THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 1995 TAG: 9510120149
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
A COLLEGE of The Albemarle class on Russia starting next month won't leave much to the imagination.
Students will do more than just read and talk about the country that has so strongly affected American policy in the 20th century. Come April, they'll visit it.
``It's something we do every two years,'' said Ronald Riccardo, who chairs the History, Social Science and Public Services Department at COA. ``It's not a traditional history class. It's more of a history-humanities type of class.
``We go to art museums, palaces, churches, as well as the standard tourist sites. I think that provides a greater insight . . . into the people.''
The class, ``An Interpretive History of Russian Culture,'' will meet Tuesday nights from Nov. 29 through Feb. 27, Riccardo said.
The trip, which costs $1,329, will be April 4-14. People who just want to visit Russia can register for the class for no credit.
This will be the fourth COA trip to Russia, and Riccardo's sixth, he said. For the students, it's quite a thrill.
``Most students have never been outside the country,'' Riccardo said. ``Many of them have never even been to New York. The whole experience is just an eye opener and just tremendously broadening.''
Terry Bolinsky, who is studying to be a paralegal at COA, was among those who experienced the thrill in 1994.
``It was absolutely beautiful,'' she said. ``It was the most exciting thing I've ever done in my life. There was not a moment of boredom.''
The COA group had its own private Russian guide who ``knew everything about everything,'' Bolinsky said.
The group rode an early morning train from Moscow to Petersburg, visited a quaint but cold little town and haggled with peddlers in the streets of Moscow.
``We saw a lot of art and a lot of the good stuff,'' Bolinsky said. ``They kept you very busy.
``It is so much fun. They give you the best of everything.''
There were some shocking moments in Moscow, Bolinsky said.
``They arrested a man beside us,'' she said, noting that the officials didn't have police uniforms. ``Everybody looked alike, and they just grabbed this guy and dragged him off.''
Bolinsky was one of 13 people to take the trip in 1994. Interest this year seems stronger, Riccardo said.
``I'm thinking that probably we'll have more than 15 this time,'' he said. ``Maybe people feel more comfortable with going to Russia now than before. There's less tension in Russia than there has been in the last few years. The economy is more stable.''
Although the former communist nation is becoming more Western, visitors notice differences ``right away,'' Riccardo said.
``In Russia, it's just different,'' he said. ``It's kind of a unique experience.''
Registration for the class is in November. Those who only want to take the trip should sign up by January. There is no limit on the number of people who can sign up, Riccardo said.
The $1,329 cost includes round-trip air fare from New York to Russia on Finnair, two meals a day, entrance fees and an overnight train ride, COA officials said.
The group will visit Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novgorad and Helinski, Finland. ILLUSTRATION: Photo courtesy of the College of The Albemarle
A group of College of The Albemarle students takes in the
surroundings on a trip to Russia. COA is leading another trip in
April.
by CNB