Throwback Thursday: St. Petersburg

One of the things I always wanted to do when I was younger was travel to another country and teach English. I had some friends who had done it and it seemed like a great way to see the world and also do some good.

Because I had earned some college credits in high school, I was able to graduate with my Associates Degree a semester early and spend 5 months in St Petersburg, Russia. I went with International Language Programs (ILP), a volunteer organization that arranged for participants to live with a host family while they taught English at a nearby school. We only taught part time and could use the rest of our free time traveling and just experiencing the culture (which was quite different). The program was really very inexpensive for the amount of time in the country and the experience taught me so much more than I ever expected at the time.

It was hard to be away from home, and I couldn't wait to get back to the United States at the end of those five months, but I was so glad I went. It really opened my eyes to a much bigger world than I had known previously. Not only did the experience help to prepare me for my mission that I would later serve in Spain, but also for life in general. I still think of my time there, the friends I made, and am grateful for how much I learned and grew with the experience. It has already been six years since I got home, but I will always have a special place for Russia in my heart.