Farewell to our Intern Leah
Our fellow blogger Leah is leaving after a seven-week internship at Liden & Denz St. Petersburg…but her stay is not over yet!
Tell us a little more about yourself!
Hi! My name’s Leah and I’m 28 years old. I’m from the UK but love to travel – I have previously studied in China, worked in Italy, and backpacked around Asia and South America. Now I’m in Russia, this time with a partner and cat in tow! We’re out here for the long-haul – he’s working as English teacher while I’m supporting myself as a freelance writer and editor. I decided to do this internship because it seemed like a great way to meet people, get to know a new city, and most importantly learn Russian!
Now that your internship has come to an end, do you feel like you understand Russian culture better?
Absolutely – I’ve had a great time researching blog posts about St. Petersburg, Russian culture and the Russian language. I’ve learnt a lot and now have a HUGE list of different things I want to do and see while I’m here in Russia, all inspired by my research! I’ve also been able to meet the Russian staff here, which has been great as it can be very easy to get stuck in an international student or expat bubble, especially when you don’t speak the local language well.
What did you like the most about your experience?
This isn’t really related to the internship per se, but I feel really lucky to have been in St. Petersburg when I have because it’s been amazing watching the seasons change. When I arrived in February, it was -20 °C and the river was completely frozen – you could walk across it! Then suddenly, after about a month of living in a glorious winter wonderland, spring appeared practically overnight. St. Petersburg in the spring is really something else and watching the city thaw has been very special. I can’t wait for White Nights and to see what the summer brings.
If you had to describe your experience in Russia with one word, which one would you use?
Invigorating!
Future plans?
Learning Russian! Ordinarily, Liden & Denz interns do a Russian language course at the same time as their internship (so language classes in the morning followed by office work in the afternoon). However, since I also have my paid work to consider, it quickly became apparent I wouldn’t be able to do all three things at once. So I’ve just been doing the internship for the last few weeks, and next up is the language course. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in, although I admit I’m a bit nervous too!
Good luck Leah, and see you very soon!
