Tatyana Sergeyeva, a Russian cultural exchange advocate, shares her inspiring journey as an AFS exchange student to Iowa in the early '90s during the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. She credits her AFS experience with helping her develop essential skills like empathy, confidence, and language fluency, which have shaped her diverse career and global outlook.
Tatyana, who now lives in Chicago, has worked in a variety of industries, including academia, e-learning, publishing, international consulting, and financial services. She's also a passionate language learner, having studied Spanish, French, Italian, and Japanese.
Join us as we explore Tatyana's journey and the lasting impact of her AFS experience on her personal and professional life. Learn how she's used her skills and values to build bridges across cultures and make a positive impact on the world.
Guest:
Tatyana Sergeyeva
Study Abroad with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/study-abroad
Volunteer with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/volunteer
Host with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/host
Educator Resources: www.afsusa.org/educators
Contact us: podcast@afsusa.org
Tatyana Sergeyeva, a Russian cultural exchange advocate, shares her inspiring journey as an AFS exchange student to Iowa in the early '90s during the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. She credits her AFS experience with helping her develop essential skills like empathy, confidence, and language fluency, which have shaped her diverse career and global outlook.
Tatyana, who now lives in Chicago, has worked in a variety of industries, including academia, e-learning, publishing, international consulting, and financial services. She's also a passionate language learner, having studied Spanish, French, Italian, and Japanese.
Join us as we explore Tatyana's journey and the lasting impact of her AFS experience on her personal and professional life. Learn how she's used her skills and values to build bridges across cultures and make a positive impact on the world.
Guest:
Tatyana Sergeyeva
Study Abroad with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/study-abroad
Volunteer with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/volunteer
Host with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/host
Educator Resources: www.afsusa.org/educators
Contact us: podcast@afsusa.org
Kate M.
Hello and welcome to The AFS Exchange. I’m Kate Mulvihill. The AFS Exchange is a podcast by AFS-USA where we open the door to hear from members of our AFS family. This is a place to have conversations, or exchanges, with AFS host families, students, volunteers, and educators.
Kate M.
In today's episode, we're taking a journey back to the early '90s when Tatyana, from Russia, embarked on an AFS program to the United States. This was during a pivotal moment in U.S.-Russia relations, occurring in the aftermath of the Cold War. Her destination? Iowa, where she had an incredible experience with a host family she remains in contact with today – and they still live relatively close by! Tatyana has since made the U.S. her home, specifically in Chicago.
Throughout this episode, we'll delve into the valuable takeaways from her AFS program, including empathy, enhanced confidence, and, of course, English language skills. Her passion for language extended well beyond English, leading her to explore Spanish, French, Italian, and even Japanese throughout her life.
We'll also explore how the skills and values acquired during her AFS year continue to play a pivotal role in the diverse career paths she's pursued over the years. So, join us as we uncover Tatyana's journey and the enduring impact of her AFS experience on her personal and professional life.
Tatyana S.
My name is Tatyana Sergeyeva and I'm located in Chicago, Illinois.
Kate M.
Great. So how did you first hear about AFS?
Tatyana S.
I first heard about AFS when I was 14 years old. And at that time, I was a high school student in Soviet Russia. And I'm gonna give it just a little bit of context here. So I was attending a school that specialized in teaching foreign languages from an early age. And by early age, I mean, second grade. Typically, it was either English, French, or Spanish, they would be learning the language all the way through high school, and would ideally become fluent in that language. And so going back to your question I learned about AFS from my English teacher. And she asked me if I would be interested in applying for the program.
And of course, I said, Yes, I'm absolutely interested in applying. And the rest is history. A year later, I joined the program, and I came here as a 15 year old all by myself, halfway across the world, to live with a new family, go to a new school, meet new friends and learn about a different culture.
Kate M.
So for some context, this was in 1990 in Soviet Russia.
Tatyana S.
…Meaning that the Cold War is coming to an end, the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union is warming up. And at that time, the U.S. State Department, I think, basically decided that what better way to warm up the relationship between the two countries than to sponsor Soviet students to come to the States and to spend a year overseas getting to know what the American people and American culture is really like.
Kate M.
So I mean, I am sure you have a lot to say about this. What was the general opinion of the United States in Soviet Russia at the time that you came here?
Tatyana S.
Yes. So that's a great question. Love it. Again, the Cold War was coming to an end. And at that time, I remember that there were already quite a few professional exchanges happening. So not necessarily the students, but older Americans coming to Russia for professional visits, etc. So I do remember quite a few delegations, even coming to my school. So we were already having that minimal exposure to Americans coming to the country. And so I knew that Americans did not mean that they didn't want us dead. They were lovely, nice people. So when I was coming to the States, I knew that I didn't have that fear of encountering mean people. I think there was a slight hesitation, of maybe being thought of as a communist as an enemy. But I thought that overall, you know, I felt pretty comfortable arriving in the states, knowing that people would be nice and kind to me.
