Whoa..it's almost that time...

Hey, I know it's been a long time since I wrote on here. I just haven't had a lot of time lately. With all the Office episodes that I've been watchin' and all....Just kidding. Life has really been busy lately. It's my last official week of school this week. I can't believe that it's almost time to come home for Christmas. Some things that I've been up to? Well, yesterday I went to the Nutcracker at the Bolshoi Theater!! It was really amazing. A little different than seeing the Nutcracker at the Reif Center. :) It was great. I also spent time with the other American teachers and our lone British teacher. We had a Christmas gift exchange. On Friday I FINALLY went to a Russian hockey game. We watched CKA, which is a team from St. Petersburg and they played цска, which is a team from Moscow. I was really excited for the game but was a little disappointed. I love hockey so it was great to just watch a game, but I was expecting more from Russia. Wouldn't you? Come on...no fights? Not that I approve of fighting...but the game was slow and a little boring. I would like to go see some other teams. I would almost prefer to go see a MN high school hockey game. And I think I will when I'm home. Speaking of which...I am coming home on the 22nd! Which is in 8 days! It will be nice to be home and not have all the stresses of living in a city of 16 million. But I also think that it will be somewhat of a culture shock. I won't be used to hearing English all the time. Can you imagine!? It's easy now to ride the metro and think about all kinds of things because I've gotten used to tuning things out. I don't understand what people are saying so my brain doesn't really think about it. Now I'm going to hear all kinds of conversations and it might be a little bit of an English overload at first. It's weird to think about. I won't have to get nervous when I'm about to order food. I will be able to talk to children and they will understand me. I'm starting to forget that children really do speak English. And I haven't ridden in a car in 4 months. I haven't driven in 4 months! Watch out people. I haven't been to Target in 4 months. Oh my....
Well in other news....I have a prayer request for everyone. The church that I go to on Sundays is in need of a place to meet. We have been meeting in a theater school but they have decided to not let us meet there anymore. I'm not really sure what the plan is. We need a new place by the first Sunday in January. It's hard finding a place that will let a group meet in a city like this. I also ask that you would pray for safe travels for everyone who is coming home for Christmas. I always get a little nervous when I have to travel, especially in a foreign airport. I hope there will be no snow storms here in Moscow or in MN while my parents drive to Minneapolis to get me. And that reminds me that we finally got snow! It was such a relief. If it's going to be cold, there mine as well be snow. And now recess is a lot more fun for me. The temperature has stayed around -5 C which is around 23 F. Next week the forecast is freezing. The high is around 5 F and the low is around -12 F. My friends from Texas are in for a shock. The Russians keep asking me if I'm going to be ok or if I'm scared. I have to explain that I'm from almost the same climate. I get the feeling that they still don't believe me. They can't brag to me about the cold. They also keep asking me if I have warm boots. They must think that Americans are just stupid and that I would wear my tennis shoes around. Then I have to explain to them that I have mukluks. THE warmest boots. Oh Russians...they expect so little of me. I'm pumped that my friends get to feel it before they leave for Christmas. It's a good story to tell the family.
So, this week hopefully will go by fast. It's pretty much going to consist of Christmas program practice and Christmas crafts. The kids have been warming up to me more and more each week. There are still the difficult ones that just can't get themselves to like me just yet. But for the most part, the children are asking me things in English. Most of the time they speak to me in Russian and surprisingly, I am beginning to understand them. I am surprised how much I have learned without taking a class just listening to the children, watching their body language and picking up on words. It's pretty fun. I'm pretty sure that I will asked numerous times when I'm home to, "Say something in Russian, Kristin." :) Can't wait to see everyone! Russia's been great but I'm ready for some Grand Rapids. Oh and I'm posting a video of my kids playing outside. This is what I hear all day. It's become almost normal to me now. Almost. :)

hello!

