Goodbye Russia
Goodbye Russia
Unfortunately, time has come to say goodbye to Russia. I spent 4 weeks with Liden & Denz in Moscow in September and than moved to St. Petersburg where I studied and worked for 8 more weeks. I look back on many great experiences and a very interesting time that – looking back now – flew by very fast; too fast.
When planning my stay in Russia, my goal was to study Russian language in the best possible environment. I am quite confident that I achieved this goal. The internship at Liden & Denz offered me a great opportunity to study Russian intensively, combined with gaining working experience.
My stay in the two biggest Russian city’s was great. Coming from a small village in Switzerland, I was amazed by the many possibilities for activities. I enjoyed many fun nights out and of course also the cultural activities. Mostly I liked to get to know all the people. The students from all over the world, but also the locals with whom I made friends with. There are so many things to see and do in these beautiful and huge cities. I will definitely miss the 24 hour opening hours back in Switzerland.
I think some people have a lot of wrong pictures in their head when they think about Russia. There is absolutely nothing to worry about when coming to Russia. That doesn’t mean you should not be prepared. You will get more out of the experience the better you know the language when you come here. For me, Russia is fascinating. There are many similarities to Western Europe but some things work completely different here than in Switzerland. I was able to collect some valuable insights to Russian mentality and the way of thinking.
Russian is a difficult language, but I gradually make progress which is very rewarding. I am determined to continue studying and improving. My stay with Liden & Denz is to be continued. I will stay 4 more weeks at Liden & Denz in Riga and I am already looking forward to my stay in this great city, which I already visited as a tourist.
I would like to conclude by saying thank you to the very friendly and helpful staff at Liden & Denz who supported me to get along during my stay. I also want to say thank you to the teachers. I think they did a great job and helped me a lot in progressing with Russian. I am truly thankful for all the great memories I collected over the last 12 weeks here in Russia. I am sure it wasn’t my last time in this fascinating country.
Matthias Thoeny, currently studying Russian at Liden & Denz
