Trip to Russia after 1st Year What do you need to know before your first trip to Russia?

Below are extracts from stories written by students about their trip to Russia.  Each story can be read in full if you follow the links.

Natalie Basinska

Obviously not everyone likes to spend their time in bookshops, but this is a very nice bookshop, which stocks a very good selection of books in English. It’s also a good place to buy a children’s book in Russian and try to practice reading in Russian with it!

You will probably first go to Gostiny Dvor and have a look around, but do visit some other shopping places, some of which I mention here. A word of warning though: do not expect everything to be very cheap. Some guides written several years ago will tell you that prices are low in Russia, but be aware that times have changed and now Russian prices are very much like the ones you know from England. Especially shops on and around Nevsky Prospekt will not be particularly cheap. Do look around and compare.

Lilley Ben Without wishing to scare you, here are some useful phrases for if things go wrong.

Отстань      Leave me alone

Я вызову полицию       I will call the police

Мне нужна ваша помощь       I need your help

Можно от вас позвонить?       Can I use your phone?

Я ничего плохого не делал(а)   I haven’t done anything wrong

Куда вы меня везёте?      Where are you taking me?

Я арестован(а)? Am I being arrested?

Я хочу поговорить с посольством Великобритании        I want to phone the British Embassy

Я могу заплатить штраф сейчас? Can I pay a fine now?

Anna Chworow

The Russians like to have a lot of everything. They like to eat, and a word ‘diet’ doesn’t mean much to them. If you’re invited for a cup of tea by an Englishman, you’ll be served a cup of very good tea; you may also get a small piece of cake. If you’re invited for a cup of tea by the Russian, you better don’t eat anything before the visit!

Russian cuisine may seem a bit bizarre to a person from a different culture. Eastern  food is very specific indeed: the Russians love soups and meat, and majority of their national specialities is very rich and rather fat. Moreover, they can hardly imagine living without bread, which is not only a must during every meal, but is almost a part of the culture, as there are hundreds of proverbs about it and even the Museum of Bread in St Petersburg.

When it comes to drinks, the Russians’ favourite one is black tea, often served with fruit conserve or lemon. Coffee is not too popular, although it is a common drink. Among alcohol drinks, vodka is obviously the favourite one..

The teachers are excellent and flexible; they will discuss with you what you’d like to study. The festive, James Bond loving Boris was a particular favourite. Be prepared for Russian tongue twisters: Шла Саша по шоссе и сосала сушку.

Gayle Irwin

Be careful not to get ripped off. Street sellers can easily spot tourists and if they think they can charge you more then they will If you spend time at the individual stalls you will be approached by the salesmen. They are very friendly and will engage you in conversation – for the girls: using your feminine charm and smiling will help (A LOT).

Like most European cities there are lots of pickpockets and thieves about and if you don’t look after your stuff you will lose it! This is most important on the metro as the carriages fill up completely and Russians tend to have different ideas about personal space (it is worse than the London underground).

I am sure you are already aware of the dangers of having your bag stolen but it is important to remember that you are easily recognisable as foreigners. Russians can easily tell just by looking at you that you are a tourist so don’t be fooled…you will be targeted!