Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus.

If you had asked me a year ago if I would be okay having a Christmas day without my family and our traditions, I would have given you an extremely nasty look just for bringing up the possibility that Christmas could happen without my family. In fact, a year ago from today, I was getting yelled at by my dad for insisting that our in-transit family keep to the traditional Christmas morning, tree-gathering, Santa Claus-bringing ceremony.

Then, today happened. I am over 5,000 miles away from my family, in a place that doesn't really celebrate an English Christmas (which meant that I ended up working). I am in a land where I barely speak the language.. And yet, I enjoyed myself. I didn't even mind working, spending an hour putting together a comprehensive movie packet for my TOEFL class and then teaching for 3 academic hours. After work, my AD and I walked over to a fellow intern's flat where we gathered for our own mini-Christmas celebration. And while I didn't stay too long, I'm not missing being with people celebrating Christmas. I do have a slight nostalgia at not going caroling with my cousins, or singing the Star Spangled Banner before praying over the main feast (a strange family tradition I know). But, I'm not upset. I'm altogether quite content and peaceful right now as I sit in bed, typing, reading, listening to the Notebook soundtrack and munching on yummy gingersnaps. Life seems so right here, away from the bustle and commercialization of Christmas and minor family spats.

I love my family, but I'm glad I get to spend Christmas in Russia. Santa gave me the greatest gift of all this year. He gave me the means to achieve my dream, and the promise that it will continue as long as I need it to. He gave me back my faith and my hope and my confidence. It's okay to dream big.

So good night and merry Christmas dear readers. I hope that Santa was able to bring you all of your desires too.

On Santa Claus

Many of my readers might believe that the above tribute to Santa is a playful exchange of words alluding to the childish spirit of Christmas. But I must confess, within my deepest soul I not only WANT to believe there is a Santa, I DO believe in Santa. While there may not be an actual man who flies to every country and slides down every chimney, who's to say there isn't. It is as possible me getting to come to Russia. As possible as a Georgian taking over half of Europe and Asia. As possible as the Titanic sinking. As possible as a man walking on the moon. Besides, even if there is no tangible MAN, there is definitely a tangible spirit of Santa though who has inherent magical qualities. (Although here most of my critics are going to try to tell me that a spirit cannot be tangible, I will persist in insisting that this one is.)

Today, I had my TOEFL students read the "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" article written over a hundred years ago. As we discussed it we pondered the different points like why is the author writing such a formalized letter to an eight year old. What is the real purpose of the letter? After some consideration, the conclusion I came to is that while the letter was addressed to the child Virginia, the response was directed at the "skeptic" readers themselves. It is such a passionate plea for a return to the innocence of child-like belief, alluding to faeries and magic. But it is also very sensualized and fervent in its endeavor to bring in rationalized arguments that the readers can relate to: among these being love, poetry, beauty and faith. Readers, remember that this is the time of the Bohemian revolution. Fantasy authors and romantic authors such as Shelley, Keats, Byron and Mary Shelley were in their prime. This plea is just a push trying to get these skeptics to go from Dracula and Frankenstein to a faith in the innocence and purity of Christmas. To go from an obsession with romantic love and drama to the purity of a child's love for all she holds dear.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, because in a world filled with skeptics who try their best to outshop, outcurse and outdo their loved ones, somehow, true Christmas innocence continues to exist. And that, Virginia, can only be because Christmas is magical. And Santa is magic.

Sincerely,
Your Russian Traveller

Christmas Time is Here Bringing Joy and Cheer

The sun set several hours ago, officially welcoming Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The night is perfect and serene, and while there is snow on the ground, the air is clear and crisp and a perfect 21F. And though I can't see the stars in the sky, I know they are there, smiling down on me. They have to be. Because this night is perfect.

My Christmas Eve day began with one of the best presents of all for an overworked EFL teacher: my first two classes were cancelled. This gave me the extra time I needed to hit up the ATM and then go Christmas shopping. I needed to get gifts for Lena, a good Russian friend and coworker, and one for Lidia and Ilya, a couple who has taken me into their home. I ended up buying a rose and dark chocolate for Lena, and a rose and picture frame for Lidia and Ilya (however their rose started drooping by the time I got of work). I don't usually enjoy shopping, even when I do speak the language. But I did feel a sense of accomplishment being able to buy these gifts for myself. (Additionally, earlier this week, I made a Western Union transfer all by myself - without a translator. Score 1 for me!!!)

After I bought the presents I headed to the school to get settled and prepared for my next four classes. My first class was a pre-int group of preteens/young teens. We mixed a page out of the book with several Christmas worksheets and games. My next class, a teen intermediate group watched Kung Fu Panda: Holiday edition, and then they discussed the important aspects of Christmas (or in Russia's case New Years). One of my students, Alyona, brought me a gift containing chocolate candies, chocolate bars, and a canister of gingersnaps. Yummy!

My next class was my favorite class of all - my New English File adult intermediate group. They are always so much fun and are always dutiful and hardworking. Tonight I had planned a movie night. The class before we had gone over the story "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," looking at Christmas vocabulary and reading timelines. So today, we put watched the movie in order to reinforce the word pictures in the story. I had brought a few snacks and tea, and while I was getting everything set up, they stopped me. Margo stood, and then everyone stood, and then they presented me with a wonderful box of sorted Ferrero truffles. I almost cried on the spot. I love my class!

My next class was a NEF advanced class. They are a new class for me as I just took them over from another teacher a couple weeks ago. We ended up watching "The Santa Clause."

After my last class which ended at 22:00, I walked over to Lidia and Ilya's. Lidia had invited me over for Christmas Eve, even though I worked late!The darkness was already breathtakingly serene, except for the music coming from my earphones. I part walked, part skipped the way there. I love this weather and this serene solitude of darkness.

The night only increased in greatness as it progressed. In addition to me, they had invited another friend of theirs over, Alexei. The company was good and so was the conversation. We traded Christmas and New Years traditions and laughed over the different names of food. We laughed over the fact that we both got each other picture frames for Christmas. We laughed over the antics of their daughter Sonya who is a treat to watch as she plays with her toys. Christmas music played in the background causing me to sway and lip-sing to the familiar tunes. Lidia had prepared a dinner consisting of rice, chicken, cucumber and tomato salad, and jello which we feasted upon with great relish. Ilya drove Alexei home, and Lidia and I played with Sonya and attempted to put some of her new gifts together. Then Lidia and I took turns reading the Christmas story. At about 1:20 I finished the perfect evening by re-entering the inviting darkness of the Russian night sky.

I don't remember the last time I had such a good Christmas Eve, even in the States when I was surrounded by family and lifelong friends. Thank you God for sending your son to become one of us, to die for us. Thank you for providing us with everything we need, even when we don't know we need it. And thank you for sending people into our lives who are there to fellowship with and to love.

Happy Birthday Jesus!




Did you know that you can get a pregnant Barbie Doll? I didn't but I sure got a kick out of this one. You can put the baby in the tummy, and then when it is born, you can turn the tummy cover make it flat again, because of course, Barbie has to be in perfect shape!



From Genesis to Revelations in pictures.
















Pop-out book of the nativity story.
















New Presents for Sonya!














Lidia, Sonya, and their beautiful tree!



Sincerely,
Your Russian Traveller

The sun set several hours ago, officially welcoming Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The night is perfect and serene, and while there is snow on the ground, the air is clear and crisp and a perfect 21F. And though I can't see the stars in the sky, I know they are there, smiling down on me. They have to be. Because this night is perfect.

My Christmas Eve day began with one of the best presents of all for an EFL teacher. My first two classes were cancelled. This gave me the extra time I needed to hit up the ATM and then go Christmas shopping. I needed to get gifts for Lena, a good Russian friend and coworker, and one for Lidia and Ilya, a couple who has taken me into their home.

