Coming Soon: Summer International Program from Pepperdine University

  

In the upcoming year, from May 4th to June 11th, SPbCU will be hosting a summer program coming in from  Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. pepperdine.edu

                            

 

Pepperdine has various academic year programs in locations like Italy, Germany, Argentina, China, Switzerland, and England. Beyond those, each year, Pepperdine provides its students with various choices of taking summer courses around the world. This is the first time it is offering a program in Russia, and SPbCU is honored to host them.  

 

Students will have two major Educational Field Trips - one to Moscow, the capital of Russia and the other to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. In addition, students will take local excursions to the famous Hermitage Museum containing the largest collection of Rembrandt's works, Dostoevsky's home where he wrote Crime and Punishment, and the Mariinsky Theatre where the most famous Russian ballets are performed.

                                                                                                                

A Visit to the Horrors of Petersburg Attraction

Right before the departure, within the Raskolnikov tour our students dared to visit the Horrors of Petersburg Attraction - the most frightful place in the city, where famous urban legends are represented with the use of modern technologies and contradictory literary heroes still dwell, played by actors.

Moscow Trip, Nov.13-14, 2009

On November 13-14, 2009, the International Program Students traveled to Moscow, having visited the Red Square - the heart of Russia - and the Kremlin. Justin (on the picture) who admires  Carl Marx' economical ideas, was glad to see Lenin - the person who tried to bring those ideas into practice in Russia and whose body is being still kept in the Mausoleum behind.  

International student writes about her experience at SPbCU

Please read a report titled "Of cathedrals, canals, and constructivism" authored by Johannah Bird, a Briercrest College and Seminary student. See - http://www.briercrest.ca/alumni/news-article.asp?id=855

In her report Johannah writes - "Living in a land with a different Christian heritage has presented a unique opportunity to learn more about the Russian church and the issues it faces.

We live in dorm with the Russian students at the university, and most of us have Russian roommates. We're expected to immerse ourselves in student life, so we attend chapels, eat in the cafeteria, clean the dorm, and participate in events and activities (even when they demand a Canadian rendition of Russian traditional dance). I am continually amazed by the hospitality we receive from staff, faculty, and students alike. Our friends have shown us generosity from the first days of our arrival. This generosity extends to graciousness as we all learn to understand one another and find ways to communicate. Having said this, we have all had to make some adjustments to life in a new city and country. Communication has been a big learning curve, but we have been reveling in the opportunities to learn new words and help other students learn English."

See - http://www.briercrest.ca/alumni/news-article.asp?id=855

Photo Album made by our students

The Graduation Ceremony and Celebration of the International Program students

Please read a report with photo here - http://spbcu.ru/en/students/activities/posts/533

International students travel to Vyborg

Posted by Kevin Schur at http://briercrestrussia.blogspot.com/2009/12/trip-to-vyborg.html

I was going to write about an incident that happened a little less than a week ago when a police officer stopped me in the metro and accused me of using marijuana, but since the end of our trip is so near, I thought I'd leave it to tell people in person. It was strange though.

A few days ago we had the chance to visit the city of Vyborg that lies close to the Finnish-Russian border. The city was actually Finnish until it was ceded to the Soviet Union after World War II. The city, although home to over 80,000 residents, felt like a small town. During our visit we got to see a medieval castle, the ruins of catholic monasteries, and the view of the city from a tower in the castle. Here are a few pictures to show what the trip was like:

A Russian Orthodox Church. We got to go inside and hear some of the service.

A Statue of Lenin. There are random statues and faces of him almost everywhere.

I thought this was some funny graffiti, it reads "Give me Power Crash my weakness," an almost poetic quote that also features a perplexed cat looking on. I think graffiti here is generally of better quality than it is back home. (That cat is just so surprised)

A crane working at the dock. The waters and lands as far away as you can see might be Finnish territory.

Here is the old watch tower that's stood in the city from its beginnings.

The castle that was used by Swedish forces in the 18th century to defend against Russian forces. Tsar Peter the Great finally captured the fortress after a long war between Russia and Sweden.

Ruins of a Catholic monastery in the city.

A funny car sitting beside an abandoned wall. I think this is a really Russian photo.