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My name is Eric Schulzetenberg.
I am a Global Studies and Russian double major
and I studied abroad in St. Petersberg, Russia.
I was a little hesitant before I left because
all the classes are in Russian for the Russian Language program,
and I wasn't sure, having taken about a year off
from Russian before I went abroad,
I wasn't sure how I'd do with that.
But the professors are very good at and
have a lot of experience with foreign students,
so they know-- they talk slow, they emphasize things.
Language was an integral part of
my program. You were using it more than you
were using English. You were thinking in it,
processing everything, everyday was Russian, Russian, Russian.
The first semester, my class was four students,
including myself. So that's a lot of
personal attention. It's you and the professor,
right there. Which was nice, especially being there
a year, you get to know the professors, they know you.
There wasn't a whole lot of actual take-home homework,
was actually pretty minimal.
Most of the work we did was in-class.
For our program, we had homestays
which was a great way to have someplace to
practice our language that wasn't on the street
with a lot of pressure. I think I was in the 12th or 13th floor
of one of these old Soviet apartment buildings
out on the Vasilevsky Island.
It was a really good situation.
My hostmom helped me get acquainted with the city.
CIEE organized little things to point out where
metro stops were and trolley buses came
and picked people up, but my host mom,
it sounds silly, but she came with me
the first day of school. Just to make sure I got there
alright, that I knew how to use the metro, which buses
to take. Buses, trolley buses, and trolleys,
you could use any combination of those
to get to where you're going.
The trolley bus was the simplest -
you just hopped on at the corner, and you could
ride it all the way to school.
CIEE was very well organized.
They had all sorts of volunteer activities,
and cultural excursions. They made sure you didn't
miss out on anything and they tried to organize
lots of activities so that you could get involved with
the local Russian students.
Usually, if I do have to pick my favorite
thing about Russia it is the bath houses.
The Russian Banya is such a cool experience.
You go in, and you just sit in this
incredibly hot room with sweat pouring off you.
After all that's done, after you're hot, sweaty,
you've been beat with these sticks, you run out
and dive into a huge cold pool or you pull
a bucket of ice water down onto your head, and
pretty much essentially it's rinse and repeat,
for however many times you can stand it.
You really feel refreshed, you feel alive.
It helps lift your mood, especially since
St. Petersburg can be so dark and cold.
My experiences abroad have let me look at
my own culture more critically.
It lets you see that our way of doing things
isn't necessarily the only way, or the right way.
And also at the same time it gives you a deeper
appreciation for your country and your culture.
You see exactly what you like and what you miss
about your home.