Hello everyone, I am back! (kind of!)
Всем привет! Hello everyone!
My name is Nick and I am writing to you while sitting in my university library in Uppsala, a small city in middle Sweden. I am studying Russian and Eurasian Studies there. Now that my first academic year has ended, I hope to level up my Russian at Liden & Denz this summer.
I remember being a student at Liden & Denz in Moscow 2 years ago, in summer 2019. At the end of my stay, I visited Saint Petersburg and dropped by the school there, when it was moving into a new location. Nice place to spend the summer, so see you next year, I thought!
Of course, the pandemic has disrupted many of our plans. I am glad nonetheless that things are slowly getting back to normal. Borders are opening gradually. In my first class, I noticed that my teacher Lyuba is now teaching not from home but from the school venue, in hybrid format: one camera is pointed towards her and the white board, one camera is pointed towards students physically present in class, one screen shows online students on Zoom, and then students on Zoom can see everyone else.
Zoom photo
The best option is always to be in class, studying in person and getting to know people that way, but this is a very good alternative as well if you cannot come, like me. Or maybe if you like to be flexible and travel around Russia while still studying at the same school every day. Distance learning does have that advantage.
Someone might ask: if you have not been in Russia for 2 years, how can you even write about Russia!?
Well, my friends, I have one trick up my sleeves: one year of studies on Russia and former Soviet Union! Taking courses in Russian history, culture, economy, law, etc. gave me a great amount of new things to write about. There are things I did not see or know before, but which I think are essential to understanding Russia now. So, I hope you will enjoy upcoming posts.
Take care and more to come soon.
Nick Nguyen
