Jamie:

My Peace Corps assignment is in a small coal-mining town situated in the Amurskaya Oblast of the Russian Far East. The population is about 27,000 and is supposedly shrinking. I teach at school number 15, the biggest secondary school in the town. During the past year I team-taught English with three Russian colleagues for the 6th, 8th, 9th, and 11th grades. In addition, I also offer optional classes of English for the 8th through 11th grades.

I really enjoy my life in here. I have wonderful students, supportive colleagues and close friends that have made my transition into life here much easier. My daily interactions with the store clerks, postal clerks, and others have also made me feel even more welcome. The people in the region are very friendly and have been really open to the first American in their town.

The following two essays are from two of my best students from my 11th grade class. As you will read, they too have many hopes and aspirations like young people in the United States. Unfortunately, it