Langley World History teacher Mr. Ryan Jackson had a unique opportunity over spring break: to visit the very historical sites he taught his students about in class.
Mr. Jackson accompanied Langley Russian Teacher Mr. Valentin Cukierman and Langley Russian students on the Russian Department’s annual spring break trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Saxon Scope Online Editor Harris LaTeef sat down with Mr. Jackson to discuss the highlights of his trip:
What made you decide to go to Russia when Langley offers so many other international trips?
“Kapitan asked me if I’d like to accompany the students this year as a chaperone. Having known him and worked with him for the past nine years, it was a great opportunity and I jumped at the chance.”
Where in Russia did you stay and for how long?
“We flew into Moscow and were there for two days and a half days and we then took a high speed train to St. Petersburg where we stayed for the remainder of the trip.”
Why were you interested in visiting Russia?
“I was excited to go as a history teacher and as someone who grew up during the final decades of the Cold War to see and experience what Russia is today and the culture of a group of people in a part of the world that I’ve never been to before.”
What were some places you visited in Russia that you had only heard or taught about before?
“In St. Petersburg, seeing the historical monuments and palaces that have been turned into museums was phenomenal. The beauty and the sheer volume of history that existed in both cities that we visited was a historian’s dream come true in terms of things to see and learn and experience.”
Did Russia live up to the expectations you had before your trip and how so?
“Exceeded. I was very excited, before the trip but didn’t know exactly what to expect, the experience exceeded my expectations and hopes. It was just fantastic, it was amazing.”
What was the food like?
“In a word: pickled. The food of Russia is very difference from the food in the United States but I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the food and the food cultures that exist in Russia.”
When the average high school student thinks of Russia, most can’t help but associate Russia with its history including the Soviet Union. Were there any notable remnants from the Soviet area that you saw during your trip?
“Everywhere. In St. Petersburg we saw the palace where Rasputin was poisoned and attacked. We saw the winter palace where Bloody Sunday occurred. Just history everywhere, at every turn, [there was] something significant. Seeing St. Basil’s cathedral, Red Square, and remnants of the Soviet Union, hammers and sickles. Seeing examples of that everywhere. Emblems on buildings. Even some art that was painted on buildings.”
Does the way Russia view its history vary from the way we as Americans study it?
“The way in which Russians view the world and their history is though their own eyes and through their own culture, much like the United States. Views are history. Every culture describes things in their own way. It was very interesting as a historian to see these things and hear these things.”
What was the moment that really stood out from your trip that’ll you’ll remember years down the road?
“Walking around Red Square, an almost empty Red Square, on our first night in Moscow and just feeling the history and the amazing experience of being in an amazing place, that I’ve only felt on a couple of other situations.”
Did you pick up a lot of Russian skills?
“Having almost no Russian language skills, I did learn new words and got better at reading the Cyrillic alphabet. But my personal struggles with languages were the impediment to me learning Russian in ten days.”
How were the students on the trip? Did you know a lot of them before you went to Russia?
“I knew a small group of students before the trip but [I] got to know each of them during the experiences that we shared, the travel, the tours, both in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and they were great.”
Will this trip change or influence the way you teach future students about Russian history?
“I think it will help me explain more about modern Russia and also provide me with lots of visual sources to supplement the teaching of various periods of Russian history.”
Did you bring back any souvenirs?
“I purchased some touristy Russian hats for my son and my father, some watercolors of historic sites in St. Petersburg. The painted nesting dolls, The Matryoshka.”
After this trip, are you interested in going along with other Langley trips to other counties in the future?
“If the opportunities present themselves, I’d be happy to travel with Langley students and groups.”
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Photos courtesy of Mr. Ryan Jackson