Andrea is from Mexico. She is a journalist, a peace believer and an eager world traveller. She blogs for different online publications, writing on culture, environment, gender and international development. She fell in love with Russia after her travel in summer 2011.

“Добро пожаловать в Россию“: These were the first words I observed in a green signboard, as soon as I got out of Moscow’s airport. It was funny as I could not understand a word…what did it say there? For me, the very first mystery of this country was Cyrillic. An impressive language, very different from anything I had ever seen, and of course, I could not understand one word. At the same time, I thought it was fascinating, being this one of the factors that made me feel lost in this scenic country.

Mark Thomson was born and raised in New York, and worked as a music and language teach in Arizona for 20 years before moving to Sevastopol, Ukraine. He is the co-founder and President of "Russian Accelerator", an online Russian course for English speakers.

Say the word ‘Russia,’ and you’re bound to conjure a string of stereotypical images: A bearskin hat, onion domes, the Hammer & Sickle emblem, bread lines, bare grocery store shelves…and a drunk holding a bottle of vodka. You might even view the Russian people themselves as you do the weather there: Cold, gray, and gloomy.

Allison is from California. A few years ago she came to Moscow for her study abroad programme to take classes in Russian language, film, and culture. She stayed in Moscow for four months. Her experience was both exciting and terrifying at times.

Was born in Poland. Lives and works in the UK. Spent 10 days in Russia.

It’s a great country with great and rich history. I really like its customs and traditions, all those matreshkas and things like that.

Polish student, lives in Australia, studied Russian history in Moscow for about six months.

I have spent past 5 months in Moscow and I must say i loved it!!!

David has been living in Moscow for 15 years. He first came to Moscow as an intern to get his teaching English as a foreign language license. Since then he traveled to his home town only once. Moscow has become a home to him, he says.

Eva is from Sweden. After graduation from military service where she studied Russian and Serbian languages for 15 months she came to Moscow to work at the radio station. After a year of working and living in Russia she moved to Stockholm to go to law-school, but now she is back in Moscow for two months.

Czech student

I would describe my Russian friends as people who are plain-spoken, enthusiastic and with a special sense of humor.