Americans are peaches and Russians are coconuts. This is just one of the thousands of things I discovered during my spring break in Perm, Russia.
When people ask me the token question about how my vacation was, I’m almost dumbstruck. It’s difficult to know where to begin. It was great, it was eye opening, it was exciting, it was challenging, it was fun, it was, at times, frustrating. But simply put, it was incredible. I think I love Russia. I enthusiastically told my mom so, and then rushed on to say that I could maybe live there for a year or so. (I’m not exactly sure she shared in my excitement over that little speech).
While many students, I suppose, were getting toasty on the beach, I was throwing snowballs in Siberia in minus-something-or-other temperatures. I walked in Red Square, took pictures of the famous onion domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral, experienced the world-renowned Russian opera and other amazing things.
As great as these experiences were, the best thing about Russia, for me, was the people. During a cramped bus ride my first day in Perm, I was admittedly a bit intimidated by the rather austere, grim looking faces that blankly stared back at my face-splitting smile. Muham-mad Ali himself said that Russia scared him because the people looked so serious.
Then I had the opportunity to meet students from Perm’s Polytech University. Let me just say that they are gold. I’ve never met people who are so willing to form friendships and who value their relationships as much. Once you penetrate that seemingly, hard exterior there is a lot of warmth and sweetness inside. Just like a coconut!
I met many absolutely wonderful Veronica’s Olga’s, Natasha’s, Vera’s, Dasha’s and others, and have even begun to e-mail some of them.
This was the best spring break of my life, and I hope to return to Russia one day to cultivate some of the wonderful new friendships that I began to form.

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