Exchange Students From Around Globe Mingle At Wv Party

Give more than 200 teenagers some food that reminds them of home, enough time to get over the early evening awkwardness, a deejay and loud music, and what do you have?

International Night, at West Valley High School.

Thursday evening’s event was organized by the school’s Spanish, French and Russian clubs. The 10th annual such evening, it drew in foreign exchange students from all over the Spokane area.

And if every party has a star, this one had Maria Tsodokova.

“These two weeks for us in America was like heaven and we’ll remember you always.” She spoke quickly.

And then, the black-haired beauty sang to the crowd. Her choices ranged from Russian traditional to Phantom of the Opera. Her operatic training showed. Her confidence showed.

What was easy to lose track of was her age: This Russian visitor was 14 years old.

She was among a dozen Russians who’ve spent two weeks in Spokane. For them, the whole evening was a good-bye party.

“Maria played piano and sang to us every day. Every minute she could,” said Kay Roderick, her host mother, who watched the young people from a corner of the cafeteria. “I’m going to miss her.”

Tsodokova, whose father is a composer, is intent on a career singing. “Broadway!’ she said. “Andrew Lloyd Webber is my favorite composer.”

Her soprano voice and her presence are enough to make one wonder if she won’t reach that dream.

Much of the evening the international students visited with acquaintances from their own part of the world.

At one point, a young man from the Ukraine struck up a conversation with Irina Titchenko, one of the Russian visitors. Judging that the flirtation had gone on long enough, another of the Russians, Mila Karvetskaya, grasped her friend’s wrist and pulled her away. “Keep her out of trouble,” Karvetskaya joked.

Finally, the music started in earnest and most of the students danced. To what else, for this group? That decidedly international tune, the Macarena.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo