Making friends in St Petersburg – goodbye James!

Before I came to Liden & Denz my main hope was that I would fall back in love with learning Russian again after what had been a very challenging year. Действительно (Indeed) this hope has been realised! I have had an extremely enjoyable time at Liden & Denz, and I am sad that just as St. Petersburg is starting to feel like home and I have made some great friends, it’s already пора домой (time to go home).

Liden & Denz

The teachers at Liden & Denz have taught me how important it is to learn a language in context. It is all very well mechanically learning a list of words every week, but unless you learn to manipulate the language and think of real-life contexts in which you can use it, then you never really live the language. For me, it has been so refreshing to experience first-class teaching where there is a lively, communicative method. The lessons are always fun, interactive and never too bookish. The classes at Liden & Denz gave me the opportunity to speak without fear and be confident enough to express myself event when I don’t have the exact words.

Making Friends

The best thing about studying at an international language school is the fact that everyone here is motivated by the shared goal of mastering the beast that is the Russian language! There is a huge culture of support in which the teachers and fellow students all try to help each other out. It has been so interesting to make friends with people from America, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Ecuador etc. etc. When studying at Liden & Denz you not only learn about Russia, but about lots of other cultures. I have particularly enjoyed working with my fellow interns who always have interesting things to say and a wicked sense of humour. I am glad I have even more excuses to travel around the world visiting friends!

Saying goodbye – Interns after work

Of course, it has also been a joy to make Russian friends – that is one of the reasons I am here after all. In fact, the best advice I can give to those learning Russian is (as Esther said) to find Russian friends! Not only will your Russian improve exponentially when you regularly “общаться” (socialise) with friends, but your progress will be more noticeable as you start to hear phrases that you have learnt in class in everyday contexts. Before coming to Liden & Denz I was frustrated that I had no way of tracking my progress, but while I’ve been studying with Zlata and Lyuba I have had many moments of excitement hearing idioms and phrases in everyday conversation with friends.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

After asking my fellow interns about what they would like to know about my stay, someone said I should write about how I have changed. I don’t really like cheesy statements about character transformation, but after almost a year of living in Russia I have definitely picked up some traits from Russian people. The first thing I have noticed in myself – for better or for worse, I am yet to decide – is that I have become more direct. In England we are notorious for “beating around the bush”, ie. saying things in a way this is not easy to understand. My task in Russian, however, has been to always try and speak simpler and more directly. I have found this has also influenced the way I think; I am much less worried about asking for help and worry a lot less about what people think about me. The second thing is that I have learnt to try and be more care-free about life. I have found that Russians tend to be more accepting when bad things happen. That doesn’t mean that they don’t complain (I’d say Russians complain just as much as the British), but that they accept that there are some things that are out of our control. I have realised that I often strive for an unachievable perfection, but sometimes life is just how it is – жизнь такая.

Overall, I have had a wonderful time at Liden & Denz and will always look on my time here fondly. After a year of fighting with the Russian language and trying settle in, Liden & Denz has really started to feel like home. Thanks to Liza, Zlata, Lyuba and all the staff and interns at Liden & Denz who have helped to make this nothing short of a very positive experience!

Posted by James Tibbles

Привет! My name is James and I am a student at Liden & Denz. From the dreaming spires of Oxford to the glittering rooftops of St Petersburg I am super excited to write my next chapter in Russia's literary and cultural capital.