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NEWS
05/14 2012
We have good news for people from almost all European Union: Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, France, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Hungary, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Bulgaria, and Romania. For these counties we have right to prepare the invitation letters from our Organization (not from the migration-visa-office). That means we safe more than a month! So if there is anybody from these countries go ahead and apply for July course! We will have enough time to get Russian visa. People from other countries can apply for August or September course anyway :)
E-mail: Additional e-mail:
     Postal address:
Krasnaya street, 30-a, office 116 185035 Petrozavodsk, Russia Phone + 7 8142 78 11 30
Fax + 7 8142 78 11 30
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Students said in 2011
STUDENTS SAID IN THE AUTUMN 2011
Marilyn Harris, the USA Content of the Russian language course was excellent, especially the 2nd part (the 1st half of my course could have been better). Sofia provided some great texts on history, however she needs to let her students speak more. Also it would be better if she would speak in Russian the whole time. Olga was always prepared and has challenged me with a wide variety of articles, reading and dialogues. Highly recommended! I feel I have grown so much as a Russian student here. Thank you so much, it’s been a pleasure studying here! My hostfamily was excellent. Nadezhda and Ivan are truly wonderful. They are incredibly wise, good people whose appreciation for knowledge and background in education make them ideal host partners for students wanting to learn about Russia. Volunteers were excellent. I had a great time hanging out with Zhenya, Alyona and Natasha. I would recommend “Enjoy Russian”, because Petrozavodsk is wonderful! The curriculum is well-developed. Student X I learned a lot about Russia and its history. Teachers tried to make lessons interesting. I got lot of interesting texts and materials. Teachers were very friendly and helpful. Sometimes teacher was talking too much :) I wanted to speak more :) I was unlucky with my first hostfamily, I felt unwelcomed. I like the cultural program Funny excursions with funny people :) The volunteers were excellent, they spoke Russian with me. Zhenya, Alyona and Natasha were the most helpful. Anna Reheis, Austria Преподаватели занимались со мной тем, что я хотела. Занятия были хорошие. Урок длился 3 часа, но я не очень уставала, т.к. преподавали знают как преподавать интересно. Нонна сразу поняла, что я хочу говорить во время урока, она очень-очень хорошая преподавательница и я очень любила занятия с ней. Ольга очень добрая девушка, она была не только учителем, но и подругой. Ее уроки были интересные и разнообразные. У меня была очень хорошая, добрая и просто замечательная семья!!! Большая и красивая комната, вкусная еда! У меня остались хорошие впечатления от русского гостеприимства! Волонтеры очень приветливые и дружелюбные! Они действительно интересуются иностранными студентами и помогают нам! У нас были проблемы с приглашениями, нам пришлось потратить больше денег, чем мы планировали. Но организация в Петрозаводске была хорошая. Особенно Даша, она нам очень помогала! Я довольна программой, я многому научилась и эта программа дала мне хороший взгляд на русскую культуру и образ жизни. Marko Vaehae-Kreula, Findand The Russian course was ok’. Teaching and course material were good as well. I like theatre and museum. I like volunteers. Invitation letter came by DHL and it was good, because it took 9 days to get the visa. My general impression about the program is good. I would recommend “Enjoy Russian” because it is a very effective program. Ilkka-Christian Bjoerklund, Finland This was my second time at “Enjoy Russian”. Russian lessons were excellent, teaching also. Sofia is a very good teacher. Living conditions and the cultural program were good. The organization of the program was excellent. My impression ant the course is excellent as well. I would recommend this Russian school. Sander Suurna, Estonia Russian course was excellent. Materials were good and easy tounderstand. I wish more audio and video materials. I guess I made the progress,but still I have a long way to go. My first host lady had no other interest butto get the money. Second family was nice and treated me well. Cultural programwas excellent, especially rating! Alyona (volunteer) is a very helpful and niceperson. The best way to learn a language is its environet (Russia).Petrozavodsk provides that! I can recommend this program because it is a funcultural and personal experience. Keep upthe good work! Julia Simpson, UnitedKingdom
