Russian is one of the richest languages ​​in the world, and accordingly, attention to it has always been enormous.

ANDREA GERDOVA has been living and working in Canada for 30 years, and she was born and raised in Czechoslovakia, where the Russian language has always been held in high esteem.

After graduating from high school, Andrea entered the university in Slovakia (University Pavla Jozefa Safarira) to obtain a diploma in two specialties - Russian language and music.

As a student, she played the violin in the university folklore ensemble. In her final year, she was among 13 students from Slovakia who did an internship in Moscow at the A.S. Pushkin Institute of Russian Language.

All conditions were created for students from a friendly country to improve their language skills not only during classes at the institute, but also outside of it. For example, a trip to Tashkent and Samarkand was unforgettable. However, Moscow itself impressed the Slovaks more than the mysterious East. To this day, Andrea clearly remembers her numerous visits to Moscow theaters and museums, still reads books by Russian authors, loves Russian cuisine, and enjoys Russian music. She dreamed of teaching Russian in her native Slovakia, but by the will of fate, she came to Canada under a government program to work as a nanny in a Canadian family.

Currently, she is a social worker and a mother of four. Since 1994, she has been playing in an amateur orchestra, which regularly organizes concerts of classical and popular music for the Ottawa public. Andrea has great respect for Russians, finding much in common with other Slavic peoples; she is proud of the fact that she speaks Russian... A large number of events are held in the Canadian capital in Russian. For example, the program for Russian-speaking seniors at the Jewish Family Service in Ottawa (JFS), which has existed since 1999, helps its participants stay active, overcome isolation, and integrate into a new society.

The program includes regular in-person, virtual, and combined events to celebrate Jewish, Russian, and Canadian holidays, presentations by guest speakers in Russian, meetings with creative people... At the end of December 2023, a winter concert in a hybrid format was held in a warm, intimate atmosphere - part of the audience attended the concert in person, while many listened to and watched it online. Before the start of the 50-minute concert, the audience was offered printouts with the lyrics to the songs performed, well-known and beloved by everyone.

And the audience sang along with the invited performers with such enthusiasm, with such joy, that it was incredibly touching to watch what was happening from the sidelines. Musical duet ‘’Nocturne’’ (Avelia Manukyan, vocals/ here, but also beyond. For example, a trip to Tashkent and Samarkand was unforgettable. However, Moscow itself impressed the Slovaks more than the mysterious East. To this day, Andrea clearly remembers numerous visits to Moscow theaters and museums, still reads books by Russian authors, loves Russian cuisine, enjoy Russian music.

She dreamed of teaching Russian in her native Slovakia, but by the will of fate she came to Canada under a government program to work as a nanny in a Canadian family. Currently, she is a social worker, a mother of four children. Since 1994, she has been playing in an amateur orchestra, which regularly organizes concerts of classical and popular music for the Ottawa public. Andria has great respect for Russians, finding in them a lot in common with other Slavic peoples; is proud to speak Russian...

A large number of events are held in Russian in the Canadian capital. For example, the program for Russian-speaking seniors at the Jewish Family Service in Ottawa (JFS), which has existed since 1999, helps its participants stay active, overcome isolation, and integrate into a new society. The program provides Askar Umarbekov (vocals, guitar) is a frequent guest of the Russian-speaking pensioners of the Jewish community. They happily cooperate with the organizer of cultural events Goar Vardanyan, periodically organizing such charity concerts. This time, warmly welcomed by the public, the performers sang 15 songs with a guitar instead of the 11 announced! Four songs were performed as an encore...

On January 14, the ministers and parishioners of the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin organized a Christmas tree for the children of the parishioners in the so-called Pushkin Hall (a room for parties in a residential building located next to the church, in which many Russian-speaking pensioners live, who were also invited to this event). Such matinees are a rarity in Canada. After all, these were not just a round dance around the Christmas tree, not just a tea party in the presence of Father Frost, not just a small performance for young spectators, but an interactive performance based on the Russian folk tale ‘’Morozko’’.

An atmosphere of warmth and comfort reigned in the auditorium, where many spectators were simultaneously participants in scenes and interactive games.

The involvement of children and adults, and not their passive perception of the staged fairy-tale plot, worked a miracle! I had the feeling that each of those present, including me, received an extraordinary charge of goodness, amazing energy of love and spirituality. Everyone tried very hard, and everything worked out.

After all, it was not professional artists and directors who organized this event, but enthusiasts who wholeheartedly bring joy to people.

‘’In days of doubt, in days of painful thoughts...’’ Do you remember the famous poem in prose ‘’Russian language’’ by I.S. Turgenev? Yes, and today this language is ‘’support and support’’ for many. Studying it is a useful and exciting activity! I wish new finds and discoveries to all who enjoy its riches!

Marina Kochetova