INTREPID students Polly Bramham (right) and Amy Massarella are escaping the British winter - only for more Siberian climes in the former Soviet Union.

Polly, of Otley, and Amy, from Bramhope, have just made the long journey to St Petersburg in Russia where they will spend the next five months studying together at the Marine Technical University.

Both 20-year-olds are studying Russian at Manchester's Victoria University and are aiming to develop their language skills during their stay.

They are part of a 15-strong group from the university and while Amy will move on to Leipzig after five months, Polly will remain in Russia until June 1999.

Before leaving from Gatwick Airport, they told the Wharfedale Observer they were looking forward to the experience despite the country's economic crisis.

And they encountered their first problem packing enough supplies for the duration without exceeding the 23kg luggage limit.

Amy said: "We are going to take the essential, warm clothing, but we have all got together and are taking certain items we need in different suitcases, such as one of us will be taking a tin opener, and another the cutlery".

Polly added: "We've had problems sorting out our money.

" It had all been changed into five, ten and 20 dollar bills and low denomination travellers cheques, but we have now been told that most places in Russia don't have any change, so we have to change everything into $1 bills".

Not even the vast difference in culture worried them. They said that they thought that the difference would not be too much for them to handle, and if they did get into any trouble they would have all the relative documents, such as their passports and Visas, along with all the necessary inoculations.

They have been told though, that there is a row of Irish pubs to visit until they have settled in.

The warm clothes, however, will be imperative as it has been known to reach temperatures of minus-30 degrees - at which temperature loose fillings have been known to fall out.

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