Denis Davydov, PR              

I can not believe that there are only 31 days in October. Maybe this month lasts more? Why does October seem to me so long?  Is that because I  managed to visit 3 capital cities, took part in 2 national and international events and got an experience I have never had before?

During the last 30 days, I was in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. I couldn’t hold back my curiosity about people’s  lifestyle in such big cities with high population density. Those, who visited both of them realize — Moscow and Saint Petersburg are absolutely different. And the first thing I always pay my attention to is people. Both cities are crowded, but the behaviour of citizens form a view of how local people live. Whereas Muscovites are always in hurry, the citizens of Saint Petersburg enjoy walking through the streets. They usually walk in pairs, they look fashionable. The scarf is the main autumn attribute of Petersburgers. I can compare Saint Petersburg with Paris because of its streets, buildings, and restaurants. It is truly called a cultural capital city of Russia. Choosing between Moscow and Saint Petersburg, I would definitely opt for the second one. Life in Moscow seems so unstable, whereas Saint Petersburg is trustworthy. Two days in Moscow in autumn was enough for me, but I wasn’t satisfied with a number of hours I spent staying two days in Petersburg. I will strive to visit it again in summer to enjoy walking in parks, watching bridging and having experience of how to fall asleep during white nights.

Talking about the place I would like to live, it is definitely a calm city in a hot climate near the sea, ocean or gulf. After spending two weeks in the hot United Arab Emirates there is no doubt about my dream. I will not forgo the dream. On the contrary, I will do my best to realize it as soon as possible. I was absolutely enchanted by UAE. The perfect weather, nice people, calm tempo of life, beautiful skyscrapers, wonderful beaches and enormous malls, where people can easily find all that they need. The most surprising for me was the students’ life. It turned out even better than we see in American films or serials. All of them are very respectful, funny and intelligent. I considered that they never chase after time. They don’t have the necessity to work because studying is more important. According to their answers to my question about the scholarship, money that they get from the University is enough. They have all the facilities nearby: a football stadium with a training field, a gym a big swimming pool, dancing halls, an enormous library and room for playing computer games. All these are for free. A perfect place for students, I suppose.

But what about classes? They study 5 days per week, having 2-3 lessons every day and spending about 2-3 hours doing homework. They chose the subjects they want, so studying is considered not to be monotonous and boring. After having the experience to live like the students live abroad I finally realize that I want to feel the same emotions again for a long-term period.

But what was the reason for my trip to Abu-Dhabi? I took part in the WorldSkills championship as a volunteer. It was a fantastic time. I got acquainted with lots of international volunteers, competitors, and managers, practised English and fortunately had time to relax and see the city. I visited Ferrari World — one of the coolest park, tried the fastest roller-coaster in the world. Our delegation also spent some hours in the desert riding camels and driving on Safari. We couldn’t miss the opportunity to see one of the biggest mosques in the world — Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. There are still some places in UAE that I  failed to visit. It means that I will come back to this amazing country.

When you go travelling, take you look at people’s’ behaviour and their lifestyle. It’s very interesting to compare it to what we are used to. The place you go is not as significant as the people around you. Whether they are your friends or family who you are going with or just people who you see there. The usual impression of your trip depends on people. In my case everything was fantastic.