I would like to reserve one post for a special thank you to Olivemae Gebhart. I have heard that you faithfully read these posts and are praying for me every day. You don't know how much that means to me. I can tell that your prayers are working. :) I am feeling a lot better about the death of my friend, Jenna. It was really hard that first couple days but I really feel at peace about it. I looked back at my previous post about her. If you remember, I talked about a dream that I had. I really do think that it was a good dream now. I feel like God was giving me reassurance that she's ok. I thank the Lord for that dream now. School is going good too. A lot of the children were out of the country for Fall Break. Because of this, our first week back we had only a few children in attendance. It was kind of nice actually. We got to plan this next term and start thinking about the Christmas program. Turns out that I am going to be Mrs. Claus. That's just super...This week has been good too. Well, today is only Monday. The children are starting to talk me more and more each day. I can also feel myself relaxing and getting used to the situation. It's still not easy and it's still very frustrating but I think that I'm adjusting. I just wish that I could talk to them and know what they are saying and joke around with the little boys and talk about girly things with the girls. But I have to think about what there is and be thankful and stop thinking about what there's not.
So, Thanks again Olivemae and thank you to everyone else who reads this and is praying for me. Praise the Lord for people like you.

that's an idea

Ok so I am at school right now and i just had to come and write this down. I have been put in charge of writing the Christmas program here in the kindergarten. They do not celebrate Christmas here and thought that my input would be very valuable. However, it is difficult communicating and discussing the program with a language barrier in between us.
So, they told me to capture the "Spirit of Christmas." I thought, "Oh good, maybe I can do a play about the birth of Jesus because that really is the true 'spirit' of Christmas." Well, that bubble was quickly burst when I was told that there should be nothing religious in the program. They wanted to have the character of Santa. Santa needed to be in the play. So my revolutionary new Christmas program is as follows: It is a snowy day at the North Pole. Elves are tinkering away in the workshop getting ready for the coming Christmas Day. An elf comes to the workshop and starts talking about some vistors that are in town. These visitors turn out to be missionaries. These missionaries are so good that they come to Santa's house, tell him the gospel and Santa gets saved. In turn, Santa realizes what he has done. He has taken humanity's focus away from the real meaning of Christmas! He quits his job, shuts down the North Pole, and sends all the elves home with New Testaments. He goes public and confesses to the world the true meaning of Christmas. He starts an evangelistic tour around the world.....And that's the play. Any takers?? ;)

Loss of a dear friend...

On Saturday morning, a dear friend of mine passed away. Her name was Jenna and she was only 13. Some of you may know her and have seen me all over Grand Rapids with her. During my summers home, I was privileged to have the best job ever. My job was to hang out with her. I found out that she was in the hospital with pneumonia. They sedated her for something and she never woke up. They ran some tests and found out that she had suffered from several strokes. More tests revealed that these strokes caused brain damage. Her family decided to take her off life support yesterday morning.

We were 10 years apart but she was one of my best friends. We went everywhere together and not because it was my job but because I loved it. She made me laugh every day with her sarcasm and hysterical comments. I remember the first time that I met her. I went to the school to walk with her home. She came out, barely looked at me and drove past me in her wheelchair. I don't think she liked meeting new people. I kept thinking, "This is going to be the hardest job ever!" I tried keeping up with her and talking to her but her wheelchair was always pretty fast. Those first couple of days were hard. But I knew she liked me when she asked me to sit with her on the side of the road while she played her recorder and I held a sign that read, "Tips Accepted." :) I don't know how many times I sat on the side of the road with her, selling jewelry, decorated popsicle sticks and lemonade. Oh the lemonade stands that we had!

I have memories of her in almost every place that I can think of in Grand Rapids. Breaking the heater with her chair at Weight Watchers, playing hide-and-go-seek at the library, finding some inappropiate toy animals at Target, chillin' at Caribou, talking loudly and laughing during movies, getting a free meal at Bixby's, picnics at the Pokegama Dam or at the Veteran's Park (which we had another name for), getting yelled at by a creepy boy at Gunn Park, stealing charts from the hospital so we could legitimately play doctor where she would be "Dr. Volleyball", falling in love with a lumberjack at St. Louis County Fair, constant troubles with Ralph William Wannamaker (the stubborn/unpredictable ramp), accidentally locking her in the hot van outside of the library where she pulled through and reached my purse and unlocked it! I am going to miss her silent laugh, her dance moves, her little hands, her unbelievable ability to improv, the squeaks of her wheelchair, her uncanny MarioKart skills, her lip syncing into the rearview mirror, her facebook updates and photo comments, and yes, I will also miss her attitude.

