Pitt-Bradford Student's Study in Russia
Provides Multicultural Experience
Kimberly Marcott Weinberg
Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing
University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
When Shane Close of Bradford decided to leave home for the first time, he really went for it, spending 16 weeks in Russia, Europe and the United Arab Emirates.
Close, 21, a junior history/political science major at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, traveled to St. Petersburg and Veliky Novgorod, Russia; London; Moscow; Helsinki, Finland; Tallinn, Republic of Estonia; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates; bringing back worldly experiences from each courtesy of the Pitt-approved study-abroad program and the American Institute for Foreign Study.
While studying at the St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University along with nearly 21,000 other students from all over the world, he attended a rock concert at the Lensovieta Palace of Culture and a ballet performance at the Mariinsky Theatre.
In England he visited Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London (including the Crown Jewels), and the British Museum. In Finland, he visited the Presidential Palace, Senate Square, and enjoyed nightlife activities such as going to a club in Helsinki. In Russia, he visited the Kremlin and Red Square, saw an authentic Russian circus with dancing bears from Moscow, a former KGB headquarters, the Estonia Parliament, and Old Tallinn, home to the oldest standing gothic cathedral.
Close said the American Institute for Foreign Study arranged all of the trips. He also traveled independently during his fall semester break at the St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University.
“I decided to see even more of the world and realized that achieving another goal of mine wasn’t out of reach,” Close said. “I started fall break in Moscow and finished it in the United Arab Emirates.”
Close recalled a conversation he had with a Russian girl at the Domodedovo Airport in Moscow, who was surprised that Close was an American studying in St. Petersburg and on his way to Dubai from the airport in Moscow.
“When I arrived in Dubai, it really hit me how independent and on my own I was,” Close said. “As I was stepping off of the plane, I thought to myself, ‘The nearest person who knows my name is about 2,000 miles away!’ That was quite a feeling.”
Close said realizations like that are what make international travel so worthwhile.
“It was overwhelming to see all of the city lights and the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa,” Close said. “Dubai is super modern, almost like a science fiction movie.”
Close said there were above-ground metro trains, man-made marinas and even man-made archipelagos in Dubai.
“I was able to tour Dubai in a helicopter and was able to see the World Islands and Palm Islands from up above,” Close said.
Close said he also flew over Old Dubai and that it was interesting to see the comparison between an old settlement area and perhaps the most modern city in the whole world. While in Dubai, Close was also able to visit the desert of the United Arab Emirates.
“I was lying in the sand peacefully out in the middle of the desert, and then I had a realization,” Close said. “I suddenly thought, ‘What lives in this?’”
Close said he then got up to make sure nothing was coming to bite him and thought it was interesting that he was able to come to the realization.
“That thought process never happened to me in America,” Close said.
Close said he strolled around the desert a bit and came across some Middle Eastern food that seemed very much like spicy shish kabobs. Close said he remembered the different cultural cuisines being very tasty, but for the majority of the trip he ate food similar to the food in the United States.
“I was there to see the country,” Close said. “And you can find just about any kind of food you want there.”
Close said while in Dubai he was also able to engage in political discussions with some of the people. “We agreed more often than we disagreed,” Close said.
Close said studying abroad in Russia helped him in more ways than getting to experience independence. The experience also helped him to eliminate some common stereotypes about Russia and Russian culture that he had heard before in America.
“It is nice to know how Russia actually is,” Close said. “Russia is different from what people think. Many people stereotype Russia as a totally backward place. But in reality it is a truly amazing and beautiful country. St. Petersburg offers anything you could want or want to do in the West, but with a lot of Russian charm.”
The language, which he didn’t know before his trip, also wasn’t as hard and he thought it would be. “It is not as difficult as people think,” Close said. “The best place to learn is being there.”
Close took a three-hour-a-day, four-days-a -week immersion course at the St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University, but he said that he learned a lot about the language simply by talking to people during everyday interactions such as eating at restaurants and spending time with the friends of all ethnic backgrounds that he made there.
Close also volunteered two or three nights a week teaching English at a Center for Learning Foreign Languages in St. Petersburg through an opportunity that was presented by the study abroad program. Close helped college-aged students learn English while they helped him learn Russian.
“We traded languages,” Close said.
Close said they offered to give him a job teaching English if he would ever like to go back to Russia.
“One of the instructors told me, ‘Don’t forget about us,’” Close said.
Close said he found that the Russian people are very reserved at first, but once they get to know you they are very friendly.
“Russian hospitality is very interesting,” Close said. “When you are a guest, they feed you very well, and it is quite difficult to say no to additional servings.
“The most memorable aspect about the trip was the unbelievable hospitality and kindness that I encountered throughout all of my time in Russia.”
Close said that eventually he lived a completely normal life in St. Petersburg and that at the end of the semester when it was time to leave, he did not want to go back to America because he felt like St. Petersburg had become his city.
“It took about a week to get accustomed to the different cultures I experienced abroad,” Close said. “But, I’m still suffering from reverse culture shock!”
Close said he definitely looks forward to returning to St. Petersburg and hopes to teach English as a second language there after he graduates from Pitt-Bradford.
