Summer of 2006, Virginia Beach

In the summer of 2006, Virginia Beach — a city lined with hotels stretching along the longest beach in the United States — became home to more than 3,000 students from Russia. They arrived through the “Work and Travel” program, each with their own hopes and reasons: some seeking adventure, others aiming to earn money, and many eager to practice a new language.

Many of them left home for the first time, worked for the first time, and were independent for the first time.