Summer in Ryazan

Teaching English at Global House in Ryazan didn't just put me in a teacher's position in a house next to where Pavlov was born. It put me in conversation with and thrust me into the life of a city rarely visited by foreigners, in a country whose national image is gaining attention. In the midst of the turbulent summer of 2014 I was exposed not to political points of view, but unique individual human experiences, lives, and what's more, friends.
Our Russian students, staff and their friends were extremely warm towards us and invited us on all their excursions to the countryside, visiting the rolling fields and abandoned bridge of Dobry Sot, the midnight stars at Dubki, our friend's banya in Rybnoe, and day trips to the unforgettable colorful Kremlins of Kolomna, Vladimir and Suzdal.
In the midst of it all, my friend and I got a shot at fame when a Ryazanian TV crew interviewed us at a festival!

Overall there are too many reasons to recommend the Crossroads Eurasia program for anyone wanting to experience the true Russia. Having studied abroad in Saint Petersburg before I had longed to see a glimpse of the gritty, dusty life that most Ryazanians were kind enough to let me into.