GARDEN GROVE : Siberian Students Visit High School

Volodia Glinsky and 13 other students from Siberia experienced education--American style--at Garden Grove High School during their weeklong tour of Orange County.

Volodia, 13, said he loved his visit and the people he met in the last few days. He said the people were funny with “so many smiles.”

Volodia said learning about the cultural differences between his country and the United States has been fascinating. For example, he noticed that Californians appear to have a unique predilection for driving.

“It’s interesting that there’s so many cars and so few people. In Siberia we have less cars and more people,” he said.

Through interpreters, the Russians also offered their impressions of their hosts.

“I like the American people. I didn’t expect to get such hospitality,” said Yulia Kolchina, 16. “It’s very easy to socialize with them.”

She said such cultural exchanges are important “to get to know each other better and know more about our countries. They help bring our countries together.”

Yulia and her companions said that they liked almost everything about California, that the people are nice, the theme parks fun, and the food, well. . . .

They said they are used to diets with lots of vegetables and soups, and although they never criticized the bulkier U.S. cuisine, several giggled when asked to describe it.

“It’s . . . interesting,” one girl offered.

Throughout the daylong tour at the high school, the Russians talked with students and experienced a typical day in school, including classes and lunch in the cafeteria. While visiting math, literature and biology classes, the Russians answered questions from their U.S. counterparts about their hometown of Novosibirsk.

Zoya Bobomolova, 51, a chaperon, confirmed local students’ perception that, yes, Siberia does get chilly. She showed a photo of herself standing in a wooded area blanketed with snow.

Noting that she wore little in the photo besides jogging shorts and a tank top, students asked how cold it was, and were shocked to learn it was 22 degrees below zero. They seemed interested to learn that Siberian residents experience such harsh weather during the winter and that summer temperatures reach into the 80s and 90s.

Sahzeah Babylon, 17, a senior at Garden Grove High, said she appreciated the visit and that such exchanges help eliminate stereotypes because many people in the United States believe Russians are staid, serious and humorless.

She said some people think “they have no feelings. But they’re just like us. The only thing that separates them and us is the ocean.”