Maybe there is such a critical shortage that they want to have some people available just in case… where on earth could you get training? Actually the DoD used to send people to the Russian-speaking region for Russian immersion training some years back… much easier than trying to deal with visas for that other place.
Brighton Beach? That would be a lot cheaper.
They do have US-based programs for some languages. Brighton Beach would certainly be an experience.
Someone sent me a video of a comedy routine from Kyiv, they were making fun of how Russians living in America speak. This is the only part I can remember:
- Как чилдренята?
- Они файны
Of course there are also words like роухаус and юзанная машина that could creep in to a Brighton Beach immersion