andrewinstpete

[andrewinstpete]

Going Home...

Oh boy, well... here I am, back in America and trying to figure out how to put in to words how I’ve felt about this last semester.  Studying abroad in Russia was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  It was worth every penny, drop of sweat, and moment of anxiety that it cost me.  Getting ready to go home was strange, all of the sudden the whole world was changing again.  St. Petersburg had become my home, my friends had become my family, SPSU had become my school.  I felt like I belonged there.  But as soon as it began, as soon as I was packing my bags to leave, I was packing my bags to come back.  It went by so fast, it was all a blur, but a magnificent blur.  

I have learned so much over the past semester it’s hard to list it all out.  Not least of all is my improvement in Russian.  I learned more this semester than I have the last two years I have been studying.  I feel more comfortable participating in conversations (even if I can’t understand everything), I feel comfortable initiating conversations, asking questions, and giving opinions.  This is all thanks to this semester.  If nothing else living in Russia and being surrounded by the language, not having English to fall back on forced me to lose that lack of confidence that plagues most people who learn a new language. For that alone going was worth it.  

But above the language, I learned a lot about myself.  I realized some strengths I didn’t know I had and found some aspects of myself I would like to improve. I met some of the best people I have ever come in to contact with in my life.  I truly made some lifelong friends.  I don’t think I have every laughed as much as I have in this past semester.  Major shoutout to the droogs, the best friends a guy could ask for.  

Adjusting to home has been pretty easy. This was not my first time living in a foreign country so adjusting has not been difficult.  The actual travel was terrible and the jetlag has been kind of annoying to deal with but these are minor inconveniences compared to everything I got out of this semester.  To any who are considering a study abroad, do it.  Make it happen.  Work for it.  It’s worth it.  

I miss it.  I miss Russia, I miss my friends, I miss the awkward interactions in restaurants and getting yelled at by babushkas for being too loud on the bus.  These are experiences I will carry with my forever and which have changed me as a person.  They have changed how I see the world, how I see Russia and the Russian people.  I have found a new home and I hope to return before too long.  If I had to sum up what it’s like to come home I would say bittersweet.  It’s so good to be home, to have Christmas with my family, to be able to understand everything everyone says to me.  However, a part of me I think will always live in St. Petersburg and I have taken a part of it home with me.  I think that’s about as good as it gets.  

[andrewinstpete]

RUSSIA!  Is it right for you?

Hello!  

So, my past blogs, vlogs, instagrams, etc. have been targeted towards the folks back home.  Friends, family, and other students have been able to get a small insight into my life here in Russia.  Needless to say, this semester has been a wild ride. St. Petersburg is an AMAZING city and I have totally loved my time here.  This has been in large part due to the program that I chose.  Together with this blog, I’ll be throwing up a vlog that dissects a little bit why this program was super cool, if you’re a prospective study abroad student, I would check that out.  This blog will be directed a bit more towards answering the following question: Should I study abroad in Russia?

For most people, after having made the decision to study abroad, the next question is where to go.  For me the answer was obvious.  I’m a Russian major, my Russian skills were lacking, I should go to Russia.  I didn’t put a lot of thought in to that particular part.  As far as that goes, I was right.  Russia was exactly the right place for me to study.  I came with pretty specific goals and was able to accomplish them.  If you already know where you want to study abroad, maybe this post isn’t for you.  I’m talking to the people who are considering Russia as a study abroad destination.  

So, what makes Russia a great place to study abroad?  Well, first of all, Russian as a language is becoming more and more important as time goes on.  You only need to watch the news to see the increasingly important role that Russia is playing in the international arena and knowing Russian is becoming an ever more valuable skill.  So, step one, if you want to learn Russian should you come to Russia?  YES.  YES. YES.  ABSOLUTELY YES.  It’s true of any foreign language that immersion is the best way to learn but Russian is such a strange language, such a particular language, and such a deep language that you will simply never get to the level you want studying only in a classroom. You need to be here, you need to talk to the people, you need to hear it around you and see it in the streets, it really is the only way.  So, while that might seem like an obvious think, if you want to take studying Russia seriously, you need to study abroad here.  In my opinion, the best time to come is after four semesters.  That will give you the base you need to really jump off. My language skills have increased tenfold since I got here.  I still don’t speak perfectly and I still have trouble understanding a lot of people but I’m a lot better than I used to be.  