The Russian course was excellent. Olga gave us a really good mixture ofgrammar and using the language in everyday situations. I liked her sense ofhumor and the way she introduced discussions into the program so we all couldparticipate. My family was fantastic and hospitable; I was well looked after. Ithink volunteers are lovely people; I liked them all, they were so friendly andwelcoming. The organization of the program as not bad. I would recommend thisRussian program because I enjoyed it and it has met my expectations. Francheska White, United Kingdom
The Russian program is very well structured. Having contact with so muchRussian is great. I enjoyed the videos and the presentations we had to do. OurRussian teacher was very kind and friendly, I wish she speaks Russian a littlebit slower. And also more audio and video would be nice. I am much moreconfident in speaking and have improved my Russian skills greatly. Livingconditions were great. Nadezhda was so lovely and friendly, there was a goodbalance of involvement and also being left to do our own things. The food wasdelicious too! I would stay longer! The excursions were very expensive. I thinkthe administration could be more organized. I have really enjoyed my stay hereand think my Russian has improved. I would recommend this program because it isnot expensive. Petrozavodsk is a good place to study and staying with Nadezhdawas great. Mihaela Irina Moisa, Austria
The content of the Russian language course was good, funny andinteresting, but sometimes we improved the grammar too fast. The teacher wasvery nice and politely. The language course was funny with her. We used thenotebook and watched comics and cartoons. The living conditions were excellent.It was the best host family. The cultural program is good and volunteers arevery nice. I would recommend the program, there is a good family, the program toimprove Russian is good, but the city is too boring. Christina Stoger, Austria
The content of the language course was good. The atmosphere at Russian classeswas really good and the teacher was nice. But we recognized that she had herfavorite students. She was only talking to them. I wish there could be moreexplaining in English and more grammar lessons. Though, we talked a lot thatwas good. But we still make mistakes, because she didn’t correct us. Teachingmaterials were really good. The family was perfect; we got a lot to eat. Wereally ate too much. The cultural program was too expensive. Anyway, Irecommend the program toother people who wants to study Russian. STUDENTS SAID IN THE SUMMER 2011 Juha Hakala, Finland
A good Russian program. There was little bit much grammar. Living conditions were excellent. I liked the Russian course, it works ok. I progress a lot! Paula Sundell, Finland
The Russian language course was excellent. Teachers were really good and professional. I wish there could be more homeworks. Teachers had a lot of patience. They had many interesting exercises and they made our lessons warm, in a good atmosphere. Our teaching materials were logical and interesting. My host is a very nice person; she has a cozy flat and all conditions in it. She makes very good breakfast! I didn’t take part too much in cultural program, but anyway all excursions were well organized. All volunteers were very helpful and nice but they didn’t have much time. The organization of a program was great. I had a great time in Petrozavodsk! Markus Balazs Goransson, Sweden
Everything was perfect! I am so happy with the Russian course! The individual course was exactly what I needed. I am so grateful to the school for being so flexible in organizing it. I am extremely impressed with the teaching. The teachers were gifted, well prepared, and professional. The materials were generally useful and good. Maybe some of them could be more relative to curriculum. I was really happy with my accommodation: close to the school, pleasant hosts. It is great that the cultural program is included, but some of excursions were too expensive. Volunteers helped me a lot. I would like to meet them in smaller groups or One-on-One. An organization was very well done and flexible, an excellent website, very helpful and friendly staff. I will definitely recommend this program to anyone who is looking to study Russian. Sergej Wuerthlich, Switzerland
