Visiting a Russian Family

Russian families are known for their hospitality and delicious food. I was able to experience this during my week with my host family. I was lovingly welcomed and provided with delicious, sometimes typical Russian food.

For breakfast, we mostly had savory dishes, as is customary in Russia. In Germany, sweet breakfasts are also common, so it took some getting used to for some of us.

I always enjoyed the food prepared by my host mom. We had dishes such as rice pilaf, apple and cinnamon quark cake, herring under a fur coat, and various soups. I especially enjoyed when borscht was cooked. This is a traditional soup with beetroot that is well-known and popular here. Herring under a fur coat (in Russian, "Селёдка под шубой") is also a typical dish that is often served on New Year's Eve.

Our Russian exchange partners played a big role in translating from Russian to German. Since the parents mainly spoke Russian and we didn't understand everything with our limited knowledge of Russian, the teenagers helped with communication. The families we stayed with mostly lived in apartments in high-rise buildings. In Russia, there are generally a large number of old buildings that can accommodate many families.

When we weren't eating, we went on many outings with our host families. For example, I went with my exchange partner to an archaeological site in Kostyonki, a village near Voronezh, to the swimming pool, and to many bookstores and cafés :). We got to know each other better and our language skills improved. It was clear that Russian and German teenagers are not so different. We have similar hobbies and interests, such as listening to music, going to parties, and meeting up with friends.

Everyday life is also quite similar: after school ends around 3:00 p.m., we do homework and then have free time for extracurricular activities, which are often taken advantage of in Russia.

I also liked that the busy and tiring week was taken into consideration, and there was a space for relaxation.

I felt very comfortable and it seemed like we had known each other for a long time. The initial language barriers didn't matter anymore. Laughing together: that's the international language!

Luise Kranz