So, I have been back from my amazing journey to Russia for six months now. It pains me to say, that other than getting excited about using my language skills at a Conference for Polyglots from around the world, http://polyglotconference.com, back in October, I have not spent much time with the Russian language. Or any…
What’s Next & How You Can Globe Trot Too!
The Importance of Learning a Foreign Language When I began this idea it was mostly to tell people the overall benefits of being a second language speaker. The cognitive benefits, to strengthen memory and to become overall smarter. Studies show that speaking a second or third language can improve mental flexibility and creative thinking skills,…
Being Black In Russia
Being Black in Russia Post from Saint Petersburg July 2015 A few days ago a small group of American students from Moscow came to stay at the dorms in St. Petersburg. One asked me about what it was like being black in Russia, or if I had come across any issues concerning race during my…
What inspired me to learn languages
I wanted to learn languages for the challenge and to gain a better understanding of parts of the world that still seem mysterious to most Americans. I study Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Arabic these are considered some of the hardest languages to learn for English speakers because they are not even remotely related to English….
THE SECRET WEAPON
The never ending battle agains the Russian language! Today my Russian language teacher told my class about how when the Soviet Union first opened up to foreigners, they were put in rooms and had only one secret weapon to help them study Russian. That secret weapon was the fact that no one understood or spoke…
В России!
The moment I got off the plane in St. Petersburg, I thought, why am I doing this? Why am I going alone to Russia to learn the Russian language? Why am I leaving my job, family and friends? I also think, I did not have enough Russian language skills to be traveling yet! The first…
A Tale of Two Cities
What lessons were learned from that city or community that could be leveraged in Detroit. A tale of two cities As an International Relations major, I have traveled to many places and have had opportunities to see many emerging cities in the developing world. In 1990 the city of Shanghai, China was part of third…
Shanghai
The changes over the short span of 20 years show how Detroit too can change.
The threat of Re-Sovietizing in Ukraine
November 30, 2013 Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) Russia and Kazakhstan have had a long and illustrious partnership. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 Kazakhstan was the last country to pull out of the Soviet Union and become independent. Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazerbaev has been in power for over 20 years, and has…
Language as a Means of Conflict Resolution
Languages make us feel an affinity towards one another. We then have common grounds to which we can build foundations for peaceful future relationships. My dream is to work in diplomacy. I will start with the state department and then I hope to make my way into being a career diplomat working with areas like…
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