St Petersberg for dummies
January 2, 2007 10:23 PM Subscribe
What do you do when you're in St Petersberg (Russia) for a month with no understanding of the language and no local contacts?
A friend of mine's just gone there, and I've only just discovered how shockingly unprepared she is for it. I sort of assumed that the guy she was going there with would know a local or something but it seems like they just sort of turned up and are trying to wing it. Which works, but mostly if you're in a place where you speak the local language!
Does anyone know enough about the city to recommend a place she can go that, I dunno, would give her tips like how to speak common phrases and buy food and stuff? Or some touristy ideas? Only thing I can think of is contacting the local Australian consulate for advice, but I know next to nothing about the place so am not really much use.
They are staying in some sort of guest house where the landlady speaks little to know English.
I'm still kind of shocked at how little they prepared considering how confidant she sounded before they left!
A friend of mine's just gone there, and I've only just discovered how shockingly unprepared she is for it. I sort of assumed that the guy she was going there with would know a local or something but it seems like they just sort of turned up and are trying to wing it. Which works, but mostly if you're in a place where you speak the local language!
Does anyone know enough about the city to recommend a place she can go that, I dunno, would give her tips like how to speak common phrases and buy food and stuff? Or some touristy ideas? Only thing I can think of is contacting the local Australian consulate for advice, but I know next to nothing about the place so am not really much use.
They are staying in some sort of guest house where the landlady speaks little to know English.
I'm still kind of shocked at how little they prepared considering how confidant she sounded before they left!
I would recommend one of the Lonely Planet phrasebooks. They honestly suck (too many pages on how to insult the natives), but they're better than a dictionary.
As someone who spent nearly a month in Siberia -- which has far fewer English speakers than St. Petersburg -- I'd say these people are going to do just fine in that city, which I've heard is very European and up-to-date. In any case, here's a good philosophy to use while travelling -- almost wherever you go, there are people living there. That means you can live there too, you just need to adjust to it somehow. St. Petersburg is probably easier than many places to live in.
She should be able to find a place with an Internet connection. (If not, there's absolutely zero hope for her, and she should not be leaving her house.) From there, thorntree or virtualtourist are teeming with excellent recommendations. I'm guessing there are oodles of expats in St. Petersburg so (assuming she is also Aussie) there may even be a website telling her where she can buy a precious jar of Vegemite.
Those two will be just fine. My advice to you would be to relax. Even better: I would recommend you go and live in a place where you don't know the language. You'll have a blast, assuming it's not North Korea.
posted by Deathalicious at 11:45 PM on January 2, 2007
As someone who spent nearly a month in Siberia -- which has far fewer English speakers than St. Petersburg -- I'd say these people are going to do just fine in that city, which I've heard is very European and up-to-date. In any case, here's a good philosophy to use while travelling -- almost wherever you go, there are people living there. That means you can live there too, you just need to adjust to it somehow. St. Petersburg is probably easier than many places to live in.
She should be able to find a place with an Internet connection. (If not, there's absolutely zero hope for her, and she should not be leaving her house.) From there, thorntree or virtualtourist are teeming with excellent recommendations. I'm guessing there are oodles of expats in St. Petersburg so (assuming she is also Aussie) there may even be a website telling her where she can buy a precious jar of Vegemite.
Those two will be just fine. My advice to you would be to relax. Even better: I would recommend you go and live in a place where you don't know the language. You'll have a blast, assuming it's not North Korea.
posted by Deathalicious at 11:45 PM on January 2, 2007
Response by poster: 1) I have lived in a place where I didn't know the language -- I grew up in Papua New Guinea :-)
2) I'm not worried, just trying to help her as the only news I've gotten from her is how much the place sucks cause she doesn't know anyone/speak the language and that everyone is hostile. She's a bit of a complainer anyway but a couple of places for her to make a start (since apparantly all her travel companion is interested in doing is sleeping) is what I'm after.
posted by Silentgoldfish at 12:51 AM on January 3, 2007
2) I'm not worried, just trying to help her as the only news I've gotten from her is how much the place sucks cause she doesn't know anyone/speak the language and that everyone is hostile. She's a bit of a complainer anyway but a couple of places for her to make a start (since apparantly all her travel companion is interested in doing is sleeping) is what I'm after.
posted by Silentgoldfish at 12:51 AM on January 3, 2007
1) Why didn't you learn the language if you were growing up there? Never, mind, that's a derail.
