From Glasgow to Belgorod: Why Ian Patrick Turner Became #TheBelgorodBrit Nine Years Ago

Belgorod's Fonar TV interviews our author, who shares his story of moving to Belgorod in 2016 and explains why life in the Russian provinces appeals to him more than life in the UK.

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Part 1: "It took me 18 years to make the decision to move"

— Ian, tell us how you decided to move to Russia.

— I first came to Russia in the 1990s as an exchange student. In 1995-96, I spent one semester at Voronezh University and then another at St. Petersburg University. After returning to the UK, I realized I wanted to move to Russia, but it took me 18 years to finally make that decision.

One of the main reasons for moving was the weather.

In Britain, it's terrible almost everywhere except the southern and southeastern coasts. In Russia, it's warm in the summer, and you can comfortably walk around in a T-shirt and shorts. In England, even in summer, people carry a jacket because it can get cold at any moment and start raining. I also like the local lifestyle and the relationships between people in Russia. So, I started looking for work in Russia and applied to six job postings. I have a good teaching background, and my profile was in demand. I got a response from Belgorod, and after an interview, I was offered a job at the "Interlingua" foreign language school. That was in 2016. I worked at the school for a year, and then I was offered a position at Belgorod State University, where I transferred. So, I've been living in Belgorod for nine years now.

— Foreigners living in Russia have to learn Russian. For many, this is a real challenge. How was it for you?

— Even back at university in Glasgow, I really wanted to master a foreign language, and at first, I was more interested in Arabic. But it so happened that I spent some time traveling and working in different countries, and when I returned to university, it was no longer possible to sign up for Arabic courses. So, I decided to choose another difficult language — Russian.

I've studied different languages, but Russian didn't come easily to me. My last formal Russian lesson was in 1998. After that, I simply came to Russia, and being immersed in a Russian-speaking environment made learning much easier. Plus, I have good aural comprehension of language, and I also read a lot in Russian, much more than I spoke. At that time, there were no online translators, so I had to use a dictionary — I would write words down by hand and memorize them that way. That kind of activity seems strange to young people now, but I remember a time when writing by hand was considered normal.
Russian has its peculiarities. Some languages are difficult to learn at first but gradually become easier to master; with others, it's the opposite. I know most Russians have a good command of English, having studied it since childhood. But the longer you learn English, the harder it gets because there are many more idioms and different types of grammar. With Russian, it's the other way around — it's hard at first, but then it gets easier.

— You've now adapted to the local culture and mentality, but what difficulties did you face when you first arrived in Russia?

— One discovery for me was that working in Russia isn't as "glamorous" as many foreigners think. Just like in Western countries, everything here is very bureaucratic. For someone like me, who still doesn't speak Russian very well, dealing with documentation is very difficult.

When I first arrived in Russia, I didn't speak Russian, but I understood everything. And when I encountered local bureaucracy, I would just pretend I didn't understand the language at all, and people would help me with all the paperwork. That stance has a lot of advantages, and of course, in some matters, I still use my position as a foreigner.

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