so that was good [laughs]. Actually, one person came over and said that he has never seen a speaker, who can keep both a developer's attention and an operations person's attention. And so, he thanked me for being able to do that.

The US is known for dancing around the truth. Most of the places in the world are very direct, so I honestly appreciate the feedback from places and audiences that are direct, like Russia, Israel, Eastern-Western European world mindset. That feedback means more, because, I know it's honest. When somebody says it in the US "I loved your session!", there are chances they probably mean "It was shit". I just find honest feedback to be a lot more helpful.

Security

Ruslan: Let's talk about security a bit. There are two types of security I'm trying to point out. First of all: did you feel safe on the streets? And secondly, what do you feel about security when you face government? I mean, that's a question to ask in Russia, because there are a lot of talks about that stuff.

Jessica: I think from a personal perspective before I go to any country, I always do a little bit of research, because I'm very self-aware, I often travel alone, I'm small-framed, I'm female, I'm obviously foreign in any other country I go to, I look very American. So, I think, I need a little bit of research as far as how alerted do I have to be. I felt very comfortable walking around outside in Russia because I was already doing research. Saint Petersburg is one of the safest places you can go, daytime or nighttime, which is not the same in other areas. So, from a personal safety perspective, I felt fine and there is no concern.

From a government security perspective… One of my biggest fears is ever doing something wrong in a different country, especially when I don't know laws, or customs, or government rules. So I always try to look up and make sure I know what is expected and then make sure that I'm within those guidelines. But I guess, I don't know, I haven't been in Russia long enough to have an opinion about the government.

Ruslan: For example, looking back at the crossing the border process. Was it okay?

Jessica: I have definitely been asked other questions and been more concerned about the government in other countries, than in Russia. I guess I can change my opinion after I travel back tomorrow, I can let you know, how the exit experiences…

The exit went well, I've contacted Jessica afterward, and here is how it went:

Jessica: The departure went ok. Some parts were a little hard to navigate only because security and some staff spoke only Russian and not English. I recall asking why there were two lines to enter into VISA control, and the person just shook his head and pointed to someone else. I ended up just getting allowed through, but I remember wondering how I could have communicated more effectively. Other than that, it went fine. Thank you so much for everything! I very much enjoyed my time there.

Ruslan: Did you face any surprises during this travel?

Jessica: I always try to find the positives in any experience, even when I've gone to countries and went through airport security and got secondary screenings or detain. I don't tend to look at that as a negative. That's just a learning experience. And in Russia obviously, I wasn't long enough to say I had anything that was potentially negative. The only sort of negative thing was getting to be here, considering how long it took to get the visa, cause I had tried previously last year and this is my second attempt. I feel very privileged and honored, I don't know the next time I'll get to return. So the entire experience, I think, is just positive from that perspective. I feel very fortunate to have been there.

We thank Jessica for sharing her experience with us. Next week we'll introduce another guest, so stay tuned!

"It's a very big country and very diverse" — Simon Ritter about Russian tech conferences, culture, and visa

JUG Ru Group — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 10:20:05 +0000

Many people find traveling to Russia an extreme and exotic adventure. Some say that once you enter the country, you won't make it back; some expect Russian cities to be more like deserts of planet Hoth with bears walking around snowbound streets. Is it that way? Are Russian megapolises different from European ones? Do Russians ever smile?

Our guest today

Simon Ritter @speakjava is the Deputy CTO of Azul Systems. He has been in the IT business since 1984 and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Brunel University in the U.K.

Simon joined Sun Microsystems in 1996 and started working with Java technology from JDK 1.0; he has spent time working in both Java development and consultancy. Now at Azul, he continues to help people understand Java as well as Azul's JVM technologies and products. Simon has twice been awarded a Java Rockstar status at JavaOne and is a Java Champion.

Expectations

Ruslan: Hey, Simon! We're going to talk about your trips to Russia during the last couple of years. You've been to Russia several times, right?

