Russian Connection
Please, click here for more information on Russia Alberta relationships (file in PDF format).
Returning From Russia with Love
July 28, 2010 - Lethbridge Herald
On the Bridge of the Friendship
Mayor Tarleck and Alderman Wickersham will take Ambassador Trip to Russia
June 24, 2010 - Lethbridge City site, News Release
Lethbridge, Alberta – On July 8th 2010, Mayor Tarleck and Alderman Wickersham will be heading to Timashevsk, Russia as ambassadors for the City of Lethbridge. This exploratory trip is due to the effort and ongoing relationship through the Lethbridge Twinning Society. An invitation to visit was thanks to families and students who participated in a Lethbridge exchange in December 2009 and also an invite from Timashevsk’s Mayor.
“I am excited for this exploratory trip,” says Mayor Tarleck. “We have a strong relationship with Timashevsk and we will continue to grow and learn from each other. Timashevsk has been a Twin City since 1943.”
In December 2009, Alderman Wickersham had one of five students stay with his family from Timashevsk. He is now looking to expand on what he learned from his student, while in Russia. “I am interested in learning about senior housing in Russia,” says Alderman Wickersham. “And I would also like to learn more about their school system. Three students from Immanuel Christian High School have expressed interest in participating in a return exchange to Timashevsk.”
Joining Mayor Tarleck and Alderman Wickersham will be Lethbridge Twinning Society Director for Timashevsk Relations, Kyle Pereverseff. All three men will be billeted with families during their stay in Russia. This visit follows a trip of Lethbridge Twinning Society representatives in 1992. Principal of Immanuel Christian High School, Rob Van Spronsen was also invited, but is unable to attend.
For more information contact:
Office of the Mayor: 403-320-3823
Alderman Tom Wickersham: 403-315-1074
Kyle Pereverseff, Twinning Society Director for Timashevsk Relations: 403-715-9970
Picture: (L-R) Mayor Bob Tarleck, Andrey Soshalskiy, Kyle Pereverseff and Alderman Tom Wickersham.
As they prepare for their first time visit to Russia and Timashevsk! Andrey (Russian National and former resident of Moscow,
provided "tips" on traveling in Russia... "Don't drink the water... do drink the Vodka!"
Thank you very much Andrey for your assistance and helpful information as the delegation was quite unsure what to expect during their journey!
December 2009 - January 2010: Russian Students Visit to Lethbridge
The Russians…they came…they saw…they learned…they became part of our families and then unfortunately they had to leave back for home. The eight weeks that the five students from Timashevsk , Russia were here in Lethbridge went incredibly fast. They arrived at the beginning of December and were here during our Christmas and New Years celebrations. Each of the students were hosted by most gracious and loving families. If only one characteristic of the visit was to be identified, that would be “adaptation”. The students had continual adaptation to contend with, the language, foods, schedules, even the weather. We heard time and time again that although they were from Russia ….”What is it with all this “winter” …snow and cold!” In fact, we learned, Timashevsk is really quite temperate in weather being in the Southern Region of Russia, near the massive Black Sea area. The arrangement for the students to attend classes at Immanuel Christian High School were excellent. The students were able to travel to school on the school bus system, this in itself was a educational experience for them. For those of us who road the school bus we know just how intense these bus rides can be sometimes!
Principal, Rob vanSpronsen at Immanuel Christian High School provided the students with excellent opportunities whereby the students were included in all activities at the school including the physical education, library studies and the academic studies.
Host families made this all possible, and a heartfelt thank you to: Alderman Tom and Arline Wickersham; Dana and Marilee Terry and their children Camilla, Colum, Anneli and Adrienne; Keith and Elisa Wickersham and their children, Tamara and Brooklyn ; Harold and Cheryl Pereverseff and their children, Warren, Alexander and Quinn.
The students made many friends both at school, in their host families and at the Victory Church where they attended services along with their host families. Many hours were shared with the families and students playing board games, and a game called “Mafia”!
Visits to Waterton National Park , Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, The Galt Museum, Indoor water slides, Fort Whoop Up and other local attractions kept the students busy and entertained during their visit. Some of the students even went to Edmonton with their host families where they visited the West Edmonton Mall, the Alberta Legislature and some really neat restaurants.
Members of the Society, went out of their way to support the students visit, City Council and in particular Mayor Bob provided very warm greetings and welcomed the students to Lethbridge . MLA, Greg Weadick along with MLA Bridgett Pastoor made the effort to make the student visit special. MP Rick Casson invited the students to his office and spent some time with them.
Marisa Boles and Marilee Terry assisted the students in learning a song “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream” and once learned the students sang this at various venues around Lethbridge , including before City Council.
