A lot of people have asked why I decided to up sticks from the UK and come to Russia, complete with a partner and cat in tow. To be honest, I still don’t have a good answer. We wanted to spend some time living abroad. We’d come to Russia before on holiday and really enjoyed it. So when he was offered a job teaching English in St. Petersburg, we figured – why not?
Of course, in retrospect, I probably should’ve given the language barrier a little more thought. I have never studied Russian before, and arrived here a few weeks ago armed only with a few self-taught words and phrases. What’s more, I’m a freelance writer and editor, which means I spend a lot of my time working remotely with English-speaking clients – hardly conducive to language learning!
When I learnt about Liden & Denz’s internship programme, I jumped at the chance. For the next six weeks, I will spend my mornings wrangling with the basics of Russian conversation, my afternoons working on this blog, and my evenings and weekends exploring the city. I’m excited to start putting what I’ve learned into practice and look forward to watching the city transform along with the seasons. When our plane touched down a few weeks ago, the temperature was approaching -20 °C and the Neva was completely frozen over and covered with a deep layer of snow. Now, things are already beginning to thaw. The snow is melting and we’ve got to watch out for falling icicles as we traverse the pavements. I can’t wait to see how the city looks as it moves from winter to spring, and from spring to summer.
I’ve been asked to provide you with my favourite quote, and the first one that jumps to mind is the iconic line from Withnail and I, in which the rain-soaked Withnail informs a local farmer: “We’ve gone on holiday by mistake”. I think anyone who’s spent time in a country where they don’t speak the language has moments where they feel that way. But, ultimately, immersing yourself in a completely new culture and language is worth the inevitable awkward moments and frustrations. Learning how to order a coffee or buy a metro ticket may seem like small victories, but they quickly add up. I’m looking forward to seeing how far I can progress in just six short weeks!
Leah is currently studying Russian at Liden & Denz Language Centre in St. Petersburg.