As many of other GVers, I found Global Voices by Google, and, as many, I love Google for that. I wanted to train my English and translation skills, but as I have no significant experience the only possible way was volunteering. So I've just enter “переводы волонтёрство” (translation volunteering) and there was GV Russian! I liked the idea of the site, so I've just filled the form for applying as a translator.

After that I rather forgot about the site, but some days after I received an e-mail from Katya Golubina, the editor of the Lingua Russian. She told me that I could start to translate, and so did I. My first translation was about singing presidents of Central Asia. And I still remember it, because it gave me the interest for continuation of work with GV, as I felt something like inspiration that was given to me by that article.

Initially, GV were for me only the way of improving my translation skills, but after some translations it became something bigger, and then it was becoming more and more important for me. Not only I learned a lot of interesting things, I also started to think about the world differently. I always was interested at other countries’ history and culture, but now I began to think about the world as a lot of people who are very similar, but who are also very different, and to felt the unity with them of whom I've never heard, and to take some of their problems as mine. Unfortunately, I can't explain that feeling more fully.

In the first e-mail I received from Katya, she wrote, “I hope that in the project you'll find not only opportunity to practice the language, but also a lot of exciting topics and meetings with people.” And she was totally right! Though I've never GVer in real life, online “meetings” trough e-mails were great. Of course, the first GVer whom I “met”, Katya, was (and is) wonderful, her patience and friendliness have made a great contribution to my love to GV. And then, all others about many of whom I can know nothing, but name, you all make for me one big family, and I'm happy every time I think about GV.

So that is how singing presidents have changed my life and my way of thinking. Thank you, Global Voices!