2) Oh, well that's different. What the heck was she doing going to a new place if she had this sort of attitude? It might be useful to find out why she went to there in the first place -- she can transform that original interest into a "quest", and make doing things like attempting to learn the language and chatting up strangers (I'd recommend she chat up women to avoid getting herself in trouble) steps along the journey.
posted by Deathalicious at 1:26 AM on January 3, 2007
2) Oh, well that's different. What the heck was she doing going to a new place if she had this sort of attitude? It might be useful to find out why she went to there in the first place -- she can transform that original interest into a "quest", and make doing things like attempting to learn the language and chatting up strangers (I'd recommend she chat up women to avoid getting herself in trouble) steps along the journey.
posted by Deathalicious at 1:26 AM on January 3, 2007
Response by poster: 1) Believe me I tried, I've just got no aptitude for languages though I could understand Pidgin fairly well by the time my family left.
2) I don't really know! She seemed fairly positive about it before she left, from the way she's talking the locals are more indifferent/aggressive than she was expecting or something like that.
posted by Silentgoldfish at 1:47 AM on January 3, 2007
2) I don't really know! She seemed fairly positive about it before she left, from the way she's talking the locals are more indifferent/aggressive than she was expecting or something like that.
posted by Silentgoldfish at 1:47 AM on January 3, 2007
I heard 'The Christmas Bar' is a good place for a night out.
posted by popcassady at 3:29 AM on January 3, 2007
posted by popcassady at 3:29 AM on January 3, 2007
Best answer: This is actually pretty typical, if the experience of everyone on my study abroad program and most of the people at my college back home who studied in Russia is anything to go by. Russia can be kind of a shocker, especially for those students who went full of visions of Dostoevsky and literature-loving people and the legendary friendliness and warmth of the Russians. They're warm and friendly all right, but only once you get to know them first. On the bus, that babushka is going to be trying to decapitate you with her elbow because you are in her way. I don't know if this is at all helpful, but it's easily as depressing when you speak the language.
Therefore, the important thing is to just do stuff. There is a ton of stuff to do in St. Petersburg if you don't mind getting cold and braving public transportation. (I have met some very friendly people on Russian trains, there is nothing like a journey for making people talkative. Sometimes they are drunk, but win some, lose some.) There are like ten park-palace complexes outside the city alone, and countless museums. The big Dom Knigi on Nevsky Prospekt should have some English-language guidebooks. (Some will be in the guidebook section, some will be [upstairs, 3 years ago] in the general travel books area.) St. Petersburg State University is on Vasilevsky Island-- there are a bunch of museums in and around it and students will probably be more excited than the general population at the chance to practice their English. A Lonely Planet guidebook should have some instructions on how to find other expats, although they will crop up in the strangest places. I was visiting Novgorod once and the woman behind the desk said, "Oh, you're from St. Petersburg, we have another student from there in the museum right now!" That student turned out to be Canadian. If she wants to find other Americans she can also try contacting the study abroad programs of other schools-- there are some at Herzen, St. Petersburg State, and European U.
You really do have to take the initiative, though. The people who approach you without getting clear signals of "approach me!" are generally drunk and/or creepy; since your friend is female, she can take the first step-- ask for help from other women, especially young women (more likely to speak English), and she may be surprised at the warmth of the response she gets. I regret that I didn't do more of this. Also, if you're young and female the babushka, as a species, will help you. She may act like she wants to kill you while she does it, but it's like some sort of sacred calling: protect the stupid child who has asked for help. I found this reassuring to remember.