Everything was really good: teachers, a school, family. The Russian course was appropriate to my level, very flexible and customized. I was happy here and learned a lot. Thank you very much. Livia Hertell, Finland
Good work! Focused, prepared and knowledgeable, flexible with both topics, and times. It is difficult to evaluate my progress in Russian. I’ve improved my knowledge of grammar and some vocabulary ad reading, but I’m not much better at managing in restaurant/hotel/ticket office. I would have liked more focus on everyday situations when travelling. Daniela Koеnig, Switzerland
I learned a lot and now I am able to communicate (at least a bit…). It was nice that we got sheets at the beginner’s level. The book was quite useless. Besides the unfortunate situation in my first host family, the living conditions were fine. The cultural program was too expensive. I just went rafting, which was nice. There weren’t many volunteers (except of the National food party) but Masha helped us a lot in the beginning and we went to the Devil’s chair with Dima which was also nice. I liked the program but, I think, it really depends on the teachers and family, I mean, if everything is perfect it’s easier to learn but if you have e.g. a family who never talks to you it’s harder to improve the language skills. In my case it was fine. Brannon Verret, the USA
Everything was excellent. I didn’t participate in the cultural program. I improved my listening and reading abilities a lot. Thank you for doing a great job. Brecht Vaninbroukx, Belgium
The program was good. The books are not so good. The cultural program is very expensive though. The program was not very well organized. I had a good time, excellent holidays. Christoph Kessler Switzerland
Content of the language course was good. I wish there was more talking, less grammar. Teaching was very good. My living conditions were excellent. I think it is a very bad idea to encourage foreign students to spend time together. Instead of being encouraged to talk English all the time they should be encouraged to talk Russian as much as possible. Paola Baricevic, Croatia I liked the fact that teachers explained eberything using only Russian, never English. Materials were very interesting. Kizhi and rafting were excellent. I recommend it to everybody. Also you visit Piter for more than one day. As for volunteers, Aljona was the most helpful and great friend. Excellent tour guide all the best about her. Everybody in office is very helpful and speaks English which is great. General impression about the program is excellent, a lot of young people all around the world, very interesting city, great clubs, great teachers; very motivated environment. I would recommend this program during summer, not winter. I recommend this program because it is very helpful for those who want to learn Russian very quick. Living in Russia and go to Russian school is the best way to do that. One month in Petrozavodsk and intensive speaking Russian were like 2 years learning Russian in Croatia.
Andrea Trevisan, Italy
This is the excellent program. It covers a wide range of arguments and items. It suits my level of knowledge. The Russian teacher is helpful, prepared and friendly. The combined use of different teaching materials has been effective; textbooks, descriptions or tourist attractions, laptop. The family has given me a warm welcome. They are not intrusive but attentive to my needs. I have had brief, but enjoyable dialogs with them. Food was fine. I went to the Onega Lake, Kizhi Island, a town park, private museum of modern art (the art gallery of 3 Russian painters). I especially recommend the boat tour to Kizhi for the beauty of the landscape. But I think there could be guided tours organized by the school. Some students showed me the way to the canteen and the bus stop for my way back. The administrative personnel have proved me all the information and gave me the tips I needed. The program has met my expectations. I recommend this program because the climate in summer is mild; the town is calm and ordered. The school personnel is informal, relaxed, but efficient. Katre Tatrik, Estonia
The course was not bad. I didn’t know any Russian when I came and Olga taught me a lot. The living conditions were good. I didn’t like the organization. I was not informed that my host family was changed until I met my host-mom. E-mails were replied rather late. Excursions were too expensive for me. The free or cheap events as going to banya or bowling club were organized badly. I enjoyed National Food party and movie night.
