Description

Want a taste of traditional East European village life before it disappears completely? Want to do more than just amuse yourself this summer?

Travel with us to the village of Sporova, Belarus, to assist our experienced folklorist as she documents the local songs, folk tales, rituals, traditional crafts and oral history.

We'll start by filming the local midsummer celebration of Jan Kupala (John the Baptist day) -- an ancient holiday, filled with fire and water symbolism, with roots in the pagan summer solstice celebration.

After the festival, you'll operate the recording equipment as villagers (inspired by the presence of a good audience) tell their stories and sing their ancient songs. With regular stops for translation, you'll be able to laugh and cry along with the informants, and ask any questions you like.

Or you might be assigned to photograph a hand-embroidered wall hanging, or diagram an old costume, or film an old-style dance party. If you speak Russian or Belarusian, you may end up conducting folklore interviews yourself!

And these films and recordings are more than just your souvenirs -- they will live on in the folklore archive of the prestigious Gorky Institute of World Literature in Moscow, Russia. Your summer adventure will yield an invaluable store of information for folklorists, linguists and scholars of the future.

Highlights

On past expeditions, our volunteers have interviewed traditional healers, recorded charms against the evil eye, filmed springtime fertility rituals and wintertime solstice celebrations. Volunteers can also count on hearing the village version of the great changes of the 20th century - wars, revolutions, the coming of modernity. This is village life from the inside out!

Qualifications

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old (younger children may be accepted when accompanied by a parent). They must be in good physical and emotional health, able to carry all their own luggage and adapt to life in a Belarusian village (intermittent electricity, carrying water from a well, cuisine based on what is locally available, using pit toilets). Flexibility, patience and good teamwork skills a must!

Our working languages are Russian and English. No knowledge of Russian or Belarusian is required.

Languages

• English
• Russian

Cost in US$:

1,300 USD

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Registration fees
• Travel while in host country
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

The USD 1,300 fee covers all costs for food, travel and housing for the duration of the expedition. Other expenses (travel to and from the rendezvous point in Minsk, souvenirs) are the volunteer's responsibility.

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

• Anthropology
• Culture
• Elderly
• Music
• Research
• Volunteering

Typical Volunteer

Most of our volunteers are adventurous types from North America or Europe. Ages range from 18-80. Few have any background in Russian culture, language or folklore. Most speak English. For most this is the first trip to Russia or Belarus. (Exceptions are our repeat volunteers, some of whom are on their sixth or seventh expeditions!).

Age Range

18 on up, younger teens with adult accompaniment

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Guest House

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

in Groups of 3-5

Application Process Involves

• Written Application
• Physical Exam/Health Records

Typically The Application Process Time is

1 week

American Friends of Russia Folklore's Mission Statement

To support and promote American understanding of Russian traditional life and culture. To this end, AFRF supports a wide range of projects: field research, recordings, film making, archiving, and analysis of Russian folklore and oral histories.

Year Founded

2007