Russian doesn't help in France.

For the last 5 years I have been to Russia every summer. I've become used to understanding (most of the time) what is going on around me and what people are saying. Even when my Russian was at its most basic I could still survive with the use of the golden word of the Russian language 'можно' (mozhno). It means 'it is possible' but can be used in a variety of different situations; for example in a bar you can say 'можно пиво?' (mozhno piva) - can I have a beer? Or at home you can say 'можно принимать душ?' (mozhno prinimat doosh?' - can I have a shower? All you need to do is point at the beer or shower and you'll be understood. Over the years my Russian has obviously improved and now (so I'm told) most of my Russian friends can understand everything I say.

Learning Russian at university always highlighted my lack of skill in other languages. Most people were learning at least 2 languages and would always compare Russian words or grammar rules to their other language. Aside from thinking that they were total show offs I never really cared about my lack of other language skills. Russia is my thing. When am I ever gonna use French, German or Spanish?

However, last week I went on holiday to France and it actually drove me insane that I really don't know any French. It appears that since my year abroad I have become a language snob. I don't want to be seen as another English stereotype who doesn't see the importance of learning a foreign language (because of course shouting louder in English is understood worldwide). I'm not just a language snob though, I'm a Russian language snob. Now when I hear any foreign language I immediately want to speak Russian or at the very least inform the person speaking that I can speak Russian so it doesn't matter that I don't speak their language.

In France one night there was a huge storm and the power went out in the house we were staying in. The next morning a man from the village (Jean Paul he was called - lovely and French) came to check we were ok. Only problem was he spoke no English and noone in my family speaks French. I was called upon to 'communicate' as the only one who speaks a foreign language. I stood and listened to him for a good minute putting on my best 'I understand everything you are saying' face which works well in Russia where I normally understand the overall situation. In France, this does not work. He clearly thought I did actually understand and looked at me expectantly but after struggling through my French vocabulary (boulangers, merci, salut, nous avons, vous avez, baguette) to Jean Paul's dismay I only managed to conjure up 'Je ne comprends pas'. In the end he realised everything was fine and left. Throughout the whole encounter I just wanted to ask him if he spoke Russian. I seem to think it is the only language in the world. Infact later that day I said 'да' (da) instead of 'oui' to a man selling tickets at a castle. I did manage to redeem myself by asking for a guide 'en anglais' though.

Maybe one day I'll learn French again, but for the moment I'll have to take Girl's Aloud's advice - admit I can't speak French and let the funky music do the talking. Although with the only club around in our village in France being a dodgy building with 'CLUB SEXY' written on the side I don't know how much of a good idea that would be...

Where is this “Real Russia”?

The weekend has been pretty busy so I hope this blog isn’t too long!

On Saturday it was Petrozavodsk Day which had been postponed for a week because of the recent plane crash. Every town in Russia has a certain day each year when they celebrate the founding of the town. Usually there are decorations all over the town and stalls selling local products and souvenirs. This year the whole day was massively scaled down in respect to the people that died in the plane crash and so the main event was a kind of historical re-enactment of village life. There was a real sense of community there… and it was nice to see people dressing up and letting go a bit instead of being their usual serious Russian selves!

On Sunday we went to the Island of Kizhi, a beautiful open air museum with some amazing wooden churches. Last time I went to Kizhi my camera ran out of batteries halfway through. So naturally this year I forgot to charge my camera and it ran out of batteries again. Obv. But here are a few pics I managed to take…

We had a full house this weekend as the Finnish girl who lived with Lyudmila and Olga when I visited last year had come to stay for the weekend with her friend! So in our flat we had two Finns, two Brits and two Russians! I think I’ve said this before but one of the best things about learning a language and having the opportunity to travel is being able to meet and make friends with people from all over the world. In my visits to Russia I’ve made friends with (and kept in touch with) people from New Zealand, Norway, Holland, America, Finland… and obviously Russia! It’s so interesting to hear about people’s lives in other countries and to have friends all over the world! Good for free holidays too. Lyudmila prepared a FEAST for us and we spent the evening chatting, singing old Russian war songs on the karaoke machine and watching a soviet film. Standard night in.