I ended up buying a rose and dark chocolate for Lena, and a rose and picture frame for Lidia and Ilya (however their rose started drooping by the time I got of work). I then headed to the school to get settled and prepared for my next four classes. My first class was a pre-int group of preteens/young teens. We mixed a page out of the book with several Christmas worksheets and games. My next class, a teen intermediate group watched Kung Fu Panda: Holiday edition, and then they discussed the important aspects of Christmas (or in Russia's case New Years). One of my students, Alyona, brought me a gift containing chocolate candies, chocolate bars, and a canister of gingersnaps. Yummy!

My next class was my favorite class of all - my New English File adult intermediate group. They are always so much fun and are always dutiful and hardworking. So, tonight I had planned a movie night. The class before we went over the story "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." So today, we put watched the movie in order to reinforce the word pictures in the story. I had brought a few snacks and tea, and while I was getting everything set up, they stopped me. Margo stood, and then everyone stood, and then they presented me with a wonderful box of sorted Ferrero truffles. I almost cried on the spot.

My next class was a NEF advanced class. They are a new class for me as I just took them over from another teacher a couple weeks ago. We ended up watching "The Santa Clause."

After my last class, I headed over to Lidia and Ilya's. They had invited me over for Christmas Eve, even though I didn't get off work till 10:00! The evening was amazing. In addition to me, they had invited another friend of theirs over. The company was good and so was the conversation. Everyone had a laugh over the fact that we both got each other picture frames for Christmas. Their daughter is a treat to watch as she plays with her toys. Christmas music was playing. Dinner consisting of rice, chicken, cucumber and tomato salad, and jello tasted mighty delicious. Lydia and I even took turns reading the Christmas story while Ilya took Alexei home. At about 1:20 I finished the perfect evening by walking home in the dark of the cold, fresh night.

I don't remember the last time I had such a good Christmas Eve, even in the States when I was surrounded by family and lifelong friends. Thank you God for sending your son to become one of us, to die for us. Thank you for providing us with everything we need, even when we don't know we need it. And thank you for sending people into our lives who are there to fellowship with and to love.

Happy Birthday Jesus!



Lidia, Sonya, and their beautiful tree!



New Presents for Sonya!



Pop-out book of the nativity story.



From Genesis to Revelations in pictures.



Did you know that you can get a pregnant Barbie Doll. I didn't but I sure got a kick out of this one. You can put the baby in the tummy, and then when it is born, you can turn the tummy cover make it flat again, because of course, Barbie has to be in perfect shape!

Private Smiles

Russians are not known for their overt cheerfulness or their friendly smiles to random strangers on the street. Which makes sense when you think about it. After all, why would you wave and nod at somebody you don't know. Yet, that is what I am used to. I hail from a small, Texas village where it's customary to give a pleasant "Howdy" and wave as you pass people walking along the side of the road. We consider it friendliness and manners, but looking back it does seem odd.

The fact that most Russians don't smile on the streets or in shops in no way means that they lack manners or social graces. If there is one thing I've learned here, its that Russians are highly social creatures who live to be with each other and enjoy the presence of friends, family and a good drink.

The second thing I've learned is that to really get people or the attitude of a nation you really need to keep your eyes open and focused. While I in no way claim to have unlocked the psychological attitudes and positions of a nation I have learned to cherish the glimpses I get into the daily lives of these seemingly stoic people.

Russian Tableaux

1. On the bus, there is a guy. Young, probably mid-20s, and quiet for the most part. In his hands he holds a tiny baby. He is bent over, staring at the young infant. Next to him is a young woman with long blond hair and a slightly large, yet thin, nose. Her frame is facing the man and child. Her hand reaches out and her fingers brush up and down the baby's arms and legs. Tender, caring. Together the two young parents protectively surround and cherish their precious treasure.

2. In the school I get such joy and amusement out of watching the young kids come and go. They come in with their babushkas, and their little bodies are like round little blue, purple and pink snowmen. When they get inside, their babushkas sternly, yet gently unravel them from the mounds of winter coats, gloves, hats, scarves, sweaters, etc. Then the children go off to class and the babushkas sit and wait, sit and wait. Then, when the boys and girls stream out of the classroom, the babushkas swarm around their ward and commence the bundling process. All out of love.

3. The girls in my classes continually amuse and endear themselves to me in the simplest ways. For all of the advanced technology and desensitization that occurs in the world todays, these preteens and teens know how to show compassion and friendship to each other. Before and after every class, they greet and leave each other with several kisses, both on the cheek and the lips. There is no lesbianic innuendos or snide comments, just sincere, innocent girlish affection for a fellow companion. I can't help but think that the girls in the US are missing out on something. While we greet each other with hugs, I've never seen girls really stroll down the street arm-in-arm or hand-in-hand (at least just as friends) or greet each other with friendly pecks. There is so much stereotyping with those sort of gestures now that we shy away from what use to be common practice. Here its all natural and wonderful.

When you walk down the street, you don't see a lot of people smiling and waving back at your friendly overtures, but when you look at the hands and the eyes you see such tenderness and compassion. When you hear them speak and chatter with each other, or with you if you're lucky, you hear warmth and affection. It's not overt. It's secret and private. But in a way, that makes it worth so much more, because you know they are sincere.

The Delights of Teaching: Conversations Overheard

Yesterday I assigned one of my in-company groups a discussion project. One of the unit objectives had been to learn and actively use various discussion interjections and expressions such as "I admit it!" "That's precisely what I mean." "What I'm trying to say" and "Anyway, . . ." So, I looked through the ESL treasure trove of online jewels, www.onestopenglish.com and found a discussion topic that I thought would get my ordinarily stagnant, advanced-level business adults talking.

The assignment: A fire is consuming a building and fourteen people are stuck on the 32nd floor. The elevator can only hold 8 people, and for some reason, the stairs are out. The students are given a list of the 14 people which contains the profession and a few notes on each desperate person. The students must use these notes to decide which 8 people will live and which 6 people will suffer from smoke inhalation before having their flesh consumed by a raging hot fire.

The people included
*a lawyer (who has four young children who depend on her).
*a journalist (whose recent investigations broke a drug ring).
*a farmer (who has made two failed suicide attempts).
*a mailman (who is suffering from cancer but responding to treatment)
*a politician (who is an active environmentalist)
*a priest (who does a lot of community work)

Three out of the four students took the time to read through the both the professions and the notes and then decided. The other student (with whom I have had previous problems), well... here are a few of his responses.

About the lawyer:
Me: Why the lawyer? She has four young children who depend on her. (Trying to encourage discussion and use of vocabulary)
St: Because she takes money away from our children. All lawyers should die.

About the priest:
St1: He can just consider it a promotion.

About the journalist:
St2 (who is in favor of keeping the journalist and killing the mailman): But the mailman is not needed as much, plus he's dying anyways.
St1: But she should die. She's young and female and a journalist. All journalists should die.
St2: Do you read any news or magazines?
St 3 and 1: Yes.
St2: Online or paper.
St 3/1: Online.
St2: So the journalist is more necessary and useful.
St1: She should die. All journalists should die.

The thing about this is that he was serious. He has said quite a few comments like this before in class. It almost makes me want to cry (especially since I'm young, female, and have carefully considered a career in journalism). However, I feel like after making a few, hopefully thought-provoking remarks, the best solution is to awkwardly laugh it off.

I wish I could say this kind of discrimination is rare, but I have heard many such remarks. One of the biggest reprimands I have to make among my students is to teach them that "nigger" is not an appropriate word. They have actually been taught to use this word by their Russian English teachers! Of course it doesn't help that they turn around and ask why they hear it in music sung by black artists, but I just have to insist that that word not be used.