Mustafa Erdem Sakinc, Turkey
The content of the language course was all ok. I hoped we studied most of the topics around “cases”. A teaching was good despite I had difficulties sometimes in explaining myself or receiving proper answer to my questions. Game parts are sometimes too long. Games are good for children to make them remember and memorize things but for us it is sometimes waste of time. Everything was more than perfect for me in the family. Excursions that I joined were ok. Volunteers are helpful enough. I sometimes had difficulties with other group members as our group members is not so homogeneous regarding people’s ages and interest. I learnt that there was a traditional Karelian music concert and a small festival of old movies when I was in Petrozavodsk. I liked the program. I even think about to come again next year. It is quite perfect to learn Russian with you here in Petrozavodsk as you can find lots of opportunities to practice Russian as people around are hospitable, talkative and open. Eivind Granas, Norway
The content of the Russian language course was not bad. If I return I will make a detailed list of topics and content which I would like to follow. Natalie has energy and potential, a lot of efforts in to the lessons. She was well prepared, always brought up very interesting topics. She is open, explains in a good way so I can understand everything. Natalie should have had 100 % flexibility in choosing topics and tailoring content. Family’s apartment has got excellent conditions, clean and tidy. There is very good Russian food at home and family has been extremely friendly and open (Elena is fantastic). This is my third time in Russia at a host family – this is the best family by far. Excursions are big part of the program and I want to visit all excursions. Karelia is a fantastic place. Irina has offered an excellent service before and after my travel here. If I want to come back I would like to have new excursions to go to. An idea about volunteers is very good – it’s a win-win situation for students and volunteers. Irina has helped a lot and I am impressed. I have only positive experiences from beginning to an end. The value for money is excellent and I am surprised that there are not many students as could be. I will recommend the school and might return. Jari Ylonen, Finland
The course was good. I would like to use better materials for study with local/Karelian touch. Also grammar is mixed, not easy to repeat it. My family (Moskiny) were really kind and friendly. Everything worked well (warm shower, nice coffee). I did not take part in a cultural program. Unfortunately, during this week there weren’t any activities. All of these I can do by myself (sauna, museum, cinema theater and so on). I did not meet any volunteers at all. The organization of the program is not bad. Sometimes it gets really long time to have an answer for a question. A city is nice and it is a good way if you combine traveling and study. Emma Banks, Ireland
The language course is very good and structured in regards to grammar and usage. I would have preferred to learn more practical Russian as well as grammar (e.g. getting by in a shop), though. Our teacher was very patient and understanding she also had experience of learning a foreign language which was good. In return, our host mother could not speak English and our Russian is extremely basic so we had no communication as our mother got tired of using a dictionary. Dinner was always nice. As the program depended on the group participation we could not take part in much as no one else did. We only met the volunteers once but both of them were nice. I really liked the program as I thought the staff and students were both very nice and the course was good. I think it is a very good course, in a beautiful city. The homestay is a good idea as you should get an insight into Russian culture. Anne-Marie Meenagh, Ireland
The program was excellent. The language course was well structured and explained the grammar very dearly and showed how to apply it well. Though, more practical phrases early on to aid with homestay communication could be helpful. Oxana was very patient and took the day at an appropriate pace once we found the right workbook. I liked how there was enough written work and then some TV. About a family – we had no means of communications with our mother at homestay and she became tired of using dictionaries so we just didn’t talk. Food was good. I wish there could be some common grounds with regard to the language. Cultural program depended on numbers and I didn’t take part much. On the first day we watched the Russian movie film with volunteers – they were very helpful and nice, explained a film. The organization was excellent – I always could come to the office for help. The class work was very effective and the homestay was valuable to understanding Russian culture. There is nothing better for learning a language than living it. Giulia Serraiotto, Italy
