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What should I expect on a French exchange?

What to expect as a foreign exchange student in Russia?

  • I'm looking into becoming a foreign exchange student in spring 2012, and Russia is by far my top choice. I was wondering if there were any good free programs on the internet, or any books that could help me easily learn Russian? I was also wondering if there was anything notable that I should be aware of, like their clothing style and the food they eat, and extra curriculum activities like sports.

  • Answer:

    Ohhhh, be prepared. First day you arrive, you have to check in at Visa department . First of all, they will not accept your AIDS test you had to make to obtain visa. Visa department will make you take another one. Every document has to be in russian, so translate them before you arrive (like confirmation of your health status, insurance , ...) Be prepared that you will have a lot of problems if u don't speak Russian, because even though someone speaks English they will not be willing to help you in English.. Their bureaucracy is a complex, demanding, slow and cumbersome. I suggest you always bring a friend who is fluent in Russian. Second, they easily detect a foreign and they try to rip them off anywhere they can (specially be aware of taxi drivers). Third, there is police everywhere and they are very demanding, you need to provide them with all your documents, but I suggest you have copy with you in a case of "fake police". They can be very cold, so act like a russian, be polite&cold but in a case the one who should help isn't helping you , don't hesitate to even be rude . Although russians are "cold", after few drinks you will find out how nice, funny and good people they are. I'm sure you will find find a lot of friends for life. After you break the ice with them, you will have real friends. But, I do have to tell you that "international students" are kept together ,this is how you'll be organized, so you'll meet people from all over the world. Russians are actually very fashionable. They are "natural beauties" but also take a good care of their looks. Since you are a girl, I have to mention that russian man are strong , manly and they are a perfect choice to keep you warm during long, freezing winters . When it comes to clothes, the only advice is to take warm clothes; boots with fur inside, heavy coat, few layers of shirts... Their nightlife is amazing, I'm sure you will enjoy it. Now the language part. I'm not sure where are you from, if you're from a Slavic country it won't be hard for you to learn the language. If you're from other language area , you need to start immediately. Join some Russian course, and parallel with that surf the web and learn by yourself. LIvemocha is ok for the start. Good thing is you can really easily ind russian language courses online, so start downloading. Good luck and have fun in Russia, one of the most beautiful countries in the World !

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livemocha.com - they have free beginners and intermediate programs in any languages, try the russian ones :) "One lesson" usually consists of 4 exercises. The first being to listen and read certain words, the second to remember what the words mean, the third practicing your writing ability, and the fourth to record yourself speaking. The last two exercises can be put up to the public (Russian speakers) to correct. That way you'll be receiving feedback too. Well, I'm a Russian girl so I'm going to try describe this as much as I can. Clothing style is different according to what people feel comfortable in. You can see MANY girls in high heels and mini skirts, but you can also see goth-like people and very casual people with just jeans and a t shirt. Russians take care of themselves, so make sure you have clean hair, stand up straight, look nice, act polite - but I think that would come naturally to you. It is also a stereotype that Russians are blonde and blue eyed. Yes there are many like this, but the majority have light brown hair and hazel eyes. We mostly eat Russian food, so you might want to look into it on the internet, just google it. To mention some, there are blini, borsh and pelmeni, besides many others. As for extra curriculum activites I'd say that most teenagers in Russia have something, whether it be swimming, gymnastic, basketball, ect. Hope I helped, need anything just message me through yahoo!a

SS

having been one (a foreign exchange student to Russia), let's start with the fact that there is no easy way to learn Russian. It is very learnable, but start now. I'd suggest Rosetta Stone as probably the best to learn on your own. as for being there, it depends where you go. If you wind up in a small city in the Urals, you can easily be overdressed in your Western clothes. If you go to Moscow, be prepared to have your parents refinance their home so you can keep up with the current styles. First, learn basic Russian, you have a lot of time and practice, practice, practice. Don't worry about the minor details until you find out exactly where you are being placed, then go on line and ask a lot of questions. Finally, realize that the friends you make there will most likely be your friends for life. That's the way Russians are, they are hard to get to know but once you are accepted there truely are no finer people on the earth.

iceman

Russians very easy identify non-Russians, sometimes it may be how you dress but even more it is demeanor, how you behave in your surroundings. Americans behave very different than Russians, I cannot explain this in words but someone of more intelligence or English vocabulary can maybe but I can simply watch the way Westerners move and its obviously different than how we act. Observe Russians and try to imitate. It will make your experience easier than if everyone in sight knows you are foreign.

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