Living and Studying in Moscow

School Location and Facilities

Language Link's central school in Moscow is located conveniently close to the city centre, just behind Mendeleevskaya metro station (about 30 minutes' walk from Red Square). The central school is located on the second floor of a newly remodeled building and occupies 700 square meters of office and classroom space, which is divided up between the school's English Foreign Language Department, and Language Link's Russian Foreign Language programme. The Russian Department's office is home to a small library of books, videos and DVDs, as well as tea-making facilities. Our classrooms are all bright and comfortably furnished, with white boards, tables and/or desks, maps, etc. TVs, DVD players, audio cassette and video players are used regularly during lessons.

The Surrounding Area

In the last five years the area around metros Novoslobodskaya and Mendeleyevskaya has become a lively and vibrant corner of central Moscow. There are bars, restaurants and cafes to suit every taste, plus boutiques, theatres, a cultural centre, fitness centre, entertainment complex and much more.

Shopping - There is a reasonably large and modern shopping mall right next to Novoslobodskaya metro station, opposite central school. The supermarket on the first floor of this mall is ideal for easy, hassle-free grocery shopping or a quick snack for lunch, and it stocks many of the same goods as you would find at home. However, if you would rather practise your Russian shopping vocabulary there are still plenty of small, over-the-counter stores in the area, which stock a more limited range of goods.

Eating, Drinking and Dining - The choice of eateries in the Novoslobodskaya area is certainly cosmopolitan. Within 5 minutes' walk of school you can feast on Japanese (Kafe Yakatoria), Chinese (Restaurant Druzhba), Mexican (Azteka), American (McDonald's and TGI Friday's), European and TexMex (Rag Time) and of course, Russian (Yolki Palki) cuisine. There are also several pleasant cafes nearby, serving an extensive range of coffees and teas and a variety of mouth-watering snacks. If you are after something a little stronger there is no lack of bars in the area, some of which also serve good business lunches for around $5.

Keeping fit - The Mango fitness club behind Metro Mendeleevskaya offers everything from yoga and aerobics to belly-dancing lessons, although prices can be quite high (the 3-month club card costs $200-$400). There is another smaller gym called 'Athos' on the same street as school, where prices are slightly lower but the range of equipment and classes is less extensive.

Entertainment and Leisure - 25 minutes' walking distance from Novoslobodskaya metro there is an entertainment complex called Depo 2000, which features a bowling alley, disco and restaurants. The Meyerhold Centre opposite Medeleevskaya metro station stages many high-quality modern theatre productions, and the Theatre of the Russian Army is within easy walking distance, on Suvorovskaya Square. Many other central Moscow theatres (of which there are at least 50) are only 20 minutes away on the metro.

Internet - There are 2 good Internet cafes within 5 minutes' walk of central school: Image.ru and Kafe Max. Both are reasonably priced and provide more than adequate Internet access. Image.ru offers a discount for LL membership cardholders, and Kafe Max is open 24 hours.

Famous Locals - The great Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky, author of 'Crime and Punishment', 'Brothers Karamazov', 'The Idiot' and many other classics was born in this area in 1821. You can visit his birthplace at Ulitsa Dostoevskovo, 2, where there is now a small museum in his honour.

Safety - Moscow is no more dangerous than any other large city, although pick-pocketing can be a problem and drivers frequently fail to obey traffic regulations. The school is located in a safe area, on a well lit main street that is very close to the metro. Common sense is your best weapon to avoid problems during your stay. Be on your guard, try not to walk home alone after midnight, don't carry obviously expensive items openly and use only official taxis at night. In the event of an emergency, you should contact one of Language Link's Russian office staff. People of darker skin tones should be aware that they may face some verbal harassment, as racial intolerance is sadly common in Russia.