"My Mordovia" (сочинение на английском языке)

My Mordovia

"My land!

My loved Russia and the Mordovians!"

Sergei Esenin

 Every man has his own Motherland. It’s the place, where a man was born. May be this place is usual and uninteresting for other people, but for you it is the dearest place in the world. There is no place like home. No need to roam the world in the search of the most beautiful place. You should turn around. It’s your native home place, the land, where you were born, whose beauty you imbibed with your mother’s milk. One of such place is my native region Mordovia.  I’d like to tell some words about it.

Our republic  lies in the Volga Basin. The autonomous republics in this region bear name of the six main non-Russian peoples: the Turkic- speaking Tatars, Bashkirs and Chuvash, and the Finno- Ugrian -  speaking Mary, Mordvins and Udmurts. Mordovia is situated in the Central part of Russia. Its territory is 26,6 km2.Such regions as Penza, Nizhni Novgorod, Uljanovsk are next to it. Our republic has a mountain. Its name is Lysaya. Two main rivers Sura and Moksha flow through our republic. These rivers are the Volga’s tributary. Mordovia is not washed by any sea, but the republic has a lot of big forests and lakes. More than 80 ethnic groups live and work in the territory of Mordovia as a friendly family. Mordvins are very sociable and hospitable people. The  national symbol of Mordovia is the fox with three arrows . The flag is red, white and blue with the national drawing. The republic has its own song. The capital of Mordovia is Saransk. It is a multi-national city. Saransk is not only the political center; it is also the centre of the industrial and cultural life of Russia. There are a lot of factories in Saransk . What they make is not used in the capital only. Different machines, toys, sweets and very many other things go to all parts of the country. Saransk is also a great transport centre. Trains and planes come to the capital every day from all parts of the Russia.

Both the Mordovian people and the land nurtured many eminent personalities in different walks of life who are an integral part of the Russian and World history and culture. The pride and glory of both Russia and Mordovia are: a world-famous sculptor Stepan Dmitrievich Erzya (Nefedov), an artist Fedot Vasilievich Sychkov, a poet Alexander Polezhayev, a composer and conductor Leonid Ivanovich Voinov, a singer, an Honoured Artist of Mordovia and Russia Illarion Maksimovich Yaushev, military leaders: General of the Army Maxim Alekseevich Purkayev, Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal Sergey Fyodorovich Akhromeyev, a pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Petrovich Devyatayev, a cosmonaut, Hero of Russia, Vladimir Nikolaevich Dezhurov. The greatest Russian naval commander Admiral Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov spent the last years of his life in Mordovia and was buried there. A well-known literary critic, linguist and philosopher Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin was living and working in Saransk for many years. The lyric art of the singers Lydia Ruslanova and Nadezhda Kadysheva originate in Mordovian national culture. Recent discoveries in the archives confirm that the famous Russian writer, actor and director Vasily Makarovich Shukshin also had Mordovian roots. Well-known Russian actors Oleg Tabakov, Nikolay Chindyaikin and Stanislav Duzhnikov, painter Nikas Safronov, top model Natalia Vodianova have close blood ties with Mordovia. Many famous athletes and coaches are natives of the Republic or representatives of the Mordovian ethnicity. Ancestors of a former world boxing champion Oleg Maskaev lived in the village of Vadovskie Selishchi in Zubova Polyana district for several generations. His grandfather and father were born there. There he came to visit as a child. Glorious traditions of the first Mordovian Olympic champions are successfully continued today by the Graeco-Roman wrestler Alexei Mishin - the Olympic champion in the Athens Games (2004), representatives of the Mordovian school of race walking: Olympic champions Olga Kaniskina and Valeriy Borchin (2008), twice Olympic medalist Denis Nizhegorodov, the Olympic bronze medalist Alexei Voevodin (2004), twice World champion Sergey Kirdyapkin. Our famous athletes train at the Race Walking Olympic Training Center in Saransk, headed by the Honoured Coach of Russia, holder of the Order of Friendship and of the Medal of the Order for “Services for the Motherland” (Second Class), holder of the Order of Glory of Mordovia, an Honorary Citizen of the Republic - Viktor Mikhailovich Chegin.

The Mordovian land is filled with special energy. It is one of the recognized centers of Orthodox culture of Russia. Saint Seraphim of Sarov, a saint especially revered in Russia, was serving prayerfully in the indigenous Mordovian lands. There also were other locally revered spiritual ascetics here.

The First International Finno- Ugrian Culture Festival «Shumbrat, Finno- Ugria!” and participation of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin, the president of Finland Tarja Halonen and the Prime- Minister of Ferenc Gyurcsany in its grand opening became significant events in 2007.It was happiness that the festival is held by Mordovia. It was a very important event for future cooperation and friendship of sister nations.

I live  in the village Otradnoe, in district Chamzinka. I like my village very much because it is my native land, it is a part of Mordovia. The history of my village began in the 18th century. The first name of the village was Khlystovka. Later the village was renamed in Otradnoe. There aren’t many sights. We have a village library, the village Soviet, a secondary school, a club, a church and shops. The population is more than 500 people. The people of my village are very hospitable. We have many interesting traditions, such as: Festival of folk, the Day of the village, Farewell Winter Festival. Nature in our village and around it is very beautiful.

Youth politics, sport development, improvement of agricultural efficiency, development of industry, promotion of cultural relations are shared by the head of Mordovia N.I. Merkushkin on the highest level. I am proud that I live in Mordovia. I love it and I am sure that each of us will do his best to make it richer, more beautiful and happier.