Liden & Denz activities – learn Russian and more

In addition to the high quality teaching at Liden & Denz, I have particularly enjoyed the many extra-curricular activities they offer for students. Alongside learning Russian, this provides the opportunity to gain an appreciation of Russian culture, and understand the new city. During my time here, I have participated in many of the school’s activities, and found them thoroughly enjoyable. You can see the events calendar to find out exactly what is on at the moment here.  Read on for a summary of the sort of things Liden & Denz offers, alongside the classes you take here.

Cooking

My favourite activity, and one which I have participated in twice during my time here, has been the Pelmeni and Vareniki cooking classes. You can read a blog post about the master class in detail here. To summarise, the students take a trip to a restaurant not far from Liden & Denz. The restaurant’s chefs explained to us how to create these famous Russian dishes, including some interesting information about them. Then, we were able to get started! After about an hour of labour, we got to taste our hard-earned meal. This was enjoyed alongside a complementary shot of the restaurant’s vodka.

Painting

Another fun activity took place last Friday… Our students had the opportunity to paint their own Matryoshka doll, guided by a teacher. I particularly enjoyed the balance between learning about traditional Matryoshka designs, combined with the freedom to decorate our own however we wanted. Indeed, the final results presented a large range of unique dolls, including a bird, a dog, Donal Duck and Rasputin inspired designs.

And lots more…

All students are also offered a tour of Saint Petersburg upon arrival, which helps to find your bearings, and point out the best places to go while here. Other activities include classes teaching cursive Cyrillic writing, a concert from an Accordion player (read more here), and Halloween and Thanksgiving themed afternoons. The school also runs presentations in the evenings, on a variety of cultures from across the world. Our foreign interns have given presentations on interesting aspects of their own culture (such as Italian food or British education), to give insight into a range of cultures.

So, if you’re coming to Liden & Denz, not only will your Russian language take a leap, but you will also have the chance to participate in these fun activities run by the school. They aim to demonstrate true Russian culture and help you better understand the city you’re living in, but also provide the opportunity to simply meet and have fun with fellow students at the school! I would certainly recommend doing any activity you’re offered while here, to make the most of your trip.

By Alice, currently studying at Liden & Denz in Saint Petersburg