Stonchus travels to St. Petersburg, Russia
Close up with a WSU student in St. Petersburg, Russia
Bridget Stonchus, Slavic studies with a concentration in Russian and finance.
Home to the famous Hermitage museum, iconic churches with onion domes, grand palaces, the former home of the tsars - this is where I studied abroad: St. Petersburg, Russia. I spent two months there in June and July where I took intensive Russian language classes and went on weekly excursions to historical and cultural sites. I can wholeheartedly say that my time studying abroad was the best time of my life - not just because St. Petersburg is a magical city, but because I learned more about the language, people, and history of Russia than I ever thought I would.
The thing that helped me with my language fluency was being immersed in the language and using it on a daily basis. Having class five days a week forced me to really dive into my studies and continually think and process the grammar, while every time I stepped outside was a new chance to use my Russian; anything from buying groceries to ordering dinner to asking for directions. On that note, the one thing I never left home without was a mini-map of the city and metro system. It's a big world out there, and you will get lost at least once!
Studying abroad changed me in many ways, but mainly it helped me understand the Russian culture and people, as well as their views. It is one thing to learn about stuff like that in class (which thanks to WSU's amazing Russian professors I learned a lot!) but it's still a different, wonderful experience to be immersed in the culture, meeting and talking with people, and surrounded by the history - especially in historic cities like St. Petersburg. After talking with Russians, I quickly learned how cut off we often are as Americans from the rest of the world and how little we understand about other peoples' points of view. I highly recommend for everyone to study abroad if they have the opportunity- it expands your world and how you think. My advice would be: if you want to study abroad, then do it! Start researching programs now, find one that suits you, start applying to study abroad scholarships and grants, start planning your trip, and get over there!
