My studies in Russia and Ukraine have been organized through SRAS - the School of Russian and Asian Studies. I've been overall satisfied with the assistance provided by the organization. I heavily corresponded with Renee, the director, for two years as I tried to set this up. It seemed like no matter what time I emailed her, I always got a response back within 1-2 hours. SRAS helped me obtain the
priglashenye (invitation) to study in Russia that was needed for my visa; they set up my housing, enrolled me in the school, met me at the airport, and provided lots of information about the places I would go. They also provided the comfort of knowing that I could call a local resident an any time if I needed help. But other than that they have been pretty hands off, and that's the way I like exchange programs in general.
One thing that I've really enjoyed, however, is participating in some of the optional tours that SRAS offers. Do you remember Sergei's guided walking tour of downtown St. Pete? It was absolutely a wonderful time. The same multi-talented Sergei (a professor and culture enthusiast) took us to a play by Gogol at the Aleksandrinskiy Theatre, on a tour of The Russian Museum, and invited us over to make and eat
syrniki -- the highlight of today's blog post.