The night before she was going to be taken off life support I had a dream about her. I dreamt that I went to go see her in the hospital. When I got there, she was awake and was talking. I didn't get to talk to her. I saw her and she got up and walked over to her mom. I was amazed. I started talking to her sister-in-law and she told me that everything was fine. Some kind of miracle happened. Not only did she wake up but she could walk. She walked again for me with the help of her mom. I can't decide if it was a good dream or a bad dream. I was happy during the dream, but then I woke up and remembered. It does give me hope that she is in heaven and she really is able to walk. But it still made me really sad to think that she won't be there when I come home. That I won't be able to have her as a bridesmaid. :) assuming that I get married. I won't be able to spend another summer doing crazy things with her. I am praying that I am able to dwell on the times that I did have and not dwell on things that will never be. It's not healthy to think that way, I've decided.

I looked at her facebook page recently and found a quote that she had put up. I don't remember seeing it before. It said, "“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we're apart.. i'll always be with you.”♥ I will always remember her and I will forever miss her too. She taught me to be braver. Not care what other people think. Act silly. Speak your mind. Let people stare at you if they want to. And to love life regardless of the one you've been given.

more pictures from fall break

Train trip to Kiev

It's finally Fall Break so we decided that it was time to get out of the country. Four of us American teachers took a train to Kiev, Ukraine. It was an overnight train that left Moscow at 11:30pm. It was really nice because we sleep most of the way and then woke up and voila! You're in Ukraine. Ok so it was a little more complicated than that. So we left at 11:30pm. We booked our own compartment. It had four beds and a door that we could lock. At about 4:30am, the train stops at the Russian border. The train attnedants knock on the door and we had to open the door and wait for the passport agents to board the train. Then an agent comes to the door and takes our passports. He varifies our identities...looks through his book....asks us questions that we don't understand....walks away with our passports...makes us nervous...and then comes back and then we're off again. They like everything to be very official. They didn't like that some of our stamps were upsidedown. Oh Russians...gotta love them. :) Then we went back to sleep and about thirty minutes later we stop again and get to meet the Ukrainian passport agents. Then we leave again and sleep until we get to Kiev. We got there at 8am.
Once we left the train, we had no real plan about where we were going or what we were going to do for 17 hours. So, we started at a McDonald's look alike called McFoxy. Always a safe start. We get coffees as well as weird looks. It seems as though if you're speaking English and wearing a backpack...you're a novelty.
So we find the metro and decide to head to a station that looks promising. Oh and by the way, I just got my new Mukluks in the mail thanks to my mom! They really got broken in while in Kiev. We walked so much!! My roommate estimate 20 miles but we don't really know. Anyways, back to the story....we exited the metro and ask a man selling glass animals where to find a monastery. We walk the way he points and find a monument that looks like the Washington Monument. Turns out it was the The Monument of Eternal Glory at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier. Then we spotted some golden domes. We have been trained to walk towards them. :) There's always something to photograph. Turns out it was the Kiev Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves). We walked all over the grounds of this monastery looking for some caves. But none were to be found. We were on our way out and Kelsie bumps into a man. She says sorry and he replies in Engish. "Do you know where the catacombs are?" she asks. He does and points to where we should go. We walk down the hill and see an entrance to a cathedral. We all cover our heads and enter. Inside they are selling candles (which we were supposed to buy but didn't know that.) There is a small door leading down and it is pitchblack. All I can see is a small tunnel and people faces lit up the candles they hold in front of them. There is a group of people chanting and praying. I walk into a small tunnel and see a glass coffin. There is a body inside covered with fabric. I realize that these are really catacombs and they really buried people down here. I turn another corner and there are more coffins. For more than 900 years the imperishable bodies of the monastery's founders - the Venerable Anthony and Theodosius, Agapit the healer, Nestor the Chronicler, and relics of another 118 saints lie here. It was actually really amazing and interesting. I'm glad that we found it.
We decide that it is time to leave. I wanted to see this particular monument called the "Steel Wench." We decided that it looked to far away on the map but turn the corner and see her in the distance. I guess she wasn't that far away. She is really the Monument of the Motherland and is a memorial to the Great Patriotic War or WWII. There are actually two elevators inside the monument and tourists were once able to go inside the head, sword and shield. But these were closed due to a series of accidents. (yikes.) After that I was pooped. I really needed something to eat. We took the metro to Independence Square. We found a McD's and decided to eat there. After refueling we went outside and just happened to see the Friendship arch that I was wanting to see. This arch was built to celebrate the union of Russia and Ukraine. Next to the Arch were lots and lots of stairs leading up a hill. We decided to take them and discovered a Puppet Palace. It is actually a puppet theater and museum. We took some pictures of it. By then we were really cold and wanted to find some place to warm up. An art musuem sounded great. A little after this conversation, we walked right up to a huge art museum. We spent a few hours here. We also found information about the National Chernobyl Museum. Next we went here. It was a very interesting museum and I didn't realize how close this disaster was to Kiev. After this, we found a tram and took us up the mountain...more like a hill. Here we found a beautiful cathedral and also a monument built for the millions who died in a famine. The rest of the evening was spent eating and waiting around for our 1:21am train back to Moscow. About 30 minutes of that time was spent looking for a Starbucks. :) We asked a couple people making us look like typical dumb Americans. No one knew so we figured there wasn't one in Kiev and sadly, there isn't. I guess this monopoly with it's delicious coffees hasn't yet reached the quaint city of Kiev.
We were all amazed at how much we saw in just one day. Not speaking the language, not knowing the town, and only having one little map. We were thanking the Lord for all that we saw that day. I hope this blog entry wasn't too boring for you all. It was a great Fall Break trip. Now what to do with the rest of my Fall Break??? Work maybe? sleep maybe? ooo...shop? yes, i think so. From Russia With Love, Kristin

