My Perspective - How's life as a foreigner in Provincial Russia in 2022? Ever heard of Izhevsk i.e. the capital of Udmurt Republic? Well, If you didn't, Now you do. Izhevsk is located approximately 1200 K.M. from Russia's capital, Moscow.
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| Monument “With Russia Forever” |
Introduction
Izhevsk is known for the legendry Kalashnikov factory and as you might already know or might have not known, this city was a secret city back in the USSR times i.e. It wasn't even on the map.
Population is about 650,000 people, while the city isn't too large by size. By ranking - Izhevsk takes the 20th spot (approximately) in all of Russia.
After living in Izhevsk for more than 8 months (at the time of writing this article), I decided to share my experiences - In the point of view of an international student in this Provincial Russian city.
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| Sculpture Izhik - the Mascot of Izhevsk |
So, I arrived here on the 1st of September 2021 on a direct flight from SVO Airport, Moscow. This was my first time abroad, and even though I landed at Moscow from my country of origin, Unfortunately I did not get the opportunity to explore Moscow city as I had a connecting flight, after a couple of hours, on the very same day.
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| Kalashnikov Museum |
Initial Experiences and Impressions
Coming to a new country - Prior to arriving, I had done considerable amount of research on social media - about learning the way of life in Russia, I soon realized, It wasn't enough.
I felt lost and wasn't sure how to go about things and places. Luckily though, the university where I'd enrolled in, provided a curator (a native) who'd explained everything to me and accompanied me around. Things started to make sense day by day, as I spent more time in the city. I was sincerely grateful to my curator for helping me in the initial days, when it mattered the most and it definitely boosted my overall morale and made me more self-confident, henceforth.
About me, I hail from a country where 1.38 billion people live. And after spending 27 years in a chaotic city atmosphere, Voila! Here, I was in one of the greener parts of the world - Izhevsk.
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| St. Michael's Cathedral |
Places of interest in Izhevsk
To be honest, there are just a handful of places to visit in this city. Yet, It surely won't disappoint! What amazed me was the limited but beautiful architecture, the city has to offer!
The first couple of months were very interesting, after adjusting to the conditions - My journey of exploration began. And even though, I had limited time, as I'd enrolled in a local university here and it was a priority to attend Russian language classes. While, I did whatever I could to adjust my schedule and I did manage to visit as many places as I possibly could.
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| Square of the Eternal Flame |
Here's a list of places - I visited In Izhevsk
As you've already seen a couple of images in this blog. All of them are from the city of Izhevsk. Alright, Let's go through them...
- Embankment : Izhevsk Pond
- St. Michael's Cathedral
- M. Kalashnikov Small Arm's Museum
Exhibition Complex
- Monument to the Crocodile
- Izhik : The Mascot of Izhevsk
- Kirov Park
- Udmurt Republic National Museum
- Friendship of Nations Monument
It's not the end of it! There's much more!
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| Izhevsk Crocodile |
The people of Izhevsk have been kind and helpful. Most people who I've personally met and interacted with, found it rather strange - as to why would a foreigner chose to live and study in a 'small' city and not a nearby 'large' city, probably like - Kazan or Perm.
Little do they realize, the 'charm', this city possesses - And is and absolute delight, to it's visitors.
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| Udmurskaya Ulitsa |
Meeting people from other countries in Izhevsk
The opportunity to interact and share experiences with some of the most awesome people, did make my time in Izhevsk - A memorable one.
I'd met with a bunch of great folks from Turkey, Tunisia, Gambia, Australia, Italy, South Africa, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq and other countries.
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| Izhevskiy Prud |
Ever since the day I landed in Izhevsk, I'd completely switched over to the food which was being offered in the local cafes and restaurants. Definitely - It was a big change to start off with, but I was willing to make amends to my diet.
Of course, fast food chains like McDonald's, KFC and Burger King were still - one of my top choices, but I absolutely enjoyed the delicious meals which were being offered in the local cafes.
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| Monument “With Russia Forever” |
My stay and visit to Izhevsk - certainly has been one of the best experiences in my life and I'm pretty sure, anyone wanting to visit and experience this city has to offer would be warmly welcomed by the people of this wonderful city.
