Hello and Good Morning – My Arrival in St.Petersburg
Hello and Good morning
This is it: my first post for Liden & Denz Saint Petersburg. To describe myself in one word, I would probably use the call myself a traveljunkie. My addiction started in 2009, when I went Ireland in order to improve my English at a language school. The consequences of those three weeks were devastating: I discovered my passion for studying foreign languages, became more self-sufficient and self-confident and I could not get enough of being abroad. Quite the opposite: I wanted more. I wanted to study more languages, to go further away and for longer. So, after having graduated from high school I decided to learn Russian as a second foreign language at university. There were a number of reasons for me to study Russian: Studying Russian would mean a challenge to me, which I was ready to accept. Also, I was interested in Russian Culture and knew that knowing the language would open up a whole new world for me. So far I have had no regrets: During my first stay in Russia, namely in Kazan, I fell in love with Russian Culture, with their food and hospitality. Furthermore the language is not only spoken in Russia itself, but also in many other countries, such as Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and the Ukraine, and hence it opened up new interesting travel destinations for me.
Eventually, studying Russian has also brought me here: To Saint Petersburg, the cultural capital of Russia and probably one of the most popular cities in the world. I have only been here for a couple of days now, but I can already say that I am overwhelmed by its beauty. I feel like every 100 meters there is a museum, theatre or some other sight to visit. I cannot wait to stroll through the Hermitage, and afterwards grab пирожки (piroshki) at a nearby столовая (stolowaya). Frankly, I cannot imagine ever feeling bored in Saint Petersburg. I would like to end my post with one of my favorite sayings in Russian: Не говори, что делал, а говори, что сделал (Ne govori schto delal a govori schto sdelal). Translated freely it means do not talk about what you did but about what you have done (in the sense of have finished. To me the saying indicates that when you start something, you should finish it and only then you can be proud of yourself. Having said this I am starting my first week at Liden and Denz and finishing my first post.
This blog was brought to you by Ayla, currently studying Russian at Liden and Denz
