Last Day, Final Thoughts

Steven Hendrickson from Duluth in Minnesota worked half a year as an intern for Liden & Denz while at the same time studying Russian  at our St. Petersburg centre. Here are his final thoughts: Today is my last day after 6 amazing months in Saint Petersburg studying Russian and working as an Intern for Liden & Denz. In that time, I have learned, grown and changed so much as a person and student in ways that I cannot even begin to measure. I had been to Piter (Saint Petersburg) once before for a very short time and so did not see very much or think that the place was all that special. However, after coming back to live for half a year, I realized just how wrong I was. Saint Petersburg is absolutely packed with fascinating people and places, and for a student of history, I was very impressed by how history has affected and shaped nearly every corner of this beautiful place. I will never forget the feeling of walking down the streets in the snow and almost believing that I had just been transported back in time. It is something I have never experienced anywhere else. One of the best parts of working at Liden & Denz is the opportunity it gave me to meet so many friendly and interesting people from all over the world. After a quick glance at my list of friends on Facebook, I see that I have gained friends in over 17 countries that I never had before. I was lucky enough to get to live with some of them as roommates in our cozy shared flat on Ulitsa Kollontai, and with others, I got to travel to cities near and far from Piter. Veliky Novgorod, the cradle of Russian civilization, and even Murmansk in the Arctic during the dead of Winter, to just name a few. They are friends I know I will never forget! Lastly, I am very grateful for the experience the staff and teachers at Liden & Denz  have given me in Russia. Academically, I cannot thank my teacher enough for her patience and expertise she showed me in my one to one lessons over the past 6 months. I have become far more confident with Russian than I ever thought possible in a relatively short amount of time. Professionally, the administration  has given me the skills, experience and most of all, the confidence I will use to succeed in my future endeavors. I am already planning to return to Russia in the near future, but know it will be difficult to top the last six months here.