There is no substitute for living and studying in a foreign country if one wants to gain in-depth knowledge of another culture's customs, people, and language. For the last ten years I have been directing the CU summer study-abroad program in St. Petersburg. This past summer thirteen CU students went with me to St. Petersburg for six weeks to enhance their Russian language skills and to experience Russian culture: to view treasures of the Hermitage and the Russian museum, to enjoy ballets and operas at the Mariinsky and the Mussorgsky Theaters, and to visit former residences of Russian tsars at Peterhof and Tsarskoe Selo. This summer I had one of the best groups ever and one of my students, Katharina Stiegler, has received a nomination as a CU Study Abroad Student of the Year 2006.

Cruise to the Island of Valaam	St. Petersburg City Parade
	St. Basil Cathedral in Moscow
Tea with the host family	Wooden Easter Eggs
Trick Fountains in Peterhof	Wooden Church in Novgorod
The Church on the Spilt Blood in St. Petersburg	Young Pioneers Salute