Introduction.

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As I write this it is seventy three days until I will arrive in Russia. My adventures will take me to Yaroslavl in september for the first semester, then after a quick trip home I'll start in Tver next spring. Both cities have a population of about 600,000, and are situated roughly a six hour train journey north of Moscow.

At the moment the idea of going to Russia is really exciting. As most of you already know I tend to act first and think later - I'm not the type to get nervous about things! There might be a last minute panic, but the move should go well if I do everything that I need to on time. I haven't applied for a visa yet, or found out about tuition fees.

My Russian isn't great but it's improving, and thanks to Nadia and Bettina I feel confident enough to talk quite freely - although speaking it 'twenty four seven' will be a different matter. Here I can think in Russian for only a couple of hours a day, and speak English in class. Communicating in the language permanently will be a big challenge, but it will be very rewarding.

I don't feel too overwhelmed by the Russian lifestyle, as each person I have spoken to who has lived there has given me fantastic advice. I can imagine myself catching my first ever metro on a cold autumn morning, frantically reading some of the handwritten tips that have been made for me! Obviously it will be scary at first, but I feel as well-prepared as I possibly could be. Learning things for myself will be part of the fun.

Life has taught me that things never work out how you think they will. I'm trying not to have too many preconceptions about my future homes, friends or universities, because I'm sure they will be very different to how I imagine. I will stay as open-minded as possible, enjoy the surprises and not let the disappointments get me down.

To give you an idea of where I will be, Yaroslavl is a historic town on the river Volga. It was voted the sixth best place to live in Russia - which for a nation of 140 million people is an impressive achievement! While I'm there I will take in as much as possible, from the museums and churches that represent Russia's past, to the bars, theatres and nightclubs that say so much about its culture since 1991. For every period in Russian or Soviet history there are people and events that I am looking forward to learning more about.

I believe I will be the first Exeter student to live in Tver. It is a place that few foreigners have been able to see, and a university that virtually none have studied at. Apparently I will be the only Brit in a class of Scandinavians, but my Russian will have improved by then, and my fear of the unknown will not be so bad having already lived a few hundred kilometres down the road. Judging by the pictures I have found it is a busy place, which combines the wide streets and 'hussle and bussle' of an Asian city with the clean architecture of a central European capital like Paris or Berlin.

There are some things in England which I can't wait to get away from. But I will also miss a lot. It will take me a whole day to write out cyrillic-addressed envelopes for all my friends to write to me with! I don't suppose too many bars in Yaroslavl will be showing the fourth ashes cricket match on TV, and I expect my homesickness will kick in as soon as my jaffa cake rations have run out.

Whatever happens to me during those nine months I am determined to make the most of it. Sitting at home bored is ok in Exeter; but next year I will have a chance in a lifetime opportunity to experience a different culture.

Keep in touch, and wish me luck!

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