American Home

The American Home is a center of intercultural exchange located in Vladimir, Russia. The home is designed to model a typical American suburban home and its main focus is the ESL school that provides lessons for Russian students.

History

The home was built in 1992 by Serendipity-Russia to foster relations between the United States and Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Dr. Ron Pope, founder and president of Serendipity, oversees the organization from Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, one of Vladimir's sister cities. The American Home's Russian Executive Director is Galya Altonen. Her husband, Alexei Altonen, is in charge of "special projects." The major goal of the American Home is to promote community development in Vladimir and the surrounding communities.

For more information on the American Home's projects, see: www.serendipity-russia.com.

English School

The English program at the American Home provides ESL lessons for Russians. Students range in age between 13 and 60 plus and come from a variety of backgrounds. Classes are offered at 10 levels for beginners (ZI level) through advanced students (D level). Each class meets twice a week for an hour and a half in the evening. On Saturdays, the teachers present American culture through movies, presentations, and holiday celebrations.

[http://www.serendipity-russia.com]