Before the breakup of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,
there was no official state language. However, the Russian
language was the primary language used in government,
economics, as well as the sole language used by the military.
Russian was taught in most schools and was the dominant
language of instruction in higher education. Still, it
is important to note that over a hundred languages and
dialects were spoken in the USSR and spanned numerous
language categories including the Altaic, Caucasian, Uralic
and Indo-European language families. 
For this reason it is no surprise that I encountered both
Russian and Belarusian when I participated in an American-Belarusian
excavation in Belarus. While the official language of
Belarus is listed as both Belarusian and Russian, it seems
that, just like in the time of the USSR, that Russian
is really the predominant language. Particularly within
government and most printed publications such as newspapers
and magazines.
It was during my cultural experiences on this trip that I
myself became interested in the Russian language. Whether
it was trying to order food from a Cyrillic menu, leaning
animal names and numbers from Belarusian children, or
attempting to pronounce the various signs we encountered,
I had a desire to gain as much proficiency with the Russian
language as possible. With a little nudging from a Russian
language student who was part of the crew, I was enrolled
this past semester in Elementary Russian I.
Looking back, I wish I had the foresight to take the class
before I traveled abroad; it would have enriched the experiences
I had with the local people of Belarus. Basic conversational
skills would have facilitated a more dynamic experience
and allowed for greater immersion into society. Things
that I learned in class, such as the use of full names
and patronymics when addressing someone of higher rank,
particularly our Belarusian project leader and the adults
we encountered, would also have been highly advantageous.
The knowledge of history, current political situations,
and aspects of the general diet would have been good to
know before traveling abroad. All this certainly would
have had a positive impact and I may have even come to
appreciate our crew’s shared affection for Белая
магия.
--Adam
M. Schieffer, ‘06
