Student stories

 

Why am I learning Russian?

Alicia Bradley

          When I was a little girl, I looked through my mother’s Russian textbooks from high school, and was amazed and wanted to learn a foreign language. Fast forward to junior high school where I signed up for the only foreign language offered: Spanish. Much later, I had the opportunity to spend a week in Croatia, and I listened to recordings for months prior so that I could speak a few words in the country, which actually came in handy a few times. Then in 2019 my family booked a Baltic Sea cruise and I mentioned to my son that I wished I could understand the Cyrillic alphabet and be able to say a few words when we got to St. Petersburg. He challenged me to take a Russian language class. I found Jane and Russian Heritage Society online and signed up for my first class, which started two weeks later. Six months later my family spent two days in St. Petersburg and fell in love with the country and our own Russian Heritage. We hope to return one day soon and be able to speak and understand the language enough to travel independently. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hannah Turley

     

It all started because I wanted to write a fan letter.

I wish that I could state a great and noble intention, like a great love of Pushkin and Dostoyevsky, an appreciation for fine art and opera–but honestly, I started studying Russian because I have a crush on a singer. His name is Denis Dmitriev, and he’s the star of a viral Youtube video in which he and the rest of a small military choir sing Adele’s “Skyfall.”

Writing a fan letter in English was out of the question. Hiring a translator was out of the question. Cheap moves. He learned English and sang beautifully in a language not his own, in front of the whole world, in front of an often cruel audience. Learning enough Russian to write a fan letter would be only a small tribute.

So I started studying–by every means available to me. And through some of my blundering comments on the choir’s videos, I even became acquainted with one of its members. I could easily send that fan letter to Denis Dmitriev, but I still haven’t done it.

It’s not because I’m shy or afraid of making mistakes. My Russian will never be perfect, although it improves every day. No, I think it’s because he is no longer my greatest reason for learning the language.

You see, I have encountered dozens of Russian speakers along my journey so far. Some of them I now have the honor of calling my friends. Each and every one of them has responded with such kindness, such a selfless desire to help, that I now live in a constant haze of stunned gratitude. My efforts to give back seem insufficient.

Even if the Russian language ceased to be so caressing to my ear, so intriguing to my brain, or to produce such inexplicable longing in my heart, I would continue learning. I’m now doing this for my current and future friends, for the warm and wonderful Russian speakers who have warmly greeted me and have never failed to lend a helping hand along my path.

 

 

Amenda Wong (Shapiro)

       

Мои родители приехали из Молдовы в 1973 году.  Они выросли на русском языке. Молдова находилась под контролем Советского Союза с 1940 по 1991 год. В детстве я говорила в основном по-английски и немного по-русски. Когда я стала старше, я увидела что теряю способность говорить и понимать по-русски. Поскольку у меня почти нет друзей с которыми я могу говорить по-русски я хотела сохранить эту часть меня. Я решила оставаться на связи со своей культурой и выучить русский язык. Я начала учиться с подкастов и использовать приложения. Сейчас я учу русский в этом классе. Мне очень нравится русский язык и культура.

 

 

Kevin B. Makel

 I grew up on a cattle ranch and went to small rural schools.  Halfway through high school my family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. Being the transfer student at a new school meant I needed to make some friends quickly. The most interesting and intriguing people I met were the guys of Russian descent, their family stories of escaping the Soviet Union and immigrating to America through China were fascinating to me. Soon I had half a dozen Russian friends who spoke the language.

 I enjoyed their sense of humor and their pranks of slipping impolite Russian words into our school yearbook and newspaper.  One of my friends, Mike Viripaeff, was the nephew of the legendary Russian-American film actress Natalie Wood (Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko, Наталья Николаевна Захаренко).

Unfortunately, Russian language courses were never offered in high school or the college which I attended. Many years later I was on duty in the Balkans and after some time, I was able to understand my Serbian friends’ conversations. It was not Russian but similar in many ways.    Finally, after discovering that I have some Russian ancestry myself, I’ve decided to learn the language, gain a unique skill and explore a very interesting culture. I enjoy the intellectual challenge and as my cousin Pete, a teacher, stated “If you’re not struggling, you’re not learning”. Thus I’m doing a lot of learning.             

