At Artek, Samantha made friends with one of the girls in her dormitory room, Natasha Kashirina.
Smith wrote of her, "She was a little shy but she could speak English very well, mostly because her mother taught English at a school in Leningrad. Natasha is very beautiful and she is excellent at the piano and in ballet."
After leaving Artek, the Smiths went to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and Natasha met them there.
While visiting the Kirov ballet, Smith received a pair of autographed toe shoes from prima ballerina Alla Sizova.
