There is no better way to learn a language than to visit a country where that language is spoken, especially if it's essentially free. St. Petersburg is a great city to explore, either by yourself or with all the new friends you'll be making. There's never a dull moment. You can basically do whatever you want every single day: the opportunities are endless.

The Novgorod trip gave us all a chance to get out of the city for a couple of days and experience a little bit of Russian country life, even if it wasn't exactly country (Novgorod is a fairly sizeable city). Granted, there wasn't much to do there other than see the usual churches and fortresses, but it was still a relaxing little weekend getaway and I think everyone enjoyed it.

To be honest, I hated Dostoevsky before I read Crime and Punishment in St. Petersburg. I read Brothers Karamazov and really disliked it. There was something really, really neat about reading Crime and Punishment while we were actually living in and exploring all of the different settings of the novel. I could walk along the Griboedov Canal and feel the Crime and Punishment-ness everywhere around me. I felt like Raskolnikov, like I would see Marmeladov sitting in a tavern on a corner or Dunya watching me from afar.

It was one of the best decisions I have made to go to St. Petersburg. It opens up a whole new world for you and a whole new culture that you only get fragments of here in class.

You learn so much Russian because three of your four classes are only in Russian. You absorb a lot more of the language because you speak Russian and hear Russian all day.

I liked cheap tickets available for opera and ballet at various theaters. The art was also spectacular, from the Hermitage to the Chagall exhibit at the Russian Museum. I actually very much enjoyed the people in the city.

The advantages of reading Dostoevsky while living in St. Petersburg are abundant to say the least. The tour we had was wonderful. It is also nice to be reading, in Russian, the work of a national hero. Everywhere in Petersburg is Dostoevsky monuments, references, streets, etc. I think that his writing really gives a good feel for the Russian culture and atmosphere, as well as the ways of the people -- especially in St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and during the summer it is one of the most active. I enjoyed all of the museums, specifically the Russian Museum and the Hermitage. The most fantastic element of the museums is paying the student prices which are 1/5 of the normal prices. The food gives one a taste of the Russian and Eurasian region, and it provides a great experience unique to Russia.

I didn't use the peer program, but I did love staying with my host family, so much so I returned the next summer and stayed with them. It is crucial to have people outside the classroom to speak Russian to, and it is amazing how much it helps.

The first trip (2005) I didn't like Novgorod due to lodging, but loved the monastery, the Kremlin, and relaxing on the Volkhov. It is a great trip to separate the first and second halves of the program. In 2006 the hotel was renovated and much better.