On Friday, October 21, students in the third-semester Russian 201 class participated in their first ever Skype exchange. They video chatted with Russian students from the Higher School of Economics (Moscow). The Dickinson Russian students were initially worried that they wouldn’t have much to say, but everybody was able to speak in Russian for the full 30 minutes. They talked about the similarities and differences between student life in Moscow and on Dickinson’s campus. Skype exchanges are a regular part of the Dickinson Russian curriculum, usually beginning in the third semester (201 level). These exchanges are not only important for the development of the students’ spoken Russian, but they often mark the beginning of friendships between Dickinson and Russian students—especially for those students who go on the Dickinson-in-Moscow program and get to meet their Skype partners in person.
