All foreigners I've ever saw or heard about while there were either privileged guests [foreign students, diplomats and the like] or tourists. But if you were on an undercover assignment and did live the regular life as a part of your cover - my hat's off to you.
Good one Ivan. I was not a tourist, I am 44 years old, so a student wouldn't make sense, not a diplomat. Many years ago I decided to go there, learned the language by myself first, got my own visa, made my own travel arrangements, made my own accomodations, bought my own food there in stores and hired taxis and rode the metro like everyone else, no translator or anyone else to help me. Lived or stayed with numerous people in numerous places where no english was spoken and got by just well. Been there and back to Moscow and other places in Russia and some former Soviet republics many times without any help from anyone. Keep your hat on. Again your logic interests me. You've seen and heard about foreigners there who were privileged guests. So, to you this means all foreigers are such. (""All foreigners I've ever saw or heard about while there were either privileged guests [foreign students, diplomats and the like] or tourists."")I am one who is not, so your view of this is very short-sited, limited and you continue to stereotype foreigners. God forbid I would do that. Not politically correct, you know, but for a former communist, maybe its ok, oops, did I make a stereotypical assumption based on faulty logic? Sorry.