russia

The end of a beautiful experience

The end of a beautiful experience

My EVS project has reached the finish line. While I look back on these six months, I think there are not enough words to describe the emotions I felt. It is not my first experience abroad, but it is certainly the first experience in which I find myself for such a long period away from home, from relatives and friends, from everyday life. The EVS project was the perfect opportunity to break the mold, and an experience where you put yourself on the line and you can (re)discover yourself.During the last English lesson,…Read more
An Unexpected Statue

An Unexpected Statue

Last week I went to Nizhnij Novgorod for a training course for the EVS project (training which involved several volunteers, where we discussed various issues relating to the project and the volunteer’s integration in the society of the host Country from many points of view). Coming back from “hot” Nizhnij Novgorod, I found myself again in Krasnoyarsk with an average temperature of -26°. It’s not the only surprise. On the contrary, should not even be. “Federica, you’re in Siberia. What do you expect?”Sure, I did not expect to return to work the following…Read more
Cultural Differences: Italy VS Russia

Cultural Differences: Italy VS Russia

It has been more than three months that I live in Krasnoyarsk and, in the past time, I have been twice in St. Petersburg and once in Moscow. Take what follows as a personal observation, due to a variety of trips and daily life spent in the greatest Country in the world. The first question they asked me when arrived in Krasnoyarsk: have you felt any kind of cultural shock? My answer, in general, is no. Maybe because I already lived in Russia, I know the traditions, and I know exactly what to…Read more
My first months in Krasnoyarsk

My first months in Krasnoyarsk

It is two months I am in Krasnoyarsk, and I am enjoying the city, people and my work so much! At the beginning of July, I have been with my host Aygul and her family to dacha. That was a great experience! For those who do not know, dacha is not a simple country house. Russian people go there both to escape the city, both to work. The culture of dachas is a kind of compensation to a city dweller for the cramped living conditions… There, in the embrace of nature, people enjoy…Read more
Siberia, here I am!

Siberia, here I am!

Hello everyone! My name is Federica and I am the new EVS volunteer at Interra NGO in Krasnoyarsk. I am from Valenza Po, a small town in Piedmont, in the North of Italy. Valenza is an international goldsmith centre, specialized in jewellery production, cradle of the secular handcraft tradition I studied Foreign Languages at the University of Pavia, a town in Lombardy, not so far from Milan. I am specialized in English, French and Russian. I have always been interested in Russian culture, which is why I chose to study that language. This…Read more