The news leader of the Twin Tiers ...
since 1947
Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing
University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
When Shane Close of Bradford decided to leave home for the first time, he really went for it, spending 16 weeks in Russia, Europe and the United Arab Emirates.Close, 21, a junior history/political science major at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, traveled to St. Petersburg and Veliky Novgorod, Russia; London; Moscow; Helsinki, Finland; Tallinn, Republic of Estonia; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates; bringing back worldly experiences from each courtesy of the Pitt-approved study-abroad program and the American Institute for Foreign Study.
While studying at the St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University along with nearly 21,000 other students from all over the world, he attended a rock concert at the Lensovieta Palace of Culture and a ballet performance at the Mariinsky Theatre.
In England he visited Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London (including the Crown Jewels), and the British Museum. In Finland, he visited the Presidential Palace, Senate Square, and enjoyed nightlife activities such as going to a club in Helsinki. In Russia, he visited the Kremlin and Red Square, saw an authentic Russian circus with dancing bears from Moscow, a former KGB headquarters, the Estonia Parliament, and Old Tallinn, home to the oldest standing gothic cathedral.
Close said the American Institute for Foreign Study arranged all of the trips. He also traveled independently during his fall semester break at the St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University.
“I decided to see even more of the world and realized that achieving another goal of mine wasn’t out of reach,” Close said. “I started fall break in Moscow and finished it in the United Arab Emirates.”
Close recalled a conversation he had with a Russian girl at the Domodedovo Airport in Moscow, who was surprised that Close was an American studying in St. Petersburg and on his way to Dubai from the airport in Moscow.
“When I arrived in Dubai, it really hit me how independent and on my own I was,” Close said. “As I was stepping off of the plane, I thought to myself, ‘The nearest person who knows my name is about 2,000 miles away!’ That was quite a feeling.”
Close said realizations like that are what make international travel so worthwhile.
“It was overwhelming to see all of the city lights and the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa,” Close said. “Dubai is super modern, almost like a science fiction movie.”
Close said there were above-ground metro trains, man-made marinas and even man-made archipelagos in Dubai.
“I was able to tour Dubai in a helicopter and was able to see the World Islands and Palm Islands from up above,” Close said.
Close said he also flew over Old Dubai and that it was interesting to see the comparison between an old settlement area and perhaps the most modern city in the whole world. While in Dubai, Close was also able to visit the desert of the United Arab Emirates.
“I was lying in the sand peacefully out in the middle of the desert, and then I had a realization,” Close said. “I suddenly thought, ‘What lives in this?’”
Close said he then got up to make sure nothing was coming to bite him and thought it was interesting that he was able to come to the realization.
“That thought process never happened to me in America,” Close said.
Close said he strolled around the desert a bit and came across some Middle Eastern food that seemed very much like spicy shish kabobs. Close said he remembered the different cultural cuisines being very tasty, but for the majority of the trip he ate food similar to the food in the United States.
“I was there to see the country,” Close said. “And you can find just about any kind of food you want there.”
Close said while in Dubai he was also able to engage in political discussions with some of the people. “We agreed more often than we disagreed,” Close said.
Close said studying abroad in Russia helped him in more ways than getting to experience independence. The experience also helped him to eliminate some common stereotypes about Russia and Russian culture that he had heard before in America.“It is nice to know how Russia actually is,” Close said. “Russia is different from what people think. Many people stereotype Russia as a totally backward place. But in reality it is a truly amazing and beautiful country. St. Petersburg offers anything you could want or want to do in the West, but with a lot of Russian charm.”
The language, which he didn’t know before his trip, also wasn’t as hard and he thought it would be. “It is not as difficult as people think,” Close said. “The best place to learn is being there.”
Close took a three-hour-a-day, four-days-a -week immersion course at the St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University, but he said that he learned a lot about the language simply by talking to people during everyday interactions such as eating at restaurants and spending time with the friends of all ethnic backgrounds that he made there.
Close also volunteered two or three nights a week teaching English at a Center for Learning Foreign Languages in St. Petersburg through an opportunity that was presented by the study abroad program. Close helped college-aged students learn English while they helped him learn Russian.
“We traded languages,” Close said.
Close said they offered to give him a job teaching English if he would ever like to go back to Russia.
“One of the instructors told me, ‘Don’t forget about us,’” Close said.
Close said he found that the Russian people are very reserved at first, but once they get to know you they are very friendly.
“Russian hospitality is very interesting,” Close said. “When you are a guest, they feed you very well, and it is quite difficult to say no to additional servings.
“The most memorable aspect about the trip was the unbelievable hospitality and kindness that I encountered throughout all of my time in Russia.”
Close said that eventually he lived a completely normal life in St. Petersburg and that at the end of the semester when it was time to leave, he did not want to go back to America because he felt like St. Petersburg had become his city.
“It took about a week to get accustomed to the different cultures I experienced abroad,” Close said. “But, I’m still suffering from reverse culture shock!”
Close said he definitely looks forward to returning to St. Petersburg and hopes to teach English as a second language there after he graduates from Pitt-Bradford.
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