*Languages: Russian
*Erin is a senior at duPont Manual High School in Louisville, KY. She is a NSLI-Y Alumna and participated in the Russian summer program in Kirov, Russia in 2018. This piece is part of the NSLI-Y Alumni Insights Virtual Event.
Immersion is a strange experience. Since returning from my NSLI-Y program in August, I’ve lost some of my Russian, focused instead on my senior year of high school. However, my continued communication with my Russian host family and friends has led me to reflect on what does remain of my Russian immersion. Memories and friends, of course, but also linguistic fragments. Even now, months after my return, I still find Russian words and phrases popping into my head unprompted. I realized recently why that is: each word is so much more than vocabulary. Certain words have entire stories attached to them, and those memories make the words unforgettable. For this reason, I feel that my Russian story is best told through the words that stick with me, even after all this time.
Семнадцать seventeen is how old I was when I began my Russian adventure. Not quite an adult, but no longer a child, I first began to see myself as independent as I established myself in a new country. Seventeen was also my number in our group roll call, and therefore one of the first-ever Russian words I learned. We only got our roll call completely correct once or twice: most of the time, someone would be late, or distracted, or just overtired, and forget their number. Nevertheless, the process of identifying myself as part of our group created a wonderful sense of belonging, even from our first moments together.
Баня banya. There isn't a true equivalent to this Russian tradition in English, but the closest approximation of a banya is a sauna. I experienced banya at my hosts’ grandparents’ house in a tiny village outside of Kirov, and it was transformative. Even now, I can feel the air inside the small wooden room, dense with scented steam. Birch branches, soaked in hot oils, exfoliate your skin as the impossibly humid air opens your pores. There is something about this traditional method of bathing that is indescribably healing and restorative, and I can understand why some Russians choose to go to the banya every week.
Маладец well done! is the word I chose as my favorite when asked during our final presentations in Kirov, and it still holds a special place in my heart. Adjusting to Russian-style learning was not easy. I remember numerous all-nighters spent trying to memorize poems or vocabulary just to get by during the next day’s classes. That's what made hearing маладец from our teachers so satisfying — because I knew I'd earned it.
Доброе утро good morning holds a special place in my heart because it represents both my life in the hostel and in my host family.
Mornings in the hostel started early with morning exercises, and with energetic volunteers racing around to make sure we weren't late. In the beginning, we were all so embarrassed to participate in the coordinated dancing involved in the morning exercises, and we tried everything to participate as little as possible. However, by the end, I remember singing along to the songs as we walked to breakfast and practicing the dances with our Russian peers.
Mornings in my host family started with coffee, prepared by my little host brother, who was enamored with the coffee machine. My favorite part of the day was when my host mom, who is really more like an older sister to me, would drive me to school, and we would sing along to our favorite music the whole way, from Ed Sheeran to Queen.
Мороженое ice cream is the best treat in all of Kirov. The factory there produces some of the most delicious ice cream I've ever had, and the city even has a museum dedicated to it. The reason I really love it, though, is because I remember sitting on a park bench with an ice cream cone in hand, playing charades with my dear Russian friends to learn vocabulary. I still have a video of that day, and I love watching it just to see our joyous laughter, and to remember that amazing ice cream.
Любить to love is one of the first verbs I learned, and still the most important. At first, it was basic grammar practice: Я люблю читать, I love to read. Then, я вас любил, I loved you — the first line of the Pushkin poem we all memorized. But my favorite use of “to love” is я люблю тебя, I love you. It perfectly sums up the bonds I made with so many of the people I met during NSLI-Y. I love you, in this foreign tongue and in this strange new country. I love the community we built together. To my fellow Kirov 2018 alums:
я вас очень люблю навсегда.
Meet the Writer!
Erin Ramsey began studying Russian in 2018 prior to participating in the 2018 NSLI-Y Russian summer program. She plans on continuing her studies of Russian at Bryn Mawr College, where she will be attending in the fall. While Erin only recently started learning Russian, she has been studying French for 4 years and Spanish for 6 years.
Hope you enjoyed this NSLI-Y Alumni Insights piece about Russian! Stay tuned for our last few pieces of Volume 2! :)
Photos
Photo by Daniel von Appen on Unsplash. vintage car radio
Photo by Stanislav Kondratiev on Unsplash. Yekaterin, Russia.
Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash (coffee cup)
Photo by Renee Fisher on Unsplash. #LoveWall in Manhattan, NY.