Minnesota, right??!!!

Oh how I wish it were true....

Cute story from today: I was helping a little boy in my class dressed after coming inside. He's become my little buddy and somewhat listens to me and tries to talk to me. His name is Sasha, which, by the way, is the nickname for Alexander. (hehe) Well, he was talking away and I kept saying, "Oh really, that's amazing." Then I told him that it was time to change his pants. I told him to hurry and then I started counting in Russian. He started to count with me and then looked at me really excited. He shouts to the other teacher, "Katerina Michealevna! Katerina Michealevna!!" And then he points to me and says my name and says some other Russian stuff. Katerina starts laughing and says, "He said, 'Kristin knows Russian! Kristin has learned Russian!" Hahaha. Like i just all of the sudden learned to speak Russian and all our problems were solved!!! oh how i wish it were true.... : )

Hello all my loyal followers...the 2 of you..including my mom. :) I also would like to stop and say hi to the Grand Rapids Evangelical Free Church!! Word has reached me here in Russia that my blogs are being read by some of you in the church. I'll have you all know that I really miss going to GREFC. Thanks for all you prayers and encouragement! I know that your prayers are helping me survive here! Well, I'm not just "surviving." I am really starting to love Moscow. My weeks are full of things to do and places to go.

On Tuesdays I go to bible study here in Moscow. I have posted a picture of the group at a recent retreat. I love going to Bible study. I have really missed being involved in a challenging study of God's word. (It's also nice to be speaking English!) I started playing guitar for it too. One song that I have kind of taken on as our "theme song" is God of this City. It's a very beautiful song and really applies here in Moscow. I even found the Russian lyrics for it! So we sing it in English and then in Russian for the Russian speakers in the group. The past weekend, about 40 of us from the "YA-YAs" (Young Adults) took a train out to a small town called Snegiri. It was gorgeous!! We were walking into the town and I was amazed to see a house. I haven't seen a house in so long. Haha! We spent time getting to know each other and relaxing. We also had a missionary couple from Alaska spend the weekend with us and they led the Bible studies each day. Oh AND, I was talking to a "young adult" at the retreat. She is Russian and speaks very good English. She asked me where I was from and I said Grand Rapids, MN. She said, "Really??! I go there every summer! Do you know the Durochers?" What a small,small world....Her name is Galina. Someone else might know her too. She comes here during the summer. She's involved with a Bible Camp that is trying to build on Deer Lake. We talked for a while about Grand Rapids. It was so crazy. Of all the places and of all the people to meet in Moscow!