Kate M.
So yes, Tatyana arrived in the United States with the expectation that people would generally be friendly and kind. However, she also carried certain preconceived notions about Americans, such as being materialistic, focused on consumerism, possibly prioritizing possessions over meaningful connections, and not necessarily inclined to be particularly generous with their resources. These are stereotypes that were common of Americans in the early 1990s… and frankly, still are today. However, her year with AFS proved this to be incorrect.
Tatyana S.
And when I arrived here, and when I lived here for a year, I think this was probably one of the things that proved to be completely false. I just found that people were so generous with their time with me, for example, right? Because I did require a lot of people's time, whether asking questions about English vocabulary, or whether it's just asking for help in my studies, or getting around a place, I found that there was just this kindness and generosity all over the place. So I think this was probably one of the misconceptions that I had when I arrived in the country. That completely changed once I really got to live and breathe in that culture and get to know as many people as I could.
Kate M.
So do you remember how you flew? I mean, I doubt you flew from Moscow to Des Moines. Do you remember your trip over here?
[Airport sounds]
Tatyana S.
Yes, I flew into New York City, JFK airport. And so there was a whole group of us from the Russian part of the Soviet Union flying in. And so we arrived into JFK. And the first thing I remember about JFK, you know, huge airport. I was absolutely blown away by the diversity of people who work there, who were there, whether arriving or waiting for their flight. This was something that I was not used to coming from, you know, Soviet Russia. So for me, this was just so amazing. I thought, like, Oh, my God, the rest of the world is right here with me. And so this was something that really stuck with me. And I still remember this, you know, after so many years is just how diverse and fun JFK Airport was. And I was like, Yeah, this is America. This is what I'm going to be living in for one year. So this was something very exciting for me.
[Airport sounds]
Tatyana S.
AFS organized this amazing event for other AFS exchange students that were coming in for their exchange year. And they placed us on a campus in New York. So we had a little bit of time to get acclimated and get to know other AFS exchange students. Before we were, we took a bus to Iowa. And this was actually one of the I think one of the most exciting moments for me is when we had those get togethers with other AFS exchange students. To me, those experiences were as meaningful as my year with my host family in my new American school. Because the diversity again, of the AFS students that you are exposed to when you're part of the program. It's really incredible. I think these were the moments that really taught me how to not just appreciate the differences of people who come from all over the world, but actually celebrate these differences. Because I think, we found lots of us found many, many things that are common that we had, but it's really our uniqueness, our unique qualities, our differences that made our time together so much fun.
Kate M.
Your first impression of the United States, you were discovering it alongside Italians, Koreans and Brazilians and people from all over. That's great. So let's see. You took the bus, you went to Iowa. What were some of your first impressions of Iowa, of your host community?
Tatyana S.
So the community where I was staying was 1000 people, right? So very small community, no street lights, just, you know, very small, very tight knit community. Everybody knew everybody. So this was also something very new to me, you know, how can everybody know everybody, this was so incredible. But this also allowed me to meet so many people that I would have never probably been able to meet. If I were in a larger community. Everybody was so kind, and so welcoming. And this was, I think, also a surprising factor to me, because coming from Soviet Russia, you know, the Cold War just being over, I wasn't sure you knew what to expect.
And, you know, my English was very good, I would say when I arrived, but still, it took me a little bit of time to get used to the American accent. Some people spoke very quickly. So I had to ask lots of questions. But everyone was so patient with repeating themselves, or rephrasing their sentences. And I just thought that, oh my god, this is the nicest community ever. So I definitely felt a very warm welcome.
And my host family, which is a separate story. They were, I mean, I had the best family, I don't think there's a better host family than mine, so they were just perfect in every way.
They really gave me all of the tools that I needed and all of the support, and all of the love that, you know, they're just so such special people in my life, we still have relationship, unfortunately, my American Dad passed away but with my American mom, I will be celebrating her 80th birthday with her in person in a couple of months. And I will be emceeing her birthday with my American sister. So I'm very, very excited to have this opportunity and to have a second family in my life.
Kate M.
What sorts of activities would you do together?
Tatyana S.
My host mom was a choir director at the local church. And she knew that I liked to sing. So she asked me, Well, would you like to join the choir? Even though all of the participants in the choir, they were older people, there were no kids or students in the choir. And I said, That's okay. I don't mind. Sure I'll join.