I like the program. Teachers were very patient and nice. Elena helped me with Russian outside the school’s hours. I find not only a good teacher but also a good friend. Though, I didn’t have any home works. Maybe it was better to have it. And the videos are better with Russian subtitles. The living conditions were good. My bedroom was very comfortable. My family really took care of everything. I didn’t go to any of excursions, except of a little tour around the city. Next time I would like to have a longer one. Petrozavodsk is a beautiful city if you know where the places are. Volunteers were really helpful and spent time with us. It was really difficult to arrive here. I liked the program, I improved my language skills. I think that maybe I will come back. Edoardo Carlesi, Italy
The course was excellent. The host family was really super!!! The cultural program was fine. I liked Kivach, rafting, but museum of regional history was boring. I hope it would be less expensive next time. The volunteers Alyona and Anatoliy were good and friendly. I wished there was wi-fi zone in the school. I had a good time and learnt a lot. I will recommend this school because it’s cheap and good, fun and helpful. Melanie Zonderman, Belgium
This was a great experience. I’ve met so many nice people; studying a language like Russian is definitely something you need to do in the country where it’s spoken, here we had to speak Russian and that way we improved it a lot. The content of the language course was good. We don’t learn much new, but it was good to repeat some things. It was nice to talk and discuss several subjects. The book was a nice mix of texts, grammar and exercises. The cartoons are difficult to understand. I really liked my host family. They gave me a home during two weeks and were very helpful. I liked the cultural program. Rafting was awesome. We had a lot of fun and it certainly made the whole group united. I didn’t go to the Kizhi with the school, but on my own – very impressive and cheaper. Volunteers helped anywhere they could. You can’t simply learn a language from books only. You need to come to Russia and experience it. Eline Dumon, Belgium
I have learnt a lot and now speak Russian more fluently. It would be better if there were more hours, starting at 9:30 and 2 hours more a day. The host family didn’t really take care a lot about me. Ivan was very friendly and correct, but didn’t show any interest. However, he respected the fact that I am a vegetarian. I got a nice room. I think that this family should need a good screening. The prices for cultural activities are quite high if compare to travel agencies’ prices. Some excursions, like one at the museum, were not that good. The guide spoke too fast. The volunteers were very dedicated and did everything they could to make us feel comfortable. It is a great opportunity to get to know yourself and other people. You’re forced to speak Russian every day so you quickly make a lot of progress. Sara Mermans, Belgium
I dare to speak more Russian now and I get less confused when I make mistakes speaking Russian. The content of the language course was excellent. Maybe 1 hour or more extra lessons would be better. My host family is really nice to me, take good care of me and they are always willing to talk to me in Russian. They are really great host family! The cultural program was good; I think sometimes the excursions were expensive, but nice. Volunteers’ job is excellent! Alyona and Anatoliy are very good and nice people. The organization was good. It is a god practice for your language skills when you come to Russia, you can speak it not only in the school but also outside. Ward Rabaey, Belgium
The mix of study, culture and homestay is very well-balanced. The content of the curse was good. We didn’t learn a lot of new items, but the fact that we repeated several items was good. I wish we could more focus on speaking instead of using the book. Actually it was good, but sometimes the exercises were too easy. Masha was very good teacher, helping us at point where we needed help. The host family was perfect. There was super atmosphere; gentle people, really nice. I liked the cultural program. Kizhi was impressive; the rafting was very good for the group atmosphere. I recommend the program – it’s the best way to learn Russian. Marie Hannequart, Belgium
I am satisfied with the progress I’ve made here. The program is very good. I recommend it to everyone. Eija Saarinen, Finland My Russian teacher Anastasia Zhigalina was a very competent and nice teacher and I was very pleased with her teaching methods. And it was very interesting to share her experience as a teacher of Russian. What program did you take the only remark was, that my teacher didn’t get in forward information, that I am a teacher of Russian and what kind of wishes I had. My hostess was awesome and she had a very cozy apartment. I participated in excursion to Valaam and in my opinion everything was very well organized. Of course it was a long and little bit tirering journey, but very interesting. Otherwise my hostess organized such a big cultural program for me, that I did not have time to participate in any other excursions, but I consider; that you have a very interesting program. Irina and Darina, you do a great job there. I will absolutely recommend your courses to my students. STUDENTS SAID IN THE SPRING, 2011 Pekka Mononen, Finland Everything was excellent. I had my own cultural program. An organization was excellent too. I will recommend this program to others. It is close to Finland. It is affordable.
