Unexpected Russia: Interview with Chris Hastings

Chris Hastings was born in Chicago, but grew up in Memphis. After completing his studies and Ph.D. there, he set off for adventures around the world. One of the reasons he became an English teacher, he shares, was for the purpose of traveling. Before coming to Russia, he trained English teachers in Guangzhou, China. He also taught in Saudi Arabia, where he met his wife, Josephine, and where their son was born. Before that, he lived and worked in South Korea, Brazil, Colombia, and Austin, Texas. He also had short term work projects in Panama and Iraq.

His opportunity to come to ITMO University came from the English Language Fellow Program, a program run by Georgetown University and the US Department of State that places U.S. educators in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) on 10-month-long fellowships at academic institutions throughout the world. When applying, he put Russia down as one of only two countries that he did not want to be placed, due to the cold winters, so he was very surprised to be matched with ITMO.

“After reading about ITMO and Saint Petersburg online, I immediately realized I'd be stupid not to take the opportunity,” he shares, “both my wife, Josephine, and I are extremely grateful that we ended up in St. Petersburg,” Chris explains, “We had some negative stereotypes about Russians being cold people. As someone who doesn't drink, I was also worried about Russia’s reputation for being a drinking culture. As with most places I have lived or traveled, my stereotypes were shattered almost immediately.” 

Living in Russia

During his fellowship, Chris was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to different teacher conferences around Russia. He managed to visit Pskov, Cherepovets, Moscow, Ryazan, Smolensk, Kazan, Vladivostok, Kaliningrad, Yaroslavl, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Tula, Samara, and Vyborg. Most likely he has seen more of Russia than many Russians see in a lifetime.

In his travels, he also got a taste of the real Russian life, when he experienced the traditional Russian culture of overnight train trips, complete with flip-flops, pajamas, and potluck “picnics.” He was also struck by the fact that Russian cities can be simultaneously similar and different.

“Town squares with Lenin statues and similar street names all make different cities feel familiar while also feeling new. It's like how Russia seems both like East and West while being neither East nor West. People would always tell me that St. Petersburg wasn't really Russia, but traveling around Russia I feel that it is,” he adds.

For Chris, learning Russian took a back seat to studying French and Arabic, languages that his wife and son use in the home. Chris says that he only managed to learn about 50 words in Russian, which he explained is enough to get by in a taxi, a restaurant, or in a store.  Thanks to handy tools like Google Translate and Google Maps, Yandex Transport and Metro, and Uber, it’s all too easy to live here without speaking Russian. Also, many people would speak to him in English.

“In St. Petersburg and everywhere I've been, people continually tell me that they don't speak English, while speaking to me in English. There are a couple of cities where the level of English wasn't as high, but I heard a high level of English in places that I didn't expect to hear it,” he explained.  

“I didn't experience a great deal of culture shock in Russia like I have living in other places. In fact, my ‘honeymoon period’ was longer here then it has been in almost any other country,” shares Chris. He was, however, amazed by how often dill is used in Russian dishes, “Seeing a sushi roll with cream cheese, salmon, and dill was uniquely Russian to me.” Also, the peculiarity of seeing sushi and pizza on the same menu was a bit strange, but since they are his favorite foods, he quickly adapted.

Another observation that Chris made was the love for and importance of flowers in Russian culture. “This is the only country I've ever been in where I have seen flower shops that were open 24 hours. I just don't know who needs to buy tulips at 4 in the morning!” he exclaimed.

Working at ITMO University

While at ITMO, Chris was asked to work with the Academic Writing Lab and taught academic writing for teachers, researchers, and professors. Since so many researchers have a strong desire to publish, his classes were always full of willing and motivated professionals from across the university.

“The highlight of my time here was working with the English teachers,” said Chris, “since those are my people. Around the world, I’ve identified most with those who learn other languages and cultures and share that with others. English teachers are the ones who gave me the most insight into class dynamics in Russia and into the problems that Russian speakers face when learning English.”

One of the aspects of the academic system that Chris noticed was different to what he was used to, and particularly challenging for teachers in Russia, is that students are allowed multiple opportunities to retake final exams. While this didn’t affect Chris since he was working with teachers and not students of the university, he observed that other teachers from different departments had to reteach classes to students who had skipped or didn't pay attention the first time. It seemed like a lot of work to add to the teaching load at the end of the semester. In his high school and university, he shares “it is not uncommon for teachers to lock classroom doors five minutes into a class or to automatically fail a student who had missed more than two weeks of classes in a semester.  As a result, students are forced to come every day and to turn in their homework.” 

Highlights

“There have been so many: cooking with Russian friends and international students; having my students treat Josephine and me to a night at the opera while they babysat (which was our first night out as a couple in almost a year); getting to see the northern lights in Murmansk; walking across the Fontanka river; experiencing snow in May; eating more berries than I ever have; watching my son make friends on all the playgrounds; being proud to tell my visiting friends about different aspects of the city; finding the Wizard of Oz statues near Pravdy street, taking overnight trains; and meeting such wonderful people," shares Chris.

“ITMO has been a great place to work; I’m really sad to be leaving. Working here has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life both professionally and personally. I could not have been happier,” said Chris, “I have, I do, and I will continue to recommend coming to teach in Russia to my international colleagues. My wife and I both hope to have the opportunity to come back and live in Russia.”