One of our conversation topics was where exactly “Real Russia” is. All Russians will tell you that Moscow and St Petersburg are not really Russia! Obviously the big tourist cities are full of foreigners and their influence! But even in Petrozavodsk we’ve been told that this isn’t “real Russia” – apparently we need to go even further out to find out what Russia is really like. So someone please help me – where exactly is this “real Russia”? Because I really should visit.

I’ve got more cream on me than a Russian cake.

We’ve been in Petrozavodsk for almost a week now and so far everything is going swimmingly. I can hear my Russian improving, I’m happy to be back with my Russian family and so far Anabelle and I haven’t had any major problems as group leaders. Hopefully it will stay this way!

I do find it funny how I have just settled back into normal life… but in Russia. I’m not really having any great adventure here. I’m doing exactly what I do at home: catching up with my friends, searching for jobs and checking facebook! I’m just doing it all in Russian (apart from the facebook checking).

We do have excursions most days with our group of students though to stop it being just like home! Yesterday we took them to an exhibition of photos that were inspired by Tolstoy’s short stories. Although it was only small and not at all clear which photos were inspired by which stories, it was only about 40p and a nice break in the day! At first we thought the exhibition was just photos of people’s perceptions of Russia which got me thinking about what I would take a photo of to show my perception of Russia. So far I think it would be a sofa bed covered in small coins. I think my idea needs some work. Suggestions?

So the biggest news of today is that my ankle looks like a tennis ball as it has swollen up after being bitten by a mosquito. They never used to like the way I tasted (and so I never got bitten) until last year when I got like 59 bites in one day after stupidly going into the woods without insect repellent on. Ever since then it seems I’ve been a lot tastier to the insects. Anyway, yesterday I was sat on my bed and suddenly realised that one of my ankles was twice as big as the other. Gross. I don’t like it when my body does weird things. (Side note: MUM don’t worry, its ok.)

Summer has also arrived in Petrozavodsk and it is absolutely boiling outside! Russian weather always means I have to prepare thoroughly before leaving the house – in the winter I need to put about 12 layers of warm clothing on and in the summer I need to cover myself with insect repellent and sun cream. I hate burning so at the moment I have more cream on me than a Russian cake… 

372 days later…

So, if my calculations are correct it has been 372 days since I was last in Russia and almost 5 months since I last blogged. Woops, my bad.

I will blame this lack of blogging mainly on the TERROR of final year (which, by the way, I have now completed with a 2.1!!! *glowswithhappiness* However I also think a lack of inspiration could be somehow to blame for my blogging discrepancies. So to put this right I have done the only thing possible…

I’VE GONE TO RUSSIA :D :D :D

I’ve explained everything I’ll be doing in my last post so I don’t wanna repeat myself (… or make this blog super long)

So on Saturday Anabelle and I (along with the 22 students we are in charge of!) landed in St Petersburg. We swiftly introduced them into the Russian way of doing things by cramming them all onto minibuses way too small to fit both 24 people and 24 suitcases. Then a quick 5 hour wait in a train station and they were ready to experience their first ever overnight Russian train.

Waiting at the station.

I always think that I will sleep well on overnight trains; that the motion will rock me to sleep. But I am always wrong. The hard beds make it impossible to find a comfortable position. Anyone who has ever had to share a bed with me will know I move around loads until I am at the optimum level of comfort for sleep, but I never seem to find it on train beds! So even though I was super tired after a long day of travelling I only managed to get about an hours sleep. Sob.

On arrival at Petrozavodsk the students had to face their worst fear – being put with the host families they will be staying with. I well remember the look of fear in their faces as they got off the train from when I first went to Petrozavodsk, having no idea who I would be living with. Fortunately I lived with the loveliest woman in the whole of Russia and her equally lovely daughter – Lyudmila and Olga, who I am staying with again.

Sunday mainly revolved around equipping the students with Russian phones and SIM cards so they could communicate with Anabelle and I in emergencies. Sounds a simple enough task but it involved me buying 8 new phones and 24 new SIM cards from 2 different shops (the first one ran out of SIMs!). Good practise for my Russian though.

Yesterday the students started university with a lovely surprise test. Which, to be honest, Anabelle and I are to blame for as when the university asked us how to split them into 3 classes we had no idea so suggested a quick grammar test (sorry guys!) We spent the day organising various things with the university and then went to the cinema to see The Hangover 2 (in Russian!) with Olga.

