Back to SummaryGrace Jones - Student Advisor Profile
Major: Political Science
Academic Interests: International security, state building, the rule of law, and democratic reform
In late August at the start of my Junior year I boarded a plane to a city I’d never been to, where they spoke a language I didn’t know, to be with Stanford students I’d only met three times, to stay with a family I’d never spoken to, and to be immersed in a culture nearly exactly opposite from my own. Little did I know I was in for the most amazing time of my life. I was headed to Moscow. Yes the Moscow that is almost exactly half way around the world, the Moscow that was the capital of our staunch enemy the U.S.S.R., and yes the Moscow that still counts as Europe but is an amazing and fascinating place all its own.
I hadn’t always known I wanted to go spend a quarter abroad in Russia, and I wasn’t one of the students that had traveled the globe twice over before studying abroad through BOSP. In fact, when I got to Stanford I never thought I would study abroad, and going to Russia was my first trip outside of the United States. I had wanted to be at Stanford my whole life, and why would I ever give up a fall quarter of sunshine and football to study somewhere else, especially in Russia? But life is about taking chances. When you decide to go to Stanford instead of some other equally prestigious school, you take a chance, not knowing how it could be but simply trusting that college is going to be amazing. Studying abroad means taking that same chance. Through my own desire for a change of scenery, and an experience where I would grow as a person, I found that the Moscow program was right for me and simply took a chance on a city that was as different from Stanford as you could possibly get.
But I didn’t simply draw Moscow’s name out of a hat and decide to go there, I nearly fell in love with the city before I stepped foot on the plane to go there. Moscow is a city that first intrigued me for its amazing academic history (yes, I’m a Stanford nerd). It has long been one of the most dominant and powerful cities in the Eastern European world, a capitol of trade and political power for centuries. In modern times it stood as the powerful capitol of the U.S.S.R., one of the only modern examples of an empire that was comprised of dozens of republics that spanned thousands of miles across Europe and Asia. Moscow orchestrated the victory over Napoleon in 1812 and the defeat of the Germans in WWII, but was also the cultural capitol of unique Eastern European identity. In more recent times, Moscow was the site of, in my opinion, the single most important political event in the last 25 years – the collapse of the USSR. Moscow was where it all began and where it all ended, and remnants of the Soviet times and the revolutionary times linger throughout the city. Russia today remains the largest country by landmass in the world, and a critical player in international politics, from energy to defense. The academic in me couldn’t help but want to go to Moscow for the awe and wonder that it instilled in me.
When I got to Moscow I loved that each building has a history, and I nearly cried the first time I stepped out onto Red Square thinking that that was the site where Ivan the Terrible, Lenin, Stalin and Gorbachev all stood to change the world. But let me emphasize that although the historical side of Moscow is ingrained into nearly every building, Moscow still stands as a very modern city. Muscovites take fashion seriously, and that means that Moscow is the home of Zara, Louie Vuitton and all the top of the line Russian fashion stores. Moscow is home to trendy restaurants ranging from the delicious Georgian food to the edgy dining in the dark restaurant. And I cannot tell a lie, the city is an amazing spot for night life with four story clubs to bars with the latest in house music – Moscow is known as the city that never sleeps and it lives up to its name. Moscow is an amazing place to explore, and some of the best experiences were wandering around and just seeing where we ended up. Moscow as a place is rich with history but is also Europe’s largest city and is a fantastic place to enjoy the fast paced life of a bustling, trendy city.
We spent the days exploring historical sites such as the beautiful Kolomenskoe on the south-east end of the city, and our nights exploring the city center, trying as many restaurants as we could possibly afford. I adored our weekend excursions to famous sites such as the Tretchikoff gallery where we marveled at Russian art, or when we went to Vladimir and Suzdal and saw some of the other Russian cities that dominated the country in the past. My favorite event was by far our visit to the Bolshoi Theater where we saw Romeo and Juliet, and that night we went with our professors to the top of the Ritz Carlton hotel to admire the stunning view of the city. We tried to fit as much exploration of the city into our trip, but still when I left after three and half months there was still so much I wanted to do. Each time you step out of a Moscow metro stop you feel like you are in different city. There is so much to explore and so much to understand, it is simply an amazing place to study abroad.
But I wasn’t just awestruck by the city, what also amazed me was just how much better our Russian got over the course of the program. I came to Russia not even knowing the Cyrillic alphabet, but left being able to carry on a simple conversation with my host mom or another Russian student. The teachers do a fantastic job of teaching you the essentials and pushing you to learn a language that is at times tough, but essential for living in Moscow. It was so rewarding when I could say exactly what I wanted to to my host mom, who spoke almost no English. Her patience and understanding encouraged me to learn as much Russian as I could, and really furthered the friendship that I established with her.
