About the Advanced Russian Language & Area Studies Program (RLASP)
One of the longest-running and most respected Russian language and cultural immersion programs, RLASP combines intensive classroom instruction with a wide range of extracurricular activities, including internships and community service, regional field studies, conversation partners, and discussion groups with local students. The program is designed to improve participants’ oral, listening, reading, and writing proficiency in Russian language and to develop their knowledge of history, politics, culture, and society of the region.
Learn more→ www.acstudyabroad.org/rlasp
A couple times every week, locals will ask me why I came to Almaty and I often reply: “I came here to study Russian.” Short and simple. I most recently said it to a taxi driver as part of our small talk while driving through pre-rush hour traffic. Occasionally I try to be more specific, …
So far the most memorable weekend of my program in Almaty was the two-night and three-day excursion we took to experience the wonderful nature surrounding the city. Waking up extra early, I packed a bag and made my way to the meeting point, our university, where the other students and language partners had begun to …
In the summer of 2020, I was supposed to study abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia after completing my first year of college. Unfortunately, due to the start of the Covid Pandemic at the beginning of that year, the program was cancelled. From that point, I believed I had lost the opportunity to study abroad due …
I had a challenge ahead of me while I was wondering what I should write this blog post about. It could be about the food (how delicious and fresh the produce is here) or the beauty of the mountains of Almaty (Medeu is absolutely gorgeous). As I was thinking about it, I was sitting in …
Continue reading Almaty: A Mix of Everything, Everywhere, All the Time
This is a typical view on my walk home from Ilia State University. Tbilisi has a mix of post-soviet, modern, and traditional Georgian architecture. This photo was taken about a block away from my home, and the buildings here are within walking distance of a modern shopping mall, an open-market bazar, and a row of …
I had the opportunity to spend my summer in Yerevan, Armenia. Before coming to Yerevan, I knew little about Armenian history and culture. Although I still have much to learn, I’ve learned a lot during my time in Armenia, and I would love to share part of my journey with you. Armenia is a small …
Prior to my stay in Kazakhstan this summer, I had spent a summer studying the Russian language in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek. While there are many similarities between the two countries, I have found that my two experiences in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have been surprisingly different. This is because, in my view, of my …
It has been one month since I started the Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program (RLASP) with American Councils in Yerevan, Armenia, and time is flying by! I visited Yerevan as an undergraduate back in 2013, and it is a very different place from what I remember ten years ago. The city seems to …
All changes, no matter how significant, require adjustment. Moving from suburban Ohio to the busy city of Yerevan, Armenia? That calls for a considerably significant adjustment. Ever the pessimist and over-thinker, I had prepared myself for a painful case of culture-shock. Interestingly enough, as it stands now, no such panic-inducing situations have occurred. That is not …
Whenever I go out, I never really know how I’m going to be perceived. Yes, I am nationally American, but nowhere near the stereotypical image of what an American should be. My hair is thick and curly and my skin is brown, constantly exposing my Mexican ethnicity. Sometimes I’m asked by servers or store workers …
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