"Each guest is an integral part of a great country": a guide from the National Centre RUSSIA spoke about the nuances of the profession

A guide at the National Centre RUSSIA today is more than just a narrator of historical and economic facts. Guides at the National Centre RUSSIA inspire visitors, conveying the core values and achievements of our country in an emotional and accessible way. In doing so, the National Centre RUSSIA becomes one of the key hubs of the country’s new cultural framework.

This very mission is embodied by Natalia Zamyatina, a guide-interpreter at the National Centre RUSSIA and Associate Professor at the Department of International Business and Tourism Management of the State University of Management.

"This profession is receiving more and more support and recognition today. As a guide who speaks English, I may have visitors from any country in the world — it’s important to consider their cultural background and perception when presenting information. At the same time, like an actor on stage, one must completely forget about oneself while conducting a tour," shared Natalia Zamyatina.

According to her, humour and the special positive professional atmosphere that has formed within the team of guides at the National Centre RUSSIA help her deal with the challenges of the job.

"Every tour is unique and may bring something new. One of the most memorable meetings was with a delegation from the Republic of Tuva. Together, we discovered the links between the history and culture of this remarkable people and various regions of Russia — from the Primorye region to the Kaliningrad region. The guests were deeply moved by the story of Tuva’s heroic contribution to the Great Patriotic War," Natalia Zamyatina recounted.

She emphasises that she prepares particularly thoroughly for meetings with regional groups so that each guest feels they are an integral and important part of a great country. Natalia always strives to connect the story of the exposition with personal experience.

"My most vivid journey across Russia was a trip to Yekaterinburg for the All-Russian Methodological Forum on Museum Programmes for Teenagers. In Yekaterinburg, there is the wooden house-museum of Pavel Bazhov, and his characters — the Mistress of the Copper Mountain and Danila the Craftsman — come to life in the Ural Federal District hall at the 'Journey Across Russia' exposition," shared Natalia Zamyatina.

In the museum and exposition space of the National Centre RUSSIA, every visitor has the opportunity to engage with the history and the richness of the architectural and cultural legacy of our country. Today, the National Centre RUSSIA collaborates with museums, cultural centres and research institutes in Russia and around the world, building strong diplomatic ties.