At the end of the “Greetings, Vladivostok!” program of intensive Russian language study for foreign students, our students from Japan, Switzerland the South Korea proclaimed: “We love Vladivostok and want to come back!”
During their 10-day visit, students from universities in Tokyo and Kobe, the private Tokyo universities Tokai, Meiji and Hosei, the University of Fribourg, and universities in Seoul studied Russian language in Vladivostok and learned about Russian culture.
“Greetings, Vladivostok!” is a joint project of International Linguistic School and Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU).
“Each of our school days had two parts: in the morning we had lessons at the school, and in the afternoon we had master classes, went on excursions in the city, visited theaters and watched films,” explains Valery Chastnikh, who serves as deputy director of MSU’s Institute of Russian Language and Culture. “During their visit, the students learned a great deal about Russian culture and the history of Vladivostok, and also sampled traditional Russian dishes, which were very much to their liking.”
The students attended master classes in Russian tea, Russian costume, and Gorodetsky painting given by ILS teachers Valentina Kovaleva, Yulia Filatova, Lyubov Kalinevich, Kristina Nazhimova, Olga Lukinets, Yelena Belyaeva and Anna Belonogova.
Accompanied by ILS staff, our guests visited the Oceanarium, took a walking tour of Russian Island, visited the waterfront, took a ride on the funicular, and had a quest including well-known city sights. We are certain that our guests will always remember their ten days in Vladivostok.
“Thank you for everything. I love Vladivostok!” wrote Tihiro Edano.
“I am very glad that I took part in this fine program. I love Vladivostok and Russia,” said Ayaka Ito.
“I would like to come to Vladivostok again, when I can speak better Russian,” wrote Utaka Koki.
Our guests – 26 students aged 20-60 – increased their Russian vocabulary by more than 100 words, learned how to understand spoken Russian and talk with native speakers, enjoyed the collection at Primorye Picture Gallery, and were inspired by the ballet Le Corsaire.
“We tried to make our foreign guests’ visit interesting and satisfying,” explains ILS Principal Olga Shevchenko. “Learning a foreign language is impossible if you know nothing about the culture, traditions and customs of those who speak it. Our school is international, with students from Japan, South Korea, China, India and the Netherlands. It is wonderful that we now have new friends and partners from Switzerland, as well as Japan and South Korea.”