About one month in to our semester, the SRAS students took a weekend trip to Novgorod, one of the oldest and most important cities in Russian history. Located between Moscow and St. Petersburg, it is believed that Novgorod is the birthplace of Russia, since it was here in 862 that Prince Rurik proclaimed the modern […]

Neon signs first began to populate Warsaw’s streets in the inter-war years when The Second Polish Republic was, briefly, an independent state. WWII destroyed most of Warsaw and nearly all of its then-popular neon signs. The Communists maintained control of the country and officially frowned on the decorative advertisings. Although old town was rebuilt nearly […]

One of the trickiest parts of studying abroad long-term is anticipating how well you can pursue one of your hobbies as easily as you can at home. My fellow SRAS student Ross, for instance, arrived in Bishkek ready to rock climb. The Central Asian Studies program affords students enough free time to explore what the […]

The walk from the Курская metro station to where our classes were held at HSE is lined with a number of small cafes and convenience stores. Typical of the average college student, we often stopped in one of these cafes on our way to class. Below are my reviews of the three cafes most frequented […]

In the two months that I have lived in Irkutsk, I have eaten out a lot. Every day for lunch, I like to try a new cafe or restaurant. I work as a host at a restaurant back home, so I’m very familiar with American dining customs and hospitality guidelines. As such, I have noticed […]

In 2005, when this resource was first developed, supermarket chains in Russia were only first developing. Brand and product selection, while perhaps normal for a post-Soviet location, was disappointing and monotonous for most visitors. The restaurant scene, even in places like Moscow and St. Petersburg, also felt underdeveloped. Of the three things commonly looked for […]

The first step to studying abroad is choosing where to study abroad. It’s not a simple decision! I struggled a lot in this aspect, but landed on Kyiv because it seemed like a unique place, and I thought I could really improve my Russian language. It didn’t hurt that Kyiv is pretty cheap compared to […]

Eurasia today is quite affordable. Students are often surprised how far their dollars will go even in major cities like St. Petersburg and Warsaw – and very surprised at how far they go in places like Bishkek and Irkutsk. However, students can also be surprised at how easy it is to run into troubles – […]