Megan Elise Hanrahan is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts, with a Diploma in Languages (Russian Studies).

In high school, we studied the Russian Revolution and Soviet history. I was curious about it, and drawn to know more. I felt that learning the language would be the best way to understand the culture and history. In my first year at uni, I took Russian 1 as an elective to see how I liked it, and kept going with it as a Diploma because I enjoyed the classes so much.

Languages are essentially the keys to different cultures, and studying them isn’t always factual, or grammatical. It is through other languages that we learn different ways of thinking, of approaching life, of viewing the world.

I was very lucky to spend a semester studying at Moscow State University. I arrived just after the biggest snowstorm of the year, and trying to haul my suitcase through 3 feet of fresh snow was a bit of a shock. I had prepared myself for a version of Russia that was different to the reality.

Because the Russian Studies cohort is quite small, it is easy to create good relationships with your tutors and also other students. Having friends in my classes was wonderful, because especially with studying languages, practice is everything. A network of people in my classes allowed me to practice my speaking with my classmates, and we also organised study groups and dinners together which slightly eased stress during difficult parts of the semesters.

My absolute dream is to work as a foreign correspondent, journalist, or travel writer. I would love to write for National Geographic or Lonely Planet, because they have a focus on getting people to explore the world around them.