Schoolchildren from Bordeaux visited Perm

Photo: Yekaterina Gasper

French schoolchildren visited Perm as part of the exchange programme with School No in Perm, the link between the schools existing for 10 years. 

School No 22 hosted the delegation of schoolchildren from the Sud Médoc Liceum, town of Taillan Médoc (France) as part of the school exchange programme. The delegation included 16 teenagers who learn Russian. 

The exchange project between Perm and French schools  started in 2009 and is aimed at developing partnership between schools in Russia and France, promoting the Russian language and culture in France and the French language and culture – in Russia. For the 10 years of the link’s existence the schools have implemented a number of joint projects for teachers and learners. 

The delegation was received in Perm City administration by the Head of Education Department Ludmila Serikova and Head of International and Inter-municipal Links Department Tatyana Grigorieva.

Ludmila Serikova stressed the importance of school exchanges and emphasized that during the present visit the French visitors  had an opportunity to enjoy real Russian winter, with temperatures  dropping  from  a thaw to real frosts. The  students from Bordeaux  described their home city – it is a French town  with a population of 350, 000 residents, which makes it a large town in France; the shopping street in the center runs for 5 kilometers; the temperature at the moment is plus 20 degrees. 

“I’ve chosen to learn a beautiful and an amazing language – Russian -  because I thought this would make me very special as only few people in my town learn it. Apart from mastering the language this is an opportunity to learn Russian culture and lifestyle.  The school exchange helps us make new contacts which I hope will grow into real friendship and give an opportunity to come  back to Russia and a wonderful city of Perm  in the future”, said  Titouan Kermagoret.

The French delegation ‘s programme included the visit to TV center VGTRK-Perm, the tour of Perm City and the Art Gallery organized and guided by their counterparts from Perm school No 22, the Russian language lessons, learning about school life and education system in Perm.

“The first foreigners who came to Perm after the city became open for foreign visitors in 1990, were the French people  and it was the French city of Amnéville  which became the first twinned city of Perm. Our city has every right to be named one of the leaders of “people’s diplomacy” in Russia. We promote friendship with our partners in twinned cities and they enjoy coming to visit us.  Mutual understanding between countries is based, among all, on the real communication between cities, schools and residents”, noted Tatyana Grigorieva.