Russian Youth

Welcome to Lesnoe Ozero!

The fun starts the moment you arrive at Lesnoe Ozero. First, a friendly staff member will greet you in Russian and help you go through “customs” and select a Russian name, exchange American dollars for rubles, and meet your new cabin mates and friends. From that moment on, Russian will be incorporated into every daily activity.

You might try pysanky (Ukrainian egg decorating) or martial arts. You might join our Russian choir, learn Russian folk dances, try out Russian recipes in the kitchen, play shakhmaty (chess) or futbol (soccer), and you’re sure to swim, canoe, and maybe even fish. At Lesnoe Ozero, you’ll have plentiful opportunities to be artistic, dramatic, musical, athletic, and certainly adventurous! You’ll be sure to find something you love, no matter what your mood happens to be.

Helped by a fun, supportive group of counselors, you’ll be amazed by how quickly you adapt to life in a Russian village. Your counselors will help you every step of the way, using gestures and demonstration to help you understand new words, and giving you plentiful opportunities to practice what you learn.

After meals, we have announcements. Even if you don’t understand Russian, you’ll understand where to go and what to do by watching the counselors act out the instructions. If you do speak Russian, you’ll probably get a chance to help make announcements yourself. Some particularly popular announcements include the “proverb of the day” and the secret counselor awards for participation, behavior, and language use.

Lesnoe Ozero has a relaxed atmosphere. You won’t need much more than shorts, T-shirts, a swimsuit, long pants, and warm sweatshirts. You’ll have the opportunity to dress up for a few events if you wish, such as Restaurant Night.

Special Program
The Heritage Program at Lesnoe Ozero is for students who were raised in a Russian-speaking environment and have some command of spoken Russian. The curriculum is specifically designed to focus on the unique needs of these heritage speakers, with the goals of bringing the language of our heritage students closer to that of their grade-level peers in Russia and increasing students’ cultural literacy through art, literature, folk tales, history, music, politics and science.

Fast Facts
Village: Lesnoe Ozero
Founded 1966
Capacity: 65 villagers
Borders: Turtle River Lake
Language: Russian
Currency: Ruble
Time Zone: CDT (Daylight Savings)