New Country – New Light

After completing my first Dialogue of Civilizations program in London last summer, I was eager to study abroad again. While my first program focused on English culture and documentary film-making, I wanted to travel somewhere very different from the United States, specifically a non-English-speaking country. I have taken Russian courses since I transferred to Northeastern in my sophomore year and have enjoyed them immensely. I wanted to enroll in the Tale of Three Cities program to further my studies of the Russian language with my professor, Katya Burvikova. When I return from my program, I expect to speak at an advanced level of Russian and gain a better understanding of Russian culture and history. I hope to gain this knowledge throughout my trip and explore a country that is not often shown in a positive light in Western media. I will achieve these goals by actively participating in my two courses and traveling throughout the three cities. I will also meet with the locals to gain an understanding of everyday life and pop culture in Russia.
I am leaving in less than a week and although I am very eager to begin my program, I am very anxious to be in a country that is vastly different from the United States. I am unsure of what to expect from our host university, my host family, my classmates, or the country as a whole. However, I believe I will enjoy every moment of the trip and will be thankful that I enrolled in such a unique program. Overall, I am most looking forward to bonding in a foreign country with several students and exploring the Russian architecture!