Coming to the Ural was to be honest not something my husband and I had ever thought about doing, especially at the time with a 9 month old daughter … however I was waiting to be transferred from Hyatt Hotels Baku in Azerbaijan and the offer to come to Ekaterinburg as part of the pre-opening team for the New Hyatt Regency arose.

I am Director of Rooms for Hyatt Regency Ekaterinburg.

It is a great experience for me to work with the local people. I am happy to say that I have a great team working with me. It is great to see such enthusiasm and willingness to provide the level of service we strive for within this industry.

We didn’t have any idea which part of Russia “Ekaterinburg” was in.

But after surfing the internet and finding it literally in Siberia all I could say was “what would we be getting ourselves into”.

I remember telling some of my family and friends and they thought we had gone crazy. After further investigation we seen that there was a British Consulate and so we contacted them to find out more information.

Also we were very happy to find out that there was at least an Irish Pub. We thought then “ah... it must not be too bad!”

Hence we arrived in September 2008 with not a word of Russian and I have to say - it has been a great experience.

In the beginning, shopping was very difficult due to the language barrier as well as getting used to products that would be new to us.

The Ekaterinburg City Administration building & The Ice Town

There has been a number of times when I have had to call one of my work colleagues to translate for me over the phone. In general the shops do offer quite a variety of items once you learn how to read the writing on the packages.

As for site seeing places, I know there is a lot to see especially outside of the city.

But unfortunately we have not gotten to experience too much of that yet. On weekends we have spent a lot of time walking around the city and it’s different famous sites and buildings.

The world-famous Sevastyanov's House hosted SCO summit in June 2009

It is also very nice to walk along the river during the warmer months. Hopefully now as the weather gets better we will travel further afield. We do walk a lot in and around the city.

Due to my long working hours, our spare time tends to be “family” time and also with some friends.

We’ve gone to the cultural park a number for times for different activities and the big market is worth a visit.

What I dislike most is the pollution, dirt, dust & rubbish in the city. Now especially when the snow starts to melt in spring …It is very difficult to keep anywhere clean. People’s attitude to keep the city clean is very bad.

On the other hand people are very interested & curious in where you come from and are always willing to help despite the language difficulties.

Sign language really has been savour! People really want you to enjoy yourself and experience their way of life.

The Ekaterinburg Zoo offers great time for a whole family

There are a couple of things, that inspired & impressed me here.

It amazes me how people can drink vodka or beer outside in such cold weather?!

I remember the first time I saw people sitting on the snow filled park benches drinking beer …I just couldn’t believe it .. but may be it helps them stay warm!

There are also several nice and very friendly restaurants and pubs in the city that we tend to visit during the weekends.

My husband Anders & daughter Maja

Overall food is good, but there are a few items that stand out. Different kinds of dumplings are really tasty, salty dry meat is very nice also … I have to say I have not taken a liking to borsch soup! We are normally big fish and seafood lovers but here all the different kinds of dried fish would not be very appealing to us either, even when served with vodka ….

I would advise to other foreigners coming here - you need to be open minded, not come with the “Old Soviet Union” judgement and not be too afraid of cold weather.

On the other hand be ready for hot summers! And don’t forget this is their country & home .. so it is us foreigners who need to learn and adapt to their ways, not the other way around.

You will definitely not be made welcome if you come with a snotty attitude.

Ekaterinburg is definitely a place worth visiting if you enjoy an adventure. It has everything you need and much more!

The "Great Pancake Week" (Maslenitsa) - is one of the most beloved holidays in Russia. The Pancake Week with all the fun, lots of pancakes, dancing and games precedes the beginning of the Lent