When people see that not only do I know how to play it, but I’m good at it, they get impressed,” he said, smiling. “The average Russian assumes that an average American doesn’t know how to play it. Heller said the meetings and the card game Durak helped him learn Russian in different ways and motivated him to study in Russia.įor him, learning the card game was also a way of getting closer to people once he got to Russia, he said. UCLA, which joined in 2005, is one of four universities involved with the program, Kagan added. Kagan, a professor in the department of Slavic languages and literatures, who is also the director of the UCLA Russian Flagship Center. The national Russian Flagship program is federally funded and seeks to bring students to higher levels of proficiency in languages that are considered important for the national security of the United States, said Olga E. Now nearly fluent in Russian, Heller is studying at Saint Petersburg State University as a part of the UCLA Russian Flagship program. “It was important to be in a friendly environment where (we) could speak Russian or English, without worrying about grades or being put on the spot by a teacher,” said Heller, who was one of the first participants in the weekly meetings. Faculty affiliated with the center came up with the idea four years ago, said Susan Bauckus, senior editor at the UCLA Center for World Languages. The Russian Club teams up with the Russian Flagship Center on campus to organize the weekly gatherings. The students are all studying Russian language and culture in some way, Muratova said. The Russian Club teams up with the Russian Flagship Center on campus to organize the weekly gatherings.About eight students still come together every Friday afternoon to play the same game, in which participants take turns attacking and defending with a Russian deck of playing cards, said Lena Muratova, a second-year Russian language studies student and president of the UCLA Russian Club. Kelsey Kong / Daily Bruin Students gather Friday to play Durak, a Russian card game where participants take turns attacking and defending with a Russian deck of playing cards.
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