Volunteers Section

Patrick Anderson
USA
email: andersonpatrick@sbcglobal.net

Hello, my name is Patrick Anderson and I participated in the volunteer program in Izhevsk, Russia in March 2003. First, I must say if you are thinking about traveling to Russia I strongly encourage you to go. The people and culture are absolutely wonderful, and it will be a experience which you will never forget. Now, let me tell you a little about my experience more...

Arrival in Moscow
Train Ride
Arrival in Izhevsk
Meeting the students
The Sauna
The Banya

Volunteered: March 3 - April 3, 2003

Pietro Joseph Morfea
Australia

Volunteered: July 9 - August 1, 2003

Malla Tennila
Australia
email: mtennila@yahoo.com.au

Since I was in high school I have always wanted to visit Russia. While backpacking through Europe I was going to join a tour of Moscow and St Petersburg. Instead I found something that would be more of a cultural experience. I applied to the SV Agency and became a volunteer in 2004.

My time in Izhevsk was amazing. The classes I attended were filled with very enthusiastic students, not only ready to learn English but also about my culture. The teenagers in these classes are different from any other teenagers I have met. They enjoyed telling me about their Russian life, culture, their dreams and aspirations. In return they loved hearing about Australia, my travel and seeing photos of my family.

The highlight of the trip was a weekend bike trip. The students and international volunteers rode about 110km (round trip) out to a small village to deliver supplies. We got to stay there overnight. During the weekend trip we not only saw the wonderful Russian countryside we also tried Russian cuisine, learnt more about Russian way of life and had a banya.

The depth of Russian cultural within this remote village area was amazing. Some of the villagers said it was the first time they ever met a foreigner. One of our student hosts (Valentine) took us to the 'local village disco'. This was an enchanting experience I will never forget, about 12 of us hoped into a van and drove outside the village.

We suddenly stopped on the side of the road. Valentine turned the radio up and we all danced on the road side. The students have an amazing love of life, that is different from the western world.

I still keep in contact with my host family and some of the other volunteers. If the chance arose gain I would love to participate in the program again. I suggest anyone given the opportunity to participate do so.

(Some of the male students are avid coin collectors. They loved seeing and receiving some of the foreign coins in my possession.)

Volunteered: June 20 - July, 2004

Lincoln James Glenn
Australia

Volunteered: September 5 - November 20, 2005

Emily Klokkevold
USA

Volunteered: 31.07.2006 - 06.09.2006