Tatiana Ponomareva the student’s teacher from Timashevesk, kept in contact with us during the visit of the students. She had ensured that they arrived here safely as she had escorted them, and she as well came to meet them in Calgary on January 31, to ensure their safe return home.
The very definite possibility of some students from Lethbridge visiting Timashevsk is being considered. For now, a delegation visit of Mayor Bob Tarleck, Alderman Tom Wickersham and Lethbridge Twinning Society Director for Timashevsk Relations, Kyle Pereverseff, are scheduled to visit Timashevsk (July 08, to July 18, 2010)
The Lethbridge Twinning Society is very pleased to host seven students from Timashevsk, Russia . The Students are from various Schools in Timashevsk , Russia one of our twin cities. Our relationship with the teacher responsible for coordinating the student delegation, Tatiana Ponomareva goes back to 1992 when a eight member delegation from Lethbridge visited Timashevsk. At that time, we were piloting a 5 tonne shipment of humanitarian relief aid that had been donated by residents of our community to the City of Timashevsk to assist in their sudden influx of immigrant refugees fleeing from Georgia . Tatiana, a teacher at Timashevsk School No. 1 acted as our hostess and translator during our visit. Subsequent to our visit, her son, Vadim immigrated to the United States where he now resides in Seattle , Washington and works for a little computer company, I believe the name is something like Micro Soft or something like that. Last year, Tatiana visited Lethbridge and she shared a dream of having some of her students coming to Lethbridge for a brief Educational tour. This year, the realization of her dream is coming to pass.
The visit has been somewhat delayed due to the instance of H1N1 (Swine Flu) and precautions in that regard and of course the usual Visa waiting and processing times. Although plans to have the students here at the start of the school year was our goal, now it seems that we are looking at the third week of September. We are anxious to meet our students, but we realize we have to be patient. Already, host families are e-mailing and "Skype - chatting" with their students, getting to know one another and sharing pictures. A very neat and unique opportunity thanks to modern day technology.
Preparation is well underway to ensure that the students have a meaningful and memorable experience here in Lethbridge . The students will first attend Flexible Learning Systems for two weeks where the director of the school is preparing a special "inaugural" program for them. Then they will move on to Immanuel Christian High School for the remainder of their six weeks in Lethbridge . Immanuel Christian High School is no stranger to Timashevsk. In 1992 students from the school took on a project to gather clothing that was included in the five tonne of relief products sent to Timashevsk. Then the School hosted a student from Timashevsk, Natasha for one whole year. The school has again been very gracious in accepting the seven students this year. The Lethbridge Twinning Society is very grateful to Flexibile Learning Systems and Immanuel Christian High School for their willingness to welcome the students to their facilities.
This could possibly be the biggest and most rewarding project/effort in twinning relations that our Society has every undertaken in our twenty year existence. When you reach out and welcome a guest into your home, you have the incredible opportunity of extending hospitality that you may never realize the impact that it has had on your guest. In this case, very impressionable young Russian students. Home stay families often learn more from their guests then they expect and when the time comes that your guest is to leave it is like losing a member of your family. Ties made, are sometimes maintained indefinitely and enriched by future visits in years to follow.
We are very excited about this opportunity and it tears at the very being of what we are in the realm of a twinning society. Our host families are ready to receive the students.
Host families meet to plan and coordinate the home stay
for the seven Russian Students.
On November 02 to 04 Tataiana Ponomareva a resident of our sister City
in Timashevesk, Russia visited Lethbridge. Tatiana has a long lasting
relationship with our twinning society. It was Tatiana who provided
interpretation services for us as a delegation when we visited Timashevsk in
1992.
Tatiana is a retired teacher from Timashevsk School No. 1. She
currently still teaches privately and in particular teaches English to
her students.
Although Tatiana had a short visit, members of our Society
certainly made her welcome and extended the most gracious hand of
friendship. We are certain that her visit was both rewarding and will
be memorable to her. We only hope that Tatiana will be able to visit
again, and that her next visit will not be as brief.
Felix our Director for Timashevsk Russia and a committee of the Lethbridge
Twinning Society have been in contact with the School No. 11 in Timashevsk, Russia.
Our member, Lucy has been so kind as to send and receive e-mails and has provided us with translations.
As a result, Lethbridge Twinning Society Members have prepared 15 gift boxes that are being sent to students at
Timashevsk School No. 11 as a reward for their excellent studies. Director of the School Evgeni Guyduk has identified
worthy students and they will be rewarded with a gift box from Lethbridge Twinning Society members!
(The boxes should arrive in Timashevsk before Christmas).
Here you can find the link to the site of Krasnodarsky Krai, there Timashevsk is situated.
And here is Russian site about Timashevsk.