However, it does bring home to me the fact that I do more than teach English. I have the opportunity, not to spread the glories of English tradition and superiority, but to share with them a more expanded horizon of thoughts and philosophies. Black people are more than just druggie rappers. There's more to life than math, science and vodka. Smiling is okay.

I can't say I was born to be a teacher and that teaching is my destiny (the thought of which actually gave me nightmares a few years ago). In fact I would like to be the perpetual professional student. But I do love those few moments when I feel like I am actually connecting with my students. One of the greatest feelings was when I was watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with one of my advanced teenage classes, and one of my students exclaimed out of the blue, "Ahh, I understand it." And that's why I am teaching without regrets.

Pay Day and Blessings

Pay Day! I have never appreciated two words so much. But, tomorrow is pay day, and I am extremely excited. 8,000 out of 10,000 rubles from my last paycheck went to pay bills back home. This left 2,000 rubles for two weeks. Normally it can be done fairly easily since I walk to and from work and don't eat out a lot. However, this past pay period I was assigned a new class that was not within walking distance. The day of the first class, I ran out bus rides on my card. So, I ended up paying for it. In the future, I will have a month long bus pass, but as I said, I haven't needed one before now.

Since this past week was the first of the month bills were due. So, I've been without phone and internet and surviving off of spaghetti noodles and rice. Which isn't bad, but after 2 weeks of it, I want something with substance. In addition, all but two light bulbs in out flat died. My room and both toilet and shower room are in complete darkness (except when my computer is on).

Normally, it's not so bad to get from paycheck to paycheck, but it seems that everything hit during these two weeks. I only have to take 4,000 rubles from my next paycheck, so life will be easier.

The good news is that God provides blessings everyday through wonderful friends. I am so thankful for all of the friends I've made here. Lena, Alex, Janice, Jon, Lidia, Kayla, Colleen and many more! They help remind me to be joyful in all things.




Kayla and I on our exploration of the great city and Colleen's birthday party at the Starlite Diner which is another post in and of itself.

Sincerely,
Your Russian Traveller

When You Add a Little Snow

The weather has finally begun to freeze. Almost overnight it went from around 10C to 0C to -17C. And I love it. Last night, I was freezing, so I put on my fuzzy socks and my hoodie and snuggled under three layers of covers. It felt really good. I love this weather. I love the warm, comfy clothes that bring back memories of family and childhood. I love the glistening snow that frosts the trees. I love the cold fresh air that is invigorating and painful at the same time. It's WINTER! It's Christmas!

This morning was truly a lazy morning. I just wanted to stay huddled under my blankets. So, I did. I slept in, and then when I felt like it, I got up and piddled around on the computer. Around noon I started cooking lunch. Noodles with a Caesar/Tarter sauce and chicken. Yummy! I also made and drank a liter of hot green tea. While I ate I watched some old sitcoms on my computer.

I feel so happy to be here in this place right now. Before I came to Russia I had all of the usual worries. What if my apartment is a dump? What if my company screws me? What if something bad happens back home? What if? What if? What if?

Fortunately, everything has worked out well. I have a charming (if small) flat. My company is decent. I enjoy most of my coworkers. And Russia is amazing. Like any country, there are ups and downs. Like any jobs there are ups and downs. I've come to accept the fact that life is one crazy screwed up roller coaster. Which is why, on perfect mornings like today, I am going to appreciate them fully. Sometimes, all we need to put life back into perspective is a few blankets and a nice cup (or four) of hot tea.

And maybe a little snow.

Fake It Till You Make It

I'm not a naturally upbeat and enthusiastic person. I want to be, and sometimes I am, but my natural mode is reserved and quiet,sometimes depressed sometimes quietly content. This tendency in me has come to bother me more and more. Like I said, I want to be one of those happy-go-lucky persons that people are drawn to. In fact, I usually gravitate toward them, hoping some of their spirit will rub off on me.

Before almost every class I teach, I hear an old saying of my old voice teacher, Cindy. "Fake it till you make it." She would always tell me this whenever I was in a bad mood, but had to sing or practice or do whatever anyway. "Fake it till you make it." For some reason this, out of everything she ever told me, has stuck with me. I've found it means even more to me now that I'm teaching.

In today's society, the word "fake" has such a negative connotation. It's often synonymous with insincere. But for me at least, "fake" has taken on a whole new meaning. I'm not talking about changing my personality or character to fit in with a crowd or to manipulate (well, maybe manipulate, but in a good way). Rather, I'm talking about faking my apparent emotions and feelings in order to make the people around feel happier and more relaxed so that they can enjoy learning.

I hate going into class with a bad mood or feeling tired or depressed. The last thing I want is for my classes to feel I'm taking my personal feelings out on them. So, I "fake" it. As soon as class starts I'm jumping around, changing my face and voice tones, doing everything I can to get my students to participate and enjoy the lesson. During the 45 or 90 minutes of class, I'm a stranger to myself. The thing is, "faking" can actually lead to "making" it. By the end of class, I usually do feel somewhat better (most of the time). And, I think overall, most of my students appreciate the crazy me instead of the more subdued or angry me they would otherwise get.

The thing is, it is really frustrating when I pour out all of this energy and enthusiasm (which I really don't have), and it comes back unreturned. I mean I make myself exhausted every day just to try to help them a little. But then I get those classes where everyone just sits and answers questions with one word, and they drive me absolutely crazy. Of course, sometimes, if you push hard enough and refuse to move on, they'll comply with some amount of grumbling. But still, it makes me feel awful - especially since they're adults. I mean, I expect it of teenagers, but adults? Their seeming apathy makes me feel useless. I didn't know if I was even getting through to them.

The thing is, the class itself isn't bad. I really enjoyed almost everyone in there. But there were three different levels within the one class level. The advanced students were already brilliant and didn't need me, and the struggling students continued to struggle. They laughed at my "enthusiastic" antics and complained about the lessons after class sometimes. It got to the point where I had to ask if someone else could take them.

So today, I told them that next class they would have a new teacher. I almost started crying, because I did have a couple special students in the class I enjoyed and I knew liked me. Several students asked me why. Evidently, some of them, some of the students I thought were merely tolerating me, actually liked my "faked" attempts at enthusiasm. My craziness and bizarre behaviour appealed to them. I have to admit that it relieves me to find out that I did make a small difference - albeit unknowingly. Still, what's done is done. Hopefully they will learn and grow more with a new teacher. Hopefully they understand that it is not them personally that made me move.

Sincerely,
Your Russian Traveller

Because I'm in Love (or Obsessed)

Caution: This post has almost nothing to do with Russia, but I had to include it because I'm obsessed and in love.

I am so in love right now that I just had to write about it, despite it's next-to-nothing relevance to Russia. Josh Groban just released his latest album, Illuminations. And, I completely understand that I just showed you my inner nerd with the last two sentences, but I don't care!



I remember when I first discovered Josh Groban. My parents had his CD stashed away among their collections, and I came across it one day as I was rummaging through their things (before you judge, you should remember that parents give up their right to privacy when they have kids). I saw the CD with his face on the front, and I admit, his gorgeous face drew my pre-teen attention (I was only like 12 or 13 at the time). I listened to it a time or two, liked it and put it aside and forgot about him. A year or two later, I came across the CD again and fell completely under the Josh Groban spell. Seriously, J.K. Rowling may as well have invented something for it, because I was mesmerized. I especially loved the song "Vincent."

Fast forward several more years later and you find me as the proud owner of the self-titled Josh Groban, Closer, Awake, Noel, the single from the soundtrack Troy Remember, and a couple of other random singles. (I still have to get the soundtrack to Chess that he did though.) And now, now I am the even prouder owner of "Illuminations: Deluxe Edition!" You could plausibly call me obsessed, but I whole-heartedly claim it to be a healthy obsession.

