Qu'est ce que 18 ans d'expatriation (en Russie) m'ont appris ?

What 18 years expatriated in Russia taught him

Main takeaways

• Assimilation — Living long-term abroad gradually replaces your “home-country” frame of reference with local habits and cultural codes (ways of eating, working, sleeping, thinking). Deep commitment allows true integration.
• Fighting spirit — Emigration requires persistence: solving unfamiliar administrative, social and professional problems, staying resilient and adapting.
• No inevitability / Plan B — There’s no reason to stay on a “sinking ship.” Create backups (savings, property, alternative schooling/education options) so your family has a secure future.
• Try it to know — The best way to know if a country fits you is to live/work there or form local ties (a relationship or family). A real-life test beats description.
• Family and integration — A local spouse and children in local schools accelerate integration; schools especially make children local and anchor the family in society.
• Mixed families — Children from mixed (local + foreign) families can do as well or better than homogeneous families; it’s a major opportunity but also a challenge.
• Tolerance and perspective — Living abroad broadened his tolerance, put French habits into perspective, changed what he values, and reduced attachment to his origin country.
• Hope and agency — Expat life restored optimism about places where life can be good and futures for children; you are not bound to your country of origin’s fate.

Practical tips / steps

1. Be ready to change daily routines and cultural expectations; actively learn local ways.
2. Be prepared for administrative struggles; cultivate persistence and local support networks.
3. Build financial and residential Plan B(s) before major problems arise (property, savings, schooling).
4. Test a country by living there for a while (work, relationship, or long stay) before committing long-term.
5. If integration is a goal, consider forming a family with a local partner and enrolling children in local schools.

Notable travel and context points

• Left Bordeaux at age 30; flew via Germany (Lufthansa) and landed in snowy Moscow on February 18 — a date he treats as his “second birthday.”
• Lived roughly 18 years in Russia, ~17 years in Congo (where he received his baccalaureate), and ~13.5 years in France.
• Recorded this message from Nicosia (Cyprus); mentions an upscale district with new apartments and nearby American, Russian and Egyptian embassies.
• Discusses travel/interest in Russia, Armenia and broader Eurasia.
• Brief reference to a friend named Xavier.

He treats February 18 (the day he landed in Moscow) as his “second birthday.”

Products / resources mentioned

• Newsletter: “The Russian Dream” — weekly-ish notes about life in Russia.

Speaker

• A French expatriate who built a Russian family (Russian wife, Russian children), advocates deep immersion and shares lessons from 18 years living in Russia.