My First Solo Adventure

By Nakita Dziegielewski

So, I know they always say that it’s never safe to go anywhere alone when your in a foreign country that you don’t really now, but today I didn’t listen to that safety tip and I went on my first solo adventure.

It wasn’t very far, just to main campus and back, but it was still my first Russian solo adventure. Before I came on this trip I wrote down goals that I wanted to accomplish while abroad, and one goal in particular included going on an adventure on my own. I made this goal because I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone. I wanted to see how far I could go on my own. I didn’t want the safety net my fellow study abroad friends and directors provided. I wanted to truly see if I could, in a sense, mix in with the Russian culture on my own. Like stated before, my adventure only consisted of a walk to main campus, but it was a big step in pushing me out of my comfort zone.

You see, the campus isn’t directly next to IMOP (my dorm). It’s about the distance from Centennial Hall to VSU’s main campus. So, I walked all the way there by myself. Upon arrival, I didn’t just turn around, but I got on several walking trails and ended up in several different places on campus. The campus is kind of wooded, so it provided me with an even stronger sense of a true adventure. After about an hour of walking on campus trails I found this bench and sat and just reflected on my goal accomplished. I sat there for about thirty minutes resting my feet and watching the interactions that happened around me, relishing in the fact that I just did something in Russia all on my own. After my rest, I headed back to the dorm for dinner, where I again got to eat amazing Russian cuisine.

The two things that I loved most about my solo adventure was the fact that I was able to accomplish one goal that I set out for myself, and I got to see a softer side of St. Petersburg.

Paka for now!