And they were also very active in that church. So we attended the church service every Sunday. And this also allowed me to meet more people in the community. One other thing that we also like to do together is travel. They might have taken me on a trip, which I want to say lasted almost two weeks. And they took me literally half the way across the States, we went to Washington, DC, Disney World. And they really wanted to make sure that I saw as much of the United States as possible, which of course, for a 15 year old, this was like, Whoa, man, this is just way too cool.
Kate M.
In addition to singing and traveling, Tatyana also had the opportunity to get involved with the school marching band while she was in Iowa. She had some music education when she was in Russia, where she studied piano, but…
Tatyana S.
But you can’t play piano in a marching band. So my host mom told me that my host sister played the trumpet when she was in the band. And my mom asked me if I would be interested in learning how to play the trumpet. And I said, Sure, why not? And I did. And, you know, interestingly, learning how to play trumpet was not very common. Where I came from, right. So learning how to play piano, violin was pretty common. But trumpet was, I would never have been able to learn that where I was living in Russia at the time. So a super unique opportunity, which I took, and I loved it. I just thought it was the coolest thing.
[Marching band sounds]
Kate M.
So what skills besides the trumpet did you gain or improve upon during your AFS year?
Tatyana S.
So first and foremost, of course, I improved my English. Using the language all day long, for a whole year, definitely does that to you, so this was a huge, huge skill for me to improve.
Another big one for me was that I really became much more self confident. I was a super shy kid, super, super shy kid when I came here. And when you are 15, and you're alone, in a country, halfway across the world, without parents, without friends, you have to get out of that comfort zone, right, you'll have to advocate for yourself, you have to ask for help, you have to stand up for yourself. So really improving myself of concept myself confidence was a huge, huge skill improvement for me.
And another thing that I already kind of touched upon is that as we were, you know, as I was meeting new people, I really gained that strong sense of empathy. Which I think is helping me in every aspect of my life today. When you have that empathy toward people, I think it just helps you be a metal better member of the community of your team at work or of the world in general. So I would say that these will probably the three main skills that I was able to gain during my AFS year.
Kate M.
English, self confidence and empathy. Those, those are good ones. And absolutely, those are skills that are going to carry you through the rest of your life, especially if you do come back to the United States and need to speak English every single day as you are doing today.
Kate M.
Let’s see. What advice do you have for students who are considering doing an AFS program?
Tatyana S.
If you are considering participating in an AFS program, I would say by all means, do it. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity that will give you an experience that you probably will not be able to get anywhere else. I think what AFS does is that it opens the door to the world for you. And it's really up to you what you want to do in this world once you enter the door, so the sky's the limit. There's so many things that you can do with your AFS exchange year.
I would say meet as many people as you can. People of your own age, people who are older people who are younger, ask them questions. Listen, participate in as many extracurricular activities as you can pick the ones that you would not be able to experience in your home country. Also get to meet other AFSer get to meet kids who are there with you as part of this program because I strongly believe that the opportunity to meet other AFSers during this program is just as important as getting to know the culture of your target country. There are so many, so many exciting moments that you will share with other AFS students and maybe, you know, maybe, who knows, maybe you will find ideas for your next career.
I know, for example, there are quite a few political leaders that are AFS alumni. And in fact, there was a study that just came out from the University of Chicago that said that people who participate in cultural exchanges are more likely to get civically engaged. So, you know, maybe this is another opportunity for you. And I think it's just a wonderful, wonderful program, to really expand your horizons, learn about the world, and eventually help make a positive difference once you're older.
Kate M.
And once you're older, but also, I would also say, you know, you definitely made a positive difference when you were a teenager in Iowa and have continued to do so.
Tatyana S.
Yes, that's a good point. That's a good point. You will become an advocate, you become a representative, kind of a mini ambassador of your own country. And so yeah, make sure you also tell people about where you are coming from, and what makes you and your country special and your culture special, so that people get to know firsthand what it's like. Because again, maybe there are some misconceptions that you need to explain to people, and you will help them better understand your culture.
Kate M.
You've also touched on this, of course, throughout our conversation, but why is intercultural exchange important?
Tatyana S.
If everyone had the opportunity to participate in a cultural exchange, we wouldn't have wars, I firmly believe that. Again, the sense of empathy that you develop, once you meet all of these amazing people from all over the world, you know, it will really help you understand that we're all part of this wonderful world, and our differences is what makes it special.
And again, intercultural exchange is an absolutely transformational experience for anybody's life. You come out of it as a different person, and you come out of it as a better person. Whether you may be, of course, facing some challenges as part of intercultural exchanges, but it gives you the opportunity to use those problem solving skills, to teach your resiliency, to teach you creativity, to teach you innovation. And all of these, again, make you a better person, make you a better employee, make you a better global citizen.
