Attached to the US Embassy in Moscow, the American Center is the face of the US government to the citizens of Russia. The center puts on a number of cultural and educational programs for the local people. Frederick Carter discusses our visit to the American Center in Moscow.
Located inside the US Embassy to the Russian Federation, the American Center in Moscow’s role is to directly engage Russian citizens and promote shared values and shared culture between Russia and the United States. The Center consists of a beautiful and versatile space that makes possible a myriad of cultural and educational programs. The American Center also contains a collection of English-language resources like print books, audio and visual materials, collections of the latest magazines from the US, films, and documentaries. The Center offers regular lectures, as well as a variety of cultural events, clubs, film screenings, discussion groups, seminars for teachers of English and other English-language programs. All events are without cost to the Russians that attend. Through all these resources, the American Center works to increase good will and mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the Russian Federation.
Our Study Abroad group was privileged to visit the American Center on 14 June, 2019. I was very impressed with the architecture and charm of both the US Embassy and the American Center. In the American Center our group had the incredible opportunity to interview 4 members of the forign service and the US diplomatic mission to the Russian Federation. We were able to learn about the daily lives, standards of living, and the important work being done by the US Embassy. We were also about to gain valuable inside information about the path to join the foreign service. Many in our Russian language program are interested in perhaps working in the government after university and as a result the interest in this visit was very high.
After our Study Abroad group was dismissed, I stayed behind to better understand the American Center with two Russian friends, Andre and Eugene, I made at one of the Programs affiliated with the American Center we visited called Educate USA. Andre and Eugene both volunteer at the American Center as well as take advantage of the programs offered. They both are quite smart and driven to achieve their dream of going to university in the States. They represent in my mind exactly why programs like the American Center are crucial to US diplomacy as a whole.
USA in Russia 2019 