By Madison Creery
This summer I made the decision to pursue intensive language immersion with CIEE in St. Petersburg, Russia for eight weeks. And when I say intensive, I mean four days a week of learning Russian for four and a half hours a day. On top of this, I had the opportunity to live with a Russian home stay family, allowing me to rely on my Russian for everyday life. Although my host mom spoke excellent English, my host dad spoke none. This was challenging, but perhaps one of the most beneficial aspects of the program, since I was able to speak the language in everyday life with my host dad (or, at least try to). For language classes, I was luckily placed in a skills level similar to my first semester of intensive Russian at Georgetown. So, I wasn’t completely lost, but I was also able to continue learning new grammar rules and constructs of the language. Outside of class, we had the opportunity to go on excursions of the historical sites of St. Petersburg, including trips to Cathedrals, museums, and historic parks, as well as take weekend trips to Veliky Novgorod and Moscow. Overall, this opportunity has been one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I am already planning for future trips to Russia!
How will this experience help you in your job search and career?
CIEE’s language immersion program will support my career goal of becoming an intelligence analyst for the Eurasian region. In order to best serve the U.S. in this capacity, working towards fluency in the language will aid my ability in analyzing reports. It is also imperative in this field to have in-country experience. Although Georgetown’s Security Studies Program offers me the ability to learn the necessary skills to thrive in a career as an intelligence analyst, this grant will allow me to gain experiential learning not available in the classroom. Having intensely studied and experienced Russia’s culture, I will possess the ability to prepare intelligence reports that more accurately estimate emerging trends and security threats from the Eurasian region. This will allow me to take into account cultural and political factors that may be influencing Russia’s foreign policy decisions.
Why did you choose this particular country?
I chose to conduct language immersion in St. Petersburg, Russia, because I have always been fascinated by the foreign policy decisions of the region, particularly how they pertain to the United States. Much of my research has focused on Russia’s strategic choices relating to Crimea and its use of “hybrid warfare.” After doing research on this topic, I then moved to a more quantitative study on U.S.-Russia relations. I conducted a threat analysis between the two countries, focusing on Militarized Interstate Disputes from the fall of the Soviet Union to present day. I plan to further my research in this realm as I continue my studies at Georgetown University, including the effect information warfare has on heightening tensions between countries. When the opportunity presented itself to advance these particular interests in St. Petersburg, I was more than happy to pursue it!
Is there anything you wish you would have known before leaving and why?
I need to preface this by saying that I have never left the United States before deciding that Russia would be the perfect place to study abroad. My parents pushed for Britain or France, but Russia has always been the place for me! Despite my months of research, as well as my language classes at Georgetown, there have still been a few things that I wished I knew before getting on the plane. First, although I read several travel blogs warning me about St. Petersburg’s versatile weather, I was not prepared for the days that start out beautiful but then turn into thunderstorms and hurricane-like winds by three in the afternoon. It does not help that I live right next to the Gulf of Finland. Combine this with the fact that Russians have better style than Americans, creating a problem of never being dressed fashionable and appropriate for the weather. However, I have gotten much better at wearing layers (though my horrid sense of fashion simply cannot be helped). Finally, I wish I knew more about the logistics of trying to contact home while away in a foreign country. The program I am in has provided the students with a local SIM card to make communication easier while in Russia, but it is certainly a different story when trying to connect back to the States. Since I am the only one in my family to have studied abroad, we had to slowly figure out just how important “WhatsApp” and Snapchat truly are. However, as I have adjusted to life in Russia, I have become much better at getting in contact with my family. But there is nothing I can do about the eight-hour time difference!
How will this experience help you in your job search and career?
CIEE’s language immersion program will support my career goal of becoming an intelligence analyst for the Eurasian region. In order to best serve the U.S. in this capacity, working towards fluency in the language will aid my ability in analyzing reports. It is also imperative in this field to have in-country experience. Although Georgetown’s Security Studies Program offers me the ability to learn the necessary skills to thrive in a career as an intelligence analyst, this grant will allow me to gain experiential learning not available in the classroom. Having intensely studied and experienced Russia’s culture, I will possess the ability to prepare intelligence reports that more accurately estimate emerging trends and security threats from the Eurasian region. This will allow me to take into account cultural and political factors that may be influencing Russia’s foreign policy decisions.
Why did you choose this particular country?
I chose to conduct language immersion in St. Petersburg, Russia, because I have always been fascinated by the foreign policy decisions of the region, particularly how they pertain to the United States. Much of my research has focused on Russia’s strategic choices relating to Crimea and its use of “hybrid warfare.” After doing research on this topic, I then moved to a more quantitative study on U.S.-Russia relations. I conducted a threat analysis between the two countries, focusing on Militarized Interstate Disputes from the fall of the Soviet Union to present day. I plan to further my research in this realm as I continue my studies at Georgetown University, including the effect information warfare has on heightening tensions between countries. When the opportunity presented itself to advance these particular interests in St. Petersburg, I was more than happy to pursue it!
Is there anything you wish you would have known before leaving and why?
I need to preface this by saying that I have never left the United States before deciding that Russia would be the perfect place to study abroad. My parents pushed for Britain or France, but Russia has always been the place for me! Despite my months of research, as well as my language classes at Georgetown, there have still been a few things that I wished I knew before getting on the plane. First, although I read several travel blogs warning me about St. Petersburg’s versatile weather, I was not prepared for the days that start out beautiful but then turn into thunderstorms and hurricane-like winds by three in the afternoon. It does not help that I live right next to the Gulf of Finland. Combine this with the fact that Russians have better style than Americans, creating a problem of never being dressed fashionable and appropriate for the weather. However, I have gotten much better at wearing layers (though my horrid sense of fashion simply cannot be helped). Finally, I wish I knew more about the logistics of trying to contact home while away in a foreign country. The program I am in has provided the students with a local SIM card to make communication easier while in Russia, but it is certainly a different story when trying to connect back to the States. Since I am the only one in my family to have studied abroad, we had to slowly figure out just how important “WhatsApp” and Snapchat truly are. However, as I have adjusted to life in Russia, I have become much better at getting in contact with my family. But there is nothing I can do about the eight-hour time difference!