Home Page of Irkutsk Friends' Meetings

Dear Friends!


We, working with the WWW Irkutsk Information Centre, have found that many young people from Europe or America are interested in participating in internships/ studies/ vacations in Irkutsk for their summer holidays. Some of these people have already found placements in local schools or firms.

In addition to the interesting work those visitors can be a part of in Irkutsk, or the vacation stay they can enjoy there, many of them would very much like to socialize with young Russians in their free time to get to know Russian culture and improve their language skills.

So we would like to propose the idea of a weekly informal "Irkutsk Friendsī Meeting" where interested Russians and their foreign visitors could get together for social activities. Perhaps it would be fun to discuss music, go to the theatre or the swimming-pool together, visit museums, play games, and enjoy the beauties of nature during a weekend on the Baikal. Making friends of different cultures is a great experience for both visitors and natives, and is the best way to help understanding between countries.

Everybody would surely enjoy activities like the following, which the Friends' Meeting would propose:

swimming pool
circus
Listvyanka, Baikal coast (a single day or a weekend at Pribalkayskaya)
Museum of Art
Philharmonic - classical music
discussing modern Russian pop music and song lyrics
KVN
collecting berries
collecting mushrooms
barbecue
preparing a Russian meal together (pelmeni, salat olivie, borsch, piroshki?)

Language Lessons

For those who would also like to take part in a language course held by a professional Russian teacher, we can probably organize lessons lasting one and a half hours twice a week. We will invite either professionally trained teachers or professors from the University or the Pedagogical Institute. The Irkutsk Friends' Meetings will take place once a week after the language lessons or at the appropriate time and place for a specific activity (e.g. during the swimming pool's open hours). Of course you are welcome to join only the Friends' meeting!

Fees

Fees for the Russian language course will be $ 12.50 per session; for four weeks (eight sessions) this will total $100.

Participation in the Friendīs Meeting is, of course, free, as it should be among friends. It would be nice if you could contribute a small donation for cakes, tea, food and so on.

Dates

From July 17th - August 17th (The dates can change plus/minus three days - please check this page)

Responsible: Uta Kohler, WWW Irkutsk Information Centre fed@icc.ru

Registration

If you want to participate in the Friends' Meetings and/or the Russian Language course in Irkutsk during the listed time period, please contact us at fed@icc.ru and inform us of your interest.

It is not necessary that you be in Irkutsk from the beginning to the end of this programme. You are very welcome to join us for as little as 1 week or as long as you like. If you are already in Irkutsk at this time, you can call Fedor Babanine at 46-51-02 for further information. Please check http://www.icc.ru for planes, trains, accommodations, etc. It is possible to reserve a B&B homestay with a Russian family or stay in an inexpensive hotel. Consult with Webmaster Fedor Babanine.

Arriving in Russia

If you arrive via St.Petersburg, you may have to transfer between airports, resulting in a little excursion through the city. You can fly from St.Petersburg to Irkutsk on Aeroflot (about $200 one way). Ask your travel agent or consult the Webmaster (see address below).


YOUR SUGGESTIONS AND IDEAS ARE VERY WELCOME!

If you have comments or proposals please drop a line to Uta Kohler.

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1996-3-8 Fedor Babanine (webmaster@icc.ru)