Hannah Robinson, United Kingdom I’m very pleased with everything. It is well-organized. Russian teacher tried very hard to find material that was suitable for both of us. We used a diverse range of materials. I wish there could be more homework. Great host family! I didn’t participate in any activity really, but the volunteers were very friendly & enthusiastic. You definitely “learn Russian” here, good intensive course and program as a whole. Tobias Schmidt, Germany The Russian course was excellent. The family was very friendly, nice people. I didn’t visit many excursions, but I really liked the rock climbing. I will recommend this program to others Russian-learners because it is an opportunity to learn Russian and especially I liked the accommodation in family. Julia Sarah Zuber, Switzerland I think the Russian language course was very well done! The subjects were well chosen, so I could use the vocabulary every day in shop etc. It’s great when the teacher uses different teaching materials (songs, DVD, games etc.) I had a lovely family and really enjoyed staying their place. I really enjoyed Kivach and Sholrozero! Sometimes volunteers accompanied me to the theatre or cinema… I’d have liked to know beforehand I was going to watch the piece/film alone. I think the program was good although I’d have preferred to do a job as a volunteer where I could have spoken more Russian. Evelina Selea, Romania The content of the language course was perfect for the amount of Russian that I knew when I got here. The topics we did helped me to get by in everyday life in Petrozavodsk. The Russian course was appropriate to my level and I’ve managed to learn so much in just two weeks! My teacher is one of the best I’ve ever met. She was really patient, helpful and has always tried to push me into practicing what I’ve learnt ever day in class. She is one of the most dedicated people I know and I’m very thankful that I’ve had her as a teacher these past two weeks. I have enjoyed living with a Russian family. I got used to the “rules” quite fast and didn’t have any troubles with that. They talked to me a lot which helped me to improve my listening skills so much. I actually want to thank both Dasha and Alexandra for replying to all of my silly e-mails (before coming here) and helping me out with everything I needed in Petrozavodsk. Daniel Clayton, United Kingdom A very interesting program! The good organization prior to my arrival. Teachers were very enthusiastic and tried hard to help us understand. I was allowed to say that I wanted to study in terms of grammar. The excellent living conditions; I was given lots of freedom. Excursions were organized for me according to my wishes. I would recommend Sholtozero. Ptz is a nice city, enthusiastic teachers, good preparations. Vera Sophia Buech, Switzerand The progress in Russian is great compared to before. It was so nice to have properly trained teachers. The content was exactly what I wished. Only, maybe, some more vocabulary at the beginning. I wish I would have had more time. Also both Russian teachers were able to explain me Russian grammar in my native tongue, which helped me a lot! I didn’t get on with my guest family so I ended up in a perfect apartment. Great crisis management! There were excursions to Martial waters and indoor climbing which was fun! The organization and information from my organization in Switzerland were not that good, but as soon as I got here, I got help and everything worked out. I liked that program was flexible. If you know what you want, you will get it. Neil Burke, United Kingdom I liked the program. The teacher was very good. Perhaps a more structured program could have been helpful – however it is difficult for me to comment – I am a beginner in Russian. Living conditions is not bad. The lady of the house was friendly and helpful. The same could not be said of her son and husband – which made living there a little bit uncomfortable. As for the cultural program, I didn’t take part in it, but all volunteers were friendly and helpful. An organization was very good. Dasha and Alexandra have done an excellent job. I have a clear understanding of the grammar and firm basis to develop over the next 6 - 12 months. STUDENTS SAID IN THE WINTER, 2011 Anabel Immoos, Switzerland The content of the language course was good. Unfortunately, the course material is not good. Why don’t you use an “international” book? At the new family I was very happy and the conditions were very good. As I stayed for 2 weeks I wanted to speak a lot. Also I very much liked the sauna. Salome was very kind and tried to help as she could. Ksenia showed and explained us the city, but she talked too fast. The organization of courses was good. Monica Immoos, Switzerland
