Jack: Hello Mary, I haven’t seen you in ages! How are you?

Mary: Hi, Jack! It’s so good to see you! It’s been a year since I last saw you.

Jack: When did you come back?

Mary: I arrived in London a week ago and stayed there at my aunt's place for a couple of days, and then took a train to Birmingham.

Jack: So, how was your exchange program? Which country did you go to?

Mary: Oh, Jack, I stayed in Russia for a year and I absolutely loved it!

Jack: Russia? Well, it’s great, I mean, it’s exotic. Not many people here in Birmingham can boast of having visited Russia.

Mary: Well, Jack, I chose Russia not to show off, but to study Russian culture more deeply. You know, I’ve always been interested in visiting Russia  — I have Russian roots. I was even given my name after my great-⁠grandmother Maria, who immigrated from Russia in the 19th century.

Jack: I didn’t know that. So, did you stay in Moscow?

Mary: No, I just visited Moscow as a tourist, but I stayed in a small provincial town. However, the school I went to was great and I didn’t have many language problems. Everybody seemed to at least understand English, and that was convenient.

Jack: How did you find Russian people?

Mary: Oh, they were simply amazing! They are very friendly and hospitable. If you are their guest, they’ll treat you to the most delicious pastry you can imagine. They seem to be quite reserved at first, but as you get to know them better, you understand that they are very friendly.

Jack: That’s great! Did you travel much around Russia?

Mary: Yes, I did. I can’t say it’s very cheap though. Still, it’s affordable. I’ve visited Moscow, Saint Petersburg, the Golden Ring, and I also went to Sochi with my host family.

Jack: Sochi? It is the city which hosted the Winter Olympics of 2014?

Mary: Yes, that’s right.

Jack: Your Russian must have improved greatly.

Mary: I hope so. My host parents said I have done a great job learning Russian. I shared a room with their daughter, Anna, whose passion is English, so we were able to learn from each other.

Jack: You must invite them to the UK!

Mary: I did. They hope to get their visas and visit us for Christmas. My mother is looking forward to meeting them already. Look, Jack, I must go. See you later.

Jack: See you!