Editor's note: The following article is a translation of an article that appeared in the Mari El Pravda on July 12, 2007.

Powell converses with Russian children in summer camp

It’s not the first year that American students come to work in summer camps of our republic. Here they acquire skills of working with children speaking a different language and get acquainted with a country completely new to them.

The situation sometimes requires communication through gestures and mimics only, and the severe (to American standards) living conditions seem at first too hard to the guests from another side of the Ocean. But according to their own words, Russian children, so friendly, sincere and eager to communicate, compensate all the difficulties.

Russian children compete in a sack race at summer camp

For Gwynn Powell, professor of the University of Georgia, it is the third summer in “Lesnaya Skazka”. As she says, “I come here and feel absolutely at home”. She has a lot of friends among children. It is not at all surprising as the heart of the American woman is open to any child. When she walks through the camp she can hardly answer the numerous greetings “Hello, Gwynn!”– each child going by wants to shake hands with her.

It so happened this year that four American students and their supervisor celebrated their national holiday – The Independence Day – in Mari-El. For the citizens of the US the holiday symbolizes freedom and independence. Traditionally Americans spend this day with their families; they usually go to the countryside or have picnics in the park.

This time the holiday was quite different for our foreign guests. They tried to organize a holiday for children in two camps – “Lesnaya Skazka” and “Kooperator”. What we can learn from Americans is their patriotic attitude towards their country. In the morning of July 4th the children had an assembly with an American flag and a short performance from the history of the USA. Every camper was given a little American flag as a souvenir (the guests prepared the presents beforehand), at breakfast all the tables were decorated with American patriotic napkins.

And then during the whole day Gwynn and her students were playing American games – sports, educational and entertaining games - with Russian children…Traditional American treat – roasted marshmallows– crowned the hilarity of the holiday. These white tasteless cylinders blazed up in the fire and got their inimitable delicate taste.

By evening the holiday organizers were exhausted, but it could be seen clearly by their faces that they would remember this Independence Day for a very long time.

© 2006 University of Georgia