VIDALIA, La. &045; It’s fairly common for visitors to spread the word about the Miss-Lou’s amenities and hospitality to their family and friends once they return home.

But word of mouth also attracts college students from halfway around the world to the area.

And in Serge Boldyrev’s case, the Miss-Lou has become his home away from home.

In fact, it is a place he has called home for the last four years.

Taking a short break from playing tennis with friend Jeremy Bryant at Vidalia’s courts, Boldyrev reflected on what brought him to the area.

Boldyrev first found out about Alcorn State University’s Master of Business Administration program through friends in his hometown of Voroneah, Russia, who had attended the program themselves.

Wanting to further his education was only one reason Boldyrev wanted to travel so far from his native home.

&uot;I was at a point,&uot; he said, &uot;where I wanted to see the world.&uot;

Boldyrev, who graduated from the MBA program in 2003, has stayed on to gain some management experience at Kelly’s Kids.

In his off time, he can also be found playing in pickup soccer games.

And he seems at ease here, gaining new experiences, meeting new people and educating them on what the Russian people are really like &045; not so different from their Natchez or Vidalia counterparts.

&uot;Most people (in the United States) get their idea of what the Russian people are like from movies,&uot; he said, preparing for his next serve.