St. Petersburg: The Window to Europe and Russia Past Review
By Julia S (International Relations and Affairs., Tufts University) for
CIEE: St. Petersburg - Russian Area Studies
I am very glad I studied abroad. I was able to make friends with Russians, and understand what challenges I am ready to face ( and which ones I am not). I think studying in Russia helped me learn a lot about myself.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The teachers were great for the most part, but I wish there was some sort of extra help program for those who need it so that students who learn faster can not be bored. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was supportive, they were always around and easy to make friends with. I felt I could go to any one of them with any kind of problem. One of the administrators became one of my closest friends, but this did not change her professionalism at all when it came to dealing with issues. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It should be mentioned that I never wanted to live in a host family, but every other aspect of CIEE seemed right, and this is their only option. The location of my apartment was great. Across from the metro in the center of town. Unfortunately the apartment was very small. My room was a nice size, but it was full of my host's belongings, so there was little space for me. I was very shy when I arrived, and my host did little to make me feel at home. Dinners together were awkwardly silent, and often she didn't eat with me. The kitchen and bathroom were incredibly small, and food mediocre. |
| * Food: |
My host's cooking was satisfactory. I felt uncomfortable because one of the cultural norms they hammered into us at orientation was to finish all of your food. Often I found this difficult, especially when I arrived and was jetlagged and not hungry. The school cafe is simple, but their baked goods are cheap and filling (although unhealthy). Friends and I would often go to restaurants, which are good and not too expensive. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Spring semester has the best holidays, the days get longer, and you get to practice being a Russian in the winter so when all the tourists show up, you can blend in as a local. Maslenitsa, Women's Day and the Day of Victory were all fun holidays. We took nice trips to places like Novgorod, and Pushkinskie Gory. I highly recommend going out on Dumskaya street (next to Gostiniy Dvor) for fun, cheap, low-profile, high-energy dive bars. Around the corner Quarenghi is a great club. Really though, just enjoy the beauty of the city, the canals, the bridges, the museums, Swan Lake at the Mariinsky. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Big cities are always a little scary. I thought that St. Petersburg was less scary than other big cities I've visited. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | If you don't go out and party a few times a week, your money will go a lot farther. I think I spent most of my money on going out. I didn't do a lot of shopping, and CIEE reimburses some cultural expenditures. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would really recommend saving up as much money as possible before you leave. My philosophy is to try to do things as cheaply as possible, but also not to let the fear of spending money keep me from doing something I want to do. Some people lived on tighter budgets, but they had to be more careful. I think that this semester is not the one where you want to be stingy. Live it up. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 5 semesters of Russian |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Russian is very necessary, not to be a tourist but to live there. I found myself very nervous about simple interactions when I first got there (like at the grocery store) but I eventually became more confident. I practiced Russian with friends I had made through the program (conversation partners, staff, etc.). I also had a host family, but it was just one old woman, and she was not very talkative. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I think the more Russian you've taken, the more you will benefit from this program. The classroom instruction wasn't phenomenal, but the city is, and every time you step out into it, you are practicing your Russian. |
