Video: Miss., Russia Cross Cultures

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VARDAMAN, Miss. (WCBI) — A Mississippi girl from the south teams up with a friend from Russia for a six-week trek across the Magnolia State. The effort is called “Mississippi Heard: A Cross-Cultural Endeavor.” At Vardaman Elementary School, they are spreading a message of cultural diversity.

The two women who met at a Tennessee college are visiting the Calhoun County School classroom, one from Collins, the other from Russia. Both women say they want to change the way people think about themselves and each other.

“We studied at the same university in St. Petersburg, Russia,” Mississippi native Hanna Miller said. “And I met her during, like, a field trip that the university had to a small village town.”

“So, we both experienced Russian community and community in the south,” Russia native Katya Korableva said. “And yeah, we, like, see its complexity and we are working with it.”

In sifting through questions of diversity, they pose to people they meet in the Magnolia State, the duo from two different countries are finding out their countries are similar also.

“And I think that they often feel a resemblance with Russia in how Mississippi is portrayed in popular media. Types and stereotypes are really emphasized and thrown back in our faces. And it becomes difficult to get out of this trench that was set,” said Hanna Miller.

As Hanna and Katya introduce themselves to gifted teacher Jill Caples class, Katya speaks and teaches a little bit of her native tongue to these third and forth graders.

And for our Russian visitor, forth grader Kyndal Hendrix reads from her essay, explaining southern culture in Mississippi.

The students also got a chance to see what their names look like when written in Russian. One could understand a little about culture comparisons by looking at world leaders and their politics, but the face to face and one-on-one approach, seems to be the best way of learning cross cultures.

“Yeah, its very important for cultures to be connected on individual level,” said Korableva.

For more information go ms-modern.com, facebook.com/mississippiheard. To be interviewed for Mississippi Heard, email mississippiheard@gmail.com.

Categories: Local News

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