Vierailla kielillä

Tutoriryhmämme on työstämässä jonkinsortin tiedotuslehtistä yliopiston käyttöön. Minua pyydettiin kirjoittamaan siihen juttu näkökulmistani venäläisiin, Pietariin, yliopistoon, opiskeluun, asuntolaan, elämään, universumiin ja kaikkeen. Luulen että seuraava kappale ei heille kelpaisi.

42.

Joudun siis hahmottelemaan hieman pitemmän tekstin englanniksi. Tämä löytyy alta. Teksti saattaa muuttua viikonlopun aikana useaankin kertaan.

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Arrival to the old Finnish fishing and trading village Nyen (present St. Petersburg) is pleasant one for a Finn. There are familiar sites and names all around you. Take for example the Finlandskiy vokzal, where our friend Lenin arrived when he returned from his hiding in Finland. One can almost feel that one has arrived home again. Even if he has not been in Pietari, or Sankt Peterburg, never before. There is thus no reason why Finn would not like to live, study and exchange ideas here. Overall feeling is highly positive and local people are very accommodating.

Dwelling on the streets of Vasilinskiy island has also a friendly tune in it. Near by the student dormitory a new passanger ferry terminal, Morskoy Facad, has been recently opened. Ships plying from Finland might start docking in it during coming sailing seasons. After that one can not only hear Russian or some English on the streets, but more Finnish too. This will make one more positive connection between Finland and Russia. Just like there are more and more Russians in Helsinki, there are going to be more and more Finns in St. Petersburg. Which is good.

In exchanging ideas Finnish is not the language to rely on, though. A basic command of Russian is an advantage, but at least around main attractions of Peter (as we friends fondly call him) there are always someone who can help in English.

Restoration of old tsar era buildings is on its way in Peter. Excluding the unfortunate cases when old buildings are pulled down in a favor of new business uglities, general restauration work quality is good. Our faculty building of the studies of management is a good example. Echoing staircases have a just the right amount of new paint and plastering, but worn-out stairs tell us that there is something old, and reliable, underneath. That reliability is not so un-true either. City has 93 universities, and some of them are ranked very highly. Among them our smithy of knowledge creation, GSOM.

"One might not like Russia, but he loves Russians", said one wise person as an advice to me. And how true that is! Let it be in the lecture rooms, hallways, sport clubs or museums (well, maybe we have to exclude the latter one), Russians are helping, smiling and taking contact. Every question, problem or query that one might have, there is an (attempt to) answer. Things might not work out as soon as an ordinary Finn, or "tsuhna", would have assumed, but as Finn is still a good "sosed", a solution will be found out. There is not a better friend than a Russian!

All in all, what can one say. Pre-assumptions what one might have before deciding to come to Russia, or Peter or GSOM, to study, are most likely wrong. City, university and people are highly facinating, and above all, positively intresting.

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