Program Description | Host Family & Community | Host School | Travel | Orientations & Activities | Eligibility
Program Description
Russia is a vast country that covers one-eighth of the world’s surface and extends across 9 time zones. Rich in natural beauty, the country varies between the steppe plains to mountains, deserts to tundra, grassy meadows to mighty rivers. Its cities offer world-class ballet, opera, theater, and music.
Family life is very important in Russia and your home will probably include extended family members who will be happy to support you.
As an AFSer in Russia, you’ll live with a host family while studying Russian and attending a local high school. High school in Russia involves regular testing and reciting works. Russians are proud of their great literary tradition and many enjoy reciting favorite poems for friends and family.
Language
Russian is the language that will be spoken by your host family and in your host school, but the country another 27 official regional languages over 100 minority languages.
The ability to speak Russian is not a prerequisite for the program; AFS Russia will offer you a variety of language courses throughout your stay. We highly recommend that you learn as much Russian as possible prior to departure.
Host Family & Community
You could be placed anywhere in Russia, though it is very unlikely that you will be hosted downtown in a big city. Participants are mostly placed in small towns outside of larger cities in the western and central parts of Russia.
Host families in Russia, like all AFS host families worldwide, are not paid. They open their homes to students in order to share their community and culture as well as to enrich their own family lives.
Russians
Recent developments in the country have given rise to mixed feelings of hope and doubt, gratitude and anger as Russians try to cope with wrenching social and economic change. They have a strong awareness of their history and are well informed about specific events in their past. While proud of their culture, they do not necessarily feel the same way about the political system.
Russians are warm and intelligent people, and the family is the principal stabilizing factor in society. You can expect your host family to include grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Both parents usually work, and often the grandmother assumes the responsibility of managing the home and caring for the children. Most Russians live in relatively small apartments, and at least one member of the family is likely to smoke. Privacy is a very difficult issue, because there is no concept of privacy in Russian culture. It is not unusual for a Russian family to show its affection for its children (and its exchange student) by partly limiting their freedom, spoiling them and overfeeding them. Russians are protective of their children. Parents expect to know when the children are going out and where they are going.
Russian families who have the economic means like to get away on weekends to their county homes, which are called dachas, where they enjoy country life, working in their gardens, fishing and hiking. But Russia is a land of paradox. While some people are moving up the economic ladder in the new entrepreneurial economy, others have had their savings wiped out by hyperinflation. Many comforts that were available a few years ago are no longer part of their lives.
Teens
Teenagers like to get together with their friends at someone’s home, go to movies, watch television, go to theaters or museums, and hang out in local cafés. In rural areas, students organize dances at the local high school.
Football (soccer), hockey and track and field are popular sports, and many people participate in volleyball, cross-country skiing and ice-skating. Chess is both a favorite leisure-time undertaking and a competitive activity.
You, like your host siblings, will be expected to help out around the house. Russians are protective of their children; you should always ask permission from your host parents before going out.
Meals
Russians are hearty people. The bases of their main meals are pork, noodles, chicken, potatoes, cabbage, rice and soups such as borscht (beet soup) and shchi (cabbage soup). Pastries, preserved fruit and sweets are often served at the end of the meal.
For breakfast, sausage, cheese, eggs, hot cereal (kascha) and bread are common. Everybody drinks tea or coffee at meals and elsewhere, but tea is a mainstay of Russian life.
Host School
You will be enrolled in a state school in the 10th grade. It is likely you will be in a class with Russian students who are a year or two younger than you are. Required subjects include Russian literature, math, history, politics, psychology, foreign languages, sciences, art, music and physical education.
The school year runs from September through May, with three short vacations between the terms. June is reserved for examinations.
Schools sometimes offer extracurricular opportunities in dance, voice, music, or sports, and volunteers arrange cultural and social events. Check out the Host School FAQ (.pdf).
Travel
You will receive a Travel Notification email about 6 weeks prior to international departure with your international flight itinerary and detailed instructions for when to arrive at the Gateway Orientation site in New York. At that point, you may arrange your domestic travel. In New York, you will join other AFS-USA participants for an overnight Gateway Orientation before you travel together to Moscow.
International airfare is included as part of the tuition, but it is your responsibility to get from your hometown to the Gateway Orientation site.
Your Arrival
When you arrive in Moscow and collect your bags and pass through customs, you will be met by AFS staff and volunteers. After a 2-3 day Arrival Orientation, you will travel to your host community, which may be some distance away.
Your Return
You will travel back to New York from Moscow with your fellow AFSers.
Orientations & Activities
In addition to the orientations that you will participate in domestically (the locally held Pre-Departure Orientation, the Culture Trek online orientation, and the national Gateway Orientation), you and your fellow AFSers will have several orientations while abroad.
These required orientations are intended to help you maximize your AFS experience, prevent culture shock and to gain knowledge, skills and a global understanding.
Arrival Orientation
The first orientation will take place upon your arrival in Moscow. This will be a 2-3 day orientation that is intended to prepare you for your first weeks abroad. This will be an international orientation and your opportunity to meet participants from around the world. In addition to covering the rules and safety tips, there will be an emphasis on approaching your experience from an intercultural learning perspective.
Mid-Stay Orientations
A few weeks after your arrival, you will have another orientation; this will be organized at the local level. This will last for 1-3 days and will focus on cultural and school adjustment. You will meet with AFS staff and volunteers to evaluate your first weeks and be offered guidance to make the transition as smooth as possible.
If you are participating in a Year Program, you will have another orientation about halfway through your time abroad. You will have the opportunity to discuss your first few months and your goals for the rest of months in Russia. You’ll also do some sight-seeing and have some free time to have some fun.
End-of-Stay Orientation
Finally, there will be a 2-3 day evaluation camp prior to departure. This is your chance to reflect on your experience and to share with other AFSers. You will also prepare for the cultural readjustment that is a part of returning home.
Optional Activities
In addition, periodic chapter get-togethers help you get to know the volunteers in your region, and have fun with fellow AFSers from around the world. Some chapters organize trips to cultural events, and host parties or international dinners. Unlike the orientations, these activities are optional and are not included in the tuition.
Eligibility
To participate in this program, you must:
- Be within the age range (located in the ‘read more’ drop-down) upon departure
- Have a minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale
- Be mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy in accordance with AFS Medical Evaluation Policies
- Have a U.S. passport at the time of application. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the program end date
- Have an open mind, willingness to be flexible, and the ability to adapt to new a culture, school, and environment
Participation Notes
Vegetarians are difficult to place.
Younger High School graduates may be considered for this program if they meet eligibility requirements.
Though the ability to speak Russian is not a prerequisite for the program, we highly recommend that you learn as much Russian as possible prior to departure.
AFSers must be prepared to accept a smoking environment.