Now, what if you don’t want to really take Russian seriously as a topic of study?  What else can Russia offer you?  Well, you’ll have to study the language no matter what you do because, while restaurants and the like are pretty English-friendly, doing anything else around the city will require a knowledge of Russian.  Apart from that, the history here is fascinating. Russia is its own little bubble of history and culture, there’s not a place quite like it.  If you are interested in Eastern European culture or art, here you go.  Additionally, there are several programs involved in international relations and other political science fields.  If you are involved in those areas of study, you’ll find something for you here.  Russians have a fascinating perspective on things and I can promise you’ll learn things in a way you never could back home.  This is also an amazing place to come study art and art history.  St. Petersburg is home to one of the largest art museums in the world, The Hermitage.  

To sum it up, Russia has something for everyone. To close up I’ll say this.  If you’re looking for an easy study abroad, a semester to sit back and relax, maybe this country isn’t for you.  However, if you’re looking for a challenge, a place that will make you fall in love with a totally different culture.  This is the place for you.  Coming to Russia was one of the best decisions I have ever made and if any of you are looking for what I have described above, it might be the best place for you to come.  

[andrewinstpete]

School... oh boy school :)

Alright, here it is, probably the most important question any potential study abroad student has.  What is school actually like?  I’ve already covered what it’s like to come on a study abroad, what it’s like to get around St. Petersburg, and what it’s like to find things to do on the weekend and travel around (For those, check out my vlogs).  However, it’s called a study abroad for a reason and studies are definitely the focus of any program and that is definitely the case for the CIEE Russian Language program in St. Petersburg.  

So, what is school like in Russia?  SPOILER ALERT: It’s pretty awesome!  It’s different but here they focus on the things that I’m better at so I like that.  First of all, and best of all, there is a LOT LESS homework which is amazing.  Your attention is focused on classroom time and it needs to be because the other side of the no homework coin is that classroom time can be kind of intense.  Not in the fact that teachers are mean or anything, it’s just that all the classes in this program are an hour and a half long and it’s hard to sit and do anything for an hour and a half and it’s even harder to do it two, three, or even four times a day.

I guess this is a good time to explain how classes work in this program.  At the beginning of the semester we took a proficiency test and were divided in to five groups.  Three of your classes are with this group and they are entirely language focused.  In addition to three language classes we choose two electives based on what we’re interested in.  The good news there is that the teachers in this program are, for the most part, exceptional.  The class sizes are kept small (in the language classes at least) so there is plenty of individual attention.  We study hard and we study most of the day but the upside is that walking out of school I have never been in a situation where after an entire day of study I have an entire night of homework ahead of me.  We study hard in school so that we can enjoy our time in the city during the evenings.  

In addition to just classroom instruction there are a ton of educational excursions which all have been really amazing.  We were able to see the palaces at Peterhof and Catherine’s palace.  We did a tour of the city based around the Siege of Leningrad and we even got to see Lenin’s apartment in the city.  Each of these tours was led by a professional guide in Russian or English depending on each person’s level.  These have been just as instructional as anything in a classroom.  

It’s hard to describe exactly what studying in Russia is like because truthfully is’s pretty similar to studying in the United States.  The real difference is that my Russian this semester has improved tenfold.  I have learned more Russian in this semester than I have in two years of studying.  I’m still nowhere near fluent and still struggle to understand natives (they just speak soooooooooo fast) but this semester has done more for me than any semester in the past.  It has hands down been my absolute favorite semester of college so far.  Being immersed in the language in school and around the city, being embarrassed because you can’t order your food properly, placing the stress on the wrong part of the word and having someone look at you like you’re speaking Chinese.  All of those experiences are just as educational and just as valuable as anything that happens in a classroom.  In my opinion, that’s where the real studying is, in the streets, cafes, and bars of the city you get to call your own for a time.  

So here’s the tl;dr for all of those who can’t read like 4 paragraphs.  School is Russia is awesome, there’s not a lot of homework and the teachers are awesome.  You are pushed every day to improve and to be better.  Focusing just on the language is the best way to improve it.  However, the best way to learn any language is to live among people who speak it.  The streets and the locals will be the best teachers you’ll have (I could make a very long list of words I learned by reading them off of signs and advertisements).  If you’re considering studying abroad to learn a language, do it.  It’s worth it.   

