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  At Home
Far From Home
Photography by Marc Glass
If this continues, Colby may
need to organize an alumni chapter in Russia.
This year, for the first time in the school's history, three fulltime
students--including two degree candidates--from the former Soviet Union are
matriculating at Colby. First-year students Grigory Petrov and Anya Denisova,
as well as senior exchange student Fyodor Shumilov, are helping to educate
their American counterparts and learning about a different culture.
Petrov, from Moscow, and Denisova, from Crimea, Ukraine, both plan to study at
Colby for four years and go on to graduate school. Petrov learned about Colby
from a database of international colleges and selected it because of its highly
acclaimed economics department. He had spent two weeks in the United States at
age 13, time enough, he says, "to figure out that this is the place I want to
study."
Denisova, who studied for two years at the Taft School in Connecticut, spent a
summer in Colby's ESL program and so loved the College that she "moved heaven
and earth" to enroll, according to Associate Professor of Russian Sheila
McCarthy. "I looked at other colleges, but Colby always was my first choice,"
Denisova said.
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Shumilov is an exchange student from St. Petersburg University majoring in
Serbo-Croatian literature and language. He also is a reporter for the popular
St. Petersburg daily newspaper Chas Pik (Rush Hour) and is writing articles
periodically about his experience in the United States. One of his first
submissions described the Colby campus, a setting unfamiliar to most Russians,
who are accustomed to large universities with dormitories spread throughout the
city, he says. "When I asked my editor what I should write about America, he
said, `Anything about America is interesting.' Russian people are interested in
everything about how Americans live--what they eat, how they spend their time,
what makes them happy."
The articles Shumilov writes may help dispel stereotypes about Americans, he
says. "Many Russians think of America as Mickey Mouse, Coca-Cola and
hamburgers. If you only watched American movies you would think it is only a
country of robbers and police," he said.
Shumilov also wants to bridge cultural differences by helping educate
elementary school children in the Waterville area. He is assisting fourth and
fifth graders in a sister city project with the Russian town of Kotlas.
Petrov is enjoying Colby's "friendly atmosphere" and the camaraderie among
students. "I was surprised by this," he said. "There is quite an attitude of
caring by people here." He also has been impressed by the teaching approach of
faculty and by students' access to academic facilities.
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Active in the Outing Club--Mount Katahdin is his favorite destination--Petrov
says that he misses his father's dacha, located about 100 miles south of
Moscow. But there are many reasons to like Maine, he adds. "I enjoy the hiking
here because in Moscow you must drive a long distance to find a suitable place
to hike," Petrov said.
Although he misses his family and friends, Petrov says, the wonders of
electronic mail keep him in close touch. "I write e-mail every day," he said.
"A letter takes half a month to get to my home, but an e-mail message takes
about forty seconds."
Denisova, who is studying economics and international studies, is equally
impressed by Colby's nurturing environment. "I like the professors a lot," she
said. "People here are very friendly and want to help you."
Americans' stereotypes of her country are striking, Denisova says. For
example, when she told a fellow student that she missed living in a warm
climate, the student reacted with disbelief. "She thought that because I was
Russian that I lived in Siberia. My home is on the Black Sea. The climate is
like California."
Colby already feels like home in some ways, according to Shumilov. "Sometimes
I forget I'm in another country," he said. "When I go away to Boston or another
city I like coming back here. I know I'm home when I see the library tower."
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Picture This
Becky Lebowitz '96 wanted to teach photography. In Russia. With help from
outside beneficiaries and Colby, she was able to do it when she spent a
semester abroad last year in St. Petersburg.
A Russian major, Lebowitz was supposed to attend classes and teach English to
junior high-aged students in a St. Petersburg school system. However, she asked
to teach photography instead and was told that if she could acquire the
appropriate equipment her idea would be approved. Lebowitz realized that
because she would not have access to a darkroom, she would have to teach the
class with Polaroid cameras. After some persuading, she says, George Hamilton,
a "very generous" Colby parent with connections to Polaroid in Russia, agreed
to donate eight cameras and film for the project.
Lebowitz started her photography class with a group of five seventh graders.
"I was surprised that the class size was so small," she said. "But I guess they
liked it, because every week there were more and more kids. And they kept
coming until the class was full." She ended up with 16 students, two to a
camera.
She met with students twice a week, Lebowitz says. "The first day I decided
to teach the class in English, but after I found out that a few of the kids
couldn't understand me, I taught the class in Russian. Sometimes they forgot I
wasn't Russian, and they would rattle off at me," she said.
The class had to overcome an initial teacher-student barrier, Lebowitz says.
"At first I would walk into the classroom and everyone would stand up." But
once the class became more informal, the students were much more outgoing and
she was able to make a real connection with them, she says.
Lebowitz concentrated on a different theme each week. "One week we would do
composition and perspective, the next color and patterns," she said. The class
would discuss the theme and then students would venture out into the streets of
St. Petersburg and take pictures.
Having virtually no previous photography experience, students at first "just
wanted to take snap shots of their friends," Lebowitz said. But after she
explained the real purpose of the class, she said, "they were great."
"It's a good thing they don't have liability laws in Russia, because they were
usually running around like crazy in the streets," she said. "People walking
downtown thought it was a little strange, and some people were really
uncomfortable having their picture taken." But the results were "very
impressive," according to Lebowitz.
At the end of the course, students assembled an exhibit of their best work
that was attended by parents, teachers and students. Lebowitz has stayed in
contact with the school and her students and has been offered a job teaching
English there. She would like to go back after college, Lebowitz says. "They
were fantastic kids."
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The Other Mr. Clinton
Approximately 3,000 funk music fans descended on Colby's Alfond Athletic
Center on October 21 for a concert by George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars.
Judging from the costumes, singing and dancing, they couldn't have been
happier.
Featuring an entourage of more than 30 musicians in full-funk
regalia--characterized by purple and orange clothing and outlandish
hats--Clinton and the All Stars treated the crowd of students and community
members to three hours of music and merriment. Clinton, whose unique fusion of
rock, jazz and reggae produced the sound described as "funk" popularized by his
1970's band Parliament, now tours small venues but retains a strong
following.
Co-publicity chair Paul Fontana '96 of Scarsdale, N.Y., said the concert was
"a huge event. It was the most full concert in recent memory."
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More Party Mix, Please
More than half of the students who responded to a survey conducted by The
Colby Echo said the College should provide more weekend social activities.
The survey, conducted in November, revealed that while students like the
availability and variety of campus activities, they would like more. According
to the Echo, only 20 percent of the 203 students surveyed said they were
satisfied with the on-campus social scene. The newspaper quoted one member of
the Class of '99 as saying, "We need more Stu-A sponsored events on campus
because off-campus parties take away from the community and create more
problems such as driving drunk."
Nearly half of the survey respondents said they prefer on-campus parties
because they are more convenient and don't require transportation.
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Mule Train
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