Russian Exchange Students Get a Sample of Turmoil, American-Style : Culture: Youths visit Los Angeles in midst of riot anxieties, then see news reports of violence in Waco. But they aren’t disheartened by the problems; ‘Americans are the good guys,’ says one girl.

Surely, the brochure for the Russian exchange students said nothing about riot fears gripping Los Angeles, about a sniper firing on a Universal City office building, or about a deadly clash between a religious cult and federal authorities in Waco, Texas.

But for a group of Russian high school students visiting the South Bay, these frightening images of America will be among the memories they take back to their hometown of Novorossiysk, a city on the Black Sea.

“It’s very strange,” said Anna Perkestova, one of 10 Russian students staying with counterparts who attend Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates.

Although Palos Verdes Peninsula High has hosted exchange students from Italy, Japan and England, this visit marks the first by a Russian contingent. During their hectic 17-day stay, which ends Saturday, the Russian students have attended classes, met with local civic leaders, toured the obligatory Southern Californian attractions and lived with American families. In August, the Russians will reciprocate and welcome about 20 students from the California school.

No strangers to social and political turmoil, the Russians didn’t seem fazed by the tension before verdicts were announced Saturday in the Rodney King federal civil rights trial, the tragic end Monday to the FBI’s standoff with Branch Davidians, or the shooting spree Tuesday by a sniper outside MCA headquarters. Many of the students admired America before their visit, and they say nothing they’ve seen has altered their views.

“In America, they are always saying, ‘Hello.’ They are so friendly. In Russia, they are always so serious,” said Natasha Kuriatchaya, who along with her classmates have studied English at a bilingual school for eight years. “I was not worried about trouble here. Americans are the good guys.”

Local host families and teachers, however, weren’t as confident in American goodwill before the verdicts in the beating trial were delivered. Apprehensive teachers and parents, who led field trips to downtown museums, were prepared to whisk the students away at the first indication of a civil disturbance.

“I’ve got goose-bumps,” said Luann Kurnic, a Palos Verdes parent hosting one of the Russian students. “It’s kind of a wild time to be out in the city.”

But Kurnic said 16-year-old Sergey Movsesyan, the Russian student staying with her family, seemed oblivious to the palpable tension in the city last week.

“I think the Russians were more stoked on Disneyland than worrying about the outcome of the trial,” pointed out Kurnic’s daughter Katie, a student at Palos Verdes Peninsula High.

The Palos Verdes students, however, did not want their guests’ vision of America shaped only by excursions to Disneyland and to local shopping malls. The Palos Verdes students insisted the Museum of Tolerance be on the list of places to take the Russians. Just opened in February, the eight-level, 165,000-square-foot Westside museum seeks to educate visitors on the history of American racism and the Holocaust.

“Racism affects people all over the world,” said Kerry Lee, a sophomore. . “It’s not that open of a topic in Russia, and I think they are surprised we talk about it openly.”

The museum visit proved a moving experience for many of the Russians, unfamiliar with America’s racial, religious and ethnic tensions. Many of the Russian students, whose city of 200,000 is almost entirely Caucasian, had never seen a black person.

“These museums are very important,” said Kuriatchaya, after viewing one of the museum’s video presentations on the civil rights movement. “They show how difficult it is for people with black skin.”

“I saw pictures of children who were killed. . . .” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “It makes me cry. If people have black skin, why should it matter . . . black or white?”

The American students said they were pleased with what they and their Russians friends learned at the museum.

“Where they used to live, everything was censored,” said Palos Verdes sophomore Nathan Wonder. “They never learned this stuff in their schools because they were under communist rule. It shows them the truth.”

But the Russians weren’t the only ones learning new things about another nationality. The Russians fielded a torrent of questions Wednesday morning from curious students at the Palos Verdes Intermediate school on topics ranging from politics to teen-age lifestyles.

“The Americans were interested in who we like more, (Boris) Yeltsin or (Mikhail) Gorbachev,” said Russian student Nataly Kovaleva. “I like them both. Gorbachev broke communism and Yeltsin brought democracy.”

No less important to American eighth-grader Ayren Osborne than political preferences was Russia’s legal driving age. When she found out, she sympathized with her foreign guests.

“They can’t drive until they are 18?” she said. “That’s too old. They should be able to drive when they are younger, like us.”

The Russians didn’t begrudge the Americans their driving privileges, and said they would pass on a positive image of the United States to their country. Asked what she will tell her friends, a smiling Kovaleva said in her best American slang, “America is totally cool, awesome, bitchin’.”