Simon: Yes, I've been there twice. Two years ago I went to JBreak which was in Novosibirsk. The second time for me in Siberia, the first time in Novosibirsk, which was very good. And then last year I was at JPoint in Moscow. Then I've been back to Saint Petersburg for the Joker conference. So I'm doing very well in terms of Russian trips. I like Russia.

Ruslan: That's great! Recalling your first trip to Russia — what were your expectations? Did you have any?

Simon: I'm not sure. Before I came to Russia, I suppose the only expectations I had were that people there were very well-educated in terms of software development, and so they had a lot of knowledge already. So I was gonna be presenting to an audience that already knew a fair amount of subjects that I was gonna talk about.

Ruslan: What about any expectations of the country itself?

Simon: The very first time I went to Russia was back in 1993, so I have seen a lot of changes in the country over the time that I've been there. I mean, it's a very big country and very diverse. And I'm not sure I had any expectations back then. I thought it was probably gonna be cold.

Ruslan: What time of the year was that?

Simon: Novosibirsk was in March. So it wasn't as cold as it could have been if it were January. But there was still snow and ice on the ground, it was cold.

Ruslan: Yet in terms of the audience have we met your expectations?

Simon: Oh, absolutely yes! I've always been impressed by the developers I've met in Russia. They're always very focused on things, and when you present, you can tell that they're listening, they understand what you're talking about, and then they ask relevant questions, and they kinda drill down into the detail and think: "Yeah, how does that work?"

Visa

Ruslan: You had nice expectations and a nice experience. Good to hear that. What was the hardest part of your visa application process? As far as I understand, you even grumbled on Twitter about the visa application form.

Simon Ritter

@speakjava

Just got to the challenging part of my Russian visa application, "Have you visited other countries in the last ten years?" That would be a yes. I must now list all the countries I've visited. With dates.

This might take a while 🤔

12:27 PM - 15 Feb 2019

1 40

Simon: [laughs] Yes. I have to say that the visa application process is probably the most complicated of any country I go to, and for two reasons. One is I have to have my fingerprints taken at the Russian embassy or the Russian office. And I have to do it every time that I apply for a visa. So it's not like I can do it once, and they keep it on file. And the other thing is that I always enjoy the question which says: "Have you traveled abroad in the last 10 years?" You answer "yes" and then it says: "List the dates and all the places you've been to in the last 10 years". I actually did that and came up with, I think, 480 trips.

Ruslan: 480! Really?!

Simon: [laughs] I sent them an entire list! 480 trips!

Ruslan: I guess, you need a separate person to sort it out, actually.

Simon: Yeah.

Ruslan: How long did it take?

Simon: It took me a while. I have a database that has a list of all the trips that I've done, so I pulled it out of that database.

Ruslan: If I was asked that question, I wouldn't be able to answer. If you look in your passport, the dates are quite hard to read.

Simon: Yeah, that's true. It took me a little while to get the data. But it was almost fun to do that.

Conferences

Ruslan: We've already touched that topic but you give a lot of talks every year. Do you feel any difference in your audience? For instance, some say that people in northern countries like Norway or Sweden never ask questions and never welcome you with a round of applause.

Simon: Well, there are obviously cultural differences. When you travel to different countries, you will find that some people are happier to stand up and ask a question. And other people will not stand up and ask questions right away, but they'll find you afterward and talk to you one on one. A lot of that is down to whether somebody's first language is English, so somebody may not feel confident standing up in front of an audience and trying to ask you a question, when they're not confident in their English, whereas they will talk to you one on one where it's easier to do that.

It'd be hard for me to name the country, but sometimes you find the audiences are less responsive if you like, and I mean that not in a negative way, but you talk to people and you don't really feel that you're getting a lot of reaction from the audience. In other countries where I've been to, like, for example, South America or Brazil, you kinda feel more of a vibe from the audience. But again, it's a cultural thing. People are more reserved than other people, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just the way it works. But it's always fun to talk to all sorts of different audiences, and I love meeting people from different countries.

