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Krasnoyarsk

The City Krasnoyarsk has a population of a little under a million people, making it one of the bigger cities in Siberia. It’s the capital of the region and a transport hub for Russia. Located almost smack dab in the geographic center of Russia on the Yenisey river, it’s a popular stop for tourists on the trans-Siberian railway and yet still isolated enough to make you feel like you’ve discovered a secret. Shops Anything you can buy at home, you can buy in Krasnoyarsk. There are several new mall style “hyper-markets” which may remind you of home, or if that’s not your thing you can “go local” and buy all your products in outdoor markets. With the recent opening of euro-shops like Benetton, Mexx, and Espirit, downtown Krasnoyarsk has gained a little euro influence to add to its distinctly Russian style. For food, supermarkets are everywhere and reasonably priced. There are currently four telecom companies in Krasnoyarsk, competing for your mobile phone business and CDs and DVDs are on every street corner as well as a few big CD shops. Entertainment There is no lack of entertainment in this city. Russians seem to love the cinema, and there are (at least) 7 big Cineplex facilities located around town. Nightclubs and bars are all over the place and cafes keep popping up everyday. In fact, while I can’t support this statement with any hard evidence I’ve heard that Krasnoyarsk has more hotels, restaurants and cafes per-capita than any other city in Siberia. A walk down the main streets in the city center and you’ll have no problem believing it. If you want to stay out of the bars but you want to get out of your flat, there are several more “cultured” pass times Krasnoyarsk has to offer. The theatre of Opera and Ballet has productions year around including national and international acts. The Balshoi concert hall regularly books nationally known musicians and also houses a wonderful symphony orchestra which performs seasonally. And of course, what Russian city would be complete without a Pushkin theatre, where you can see fantastic plays for about 5 dollars. You can’t help but love that. Just on the outskirts of the city we have Stolbi National Park. It’s an enormous nature reserve with tons of trails to hike during the spring, summer and autumn, and a few ski areas to take advantage of the winter. Transportation Most Link teachers will live in the center of the city and it’s possible to walk almost everywhere you’ll need to go. If you live outside of the center, or if you just don’t like walking, the bus system is very good. And taxis are also quite cheap. They are in the process of building a metro, but as of August 2005, none of the stops are open yet. The Weather It’s cold. Its true Siberia is very cold in the winter. But we aren’t talking Arctic Circle cold here in Krasnoyarsk. Everyone wraps up and goes on with life. It’s actually kind of fun. I’m from Florida and I’ve been through 2 winters and they haven’t scared me away. The great thing about this region is that you definitely have four seasons. O.k., one is longer than the others, but you still get all four. You can expect snow to be on the ground by November and it will stay until late April. The other six months are divided equally among the other three seasons, two months each. The summer is really nice and the sun doesn’t go down until about 11, which means everyone is walking along the river well into the night. The People They’re warm. Krasnoyarsk was a closed city until 1995, (that’s four years after the break-up) which means foreigners are still a pretty big novelty here. You meet people really easily and everyone will want to know what you’re doing here. While there is a stereo-type that Russians don’t smile at strangers in the street, you’ll find that as soon as you meet someone they invite you to their house for dinner. You’ll have plenty of practice to brush up on your Russian, or if you don’t speak Russian before you come, you’ll learn very quickly. If you’re looking for an international city, like Paris, London, New York or Moscow, I wouldn’t recommend Krasnoyarsk, but if you’re looking for a taste of “real” Russia then this is a great place to find it. Apply Online N.B. Please be sure to place 'Krasnoyarsk' in the space allotted for 'Preferred Posting (first choice)'. More photos