Tag: Russia

  • Samara

    What is Russia like? It’s difficult to explain to people who have never been to a “second world country.” The West likes to paint Russia as a depraved place but in reality, it’s not that bad. It’s not like the wild wild west. It has nice parts and poor parts. It has problems but also…

  • St. Petersburg

    Have you ever been heartbroken and alone in a city? That’s what St. Petersburg is to me. I went there as a shell of a person. In Russia, I found it easy to just exist and float through life. As a foreigner, you don’t owe anyone anything. So you can check into a hostel, cry…

  • Ulan-Ude

    Ulan-Ude is the capital of a small Asian republic in Russia, Buryatia. Buryat people are buddhist and speak both their native language and Russian. Earlier in the year, when a non-profit organization asked some American teachers if they would like to travel to some remote republics, I jumped at the chance to go to Ulan-Ude.…

  • Kyzyl

    When people ask for advice for where to go in Russia, they ask, “Do you like Moscow or St. Petersburg more?” My honest answer is neither. I appreciate both cities but if you really want to understand Russia and meet Russians, I say go to Siberia. In both Moscow and St. Petersburg, it’s pretty difficult…

  • Ufa

    I spent an entire week in Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia. When I told people in Russia I was headed there, the immediate reaction was why? Bashkortostan is a sleepy Muslim republic off of the White River. I was like, why not? I want to get to know every inch of Russia. I rode a thirty hour…

  • Primorsky Krai

    I spent a whole year in Western Russia, in Samara working as a university lecturer. Samara is a mid-sized Russian city. I got to know every part of it, as I worked in a major university but also weekly taught at an elementary school, private language academy, and even a US Work and Travel preparation…

  • Moscow

    Soviet-era birthday postcards and a matroshka doll from Izmailovsky market in Moscow When I was a freshman in college, I spent a summer studying at International University in Moscow. It was my first time alone abroad and my first time in Russia. I studied Russian in college, a brave and stupid decision that would leave…