Going back to sleep- Iza & Alexandra say goodnight
The internship
After five weeks of sleep deprivation, absolute frustration (Russian is just so difficult) and internal inside jokes at the office (А что с тобой?!), our stay in St. Petersburg has finally come to an end. However, we wouldn’t change one thing about our experience at Liden & Denz. Well, maybe I would start a gofundme campaign for better chairs and better coffee in the vending machines (although 30 rubles for a vanilla cappuccino are unbeatable). Oh, and AC! But thanks to our fantastic colleagues and supervisor Liza, the afternoons spent at work in the extraordinary heat wave were – dare I say – fun? Yes, you may dare.
Learning Russian
Our amazing teacher duo Lyuba and Zlata tried their best to bring me to understand their language, but of course in terms of speedy progress, Russian is quite an unthankful language to learn. My command is passable – Iza’s case, however, is a bit different. She actually speaks Russian. I mean, really. Thanks, Alex. We had a good time in class, though, and learned lots of useful words that we could later practice in social settings. I also feel like some of the wide gaps in my knowledge of Russian have been filled and I can have an actual conversation with native speakers now. Anyway, it’s Russia: if you don’t feel entirely comfortable speaking a language so foreign to you, vodka always gives you the confidence! I feel like I should’ve shown up in class drunk more often.
Surviving in St. Petersburg
As for the city: St. Petersburg completely stuns you with its beauty, its magnitude and its endless possibilities. It wasn’t our first time here, but we were still knocked off our feet by its unique vibes (and excellent frappés)… One of my favorite places in the city is Golitsyn Loft, once home to the Turgenev brothers, now a converted art space that hosts different shops, food places, and a lot of cool bars. It’s also one of my favorite experiences! The only thing better than Golitsyn, however, is bridge-watching. I went on a cruise on the river Neva and watched the bridges open at 1 am with brightly lit palaces along the embankment in the background. The whole spectacle was even accompanied by classical music. Unfortunately, I still haven’t managed to tick everything off my bucket list, on the contrary, it’s even expanded. And what does this mean? We need to come back! For more frappés, more sleepless nights and more fun.
Resume: It’s really not that bad here!
