Figure 1.--Here Kirsten replete is in Moscow after just arriving from Canada. She was a gutsy little girl. She marched right up to these soldiers and asked if she could have her picture taken with them.

Kirsten Koza is a Canadfian travel writer. The travel bug came early for her because her English grandmother took her back and forth to England for family visits. Then at the age of only 11 years she had the opportunity to attend a Soviet Young Pioneers summer camp in the middle of the Cold war. I think most 11 year olds would have rejected the idea. She would not be going with her parents or with friends, but with a group of other Canadian youths--all older than she was. Thanks to her mother, she kept a record of her adventures, the memorabilia, and even made a photographic record. The camp she attended was the orlyonok Young Pioneer camp. It was a show-case camp for the Soviet elite and to impress foreign visitors. Kirsten at 11 was apoltical but through her 11 year old eyes she spotted many things that were not right about the Soviet Union. She tells us about her adventures, both in Moscow and at camp and her interaction with the other children. She also provides a great deal of information about the Orlyonok Camp. And of course she provides us information about clothes, food, and uniforms.

Kirsten Koza

Kirsten Koza is a Canadian travel writer. The travel bug came early for her because her English grandmother took her back and forth to England for family visits. She tells us in her website, "I stated traveling before I was born when by pregnant mother boarded an overseas flight. I took my first breath in Shaftesbury Dorset and I've never stopped traveling since."

Travel Opportunity

Then at the age of only 11 years she had the opportunity to attend a Soviet Young Pioneers summer camp in the middle of the Cold war. Kirsten was one brave little girl. I think most 11 year olds would have rejected the idea. She would not be going with her parents or with friends, but with a group of other Canadian youths--all older than she was. And she didn't know any of them.

Orlyonok Young Pioneer Camp

The camp Kirsten attended was the orlyonok Young Pioneer camp. It was a show-case camp for the Soviet elite and to impress foreign visitors. Kirsten at 11 was apoltical but through her (rather perceptive) 11 year old eyes she spotted many things that were not right about the Soviet Union. She tells us about her adventures, both in Moscow and at camp and her interaction with the other children. She also provides a great deal of information about the orlyonok Camp. And of course she provides us information about clothes and uniforms.

Communism

The purpose of hosting foreign children to Orlyonok and the other Pioneer camps was to impress them with the achievements of Communism and the Soviet Union. Kirsten at 11 of course had only the most basic idea about what Communism was. Their Canadian tour leaders were Communists who were constantly trying to convince the campers of the superority of the Communist system. Yet what the children saw was difficult to correlate with what they were told. The tour leaders explained that collectives were a superior approach to agriculture. Yet there was virtually no vegetables or fruit in their meals and milk was almost unheard of. In addition rather than the attractive, well maintained farms they had seen in Canada, the collective they visited was a dreary place. Perhaps most telling of all, the tour leaders kept insisting how superior the Soviet system was, yet they were cautioned not to describe their abundant life in Canada too honestly so as not to embarass their Soviet hosts. She also wondered if everyone was equal in the Soviet Union why there were special camps with better facilities for some children. There were two things that did impress Kirsten. One was the great ice cream. The other was the advanced science program and projects promoted in Soviet schools. (Isn't interesting that with all this emphasis on science that the Soviets fell behind the West in scientific research.)

Food and Sanitation

Kirsten like any normal child was particularly struck by the apauling food and sanitary facilities in Russia. The sanitary conditions were better in the camp, but still a matter of concern. The food was, however, terrible. And Orlyonok was a show case camp. This surprised me somewhat. I had thought that the food would be basic, but reasonable at the camp. Kirsten reports that it was dreadful and there was almost a total absence of fruit and vegetables.

Clothing and Uniforms

Kirsten discusses clothing to some extent, although she seems less concerned about clothes than many girls her age. She came to the camp with a smaller suitcase than the other children. She was very impressed with one very stylish girl in the camp whose two large suit cases got lost. (She wonders if the Soviets didn't just put them aside as two suit cases of fashionable clothing may have been seen as inappropriate.) Camp life started badly for Kirsten because of the baby doll pajamas her mother had packed. At camp there were two uniforms. One for everyday and a special marching uniform. When not as regular activities, the campers could wear their own clothes. Some of the girls didn't think the uniform was very stylish (I'm not sure about the boys), but Kirsten does not dwell on this. She does mention a prank that left some of the soviet campers with wet uniforms. She also mentions how stylish the Italian teenagers were that briefly stayed with them.

Lost in Moscow

Thanks to her mother, she kept a record of her adventures, the memorabilia, and even made a photographic record. Kirsten is one of those people who can recall her childhood with considerable clarity. The result is a kind of mixed travelouge and camp adventure book. It is delightfully written through Kirsten's 11-year old sensabilities. A remarable account of the Cold War Soviet Union and youthful adventures. The book was published by Turnstone Press in 2005 and is a fascinating read.