So, a little bit about Illuminations.
Illuminations was unlike his other CDs in many ways. To begin with, most of the songs were written by Josh Groban himself. This means they are more personal, and the CD has fewer covers (which I adore). Secondly, the goal of the CD was to be more real and less perfect. He tries more things with his voice that his more classical songs shy away from, such as falsetto. You also hear less of the typical "adult-contemporary pop" beats and more of a random mix of sounds like African drums. He even has one song "The Wandering Kind" that is completely instrumental (I think I read that he wrote it when he was around 12).

In addition, the publicity for this album has been crazy. I am a follower on facebook, so for the past several months, I have been receiving updates and early single release notices. Many of the songs were released to the public early through singles and music videos. They were like mini-teasers, making you long for more. I became obsessed with the new album after I heard the early-release of "Hidden Away." Then to ice the cake, Josh Groban had the entire CD up for your listening pleasure a day early on facebook. So, last night I stayed awake listening to it for hours, determined that I would buy it on iTunes as soon as it was released in the US (although due to technical difficulties, I was about an hour behind schedule at the time of purchase).

I love this CD! It is by far one of his best! Below are listed some of my favorites from the album.

1. Bells of New York City - the first song on the album that completely blew me away last night. I love the passion and darker musical undertones.

2. Galileo - I means seriously, who else can get away singing a song about a random dead astronomer. Although different in music and intentions, it reminds me of his cover "Vincent."

3. War at Home - Listen to it. Now. Beautiful. And remember this is the singer who did the greatest version of "I'll be Home for Christmas" due to its military undertones.

4. Hidden Away - As previously mentioned, this is the song that made me obsessed with buying this CD. The lyrics alone make me melt.

5. If I Walk Away and Voce Existe Em Mim - both slightly eccentric (at least compared to his usual) musically. If I Walk Away has more of a plucked-string approach. Voce Existe Em Mim is his first Portuguese song and uses African drums.

6. The cover of "Straight to You" - Just beautiful and heart-warming.

Other Favorites by Josh Groban (or as I like to refer to him: My future husband)

In no particular order
1. So She Dances
2. February Song
3. Broken Vow
4. Remember
5. My Confession
6. Now or Never
7. Hymne a l'amour
8. Vincent
9. Never Let Go
10. Mi Mancherai - I'm melting again

So, do yourself a favor and buy his latest (or any of his) album(s). Listen and feel your entire body melt into one gigantic puddle. Guys, if you aren't in the melting state-of-mind, buy it for your girl and let her melt into you. Seriously.

Sincerely,
Russian Traveller

P.S. Please note that the whole obsession tone of voice should be taken as a joke. I definitely appreciate amazing musical talent, but there should be no cause for concern that I am going to turn into some creepy stalker with stacks of magazines and a couple of glue sticks.

Moscow Explorations and Revelations

Thursday and Friday of this week (November 4th and 5th) were holidays here in dear Russia. Fortunately, a public holiday means I didn't have to work. Excitement over in my corner!! Anyways, this lovely lack of responsibility meant that I actually had time to be productive and have adventures. I won't bore you with the details of Thurday's activities because they were fairly mundane and headache-y (picture a GRE studybook and a marketful of fish).

However, Friday was a different story filled with, as my face book status reads, "dragons, cathedrals art, art that's not-so-much art as a kid with a paintbrush, McDonalds, Christmas trees, masks, stereotypical construction workers (evidently its an international thing), wrong streets, right streets, underground streets, clowns holding people by the legs, and much, much more."

Kayla and I met at Central School around 1 and then headed to McDs to plan our adventures. We decided the first site should be the MARS art gallery/museum. Let's just say that the getting there did prove to be half of the adventure. We got off the metro and wandered across the park in our chosen direction. Along the way we came across way too many kids, a statue of a clown holding someone upside down, a horse, a statue of a man in a skirt slaying a dragon, and a restaurant called Mr. Burrito that had pictures of giant pretzels. The MARS is slightly out of the way and in the middle of a typical European street which was surrounded by construction workers. Oh, and by the way, the stereotype for construction workers in the US is not specific to the US. They will whistle and holler internationally. But the museum was worth it.


The museum was relatively small, but filled with a variety of projects. Three rooms contained architectural/interior designs for offices. Some were exceedingly cool. Evidently, it IS possible to have your own bubble. And, you can even work in a hamster wheel if that suits your fancy.






There were two rooms with more contemporary art which were really impressive. Giant hands, banana peels, masks, 3-D bodies, etc.



From the MARS we made our way to a metro station and then to the Red Square area. Instead of venturing around the actual square, we expanded our horizons. Our route took us pass the parliament building and a statue of Moscow's founder. We also passed the Bolshoi. After a while, we ventured into a book store, but found nothing to our satisfaction. Venturing further we explored one of Moscow's oldest buildings.

This building is fantastic. It has been turned into a very ornate and touristy super market with a small souvenir shop in the back. But the architecture, the interior design - BREATHTAKING! I had to buy something there, so I ended up purchasing a chocolate truffle bar and green tea.





From the supermarket we traversed over to the Arbat and hit up Dom Kenegi, a bookstore that has a wide selection of English books. I ended up with a copy of Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey. It should keep me occupied for a while.

Some Randomness for Life

Tonight, I am really tired for some reason. Ever since I've started teaching, my sleeping schedule has been thrown completely off, like out of this world, an alien has inhabited my body off. Anyone who really knows me, knows that I am an early-to-bed, early-to-rise type of gal.

My senior year of high school, I would fall asleep between 8-10 pm and wake up at 4:00 in the morning to do my homework. I liked the quietness of the morning and the feeling of productivity I achieved doing work without the tv in the background. When I did my homework in the evenings, there was always some new episode of something to draw my attention away from the work in front of me. In addition, I usually did some of my best work when the clock ticked away my deadline.

Now, I can't sleep until 2:30/3:00 in the morning, which means I don't rise until 9:30-11:00. I don't like it as much. I've tried and tried to get my sleeping patterns back on track, tried to make it more comfortable. I've gone to bed at 10:00/11:00 on several occasions, but I always end up lying there for hours and hours and hours and hours, yawning into the darkness. And, I don't know who invented counting sheep, but he/she was an idiot. The only thing that counting sheep does is make you think of other barn yard animals which has you singing "Old McDonald had a Farm, EIEIO." Believe me, it is NOT pleasant to get that song stuck in your head.

However, tonight might prove to be the night that Mr. Sandman decides to visit me at a reasonable hour. See, this morning I actually woke up at 8:30 and did not, I repeat DID NOT, go back to sleep. I was assigned a Saturday class this week. And, although that means that I no longer have a day off besides Sunday, it does mean that I get paid extra for the class. A nice compromise I think. Plus, if today proves to be a template for the rest of the classes to come, I will really enjoy it.

For one thing, it is a TOEFL class. Because it is a testing class, the students are at a slightly higher level (intermediate-ish).

Second, there are only three students enrolled in the class, and one of them never showed up today. The two that did show up are a couple. They know each other and are comfortable speaking in front of one another. Even when I had games where they competed against each other, they would help the other person out.

Third, because it is a small, TOEFL class I can pick the curriculum. There is not a course book. In fact, the only book I have is a book of practice tests. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to give my students practice test after practice test after practice test. For those who don't know, TOEFL is the standardized test that international students need to take and score well on to get into universities in the United States. Its roughly the US equivalent of Europe's IELTS exam. However, I do think that it is better than the IELTS. The TOEFL is special because almost all of its tasks are integrated. Students are expected to listen to a lecture, read an article and then respond to both of them through speaking and writing. Most of the audio clips are from actual college lectures, which prepares them for entering university. In addition, the tests forces students to learn words or guess the meanings of words through context (which is a sadly lacking skill - even in the US).

