Victory Day This year was my first time celebrating Victory Day. Before coming to Russia I knew that it was a big holiday for the Russian people and I understood the significance of it, but I was never able to celebrate it until this year. I would say the holiday has similarities to both Memorial Day in the USA, which comes the last Monday of May, and Veteran’s Day, which comes on November 11th. Throughout the city you could see gentlemen wearing medals from their time of service. People passing by would wish those veterans a happy holiday and thank them for their service. I had the opportunity to go on a picnic with some friends from church. We had a cook out and just enjoyed each other’s company and the beautiful weather. It was truly a great time of fellowship and fun. There were even people near by that decided to go swimming in the river. I personally thought it was still too early to swim, but they really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Praise God for a great day of rest and relaxation! Kelly W.

I graduated from Union University this past December with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. I felt proud of myself for being able to accomplish this great feat and to be able to do it in three and a half years. So, the next challenge and chapter in my life is to move overseas and attempt to conquer the Russian language/culture. What a task that will be! I’ve had the privilege to visit Ufa before so, it’s been a joy to come back and see old friends, meet new people, and see some familiar sites again. Moving to Ufa has been a humbling experience for me. Lack of communication has been a big hurdle for me, so far. Not being able to ask directions or when you think you know how to say something, you speak it, and then get a funny look in return; it’s all been very humbling. However, I’ve learned so much about this city/language/culture only after two weeks. I’m starting to get more familiar with the tramlines, bus routes, and the city in general. As an American, there is often a slight misconception about Russia and the Russian people. However, once you get to know the people here, they are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. The hospitality that I’ve been shown by the locals has been top notch. I’m so excited about the friendships I have made so far and the relationships that are yet to be built while I’m in Ufa. I’ve studied language for one week now at Bashkir State University. The teachers and professors at the university have been wonderful. I’ve been able to learn so much in just a few days of class. However, there is still so much to learn. I’ve got mounds of vocabulary to learn, how to say words with the correct gender, and how to correctly conjugate my verbs. Those are a just a few of the tasks I’ve been given from my first week of studies. I get so excited when I see a word or phrase around the city that’s from my studies. I am lucky enough to have just a tutor since I entered the program later in the school year. So, for my language learning, having one on one education is great. However, it is also double-edged sword. There are mounds of vocabulary that I thought I had learned, but when it came to a quick pop quiz, there was a lot of vocabulary I hadn’t learned. And my tutor was quick to tell me how bad I did on the quiz and how I needed to learn my vocabulary!! In all seriousness, I have learned so much in just a short amount of time and am excited about the opportunity to learn more. I’m so thankful for one on one tutoring, especially in the beginning stages of my language learning. Hopefully after a few more weeks, I’ll be able to communicate more than I can now. The biggest thing I have had to get used to since moving to Ufa is walking everywhere! I have always lived in smaller towns. I’ve always either had a personal vehicle or had someone to take me where I needed to go. Having to walk everywhere, riding the trams to people’s apartments, and riding the bus to school has been wearing me out! But I’m getting more and more acclimated to public transportation. And I’ve even summoned the courage to just get on a bus and ride through town to discover more of the city. I was a little nervous when the bus stopped and I was told to get off because the bus was at the end of its route. Lucky for me, I saw a landmark that I knew was near my apartment and made my way back. Walking everywhere has taken some time to get used to, but I’m enjoying it more and more everyday. Another great way to explore the city is to take walks for about an hour and a half that normally would take about fifteen minutes. Or another way to say that would be to get lost. Being lost helps you to find your way around the city well! My first two weeks in Ufa has been wonderful. Everything from the university, public transportation, and meeting people at English clubs has been wonderful. I love the people of Ufa. The Russian people have always been a fascinating type of people for myself. From the very first time I visited Russia in 2007 until now I have always wanted to learn more and more about Russia, the Russian language, and Russian culture. I am so glad that I can call Ufa my home for the next two years. I am excited about learning the Russian language, building relationships with the people here in Ufa, and learning better how to become Russian! Matt Burks

Hi there! My name is Sergey. I’d like to tell a couple words about one great place named English Club. I like to be there. I visit meetings of that club with great pleasure because it’s cool. Actually it’s not just cool, it’s something bigger.

I started going there because I would like to know English better. I think I’ve been visiting that one more than three years. But after a while it became something greater. First of all it’s the people. I like the people there. I like to meet with Chris, Kelly, Eileen, Val, Vladimir, and a bunch of other great men and women.

While you are reading these words I should say that we are living in different worlds. You might say ‘are you kidding me, how it could be we are on the same planet, it’s just one world’. But I ask you to believe me: if you live in America and I live in Ufa, that means that we are living in different worlds. I got the opportunity to visit USA for a few months twice earlier, and what I saw is that America is really different.

The air in Ufa is drier, we have less rain than in New York for example. Here in Ufa we have five months of winter---it’s not so unusual. People here think in other way and some values are very different. Oh, I forgot to say that Ufa is a city located in the southern Urals mountain chain, in the middle of Russia. The population is a little over one million. Most of the city is a few stores or more buildings. Ufa is an industrial city. Sometimes it’s cool here, especially in the summer time. Sometimes it’s not so fun, especially if winter lasts longer than usual.

Living in Ufa means thinking another way. It’s very cool to live in Ufa and have the opportunity to think in different ways and to have a different experience. English Club has a lot of things to make a person think differently. There are a lot of good people with open hearts who speak English, or are just learning how to speak, or somebody who just wants to start learning English, but anyway, they are all so cool and kind. I feel myself like I have one more family. I like to think about deep thoughts and questions that Chris likes to open up. I like to laugh about funny things and a lot of jokes. What can I say? Actually I can say even a lot more. But I would like to leave that all for the next time.

See you!

Sergey B.