Lincoln, Edison and Kwan

‘Abraham Lincoln! Thomas Edison! Michelle Kwan!’
by Bay Fang

ELISTA, Kalmykia — Kalmykia, for the uninitiated, is the only Buddhist republic in Europe. Tucked into a corner of Russia, by the Caspian Sea, it is normally overshadowed in the news by its more restive neighbors of Dagestan and Chechnya.

Its tourism brochure proudly proclaims, “The bowels of the Earth of republic of Kalmykia contain large perspective-probable resources of carbohydrates and chemical raw materials…”

But on this particular day, there is a leading news item: the visit of Michelle Kwan, Olympic figure-skater and the first public-diplomacy envoy.

Down the lane roars a Shrek-green bus. It stops in front of Secondary School Number Three, where kids in red baseball caps and t-shirts are already waving little American flags in anticipation. Michelle Kwan steps down demurely in a tight-fitting tan skirt and heels, and the kids cheer in excitement.

Her first stop of the day is the first English-language summer camp in Elista, the capital of Kalmykia. The 2-week camp for about 100 children was sponsored by the US government, and many of the counselors were former exchange students.

The Minister of Education of the Republic of Kalmykia takes the stage, behind a sign that proclaims 200 Years of US-Russia Diplomatic Relations, and gives a speech on the importance of sports in diplomacy, and thanking Michelle for her visit. “There are would-be sportsmen, lawyers and diplomats in this hall today,” he says. “I hope they will follow your example and achieve their dreams.”

Michelle takes the stage after him. “The world is getting smaller. You can travel anywhere in the world in a day,” she says. “The people in Kalmykia can reach out to anyone at anytime.”

After her speech, the kids dash onto stage in a variety show put together for their guest. To the tune of “We Will Rock You,” blasting from a boombox, one group standing in a semicircle yell out the names of their favorite American heroes: “Abraham Lincoln!” “Thomas Edison!” “Michelle Kwan!!!”

…The entourage stops at the World of Chess, a pet project of the president of Kalmykia, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who is a chess fanatic and president of the World Federation of Chess. Only in Kalmykia is chess part of the curriculum in school, and we are led through classrooms of very young, very focused children being explained chess moves.

Here is the full article.