Syktyvkar, Russia - With grand family hugs, representatives of the combined Russian and American membership of the Sisters Cities organization (Syktyvkar-Los Altos) greet one another on October 7, 2002.

The Los Altos Town Council appointed a six-person citizen delegation to visit Syktyvkar, several of whom had made the trip before. Commemorating its 50th anniversary as an independent city, Los Altos is sharing its celebration and many fine presents with its sister city, Syktyvkar.

And, now, the friendly smiling guests are entering the office of the Mayor of Syktyvkar. The visitors include Mr. and Mrs. Nyberg (Paul is the owner and publisher of the local newspaper, “The Los Altos Town Crier”), Mr. and Mrs. Lindauer (Charles is the dean of the Computer Technology and Information Systems at Foothill College; Ilona is the president of IKB, a local design and consultation company), Edward Sox (President of ESCO, a consultation company) and Dorothy Dickson (Vice President of the Sisters Cities organization and a teacher of English at Santa Rita School).

The Mayor of Syktyvkar notes that the guests are brave and adventurous, indeed, for journeying to North Russia in October means weathering temperature differences of over 20-25 degrees, Celsius (a swing of almost 50 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale).

The American guests were surprised to learn that Russian newspapers print articles of widely ranging opinion without fear of serious criticism. Another surprise was that all Russian construction projects require Town Council approval to proceed.

Sergei Katunin shocked his American guests when he pointed out that his city population of 240,000 subsists on an annual city budget of only $30,000,000. “How could this be?,” he was asked. “Well, while we do have rich people who drive their Mercedes, the majority of our population can only afford a bicycle,” explained the Mayor.

During the week’s stay the Los Altos delegation visited the Peace Fund, the Heart Hospital, the Teachers Training Institute, the University, the Orphanage, the local newspaper, “Panorama Stolizy” and many other places.

They also discussed the future plans and projects between Syktyvkar and Los Altos. Among these is the school student exchange program. In this program, high school students from both cities visit their sister city for a few weeks to learn, study and experience a different culture.

A Sisters Cities document expressing reciprocal promises was signed on October 8, 2002. The version written in English is twice as short as its Russian counterpart. The interpreter explained that this is a common occurrence since the English language has ready-made phrases to fit specific situations.

In 1993 the first group of physicians from Los Altos visited Syktyvkar. One stop on the tour included the kidney dialysis center.

Annually, selected students and young teachers from the English Department of the Faculty of Foreign Languages (part of the Komi State Teachers Training Institute) are sent to Los Altos, California, where they learn the cultural subtleties best experienced in person. In order to earn a spot in the program, the student/teacher candidates were subjected to a rigorous competition. Upon return, each participant is obliged to work within the Komi Republic education system for at least two years. This policy is needed to somewhat alleviate the shortage of well-traveled teachers.

In 1998-1999, Syktyvkar suffered the effects of a financial crisis that resulted in widespread unemployment, hunger and poverty.

The citizens of Los Altos collected and donated a substantial sum of money to aid their sister city in the feeding of a few thousand children, poor families and the disabled while also funding the salaries of ten teachers and thirty student scholarships.

The above article was translated from Russian newspaper, Panorama Stolizy by Natasha Panyukova, a Syktyvkar resident and college instructor, who has visited Los Altos on two occasions.