What's it like in the East (former sovite block)?

[stares at error messages]

If you live in the East what's it like? If you don't mind I have some questions about the East. I was looking at some realestate in Ukraine and it seemed like the same as in the US: you can find big houses for a megadollars and if you want a house to demolish for the land it's under 20k.

Here is a list of all my questions:

• What is dental care like in the East? Is it like in the West? Are medical licenses trust worthy or should I get recommendations before going to any provider?
• Is it easy to open a bank account in the East? In the West you have to bend over backwards and let some fat bitch named Malissa snoop into your business and harass your customers. Since women are naturally totalitarian and tyrannical, it's just another way that women get to have absolute power to veto any kind of business you may want to run. Specifically, in the East are they super afraid of money laundering like in the West? Is there anything special I should know about business bank accounts?
• Is owning encrypted files legal? Is operating computers secretly legal? If it's not legal, is it like quid-pro-quo thing with government or do they have people named Malissa who work for them too.
• Do they eat a lot of tomatoes or is it considered high culture to eat food with tomatoes and other Solanaceaes like bell peppers? I'm allergic and I don't want it to be an issue that I can't eat this very special food people prepare for their guests even if they understand that I'm allergic.
• Do they use the metric system? It's better if they use the metric system.
• If I recommend a book with a Jewish author are they going to say, "Oh this is a Jewish book (sneer)"? I had an experience when I lent an academic book with the name Lustig on the cover to Swiss people and they sneered at the jewname. Is your Eastern country retarded like the Swiss?
• Is your money on the gold standard? How is your money's valued?

 

[Analog Devolved]

If you live in the East what's it like? If you don't mind I have some questions about the East. I was looking at some realestate in Ukraine and it seemed like the same as in the US: you can find big houses for a megadollars and if you want a house to demolish for the land it's under 20k.

Here is a list of all my questions:

• What is dental care like in the East? Is it like in the West? Are medical licenses trust worthy or should I get recommendations before going to any provider?
• Is it easy to open a bank account in the East? In the West you have to bend over backwards and let some fat bitch named Malissa snoop into your business and harass your customers. Since women are naturally totalitarian and tyrannical, it's just another way that women get to have absolute power to veto any kind of business you may want to run. Specifically, in the East are they super afraid of money laundering like in the West? Is there anything special I should know about business bank accounts?
• Is owning encrypted files legal? Is operating computers secretly legal? If it's not legal, is it like quid-pro-quo thing with government or do they have people named Malissa who work for them too.
• Do they eat a lot of tomatoes or is it considered high culture to eat food with tomatoes and other Solanaceaes like bell peppers? I'm allergic and I don't want it to be an issue that I can't eat this very special food people prepare for their guests even if they understand that I'm allergic.
• Do they use the metric system? It's better if they use the metric system.
• If I recommend a book with a Jewish author are they going to say, "Oh this is a Jewish book (sneer)"? I had an experience when I lent an academic book with the name Lustig on the cover to Swiss people and they sneered at the jewname. Is your Eastern country retarded like the Swiss?
• Is your money on the gold standard? How is your money's valued?

Shitty.
No.
Why do you ask?
Paprika is common.
Yes.
Based.
No, but a dollar goes a long way.

 

[Arm Pit Cream]

I lived in an Eastern bloc for a few months of my life, i'll try answering to the best of my abilities based on my experience, knowledge and based on talking to people there. You're also correct that there's tons of cheap property that if you have a small bit of saving, it's a great investment even just to rent. This is why Jewsh lived there.

• What is dental care like in the East? Is it like in the West? Are medical licenses trust worthy or should I get recommendations before going to any provider?
• Is it easy to open a bank account in the East? In the West you have to bend over backwards and let some fat bitch named Malissa snoop into your business and harass your customers. Since women are naturally totalitarian and tyrannical, it's just another way that women get to have absolute power to veto any kind of business you may want to run. Specifically, in the East are they super afraid of money laundering like in the West? Is there anything special I should know about business bank accounts?
• Is owning encrypted files legal? Is operating computers secretly legal? If it's not legal, is it like quid-pro-quo thing with government or do they have people named Malissa who work for them too.
• Do they eat a lot of tomatoes or is it considered high culture to eat food with tomatoes and other Solanaceaes like bell peppers? I'm allergic and I don't want it to be an issue that I can't eat this very special food people prepare for their guests even if they understand that I'm allergic.
• Do they use the metric system? It's better if they use the metric system.
• If I recommend a book with a Jewish author are they going to say, "Oh this is a Jewish book (sneer)"? I had an experience when I lent an academic book with the name Lustig on the cover to Swiss people and they sneered at the jewname. Is your Eastern country retarded like the Swiss?
• Is your money on the gold standard? How is your money's valued?

