Over the summer, eight rising seniors made the trip across the sea to immerse themselves in Lithuanian and Latvian cultures and in the Russian language. 

Because of the continuing war between Russia and Ukraine, students were forced to travel to alternative countries where the primary language is not Russian. It’s an unfortunate situation, especially for students wanting to experience the language they’ve spent three years studying, but the Global Ed program made the best of the situation by having the students stay with Russian-speaking host families and attending classes taught only in Russian. They not only grew as speakers, but also had the opportunity to learn about Russian culture and their way of life. 

“The trip definitely helped me in understanding the Russian language, but not as much as it helped me understand cultural norms and stuff like that,” said senior Henry Birkemeier. 

It has been five years since Russian students were able to travel to immerse themselves in the Russian culture and language. 

“This was the first time since 2019 that we were able to go on an immersion trip, and that year we went to St. Petersburg, Russia,” said Russian teacher Marina Chura. “It was also the first time that I went with students I taught, so I knew each of them pretty well.”

The students began their trip in Vilnius, Lithuania, the capital and largest city in the country. Vilnius is known for its grand architecture in its city and students experience this while walking through and exploring the city finding joy in different things.

“We went to a TV tower in Vilnius that was pretty cool,” said senior Jaden Yarbrough. “It was kind of similar to the space needle in Seattle, but just going up there, you got to see a bird's eye view of the city.”

The students spent four days in Vilnius, growing their understanding of Russian culture and exploring the beauty of the city. During the four days, the students stayed in a hotel prior to leaving for their next destination and participated in many exciting excursions and activities that grew the students' appreciation for the city’s unique cultural identity.

After the four days in Vilnius, the students went on their way to Riga, Latvia, the capital and the largest city in the country. In Riga, students stayed with host families, which helped to improve their language skills by having them be surrounded by Russian at all times.

“I probably learned the most Russian during the time I spent with my host family,” said senior Cyrus Ranek. “The only way I could communicate with these people was to get really good at Russian really quick.”

In Riga, the students experienced a tour of the whole city by going to the many museums, concert halls, and other significant places completely different from anything the students had seen before. 

 “One of my favorite parts was doing a little paddle boat journey with Ben Shup. There is this river in downtown Riga and it used to be used as a moat surrounding the city, and we paddleboated in it,” said Birkemeier. “It was cool to go through the downtown area and see everyone from the water and see the fountains (too).”

Outside of Russian at home, students spent every day in three hours of Russian class at the Baltic Center in Riga. The Baltic Center has worked with schools like the Georgia Institute of Technology and Stanford University. These daily classes strongly improved the students Russian speaking and vocabulary skills on a technical level. 

Accompanying the students on the trip was English teacher and current Russian student Chuck Hussung. He came along to enjoy the culture and learn more about Russian as a semi-chaperone and semi-student of the language. Like the students, Hussung went to class each day and stayed with a host family.

”Mr. Chura gave me the option of staying in a hotel or with a host family,” said Hussung. “However much my Russian improved during that trip, it improved the most staying with the family.”

Hussung explored the city too, finding joy and wonder in the many things he saw and experienced. He especially enjoyed the stories that he was told while he was exploring the various parts of the city.

”We took a tour of the Jesuit high school in Vilnius, and our tour guide was a Jesuit priest,” said Hussung. “He had served in the Soviet army when he was young and then he trained to be a Jesuit in the underground Catholic Church of Lithuania during Soviet rule. It fascinates me, makes me want to know more.”

Overall, the students greatly enjoyed their time in the two countries. It allowed them to advance in their understanding of the Russian language and to experience Russian culture while still appreciating the interesting cultures of both countries too. 

”I would recommend this trip one hundred percent to any rising Russian students,” said Yarborough. “I not only gained a lot of proficiency and experience in the language but also learned a lot from the cultural perspective.”