The ambiguousness in the coursebooks means that I have more freedom to plan my lessons. When I found out that the class is extremely small and the couple is interested in some day moving to the States I asked them how they wanted the class structured (after all, it is a business). While they do want to practice and study for the TOEFL, they would also be interested in learning some English related to other things in the States (i.e. culture: movies, music, technology, shopping).


The good news for my students is I spent 21 years in the States. I've taken the Texas TAAS test and the Texas TAKS test many, many times. I've taken the ACTs and the SATs. I competed in expository writing in high school for four years. Basically, I know US standardizing testing. Now, hopefully I will be able to impart my knowledge to them.

The class meets for three academic hours every Saturday (which is 2 hours 15 minutes). I told my students that they will every week they will need to learn and write down in a vocabulary journal ten new vocabulary words along with the part of speech, the definition and a sentence using that word. They will also begin each class with a no-pressure journal question. Hopefully, without putting too much pressure on journal writing, they will be able to practice writing at length without feeling overwhelmed. The intense writing comes towards the end of each lesson.

Today, I combined American culture with the TOEFL skills by utilizing the holiday season. Today's focus was . . . HALLOWEEN. Russians don't celebrate Halloween, but they do know a little about it. I'll admit, I never celebrated Halloween either growing up. But, as a native English teacher, part of the job is to impart cultural traditions along with the language. It makes lessons more fun and interesting than regular grammar exercises. For my other classes I had found and used a few texts on Halloween origins and traditions in other countries (the US, Mexico and Britain). So, I reused them today to teach basic reading skills like scanning and context reading. The texts were at an upper high-intermediate to a low intermediate reading level except for a few Halloween-related words like ancestors, neopagans, graves, etc. However, they were able to guess the meaning of most of the words through context. I was so proud and happy.

It was just one of those lessons that actually made me feel good to be a teacher. I know that I made several mistakes in the lessons and not everything went as planned (for one I was expecting and thus planned a lesson for more students), but the lesson as fun (at least for me). I hope (and think) they enjoyed it too, and I hoped they actually learned from it.

Anyways, the lesson was good. The weather is fabulous. The night is just right. And I am very contented. How are you doing on this dazzling night of darkness ( no evil pun intended)?

Sincerely,
Your Russian Traveller

P.S. Thinking of the night makes me think of the old children's song.



I see the moon, the moon sees me
The moon sees somebody I want to see
God bless the moon and God bless me
And God bless the somebody I want to see.

Where are you tonight? Are you away from family and friends as I am? After all, Halloween was originally celebrated because people believed that on the 31st, the end of the Celtic calendar, they could communicate with their beloved departed ones. It was a blessing for those left behind. So, God bless you tonight wherever you are.

Your Russian Traveller

Mini Post on the Russian Weather thus far

I am completely in love with this weather. I think I have finally found a home. I know there is still plenty of frost bite and pneumonia to come, but so far it is incredible. This is the kind of weather that makes me feel like a little kid. I literally jump and skip about, making my coworkers laugh and wonder at my sanity. Some days it rains, and some days it snows in small little flurries that never stick but simply melt away. The temperature has probably ranged from around 4 to 8 degrees Celsius most days or around 35 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. My flat stays nice and toasty inside. Actually, its a little too toasty and I have to keep the door to my balcony open (don't worry, it's a closed off balcony - no creepers allowed!).

Anyways, hope this sates your curiosity.

Sincerely,
Your Russian Traveller

Birthdays, Voyages and Sushi

Pictures:
1)Moscow river at sunset. Very pretty. That is all.
2) 3...2...1... Yes, that is a rocket ship! It's at the site of this mini amusement park. There is a ferris wheel, a small roller coaster, and a few other amusing tidbits.
3)Inside the Moscow metro Komsomolskaya. Many of the metros are like underground Cathedrals! Hushed, reverent tones.
4)Birthday cake. The top hat layer was a sheet of chocolate.
5)Group pic!


The past couple weeks have been a blur of much and nothing; however, they were not much ado about nothing. On the otherhand, their was quite a to do about some things. On either the 14th or the 15th (for the life of me I can't remember which day), all of the interns and many of the teachers gathered together at a little restaurant called Uchkaduk in order to celebrate the birthday of one fabulous teacher named Jon. This was fairly exciting as it was the first time all of the interns had congregated in one place since the ITP. The music was loud (as were the people). The food was good. The weather was perfect. Masha, Micah, Jon, Olga, Alyssa, Mark, and Adam crowded into one booth, while Zach, Misha, Janice, Lena and I occupied another.

Then on Saturday 2 marvelous things happened. The first was I bought a camera! I know it doesn't sound like much, but I love taking pictures of random objects. I am always telling myself that I am going to try to draw the random objects that appear in lens, even though I rarely do. It really bummed me out that my original camera broke my first day in Russia. But, due to payday the previous day and an early Christmas gift from my wonderful gparents, I was able to buy a Nikon S3000 with a 4GB memory chip and a cute little case.

And why was it so important for me to buy a camera on this particular day? I'm glad you asked. LL celebrated it's 16th birthday this year, and in order to celebrate the day, they threw a huge party for all of the employees. Yes, the LL employees celebrated this landmark by yachting down the Moscow River with friends, food and plenty of booze. Although I remained completely sober (along with a couple of friends), I did find the whole experience fairly amusing. I finally got to see some of my friends from the ITP who I had not seen in a while. We were able to sight see from the top deck, eat wonderful food on the second deck, and do karaoke on the bottom deck. Although I refrained from the singing, I enjoyed watching others dance and stumble about (including some of the academic trainers). :D It was probably one of the best nights I've spent in Russia so far!

And now, to bring us up to today. Sushi! For the longest time I promised myself that no sushi would touch my lips. I gave in last year and tried the tinsiest bit of it at the urging of a coworker. However, that morsel was soon thrown from my lips and "never more!" was uttered. Today, I recant. Some fellow teachers and I ate at a nearby restaurant called Sushki, and I loved it. It really was fabulous. Although, I have heard that they cook all the fish in the sushi in Russia according to federal regulations (which could make the difference b/n the bite in the states and the meal in Russia). But it doesn't matter. I have a new favorite restaurant.

On a down note, please be in prayer for one of the Zgrad interns. His mother was in a car accident and is injured. He is flying home to help with her recovery.

Sincerely,
Your Russian Traveller

Zgrad Baptist Church

Today I attended the Baptist Church in Zgrad, Russia. It is a fairly nice church, especially for Russia. According to my standards it is fairly large with a usual attendance of around 150 people. (Although this morning about 40 of them were absent due to a church trip to Israel). From what I hear they are a highly evangelistic church. Evidently the pastor keeps reminding them that while they do have over a hundred members, for a city the size of Zelenograd (3,000), they are small. I haven’t met the pastor yet. Last week and this week he is in Israel. Next week he will be at the international evangelism conference in South Africa, and the week after that he will go to Ghana. My translator at the church ---- is another Language Link teacher. She came here ten years ago as a missionary through world help (which coincidentally was founded by a man with close connections to Liberty U). However, since her missionary visa expired she had to get a job. She ended up working at Language Link, which works out very well for me.

I was greatly relieved to find that I recognized the tunes to the music portion. Among the songs sang were "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," and "Great is the Faithfulness." Everyone in the church was very nice, and all of the old ladies grabbed me to give me a kiss and hug. A few times I caught the word "Americanka" or female American a few times, which amused me. A few of the younger women who felt comfortable tried to speak English to me, and we got on quite well for two strangers. I really enjoyed the Church and the service.

