The Russian connection

Transition Times:The Irish students who went to Russia last year to study the language quickly got over the cultural gap, writes Gráinne Faller

James Bond has a problem. The new film, Casino Royale, is a real back-to-basics effort. Daniel Craig is excellent as a menacing, flawed and infinitely more human Bond. The story is stronger, the wit is sharper, and Eva Green may be the first Bond girl who is a convincing match for the spy. It's an entertaining movie - with one problem. The villains just aren't what they used to be.

In the days of Sean Connery and Roger Moore, the Cold War was still operating, and although in real life it was a dangerous time, it provided films with ready-made bad guys. The Bond villains were either on the side of the Soviets or, like the super-villainous organisation Spectre, were reliant on the war. Nowadays, we just don't have that kind of bad-guy scope.

The world may be a better place since the Americans and the Russians decided to call a truce, but it means that the days of the film villain aiming for world domination are over. Bad guys in the most recent Bond films are instead obsessed with money. Villains have turned into glorified accountants and evil isn't quite what it used to be.

Maybe the years of negative stereotyping have something to do with the fact that while eastern Europe has become an increasingly popular tourist destination, Russia remains slightly austere. Distance is a big factor, of course. It's difficult to get to, and a lack of real presence in the media means that people don't think of Russia as an obvious destination. Nonetheless, when the opportunity of a trip there arose for the transition-year students in Coláiste Dúlaigh in Coolock, and in Coolmine Community School in Clonsilla - both Dublin - they jumped at it.

Last week, there was an article in Transition Times about students learning Japanese in transition year as part of the Post-Primary Languages Initiative. Russian is the newest addition to the initiative's repertoire, and 15 schools in the Dublin area are offering the language as a transition-year module.

The opportunity arose for eight Irish students to join students from the UK who were participating in a two-week immersion course in Yaroslavl in the west of Russia, organised by the British Council. And, with only four places available for each of the two schools involved, demand far outstripped supply.

"We had an essay competition for the places," says Seán Murray of Coolmine Community School.

"Twenty students wanted to go," says his teacher, Bernard Sexton. "We narrowed it down to eight and then four were picked."

It was a long flight into the unknown. After all, going to Russia is not like going to New York for the first time. "We didn't really know what to expect," says Robyn Keleghan of Coolmine Community School.

"I was excited," says her classmate, Caoimhe Doyle. "But I had a flute in my bag. The airport security guys were really friendly, but I thought they were going to take it from me."

Patrick Gurr, one of the Coláiste Dúlaigh students says: "People were really nice . . . There were some strange things, though. One time this man came up to us and said, 'Where are you from? I'm from Minsk. Can I have money?'"

The students and their teachers were based in Yaroslavl, a town situated 250km north-east of Moscow. They were staying in an old holiday camp, where members of the communist regime used to go for a break.

The area was surrounded by birch trees and it was snowing when they arrived. By then, the students were almost too tired to notice. "The rooms were very comfy," says Robyn.

"Yes, but you couldn't drink the water," adds Seán. "The water smelled like cabbages."

Things were tough at first. For example, communications were difficult. Some mobile phones worked but others didn't, and there was no internet access. For many it was their first time away from home on their own, so homesickness was a factor.

Luckily, the students didn't have much time to dwell on such things. Days were well organised. They had three hours of classes in the morning and then in the afternoon they would go off on excursions or participate in activities. Classes were held in the provincial college in Yaroslavl, a beautiful building with its own planetarium.

There was something of a cultural gap between the Russian students and the visitors initially. "They were a bit crazy," says Daire Kavanagh, from Coláiste Dúlaigh.

Patrick adds: "The girls were really straightforward. They weren't shy at all."

"One girl came up to me and she was speaking in Russian. She broke into English and said, 'I want you'," says Seán, to the great amusement of everyone else.

REACTION TO THE food was mixed. "I didn't eat any of it," says Laurence Whitty of Coláiste Dúlaigh. "I gained half a stone," says Patrick. "Nobody liked the food but me."

Meat for breakfast was not regarded favourably by the visitors, but the Russian hosts did their utmost to cater for them. "One of the English girls was a vegetarian," explains Caoimhe, "so she got eggs with every single meal. They wanted to make sure she was getting a balanced diet."

There were some inadvertent culinary experiences. Liam Tremble of Coolmine Community School explains: "I didn't know what I was eating. I found out it was rabbit the following day."

It wasn't all one-sided however, and there was at least a little bit of cultural adjustment for the Russian students to deal with.

Coláiste Dúlaigh teacher Declan Connor recalls, "There was that famous day of the football when one of the Russian students was doing really well. He had beaten all of the defenders and then he saw Louise [Gannon, of Coláiste Dúlaigh] who was in goal, and he completely fluffed the shot. He just couldn't handle a girl being in goal!"

Unfortunately, it didn't do a great amount of good. "We were robbed," groans Laurence.

The visitors got to see a great deal of the area throughout their stay.

Robyn says, "We went on a walking tour of Yaroslavl and we went to Rostoff which is famous for its black clay." "We went to lots of museums," says Seán. "There were loads of irons in one. They're fascinated by irons."

Of the museums they went to, the unanimous favourite was one in honour of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space.

Traditional arts such as folk dancing and egg painting went down well, but the language classes were a priority and they continued right throughout the weekends.

The students found that their Russian improved immensely, and each succeeded in making a presentation in the language before going home.

"I have to say, the Russian teachers were highly committed," says Declan Connor. "It made a big difference only having 12 in a class," says Seán. "At home you have 30 so it's not as good."

As their time drew to a close, a real cultural exchange - in the form of a concert - was organised. The Irish students sang Irish songs, played Irish music and showcased Irish dance. The UK and Russian students did the same, with rhythmic gymnastics among the highlights. The visitors had learned some Russian songs, which they performed. On recognising the lyrics, the Russian students jumped to their feet and sang along.

Tears were shed on both sides when the visitors had to leave. The Irish had left their mark.

"On one of the first days, we saw a flagpole," explains Patrick. "We put an Irish flag up on it. We had to defend it from the British students but it was still up when we left."

Thanks to Brídín Gilroy, co-ordinator of the Post-Primary Language Initiative

The Russian language immersion course was organised in collaboration with the British Council. Sponsors included the Department of Education and Science, CDVEC, Ibec, Northside Partnership, Artane/Coolock Credit Union and Charlotte Lary.