[andrewinstpete]

Public Transportation #rideabroad

Oh boy, here we go haha. Public transportation/getting around in St. Petersburg. Coming here I wasn't really sure what to expect from public transportation. Having lived in Guatemala and seen their public transportation, I had somewhat of an idea of how badly it could be run in a foreign country. Coming here and using the St. Petersburg systems daily I can say that I was very pleasantly surprised. But first, a note on driving here. I have not driven here, nor do I have even the smallest desire to do so. Before I came here I would profess that Utah drivers are the worst but compared to Petersburg drivers Utah drivers are saints. I swear every person here behind the wheel has a death wish. Cars only have two modes: slamming on the gas or slamming on the brakes and honking. Lanes are but a myth I think people once heard about and red lights are only kind of important. Getting in a car here (which I thankfully have only done twice) you really take your life in your own hands. This brings me to the first type of transportation and the one with which I have exactly zero experience, taxis. They seem easy enough to use and are pretty cheap. Also, they have uber so that's always an option haha. So, the transport I am familiar with: busses, trams, trollies, and the metro.... Oh the metro. I have a love/hate relationship with transportation here because it's run exceptionally well but EVERYBODY uses it. It's crowded pretty much all the time and if you're not aggressive you might not get a spot. Just today I didn't get on my train because a bunch of people shoved me out of the way and the doors closed. However, like I said the whole thing is run very well. Busses are generally on time (save during really bad traffic), metros come as often as you need them to (every minute during rush hour and no more than 5 minutes apart at all other times). Everything is relatively cheap, 31 rubles (about 50 cents) for a metro and 28 (a little less than about 50 cents) for everything else. The only problem is that they only run until midnight. So, if you want to get home for cheap you sometimes have to cut the night short. This brings me to my one big frustration which I'm not sure if it fits in the category of public transportation and that is bridges. If you live on the mainland, this is no issue. However, if you, like me, live on one of St Petersburg's handful of islands, you either get home before midnight or you don't. At midnight the bridges open for shipping lanes and such and any way on or off of the islands is cut off. They open for 20 minutes somewhere between 1:30 and 2:30 (each bridge has its own schedule) but if you don't make that then you definitely don't get home until they close and the metro opens back up at 6am. So, that's been a bit of a frustration. Overall though, I have found public transportation extremely easy to navigate and use. It's affordable and convenient and anyone visiting St. Petersburg should definitely take advantage of it. It definitely beats driving.

[andrewinstpete]

My first vlog from Russia! Documenting a trip we took to a small town on the outskirts is St. Petersburg!

[andrewinstpete]

The Shock of Culture Shock

SOOOOOOOOO..... Culture shock.  I’ve been here in St. Petersburg for two weeks now.  Is that long enough to adjust to culture shock? Yes and no.  Russia is an interesting place and I think St. Petersburg in particular (not that I know how other parts of Russia are yet).  I think the biggest shock of the culture is that it’s not hugely different from what I am used to, especially among my age group.  Students do the same things here that they do in the United States, they go out to clubs and bars, they hang out with their friends, they joke in the halls of the university.  At home, at least in my situation, it’s not a very foreign situation.  I live with a single mother and her three kids.  I come home and there’s usually some form of commotion happening (the unavoidable result of a handful of people living in a small space) but the boys are playing computer games, doing homework, or arguing with one another.  Their mother is trying to keep them all under control.  Friends and family come and go.  In these major aspects, the culture does not seem extremely strange to me apart from the language of course.  Everyone here speaks Russian (go figure) which is definitely the biggest adjustment I’ve had to make.  

My Russian is not what I want it to be.  Not even a little bit.  I realize this every time I try to explain anything more complicated than how delicious dinner was (more on that later).  So that is the biggest cultural barrier, communication.  My family and professors do not really speak English so google translate has been used extensively at home (they frown upon it at school).  

Okay.  Food.  Food here is.... different.  Not bad by any stretch of the imagination just... different.  Lots of soup (which I generally am not the biggest fan of but they make it work).  There have been a few things that I have absolutely loved and a few that weren’t so great. First, kasha.  Kasha is like oatmeal with milk and a ton of butter dropped in.  Yes, just dropped in.  But it’s actually pretty delicious.  I have kasha every single day for breakfast and it’s pretty great.  However, they also eat a lot of buckwheat (look it up if you’re unfamiliar) which I think really just doesn’t have a taste at all so whenever I get handed a HUGE plate of it with like, hot dogs or something, I get a little sad inside.  But above and beyond all other things are potatoes and dill.  There are potatoes in EVERYTHING and dill on EVERYTHING!!!!! EVERYTHING!!!!!  But I like both potatoes and dill so it’s pretty cool.  So, food has never been bad, just a bit of an adjustment.  