1. It's not as good as the west but it's fine, it's not done so much as in the west because it's not as affordable. I would ask about providers because even in America there's ways people skirt around that and have bad practices.
2. Where I was it wasn't very hard to get a bank account but I had "provisions", so taking money out wasn't that hard, but for somebody like you they would give you more trouble cause they assume the worst. I can confirm that local police hassle the fuck out of you in the station and are a pain to deal with. Also the rates of women being the moneyholders of the household actually explode in Eastern Europe and they actively demand to be the bankers of the household. There's a very big sense of culture there in that regard even if women are less """equal""" in other ways there in terms of cultural perspective.
3. No? Depending on where you are they might pay more attention to you, but none of that is illegal.
4. Yes they do eat a lot of tomatoes, depending on where you are there may be more or less. Ukraine probably doesn't have a ton. You should be careful about this it's in a lot of dishes of where I came from, almost every salad too.
5. gotchu fam
6. It really depends on the person, I would say that for the most part people there lean towards being pro-semites rather then anti-semitic, but depends on country and situation. It seems to me that you would not get into conversations this deep unless you learn the native language, in which if you recommended an english book people would probably consider you retarded or trying too hard. Swiss people are kind of uniquely hateful towards all foreigners.
7. Gold standard is for jews. Not great, but that's good for westerners who want to make a lot.

 

[shameful existence]

You're going to be ridiculed mercilessly for having a food allergy. People will assume you're gay.

 

[Foxxo]

I have a friend from the Ukraine, and here is what I know from him:

- Everything is as decayed and decrepit as Yeltsin's corpse.
- Opening a bank account is no problem, but only because their money and everything they can possibly buy with it is completely worthless. But yeah, women are a big deal over there.
- The only encryption you need in the Ukraine is spelling everything in Russian, since Ukrainians who use computers for anything other than furry porn have such a strong aversion to the language that they're blinded by it.
- They eat kvass, and only kvass, which is unfortunate since each bottle of kvass costs 5% of their monthly income.
- Yes, all nations that were physically or psychologically destroyed in WW2 use the metric system. The average Ukrainian has a better understanding of feet and miles, however, especially if they're a macro furry.
- Yes, unless the book is written by a woman. The second world is pretty based in all areas except women.
- No, because then the oligarchs will buy even more of Ukraine's assets. The Hryvnia is currently valued based on the suicide rate.

And before you ask, the answer is yes.

 

[Arm Pit Cream]

You're going to be ridiculed mercilessly for having a food allergy there. People will assume you're gay.

People will think you're joking, but this is 100% serious, despite the fact a huge amount of the people I knew there were doctors or medics, they relentlessly mocked people and shittalked them for having any allergies. People there legitimately don't understand the concept and think you're just being a retarded pussy.

 

[Badungus Kabungus]

Dental care in the 90s consisted of a rubber mallet and rusty pliers. Should be better now. Opening a bank account is easy, even with someone else's passport. They don't give a shit about encryption when it's easier to torture a person to give out their key than cracking it. Regarding tomatoes, you know why Moldovans don't eat pickled tomatoes? Head doesn't fit through jar opening. And yes you will be mocked but they'll understand. Metric yes. Jews, reaction is depending on how poor and stupid the place is. West Ukraine for example is very, very poor and stupid, so expect more antisemites.

 

[Thumb Butler]

I've been to (and lived in) several former socialist republics. Estonia was and is the most depressing by far. That country got fucked hard by the Soviets. Ukraine is probably worse right now though, but haven't been there.

 

[tulskij_tochnyj]

Societally it's like the West 10-15 years ago, but also with third world problems. As for your questions (I'm from Russia):

• Dental care is way cheaper than in the US. There are even medical tourists looking to fix their teeth. You have to pay attention to dentist's reputation, especially for complicated procedures.
• If you're Russian resident, transaction volume above 600K RUB a month (about $8k) will get Financial Monitoring on your ass. Also, bank can block your account for "suspicious activity" and will send notice to ФНС (Federal Tax Service, one of the largest employers in IT sector, btw). And bank secrecy is now non-existent, tax authorities can get all info they need without a warrant and have their automated systems integrated into banking system. But as the old proverb says: "laws are strict, enforcement is optional". Game rules are vague and prone to change, and that's one of the reasons why foreign capital doesn't flow to Russia.
• Yes, encryption is legal, which makes you the weakest link. Tortures are not that common, but psychological pressure and terrible living conditions in jail/prison are a thing. On a bright side, westerners tend to get better treatment from the law enforcement, unless espionage or politics are involved.
• Most salads have tomatoes in them, same goes for soups and sauces.
• We use metric system.
• It highly depends on a person you're talking to.
• No gold standard. Our money is valued to benefit exporters (i.e. weak ruble). On the other hand, our dear leaders are still afraid of 1980s financial fiasco so they keep deficits and debt low (i.e. not too weak ruble).

