Research
St. Petersburg, Russia, 1999-2000
To revive my Russian language skills, and to see how life looked in Russia after the dismantlement of the Soviet Union, I took advantage of a CIEE study abroad trip to St. Petersburg. I studied at the lovely Smolny Institute for nine months, making many friends from several parts of Europe and North America.
Cultural Observations
Being impatient, I learned the convenience of the private taxi drivers who make money on the side driving people (usually lazy foreigners like me who could afford this service) around the city. They, technically, are not supposed to do this and can at any moment be pulled over by the traffic police (who sometimes will leave them alone with a little "cash incentive"). This isn't unique to St. Petersburg, by any means. The fellow pictured above was an especially charming driver who loves jazz, especially Miles Davis. Who can't love that?
The above photo taken in St. Petersburg shows that some reminents from the Soviet past still exist amidst the process of increasing Western influence. This is a church that was converted to a factory of some kind. Our commute to school took us by this location every day.
What do you do in the middle of a frigid St. Petersburg winter? Well, my friend Oliver and I would take the occasional walk on the frozen waters of the Finnish Gulf. Here, Oliver is pictured with a puzzled expression. Perhaps it is because we had just spent the last ten minutes watching people race their cars back and forth across the ice in what we supposed was a winter sport for Formula One enthusiasts.
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