 

 

Ariza  Nanji

I have always struggled learning languages. Russian was no exception. Originally I decided to start learning the language due to work. I was working remotely in Central Asia and I would need to travel in the near future. After taking classes, I have found an interest for the language. While I still have to work to learn the language, coming to class has been fun. Each week I leave class feeling stronger in my language skills and I gain a greater appreciation for the language and the culture.

 

Thanks to Jane, I feel confident in my skills to try and take Russian in college – something I have always been too scared to attempt.

 

 

 

 

Rozaliya Asoyan 98th Birthday Celebration

Rozaliya Asoyan 98th

 Birthday Celebration

Jane and Dan from Russian Heritage Society visited Roza in a nursing home on April 1 to celebrate Roza’s birthday. She was in great spirits and was very happy to have visitors.

Rozalia moved to Kansas City in the 90s from Baku and since then participated in many events and even learned how to paint. Rozalia has gifted her friends paintings she created as a memory of friendship with her. 


Rozaliya Asoyan is an actress from Baku and WWII veteran


Rozaliya Asoyan with birthday flowers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roza’s room

Roza enjoys listening to music, especially she likes old Russian songs. Dan plays guitar and traditional Russian instrument Balalayka.

Rozaliya resides in a Kansas City where she is visited by her friends from Russian speaking community

75th Victory Day Anniversary

Victory Day 2020

August 1st, 2020 Russian Heritage Society celebrated 75th Victory Day Anniversary. The Celebration took place at the Elmridge room of the Tomahawk Hills Golf Course.

The program of the evening included: buffet style appetisers, music program and special scholarship award: Doctor Sergey Charanov scholarship 2020.

Megan Luttrell, the musician from Lawrence Kansas perfromed “Moscow Nights” to open the celebration .  Megan has been learning Russian language in the University of Kansas. Her repertoire includes several songs in Russian such as: Black Eyes, Kalinka, Moscow Nights. 

“Thank you for asking me be part of this special event.” Megan Luttrell 

“World War II took at least 25 million people in Russia alone.”

 

Elmridge Room


Tomahawk Hill golf course

The celebration incuded watching the Victory Day parade that took place in Moscow, Russia. Jane also shared videos of previous Victory Day celebrations. Dan and Jane performed traditional songs and shared pictures of  WWII veterans. 

 

Charity Mission 2019

Charity  Mission 2019

Our visit to Derbyshkinskiy Detskiy Dom-Internat Dlya Umstvenno Otstalykh Detey

Derbyshkinsky orphanage – boarding school, intended for citizens with mental disorders

Our orphanage has been operating since 1976. Currently, 138 disabled children (disabled children) aged from 4 to 23 years (palliative disabled people up to 30 years old) live here.

The main forms of activity of the orphanage:

– Providing social services to pupils in order to create favorable living conditions for them;

– Organizing care for pupils, leisure, carrying out therapeutic and health-improving and preventive measures;

– Organization of physical education of pupils, taking into account their age and health status;

– Providing social, psychological or other assistance to the parents of pupils (if any) in resolving a difficult life situation;

– Organization of pupils taking into account their mental abilities and physical capabilities;

– Comprehensive preparation and social adaptation of children to subsequent independent life, formation of social skills, communication skills;

– Implementation of individual rehabilitation programs;

– Implementation of measures for the social and labor rehabilitation of pupils in order to compensate for impaired abilities in everyday, social and professional activities, and integrate them into society.

Our charitable contirubution:

 

Russia Day 2019 in Houston

Russia Day 2019 

Russian Heritage Society with colleges at the Russia Day celebration in Houston. The reception took place in the city hall on June 11, 2019. Consulate General Pisarev A.B. and other officials congratulated everyone with this day, they talked about future plans, current projects and special achievements.

Consul General Pisarev Alexander Borisovich 


Alexander B. Pisarev was born in 1956. In 1978 he graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). In 1981 he finished the post-graduate program of the Institute for US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Mr. Pisarev is fluent in English and French. Since 2013 he holds the diplomatic rank of Minister-Counselor Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the 2nd Class.

Mr. Pisarev has been part of the diplomatic service since 1991. He has held a number of posts both at the Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and abroad. In 2005-2007 – Senior Counselor, section head at the Foreign Policy Planning Department. In 2007-2011 – Senior Counselor of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Office in Geneva. Since June 2011 – Deputy Director of the Foreign Policy Planning Department.*

*From: rusconhouston.mid.ru

Russia Day 2017

RUSSIA DAY 2018

Consul General of Russian Federation 

Pisarev A.