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Regular version of the site

"Language Lab Club" Has Opened at HSE University – St. Petersburg

The first meeting of Language Lab Club took place on 22 of March. The club is organized by Alevtina Yagodova, senior lecturer at the Department of Foreign Languages at HSE University Saint Petersburg with the help of student volunteers from Erasmus Student Network.

© Language Lab Club

© Language Lab Club

The purpose of the club is to help foreign students who came to HSE University - St. Petersburg to improve their Russian speaking skills, and for Russian students to practice their English by discussing different topics. The first meeting was dedicated to recent and upcoming holidays. Students from Russia prepared a presentation about International Women’s Day in Russian language, and our guests from Great Britain made a speech about St. Patrick’s day in English. After each presentation students asked each other some questions that they were interested in. Questions for discussion were very versatile: from role of women in different countries to why Russians are not used to drink alcohol with their parents. After discussions in both Russian and English languages, guests were invited to a small tea party, which was even more fun! Here are some impressions of several participants:

Hannah Bryant (Great Britain)

Exchange student

‘I had a really lovely time at the meeting, everyone was so friendly and it was really interesting to chat to the other students. It was also really good to practice listening to Russian from Russian students, because normally they would mostly speak to me in English’. 

Katerina Kandylidou (Greece)

Student of Master’s programme ‘Cultural and Event Tourism Management

‘I had a great time with foreigners from all over the world and with students from Russia. This evening had a lot of games, surprises and interesting discussions. The sweets were very tasty too’.
 
Ilona Vihonen (Finland)

Free mover

‘The idea is great, and it was fun to meet everyone. It was easy to get the discussion going since we talked about themes that everyone had something to say about’.


Katerina Kandakova (Russia)

Student of Management

‘It's just incredible when there are so many guys from different countries in just one room, and it is just so easy to talk about everything in the world! Thanks LLC for the opportunity to learn about cultural differences in different countries, practice my language with real native speakers and just find new interesting friends! I hope that now we have started this wonderful business, and such meetings will take place more often!’

Akmal Tadzhibaev (Uzbekistan)

Student of Bachelor’s programme ‘Political Science and World Politics’

‘I was glad to take part in the event. I like the very idea of such meetings, where you can talk to students from other countries in a friendly atmosphere and tell something about yourself. Such meetings are a great opportunity to practice your English, meet new people and to help other students in the study of Russian. I'm looking forward to the next meeting of the club and hope that there will be more people’. 

Anastasia Vlasenko (Russia)

Student of Bachelor’s programme ‘Sociology & Social informatics’

‘The first meeting of the club was a great success! I did not expect from the guys such knowledge of the Russian language; it was a pleasant surprise. And when everyone after the "official" part drank tea and talked, language and cultural barriers have fallen completely’. 

Are you a student from Russia who wants to meet new people from different parts of the world and practice your English, or are you a foreign student, who is learning Russian and really wants to speak it like a pro with a help of a native Russian speaker? Then, join LanguageLabClub and don’t forget to come here next time! Anyone is welcome to attend, invite your fellow students, colleagues, as well as friends from other universities.

The time and the topic of the next meeting will be announced in the ESN group on Facebook, International Student group on Facebook and on the HSE Saint Petersburg website.

The information has been prepared by Marina Romanova, 1st year  Bachelor's student in ‘Sociology and Social Informatics’ programme.