Subscribe to Our Blog
Posts
Comments
About Us
- TeamUfa
- We are a team of people trying to reach people in Ufa and Bashkortostan in Russia. It is no small task and we want your support!
Who's Visited Us
Saturday, August 9, 2014
English Camp
3:37 AM | Posted by
TeamUfa
For about 20 days in July I lived in a small village in the
southern Urals, Aigir. There are only a couple families who live there year-round.
The rest of the cottages are rented to anyone looking for a vacation in the
mountains.
Every year Bashkir State Pedagogical University hosts an
English camp in Aigir. For sessions of ten days students can come practice
their English and enjoy typical, camp activities. I was invited to participate
in the camp as a “native English-speaker.”
It was a new experience for me to be surrounded by mountains
and to live a more rustic lifestyle. There was no internet access and limited
cell-phone service. The primary indication of civilization was the sound of the
many trains that passed through the village.
The camp’s administrator told us many legends of the
mountains and some of the village’s history. We were told to breathe deeply in
Aigir. Surrounded by pine trees, the air was much fresher and cleaner than that
of the city from which many of the students had come. It was intimidating for
some of the students to speak with an American. But after being defeated at a
few card games, I probably seemed a bit easier to talk to.
I appreciated the chance to live in Aigir and participate in
the camp. I appreciated the opportunity to learn about the different cultures
represented in Russia: Ukrainian, Georgian, Bashkir, and Tatar. I’m thankful
for the many impromptu Russian language lessons from groups of students, though
I won’t be using all the words I learned. And looking back, I realize that
being surrounded by such natural beauty is a revelation of God that we don’t
witness here in the city.
Shawn B.
Shawn B.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment