June 2010, June – July 2011

Thank for everything again! I felt very welcome at the camp and still regret that I had to leave.  But I will try to make one of the winter sessions.  I had a lot of fun and really look forward to returning (sometime).  Thanks again and good luck with the rest of the summer sessions!

August 2009

June – July 2009

July 2009

I have such a great love for Cosmopolitan and what you are doing. I feel that individuals like you and your team are doing great things that are truly changing lives. I really miss all of the children and their creativity!

June – July 2009

June – July 2009
I am reveling in the wonderful experience I had at Cosmopolitan. I miss everyone very much and am grateful to you for the opportunity to have been a part of something so grand. I hope that we will stay in touch and that we will meet again in Russia or in the United States.

Jingjing Lou and Jingjing Lou with Director Natalia Bodrova.JPGJune 2002
This Language program is a great place for us to get in touch with the real Russia. Here in Siberia, we saw countless birch trees, which always represent the symbol of Russia. We got chance to know what's the food native Russians have since every day we eat the same as they do, and more important for me, a Russian language learner, my Russian vocabulary expanded impressively during this short period. And the most cool thing about the program is that here we meet many hospitable and nice people. We learn a lot about Russian culture from them, not mention Russian language itself. Surely this program is a worthwhile experience for us. And a lot of people and things there remain as our sweet memory.

June 20062 Wallis Ahern (on the right) with her Russian friends.jpg
My daughter and I attended a two week session this summer. It was fantastic. For volunteer teachers who take Russian classes, you get a very individualized program, whatever your level AND you can't underestimate the experience of speaking a language 24/7--there are plenty of teachers around to practice your Russian with! I teach Russian lit in the US and had a great opportunity to work on my Russian. My daughter, who is 14, did know some basic Russian when we arrived--but she really learned a lot in the short period we were there. She got a great overview of the case system and basic verb conjugation. When we returned to the US, she attended a second year Russian class at my university for the month before she returned to school. Living with other Russian students and learning to communicate with them was exciting for her and really boosted her confidence level in speaking Russian. As for the Russian students who are at camp--the opportunity to converse with native speakers, of English in my case, was an incredible motivator and they took advantage of every opportunity to speak English--again, not just in the classroom, but throughout the day. Moreover, the learning experience isn't all about language acquisition--these camps are a fabulous medium for cultural exchange and understanding. We had a blast!

1 Kathleen Ahern (third from left).jpg

3 Peter Thomas (on the right) as Magician Malgrim.jpgJune-July 2006, June-July 2007
I had a WONDERFUL time again this summer, and I will certainly come back in the future!
Russia is a country that is going through many changes at the moment. I find it a fascinating country for this reason also because it has had a close connection with my country at many times in its history. I enjoy studying the Russian language and experiencing the culture at Cosmopolitan camp.

4 Peter Griffiths in a Russian folk costume.jpgJune 2008

griffiths_impressions.jpg5 Ben Griffiths.jpg