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Students offered chance to see USSR Within the past few months drastic changes have swept throughout the world, and the source of many of these changes has been the Soviet Union. During his last five years in power Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev has helped to bring about world stability with his policies of peristroika and glasnost. Since part of these policies has been the opening oftheU.S.S.R. to foreign visitors and tourists, many different tour groups have organized trips to this interesting country. One of these tour groups is called August in the U.S .S .R., and is currently organizing for its nineteenth trip. This program, which is open to all high school students, is not really an AFS program, but is more intense than a normal tour. Because it deals mainly with students, its goal is to create an environment which will help pring American students in close contact with Ihcir Soviet counterparts. In doing so, they will gain a new understanding of how their peers live, think, play, study, and survive in a political system and country so different from ours. However, in order for the students to gain a full knowledge of Soviet life, the educated staff/guides provide them with any additional information they might require. The staff consists of members who understand most aspects of Soviet society, and knowledge of the best ways to coherently introduce the American students to these parts of society. The staff consists of Armen Dedekian, Williain Fegosi, and Annie Renaud. Dedekian is a teacher of Russian at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has been in the August in the U.S.S.R. program for the past eighteen years. He has spent eighteen years in the Soviet Union, and therefore understands most aspects of that country. Fegosi and Renaud are both seasoned travelers who teach at M.I.T. and Browne & Nichols School, and should both be a great help to the students concerning international mailers. After visiting the major tourist attractions, the students will go to many other places not usually frequented by tourists. After visiting many places and meeting different people, actual discussions will take place with the
high school students commenting on their observations and discerning new-found facts from comman-place fiction. Besides opportunities for formal and informal experiences within the U.S.S.R., time is allotted for the participants to meet Soviet citizens and pursue iheir own interests, whether it be visiting a sport or a music center. This program lasts for about twenty days, from August 2 to August 23. After leaving Boston on August 2, the participants will arrive in Leningrad, formerly St. Petersburg, on Friday, August 3. Leningrad, which was founded by Peter the Great in 1703, was a symbol of Russia's attempt to become part of the Western Nations. Before Peter, Russia was essentially a backwater country consisting of loosely centralized manors run by lords with their serfs. However, Peter came to realize that in order to become a modem country, Russia had to become more centralized and westernized. Therefore, he successfully waged a twenty year war with Sweden, attained the warm water ports that Russia so desperately needed, and established St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg was built at the cost of hundreds of thousands of serfs, but when it was done, it became the "Venice of the North." Here, French became the official language as Peter tried to create a home court fitting of nobility. After four days, the students will take a train to Pskov, which is one of the oldest towns in Russia. This town, which has withstood many sieges by foreign armies, still
contains many churches and merchants' houses from 1100-1600 A.D. It was in this town in 1917 that Tsar Nicholas II abdicated, and from here the students can visit the medieval monastery at Pechory and fortress of Izborsk. After three days in Pskov, the participants will take an overnight train to Tallinn, a medieval city on the Gulf of Finland. Because of the many different counU'ies which once ruled Tallinn, this city has buildings reflecting gothic, baroque, and Scandinavian influence. On August ] 4, the students will fly to Kiev, which is the capital of the Ukranian Republic, the "breadbasket" of Russia. Kiev, which was founded in 860 A.D., is the oldest city in Russia, and is considered the birthplace of Christianity in that country. Built on the Dnepr River, this is the third largest city in the Soviet Union. Some of the attractions include a Golden Gate, existing from 1037, St. Sofia's Cathedral, with its 325 foot high bell tower, the Monastery of the Caves, and the Catacombs, where dead monks have been mummified. The last stop on the U-ip will be in Moscow, where the Students will stay for five days. Moscow, the capital of the U.S.S.R., is the largest and most important Soviet city. Here, the students will visit Lenin's tomb, where his body can be seen in vacuumed glass container. Also to be seen here are the Red Square, the Kremlin, and St. Basil's Cathedral. Here tlie students will get to interact with continued on page 3