First Impressions, What MSAU Students Have Been Doing
Activities
By Abby Hird

After everyone arrived in Moscow, safe and sound, our first outing was a bus tour of Moscow. On Sunday, January 13 we saw a spectacular view of the city. The sights included expensive hotels, large stadiums and theaters, a military museum, several monuments and statues, the Moscow State University campus (different than MSAU), and Red Square. Everyone was in awe to see the Red Square firsthand, after hearing about it numerous times in history classes. Other sites include St. Basil's Cathedrall, the Kremlin, and Lenin's grave.

On Thursday, January 17, the Russian students escorted our group to an art gallery. Later that week on Saturday, the American students toured the Russian National Natural Historical Museum that displayed artifacts of ancient European and Asian cultures. Some thought that the entire room dedicated to playing cards was the highlight of the tour (Jess)! Following the tour of the museum, we witnessed the changing of the guards at a World War II monument, and went inside the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. On Sunday, some in the group attended an English speaking church- probably the only one in Moscow!

Other smaller activities included shopping, riding the metro, eating at McDonald's and Russian restaurants, "visiting" an internet café, and for some of us, learning how to cook and do laundry (not mentioning any names - Josh!) In the near future, we plan to attend a circus and a ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre.

Moscow Weather
Weather
By Chris Rodgers

The weather the first two weeks was unseasonably warm for the time of the year, with temperatures averaging in the low 30's (°F) (-2 °C). The change from our home climates has not taken too much out of us. However, there have been some things to overcome such as slipping on ice and wearing about 10 pounds more clothing than we normally do (excluding our Montana and Nebraska students). With little new snow during the first two weeks, everyone is anxiously awaiting for more to come.

MSAU
Education
By Kristin Esbensen

Moscow State Agro-Engineering University lies in the northern section of Moscow. There are four main buildings that make up the university and each building houses different "faculties" (faculty is the Russian word for department). The five faculties/majors offered at the university include: Engineering and Pedagogy, Technical Services of Agriculture Machinery, Economics of Agriculture, Energy Services, and Mechanical Services.

There are approximately five thousand students who attend Moscow State Agro-Engineering University and roughly fifty percent of these students live in on-campus housing. The six housing complexes are called hostels. The other fifty percent of students travel from communities throughout Moscow. Some students travel only ten to twenty minutes, while others travel up to two hours.

All of the buildings at MSAU are decorated with an array of vibrant colors. This provides aesthetic pleasure to stroll around campus. The salmon colored building houses the office of Dr. Valery Chumakov, the Russian coordinator for the International Study Abroad program

Where's the maslo?
Culture
By Matt Rutt

Grocery shopping is usually difficult for guys. However, it becomes especially challenging when the only guides to deciphering the food is the pictures on the box. When Christopher Rodgers and I are shopping at the Verona supermarket located near our hostel, we are very appreciative of the Russian students who come along with us to translate the language. Together we were able to buy bottled water without carbonation, interpret the cooking instructions, and even choose a sharp cheddar cheese from the wide selection of available dairy products.

As we begin to learn the Russian language, we are challenged not only by the words, but by an entirely different alphabet as well. The Cyrillic alphabet contains letters that are very different from the Latin alphabet, and letters appear similar, but often have extremely different sounds. There are several Russian sounds that have no counterpart in English, and teaching our mouths to pronounce those sounds in combination is quite a challenge. During language class, our Russian teachers continually remind us that our tongues should rest on the bottom of our mouths rather than moving towards the top as when speaking English.

The language is the most noticeable cultural difference we have encountered, but it is by no means the only one. Many of the cultural cues we have observed have been subtle differences rather than glaring contrasts. For example, six of our group members arrived together on the same airplane. As we gathered together in the customs line, it became apparent to us that we were much louder than the crowd around us even though we were using a regular conversational tone. Throughout the first few weeks we have noticed a general quietness in other public situations; the metro, restaurants, and building lobbies to name a few, and have made an effort to change our habits to fit the surroundings.

Cooperatives at Work
People
By Jen O'Boyle

Standing at the front of the room in a pair of jeans and a sport coat, apologizing for his handwriting, Martin Frick doesn't look like your idea of a college professor. "Marty" as many of the American students call him, is rather casual in running his classroom. However, he is anything but casual when it comes to discussing the merits of cooperative businesses in the Russian economy.
Dr. Frick hails from Montana State University and has PhD in Agricultural Education. He teaches several classes, including Construction Technologies, Agricultural Power Systems, and the class he traveled to Moscow to lead, entitled Cooperative Business Principles and Practices.

Students attend the class three times a week, for three weeks with classes lasting three hours. The basis of the class is to acquaint students with agricultural cooperatives and their business practices. The class covers the basic history of cooperatives, the types of cooperatives, related legislation, and the importance of cooperatives to the American economy.

Dr. Frick hopes that all of his students, both American and Russian, finish the course with a basic understanding of how cooperatives function, as well as a greater understanding regarding pros and cons of such a business. He states that he has greatly enjoyed his trip to Russia, and that if given the chance, he would gladly participate in the program again.

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