In short, Russia (Moscow, to be specific) can be great for expat/freelancer. For entrepreneur - not so much, you need a specific set of skills and connections (the best way is to know someone who's doing business in Russia as a foreigner and let him guide you through).

 

[GloJojo]

Re: your bank question-Melissa will still stick her nose in your business, as Ukraine ratified FATCA in 2019. Metric system-yes. Dentist-go private and you'll be fine, anything will still be much cheaper than even the basic procedure in the West, avoid public healthcare at all costs. Don't know about the rest, as I never lived in Ukraine, but these 3 are common for the entire EE.

 

[Inspector Rex]

What is dental care like in the East? Is it like in the West? Are medical licenses trust worthy or should I get recommendations before going to any provider?

It's good and very cheap (if you earn actual money, not local currency) but you must check reviews on the internet, or (even better) go with a solid personal recommendation. Medical colleges are the most corrupted colleges (except, maybe, oil-related ones), especially in dental care, as a lot of rich kids just buy their way through.

Is it easy to open a bank account in the East?

Yes. I can open dozens of them in a matter of minutes with an app. If you manage to get a local debit card, it'll be a piece of cake.

Is owning encrypted files legal?

No, and technically they can't force you to open them, unlike, say, in Bongistan. Technically - because if they really need these files (say, it's an anti-extremist/anti-drug department), they'll just beat a password out of you.

Do they eat a lot of tomatoes or is it considered high culture to eat food with tomatoes and other Solanaceaes like bell peppers?

They are somewhat common.

Do they use the metric system?

Yes.

If I recommend a book with a Jewish author [...]

The probability is really low, but generally speaking, the poorer the person you're speaking with is, more likely he has some antisemitic views.

Is your money on the gold standard? How is your money's valued?

No. Direct relationship with oil prices and reverse relationship with an amount of wars near our borders.

 

[Vince McMahon]

If you live in the East what's it like? If you don't mind I have some questions about the East. I was looking at some realestate in Ukraine and it seemed like the same as in the US: you can find big houses for a megadollars and if you want a house to demolish for the land it's under 20k.

Here is a list of all my questions:

• What is dental care like in the East? Is it like in the West? Are medical licenses trust worthy or should I get recommendations before going to any provider?
• Is it easy to open a bank account in the East? In the West you have to bend over backwards and let some fat bitch named Malissa snoop into your business and harass your customers. Since women are naturally totalitarian and tyrannical, it's just another way that women get to have absolute power to veto any kind of business you may want to run. Specifically, in the East are they super afraid of money laundering like in the West? Is there anything special I should know about business bank accounts?
• Is owning encrypted files legal? Is operating computers secretly legal? If it's not legal, is it like quid-pro-quo thing with government or do they have people named Malissa who work for them too.
• Do they eat a lot of tomatoes or is it considered high culture to eat food with tomatoes and other Solanaceaes like bell peppers? I'm allergic and I don't want it to be an issue that I can't eat this very special food people prepare for their guests even if they understand that I'm allergic.
• Do they use the metric system? It's better if they use the metric system.
• If I recommend a book with a Jewish author are they going to say, "Oh this is a Jewish book (sneer)"? I had an experience when I lent an academic book with the name Lustig on the cover to Swiss people and they sneered at the jewname. Is your Eastern country retarded like the Swiss?
• Is your money on the gold standard? How is your money's valued?

Ukrainian here:

1. If you're not going for the state clinics, yes, it's like in the West and it's affordable for the Westerners. Some Westerners actually come here for cheap healthcare. Or used to, from time to time. I'm going to the dentist tomorrow because I have insurance but it only covers 60 EUR worth of dental expenses.
2. >Is it easy to open a bank account in the East?
Not if you're a foreigner. It helps if you have at least a residence permit.
>Is it easy to open a bank account in the East?
You will not be able to open one unless you have an entity registered in Ukraine.
3. >s owning encrypted files legal? Is operating computers secretly legal?
File encryption is legal in Ukraine. Not sure about your second question and what exactly it means.
4. We eat a lot of tomatoes and bell peppers. But I'm pretty sure if you convey to your friends that you don't eat them (you don't even have to specify why), it'll be fine. Sucks for you to have a food allergy like that.
5. We absolutely do, since July 25th, 1925.
6. If you are a retard, then you will attract retards. Especially since you're going to be a foreigner. Not entirely sure why you're so butthurt over immature jokes. As for the Jewish question - depends on who you hang around with. We don't really have a violent thing for Jews anymore. We may not like them but we do not actively persecute them. If you hang around with Nazis though, then yeah, you might be in trouble.
7. No

- The only encryption you need in the Ukraine is spelling everything in Russian, since Ukrainians who use computers for anything other than furry porn have such a strong aversion to the language that they're blinded by it.

Never trust a furry.