Not only did my host mom, Svetlana, really improve my Russian, she was an essential part of my time in Moscow. Most abroad programs require you to stay with a host family, and this may be one of the scariest parts, but I absolutely adored my host mom. Yes, the first few weeks were filled with a lot of Pictionary and Google translator since I didn’t speak Russian and she didn’t speak English, but over the months we developed a real friendship. She would tell me about past students, her love of collecting angel figurines, her newly born grandson, and her philosophies of life which included things like being strong and knowing that you are a happy person. She taught me how to make borscht, which is a traditional Russian soup, and how to cook blini, which are a traditional Russian pancake of sorts. She truly made Moscow feel like home for the time I was there, and she gave me the chance to really learn what the Russian people think about certain subjects and understand how the Russian people live.
Of course Moscow wasn’t all excursions and laughing with my host mom. In fact one of the things I loved most about my time abroad was the academics. Our Russian language professors were amazing and challenged us to learn a language not many students try. I also took a course by Eduard Ivanian on US-Russian relations where we learned the intricacies of a complicated relationship from before the American Revolution to the current reset under Obama and Medvedev. Ivanian provided an amazing first-hand account of relations between these two super powers throughout the Kennedy administration into today’s negotiations. In addition, I truly enjoyed Vladimir Mao’s class on economics in Russia. Mao is the head of the prestigious Academy of National Economy where Stanford students study during their time in Moscow, and Mao is still a key advisor to the president today. He made us think about the concepts behind the Soviet economy in a different manner and, moreover, how it affected the people of the Soviet Union. There are many reasons to study abroad, but only in Moscow can you be taught by a person who was instrumental not only in the break up of the Soviet Union, but also in the reconstruction and continual change of the new Russian state.
Studying abroad is an experience where you will learn not only in the classroom, but you will learn more in a cultural sense than you ever have before. Moscow provided the ultimate culture shift from the Bay Area where I grew up, and it allowed me to truly understand a city and a people far different from Americans. As a study abroad student you are more than a tourist, and thus observe the beauty of the city that some of the residents lose by seeing it every day; but, you aren’t a resident, and this allows you to observe the intricacies of the culture that it is difficult for a true insider to acknowledge. I absolutely adored the architecture of Moscow and the unique differences in the buildings, but I never really notice the architecture when I walk around San Francisco. As an American with an inside scoop to Russian culture, I observed that Russians may seem cold on the outside, but are extremely kind and caring people. Studying abroad allows to you learn the most you possibly can, and Moscow especially offers you a place to not only observe but to be immersed in a culture nearly opposite from that in America.
Each day I learned something about the Russian people, whether it was that they are truly superstitious or that they are very nationalistic, I was constantly taking it all in. But I also learned more than I ever imagined about myself and American culture. Especially for the students that go to Moscow not knowing any Russian, the days when you are simply exploring the streets of Moscow, attempting to read the signs and overhear simple words in conversations are when you learn the most. You begin to notice whether you are the type of person that is going to take a chance and ask for directions, or whether you are the person that is going to try their luck reading a map. You see yourself in the group dynamic which extends two cultures, both the instances when you are an American and the times when you are an honorary Russian. Are you the person that is going to seek out new Russian friends, or maybe the person that is going to research new places to explore and restaurants to attend? I learned that I am naturally the person who is going to look like a fool for the chance of a big reward, meaning I’ll ask where we are or what the next metro stop is or how to get to Red Square for the sake of learning and to get the right answer. Studying in Moscow puts you in situations you have never experienced and allows you the chance to understand how you as a person would approach and tackle those challenges – giving you the chance to learn about the city but also learn about yourself. But whilst observing the Russian culture as more than a tourist but less than a Muscovite, I actually learned so much more about American culture than I had ever dreamed. I noticed Americans are naturally much louder people, and that we express our emotions more easily, and that we tend to feel comfortable talking about more personal topics. The observations aren’t good or bad, but all a learning experience I just adored soaking up. Moscow gives you the chance to understand who you are, and not only Russian culture, but the culture you come from as well.
Moscow isn’t just another study abroad program. It allows you to immerse yourself in a city rich with history and culture, and it gives you the chance to learn about a culture that is often mischaracterized. Moscow is a place where you can simultaneously relish in the past and explore the future, and it is a place full of unique opportunities and a chance to truly understand a beautiful culture. Before I knew it my time of exploring Red Square, eating Georgian food, laughing with my host mom, and traveling across Russia was over, but I loved every minute of it. I loved that each day was full of learning, but most of all you never knew what to expect. We had a saying “??? ??????,” simply meaning this is Russia, and we used it for all of those “seriously?” moments. You didn’t know what each day had in store, but you knew that if you accepted Moscow for what it is, each day was going to be a day that you would never forget. If you are thinking about going to Moscow, take a chance, make the leap of faith, pack warm cloths, and get ready for the best three months of your life.