We stayed in a "dacha" which is a country house that most Moscovites have. They work in Moscow during the week and leave for their dacha on the weekends. So it was a great weekend! On Sunday I went for a walk with my friend Julia. We walked to a small lake and in some woods. It was beautiful and looked JUST like Minnesota. Everyone keeps telling me that Moscow region is just like Minnesota. SO anyways, Julia and I stopped in the woods and it was amazing!! We could actually HEAR the leaves falling. I have never heard that before. It sounded like rain but it was different. All around us were yellow leaves falling to the ground. I couldn't believe it and I will never forget it.

The church that I go to on Sundays is called International Christian Fellowship. We meet in a theater school inside the city. There are people from all over the world. There is currently no senior pastor (which is a prayer request). There are elders that take turns preaching every Sunday. It has been a little hard getting used to a new church. I always find myself comparing it to my church in Oklahoma or in Minnesota. But it's a great church full of people from around the world.

But now I'm back in Moscow. Today I had my "open" lesson at school. Anyone in the school can come and watch. I was really nervous and I wasn't feeling good. I just knew that I was going to be eaten alive by these little children. We got into the classroom and there to watch me was the principal, the head of the foreign language department, the head of the early childhood program, the head of the kindergarten, and two of my fellow kindergarten teachers. "Ok, Kristin...calm down. Think happy thoughts. Think of...think of...." and no happy thoughts came to mind when I sat down in front of my class. But prayers were answered and it was the best lesson that I have ever taught here. The children were un-believably well-behaved. They sat and listened and participated and spoke English!! It was such a relief. I was able to show that I actually can teach. I may look like an idiot chasing around children all day..but I'm not! : )

P.S. GO VIKINGS!

Oi! It's been a long while again. The weeks are really going by fast. I can't believe that it is already October and the first term ends on a few weeks. Life in Moscow is still going great. I find something new to like about it all the time. I went for a walk this past week and it was SO nice. I love just walking around and seeing the city at night. Here are a couple pictures from that walk. I am still in love with Stalin's Seven Sisters. This one is now a Ukranian Hotel and is just a couple blocks from my apartment.

Lately, school has not really gotten better. I almost feel like it might be getting worse! Most of the kids do not listen to me during the lessons. It is so frustrating. That's something that I can improve. I just need to get into Super Teacher mode and come up with new ways to keep their attention. It's hard enough keep the attention of a 4 year old but think about teaching one that doesn't know what you're saying. They also do not respect my authority. They run from me and laugh. (Some of them, not all.) I just don't know what to do about it. I can't even talk to them and tell them why it's wrong. I can't sit down with them and talk about their behavior. I can't even scold them properly! And there's no discipline system to start with here. I just need to remain calm and pray all day. I know the Lord brought me here and I just need to stop complaining. I'm sure He doesn't want to hear me complain about it all the time. I get tired of hearing it too. Now that I think about it...i'm sure you're sick of it too. So...on a lighter note...This past Thursday was Teacher's Day in Russia. That means that the school day ended early and all the teachers got together for a party. It was so....um....different. You would never see something like that at a school in America. There were tons fruit and finger foods and a huge cake. There was also SO much alcohol. I don't even know how many bottles of vodka and champange and whiskey. SO much. It was all so weird. After a little while, the show started. Teacher's got up on the stage and sang. Some performed little skits which were so weird. There was one with some teachers dressed up in skimpy little genie-like outfits doing belly dances. It was supposed to be funny. Then the American teachers had to perform! We through it together the day before. We read a poem and thanked the school and Moscow. It was partly funny. I don't know. I think they liked it. At least we didn't have to sing....

Another new development this week: One of the American teachers that I went to OBU with got appendicitis and had to have surgery Wed. night. Her first surgery and it had to be in Russia. She was very brave and is doing good. She has to stay at the hospital for a week which none of us like. In the states, they just boot you out the same day. But we are praying for quick healing and no complications.

Speaking of complications...I have mold growing in my room. Gross, i know. I felt sick today and decided to stay home instead of going shopping. :( I moved my bed and part of my wall is all moldy. That's never good. So hopefully that will be taken care of soon. I will be sleeping on the couch until it does. What else can go wrong with our apartment? Broken washer...check. Horribly clogged sink...check. Explosive faucet...check. Moldy wall...check! Now i think all we need is like a fire or something...knock on wood. Oh wait...everything around me is fur or marble. dangit....................................

