The Final Excursions
Activities
By Josh Brown

This month has provided our group with many activities and events. Throughout the past four months, we have learned to try and accept new food and drinks. Two weeks ago, some of us experienced the "Great Canadian Bagel Factory." Choices on the menu included numerous types of bagels, some with toppings and fillings. I chose the pizza bagel, which I enjoyed very much.

This past weekend, the entire group was invited to Yulia's dacha (summer house). Yulia is a Russian student in our group and showed us great hospitality. The bus ride there took nearly 2 hours, but it was nice to enjoy the scenery of the country. Once we arrived, several of her friends joined us at the bus station and provided us with transportation. Our first stop was a famous battlefield at Borodino. This location was home to the Battle of 1812 between the Russia and Napoleon. Also, during WWII the Germans were defeated on the same battleground. It was very interesting to see the trenches and bunkers, which held large cannons and provided safety for the troops. The view of the surrounding land was beautiful, yet the image of large armies became almost visible.

Once we all took pictures and walked around, Yulia took us to an old monastery. There were many monuments and statues scattered around the outside of the large complex. These two sites concluded our siteseeing for the day and we proceeded to the dacha. The group was very impressed to see a small two-story house when we arrived. For some people, their dacha is large enough to live in at all times. The outside was brick, while the inside was nicely decorated with tongue and groove wood. Outside, there was a lot of space where vegetables were growing. There was also a large gazebo where dinner was served. The evening included a walk to the nearby lake, eating, dancing, and a lot more fun. After enjoying the day, some students traveled back to Moscow by train, while others spent the night in the country.

Yulia's family opened up there home for us to enjoy at day in the country

On Thursday, April 25th some of us decided to go back to the old circus. This time we also invited Dr. Rudd. Since the show was on a weeknight, the circus which is in a permanent building was not crowded. Therefore we were able to move down into the third row from the floor. Many of the acts had changed or improved since our first visit. Towards the end of the circus, one of the clowns scanned the audience for a volunteer. Of course, he saw our group and decided to choose one of us. Dr. Rudd was asked to join the clown and soon was standing in the middle of the arena. Dr. Rudd stole the show and was a great participant. When finished he was given a drawing of himself and the other volunteer. After the circus, an employee took us back stage and the clown signed Dr. Rudd's picture. We told him that he was lucky and that opportunity was surely a great experience.

A few weeks ago, all of the American students gave presentations to students, faculty and guests at MSAU. Each student presented a 10-15 minute speech about themselves, their family, university, hobbies and any other topics of interest. The audience was very interactive and asked lots of questions. However, most of the questions regarded fraternity and Greek life. Since Matt, Ron, Chris and I are all involved with our respected fraternities, we were able to provide adequate responses. It was difficult for some of us because part of the presentation had to be spoken in Russian. Some students even prepared their Power Points presentations in the Russian language. We felt that this experience was very insightful and thought that more meetings and interactions should be utilized for next years group.

Now that the weather is much nicer, a few of the students took a riverboat ride this past week. It was a beautiful day and the sights were very interesting. One student felt that seeing the Kremlin from the river was quite intriguing. We also plan to take another boat ride when we arrive in St. Petersburg. The town is very different from Moscow in the respect that it was built on the water. We left on a night train Monday, April 29, 2002. This trip is the beginning of the end of our stay here in Russia. We all have many memories and friendships from the activities that we have participated in. Whether playing cards at night, or riding the metro to the Internet café; even the small experiences have made a positive impression on our lives. I hope each student will never forget how much fun and camaraderie that we have seized. I wish everyone good luck in the future and "Dasvedanye."

