Student Story: Saying Goodbye to Saint Petersburg!

I still cannot believe it, saying goodbye is harder than I thought! My 3-month-stay here in Saint Petersburg is already over! It was such a great experience and I am very thankful for this awesome time here. I would really recommend it to everyone, to work or study abroad. Therefore I want to share my impressions and my experiences, which I gathered during my stay here in Saint Petersburg.

At the beginning, I can still remember that I was a little bit scared of this new challenge. Sure, it is a foreign country, a new living situation, a new city, new people, and of course a new employer. It takes a little time to calm down and to adjust to it. But after some time I realized, that the worries were absolutely not necessary!

“If we were meant to stay in one place, we would have roots instead of feet.”

This sentence inspired me in a really strong way. There are so many beautiful places in the world, so why just live in one of them? When you are young and free you should appreciate the possibility of going abroad and seeing different countries, new cultures, and new people.

Another reason for going to Saint Petersburg was concerning my studies. I had to complete an internship related to the focus of my studies, and to my chosen foreign language – Russian. So I worked at Liden & Denz as a Blogger/Editorial Assistant and created website content, wrote blogs and conducted marketing activities. This internship really helped me to gain work experience and I really loved doing my tasks I was responsible for. In addition, I was able to join a Russian course at Liden & Denz for free, which is simply a great deal!

Different prospect

I think this stay has helped me to get more open-minded, to reduce my shyness and to see things in a more positive way. At the beginning, I was really shy to speak Russian in public, for example at the supermarket or at a restaurant. But after a few weeks I already felt very confident and was happy, when I could communicate with employees or inhabitants. Therefore, I also became more motivated to expand my vocabulary and to improve my grammar.

I also noticed that my thinking changed concerning my home country. I think I appreciate a lot of things in a much stronger way than before. In my opinion, it is really valuable to get away from your daily routine and to win a different insight of life.

Saint Petersburg, the Russian Venice

It was a pleasure for me to spend my time in such an awesome and beautiful city. Saint Petersburg is a great place to stay for a longer time. I felt really comfortable right at the beginning, because of its familial and warm atmosphere. Saint Petersburg is full of amazing restaurants, cafes and other places to go. During my time I discovered a lot of hidden locations and I really enjoyed that! I often mentioned my discoveries in my blogs to share it with other people too.

I am really thankful for this great time and it will always stay in my mind. I am sure that these 3 months have affected my life in a very positive way!

This blog was brought to you by Jessica Pillinger, student and intern at Liden & Denz