Stuck in Russia

Flacko

Flacko

Active member
An old schoolmate of mine and fellow skier is stuck in Russia because of his parents. He is 18, an american citizen, and about to graduate high school, although his parents now want him to live in Russia and wont pay for a plane ticket back to Portland Oregon. I was never a good friend of his, but he was honestly one of the nicest and most open mined kids I have ever meet. Its pretty messed up, he already had gotten in to colleges, and lived here all his life, planning to do so for the rest of it. If he cant make it back, he wont graduate on time, and everything he has worked for will get fucked up. Please check out his GoFundMe page, and check out the full story. If you can donate that would be awesome, even just sharing the page on social networks would be a great help.

Heres the link: http://www.gofundme.com/rt4y2f7

(hes is on the far left, middle is his younger brother, and right is his cousin)

4162194_1428967183.7128_funddescription.jpg


Its really a crazy situation, but living in Russia, where he has no opportunity is fucked up.

Any help would be absolutely amazing! +++k, Thanks!
 
Is that even legal that his parents can just leave him in Russia, being a citizen of the U.S., cant he only stay a limited time?
 
13402115:mike759 said:
Is that even legal that his parents can just leave him in Russia, being a citizen of the U.S., cant he only stay a limited time?
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He has dual citizenship which is why it is so messed up, technically he could live in Russia for the rest of his life, and the embassy cant do anything about it. I'm sure he will leave as soon as he can, but I don't know how he will get a job or money there any time soon.
 
That is horrible, I would be so pissed off and how could parents even do that especially when they become so far in life so to pretty much throw it away. I'm only 15 but if I could I 100% would

Gooduck to this guy
 
but really, none of this dudes friends or his friends parents will lend him money? jesus figure out your own problems instead of asking the internet to bail you out.
 
13402210:SFB said:
but really, none of this dudes friends or his friends parents will lend him money? jesus figure out your own problems instead of asking the internet to bail you out.
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All the money on there so far has been from friends, but I talked to him and he is in a pretty bad situation, he feels horrible for asking people for money, but he has no choice. Right now he is totally fucked, and doing everything he can to get home. He has to hide his passport , id, and whatever money he has on him from his parents because they will take it away, and he needs money to taxi up to Moscow, and buy a plane ticket, not to mention food, and possible hotel costs. As much as it sounds like some rebellious kid trying to runaway, its not, his parents want him to live in Gronzy, without giving him any warning. I cannot even imagine what it would be like to be in his situation.
 
who is going to pay for his college edu if his parents wont even pay for a plane ticket? There is no way he can make it through a higher edu right away.
 
13402247:Bensun said:
who is going to pay for his college edu if his parents wont even pay for a plane ticket? There is no way he can make it through a higher edu right away.
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I think is main priority is graduating high school on time. This has all happened over the past week, and he is still figuring everything out, but he has a place to live and a job in Portland. He can pay for college through scholarships, FAFSA, loans, and work, and could even take a year off, or go to a community college. Regardless of higher education, making someone to move their life over to Russia without warning, not giving them the chance to say goodbye to friends, bring personal belongings (he only has what was in his suitcase), finish high school, wrap everything up, is pretty horrible.

Its sad that people have to be so negative about the fundraiser, clearly he is in a terrifying situation. He wants to get out of Russia, and back to Portland Oregon, from there he can get his shit together. Nobody is obligated to donate, but I'm trying to do the right thing and help him out. If you disagree with his decisions, then don't post negative shit.

just imagine what it would be like to be in his shoes, stuck in some foreign country on the other side of the globe. How would you feel? What would you loose? What things that you took for granted would you miss?
 
13402327:ElGato said:
I mean I'm gonna just be a dick here but how the fuck does he plan on supporting himself in Oregon or paying for college if he can't figure out how to raise enough money for a plane ticket?
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How is he supposed to make money in Russia? I know here in america, to get a job you need proof of residence, ssn, Id, etc... getting a job there would take time, and I'm sure his parents have all his Russian personal info. He needs to get back as soon as he can, because he wants to graduate high school on time, and go to the graduation ceremony, normal high school shit... and get back to his work before he gets fired. That being said, he has friends whose places he can stay, and a job that could be full time.

13402354:no_steeze said:
His parents have to have a reason for doing that. I feel like there is probably more to the story
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I'm sure there is more to the story, but its still unreasonable to ask him to give up his life in america, when he is just getting started. His grandmother is dying, and his family decided they were going to live there with her, and realized they want to stay with the rest of their relatives. They have no plan on moving back. A situation like that is hard, but to force such a large life change upon him, at this point in his life is absurd.
 
13402368:ElGato said:
I mean if he lives in Russia now I'd assume he'd use his parent's address.
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Right I think his point is that it all would take too long. If he needs to get tax info (there version of SSN or whatever) that could take a few weeks, then find a job, get through all the training and everything to actually start making money, and you have to try to save on top of paying for your living expenses. This is one of the few gofundme things I can actually support. Way better than a skier asking for money to train for the Olympics.
 
