Russian 200 students have been keeping a blog this semester as a way to practice writing and grammar, as well as prepare for student life in Moscow.

The blog address is: http://2012russ200.blogspot.com/

Stop in and leave a comment!

 Record turnouts were reported at the polls on Tuesday for the 21 February 2012 Russian Club elections. In a landslide victory, Caroline Elkin '15 was elected President of the club with 4,132 student votes. Voters also chose Mackenzie King '15 for the position of Vice President; King received 100% of the votes for her position after an inspired speech to her constituents. Moments later, in a scandal that rocked the HUB, Eli Blumenthal '14 was elected Secretary as a write-in candidate, receiving 130% of Russian Department votes. His competitors did not show up to the election, deciding instead to go to Quiznos. 3-year old Ksiusha was elected Treasurer in a decision that blurred the boundaries of the Russian Club constitution. A conference call later that evening with the YMCA Day Care Center would confirm that Ksiusha regretfully declined the nomination, stating that the club meetings would interfere with her nap schedule. "Besides, I can only count to 12," she added. The position of Treasurer remains open. After the elections, students and faculty marched with signs and slogans expressing their feelings on the election process and results.

Click here for more photos.

 On Feb. 16, about 35 students from several departments attended a talk by Associate Professor of Government Laura Henry, titled "Protecting Russia's Environment: Do International Agreements Make a Difference?" Prof. Henry recently returned from the Russian Far East where she was researching the logging industry and its impact on local civil society. While in Carlisle, she also met with seniors Andrei Vernon and Olivia Stevens to discuss their honors theses on Moscow recycling programs and environmental activism in Russia, respectively.

"Before attending Professor Henry's lecture, I knew next to nothing about Russia's past and current attitude towards environmental protection. As fascinating as the topic of forestry in Russia was, what I found most informative was the broader implications of Russian suspicious attitudes toward international NGOs and Russia's lack of their own NGOs. Given the current political climate in Russia, I am left wondering if the recent protests will be able to breathe life into Russian grass-roots organizations." -Mackenzie King '15

“Professor Henry's lecture allowed me to better understand the various roles both Russian and international non-profits play in modern-day Russian environmental activism. She also spoke at length about the differences between environmental issues facing people living in small and large cities. It was also very interesting to hear about her personal research in the Far East.” -Andrei Vernon ‘12

 Beginning and Intermediate Russian students practiced their Russian over Skype with native speakers during their first language exchange of the semester.

"The Skype lesson was very interesting - it was strange at first to converse with a native Russian speaker, but I enjoyed getting to know someone from the other side of the world." - Brad Seltzer '15

"It was a different but interesting experience. A good way to practice your Russian!" - Nick Formus '15

"The Skype talk with Russian speakers was a great experience. I felt like it gave me a better understanding of what I already knew and what I had to practice more, and it was exciting to discover similarities with our partners." -Caroline Elkin '15

"It was very satisfying to put what I learned to use and communicate with
someone in another language." -Alex Delp '15

Click here for more photos.

 Evan Sparling '08 (Russian and History) spoke about his year in Kyrgyzstan as a Fulbright scholar studying Kyrgyz national identity, teaching at Kyrgyz National University, and learning to appreciate local favorites such as mares' milk (think runny alcoholic yogurt). Evan currently works for Pacific Environment, an environmental non-profit based in San Francisco, where he coordinates their salmon preservation programs on Russia's Kamchatka peninsula.

You can read more about Evan's experiences at Dickinson and abroad here: http://www.dickinson.edu/academics/programs/russian/content/Alumni/ 

 Russian House residents held an open house for fellow students last Friday, Feb. 3, where they played Russian card and board games.

 Caitlin Moriarty '13 won the Global Education photo contest with a picture she took in Suzdal, Russia while on the Dickinson-in-Moscow summer immersion program. Here is the story behind Caitlin's picture:

"Students from the 2011 Moscow summer immersion program walk through a field in the early evening, towards the center of the town of Suzdal. The tall bell tower in the background was within the walls of the convent where we were staying, in a former clergy residence that had become a small hotel. Located about three hours from Moscow on the ancient Golden Ring, Suzdal remains pre-industrial, with dozens of churches and monasteries throughout the town, some only accessible by small worn foot paths. Though Suzdal is a popular tourist area, it is easy to forget this. It seems to have been left to stay behind in another century. Throughout our time in Suzdal, I was continuously taking pictures, causing me to fall behind the rest of the group. While this allowed me to take this shot, I had to run down the hill to catch up."