From waterfalls to forest legends, Karelia feels like a fairy tale. One student’s escape into Russia’s wild north — where healing springs, homemade pies, and silence heal the soul.
Lost in a swirl of unexpected sleet during a mandatory fingerprinting errand in Moscow, I mistook my first snow for mere rain challenging my picture-perfect expectations and turning excitement into frozen frustration. As a Nigerian international student hailing from sun-drenched lands, this incident starkly revealed the raw realities of Russia's winter and HSE's administrative maze.
A Nigerian student shares his magical first New Year's Eve in Moscow—from icy awe at Sokolniki Park to skating falls, cold-weather dancing, and finding belonging under the fireworks.
 - Maria Zlygosteva.jpg "Three Days, New Friends and a Train to Yaroslavl")
