Over a week has gone by since I arrived in Moscow. It’s hard to believe but the time is already flying. As I have previously mentioned this time around I opted to live in the dorms rather than with a host family. To host family or not to host family was a huge question when I signed up for this program, however, after a week of dorm life I feel that I made the best decision considering my situation.

Unlike my last program which was entirely academic, this summer I am interning in addition to my classes. This means that my schedule is slightly different than other students who are studying at Moscow International University (MMU) this summer. My classes are later in the day, while my mornings are a bit freer. With classes finishing late and considering that many host families can live quite far from the university (my former family was a full hour away on public transport) it seemed not only more convenient but also safer to live in the dorms, which are located only 20 minutes from the university by metro.

While I talk about the dorms it should be noted that Russian dorms are not at all like American dorms. Firstly they are rarely located on the University premises. Instead our dorms are a few metro stops away from the university. Additionally, the dorm building we live in does not belong exclusively to Moscow International University, rather they rent out space there. In addition to MMU students, several other universities have students living there. Any additional rooms—not filled by students—are used somewhat like a hostel, with both migrant workers and travelers renting out dorms.

They are also different from the classic American model of two people living in one room, and the whole floor sharing a bathroom. Instead these are set up suit style. Two room are connected by a small entryway and bathroom which is to be shared by everyone (usually five occupants). Three of us live in my room, myself and my roommates Zozzie and Claire, and two other American girls live in the adjoining room. I can’t help but feel I lucked out in the roommate department, as all three of us get along incredibly well. It’s only been one week, but already we’ve had some wild adventures and developed several inside jokes.

That being said, I do miss living with a family. In the fall when I studied in Moscow I lived with an absolutely wonderful woman. She was not only hospitable and a great cook, but also really helped me to improve my spoken Russian. The evenings we spent sitting in the kitchen discussing the news over tea and cookies are some of my favorite memories of that semester.

However, we are slowly but surely making friends with Russians in the building. One in particular, an elderly man who lives across the hall from us, seems to have adopted us. We regularly go over to his room for coffee, pryaniki (gingerbread), and to talk about life. He is originally from the Caucasus and loves to tell us stories about his region. While it can be hard to get a word in edgewise at times, we’re definitely learning lots of new vocabulary thanks to him.

Overall I enjoy living in the dorm. It’s certainly different than being with a family, however, I enjoy the freedom that accompanies it. I have already had a family experience, so now I will have the dorm experience as well. In a sense it’s the best of both worlds!

Пока пока,

Alexa

Alexa also has a personal blog with some great descriptions about her experiences abroad in Russia. You can check it out here.

By: Alexa Ryer

Program: Business Russian Language & Internship, Moscow, Russia

Term: Summer 2019

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