Content of the language course depends on the teacher. It’s very good. I preferred Anna’s grammar explanation. The explanations in the book are not very helpful. Tatiana (my host lady) is a most friendly and open person. Very patient in listening to very basic Russian! I can only recommend her. 2 weeks are too short to really evaluate the program, but for me it was ok. I could have made more out of it, had I studied more seriously. But after all it was also a holiday! Janna Kankkunen, Finland Everything was working as should. Olga was more than a great teacher! Exercises were good and nice. The level of teaching was high. And 4 hours per day was enough. The study book is well structured and I had good handouts. Watching a DVD was nice when first was possible to read the dialogues. The apartment is nice & clean and family is really hospitable. And I’m happy they are speaking me in Russian even sometimes I don’t understand. I feel like the family is really happy that I’m around. It’d have been nice to spend more time with the family. I was only on excursion (city tour) and it was ok. It’d have been nicer with other students. Volunteers... не знаю… I met only Martin on my second last day. He was really nice but I didn’t meet any help. It was easy to apply to the course and girls at the office were really helpful! I’m so much better in Russian! Katri Tukiainen, Finland An excellent course. The teachers were excellent too. A cultural program was not bad, it was the winter time. The only problem was with classrooms; we didn’t know it sometimes and had to change it in the middle of class. The atmosphere was very nice. I wish teachers the best in the future & thank you! Marcella van de Wetering, The Netherlands This was the 2nd time I followed a language course at “Enjoy Russian”. Language course was excellent. A lot of different teaching materials and interest subjects were given by Masha. The subjects were clear and well-teached. The atmosphere was comfortable, sometimes it was noisy, but the teacher could not helped that. «Бывает». The living conditions were good. Cultural program is good as well. Я каталась на лыжах, на коньках, правда лед был не ровный, но было весело! Ksenia was the most helpful to me, but volunteers spoke very fast and sometimes it was difficult to understand them. But they did their best. Good teaching, good homestay program and cultural program. I will recommend this course of Russian to others, because for me the program was very useful. I learned a lot although I was here just for 3 weeks. Kamil Lewszuk, Poland It was worth this money. Totally, I liked the enthusiasm of my teachers. They were always prepared. I think from time to time it’s better to watch broadcasts, to have more interactive lessons. The cultural program was fine. It is a great opportunity to meet Russian people, Russian culture and to see fantastic Karelia. Miranda Hyslop-Garza, the USA For the most part I felt I progressed throughout my time here. I never felt any of my classes were too difficult or too boring. But I think overall the curriculum could be more organized. All of my teachers were excellent. Natasha was especially helpful with grammar. Find way to pay them more! I like tailor made textbooks and many of the supplemental materials chosen by the teachers were helpful too. I didn’t have the best experience with my family. Part of it was personality, I think, but I did not feel that she did a good job of making me feel welcome. I liked Kivach, Sheltozero, the museums and the banya very much. All the excursions were interesting – though, often cancelled and rescheduled. I really liked the volunteers I met. Ksysha was always organized and helpful. I didn’t meet many others. I think the center does of very good job of solving problems right away and helping to find anything they need. Dasha is an excellent coordinator. I think the classes are great and would recommend the teachers to anyone. Petrozavodsk is easy to navigate and inexpensive. Courtney Brasier, the USA I really don’t have any complaints about the program. I had One-on-One tutoring with 2 different teachers, and both were very accommodating and willing to shape the program around what I needed. Furthermore, I found the textbook very similar to my college course materials at home – it was useful. My host family was excellent – very clean, very accommodating, and overall very helpful and flexible. They made the experience very nice for me. I didn’t participate in many of the programs only because I preferred to study. However, all the volunteers were enthusiastic, helpful and there was clearly a lot of effort and planning that went into the program – which I appreciated. I can recommend the program, because the price is much better than programs in St. Petersburg or Moscow. Audrey Freiburghaus, Switzerland It was excellent. I want to come back. From the first place, my teacher, Sasha, asked me what I wanted to do, what was my expectation and I could ask her to correct my homework for the university. The course practically was appropriate to my level. I liked all the materials my teachers used during the courses: computers, pictures, audiotapes. Living conditions were excellent. My meals were really good and I had time for myself and if I wanted to have time with the family I could. They are really helpful and kind. I had the opportunity to go to university at French courses and there I met lot of people I’ll keep in touch with them. If I didn’t go there I couldn’t have met anyone so there should be more possibilities to meet and integrate the people in Petrozavodsk to pass time with them during the week-ends. Lucien Theodor Fluri, Switzerland A content of the course was good. I didn’t like the book that much, it’s not too much inside. But my teacher brought a lot of useful papers. My family was very nice. The excursion to Kivach was good. I didn’t like that the excursion was postponed. Also I participated at the Blini-party in Julia’s house. This was very polite. The organization of program was good. |
ANNOUNCEMENT
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