Blaze your own trail

When most people go abroad, they go to boring, 'safe' places such as Pairs or Rome. I chose to go somewhere different and exotic, but not exotic in the sense of palm trees and coconuts. Think more smokestacks and less smiles. The AIFS St. Petersburg program was an amazing 4 month experience in a part of the world that is not frequently traveled. The staff was fantastic; any problem I had was usually solved pretty quickly. The weekly excursions were all educational, informative and most importantly fun. As far as classes, the language instructors are masters at teaching an incredibly tough language. I went to Russia knowing only a handful of words and by the time I left, I was confident enough to hold a conversation. The elective professors were also fun and knowledgeable. If you are reading this, at least give this program a thought! You'll be glad you did.