So we already talked about self confidence, we already talked about being curious and we already talked about being courageous. So all of these things, combined, this is what I think you get as part of intercultural exchange. So if everyone does intercultural exchange, our world becomes a much better place.
Kate M.
Very well said. I do think there will be a lot less conflict on this planet if folks were able to see and live like people outside of their own little bubbles.
Tatyana S.
AFS changed my life. It really changed my outlook and perspective about the world. And I understood that things are so much better when we do something on, you know, as global citizens. And this prompted me to go to college and study international business and Spanish, another language because I felt that oh my gosh, will English be so much fun, I have to learn something else, I have to be able to communicate to other people in their native language. Because this is how you really truly get to know a culture.
Kate M.
So Tatyana has studied… a whole lot of languages. As we know, she is a native Russian speaker, and also studied English in school and then in Iowa with AFS. Afterwards, she did an exchange semester in England in college, then a Master's program in Spanish Language and Literature with Middlebury College in Vermont. During that program, she spent an academic year in Madrid, Spain. She has also studied French, Italian, and Japanese. We will talk more about languages later in the episode.
Tatyana S.
So AFS really, really taught me the importance of being global minded, and really instilled that sense of curiosity in me. And I think it's one of the key factors that has taken me through my career because I worked in several industries, very different industries. So this is one of the definitely one of the things that I wanted to highlight is that AFS really teaches you how to be curious, and how to be a lifelong learner, and again, there's these other skills I still use today.
Kate M.
Absolutely. And I mean, just looking at your LinkedIn, it is very impressive everything that you have been up to and all these different industries in different countries in different languages. And it really seems like, once you kind of got bit by that curiosity bug on your AFS program, the world is a huge place. There's so many people there's so many things to learn. There's so many things to do. Why put yourself in one job and stay at it for the rest of your life? You've opened your world. Your world has been opened.
Tatyana S.
You nailed it, Kate and I think another thing too that AFS teaches us is making sure that we feel confident about exploring other options, right?
Having that courage to try something new, that we really may not have a lot of knowledge about. So AFS does definitely teach you to be courageous and take those steps without maybe not necessarily having you know, 100% knowledge of a certain area, etc. But be courageous. Try it and see where that takes you.
Kate M.
And I can it is, it is very clear that you have followed your own advice throughout the years.
Kate M.
So today, Tatyana is Product Management and Communications leader in the credit card services industry.
Tatyana S.
…And I help develop products that are targeted not just for the English speaking market in the United States, but also for the Spanish speaking market. So my Spanish language skills definitely come in handy all the time and every day because I also help advocate for the card holders whose primary language is not English. So my language skills, in my knowledge of the target culture also come in handy every day.
Kate M.
Absolutely. And it is, it's great that you're able to use your languages every day, and able to keep up your Spanish. I mean, not that you would lose it overnight. But the fact that you're able to keep up your Spanish and kind of keep up those cultural connections and learning about what is going on in different parts of the world through your customers.
Is there anything more you would like to say about how your AFS program has had an impact on your professional life?
Tatyana S.
Every day, I come to the realization that the empathy that AFS program taught me helped me so much as I join new teams as I join new organizations. And I feel like the sense of empathy not just helps me become, you know, a better team member, a better manager. But it also, undoubtedly, helps me also helps me make better products for all clients, right. So for example, I'm in product management right now, without that sense of empathy, and really understanding and listening to your target customer, you won't be able to create a great product. So empathy, I think, is important, not in just your personal life, but definitely in your professional life.
And, also, going back to the sense of courage, I feel like this is, you know, something that I try to use at work everyday as well. And I actually, you know, feel became pretty comfortable in doing that. Whether it's, again, trying a new project, there are quite a few volunteer projects that are available, where I work in my company, and it's, they're completely unrelated to what I do every day. But I do find the courage to join these programs and to get myself out of the comfort zone and see if I can gain some new skills out there. So I would say again, empathy and courage are the skills that I use every day in several jobs that I've had recently.
Kate M.
Let's see. So partially for the podcast, but partially my own curiosity, what sparked your interest in learning all of these languages?
Tatyana S.
So, I was attending the school where I started learning English at the age of eight. So pretty early. And I always thought that English was so much fun, I had the best time when I had to speak it, use it. And to me, it was just absolutely fascinating. So of course, when I became an AFS student, and I became fluent, I just thought it was amazing. One thing that I noticed that you what that happens when you speak to people in their native language, is that they do look at you differently, their eyes light up, they listen to you closer, they share the experiences that they may not necessarily share with you, if you were speaking in a different language with them. So I felt that if I want to get to know people better, I have to speak their language.
