До свидания Lauriane!

The time has come, once again, to say goodbye to a fellow intern. Lauriane is leaving back to Geneva after three months at Liden & Denz St. Petersburg.

Lauriane, tell me a little bit about yourself.

I am 23 years old and I come from Switzerland. I live in Geneva, in the French part. I just finished my Bachelor in Russian Language and Culture. I came to St. Petersburg to finish my education.

This is not your first time in Russia and as well not your first time at Liden & Denz, right?

Yes, this is my fourth time in Russia at Liden & Denz, although this is my first time as an intern. I thought this was such a good thing to do for my future, so here I am. The first time when I was here I was only staying for two weeks and I felt like this was not at all enough time to really improve my Russian and my knowledge of Russian culture. So, the second time I stayed for five weeks, the third time I was here for six weeks and this time I was staying for three months.

Why did you come to Russia and what inspired you to study Russian in the first place?

My inspiration to study Russian was partly due to Russian literature and partly due to passion of figure skating. A lot of the world’s most famous and talented ice skaters are Russians and I was constantly trying to read and to understand the language, so I finally decided to study Russian at University. The first time I came to Russia it was mainly to improve my Russian skills and honestly, I can’t say that I fell in love with the country immediately, mostly because I was doing all the touristic things the first time but then, last year, I really discovered St. Petersburg and completely fell in love with this city!

Are you happy with your experience of learning Russian and working in St. Petersburg?

Yes, I am very happy because I met some amazing people that now are my friends. These three months went so fast but I am so happy that I came here because the combination of Russian courses and internship is so great and I have learned a lot. Studying at Liden & Denz is always a pleasure. The teachers are simply amazing. They always motivate you to learn and to be really active during the lessons. My job as an intern was to create videos about different subjects. I really liked it and I learned a lot.

Do you have any recommendations for future interns?

Just be patient. Especially when you are here the first time.

What is your favourite experience in St. Petersburg?

This time I had the chance to discover St. Petersburg in a less touristic way, almost as a local, which I really loved and of course the amazing people I met who made my stay unforgettable.

Are you planning come back?

Yes, as soon as possible!