Ruslan: Speaking of the vibe from the audience, where would you put Russia on the scale from Northern Europe to Brazil?

Simon: I'd say you're probably a little more reserved, so not the Brazil side…

Ruslan: Of course not.

Simon: But not the sort of completely, when you get nothing from the audience.

Culture

Ruslan: One more thing: many people say they are not going to Russia because they are not ready to face extreme directness (up to being rude) which Russia is known for. Have you faced it in any way?

Simon: No, I'm very happy with people being direct with me. I've been doing this job and this role for a long time, so I've kinda got used to it. People ask you questions and they may ask questions directly. But again it's an appreciation of different cultures, so you need to understand that if you going to do this and you going to present to people, you may not always get the same interaction that you would with somebody of your own culture. So there's nothing wrong with that. It's a great learning experience to find out how other people are and to learn about other countries.

Security

Ruslan: I've got another question regarding security. There are two types of security I'd like to hear your comments on. The first one is more personal. For example, when you want to go outside to grab some coffee, what are your first thoughts? Is it "it's gonna be okay" or "I'm going to be stabbed in the stomach?" And the second question is about the governmental security. When you are visiting a foreign country, how do you feel interacting with governmental representatives? When I was flying to the US, I was extremely worried that I would be sent back after my 11 hours long flight.

Simon: I understand what you mean. Let's start with the first question about personal safety when you leave the hotel or the conference and you get out for a drink or something like that. As I've traveled a lot, I've kinda used to the idea that certain parts of any city are safe, and there will be parts of any city that you probably need to avoid. I think that if you stay in the central hotel, you will find that most of the places around it are fine, you just need to be aware. And you need to be aware all the time of getting pickpocketed. I've got pickpocketed in Spain once. And so you just need to be aware of those things. I don't find that a problem at all. I'm quite happy to go out and go to a bar or a restaurant on my own. It doesn't trouble me.

As for a broader perspective, the government and so on… No, again, I find that other than the bureaucracy, as I would put it, in terms of getting the visa application, not a problem at all. I mean, I'm very happy to go to Russia, you know, we have two offices in Russia so we have close contact with them on that respect. So, yeah, it's all just part of the process of traveling. Different countries have different requirements and things like that, so it's all good.

Ruslan: Okay, so the next one is a specific question: some people are not coming to our country in terms of a protest against the censorship in Russia. Some say there is no freedom of speech.

Simon: Right.

Ruslan: Some say there is no freedom of speech anywhere in the world, but in Russia especially. If that's all right with you, could you please comment on this? Did you experience that?

Simon: Well, it's a tricky thing. And you do have to think about it, but the way I look at it is that I'm going to Russia and any other country to help educate people. So as long as nobody is trying to censor me from talking about what I'm trying to help people to understand, then, I think, I have to take a step away from the bigger picture. And say "If I go, I can help people, they can understand more about Java, they can understand more about software development that will help them in their job, that will help them to do their career and so on". So I think, that has more value than me trying to make a protest statement by going "Well, I'm not going to go to Russia, because there is censorship". Because again you know there are other countries that have censorship, and I try to stay out of the geopolitical side of things and just think, what am I able to do when I go there. So I don't have a problem with that.

Impression

Ruslan: What was the biggest surprise you faced in Russia? If there were any. If you have one negative and one positive example, that would be perfect.

Simon: [laughs] One negative and one positive about Russia… That is a bit tricky actually. One positive surprise about Russia: I love the food. And I love vodka as well. I love Russian food and that's not just caviar. It's all of the different dishes that you get, cause there is a lot of different things in Russia. And I really do like the food. So that's positive. As for something negative… I would say I struggle a little bit with the weather in winter.

Ruslan: Nobody likes the weather in Russia in winter.

Simon: Well, my wife is Canadian, so I go to Canada a lot in the winter, so I'm used to being very cold.

Ruslan: Thank you so much for your answers!

We thank Simon for sharing his experience with us. Next week we'll introduce another guest, so stay tuned!