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j3ssm3ss
Joined: 23 Dec 2009 Posts: 16
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 5:14 pm Post subject: St Petersburg, Daylight hours and SAD |
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Me and my boyfriend are currently looking into jobs in St Petersburg starting in October (one of several possible destinations). Having lived in Japan the last 2.5 years I'm no longer used to the dark winter evenings and getting up in the dark for work. I suffered from SAD back in the UK and noticed it wasn't an issue at all in Japan where it gets dark around 6pm all year round.
St P really intrigues me, it sounds like a beautiful and interesting place to live, my only concern is the potential for SAD. What are peoples impressions of living there through the long dark winters? |
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expatella_girl
Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 248 Location: somewhere out there
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 10:22 pm Post subject: |
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I knew quite a few foreigners in Moscow who used those SAD lamps and said they were pleased with the results. I never tried one.
The good news is, even though days are short and dark in Russian winters, there is so much to do at night. Concerts and theatre and ballet and cafes and music, many of the Russian arts really come alive in the winter. So being out and about in the evenings is very good fun.
And the snow. It actually brightens up the landscape. The beautiful sparkly snow (ok, that's before the street cleaners shovel it into piles of dirty brown muck)--the snow in the streetlights, in the parks, reflecting pink and blue, can really be beautiful.
[where I live now it rains all winter and I hate it. I'd much rather have snow]
There are winter outdoor things to do. Ice skating is very popular and there are zillions of outdoor skating rinks. Cheap and fun. Many people do cross country type skiing.
The best thing you can do for yourself in Russian winter, even on the overcast days, is to be sure to be outside as many daylight hours as possible. This really helps reduce the feeling that it's always dark.
Really the darkest depths of Russian winter are only about 6 weeks long, and then by mid January the days do start becoming noticeably longer. In Moscow you gain 5 minutes of daylight every day after the winter solstice. |
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j3ssm3ss
Joined: 23 Dec 2009 Posts: 16
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Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 10:51 am Post subject: |
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Thanks so much for this!! It really confirms my expectations.I love snowy winters, i hate the rain in the uk. Are the days ever bright and clear when the sun does come? It does sound a wonderful place to be.
The info gave was for Moscow, St P is quite substantially further North though so the darkness (and light) wil be more extreme. Anyone out there living/has lived in St P who could add? |
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White ice
Joined: 28 Aug 2012 Posts: 37
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 11061 Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 9:31 am Post subject: |
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Perhaps I am reading the stats incorrectly, but the info doesn't reflect conditions here in Moscow. It is quite dull in the winter months, but there's always daylight. |
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White ice
Joined: 28 Aug 2012 Posts: 37
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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Sashadroogie wrote: |
Perhaps I am reading the stats incorrectly, but the info doesn't reflect conditions here in Moscow. It is quite dull in the winter months, but there's always daylight. |
i believe it is referring to hours of sunny weather rather than hours of light. |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 11061 Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 4:05 am Post subject: |
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Aha. That would make more sense. Still, while it is dull and overcast in the winter generally, I wouldn't say that December is always without sunny days. The days are short, certainly, but sometimes they can be fine. Maybe this is different averaged over the last 50 years, however... |
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