posted by posadnitsa at 5:33 AM on January 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
Therefore, the important thing is to just do stuff. There is a ton of stuff to do in St. Petersburg if you don't mind getting cold and braving public transportation. (I have met some very friendly people on Russian trains, there is nothing like a journey for making people talkative. Sometimes they are drunk, but win some, lose some.) There are like ten park-palace complexes outside the city alone, and countless museums. The big Dom Knigi on Nevsky Prospekt should have some English-language guidebooks. (Some will be in the guidebook section, some will be [upstairs, 3 years ago] in the general travel books area.) St. Petersburg State University is on Vasilevsky Island-- there are a bunch of museums in and around it and students will probably be more excited than the general population at the chance to practice their English. A Lonely Planet guidebook should have some instructions on how to find other expats, although they will crop up in the strangest places. I was visiting Novgorod once and the woman behind the desk said, "Oh, you're from St. Petersburg, we have another student from there in the museum right now!" That student turned out to be Canadian. If she wants to find other Americans she can also try contacting the study abroad programs of other schools-- there are some at Herzen, St. Petersburg State, and European U.
You really do have to take the initiative, though. The people who approach you without getting clear signals of "approach me!" are generally drunk and/or creepy; since your friend is female, she can take the first step-- ask for help from other women, especially young women (more likely to speak English), and she may be surprised at the warmth of the response she gets. I regret that I didn't do more of this. Also, if you're young and female the babushka, as a species, will help you. She may act like she wants to kill you while she does it, but it's like some sort of sacred calling: protect the stupid child who has asked for help. I found this reassuring to remember.
posted by posadnitsa at 5:33 AM on January 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
Argh! Sorry about the length and the formatting.
posted by posadnitsa at 5:33 AM on January 3, 2007
posted by posadnitsa at 5:33 AM on January 3, 2007
Response by poster: No problem about the formatting, that sounds like exactly the kind of thing she needs to hear! Thanks for that.
posted by Silentgoldfish at 5:41 AM on January 3, 2007
posted by Silentgoldfish at 5:41 AM on January 3, 2007
I've been to St. Petersburg twice in the last year, and there was a metric-shit-ton of english-language signage and english-language guide material available at various kiosks and such. She's not in dire straits at all. She's probably just not paying attention.
What she should do is walk out on the street outside of where she's staying, go to the nearest kiosk selling magazines (they are EVERYWHERE), and look for the readily-available english language "gahzyetee" (weekly/monthly newspapers with listings of shows and things). From there she can find something amazing to do every night.
The other option is to look up all the english language centers nearby (easy to do online) and call them and ask to visit their classes as a native speaker. The students will, after class, very likely ask her to go hang out. And they will speak a little english. I used this to my advantage in several cities several times and met a lot of nice people.
posted by fake at 5:53 AM on January 3, 2007
What she should do is walk out on the street outside of where she's staying, go to the nearest kiosk selling magazines (they are EVERYWHERE), and look for the readily-available english language "gahzyetee" (weekly/monthly newspapers with listings of shows and things). From there she can find something amazing to do every night.
The other option is to look up all the english language centers nearby (easy to do online) and call them and ask to visit their classes as a native speaker. The students will, after class, very likely ask her to go hang out. And they will speak a little english. I used this to my advantage in several cities several times and met a lot of nice people.
posted by fake at 5:53 AM on January 3, 2007
I went to the ballet in St. Petersburg and even though I'm not a ballet person, it was excellent. We got student tickets for about $2 (front row balcony). The best part was the old lady at coat check who spoke no English, but convinced us to rent opera glasses. We got really frustrated when she wouldn't let us return them, but that was because it was only the second intermission.
posted by dripdripdrop at 7:09 AM on January 3, 2007
posted by dripdripdrop at 7:09 AM on January 3, 2007
If they're there for a month, it's highly unlikely they'll miss it, but the hermitage is really very worthwhile if they're into the museum thing at all.
posted by juv3nal at 10:10 AM on January 3, 2007
posted by juv3nal at 10:10 AM on January 3, 2007
St Petersburg Times is in English, online and presumably in kiosks too. The events section looks a bit cryptic (just has the names of venues, not the addresses), but I'm sure if she phoned or emailed the office, they'd happily point her in the right direction of some entertainment - might even take her out for a beer if she's lucky and happens upon a friendly person at the other end of the line.
posted by penguin pie at 1:22 PM on January 3, 2007
posted by penguin pie at 1:22 PM on January 3, 2007
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a small berlitz dictionary or a prinout from a website should give you basic grammar to work with.
good luck!
posted by Izzmeister at 11:12 PM on January 2, 2007