Volgograd State University (VSU)

There are many things to do and see in Volgograd. Since Volgograd is a very historic city with ties to World War II (formally Stalingrad), any historic sites are a must for the history buff. -There are numerous clubs in Volgograd as well. All of these clubs are very modern and most play good music. Piraña (mostly pop and techno) is a nice club, but a bit on the expensive side. Molotof Garage plays mostly alternative and rock, but (I feel) is much better than Piraña. There are also some other clubs and I'm sure that the Russian students will have better advice as to which clubs are better than I. There are MANY cafes. Most cafes are very cheap and the food is excellent. InTourist Hotel is very nice and inexpensive. You must try Russian icecream (you can get it pretty much anywhere). Another restaurant which is a must see is Nasha Pizza (before you reach the bridge in the center of Volgograd). They have GREAT pizza and icecream.

The housing accomodations at Volgograd State University were adequate. Although I did not have hot water for about a month (Russia prepares for the winter season by turning off the hot water), I still was able to adjust to the on campus way of life. There was adequate room space as well as my own shower, bathroom and place to cook. The security in the dorm was outstanding. Trash removal was satisfactory.

LOOK AROUND FOR A GOOD EXCHANGE RATE!! Many banks offer very low exchange rates. For example, while I was in Volgograd in August of 2003, the exchange rate was about 30.50 roubles for 1 US dollar. In some banks, they only offered 29.10 roubles to one US Dollar, so as you can see it is very important to look around if you'd like to get your "money's worth". As for food items, most Russians know good markets or supermarkets with good prices. Just ask your roomate!

After having visited Russia, my own personal viewpoints about life and people have changed drastically. It was hard for me to imagine, before leaving for Russia that there were actually people that were so different from Americans.

Language and communication experiences are only improved if one lives on campus. Having been emerged in the Russian language with no English forces one to learn the host language.