Playing Catch-up: From September 12, 2010

On Sunday the 12th, Masha, one of the secretaries at the 402 met me at 2:00 and showed me around Zgrad. We met at "This Cafe" and then headed to Victory Park. Victory Park is almost right across from my apartment (only about a 5-10 minute walk). However, I had never been there until she took me. Despite the endless line of empty beer bottles, it is very beautiful. In the middle is a series of tiered fountain/pools. There are plenty of flowers too. While we were walking by the lake, we saw a group of people getting ready for remote-controlled boat races.

Across from Victory Park is a supermarket. We didn't go in that day, I did find a towel in there when I went back a couple of weeks later, which was amazing. From the VP/supermarket area, we went to the local institute Miet. Behind Miet is a rather large forest area with plenty of walking trails. We took one and walked and walked. The canopy of trees kept the air cool and humid and the lighting was nice and dim with the shadows of trees on the ground. Once again, it was really beautiful and nice. The trail dropped us off just short of Kopeka which is a smaller and more random version of KMART or Target.

At the end of our walk, we hopped a bus back to the store I call "the 1000 things store" because it has a large, neon 1000 sign. It also has a pizzeria attached to it. So, Masha and I ate pizza.

After our pizza stop, we went to ------ Ploshod or Victory (?) Square. There, Masha helped me get a cell (or mobile as it is commonly referred to in Europe). After that (about 3 hours from the beginning of our outing), we parted ways. She was the first person to really help me get settled in Zgrad, and for that I am very grateful.

Sincerely,
Your Russian Traveller

Playing Catch-up: From September 4, 2010

This was my first Saturday after the ITP. Colleen, Stuart, Kayla and I had made plans to explore Red Square and the surrounding area. We were supposed to meet at 10:30 which means I woke up early - ughhh. I figured I would probably get lost somewhere along the way and would need the extra time, so 7:00 greeted me with a really loud and annoying alarm siren.

I knew that once I got into Komsomolskaya station, I needed to hop on the red line instead of my usual brown line. However, I wasn't entirely positive about which stop to get off at. I picked the stop with word "revolution" in it and hoped for the best (which is about all one can do when the word revolution comes into conversation).

I ended up getting lucky, but that luck only went so far. I later found out that I DID get off at the right stop (although, technically, any stop in that area would have worked). I just didn't know which way to go from the exit.

So, not being able to see a giant red square-ish thing from my position by the metro, I walked up the street, away from the growing crowed of chanting teenagers and young adults. After a couple of blocks filled with buildings lined with opera and ballet posters I saw a book store caddy-cornered from me. So, being me, I excitedly entered the premises, sure that my salvation was near. After all, it was a place of books, learning and education. Unfortunately, everything and everyone was Russian. No English tour books. No employee that could even point me to the Kremlin.

I exited feeling let-down and worried. By this time, I had missed the meeting time and was sure that the others would have gone on their own way by now. But, as fate is wont to do from time to time, she smiled on me (she must of been feeling guilty for the bookshop fiasco). I was walking back toward the metro station when I saw them - Colleen and Stuart. Two bright American/Scottish beacons. I could have cried I was so relieved.

The three of us then set off together in pursuit of the big, red square. We headed in a random direction looking for any clue we were headed in the RIGHT direction.

We hadn't been walking for long when I heard voices speaking in English. Could this be our help? YES! Turning around we came face to face with a couple of men - obviously and hilariously gay. They were carrying a map which their concierge at the Plaza had given them. They told us that because it was Moscow Day (which we did not know, but which explained the chanting crowds), many entrances to the Kremlin were closed. They gave us their spare map (which was later very handy). However, before we parted, another gay couple found us. One who remarked, "It's our own gay parade!" and a guy from the first couple responded, "It's like we never left the states."

We walked one way and the four men walked the other way. After having seen one of the men with a Starbucks cup, we decided to find it and regroup. We did. Then we began walking again and found none other than a McDonalds. The thing about McDonalds in Russia is that they are one of the few places that offer free wifi and free bathrooms with toilet paper (always a plus). You can explore the whole city of Moscow one McDonalds at a time. I challenge you to try it. Finally, after McDonald's we found Red Square. We must have got to the entrance either right after it opened or right before it closed, but we did make it.

Because it was city day, the Stadium was being set up for the military band or the Russian tattoo which would be playing later that evening. We walked past it and found the Basilica (or St. Basil's Cathedral). We ended up getting tickets at the student price (which was very good because it saved us each 150 rubles.

I enjoyed looking at the church, but the best part was seeing the individual rooms and thinking of how it was originally used and trying to guess everything that had been removed, replaced or restored over the past few centuries.

After St. Basil's we walked around the square some more. On the streets outside, huge masses of what appeared to be college students gathered with huge balloons, flyers, colored t-shirts and loud chants. Each section (or school) was represented by a different colored t-shirt and balloon. We stood and watched and listened for a while before moving on.

Stuart was our official and dedicated map reader and successfully managed to get us around all the closed streets and to our destination at Dom Kenigi (House of Books). Colleen finally had money and wanted to stock up.

After shopping we walked to the Arbatskaya metro where we were supposed to meet their friend Sergei. After adding one more to our number we headed off. Sergei acted as our tour guide and led us to an old Soviet/Military replica shop (which was actually pretty cool). He then took us to the Arbat walking district which is a street lined with shops (especially for tourists and music lovers) and musicians. We walked and talked and listend to Spanish, acoustic-styled rock songs and Russian reggae rap. We even stopped by another McDonalds. (See, I told you you could travel Moscow by the McDs.) Lunch/dinner was at Sbarro, an Italian pizza place. Finally, around 6:30/7-ish we headed back to the Arbatskaya metro and parted ways.

As I was getting on the Elektrishka, I noticed Zach and Micah (two other interns) were in one of the carts and so I sat next to them. When we got back to Zgrad, it was dark and the fireworks were exploding overhead. It was also Zgrad day. Overall, it was a very excellent day.

*FB statii for that day:
1. Exploring Moscow one MCDonalds at a time.
2. Moscow Day and Zgrad Day: crossed an 8 lane highway without a crosswalk or a traffic light, wandered around Red Square area till we found a place to go in, saw the Basilica, saw the outside of the Kremlin, saw a bunch of teens chanting with balloons, wandered around the Arabat, saw a string quartet, saw a group mixing rap and reggae in Russian and came back to Zgrad in time for the fireworks and drunken bicyclists.

Sincerely,
Your Russian Traveller

Camoflauge 101

I hate feeling like a tourist, essentially because I will be here for almost a year and am NOT a tourist. However, there are certain things that separate me from the crowd of natives walking along the street.

1. Let's get the obvious out of the way. I speak English with an American accent.

2. The shoes. Russian women spend quite a bit of moo-la to walk down the street. Everything from their hair to their shoes takes effort and time to perfect. While I don't mind dressing up (I have to for class anyway), I refuse to wear the ankle-breaking heels that click-clack up and down the streets, hallways, floors. My feet are precious. Too many hereditary maladies loom in front of me, and I insist on taking care of feet while I can. This means that I will wear my tennis with whatever outfit I can.

3. No smokes or vodka here. I'm not a smoker, nor am I a drinker. Both of those things are HUGE here.

4. I don't mind setting my bag on the floor. Many, if not most Russian women do not set their bags on the floor at restaurants or in other public areas. I'm not sure why.

There are others, but due they temporarily escape me at this point. I will update this list later.

Tittle-Tattle

Okay, so MUCH has happened since I last wrote, but since I don't have time to write it all down right now, I'll just give notice of some of the random things that are on my mind.

First and FOREMOST:
A thank you to my dear home church. I just received your email and am deeply touched and grateful for your wonderful generosity. You continue to be a huge part of my life and of my blessings, and I am so glad that God placed you in my live twelve years ago.

It's a Dog's World:
One of the strange little things I have noticed is the rather large population of stray dogs that roam about the streets. Back in the states, a crowd of six unattended dogs would be set upon by the local dog catchers. But here, they seem to have the run of the place. I kind of like the fact that they keep their freedom (I haven't seen a growling or biting one yet), but it also makes me sad to see them starving and shivering.

