My Time in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Добро пожаловать в Санкт Петербурге!! I am writing to you from the beautiful city of Saint Petersburg, Russia, where I am currently finishing up the last few weeks of my internship.

This summer I have been interning at the Higher School of Economics, working in the Political Science department. The university is one of the best in the city, allowing students to participate in seminars, lectures, research projects, foreign language programs, and campus-wide events. The college had different campuses spread out all over the city, giving students (and myself) the ability to have a break from a monotonous schedule.

Over the course of my eight weeks, I was given a variety of projects to help with. Included amongst these projects were translations, research assistance, English teaching, website revisions, and other office related tasks. Right now, Saint Petersburg is in the midst of its White Nights season, thus it can be almost impossible to know what time it is as the sun never sets in the city. The photo shown below was taken at 2:00 am on Friday, June 21st which just happened to be the longest day of the year. In addition to its White Nights, Saint Petersburg is famous for having several major bridges which open every night for a few hours to allow cargo ships to pass through the city, which is also visible in the photo below.

The most interesting aspect of my internship has certainly been the two research projects that I am apart of. One of the research projects came to fruition out of pure chance, when a professor that I had had at my previous university from last fall ran into me on the main street of the city and told me that she was looking for a research assistant. What serendipity! She asked me to take part in a research project about how to measure the effectiveness of U.N. peacekeeping in different case studies. We plan to have the project completed in the coming week and hopefully published, thus officially making me an official research and editing assistant!

The other project I was fortunate to be a part of was about Russian “Great Power” and its future. This research was with a professor at the Higher School of Economics, who was kind enough to find a project that would both aid him in his work and also help me as I prepare to write an Honors Thesis this upcoming year at Conn!

When not working, I spend time exploring the city, running in the park, meeting up with old friends (from the fall semester) and new friends from the English classes that I help to teach at the university. Living in an Airbnb allows me to practice Russian even at home with my hosts and allows me to spend time with my friend Timofey the cat (pictured in one of the images below). Today happens to be the biggest summer holiday in the city, known as Алые Паруса (Scarlet Sails) which is a celebration for all of the students finishing school. The holiday is famous for its lit up sailboats that fill the river Neva, lighting up the night in a multitude of colors as well as the free concerts, street performances, and other festivities. It truly is the best time to be in the city! Saint Petersburg is a magnificent city experience and I look forward to enjoying the rest of my time here! Check out the rest of my photos below!

Saint Petersburg is well known for being the cultural center of Russia and it is a city filled with art. Pictured here is the artwork of different street vendors, who often display their work around the churches (this photo, in particular, was taken right near The Church of the Saviour on Spilt Blood).

The famous Smolny Cathedral, built by renowned Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Built back in the 17th century, this stunning church has weathered storms from its disuse during the Soviet Union to the Siege of Leningrad, undergoing extraordinary renovations to bring it back to its magnificent, original glory.