IX13 - Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2013

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French and Russian undergraduate student, trying my hand at the real world.

Monday 20 August 2012

Answers on a postcard, please

Hello chaps,

Packing for a year abroad is a tricky business.

It's not like packing for two weeks in Corfu where the weather is the same on a daily basis and all you need is a few clothes and books to keep yourself entertained. St Petersburg has a changeable climate, one which I have not yet experienced. Horror stories about how cold the winter is and when 'winter' begins are enough to bring even the hardest Englishman to their knees with doubt and confusion.

It's not like packing for a six month sojourn in South East Asia, where your backpack is your best friend. In this context, nobody expects you to function as a fixed resident. A traveller is expected to be dressed and act accordingly - those khaki trousers that zip off at the knee to become shorts, linen shirts and a rather grubby, but well-loved, backpack all come to mind.

My main concern is not looking out of place, having had an unfortunate experience the last time I was in Russia - I got mugged outside MGU and, at the time, was unable to speak a word of Russian! Luckily I was with a group of guys who were able to ensure the mugger didn't get anything. I do fear however, should it happen again, I will not be so lucky.

So thus, my dilemma. Answers on a postcard please: How am I meant to function as a civilised citizen of St Petersburg for four months in a country where I can only just make myself understood, based on what I can fit in a single suitcase?

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