Andrey Gavrilyuk, his wife Alexandra (Sasha), and his daughter Yaraslava arrived in Columbia from the former Soviet Union six years ago.

What does it take to bridge the gap between east and west? Andrey Gavrilyuk, a local cross–cultural worker from the former Soviet Union, says it takes “commitment, sacrifice, a step of faith, a lot of patience, and a good sense of humor.”

He, his wife, and baby daughter took that step of faith six years ago when they left their jobs, families, and friends to settle in Columbia to be a part of a non-profit organization that trains cross–cultural workers for the Russian speaking world. Their goal was to effectively introduce people to a foreign culture. What they were about to experience proved not only to be a time of teaching, but of learning.

As Andrey said “coming to a different culture was a life changing experience, because it felt like starting one’s life from scratch”. Indeed, their living situation was a unique one. They ran a Cultural House sharing their life with 15–20 students who came to be immersed in Russian language and culture. They themselves had to learn a lot about American culture to be effective in preparing those who were called to relocate to the former Soviet Union. The Cultural House provided the students a unique opportunity to learn another language, cuisine, and way of life.

I had the privilege to personally experience this unique atmosphere of Russian culture and hospitality when I lived in the Cultural House for three years. Because I am a lover of Russian culture, they quickly became my second family. I was amazed how quickly they adapted to living in America and used their own experience as an example to encourage and better train those who came through the training program.

I observed them at all times: times of joy and sorrow, times of isolation, frustration with bureaucracy, years of financial insecurity, and serious health problems. However, they stayed the course, believing that their sacrifice would make a difference in the lives of those they trained and those who sacrificially supported them.

(Continued next week)