Finally, it is holiday time! A much-deserved break from work and school. But how do you make the best use of this jolly time? We have some ideas up our sleeves. Check them out!

🎭 Catch up on culture
• Punk Culture. King and Jester (Sevkabel Port)
• Vasily Surikov. 175th Anniversary of the Artist’s Birth (Russian Museum)

It’s never a bad idea to immerse yourself in a cultural hot pot by exploring some of the city’s major exhibitions.

🛣 Day tripping
• Pushkin
• Kronstadt

Are you more of an active holidays person? No worries, you can put your snow boots on and explore a few hidden gems near St. Pete.

🎠 Local vibes
• Ice skating
• New Year Fairs

Maybe traveling is not your thing. No problem — you can stay in the city and still make your holidays memorable.

🎮 Stay at home
• Holiday movies
• Video games

And what if you don’t want to leave the warmth of your cozy bed? We have something lined up just for you as well!

🍭 Check out even more ideas lovingly put together by our team!

#weekends

Looking for a break from the usual holiday movie lineup? Our team has put together a list of our favorite comfort movies that offer a refreshing change of pace.

👯 It Takes Two (1995)

“The '90s were a gold mine for comedies and feel-good movies, and It Takes Two is one of such timeless pieces that are guaranteed to put a big smile on your face. And also the little Olsen twins!” – Marina

🕰 About Time (2013)

“It’s a perfect fit for the holidays, especially if you are a fan of Love Actually but want something different (it’s made by the same one and only director Richard Curtis). I can watch it over and over and never get tired of this beautiful story.” – Catherine

🧥 Anastasia (1997)

“This one can go with a fun challenge of singing along to the songs that you know (I always do!). It’s a great old-Disney fairy tale based in St. Pete – just please don’t treat it as fact.” – Catherine

🐻 Paddington (2014)

“This movie feels like a big warm hug! I recommend watching it with your family to adore the cutest bear in London, laugh at some unpretentious jokes, and shed a tear together.” – Elizaveta

Thank you for engaging with our content and motivating us to create more for you every day! But who are the minds behind it all? This is your chance to get to know us a bit closer.

Discover the stories of our wonderful team, fun facts, creativity secrets, and favorite food spots included.

#itmofaces

We hope you had a wonderful break and are returning to your studies feeling refreshed and energized 💙

How did you spend your holidays? Whether you stayed at home or went on outdoor adventures, feel free to share a pic in the comments below.

If your answer was yes, take this as your signal to embark on a journey of digital decluttering!

Journalist Vasilli Perov says,

One of the trickiest things about digital clutter is its very nature. Since it’s not something material, it’s quite hard to get a clear idea of what it is, or how it affects your life. Thus, the thing you really have to do before cleaning up space on your devices or reading into various decluttering techniques is to know what you’re dealing with and decide why you want to declutter.

Let’s learn all those decluttering techniques in this article.

Meet Alexander Saitov from sunny Kazakhstan, a Master’s student in the FoodTech program.

Alexander says,

I learned about ITMO from a friend. He said that at ITMO, we can study biotechnologies and the related Master’s programs offer many tuition-free positions. From him, I also learned that we can prepare for the entrance exam in advance, because the list of key questions is available on the website. I got interested and started training for it.

To learn more about his path to ITMO, click here.
#itmofaces

Getting back to studies: day two 😵💫

We’ve all been there: the holidays are over and your responsibilities are calling, but your mind is still stuck in vacation mode. Jumping back into it full force can be overwhelming, so it’s important to ease into it.

💌 Read our article to learn some great ideas to help you get back on track with some fun, yet healthy distractions.

#studentlife

This short work week offers no shortage of events to visit in the city! See it yourself:

🖌 Homo Ludens
• Jan 11 | 4-8 pm | 250 RUB for students

Don’t miss out on this exhibition where contemporary art becomes a game inspired by St. Pete’s underground art scene.

🎞 Movie night: Scrapper
• Jan 12 | 8:30 pm | 350 RUB

Lenfilm cinema screens the debut of British director Charlotte Regan, a simple but touching story of a 12-year-old girl coming of age and overcoming grief.

⛸ Brusnitsyn ice rink
• Jan 13 | 12 am - 10 pm | 200 RUB for students

Explore one of the city’s newer ice rinks at Brysnitsyn Culture Quarter and skate with a view of the Gulf of Finland.

🌑 Organ concert: Winter Night’s Dream
• Jan 13 | 4 pm | 700 RUB for students

The seminal organ compositions of Mozart, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Shostakovich are combined together to form a single dreamy concert at St. Catherine’s Cathedral.

Click the link to schedule more fun activities for the next week.
#weekends

New year – same energy! We are back with a plethora of exciting news, fresh off the presses. Check them out!

🔢 What if you could describe how the internet works using the laws of physics and mathematics? Learn how to do it from Andrei Raigorodskii, mathematician and the head of Phystech School at MIPT.

🚀 ITMO’s Mega School offers Bachelor’s students and graduates from any Russian university a direct path to Master’s programs without exams. Applications are now open – learn more.

🇨🇳 ITMO student Diego Arbildo Prieto was invited as a guest lecturer to Jilin International Studies University, China. Read all about his experience in this blog post.

🤔 Uncover the enigma of the Russian language with our team’s favorite perplexing words – even native speakers find them tricky!

🇷🇺 Explore Russian folklore’s winter holiday traditions – are the dos and don’ts still relevant today? Uncover timeless lessons from the past!

#newsdigest

Knowing the most popular museum in St. Petersburg 😌 🤗

Knowing the five most popular exhibits at the most popular museum in St. Petersburg 😎🧐

A treasure trove of all kinds of art, the iconic Hermitage Museum takes its visitors not hours, but days to explore. To make the most of your first visit, we have highlighted the top five exhibits to see, from a 3,000-year-old mummy to a Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece.

#aboutstpete