I’ve been living in Moscow since August 2003 and I thought I’d write about my experience in case you’re thinking of coming here to teach at some time in the future.

To begin with, I’m pleased to say that my overall experience has been a positive one. My job is interesting, the school is supportive, and I have yet to fall victim to the infamous Russian mafia that everyone warned me about before I came. Needless to say, it’s not all sweetness and light here, and in the rest of this letter I’ll try to describe both the good and the bad points.

Firstly, let’s look at Moscow itself. There’s an energy to this city that is quite unlike anywhere else I’ve ever seen. The hustle and bustle of Moscow’s metro during rush hour, for example, cannot fail to get your heart racing. It is vibrant, intense and also beautiful. On the other hand, its raw energy and power can crush you underfoot if you don’t treat it with the respect it deserves and commands. The Moscow metro, like so much of Moscow, manages to be appealing and repellent at the same time. But either way, it cannot fail to make an impression. You either love or hate Moscow, and sometimes feel both emotions at the same time, but you cannot ignore it. It is never dull.

In terms of architecture, you don’t need me to tell you what this city has to offer. The Kremlin is one of these few sights that look as imposing in reality as they do on TV. To give an idea of it’s size, I sometimes walk around it on my way home from work and it takes about an hour. Red Square is impressive even without the red army tanks, GUM must be the world’s most opulent department store and its location on Red Square cannot be rivalled. Other sights you’re sure to recognise are the Bolshoi, the White House, Stalin’s magnificent Seven Sisters skyscrapers, the Moscow River, Gorky Park and so on and so forth. There are also more museums than I can count and a string of beautiful historic towns around Moscow in the Golden Ring. So, in terms of tourist attractions, Moscow may not rival Paris or Rome, but it will take far longer than the eight months I’ve spent here to see everything. And, of course, that’s only the beginning. Beyond Moscow, there’s St. Petersburg, Siberia and all the rest of this enormous continent of a country.

But let’s return to Moscow. As I have already mentioned, it is a truly enormous city, and that always lends a certain life to a place. The population is heading towards 12 million, and if the Russian government made it easier to obtain residence permits to live here, there would be a lot more. Abroad, Russians have a reputation for sloth and indolence, but when you see ‘Mighty Moscow’ in action, you can recognise that for the falsehood it is. Moscow’s wide boulevards, its teeming streets, its 6-lane highways are all in a desperate rush to get somewhere. Where everyone is heading to and why they are in such a hurry, I have no idea. It’s amazing that Russians always seem to be rushing to be late.

As to the Muscovites themselves, they are a race of survivors. Even a cursory look at this country’s history shows us that life here is seldom easy. In late Soviet times, you had to fight in a queue for a simple loaf of bread. Now the stakes are much higher, but you still need to fight. If you’re lucky, cunning or well connected you might become very rich very quickly, but it’s more likely you’ll have to fight to get by. This is not a country for the faint hearted.