I think whenever I don't have time to fully update my readers with some stories of what's going on over here, in the very least I think this is a good place to put up advice for those looking to study abroad, especially in Russia. Here's what I'll start with, what I can think of off the top of my head, but I'll definitely add more when I can come up with it.
1. Don't be afraid to meet new people. Join groups, even if they're online just to start with. My friend Chase started meeting people and playing lacrosse over here, and just by starting with contacting people over facebook groups. I met a good friend of mine over reddit (he's a moderator for /r/moscow) Look for groups around the University you're studying at. Something's bound to pop up. And when you meet these new people, don't be afraid to start conversations with them, and keep your relationships up with them. Otherwise, you'll be looking back on your time abroad scratching your head and wondering why you didn't make any Russian friends.
2. Bring ziplocks with you. Bring lots of ziplock bags. You never know what you're going to need them for, but I promise you will need them.
3. Buy your souvenirs at the beginning of your time abroad, otherwise you will scramble around for gifts at the last minute and that's not fun. You want to spend your last few days abroad enjoying yourself and not stressing about whether or not you got your aunt a matrioshka doll.
4. Listen to music. Go to the movies. Listening to the radio, tv, mass media in general, helps improve your vocab, lets you take notice of little grammar nuances, and, what I find most important, helps you shake off your accent. Also, as far as comprehension goes, when I go watch a play or an opera I can get completely lost, even when I have the program right in front of me. However, when I go to the movies I understand about 90-95% of what's being said and what's going on. So even though your program (probably Dickinson for most of my readers) might give you "cultural experiences," go outside of that and go to the movies. Besides, as of right now, Dickinson reimburses movie tickets.
Like I said, more to come later. Perhaps especially while I’m on winter break.
1. Don't be afraid to meet new people. Join groups, even if they're online just to start with. My friend Chase started meeting people and playing lacrosse over here, and just by starting with contacting people over facebook groups. I met a good friend of mine over reddit (he's a moderator for /r/moscow) Look for groups around the University you're studying at. Something's bound to pop up. And when you meet these new people, don't be afraid to start conversations with them, and keep your relationships up with them. Otherwise, you'll be looking back on your time abroad scratching your head and wondering why you didn't make any Russian friends.
2. Bring ziplocks with you. Bring lots of ziplock bags. You never know what you're going to need them for, but I promise you will need them.
3. Buy your souvenirs at the beginning of your time abroad, otherwise you will scramble around for gifts at the last minute and that's not fun. You want to spend your last few days abroad enjoying yourself and not stressing about whether or not you got your aunt a matrioshka doll.
4. Listen to music. Go to the movies. Listening to the radio, tv, mass media in general, helps improve your vocab, lets you take notice of little grammar nuances, and, what I find most important, helps you shake off your accent. Also, as far as comprehension goes, when I go watch a play or an opera I can get completely lost, even when I have the program right in front of me. However, when I go to the movies I understand about 90-95% of what's being said and what's going on. So even though your program (probably Dickinson for most of my readers) might give you "cultural experiences," go outside of that and go to the movies. Besides, as of right now, Dickinson reimburses movie tickets.
Like I said, more to come later. Perhaps especially while I’m on winter break.
