RUSSIAN ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS
Sponsored by Concordia Language Villages Moorhead Office Staff
Grand Prize: $1500 towards any Russian session
April Eaker, 17, Hixson, TN
Prize: $300 towards any Russian session
Cara Kohler, 14, Cumming, GA
Widny Nazaire, 16, Linden, NJ
Alexandra Diouk, 12, Uncasville, CT
Taylor Isenhour, 17, Lewisville, NC
Teva Kaplan, 14, Bethlehem, NH
Anton Demidov, 15, Claremont, CA
Here are selections of some of our winners' essays:
April
"Ever since I was eight years old, I have been fascinated by Russian culture. I'm not sure what triggered the interest since I'm not Russian, nor did I live in a Russian community. I do know that ever since this time, my desire to learn more about Russia has progressively become an endless void. I began by listening to Russian music, then reading Russian literature, and have recently immersed myself within it's history.
After many attepmts, I came to the conclusion that it is very difficult to learn Russian by one's self. The opportunity to learn the language had finally arisen last year when I was sent to Lesnoe Ozero for the first time. I learned so much in a fun, unique way. It was most certainly the best summer of my life, and the best educational experience that I have ever encountered."
Cara
"The first reason I'd like to learn Russian is because it was my first language. I was born in Kazakhstan and spoke Russian for the first six years of my life. Unfortunately, I lost my Russian in a matter of months when I came to America. My mom always looked for classes or tutors for me, but never found any. Then several weeks ago, she found Concordia Language Villages camps online. I invited my good friend to rendezvous with me. She and I have been friends since birth and lived together in Kazakhstan. She now lives in California, but we keep in touch. Her family was excited because they were also looking for Russian lessons for her this summer!"
Taylor
"In the fall of 2005 I was assigned an extra credit project for my 8th grade social studies class. The project would cause me to set a new goal that would change my life forever. The topic of the project was the United Nations, something I knew very little about.
After a little research I became enthralled by the organization, the people who worked there, and the things that they did. There was one group of people who intrigued me the most--the Interpreters. These men and women were superheros to me; they took language barriers and smashed them. They facilitated a level of communication between countries that would otherwise be impossible, allowing them to resolve conflict and establish peace. I knew then that that was exactly what I wanted to do with my life."
Alexandra
"For me, learning the Russian language is about more than just being able to put that fact down on a college application form. It is about being able to stay in touch with my family, which is of Russian descent. My family's Russian culture goes back centuries, and even though we now live in America, I still feel that I have a lot of Russian blood in my veins. In fact, my first language was Russian. As a baby, I often spoke Russian around the household and back then, all my family fluently spoke Russian...As I began to become skilled at English (which my preschool teachers were diligently teaching me), my mother tried desperately to keep me speaking my native tongue at home, and not to forget where my family came from. Then, tragedy struck our family. My father, who for many years had been battling brain cancer, died. Everyone in the household was grief-stricken, and, for a time, Russian was forgotten.
Years later, my mother realized how quickly I was forgetting Russian, and tried once again to teach it to me, hoping that soon my memory would be refreshed...Alas, it did not appear to be so...and it is now becoming quite difficult for me to even understand what my mother and her Russian friends say when they converse...Now, I must struggle to comprehend even the simplest of phrases. I have thought about what has happened many a time, and I want nothing more than to do something to change it. If I learn to speak Russian fluently again, I could once again be connected to my family and it's culture. I would feel proud and ecstatic to finally be able to become the Russian girl that I have always strived to be"
