Marcus has studied and worked at Liden & Denz as an intern in Saint Petersburg for two months. So what are his experiences? What did he think about this stay?
Tell me something about you!
My name is Marcus Rapacioli, I’m 21 years old, and I come from the North London. I currently live near Newcastle, where I study Russian and Italian at Durham University…but (for my sins) I started to learn Russian in secondary school 6 years ago.
Why did you start learning Russian?
I started learning Russian by chance actually. I wanted to start Italian because of my heritage and my last name, but the class was too small so I was moved to a Russian class. After getting a flavour for the language I really started to enjoy it and became more interested in the culture and heritage of Russia. Here I am six years later, living in Russia for 5 months.
Do you think you improved during you stay in Saint Petersburg?
Yeah, I really think my language has got better; the main improvement has definitely been my fluency. For me, it’s now a lot easier to think and talk in Russian. The hardest thing, is that now I know how far I have to go to master this language. My grammar always needs some improvement!
What was your best experience?
Going to the Banya
I was invited by a Russian friend to go to a traditional sauna in Saint Petersburg. It is a real experience that you just have to try. It’s not just a great way to relax but also a good story to tell your friends. It’s tradition to hit each other with birch branches (not really sure why…) and also have a few beers or some vodka to pass the time.
Mushroom Picking
Another day in Saint Petersburg that I will never forget was the Saturday that I took on the Russian wilderness and went to pick some Chanterelle mushrooms. We were looking the whole day and got a load of mushrooms, but after cooking them there was only enough for a single piece of toast! That said, we had a great dinner and of course drank a lot of Russian vodka with our mushrooms.
Any recommendations for people who stay in SPB for a longer time?
Consolidate what you’ve learnt in class
It’s important to find some time to go over what you’ve learnt the previous few days. You learn so much so quickly at school, if you really want to improve it’s worth dedicating a bit of time each week to make sure you really understand everything.
Drinking tip
If you get an invitation to drink with a Russian friend, you’d be mad to decline. One tip which has saved me on more than on occasion is to have a bite of salted cucumber after a shot of vodka. It’s typically Russian and can really save you!
As for my future plans, I am now going to Moscow for 3 months to work there for a different company. I hope that I can improve on what I’ve learnt and if I can, I’d love to come to come back to SPB next summer too.