“The 5 year mark is a significant milestone for the Russian community and we wanted to see a lot of activity to commemorate the achievement.” said Jef Gray, director of the Society.

Months leading up to the anniversary were also active with additional service launches including IPTV services for Russian TV channels and complete interpreter and translation services in Orlando. The Society has two twitter accounts, one for events and one for the Russian Word of the Day, plus a website to broadcast activities to it’s 200 family membership.

“It will be interesting to see what lies ahead in future years. We’re definitely growing and discovering more ways to build the Russian community in Orlando.” said Gray.

To become a facebook fan of the Orlando Russian Culture Society,  point your web browser to:
facebook.com/pages/Orlando-Russian-Culture-Society/140689857464

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American Experience is proud to be the corporate sponsor of the Orlando Russian Culture Society. We congratualte the membership for their energy and success in building the Russian Community in Orlando.

Jef Gray, author of the book, based the kit on his own experiences and interviews with dozens of others. ”There are not many kits out there based on real personal experience, which is why ours is so popular. I did all my own paperwork, went to the medical exam in Moscow and saw each step that occurs for the fiance. I even waited outside the embassy while my fiance completed her interview. (Sponsors are not permitted in the room during the interview).  During all of that, I kept wondering what happens next, how long is too long to wait, what if there is a problem? It became obvious that a guide would be helpful, so I wrote one.”, said Gray

Customer satisfaction for the kit has been very high due to the 100% success rate of all packages filed since the kit was first offered.  ”We’ve had hundreds of clients since we started in 2003, and we get letters from them thanking us for helping them get through the process. The best part is when they send wedding photos and keep in touch after the process is over. They regard us as friends and not just another ebook seller.” said  Gray.

The E-book is available in electronic form at MyRussianFiance.com or a prined version can be ordered at this address: http://www.cafepress.com/russianfiance

The Society will provide Plates, Cups, Utensils, Ice, Soda and Charcoal for the grills. The event is open to members and guests who have an interest in learning more about the Society. The party begins at 11:00am and will continue until 4:30pm on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

For more details and RSVP opportunity please visit the Society’s website:
www.orlandorussians.com/5-year-anniversary-picnic-in-the-park/

***About the Orlando Russian Culture Society***

Started in 2004, The Orlando Russian Culture Society is a group of Russian and English speakers who meet monthly at events throughout the Central Florida area.  The focus of all events is to make friends, socialize and speak in Russian. Members are not required to know the Russian language and can speak in English as much as they like. There are several conversations going at any one time making the events pleasant and interesting for all.

The Society’s corporate sponsor and owner is American Experience LLC, an Orlando based company specializing in foreign language and travel related services. Featured products include tours, excursions, interpreters, document translation, Foriegn IPTV services and self help visa kits.

Jef took the advice of a friend and joined meetup.com, a website for groups who have meetings and events. There he found listings for several languages including Russian but only a few people had joined the mailing list.  “Back then the meetup software scheduled events and locations automatically, so I went to the first meeting and realized why the group was small—no one showed up!” said Gray. “When I asked to change the location of the next meeting, Meetup.com suggested I become the organizer for the group. I accepted and have been directing the group ever since.”

One month later, in September 2004 the next meeting was scheduled for a more enjoyable location–the Cheesecake Factory at Millennia Mall in Orlando, 7 people attended. Each meeting afterward attracted more members and interests. Some were native Russian speakers; others had adopted a Russian child or were marrying a woman from a former Soviet Union country.

The idea of meeting Russian speakers quickly grew and established a Russian Speaking Community in Central Florida with hundreds of families in its membership. The intrigue continued with the addition of OrlandoRussians.com, the Society’s official website. The site averages 100 views per day with over half the visits coming from other countries.

Search results show that foreign visitors are planning upcoming trips to Orlando or simply exploring the Russian speaking community in Central Florida.

“To those unfamiliar with Orlando there is a perception that the Russian community is a place where Russian people live, work and shop–similar to Brighton Beach in New York. But the reality is we’re a community that meets in various locations with members who live throughout Central Florida.” Said Gray.

The meetings are upbeat and extremely social in nature, each month the location and venue is different than the last. Guests are greeted as they arrive and given a name tag to help others learn their name. Occupations of the members include professionals, artists, authors, retirees and students making it easy to find something in common within minutes of arriving.

New Years Eve is the biggest celebration of the year and carries many traditions similar to how American’s celebrate Christmas. Other monthly venues include bowling parties, ice skating, restaurant dinners, museum exhibits and picnics at local parks. “Our most requested and popular event is when we have a “Shashlik” (Russian for Shish-ka-bob) in the park. Everyone brings food for a potluck style picnic and we all share the grill which gets loaded from edge to edge with kabobs!” said Gray.

Members are not required to speak Russian and some of the American members state they are still learning the language. During the meetings there are several conversations going at once, some in Russian and some in English. The most impressive is the children who can talk to their parents in Russian then turn around and speak fluently in English to others. Natalya Illarionova, the Society’s official interpreter explained, “This is one of the benefits many parents seek in trying to keep their home language alive for their children. Obviously if the children hear  Russian in a group setting they are more likely to apply and understand it.” Illarionova is also co-owner of the Society’s corporate sponsor, American Experience.

For information on meetings and membership, visit www.OrlandoRussians.com

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