Putting the 'study' in study abroad #HogsAbroad in Russia

After running around Russia for a couple of days visiting the Red Square and 8 floor shopping malls, it's easy to forget that we're all here for school. That is, until you have to take a 3 hour math orientation test and realize you've completely forgotten all of DiffyQ. Luckily, buying new school supplies heals all wounds, especially when you get to use your new, fancy student ID for a discount*. The Independent University of Moscow building where we'll be spending the next few months is quite charming; it's got 4 floors, a tiny cafeteria with lovely plants, a compact library, and pink toilet paper. Chalk is the weapon of choice here and, unlike in the US, each classroom does not come decorated with an overhead projector. Classes here meet for 3 hours, once a week, and the only culture shock so far has come from the fact that some finals are 60% of the total. Ouch.

In other news, snow employs roughly half of Russia. There are workers to push it off the top of buildings, put it into piles, put those piles into larger piles, break up sidewalk ice, clear metro slush, repeat every day until spring. Also, by the end of this, we're all going to have great balance because we don't so much walk but slide; you can't have your fashionable boots and safety, too. Beauty is pain, or something.

*not actually sure if I got a discount because the receipt is confusing, but I'll tell myself I did

--
Emily Gentles is spending the spring 2018 semester studying math in Moscow.

Read more from Emily at transcontinentalgen.wixsite.com

Don't miss your opportunity to study abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/.