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"Tell us about sights in Saint Petersburg in English, please" - the phrase at the job interview began with. A few days later I worked in a hotel in the city center selling tours to foreign visitors. It was like being in the center of an international fest, as it was the middle of the FIFA World Cup Championship. My summer job became a journey to several countries at the same time. And every time it was not only interesting, but also fun.
But what does that really mean? What are we here at ITMO trying to do? What does it mean to be more than just a university?
To borrow Shakespeare’s words, "That IS the question."
Classical St. Petersburg is known to all for its magnificent palaces and canals, parks and cozy squares. Everyone wants to see the majestic cathedrals and fascinating drawbridges. However, there is also another St. Petersburg that the residents of this beautiful city know about. Today, I am going to share several interesting places with you.
On September 1, the celebration of first-year students ITMO.GO took place at Aleksandrovsky Park in front of Baltic House. This means that all enrolled applicants can now proudly call themselves students. Of course, for everyone this is a new and important stage of life, because getting a higher education determines not only your future professional skills, but also forms ideas about many things not related to future work. In addition, do not forget about rest and entertainment. And ITMO.GO confirms these words.
Every year, ITMO University hosts a variety of events related to various aspects of student life. For example, sports, scientific, social events. I would like to mention some events, in which I was fortunate enough to participate in one way or another.
Entrepreneurship has almost never been easier, thanks to the ease of Estonia’s e-Residency program. In December 2014, the small Baltic nation developed a new virtual system that facilitates the start-up process for non-Estonians. Now, people from around the world are able to enjoy access to Estonian services such as company formation and registration, banking, payment processing, and taxation. The benefits of such a program can’t be overstated, because in today’s world of Digital Nomads, Estonia’s e-residency is capable of providing people, such as software developers and writers, with complete location independence, access to the European Union single marketplace, and a highly competitive tax rate.
The ITMO University Representative Office in Brussels opened up in 2014 as part of the university's internationalization effort. The purpose of creating a representative office in the heart of Europe is to bring ITMO closer to its European counterparts. Here are some facts about the office.
There are certain things you can do only once in your life. For me going to semester exchange to Russia is one of those events. I was sure that, if I don’t come here now — I never will. So, I registered for the exchange program at my home university in Finland. I didn’t know what to expect and what I even could hope for. For some years I have been wondering how it really is on this side of the border. I wanted to feel the Russian culture as it is. St. Petersburg was my first choice, because I had heard it’s a beautiful city with great culture. Which, indeed, is a modest description of the city.
The streets we walk every day are filled with history; we all know this, but begin to ignore it as we slowly get used to our home. When we hear the word "history", our imagination runs away to la-la land and skips the class. Rather than general boring history, I am curious about those "wow elements" around us and ask myself if they are true or simple rumors. In this blog entry, I would like to share some curious facts you might not know — or get wrong — about our historic and awesome city.
How to adapt to the culture smoothly and enjoy the process.
If studying abroad, beginning a new life project in a different country or starting over has always been on your mind, listen up! because if you are already planning to move to a different location, this topic might be useful for you. When you start daydreaming about how things are on the other side of the world, or if you wonder if the grass is greener on the other side, everything seems to be fantastic in your mind, and quickly expectations begin to rise. You imagine yourself walking freely in a new city and having fun with new friends. Things are not always as easy as we imagine them to be, so today I want to share a couple of tips to speed up the process of adaptation and make it less scary.