Magadan is also a 4-hour flight to Alaska and pretty much on the same parallel. In 1992 I was a student at the pedagogical university in Magadan where I was studying English and German, and I was selected to participate in an exchange program with students of Russian from University of Alaska Anchorage.  My life in the U.S. began in August 1992.  Alaska became my American home, and when I get annoyed by people asking me where I am from, I tell them that I am from Alaska, and yes, my accent is the Alaskan accent.  After 12 years of studying, working and generally enjoying my life in Alaska, I moved to the east coast of the U.S. for my second graduate program.  After three years in Philadelphia (in the Ph.D. program at Bryn Mawr college), I came to Brandeis University to teach Russian and made Boston my home.  I love my profession - teaching Russian as a second or heritage language is a professional passion.  But I also like dancing, reading, going for walks and swimming.