Last of all, the major glaring difference and the one that still bothers me: service and friendliness.  It’s very true what they say that once a Russian invites you in to their home they are the nicest, most hospitable people in the world.  However, on the street and anywhere public.  Everyone just seems mildly to severely annoyed with everything around them.  Example: we went out to dinner last night.  About 30 seconds after sitting down the waiter was on us: “What do you guys want?” we replied that we still needed some time to look at the menu.  He rolled his eyes and walked off without saying a word.  A few minutes later he comes back and asks us again.  We decided to get a couple of pizzas to share and he writes it down and walks off.  45 minutes later we have no food and nobody has said a word to us so we flag someone down and ask if our pizza is almost ready.  They then bring out one pizza.  We ordered two. So we pretty much attack this pizza because we’re starving and then we wait some more.  20 minutes later we ask about the second pizza and that’s when they bring it out.  Who knows how long it had been ready haha.  Anyway, we are still hungry but don’t want to risk ordering more food so we go with desert, how long can that take?  Well, we order what we want and 15 minutes later the server comes back to tell us they don’t have what we want.  We revise our order and he comes back ANOTHER 15 minutes later to tell us they don’t have that either.  Finally we just ask what they do have and get some of that.  (On a side note the dessert was amazing).  So another 15 minutes later and we have our dessert, eat it and begin asking for the check.  There are 3 servers and we asked each of them twice before we actually got it.  Needless to say we won’t be going back. This is a bit of an extreme example but it’s demonstrative of my point.  The weirdest thing for me personally has honestly been people in the service industry having terrible service everywhere you go.  

All in all though, these past two weeks have been amazing, I have learned so much and am excited to immerse myself further in this culture and to learn more quirks and oddities.  Peace to all who read this, y’all rock. Have a great week!

[andrewinstpete]

<p>WOW, I’m finally here.  What a crazy ride this has been already.  But, first things first.  For those of you reading this who don’t know me personally, my name is Andrew Westenskow and I study Russian and International Studies at the University of Utah.  I’m a music nerd, language nerd, nerd nerd, etc.  I’m heading out today for a semester long study abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia.</p><p>Getting ready for this has been a crazy ride that started months ago when I first approached my parents about doing a study abroad.  Nobody in my family has ever done a study abroad so they were a little skeptical, worse so when I told them it would be to Russia.  However, after lots of talk about money, a handful of doctor visits,  lots of shopping, lots of stressing, and a summer of 50 hour work weeks later, I finally feel like I’m ready to go.  I came to learn that preparation for something like this is key.  </p><p>You cannot wait til the last minute on anything at all. If I could give advice to anyone preparing to do a study abroad it would be to think everything out, follow instructions carefully, and give yourself plenty of time for everything.  Also, apply for every single scholarship, grant, and source of financial aid that you possibly can.  Overall, just plan for everything.  </p><p>Right now, it’s hard to say exactly how I feel.  Overall, excited.  But, I’m also very nervous, scared of the unknown.  Nervous to have to adapt to a new culture, nervous for nearly 24 hours of travel, nervous for a lot of things.  But I know that I am prepared, I know that I’m ready.  Here in this blog I will document many important events during my time abroad.  I hope you all will join me for the ride.   

[andrewinstpete]

Social Media Submission: Steven Westenskow

Orem, Utah is a really great place to live.  The best part of living in Orem and Utah Valley in general is the great culture of both Orem and our sister city, Provo.  Orem provides many of the comforts of a larger city including the state’s fastest growing university, UVU.  UVU brings in a lot of interesting culture including dance performances, choir performances, and athletic events.  You can also eat at any of the major chain restaurants which are all conveniently located close to the freeway.  

                                      UVU is a great source of culture

However, if you want the feel of a smaller town, you can head five minutes south to Provo and you can find anything you want.  Center Street in Provo is one of the most fun areas in Utah Valley.  There are a huge number of local restaurants making any kind of food that you could think of.  There are also convention centers as well as smaller entertainment venues including local highlight The Velour.  

                     Center Street in Provo is the best place to eat in Utah Valley

If neither of those things sound good, you can drive just a little bit more and head up Provo Canyon and enjoy amazing hikes and incredible views.  None of these beat Squaw Peak which overlooks all of Utah Valley.  

                                                       Squaw Peak

In reality, the best aspect of life in Orem and Utah Valley is that there is so much to do.  It’s a fantastic place to live and there is plenty for any visitor to do.