On the 1st of June, 2010 alumni of the American exchange programs and participants of sessions of Discussion Club met with a group of students from different universities of the USA at the American Center in Kazan. The group of 11 American students with a teacher of Russian Donald Livingston (Arizona State University, USA) came to Kazan for 8 weeks to study Russian and Tatar.

Arizona State University offers Summer Intensive Programs in Kazan, Russia. The ASU Critical Languages Institute has been offering summer intensive language courses and short-term summer study abroad programs since 1991. This course contains 8-week intensive Advanced Russian program in Kazan, 8 ASU credits at the 300 level, 3 hours of classroom instruction a day, daily cultural events, activities, and excursions. Students live with host families. This course emphasizes communication, developing four main skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing in Russian. An instructor is Gulnaz Khamidullina. She has been teaching English, Tatar, and Russian since 2006, and is currently completing a Ph.D. at Kazan State University. In 2009/2010 she served as Fulbright foreign language teaching assistant for Bucknell University. 2010 is her first summer teaching for CLI-Kazan.

The meeting has passed very briskly and sprightly, the youth had quickly found common language.The first part of the meeting passed in Russian and American students could show their ability of speaking in Russian. The dialogue of the second part had been continued in English, so the participants could practice English skills. Most of Russian participants were in the USA as finalists of different exchange programs and some of the American guests were in Russia (and in Kazan) too. So all people gathered that day could exchange impressions of their traveling, where they had been, what they had seen and what they liked more. Russian students were interested why Americans study Russian? Many of them studied history of Russia, Russian literature. And now they used a good opportunity to arrive to Kazan and improve language skills.

For all people of course it’s very important to learn foreign language not only in native country but abroad too and to see other country and know its culture and traditions. It was interesting to know opinions of Russian students on America and impressions of visitors about Russia. And everyone referred in one at the end – it is not necessary to compare each other, but to adopt all the best is better!

During the meeting alumni of FLEX program told about their volunteer activities, for example experience of working at summer English camps near Kazan. They impressed all time the atmosphere of creativity, imagination and friendship in the camp, so Russian children can involve in the world of funny English.

10 alumni of different exchange programs of the US Department of State took part in this event. These are FLEX, Global UGRAD, Fulbright FLTA and IVLP programs.