Dear CCI Friends,
Enjoy this report from lovely Krasnodar in the south of Russia. In September, our CCI travelers Pamela Tetarenko and Bill Headley visited the region for four days. In this short writing, they will become wonderful reporters for you to vicariously enjoy this city and its warm people.
Sharon Tennison
Center for Citizen Initiatives
A modern day Krasnodar with a new bridge in town is shown above. Note the number of new high-rise residential buildings in the background of this photo. Leaving their new soccer stadium last year, I was trying to find a city bus route for my group. I tried a shortcut, and we found ourselves walking through some of these new residential areas. It was the time of day when parents and small children were arriving home from work and child care centers. Between each building were long, wide play areas. These areas were fenced in and safe for the kids. Mothers and fathers were pushing swings, helping manage the seesaws and getting some physical exercise themselves. All seemed to be enjoying these areas between the houses. Shopping and medical clinics were in the immediate vicinity.
Krasnodar has become known as the #1 best Russian city in which to start a new business. This new inner city bridge in the foreground is not to be confused with the Kerch Bridge that was recently in the news. The latter spans 11.2 miles from Crimea to the Krasnodar regional shore, thus allowing car and truck traffic to connect the two regions.
On September 5, 2018, Pamela Tetarenko and William (Bill) Headley were greeted in Krasnodar by Natasha Ivanova, who has been CCI’s program director in this city for nearly 20 years. Pamela’s great-grandparents originally came from the Krasnodar region. We didn’t know this when we made plans to place her in this city. For over two decades, Bill Headley hosted numbers of CCI’s Russian entrepreneurs in his home city, Newnan, Georgia. Bill owns a large construction company in which fledgling Russian business owners were placed to learn business management techniques in the building industry.
Natasha planned a continuous round of business, educational and cultural events for Pamela and Bill. Pictures reveal more than words so we will let photos tell a bit of the story of their visit to Krasnodar from here on.
Pamela presenting and Bill, to her right, in dark blue shirt. They were at the Kuban State University where they asked and answered many questions of students and staff. A local newspaper reporter published an article on their visit.
Students took notes, asked questions and were quite interested in their first opportunity to speak with Americans.
Russian educational institutions all have small museums in their schools that tell about their school, city, region and their national history, particularly WWII history. Students matriculate through these museums from the first grade up. Hence, they grow up with their history being a very important part of their daily lives. Pamela and Bill get a tour of this particular museum by this young teacher on the right. Our CCI Krasnodar coordinator, Natasha Ivanova, stands next to the teacher. Natasha has worked with CCI for about 20 years. She traveled and interpreted for delegations of young Russian entrepreneurs who were getting business management training in American companies.
Clearly “People’s Diplomacy” is recognized as needed at the Academy of Marketing.
These students appear to be wondering if ‘Peoples’ Diplomacy’ will work between our two countries. Questions were asked and answered on both sides during these sessions. Russian students are quite serious. Russians are known world-wide for being highly educated. Their educational system is quite rigorous even though today many Russians decry their present system saying it is more lax than what they had as children.
Pamela answering questions and sharing ideas about what we at CCI are doing to promote citizen diplomacy among our friends and elected officials.
Natasha sharing about her experience in April, being part of a delegation of Russians who spoke with officials in 14 American cities and Washington D.C. about the critical need to develop closer nation-to-nation ties. Natasha translated for Pamela and Bill when needed. A high percentage of Russian students have studied English.
Visiting at a home of an avant-garde artist in Krasnodar.
A visit with Krasnodar’s first-ever Multi-Functional Center to support foreign businesses operating in the region. Since this city is very near Crimea and is on the Black Sea, there are many new opportunities to build businesses with international companies. Prior to this era, Krasnodar, in the south of Russia, has primarily been a food-producing area. Its warm climate has made it ideal for growing vegetables that don’t grow in Russia’s northern cities. Its new business climate today makes it prime for numerous other types of international businesses to flourish.
Krasnodar, like many Russian cities, has several different distinct ethnic groups. It sounds as though they all respect each other and each group has their own unique cultural activities. Here we see Tatars in their cultural center. The boys played piano, danced and welcomed Pamela and Bill.
Pamela and Bill report that Tatar food was fabulous and sufficient to feed dozens more guests!
Krasnodar’s fabulous new Soccer Stadium and Soccer Academy for boys, from six years on up, was built and paid for by a local young businessman who has become a billionaire by growing vegetables organically in huge “white houses” (greenhouses) set up on the flat warm soil of the Krasnodar region––he ships vegetables all over Russia. Sergei Galitsky, the vegetable entrepreneur, is wild about soccer! He personally oversees the development of his young soccer players, including playing chess with them (he requires this of all boys at the Soccer Academy). Last year CCI travelers visited their chess room which allows about 25 matches to be played simultaneously. Our guide explained that Galitsky plays with his young charges in this room and he is sure that playing chess is critical to develop top-end soccer players.
Many learning experiences occurred over the five days, and the final dinner together came too quickly! Natasha officiated the toasts as only a Russian can do! The next day Pam and Bill left Krasnodar reluctantly and flew to St. Petersburg to meet with their fellow American travelers. There they met in a large conference room to share what each of them had experienced and learned during their meetings across Russia’s multiple Russian cities and regions.
Many thanks to Natasha Ivanova for being such an outstanding hostess/guide for Pamela and Bill!