The Dream Team

The orientation has officially concluded in DC and the group has become more or less acquainted with one another. It's exciting to meet such passionate and skilled students of the Russian language and there's a certain camaraderie in having attained the Russian skills required to get into the program. The group is geographically and academically diverse. We were provided with this rundown of the program participants:

(In alphabetical order)
1. Natasha Berenshteyn - University of California (2007). BA Political Science, European Studies.
2. Alicia Evolga - Florida State University (2005). BA International Affairs [Russian].
3. Bradley Gorski - Georgetown University (2007). BA Russian.
4. Chloe Kitzinger - Yale University (2006). BA Philosophy.
5. Andrew Lohsen - Colby College (2006). BA Russian Language and Culture.
6. Susannah Powell - Davidson College (2004). BA Political Science, French.
7. Jordan Shedlock - Hamilton College (2006). BA Russian Studies, History.
8. Evan Villemez - Bradley University (2006). BA International Studies [Russia].
9. Jonathan Weber - University of Virginia (2007). BA Economics, Russian.
10. Audrey Wood - University of Pittsburgh (2005). BA Political Science.

Their pictures follow here, with the exception of Natasha (of whom I haven't managed to get a snapshot yet) and Alicia who, sadly, due to an urgent family matter will not be joining us for the program.











Brad








Chloe













Andrew

Susannah















Jordan














Audrey



















And our fearless Resident Director (RD), Tim Dempsey who just completed the Flagship program this past year.



I think that's enough for now. Tomorrow we leave for Russia.

A New Hope

I was recently having a drink at Kramer Books on DuPont Circle in DC and reflecting on the changes an undergraduate goes through during their final year. For me, the beginning of my senior year, rather than the end, was bittersweet. I had just finished a semester abroad in St. Petersburg and was uncertain of my desire to throw myself back into the college routine. Through my internship at American Councils I was able to continue my use of Russian, but the thought that I may never practically have a need to use the language was consistently nagging.

So... I decided to apply to the Russian Flagship Program, about which I had heard while I was in St. Petersburg. I won't bore you with the details, but it took some time. 3 Tests - 2 online, 1 phone interview; the works. I applied for the National Security Language Program fellowship, but did not receive it. When I was informed that I had been accepted to the study program nonetheless, my worries turned to the program's cost. In the end, I was lucky enough that the folks at ACTR who were administering the tests decided to fund me via several avenues including Fulbright-Hayes, and the State Department.

I return to St. Petersburg in a little over a week. The main purpose of this blog is to keep people updated as to my whereabouts and life abroad, but I hope it will also serve also as a means to keep in touch with friends and family, so please send me feedback and add comments!

-Jon

PS-
I'll try to keep it un-egocentric as possible, but egocentrism is a bit unavoidable given the nature of personal blogs.