International student studying Languages in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

Personal challenges

Living in a university setting made me accustomed to other people cooking my food and having food accessible at any time during the day. This was not the case in St. Petersburg as Russian universities do not have on campus housing options with cafeterias and eateries. In St. Petersburg, I was living in an apartment and had to cook for myself. The challenge was in cooking with Russian ingredients because they were foreign to me. Being Mexican-American, I knew how to prepare Mexican food, but my options were severely limited in St. Petersburg. I was forced to create new dishes using local and seasonal ingredients. I also had to be open-minded about food sources and adjust my palette to Russian tastes. For example, I learned that Russians love dill, and grew to appreciate dill-flavored potato chips and dill scattered in most dishes at restaurants.

Personal takeaways

I learned how to prepare food using local and seasonal ingredients, which led me to cook some creative dishes. I would go to markets after school, walk around, and see what local people were eating. If I saw something that caught my attention, I would ask what the food was and how I could prepare it. I discovered piroshkis (small meat pies), pelmeni (dumplings), shashlyks (meat on a stick), kotlety (meatballs), and blini (thin pancakes). By walking around my neighborhood, I found a few bakeries that had delicious artisan bread every morning. I suggest you keep an open mind about food, and learn where local people buy their food and what they eat. You will find food you like and may even strike a friendship with your butcher.

Academic challenges

Learning Russian is not a simple task. It is a beautifully complex language with numerous intricacies and rules. I found Russian to be very challenging, and thought that I was investing so much to receive little in return. I often grew frustrated at myself for not comprehending the case system or the various prefixes and suffixes applied to verbs of motion. I was also self-conscious about my Russian accent how obvious it was that I was American. This made me feel insecure about speaking out loud in class and approaching people in the streets.

Academic takeaways

I don’t think that there was a particular thing I could have done to improve my Russian language skills except live in Russia and practice the language daily, which was the purpose of the program. Living in St. Petersburg improved my pronunciation and accent, and increased my understanding of Russian culture and history. By the end of my study abroad experience in St. Petersburg, I was able to successfully order a meal at a restaurant and even give directions. This all happened through practice and persistent study of Russian.