ITP (or the last four weeks of training):
The ITP, which I hope to write more on later, ends tomorrow. It has been crazy, hectic, and stressful at times, but I enjoyed it. Most mornings I woke up around 7:00 and did not get home till between 8:30 or 11:30. The mornings were spent going over classroom management and teaching techniques while the afternoons were spent relearning the grammar that most of us haven't learned since elementary school. I still enjoy the trainers and am continually thankful for their helpfulness. Jen (the director) and Rachel (a trainer) have been especially great.

My Classes:
My classes officially begin on Monday. As of today, I have 21 hours assigned to me, although under my contract, I can be assigned up to 30 hours. I will have two classes of pre-teens/teens and 4 classes of adults. All of my classes are in the afternoons and evenings, which means I have the mornings to sleep-in, lesson plan, and tour the city.

Friends:
I am fortunate to have already made some friends. For those who know me, I tend to be, not anti-social, but more just un-social. But, I have made a small group of friends over these past four weeks, and although most of them will be teaching in different towns, we should be able to meet up on the occasional weekend.

Lost:
One night last week, Alyssa and I were riding back on the train. We had just finished teaching the 7:00-9:20 class, which means our train ride began around 10:05. The trip to Krookava is usually between 45-50 minutes. However neither of us own a watch or a cell phone. We ended up missing our train stop. We probably would not have even realized it except that the train lady checking our tickets started gesticulating (with lots of emotion) to the platform the train had just pulled away from. No one on the train spoke both English and Russian, so between hand motions, we learned that the strange guy sitting behind us would let us know when to get off so that we could catch a return train. After about 30 minutes, we descended from our unintentional prison. However, we had no idea what to do or where to go from there.

Fortunately, one babushka on the train had been listening to the ticket lady's rant and understood that we were 1)foreign and 2) hopelessly lost and stranded. While she didn't speak English, she made it clear that we should follow her. She hailed another guy on the platform (we never did figure out if he was a stranger or her husband). Anyways, she followed him and we followed her. We literally hopped down from the platform (there were no stairs in sight) and ran across the two lanes of railroad tracks, only to climb through a hole in the fence. There sat a mini van. The man and woman motioned us inside.

Growing up, we are told to never ride with strangers. I now present an exception to that rule. When you are foreign and lost, sometimes you MUST accept rides with complete strangers whom you can't even understand. The man drove us around to the ticket counter for the train station. The woman motioned us to follow her again. In we went to the ticket counter, and before we could do anything, the women had bought both Alyssa and myself a ticket back to Krookava. She told us, and miraculously we understood, that Krookava is one stop away. GET OFF! Alyssa and I follow directions well. Thankfully we even made it back before the buses stopped their rounds. It was around 12:20 by the time I got home.

Closings:
So, this is a brief update on my life for the past weeks. I hope it is enough to sate your curious minds. Hopefully, I will 1) have more time to write and 2) have internet access in the near future.

Until then, I remain your constant
Russian traveller

This One's for the School

So, as much bad junk as has been going on with everything breaking, being "taken," etc. I want to follow up with a cheerful blog post. And, surprisingly (after all the bad reviews I read about schools in Moscow), this upbeat post will be dedicated to my school.

I know many newbies come in, praising their schools and then later regretting it, so I won't say that my comments are the all-in-all. However, they are what I have observed during my first week here in Russia.

I am impressed. Sweet and simple. I came into Russia, and on the first day, I found myself in the unfortunate position of being bereft of my money card. However, the DOA, who not only met me, gave me an advance on my first paycheck and took me shopping for food. She only left after making sure that I was settled in and new my way around my area. Thanks Olga!

The next day, my DOS called me on the phone, offering to meet me and another intern. We had drinks and he answered our questions about the school and what to expect. After that, he showed us how to get around on the bus system and helped us buy our tickets. The next morning, he met us bright and early and took us step-by-step through the commute process of bus, train, metro, school. He has also been available for endless questions about directions, Russian phrases, grammar help and the like. Thanks Mark!

The teachers who have been training us so far have done a wonderful job of being welcoming. Not a morning goes by (outside of class) when they do not offer to answer any questions we have, or to ask if we need any help. They do their best to make the classes fun, interesting and educational. Thanks Rachel, Zhara, Harry, Marin and Jim!

Then, there is the director. Since she first found out about my problem, she has been nothing but helpful. She has had the secretaries call the bank, has offered the use of name in case money needs to be wired, and has been generous about providing me with the loans I need until the situation is resolved. She is always coming in and out of classrooms, asking if anyone needs anything fixed in their apartments, or needs any other type of help. Thanks Jennifer!

Everyone has tried their best to make this a good and relatively easy transition and life experience. I appreciate everything you do.

Arrival – Minus 1 iPod, 1 Lung, and 1 Credit Card

So, after months of intense waiting and preparations, I have ARRIVED. However, before I describe my adventures in Russia thus far, let me detail my plane experience. After all, I figure its best to go with the good news before the bad.

On Friday, August 6th at 5:40 TX time, my plane departed from the George Bush airport in Houston. Singapore airlines was really amazing. Every seat is equipped with a personal TV which allows the individual to listen/watch music, movies and actual TV shows. I watched the first two episodes of Parenthood. In addition, before the plane even took off, all of the passengers were given a hot towel & a pair of socks. I had ended up postponing my seating choice until the night before. This afforded me the opportunity to carefully overview the available seats. Amazingly enough I discovered an entire empty row. By the time we left Houston, the seats still had not been filled, which left me with an entire row all to myself.

However, good times do not last forever, and mine ended as the plane landed in Moscow. Before the wheels even scraped the ground, smog entered my nostrils, burning my noise and scorching my eyes. I left the plane and followed the general crowd through passport control. Then I went to find my luggage. I brought a total of 3 bags with me: 1 large, 1 medium, and 1 small carry-on. Unfortunately, I only have two hands. After analyzing the problem and struggling with the logistics, I hoisted the small bag onto the med. bag and attempted (although poorly) to drag them through customs and into the room with the throngs of people waiting to greet their loved ones. I found the school rep after only a few awkward helpless tourist glances. He grabbed my the two largest bags and away we went.

Up until this point, I was still trying to make myself believe that the white substance clouding my vision was NOT smog and was in fact just fog. A city of fog sounds much more pleasant than a city of smog. All my allusions were blown by the mass of people (including passport control inside the airport) who were wearing hospital masks. Olga later told me that the smog was very rare, but at the time all I could think was “Oh God, I’m going to die of lung cancer due to 10 months in an area where the smog is so thick you can barely see.” Besides, if the smog didn’t kill me, the heat would (and I’m from TX and NM). I know. Russia is famous (or infamous) for her freezing-cold weather, but this summer, they’ve had consistent 90 degree weather around Moscow and the surrounding areas. Smog + scorching heat (even without a sun) = a lethal combination. After 5 minutes in the car I was literally dripping with sweath. In fact, over 10 hours later, I still have not stopped sweating.

Now, the rep who met me was a young male – probably mid to late 20s. He speaks no English. I speak no Russian. This was not too bad except for the fact that I could not ask him all the questions racing through my head. He kept fiddling with the AC, which actually blew out only hot air and thus intensified my sweat problem. After about 1 hour and 15 minutes of driving though, I realized something. We were leaving Moscow!

