Welcome to Moscow

Alexandra Shapiro ‘15, Caroline Elkin ‘15, Mackenzie King ‘15, and Danielle Collette ‘15 arrived in Russia last week on the Dickinson-in-Moscow program. Within the first couple days they got acquainted with RGGU, met with former OSAs Sasha Kozhevnikova and Vadim Ivanischev, and met with Dickinson Russian major Olivia Stevens ‘13, who was awarded a Fulbright to Kyrgystan and who happened to be passing through Moscow.

The students shared their first impressions:

Danielle Collette: “My first impression of Russia was learning a very important lesson from my host mom: every woman in Moscow should tell herself that she is the most beautiful, intelligent woman in the city and everything will work out. So far, Moscow has treated me very well.”

Alexandra Shapiro: “ I was really excited to finally get here. My cab driver told me about his life in Moscow and explained that there were two kind of people in Russia – people who work hard and people who fool around. He asked me the English word for ‘бездельник’ and I told him it was ‘vagabond.’”

Mackenzie King was also impressed by her cab driver, although it was her third time in Moscow. “He was incredibly talkative and managed to cover almost all the topics I’ve studied in the past 2 years, all within an hour. Such a conversation so soon upon arrival reminded me why I am in Moscow.”

Caroline Elkin: “My first impression of Russia was surreal. I thought I was dreaming when I heard people around me speaking Russian. Once I wandered around the city, especially Gorky Park, I felt more at home (and more awake). The new scenery, especially the birch trees, have already made an impression”