By Elliot Cave
For The Salisbury Post
I’m sitting in what is supposed to be a traditional English cafe in Vladivostok, Russia. Even though it happens to be owned by an Englishman, there is no mistaking it for English. The menu is written in a different alphabet, and the air is filled with conversational Russian. With the great American ballad, “White Christmas” playing, I almost feel like a foreigner in my own land, only almost though. For never in North Carolina have I felt -10 degree weather with unceasing winds off the Sea of Japan. I’m not complaining.
This is what I wanted.
It all began with a hurried weekend road trip from Durham, where I attended the North Carolina School of Science and Math, to Charlotte, where I had an important meeting with those in charge of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program in my Rotary district.
I remember it vividly because I was so unprepared for the meeting.
When my parents, John Larson, Rotary Youth Exchange representative of the Salisbury Rotary Club, and I arrived in Charlotte, it was dark and chilly. The interview was in one of those classy, new office buildings that seem to cover the city of Charlotte. We quickly met with Tara Brown, who had been a Rotary Youth Exchange student years ago and now facilitated the program. She helped me make sure all the paperwork was completed before I walked into the interview. One thing in particular had to be done. I had to rank about 30 countries by my desire in doing an exchange in them. It was just a flick of the wrist for me then. I wanted to do something that I wouldn’t likely have the chance to do later in life. I thought I would flip my world upside down.
Russia was my top choice.

The Charlotte airport was in full motion during that early afternoon when I was waiting for my flight with my mom by my side. It seemed like hours that I watched people going about their relatively inconsequential domestic flights.
Now, when looking back, I think it must have been only a few minutes. I sat there thinking life would change little in this airport after a year, but coming back from Russia I would be changed.
When it came time to say goodbye and walk through security, I didn’t feel sad. I felt emboldened. When I was through, I saw my mom crying from a distance. If I knew what I know now, I think I would have hugged her a little tighter, or spent just one or two more minutes before walking through security.My first hour in Russia was spent going through customs, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had expected. I soon met with Eleonora Trubnikova, the supervisor of all Rotary Youth Exchange Students in Russia and the principal of the high school in Vladivostok that I would attend. She directed me to her car and made me put my biggest bag in someone’s van. I wouldn’t see that bag again for about three weeks. Eleonora drove me to a camp her students attend every year in preparation for the coming school year.
It took about an hour, so while she talked about rules, and differences between Russia and America, I looked out the window and into a foreign land. Everything looked different: the roads, the trees, the gas stations, the alphabet, the people and even the light.
I drove up to the camp with Eleonora. The camp was basically two rundown apartment buildings situated on a hill, and a small cafeteria farther up the hill. Even though it wasn’t what one could describe as a nice camp, it was amazing to me. It looked over the Sea of Japan, and that view is breathtaking. The equivalent camp in America would probably be deemed as terrible, but with the fact that there were very few bugs, and the wind blew temperate air off the sea, it was a nice place to be.
When I arrived, there were stereo speakers outside one of the buildings and the kids that went to the school were outside listening to music.
It looked very peculiar to me to see such technology outside a rundown building at a camp, but it is Russia. People here sometimes have extremely cutting-edge telephones from Asia, though they might not have running water at their homes. Luckily, this wasn’t the situation with my first host brother Kirill, who I met just a couple days after arriving at the camp.
When camp was over, Kirill’s mother picked us up in a new Toyota SUV. We first drove to the fish packaging company that Kirill’s father, Andre, owns.
Andre was quite young, and although he spoke very little English, I noticed in his eyes that he was happy to have me live with his family. On arriving to my first Russian residence, I remember thinking, “This is a little scary.” The outside of apartment buildings are commonly unattractive in Russia. Upon walking into the apartment, however, I found the place to be very modern and comfortable. As soon as I sat my bags down, I was fed all kinds of pickled fish, some caviar, soup and bread. I thought that this may have been only because Kirill and I were at camp where the meals consisted of only oatmeal or sausage, cheese and bread. In actuality, I would eat like this almost every day with the Kasatkins.
When I got to my new home, I also met Kirill’s 4-year-old brother, Fedia. As time has gone by, I have not only had to learn to speak a new language but also fit into a family as an older brother. I had no experience at this before, being the youngest of four children, but of course it hasn’t been too hard of a job for I, too, became a child when I arrived to Russia. A person with little language abilities in a foreign country in many ways returns to the dependence he/she knew as a toddler.
I have been treated very kindly. Although the apartment has been smaller than what I am accustomed to, and I haven’t had my own room but have slept on the living room couch, I have been really happy. I have woken up every day, made my couch, and gone to breakfast with the family.
Having been away at school for the last three years, it has been comforting to be in a family that meets together for every meal.
It isn’t true that time has gone by that simply. I haven’t just gone to school, eaten meals, and practiced Russian while I’ve been here.
For one, I’ve gone to the Russian banya with my host father a few times. For those of you who don’t know what a banya is, it is much like a sauna, but hotter. It usually entails you getting slapped all over your body with some kind of tree branch by a Russian guy, and drinking certain amounts of Russia’s national beverage. It is quite funny for all, especially since I’m an American.
Also, I went hunting for the first time in my life with my host father about a month into my stay.
If you can imagine, this was a time when I spoke very little Russian, and my host father spoke even less English. It was one of those things that have a funny way of being tagged, “Only in Russia.” And it is true. I’ve done some things here that I wouldn’t dream of doing in America.Vladivostok is a very interesting place, seeing that it is closer to California than it is to Moscow. Luckily, this is only in terms of distance. The Russian culture is quite alive here, and I like to think that I’ve dived into it. I have made a lot of Russian friends who speak quite good English, but I’ve made up my mind to devote as much time as I can to the study of Russian. Slowly but surely, I’m learning, and I’m loving my time here.
I think if I had gone straight to college, I would have missed out on a great deal. I’ve found a whole different world that I’ll be able to keep with me the rest of my life. There’s no doubt that I miss Salisbury, but I’ll be home soon enough, and that thought keeps me from homesickness. The times I’ve had here will undoubtedly change the course of my life, and I’m only a third of the way through. Tomorrow, I get on the Trans-Siberian Railroad for Krasnayarsk, Siberia, where my new host brother, Valera (Kirill’s cousin), has a small house in the Siberian countryside. It will take me four days by train during which I’ll have the chance to read Russian novels in English, study Russian, and see Lake Baikal. It’s the world’s biggest lake, holding 20 percent of earth’s fresh water.
Elliot Cave is the son of John and Anne Cave of Salisbury and plans to go to Davidson College after his time in Russia.