Cody first came to Russia a couple of years ago as part of the mission of his church – the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During that time he had the opportunity to live in the Russian cities of Samara, Saratov, Balakovo and Izhevsk. When he first arrived he didn't know a single Russian word, although today he speaks Russian fluently.
This year as a student of Brigham Young University he came back to Russia to live in Nizhny Novgorod for six weeks and study at the Summer School of Russian Language and Culture at the local branch of the Higher School of Economics. "I think the most interesting thing I've learned about Russia has to do with the transition from the USSR to the Russian Federation," Cody says.
Students attended lectures on intercultural communication, literature and Russian history and language. They also had an opportunity to explore other Russian towns, such as Gorodets, Semenov, Suzdal and Vladimir.
We met Cody on the last day of his program. Afterwards he planned to visit some of his Russian friends in other cities and then return home. At his U.S. university Cody majors in computer science with a minor in international studies. "In the future I could work for any company working with technology and computers,” Cody says. “I could work with the Russian branch of their business."