It is the time of year where the trees are blooming, the air is fresh, and the sun is warm which means spring is here. We think about our past travels through this semester and as we come to a close, we realize that our four month journey is all but over. Many people have been taught and even more lessons have been learned. This article is not meant to be a memoir of the semester; it is meant more as an outline to the integral parts of this program's life. Without a doubt, there have been some amazing people who have stepped up and shown us what true leadership is. Many have stepped into the spotlight and taken our attention as teachers, while others have had hidden roles. However, these leaders, big and small, have made differences in each and every one of our lives. As the editor of this month's paper I represent all of the students in showing our heartfelt appreciation for Drs. Hoover, Bruening, Chumakov, Frick, Fritz, Buffington, Rudd, and our Russian teachers, Luydmilla, and Vera for everything that they have done to show us how much they care and love us. Dr. Hoover has been directing this paper this semester and has been doing a wonderful job. We feel that her countless hours of working on this newsletter have been seen and go without fail. Dr. Bruening and Dr. Chumakov have led this program for the last 4 years, obtaining funding and grants in order to make this trip reasonable and affordable for all students involved. Drs. Frick, Fritz, Buffington, Rudd, Vera, and Luydmilla have been integral parts in teaching us everything from energy management to Russian, and we want you to know that we appreciate you. In the end, some things that have been noticed are not just the classroom experiences, but the memories of Mazlnitza, Julia's Datcha trip, freezing outside the Pushkin Art Gallery waiting to get in, and most of all just the times that we had a chance to relax, enjoy our friendship, and have a good time. This trip most definitely has been a blast and we must say that we have enjoyed every bit of it. It has been a long, wild ride, but I personally do not know of any other place I would want to be right now. It has been the chance of a lifetime. Thanks for the memories
- The Russian American Students

Students and Professors enjoying the evening at a local restaurant to celebrate a closing to our time here

"A Visit With A Different Culture"
Culture
By Kristin Esbensen

Have you ever been curious about something and wanted to ask questions, but for some reason, the timing was just never right? Well, on April 17, 2002 the Americans students were given to opportunity to pose questions to Russian students at a nearby academy. Dr. Rudd, our current professor from the University of Florida, made arrangements with a gentleman he met at church. The person's name was Ilya. He met us at a metro stop and showed us the way to the academy. We were really excited because we were told the students would have questions for us, and we too, could ask any questions we would like.

We arrived at the academy and slowly but surely, the students began to fill the room. We began by introducing ourselves and explaining a little bit about our lives and our homes. The students were a bit reluctant to speak at first, but after a little bit of time, the questions came flowing in. We were asked about what we enjoyed most here in Moscow and whether or not we would come again. Of course the American students had nothing but positive things to say about beautiful Moscow. Several of us expressed an interest in returning, while others were unsure. Ilya asked us what do we, as Americans, pride ourselves on? What is it that we are proud of? Naturally, we began to list the things that make us happy. Our freedom was a common answer among the students. He then asked the Russian students what they were proud of. History and architecture of buildings was the number one response. We agreed that these were definitely things to be proud of. They were also very proud of their culture. This is something that the American students know from the interactions with our Russian friends.

A topic that received a great deal of attention was family life. The Russian and American students, both, wanted to know about family structure and relations. Most of the Russian students responded similarly. A usual family consists of 1 or 2 children, a mother and father, and very often, grandparents, all living in the same flat. Those in the family, who don't live together, live very close by. As you can imagine, the American students have very diverse family structures and relations. Most seemed to be very close with people in their family.

After many more questions were asked, our time ended with a very interesting discussion. The Russian students were asked if they had any stereotypes of America or American people. One Russian student raised her hand and spoke for about five minutes. She said that she thought that Americans never have time. "It seems as if they are always running around and they have to eat fast food all the time." She also said that we are always worried about fitness. "People are always running or working out at a gym." We found this to be very interesting. I told her that it was strange because when I arrived here in Moscow, I felt that Russian people were always rushing around and seemed to be in a great hurry. It was a lot of fun to hear what another culture thought or perceived about the United States.

We concluded with a performance on the piano by one of the Russian students. The girl was a little shy at first, but she was extremely talented. We were very impressed with the song she played and we thanked her very much for her time. This experience helped us to understand a little more about the Russian culture. It was also very nice to meet new people, with whom we have spent time with on several occasions as a result of this meeting.

Several of us enjoyed speaking with Russian students from another university, learning more about each other's cultures

The Sun Never Sets
Weather
By Jen O'Boyle

The weather in the past few weeks has stayed constant, lots of sunshine and long, warm days. We know that spring has truly arrived, as all the fountains in the Exhibition Center and near The Red Square have been turned on again, and the boat trips along the Moscow River are running once more.

Spring days are long here in Moscow, with sunrise at around 6:00 every morning, and sunset at nearly 9:00. This has been an unexpected advantage for the students, allowing us to spend more time wandering around, seeing the sights of Moscow. And we are all very excited to travel to St. Petersburg. The projected weather there is just slightly colder and windier than in Moscow, but the days are nearly one hour longer. That means even more time for sightseeing, touring the museums, and just wandering along the streets, for those of us who like window-shopping. We're all hoping that our time in St. Petersburg will be just as nice as it has been here. Cross your fingers!

Enjoying the beautiful day on the Moscow River

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