I am very grateful to you for all your invaluable help with different aspects of the trip, the visa process and finding housing – it has all made a tremendous difference in making the trip go smoothly! (SRAS Research Coordinator) Andrei helped me a great deal, not just in terms of getting to know the different procedures for each of the archive centers, but also in offering his own insights from his own research experiences. I am very grateful to him for his patience, helpfulness, and thoughtful conversation. I also feel more confident about being able to return later on and to get started on my own on a more long-term trip. Galina was a wonderful host – she was very generous and hospitable with her kindness and conversation in Russian, which was especially helpful for me in training me to listen and understand actual, everyday spoken Russian. She is a very sweet, fun, and fascinating person all around.