One month...check

Ok so it's been one month already. It's strange to think that I have lived here for that long and that I will be here for 9 more months! What has happened?...I've really been enjoying my church family. It's great to have a good church way over here in Russia. On Tuesdays we have a young adult bible study. This last week I brought my guitar along and played a couple songs. That was nice. They are trying to get me to play for church. I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Maybe after a little while. Um...last night my friends and I went to this amazing look out spot. The pictures are from here. You could see the whole city and almost all of the Seven Sisters. The Seven Sisters are seven beautiful buildings that Stalin built. Probably the only nice thing that he did. I LOVE them. Every time I see one of them I just can't help but stare at it until it's out of sight. It's just amazing to me that I learned about Stalin in history class and you hear all these things about him and it doesn't really seem real. You know it happened but it still doesn't seem real. But now, being here makes that part of history come alive to me. I can see and touch something that Stalin built. I could go see his bunker and walk in his office. I saw Lenin's body! It's so amazing. That's what I love about Moscow. It has so much history. It's a modern city but they hold on to their history and honor it with passion. Their are statues of was heroes all over the city and most of the people know who they are and what they did. Some people even bring flowers. The Seven Sister that I walked by is now the University of Moscow. It was a fun night. It was late and there was a lot of walking but it was still really fun.

School is still really stressful. The kids are just starting to like me. I think they are realizing that I might be an OK person. They are asking me for help and trying to talk to me. If you can remember back to a blog about two girls swinging. At first they didn't know how to ask me to swing them. Then I got them to say, "Again, please." Now they are saying, "Swing me again, please." I think that's amazing! So after all that progress and a little light starting to shine at the end of the tunnel...it all changed. I was told yesterday that I will now be responsible for all of the kindergarten not just half. This means that I will be a teacher to twice as many kids and be constantly moving around. I feel like I'm starting all over again. I was just getting used to the schedule and now it's all changing. I was just getting these kids to talk to me and like me. Now I have to start all over again with a new group of kids. Anyways, this may mean nothing to you but I felt like crying. Right now at this moment, I would take my old group of kindergarteners in a heartbeat. I thought student teaching was hard?! I remember thinking, "This will be the hardest class that I will probably ever teach." Nope. This is SO hard. How do you discipline children that can't understand you? How can you help a crying child when you don't know what's wrong? I just have to keep going. I'm here and this is where the Lord wants me so I am going to do my best.

week one...done

Today is Monday. Labor day in America, but not here. I made it through a week of school and it was definately a challenge. The kids are so cute but they don't really like me yet. :) Ok maybe they're thinking about liking me. But think about it...if you were a little kid and it was the first week of school, wouldn't you be afraid of the new teacher that spoke in gibberish?? I try talking to them and they just look at each other and I can assume they are saying, "Did you get that?"..."No, did you?"..."No. She's weird." And then they walk away. :D It's pretty funny. I can laugh about it but it is also very frustrating. I am used to teaching in America where I was constantly talking to the children and they could communicate with me. I have had some moments of mutual understanding with the children and that was great. Today I was swinging two girls on the swing set and I could tell that they wanted me to swing them again. They kept looking at me and saying things in Russian. I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "In English, please." One of the girls really tried. She patted the swing and said, "Yes." So I pushed her and waited. When she wanted to swing again I asked her, "Again?" And she answered, "Yes, again." ! It was pretty cool. Both the girls started to say "again" when they wanted to be pushed some more. I was proud that I had taugh them a new word and it was during play, not only in the classroom.

Here's a quick funny story. Today during lunch I was going around asking them what they wanted to drink. (By the way, serving them lunch is super difficult when you can't speak Russian. I don't have it down yet.) Ok so anyways, they could chose from juice or tea. I knew the Russian word for tea and I THOUGHT I knew the Russian word for juice. (I'm really not supposed to talk to them in Russian but I wanted to just one time...probably shouldn't have tried.) So the Russian word for juice is "cok" pronounced like our word "soak." BUT like a dummy, I pronounce it a little differently and added an extra letter and ended up saying the Russian derogatory term for a woman. You know what I'm talkin' about. The two girls just looked at me and then looked at each other and continued talking. I realized what I had just done and I felt like an idiot!! I'm trying to get these kids to like me and I end up calling them a bad word!! Also, here are a couple pictures of the school for those of you who were waiting for them. Enjoy.

the first day of school....

