Moscow is a city steeped in history. From oniondomed churches to the architecture of the Kremlin， the buildings themselves speak to the centuries of ambition， adrenaline， piety and culture， which have made the city one of the most dramatic in the world.

Once upon a time it was almost impossible for foreigners to live here. But since the end of the Cold War， an increasing number of expats now call the city home. We talked to foreigners， who have landed in one of the worlds most mysterious， maddening and rewarding cities.

Isaac Koriya arrived in Moscow from New York in 1994， recruited by a friend to help start a restaurant chain. Today he is one of the most successful restauranteurs in Moscow.

Isaac： I was doing some part-time work in New York. I met this Russian kid， and I told him， “Boris， you know， Im going to Moscow to work.” And he told me that I was crazy， what was I gonna cook here， and that the Mafia would meet me at the airport and rob me.

Seventeen years later he is still here， though he has had his share of ups and downs. Like many small businessmen， he has had run-ins with Russias rough and tumble business culture.

For many， the pace of change in Moscow is breathtaking. Roland Nash， head of strategy at a large Moscow-based hedge fund， and his wife Sophie live downtown with their fouryear-old son Thomas， on a street a few steps away from the Bolshoi Opera.

Sophie： When we moved into the street， it was actually pretty run down， and then slowly sort of posh shops just kept emerging， and now its basically that compare it to Bond Street.

Roland： I arrived in 1994， straight out of university actually. I was studying economics and politics， and this is really where， you know， the centre of economics and politics was taking place. It was taking place in real time I think.

High on the familys list of frustrations is Moscows traffic problem.

Sophie： I…I think the sole thing that would improve everyones life in Moscow would be the traffic being resolved somehow， but that seems to be almost impossible. The fact that you can sit for two hours in traffic going somewhere pretty close by.

Michaela （Italian）： Russia is like heaven， because its very hard to get in and then you cannot leave.

For young people on a budget， however， Moscow can be painfully expensive.

Daniel： Well， I…I come from Spain. I was used to going to restaurants almost every day. Here， thats something that…I love the city， but I cannot afford to go every day. Also going clubbing， especially if you go with a girlfriend， you have to pay for her. I dont want to generalize， but its like the norm here. Men pay and women dont pay.

But they say that the energy and ambition in the city makes it all worthwhile.

Michaela： Now I think Russian people are really deep. I love Russian poets…

Daniel： Yes.

Michaela： …and I love the sense that you… you are in the city where you feel that history is happening around you.

莫斯科是一个富有历史感的城市。不管是洋葱头形圆顶教堂，还是克里姆林宫的建筑风格，这些建筑本身就见证了几百年来这里的人们勇于追求、创造惊险刺激的历史、对宗教的虔诚和深厚的文化，而这一切使得这座城市成为世界上最引人注目的城市之一。

曾几何时，外国人想在这里生活几乎是不可能的。但冷战结束后，越来越多的外国人把家安在了莫斯科。我们与来到这个世界上其中一个最神秘、最疯狂，但又能给人以最大回报的城市的几位外国人进行交流。

北方邻国俄罗斯一直以来都给人一种捉摸不透的感觉。问起国人的印象，众说纷纭。

那是苏联老大哥的热情，是休克疗法的痛，是普梅、梅普的政治游戏；那是小天鹅的优雅，是“莫斯科郊外的晚上”的缠绵，是维塔斯海豚音的穿透力；那是让国人眼热的16名诺贝尔奖获奖者，也是文学巨著的晦涩。

显然，这种种说法都欠准确。俄罗斯既是以上种种，也是种种未知。它是幅员辽阔、历史厚重的国度，是正在书写的历史，也是俄罗斯人性格粗犷、感情细腻的生活点滴。既然是远亲不如近邻，那么来吧，一齐来解读俄罗斯，从点点滴滴来了解我们的邻居——俄罗斯。

艾萨克·科里雅在1994年从纽约来到莫斯科，当时，他是被朋友聘用，来这里开办连锁餐厅的。如今，他已经是莫斯科最成功的餐厅老板之一了。

艾萨克：当时，我在纽约做着兼职工。我当时认识一个俄罗斯来的小伙子。我跟他说：“鲍里斯，你知道吗，我要去莫斯科工作了。……