Now, earlier I had been presented with a welcome bag which contained 1 box of tea, 1 box of sugar cubes, 1 bar of formerly-solid chocolate, 1 pkg of some sort of bread and honey cookies, 1 pkg of sheets (which are currently residing in my freezer until they are a gigantic ice cube), a roll of the all-so-essential toilet paper and a welcome letter with a map of the Moscow metro and a sublease agreement. I had very briefly glanced over the latter until I saw Moscow disappear in my rearview mirror. Then I quickly pulled out the sublease form and realized I would begin my Zelenograd residency today! From everything I had previously read and heard, I was supposed to spend my first month in Moscow where the Central School and training facilities are located. Now, I still get to go to training, but I get to commute 2 hours each way on the bus and metro. It’s a good thing I really like to read!

To make matters worse, I realized I left my iPod on the plane! My poor, beloved iPod. RIP. If only I had known then that this wasn’t the tip of the ice berg, I might not feel so bad.

After finally arriving at my flat, we were greeted by Olga, the DOA here in Zelenograd. Fortunately, she speaks English. (Sidenote: I will admit that my biggest fear and frustration is the language barrier. I slightly amused myself - and still am – that during the car ride to Zgrad, I kept on trying to figure out the message in English, and my brain automatically tried to translate it into Spanish. Where was this talent when I needed it last semester. Now all I could think about was I should be in Spain, not Russia. I should have looked harder to find a paid position in Spain.) But I digress.

Back to Olga. After my driver deposited me in Olga’s care, he left. Olga showed me around the flat and gave me the important numbers no English speaker lost in a foreign Russian city should be without. FYI: Russian flats do NOT have AC, and cold drinks are rare, as is ice in your water or soft drinks. By the time we left to go shopping, all I could think about was water – ice, cold H2O. No luck! After discovering that
A) I owned no rubles
B) the Banks were closed due to the smog issue and
C) I did not know my new pin # yet
we headed back to the flat which was about three “blocks” away. I had stashed the dratted pin number somewhere among my bags.

But, as we started out again, we discovered that the locks on the door no longer wanted to work. After 10 minutes of Olga vs. the door/lock vs. the stuck key, she called the land lady, Irina, who spent her own time in the wrestling ring with inanimate objects. After creating a makeshift solution, and hearing Irina’s promises of getting new locks put on tomorrow, we ventured forth once more.

We stopped at the ATM where the machine tried to prove what greedy bastard (sorry for the language) it was by eating my card. Olga called the company, and they said that I can have my card back after my bank calls the ATM bank and verifies everything. Meaning nothing will happen until next week.

This means I had to take a 2000 ruble advance on my first paycheck. Olga took me to the school in Zgrad where I wrote an IOU and emailed my bank. Olga blames the German ATM/bank. I’ll reserve judgment and stick with frustration.

Finally we arrived at the store with viable currency. I spent 600 rubles (~30-40 USD) on rice, fruit juice, 4 apples, 1 liter of water, 1 liter of Lipton raspberry tea, a loaf of bread, cereal and 1 bag of peanut M&Ms. We carried the bags home, and after wrestling with the door some more Olga left. I was and am now here alone. I stashed my groceries in the fridge and went to my room. I found my converters and attempted to fit them in, but alas. They do not work on the outlets in my bedroom (although they do fit in the kitchen). However, I ended up shorting out my alarm clock in the process and still cannot get something to work right as none of my remaining electronics will charge.

Around 8:30 PM I ended up falling asleep, only to be awakened a couple of hours later. Jet lag has now kicked in. However, the nap did me good as I am no longer wanting to go running (or flying) home. I opened my B&N Nook and picked up reading Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour (a pretty good book). This calmed me down even more, and after I thoroughly drenched my bed with my sweat (a new form of christening), I decided to drench the kitchen with my body fluids.

Despite the fact that I had not eaten anything since the plane (over 8 hours ago) I was too hot to eat much so I tore off a small chunk of my brad and opened the now semi-solid chocolate mess. Tepid water was my beverage of choice. Surprisingly, the bread/chocolate combo tasted good and settled me even more. Now, if only the heat would go away. There aren’t even fans to adorn my ceilings.  I finished my book, took a cold shower (only it was more me standing in the tub, pouring cold water on me as the shower head is broken. But I actually didn’t mind as the cold water felt so good. I then unpacked (partially) and am now detailing my account like a good historian.

I understand that much of these accounts are filled with misstidings, but don’t feel bad for or worry for me dad, as I truly am okay now. I trust that God brought me here, and He will work things out. Until then, I will persevere and/or fight.

Love,
Your Russian Traveller

Que será, será

I leave for Moscow in just a little over a week. However, the fact that the next step of my life is looming over my head like a gigantic black cloud has not prevented the fact that I am a master at procrastination. Pity. Piles of clothes, both clean and dirty, have created new style of carpet in the room I currently occupy. Books galore find themselves crammed into every available nook. In addition, three lonely,empty suitcases are waiting to be stuffed full of whatever clothes, books and objects I will (hopefully soon) choose to bring with me on my journey. And then there is my recently arrived Russian language course longing to be used, read, listened to. And yet, I am here enjoying my first real vacation since my college years commenced three years ago.

Both fortunately and unfortunately, I have been provided with extra planning/packing time. Apparently, the Russian Consulates/Embassies in the US will no longer expedite work/business VISAS. Originally my VISA agency agent had assured me that my VISA will DEFINITELY be in my hands by July 30th, 2010. The next day he called me back, very apologetic, and very wrong. Oh well. At least he was extremely nice and humble about the whole thing. However, nice and humble cost me an extra $200, because I had to reschedule my Tuesday flight for a Friday flight. Que será, será.

--Sincerely, your soon-to-be Russian Traveler--

Life's Little Discouragements vs. My Stubborn Persistence

Ok, I have to admit that this past week I was really close to giving up on the whole "Russian Project." What makes it worse is that the whole reason is money. I hate money troubles; I've had them practically my whole life. I keep being told to budget in enough money for unexpected government and school-related problems (which I am trying to do). However, I first have to earn enough money to purchase my plane ticket and to cover all the costs for the first month or so until I start receiving my salary. Yesterday I realized that it no longer matters that I am putting in 11 hour work days, by the time I leave for Russia, I still won't have enough money to cover everything.

This being said I have decided that I am going to apply for a loan. While I hate doing so, I can see no other option right now. If something arises that makes it absolutely impossible for me to go and give it a try, then I can live with that - as long as I have done everything possible. I strongly feel like Russia is where I am supposed to be, and I know that if I give up now, I will always regret it. And I don't have regrets.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 94:19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.

-- Your hopefully, soon-to-be Russian Traveler --

Update:
I have officially received my loan. I am so thankful! The whole process went much smoother than I expected, and I have enough to cover most of my costs and start an emergency fund. God is so good!

Saying Goodbye

Today I said goodbye to most of my best friends. It's hard parting from each other without knowing if or when we will see each other again. In high school, when I said goodbye to my friends, I knew that we would at least see each other a few more times because we shared a common home town to which we would return each summer. It's different with college friends. We are leaving now to go our own ways. We don't share a common town: we shared a common school. When that school time is gone, so is our daily contact. We still have facebook and email, but we don't have each other's actual person to lean on and hug.

My friends have meant so much to me the past three years. In high school I never had a lot of friends with whom I could actually hang. I had two really "best" friends and a few others that I would see at school. At college there was a group of us. It was actually a new experience for me to have a group of friends, and it actually took some adjusting. But I loved them all. We shared. We laughed. We cried. We joked. We played. We lived.

I'm excited to go to Russia, but I am not looking forward to going back to my high school days (metaphorically speaking of course). I don't mind going to Russia and being temporarily "friendless." Aloneness does not bother me. I've spent most of my life alone and isolated. I am just as content reading a book as hanging with a group. In addition, I am looking forward to making new friends, which while it is difficult for me, I plan on doing my best to find friends as well as to be a friend.

This blog has officially become much more sentimental than intended. I'm usually way too practical to let things affect me like this. Oh well, I guess it just goes to show the value and importance of those we love.