Ruslan is our Supply Coordinator at EXPLO at Sarah Lawrence, but he is also a traveler. He was born in Russia before moving to the Republic of Moldova. After that, Ruslan studied in Italy, adding Italian to the list of languages he speaks (four so far!). These days, he's settled in the United States with us at EXPLO — but he plans to keep traveling, including a Semester at Sea voyage in the near future.
What do you do for EXPLO?
I basically order everything that EXPLO needs online and in person. I also record all of the data. My job is to make sure people have the resources they need for their courses. And that can be anything!
What is the strangest item in the Supply Office right now?
There are lots of things in here, mainly general supplies and stuff that came to this room from previous years. It was funny to unpack the previous years' boxes because I found lots of random items like juggling balls and a chicken costume.
But, the weirdest thing that I've purchased for the Supply Office was for a course that teaches Medical Careers. They ordered a bunch of hands (fake ones made of surgical materials) that look like real hands! They are going to be used to simulate operation, so when you cut into them, fake blood comes out. But, they look and feel like a real hand even though they are fake.
What do you love about EXPLO?
I love the fact that not only people from different countries are here working, but also people from different universities and people who have different backgrounds.
We are creating a beautiful story together. For me, life is all about the stories. Only stories about people and places remain after our lives and after we leave a space. By sharing our differences through conversations, what we are doing is creating a new story, a beautiful story.
What is one of your life goals?
I want to keep moving to new places and keep meeting more people. The first time I felt the feeling of being attached to a place, I was 12 years old and I was living at a summer camp for 10 days. I felt such a sadness when it was time to leave.
But, after that, I realized that this is such a beautiful feeling, and it isn't a sad one. It explains how much connection can be established and created between places and people. You don't even notice when you live in the current moment.
I hope the EXPLO students know this feeling after their summer here.
Savannah Norris