Russia

Daniel Poth
CIEE (Partner Program) in St. Petersburg, Winter Semester 2003

"It was a long road that led me to study abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia for 5 months, but it was every bit worth it.  I am a Political Science & Russian major at Mizzou with Math and Philosophy as minors. Despite those varied degrees, I have a sincere affection for the study of Russian and Russia. On that line, I finally decided to put aside my considerable fear, put my head down, and go on the CIEE program to St. Petersburg. The hardest part of study abroad was just getting past my worries and anxiety and finally getting on the plane. The next five months were, in complete sincerity, the most concentrated personal growth that I've ever experienced. The program, though it did have its flaws (not least of which was its high price tag), took me all across Russia and gave me an opportunity to see parts of Russia that weren't what you'd typically expect to see-the smaller towns. Being in Russia didn't pump Russian into my brain by magic, but just being there improved my language comprehension more than I could have possibly hoped, and the personal work that I put into studying was magnified by being in Russia far more than if I'd studied the same things here. I learned more and far, far faster than I could have thought possible. When I came back, I was far ahead of my friends in listening comprehension and vocabulary.

"My strongest memories are of hanging out with friends walking (always walking) around the city and engaging in all of the cultural things that I could, which St. Petersburg is famous for. They are also of my two 'side trips'-one to Greece for spring break and one after the program to Rome. Both were incredibly cheap because they were so close, and it was the off-season. While I went to Greece, other friends went to Estonia and all around Russia. After the program, I stayed in Russia for another month, and several of my friends went to places like Italy, Ukraine, Poland, and the Trans-Siberian Railroad to Vladivostok on the east coast of Russia. The option is yours, and you're limited only by time, money, visa requirements and a little planning, which is cheap and easy at any of the many internet cafes.

"The program had its faults, but the benefits of studying abroad were more enormous than I can really put into words. So many different things changed across so many categories, both academic and personal, that it's hard for me to look back over those five months and pin down just what changed and where. Studying abroad is worth putting aside any worries and, in my opinion, even an extra semester. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions about my time in Russia or the CIEE program in St. Petersburg." E-mail: dspa8d@mizzou.edu.