Traditionally in the fall students of the International Department of Baikal
State University make an educational excursion to the Architectural and
Ethnographic Museum “Taltsy” and the village of Listvyanka. International
students from Mauritania, China, Vietnam and Mongolia, as well as teachers of
the Department of Russian Language and Intercultural Communication went to the
museum complex, where architectural and ethnographic monuments of the peoples of
the Baikal region of the XVII-XX centuries are collected in the open air.
The students got acquainted with material and spiritual culture of Tofalars,
Buryats, Evenks and Russians, learned about their everyday life, peculiarities
of life and beliefs, were photographed against the background of the Kazan
Church and the Spasskaya Tower of the Belsky Ostrog. The children visited the
parochial school, saw the old classroom, chalk board and desks, teacher's room
and were surprised by the subjects that schoolchildren studied many years ago.
In the building of the paramedic's station the guys looked with interest at
the medical instruments and the doctor's first aid kit. The students also
studied the structure of the parish government, in the courtyard of which there
were cold rooms for the detention of the arrested, tried on handcuffs and
shackles, sincerely sympathizing with the hard life of the arrested of the last
century.
Everyone remembered the traditional entertainment - walking on stilts, wooden
swings, games “Vyzhigalo”, “Rucheek”, “Third extra” and “Chains are forged”. We
also managed to get acquainted with traditional Russian cuisine in the local
cafe “Teahouse” - pancakes, pirozhki and borscht. Of course, the beautiful
Baikal - the pearl of Siberia, delighted everyone.
“Lake Baikal is truly unrivaled. The moment I saw it, I realized why the lake
is called 'sea'. The weather was good and every photo we took turned out
beautiful, like in a fairy tale. Although I was very tired, but I was happy!”,
first-year student Chen Xiaoyi shared her impressions.
“We spent a good day. We saw Baikal and Angara, picked up some special stones
on the shore and took them as a memory of the trip. We also met a kind, sweet
and brave boy who showed us a shaman's yurt. We made good photos, which we will
send to our friends and relatives in China” - share the students.
The teachers of the International Department are convinced that such
excursions are a necessary and important part of the educational process at the
university.