13402368:ElGato said:
I mean if he lives in Russia now I'd assume he'd use his parent's address.
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His family is staying at his relatives home, they have not bought a house/ rented an apartment, therefore it probably does not count as proof of residence. Although I don't know anything about Russian laws so It could all be different, I'm sure it would take too much time in the end though.

13402377:Mr.LemonPie said:
Right I think his point is that it all would take too long. If he needs to get tax info (there version of SSN or whatever) that could take a few weeks, then find a job, get through all the training and everything to actually start making money, and you have to try to save on top of paying for your living expenses. This is one of the few gofundme things I can actually support. Way better than a skier asking for money to train for the Olympics.
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^This
 
Why not make the most of it while he's there? Not everyone has an opportunity to live in another country. Surely there is a way to finish school via correspondence or something like that.

Can he speak the language? Has he lived there before or travelled back? I'm assuming if he's got dual citizenship, he's not completely unfamiliar with the culture.

Also, what's with all this 'He's in Russia and has no opportunity or future?' stuff. No, it might not be what he has planned right now, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially when he hasn't even graduated yet (even if it's close). New doors he may never have known about might open up?

Sometimes unexpected stuff comes up in life and you have to try and make the best of a bad situation. I would argue that asking the Internet for money is not doing that.
 
13402385:saskskier said:
Why not make the most of it while he's there? Not everyone has an opportunity to live in another country. Surely there is a way to finish school via correspondence or something like that.

Can he speak the language? Has he lived there before or travelled back? I'm assuming if he's got dual citizenship, he's not completely unfamiliar with the culture.

Also, what's with all this 'He's in Russia and has no opportunity or future?' stuff. No, it might not be what he has planned right now, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially when he hasn't even graduated yet (even if it's close). New doors he may never have known about might open up?

Sometimes unexpected stuff comes up in life and you have to try and make the best of a bad situation. I would argue that asking the Internet for money is not doing that.
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He speaks decent Russian, has been there before, and is familiar with the culture, but he does not like it there. He never got to say goodbye to any of his friends, he would miss out on graduation, he had a job he liked, and he loved Portland. I understand why he would want to finish high school at least, before moving there. He had his life somewhat figured out, until he got pulled into this situation. Sometimes good things come out of bad situations, a lot of times they don't. He is clearly determined to fly back, I support his decision, and am just trying to help.
 
13402377:Mr.LemonPie said:
Right I think his point is that it all would take too long. If he needs to get tax info (there version of SSN or whatever) that could take a few weeks, then find a job, get through all the training and everything to actually start making money, and you have to try to save on top of paying for your living expenses. This is one of the few gofundme things I can actually support. Way better than a skier asking for money to train for the Olympics.
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13402379:Flacko said:
His family is staying at his relatives home, they have not bought a house/ rented an apartment, therefore it probably does not count as proof of residence. Although I don't know anything about Russian laws so It could all be different, I'm sure it would take too much time in the end though.

^This
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Lol this is such bullshit. For reference, I'm half Russian and have lived in Russia for 11 years. I have also worked in Russia.

1. Its really not that difficult or time consuming to find a job/ start working in russia, especially because he has a bunch of family there who could know people

2. Sounds like this isn't The full story, I'm sure there is a lot more to it than what op is letting on- we are just now finding out that this friend has relatives there etc.

3. This reminds me of that scam where some hacks your friends email, and sends all their contacts an email saying help, I'm stranded in a foreign country and need money to get back.

4. I'm sure he has friends he could borrow ( not just take...) Money from for a bit to buy that plane ticket and then pay it back when he gets to his place in the us.

Do I need to go on?

Soz for typos I'm on mobile
 
13402395:MLJ said:
Lol this is such bullshit. For reference, I'm half Russian and have lived in Russia for 11 years. I have also worked in Russia.

1. Its really not that difficult or time consuming to find a job/ start working in russia, especially because he has a bunch of family there who could know people

2. Sounds like this isn't The full story, I'm sure there is a lot more to it than what op is letting on- we are just now finding out that this friend has relatives there etc.

3. This reminds me of that scam where some hacks your friends email, and sends all their contacts an email saying help, I'm stranded in a foreign country and need money to get back.

4. I'm sure he has friends he could borrow ( not just take...) Money from for a bit to buy that plane ticket and then pay it back when he gets to his place in the us.

Do I need to go on?

Soz for typos I'm on mobile
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If you read the GoFundMe page you would understand the situation better, his relatives don't support his decision. I don't know the full story, I went to middle school with him, he was a nice kid but I never knew him that well, I talked to him about the situation for about 15-20 minutes. I don't know every little detail about his situation, but from what I know about his family I believe what he is saying is on point.

He is stuck in a country he does not want to be in, I support him.
 
"and 1 month away from finally moving out of my parents house"

how the fuck is he planning on doing this if he doesn't even have any money for a plane ticket?
 
13402393:Flacko said:
He speaks decent Russian, has been there before, and is familiar with the culture, but he does not like it there. He never got to say goodbye to any of his friends, he would miss out on graduation, he had a job he liked, and he loved Portland. I understand why he would want to finish high school at least, before moving there. He had his life somewhat figured out, until he got pulled into this situation. Sometimes good things come out of bad situations, a lot of times they don't. He is clearly determined to fly back, I support his decision, and am just trying to help.
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1. Doesn't like it there? Deal with it? Lots of kids don't like where they live. He's just about old enough to move out on his own anyway, so deal with it for now. Go adventuring in Russia!

