They were happy

I have learned that Americans have a very good tradition: having finished some team-work, they get together and everybody expresses their opinion on how well they did the work. Participants of the cultural student exchange program held by two sister cities, La Crosse and Dubna, follow this tradition as well.
A three-week long visit to the fellow students in Dubna of American students � participants of the 9th cultural student exchange, who they only knew by a few e-mails � which included staying with host families and getting acquainted with the culture of our country, completed with a dinner.
It�s not easy to stand in front of not only the students but also their parents and speak of what you liked and what you did not like about the exchange program, what excited you, what you managed to do and what you did not � or just say a couple of common phrases if you don�t think this experience to be anything special.
So what did the students point out, what things seemed the most interesting and important to them?
Danil Alexeev spoke about the wonderful trips and tours (by the way, he was a lot of a help during the trips) and that fact was pointed out by nearly everyone. Both American and Russian students visited the best museums of St. Petersburg and Moscow, toured the ancient Russian cities of Alexandrov and Dmitrov. The Russian students admitted that they had learned a lot of new things about their own country.
Grigor Petrunkin devoted most of his speech to that wonderful climate of friendship which surrounded the students. �We have been having a great time together. I have made a lot of new friends � not only Americans but also Russian students from Dubna and I�m very grateful to those people who managed to take part in the exchange�. And Dane DeVetter, Grigor�s exchange student, is already thinking about how to make his friend�s visit to La Crosse next summer as interesting and enjoyable as his own to Dubna.
�When I was going to Dubna, I was quite afraid that I would miss home�, said Eva Klug. �But it has been so interesting here that I did not have to miss anything. Also, I was worried whether I would be able to mix with the people I�d never met before. But when I came I realized that all the people in the world are alike and we all got along well. I will never forget all these kids, neither the Russians nor the Americans and I�m very sorry it�s time to leave my Russian host family. I will miss them. �
Carly Otto was really nervous when she was going to Dubna. Laughing, she admitted that the thing she was mostly worried about was food � she was not sure whether she would be able to eat Russian food. But she liked the food we eat here, and, as she said, even put on a few pounds. �This trip gave me a lot. I�ve gained priceless experience, become more self-confident,� said Carly and added, �Russian people, as I have noticed, always know what they want do and live it�.
�I was not afraid of anything when I was going to Russia�, said Barbara Jedele, �on the opposite, I was reaaly excited and quite impatient to see this country. Everything has been wonderful; from the trips to people�s attitude towards us to food. Not only the planned things were awesome but even a simple walk around Dubna with Lena and the rest of the group. Everything was just great! Thank you all a lot for everything you have done for us. I hope that the next year�s meeting in La Crosse will be fun, too.�
Of course, I mostly gave examples of what the La Crosse students said. Our kids performed as hosts and according to what their exchange students said, quite kind and hospitable ones. For them too, these past three weeks became a lesson not only of the language but also the one of friendship. They have showed themselves as mature people capable of not only having fun with their guests, going on tours and strolling around Dubna but they also did some work � cleaned the Dubna River bank by picking up litter left by lazy Russian campers and worked one day for the Ecomebel Company. And they all will be looking forward to meeting each other in 2007. Masha Filchenkova �I will miss everybody all year round waiting for a new meeting�. Pasha Pankratov �I will be looking forward to the time when we all get together again�. Alina Baganova �I�m happy to have met these people�.
Those were not just words but feelings expressed sincerely. I could tell that from the way the kids talked to each other, and held each other�s hands gently knowing that it was time to say good bye and that there was going to be a whole year before they would meet each other again. Although, the main point is another meeting. And we hope that meetings like that and the wonderful feeling of friendship will accompany them through their whole lives.
Lucky are those who by doing at school, working hard to learn the English language and winning the selection contest gained the right to be a participant of the student exchange between the sister cities.
The exchange is held on the basis of the agreement between La Crosse and Dubna with the help of La Crosse-Dubna Friendship Association and Bill Trussoni, who has given his heart to children and the future of the world - for several years has been spending a lot of time and energy organizing and chaperoning the student exchanges. Sure, none of the visits to a friendly country would have taken place without the help of the people, who support the students not only with advice but also with money since they understand how important it is to form friendly relations between teenagers as young people are more open to other cultures and lifestyles than adults which can help to improve the relationships between countries and governments in future.
The president of Rotary Club "Dubna" M. Ivankov, the director of FSUE �Scientific-research institute of applied acoustics� V. Lysakov, the director of PC �Ekomebel� Ltd O. Goorleva, the general director of �Rata-express� Ltd P. Nasonov, the general director of CJSC SPC �Aspect� J. Nedachin, the general director of �Ukas� Ltd V. Sivov, the general director of �� �Rubin� D. Ryzhkov, the director of �3 XL� Ltd A. Kulikov can feel the results of this fruitful cooperation right away.
I asked the American students before they left, what they had learned for those past three weeks of socializing with their Russian exchange students, whether they have learned to listen to each other�s opinion and to understand each other, to take care of each other. And just a second later I heard the answer. �Yes, sure. We learned to cheer each other up�. �Russians and Americans represent two different cultures and, naturally, while communicating, we not only liberalized but we became more open to new ideas�. �Of course, we did help each other, in particular to overcome the language difference and other differences. And we never forget the people we have helped and the people who have helped us�.
As the young Americans said, the days spent in Dubna were one of the happiest times of their lives and they would love to come back here sometimes.

Olga Melkumova

Translation: Lena Krylova