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Returning to Russia
8 years ago
For those who have been following me for a while, or those who have only become acquainted with me recently, it probably became clear at some point that I was quite interested in Russia, particularly Russian history and that of the former Soviet Union. And those who have known me for a decent while might remember my trip to Russia back in 2015.
For the past year or thereabouts, I have been going through various stages of application to a foreign study programme to study at a Russian university. And over the past few months, everything for this process has come into place. The list of universities I applied for that teach English-language graduate programmes in Russian regional studies has been narrowed down and I have been formally accepted to a Russian university! While I actually am enrolling at a different university than I expected, I am eager for the adventure. Rather than going to Moskva or Sankt-Peterburg, I am going somewhere I have never been in Russia, to the city of Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains. Yekaterinburg was founded in the 18th century and was renamed Sverdlovsk in the Soviet period after Yakov Sverdlov. It was also a closed city under Soviet rule, as the city's large metallurgical industry was considered too sensitive to allow outside access. But now, Yekaterinburg is an open city. And I cannot wait to visit it.
I will be in Russia for the next two years, I will still be accessible by notes and the other various means of contact, just with a notable time zone difference compared to people in the United States or Canada. Yekaterinburg is 12 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time. So it would be 10 PM for me when it is 10 AM that same day in California.
All in all, I think I have a great period in my life ahead of me and I couldn't be happier to be going back to Russia, this time for two years instead of two weeks.
For the past year or thereabouts, I have been going through various stages of application to a foreign study programme to study at a Russian university. And over the past few months, everything for this process has come into place. The list of universities I applied for that teach English-language graduate programmes in Russian regional studies has been narrowed down and I have been formally accepted to a Russian university! While I actually am enrolling at a different university than I expected, I am eager for the adventure. Rather than going to Moskva or Sankt-Peterburg, I am going somewhere I have never been in Russia, to the city of Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains. Yekaterinburg was founded in the 18th century and was renamed Sverdlovsk in the Soviet period after Yakov Sverdlov. It was also a closed city under Soviet rule, as the city's large metallurgical industry was considered too sensitive to allow outside access. But now, Yekaterinburg is an open city. And I cannot wait to visit it.
I will be in Russia for the next two years, I will still be accessible by notes and the other various means of contact, just with a notable time zone difference compared to people in the United States or Canada. Yekaterinburg is 12 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time. So it would be 10 PM for me when it is 10 AM that same day in California.
All in all, I think I have a great period in my life ahead of me and I couldn't be happier to be going back to Russia, this time for two years instead of two weeks.
I have Lake Baikal and Derbent on my list as well. Derbent is the farthest southern city of Russia.
And neat! I was looking at the northernmost one. Someday I want to visit the northernmost and southernmost places on Earth. Inhabited places I mean.
Northern Russia would be a very interesting visit though.
It does seem fitting for a macrophile to visit the world's biggest country.
I share your sentiments though! Russians, in my experience, tend to be fairly reserved around people they do not know but once you get a Russian person to truly trust and befriend you, you've got a friend for life.
I am connecting to Yekaterinburg via Moskva and it sounds like not too bad of a flight.
That said, Yekaterinburg is on the Trans-Siberian Railway, so I'm not sure I can resist a train ride.
I want to try and visit the Baikonur Cosmodrome too but that's in Kazakhstan.
There is something cool about saying your going to Russia as opposed to some touristy country like France or Italy.