2. Didn't say bye to friends? That sucks, but complaining isn't going to make it better.

3. Miss out on graduation? Do correspondence and finish school. As for actually going to grad, it's not the end all, be all that people make it out to be. Lot's of people don't go or aren't able to for various reasons. He wouldn't be the first and won't be the last.

4. Job he liked? He's in high school. If losing his high school job is one of the motivations for asking people for money so he can move away from his family, half way around the world, I don't even know what to say....

5. Life kind of figured out? No one in high school has life even a little figured out.

6. You can always find good things in a bad situation. You just have to be flexible and creative. It's how people learn and grow. He's in Russia! Think of the crazy crap he can do there that he would never get away with in the States!
 
Could probably get 50$ out of those shoes and vest in Russia. He could apply for a student loan now maybe? Get a high interest credit card?nail a fat Russian broad for $$? Maybe OP could go to where all his personal belongings are and sell everything for him? I'm sure there's a way. I don't want to sound like a dick but there are many other people on go fund me that need it more then this guy.
 
How is anyone donating money to this. Not saying necessarily that the situation isn't fucked but there is definitely a ton that we don't know. There's way more goin on than has been said. If he legitimitely is in a bad situation and wants people to donate he needs to provide a lot more information.
 
13402395:MLJ said:
Lol this is such bullshit. For reference, I'm half Russian and have lived in Russia for 11 years. I have also worked in Russia.

1. Its really not that difficult or time consuming to find a job/ start working in russia, especially because he has a bunch of family there who could know people

2. Sounds like this isn't The full story, I'm sure there is a lot more to it than what op is letting on- we are just now finding out that this friend has relatives there etc.

3. This reminds me of that scam where some hacks your friends email, and sends all their contacts an email saying help, I'm stranded in a foreign country and need money to get back.

4. I'm sure he has friends he could borrow ( not just take...) Money from for a bit to buy that plane ticket and then pay it back when he gets to his place in the us.

Do I need to go on?

Soz for typos I'm on mobile
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I agree with you it sounds like a scam.
 
13402395:MLJ said:
Lol this is such bullshit. For reference, I'm half Russian and have lived in Russia for 11 years. I have also worked in Russia.

1. Its really not that difficult or time consuming to find a job/ start working in russia, especially because he has a bunch of family there who could know people

2. Sounds like this isn't The full story, I'm sure there is a lot more to it than what op is letting on- we are just now finding out that this friend has relatives there etc.

3. This reminds me of that scam where some hacks your friends email, and sends all their contacts an email saying help, I'm stranded in a foreign country and need money to get back.

4. I'm sure he has friends he could borrow ( not just take...) Money from for a bit to buy that plane ticket and then pay it back when he gets to his place in the us.

Do I need to go on?

Soz for typos I'm on mobile
Click to expand...

yah, to me sounds like a scam. I was looking at prices and seeing as they didn't even include where in Russia he is, but because I'm smart and judging from the picture he is in Grozny Russia. Pretty sure he could take a train from Grozny to Moscow for cheaper than the $281 airfair. Maybe try and find someone who is travelling from Grozny to Moscow and catch a ride? If he can talk to his friends he can figure this out. The prices from Moscow to Portland are like $778. which puts it under $1000(I couldn't find out how to get rid of the round trip option on kayak.com pretty sure those were round trip prices for the airfare). That's just taking a quick search, and to be honest it took longer to find out where your friend was located to find out that you're asking for more than what is needed.

Aside from all of that and even if this isn't fake why the fuck would he want to go back to a family that left him stranded? I mean I get he has friends in the US, but he can still contact them. If he has contacted you or any of his friends about all the information you gave, he can't be in that bad of a situation in Russia.

Not trying to be a dick just using logic.
 
I'm also wondering how he plans on receiving this gofundme check? could they even send that to Russia? haha
 
13402930:Lé.Skiing said:
yah, to me sounds like a scam. I was looking at prices and seeing as they didn't even include where in Russia he is, but because I'm smart and judging from the picture he is in Grozny Russia. Pretty sure he could take a train from Grozny to Moscow for cheaper than the $281 airfair. Maybe try and find someone who is travelling from Grozny to Moscow and catch a ride? If he can talk to his friends he can figure this out. The prices from Moscow to Portland are like $778. which puts it under $1000(I couldn't find out how to get rid of the round trip option on kayak.com pretty sure those were round trip prices for the airfare). That's just taking a quick search, and to be honest it took longer to find out where your friend was located to find out that you're asking for more than what is needed.

Aside from all of that and even if this isn't fake why the fuck would he want to go back to a family that left him stranded? I mean I get he has friends in the US, but he can still contact them. If he has contacted you or any of his friends about all the information you gave, he can't be in that bad of a situation in Russia.

Not trying to be a dick just using logic.
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In the gofundme it says he's in grozny..
 
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