From Scotland with Love – Hello from Thomas

Всем привет! My name is Thomas and I am really excited to be starting my internship as a blogger at Liden & Denz St Petersburg.

I study Russian and history at St Andrews University back home in Scotland, and I had the fantastic experience of spending a Year Abroad in Russia. But that was not enough for me! And so I find myself yet again back in St Petersburg with this internship! This will be the third time I have been to St Petersburg, fourth time in Russia…but I have never been to London!! Funny how the mind of a Scotsman works, right?

A riddle wrapped in an enigma

So why do I have such a draw to Russia, you may ask? I have always had a fascination with Russian history. As Churchill once put it, Russia to me was this “riddle wrapped up in an enigma”; a country that appeared to be so different and unknown. The more I read about Russian history, from the Revolution, to the Romanov rulers, my interest continued to grow. Learning Russian became a must, and then a passion. How does this have an impact on our way of thinking, our perceptions and stereotypes which inform us of Russia and learning Russian? Learning foreign languages helps you understand different mindsets, cultures and outlooks, and thus a different understanding of history. And where better to learn Russian and research the past than in St. Petersburg? This  Russian city has been the backdrop to some of the most spectacular historical events in world history!

A shared history

Cameron Gallery, Tsarskoye Selo

For my last year of my undergraduate, I’ll be writing a dissertation on the shared history between Scotland and Russia. But what’s there to write? – I hear you mumble. This shared history between our two countries is actually more tangible than what you would first think. Not to meaning to convolute these connections, I still find that the mere fact of their existence fascinating. From architecture (the Cameron Gallery, the Spasskaya Clock in the Moscow Kremlin) to Russia’s military heritage (Patrick Gordon, Rear Admiral of the Russian army who exerted such influence that he even helped Peter the Great assert power in his own right…and the historical repercussions are? – I’ll leave you to let that thought sink in), these Russo-Scottish connections exist, and it leaves me with an inexplicable feeling that we are perhaps not as different as Churchill once claimed.

For more information about the internships at Liden & Denz, have a look at our internship page, where you can find out about the various options available! 🙂

Posted by Thomas Reid

A passionate Russian and history student, I'm here in bonny St P. to build on my knowledge of Russian and learn more about the shared history between Scotland and Russia.