Reflection of My 10 Day History Course in St. Petersburg, Russia
Abby Dovan ‘20
Fairfield University
Hoping off the plane, I was tired and nervous, but ready to experience something new and make irreplaceable memories. Four walls can be the most limiting factors on one’s education and I was ready to break out and just learn. There truly is no better place to learn and understand history than right there where it took place. Walking the halls of Peter the Great’s winter palace, seeing Catherine the Greats wardrobe rooms, and standing beneath the balcony that Lenin gave speeches off of, I absorbed all I could and savored every last fact and sight.
One of my first startling realizations was how much Russians appreciate history and art. The amount of gold we saw while on the trip was absolutely mind blowing. The beauty in the architecture and purity of each structure amazed me. As modern as the city was, the buildings, history, and culture were still intact from three hundred and fifteen years ago. The fact that hundreds of years ago, the government and people were concerned and clever enough to preserve and protect the architecture and art is astonishing and appreciated by the masses.
As we adjusted to many of the cultural differences, including a hotel without an elevator or room key cards, I was amazed at how different the people and area is from what I expected. Stigmas, rumors, and governments aside, people are people wherever you go. We got to experience this first hand from the connections we made with the Russian students we engaged with each night. I was amazed at how similar they were to us and how similar our day to day struggles were. Spending time with them was one of my favorite parts of the trip because I felt like I was at home with my friends except each night we had someplace new to explore or a new food or drink to try.
While I enjoyed all the sights we saw, I had two particular favorites. The first was Peterhof Palace. We explored the amazing grounds for almost the entirety of the first day. It really set a precedent for all that would come throughout the week and it awoke my senses to the pure beauty, historic intelligence and immense amounts of gold everywhere. The desire for decadence at this summer palace was quite obvious and well treasured. Walking through each individual room, admiring the fountains and perfectly yellow and gold exterior, I was amazed and nearly in tears. I will not forget what I learned during that tour, being outside the four walls of the classroom allowed me to absorb all the facts without stressing about an exam. I wanted to know each detail for the sake of enjoying it and being knowledgeable of where I was walking.
The second favorite place of mine was St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Although it was not a place we visited as a class or with a tour guide, I had so much fun and was amazed at the beauty. Given additional time to visit a site of our choosing on our own, a bunch of us went to the cathedral and climbed to the top. After making it to the top of the seemingly endless spiral staircase, we were able to see the entirety of the city in all its glory. As it was the end of the week we were able to pick and point out all the palaces and museums we had visited. It was a beautiful morning to enjoy and reflect on the plethora of places we went to and all we had learned.
In addition to fabulous sightseeing weather, we also got to enjoy the perks of the nightlife, and experience “white nights” while in St. Petersburg. The culture surrounding the additional hours of sunlight was vibrant and so enjoyable. I will never forget seeing the gorgeous sunrise over the canal at 3am. True beauty no matter the time of day, in any location.
In addition to those to beautiful sites, I learned and enjoyed all the other places we ventured to include The Hermitage, The Church of Spilled Blood, Peter and Paul Fortress, and the several museums. I think the things I was able to pick up on while exploring these sights and walking the streets of St. Petersburg are truly unique to this experience. While I made many observations about the people, their habits and lifestyles, and their personalities, it was the extra time, night life, and individual reflecting that allowed me to learn so much. I am extremely grateful for my short days in St. Petersburg and my new long distant friends. Thank you, Fairfield U, for the opportunity! Cheers to St. Petes, I will be back!
