By Devonte Demby

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — Christian Neveykin spent his summer halfway across the world learning about new cultures and languages.

For six weeks, the Trinity Episcopal Day School second grader was impacted by a vast majority of activities and getting to try new things outside his normal routine.

Neveykin’s normal routine involves video games, soccer, T-ball, basketball and tennis. However, while in Russia, Neveykin, seven, did not have access to such things — pushing him to expand his creativity.

This was Neveykin’s third trip to Russia, which he and his mother, Ekaterina Neveykina, went to over the summer between June and July.

Neveykin’s mother is from Russia, thus the reason for their trip. What started out as a simple visit to see his relatives, turned to so much more.

While visiting his mother’s hometown of Lipetsk, Russia, Neveykin learned that almost everyone in Lipetsk had a garden.

He would soon find out that his favorite food within the gardens was borscht, a cabbage soup.

“He got to eat fresh raspberries from the garden as well,” Ekaterina said.

A lack of computer access where Neveykin was staying, forced him to go outside and enjoy the area.

“For the first time I learned how to ride a bike on two wheels,” he said.

Neveykin spent a lot of time outside riding bicycles during his trip, Ekaterina said.

Eating borscht out the garden and learning how to handle a two-wheel bike was just some of the activities that kept the Trinity student busy. Neveykin got to test his wild side by feeding a bull at the zoo.

“I didn’t really like it because when I tried to give it food it licked my hand,” he said. “It wasn’t that good, it was very yucky.”

Everything Neveykin experienced in Russia impacted him greatly. But while on vacation, he was able to impact others as well.

Neveykin met two friends, a seven-year-old boy named Grisha and a seven-year-old girl named Sonya.

Neveykin taught his friends English, and in return, they taught him the Russian language and badminton, a game with rackets in which a shuttlecock is played back and forth across a net.

“He learned new words, saw new places and met new people,” his mother said. “He will never forget this trip.”

Now, Neveykin can count past 10 in Russian, only after being in Russia for six weeks.

The trip allowed Neveykin to put all the Russian he knew together by talking with other children his age.

Neveykin is able to speak three languages now — English, Russian and Spanish.

Neveykin’s Spanish background comes from his father, Jesus Betancourt.

“It’s kind of fun,” he said. “I like being able to hear different languages.”

While at school, Neveykin has become quite popular among his classmates by sharing stories from his time in Russia, which he hopes to visit again soon.