So far returning to Russia has shown me two things:

Firstly, that being in Russia feels completely normal. Me and Anabelle both found it so weird that in fact going to Russia didn’t feel weird. We feel completely at home! Even more so for me that I am back in the first flat I ever lived in in Russia, in MY Russian bedroom! When we got to the flat Lyudmilla said, “Sarah, put your rucksack in your room,” like I had never been away.

Secondly, I am actually astonished by how capable I am in Russian. For the last year I have felt that my Russian language is pretty bad but actually it really isn’t! At university most of our assessments were centred on grammar and my Russian grammar is terrible (as is my English to be honest) and so my marks were never very high. However here I have already managed to understand an entire film in Russian, buy 24 SIM cards in Russian, have conversations with new people in Russian and liaise with a Russian university… and it’s only been 2 days!

Anyway, I don’t want this post to be any longer so that’s all for now. I promise you won’t have to wait 5 months for the next one!

Oh, PS, Anabelle has already been defacing the town with her surname tag…

(NOTE: Anabelle did not actually do this... another Smith had beaten her to it.)

Q & A Day!

Hello everyone, I hope you're all having a great day! Don't forget about Japan, they are still in a critical state of emergency. If you have the possibility please donate something!

Well today is question and answer day, but unfortunately there have been no questions or comments this week. I guess everyone has been glued to the news following the tragic events in Japan.

Get your questions and comments in for next week. We would love to hear what you think and help you any way we can.

Have a great week!

Q & A Day

First of all, Happy Women's Day to all the wonderful ladies out there! I hope you enjoy a wonderful day!


Today is question and answer day, so I will recap some of the recent question I've received, lets get started:


Question: I am considering the Trans-Siberian Express departing from Moscow in August and ending the trip in Bejing. Is that a good time of year to go? From what we read it is best to travel by 1st class cabin. The price we see (per person) is $1,000USD. Can you offer suggestions for the trip and a price?


Answer: yes, August is considered to be a very good time for the trip in terms of the weather, do you need just a one-way ticket to Beijing or would you like to make stops on the way? In this case several tickets + hotels will be needed. You can find some examples here Trans-Siberian Express, and here is another link to the train schedule that might be useful Train Schedule.


Question: Looking to travel to Nizhny Novgorod. Any advice on who do I get my visa from and what airline to fly.


Answer: Nizhny Novgorod has some specific rules, if a foreigner crosses the border at the Nizhny Novgorod airport, then he has to have an inviting organization located in Nizhny Novgorod. Express to Russia can help you with this through one of their partners, but it will be more expensive. They can also help you with booking a hotel, here is a link to hotels Best Hotels Russia. 


That's all the questions I have for today, get your questions in for next week! Tomorrow will be apartment of the week day! Stay tuned.


Happy 8th of March to all!

New Schedule for the Blog!

Hey guys, I hope you are all out celebrating Maslenitsa. I just wanted to write a brief post to let you all know what we'll be doing with the blog from now on starting on Monday. We have decided on categories for each day of the week, so on each day of the week there will be a specific post about a specific topic. So here is the schedule we came up with:


Monday - What's going on this week - On this day I will post about new events, exhibitions, concerts, shows, movies and whatever else new that is opening or going on that week.


Tuesday - Q & A Day - On this I will answer any questions that readers have, questions about anything, about something we've posted, about our company, about travel plans options ideas, whatever questions you have, I will answer them all on Tuesday so everyone can see, incase some people have the same question. You can ask a question through Facebook or Twitter or you can simply comment on the blog.


Wednesday - Apartment of the Week day - On this day I will post about one of the many apartments we have available for rent in both Moscow and St. Petersburg.


Thursday - Hot Spot of the Week day - On this day I will post about a bar or a restaurant in St. Petersburg.


Friday - Interesting Place of the Week - On this day I will post about an interesting place to visit in and around St. Petersburg, it might be a park, a museum, a store, and area of the city and so on. 


If you have any more ideas or suggestions or questions, please feel free to leave a comment! Hope you all are enjoying the holiday weekend (Maslenitsa and 8th of March here in Russia).