And so as part of my AFS year I had a lot of friends, I met a lot of friends from Latin America, native Spanish speakers, and I thought that, oh my God, I want to learn their language. And so I actually did pick up Spanish when I was in American high school. So I was learning that as well. And this is, again, what got me interested in learning it in the university, just because I knew that this is kind of the key to winning global people's hearts.
So things kind of, you know, kept moving, as I learned Spanish, I was like, oh, French comes from the same language family. So let me take some French classes, and then came Italian. And then with Japanese as well, very, obviously, not the same language family, not the romance language, but I felt that it would be very fun to get some exposure to Japanese as well. And, and again, when I, when I use it with my friends, with my colleagues, one of these languages, they speak to me in a very different way. And I love it, I enjoy it. That’s what makes me tick. And, you know, if I could learn languages for living, I totally would.
Kate M.
Same, I'm trying to find somebody to pay me just to learn languages all day, I would love that kind of job. If they have to hook something up to my brain, if I need to be part of some study, that's fine. But if I could just learn languages all day, I would be very happy. And so how, I'm just curious, how did Japanese come about? Why did you decide to learn Japanese?
Tatyana S.
So there was a Japanese cultural center, nearby the place that I lived in Chicago, and they were offering Japanese language classes. And I said, hey, why not? This sounds fascinating. I'm going to try that and see where that takes me. So I took about a year of Japanese classes, and then I moved, unfortunately, so I didn't continue the studies. But now they offer those classes virtually so I may take up some additional classes.
Kate M.
That's great. And it is. I mean, language learning, it's, there's so many layers to it, right? There's the connection of it, there's learning about the culture, there's and it's also it's, it's a puzzle, it is kind of a puzzle, and when you see it all kind of come together.
Tatyana S.
The metaphor that I use is absolutely a puzzle. And yeah, and it's so fun. It's such a colorful puzzle to write. It's just a colorful, beautiful puzzle. Yeah, I love it. I think of it the same way.
Kate M.
And looking at your LinkedIn, you've also done some language instruction. Can you talk a little bit about this?
Tatyana S.
Yes, this was my first job. My first job was teaching Spanish, and then later Russian, at a private school in Chicago. And, and, you know, that seemed to be like, seemed to be like a perfect job, especially me just finishing my graduate degree.
Interestingly enough, I never really wanted to become a teacher, kind of the opportunity came along, and I took it. But that experience in itself taught me so much. I, you know, I established a wonderful relationship with all of my students, I still call them kids to this day, and we still meet, we still keep in touch. For me, the most important part was really to instill the love of language in them. And so many of them are still either learning it or better yet using it as part of their job. So to me, this is the most exciting news I could ever get. And so yeah, you know, something worked, and I'm so glad that they got the language bug from me, and they continue learning the language.
Kate M.
Okay, well, great. Thank you so much for taking the time this afternoon, this evening, to chat with me. It's always great to chat with folks for the podcast and hearing about, you know, the real impact AFS has had on your life and of course, all of the languages that opened the door for the languages for you. And really, I don't think enough people understand the true value of speaking to people in their native language.
Tatyana S.
I agree. That is very true. Yes. And, and I mean, I just feel so passionate about my AFS here that I feel like I just had to share it with the world with AFS just because the learnings and the impact of the program had on me, I experienced it every day in every aspect of my life. So I just felt like I wanted to, you know, thank the program, and I hope that more people do participate, because it's just a wonderful opportunity.
Kate M.
Okay, thank you so much.
Tatyana S.
Absolutely. Have a good evening.
[Music]
Kate M.
That was Tatyana Sergeyeva, former AFS student from Russia, hosted in Iowa during the 1991-92 school year. Tatyana has taken the skills she gained from her AFS program with her throughout her life. She uses her English every day, as she is currently living in Chicago. She also uses the courage and confidence that she gained, to take bigger risks in her career. And she uses her empathy to better connect with people of all cultures, both personally and professionally. Tatyana really serves as a testament to the transformative potential of an AFS program, illustrating how it can really leave a mark on your life journey, providing skills that prove invaluable, no matter where life takes you.
Kate M.
Well, thank you for listening to The AFS Exchange! I’m Kate Mulvihill. Let us know what you thought of this episode by sending a message to podcast@afsusa.org. You can also rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe there as well so you don’t miss any episodes in this 3rd season.
This podcast was created by Kate Mulvihill. Social media by Julie Ball and Nina Gaulin.