I'm trying to think about what has happened since I updated this blog last. It seems like I'm always saying to myself, "I'm totally going to blog about this!" Ok, this weekend we went to a REALLY nice and expensive cafe, called Cafe Pushkin. It's named after a famous poet. I got eggs benedict and a cappucino. The inside of the building was so beautiful and elaborate. We were wondering what it had been used for and how old everything was. I got out my handy Moscow book and looked it up. It said that it was a really nice cafe but nothing was authentic. It was all built in 1999. You could almost hear all our bubbles burst at once. The experience was not as fun knowing that it was all fake.
On Sunday me and two of my roommates decided to try another church. We had no idea where it was. We decided to try and find it anyway. We got on the bus and looked stupid for a while because we didn't know how to use the ticket taker thing. We got off after 4 stops and were left to find this church. But we're smart and we found it! We walked a ways and heard some singing. It was exciting to know that we can actually find our way around this crazy city. BUT the service was all in Russian. We decided to leave. And guess where we went?? Starbucks. That's right. It was nice to just sit and talk with my friends and sip my iced mocha.
Today is Tuesday and it was the first day of school. Here it is in a nutshell: Got on the bus at 7:15am. Got to school and rehearsed the song that I was to sing in front of all the kids and their parents. Then at about 8:30, all the children start showing up. Picture black luxury cars parked everywhere, with mean looking drivers and bodyguards leaning on them. Also picture children in Dolce & Gabanna, Versace and Armani with posh parents in tow. There are flowers everywhere! Russian tradition is the bring the teachers flowers. There were roses and orchids and lilies all over the place. The children also bring lots of balloons which are released after the opening ceremony. It was all very exciting. My song went over well. The rest of the day, I just followed around the Russian teacher and tried to get the children to talk to me. They are all so cute. I had a few moments of panic and thoughts of, "What am I doing here?" But they went away eventually. I just have to remember to do my best and to not wonder what the other teachers are saying in Russian. Tomorrow is my first English lesson. I hope it goes good. Now I sit in my apartment surrounded by bouquets of flowers, listening to the jackhammer in our hallway fixing our bathroom door, wondering what to teach to these future diplomats of Russia. Hmmm........

finally!

What am I doing in Russia? That's a good question. I've been all over the place in the past week. It's been crazy fun and I am loving the culture of the city. I have already made some Russian friends outside of work. We met them at church on Sunday. I am looking forward to being involved in their bible study. The ladies of the church also have a weekly cafe night. Each week we visit a different coffee shop around the city. I am SO looking forward to that. Not only will it be caffeine-filled fun, but it will be a good way to learn my way around the city. Moscow is an amazing place. There is always something going on. It's all so exciting! At least for now. Hopefully that excitement doesn't wear off too soon.
Yesterday was our first official day of work. We boarded the bus at 8 and headed to Zaitevo (where I am teaching). I was really nervous because I had no idea what to expect. The more and more I learn about the Russian way, the more I realize that I should never expect anything. They have been slow with details and slow in processing things. Yesterday was the first work day, and also the first time that the teachers had entered the school since June. I got there and they started right away, getting things organized and ready for then the kids come on Tues. From what I remember from student teaching, teachers prepare during the summer. They also come to school early and stay late. Here, we will arrive when the children are arriving and we leave when the children leave. It's strange and I don't know when I will have time to think and prepare. But, go with the flow and learn to be flexible. This is what I have been learning every day.
So I sat down with the director of the Kindergarten. She told me exactly what my job description was and a little bit about my schedule. She told me that they have never had an American teacher come over with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She was very excited. Because of this excitement and her huge amount of faith in my abilities, she has made me the homeroom teacher. This means that I will be doing most of the teaching throughout the day. This will be shared with another Russian speaking teacher. I have 24 students. These students are split into 2 groups. One day I will teach one group, the next day I will teach the other 12 students. So basically, they want me with the children as much as possible. From what I have heard and what I have seen, English is a very important subject here at the school and the parents want to ensure that their Versace and Prada sporting children are learning the language all day long. I am feeling overwhelmed. I was thinking that I would only be teaching English for a couple lessons a day. Now I feel the work load piling on my shoulders. It probably is not as bad as I am expecting. What am I saying?? No expectations, remember? Oh yeah. Ok...um...I don't know what to expect and I am hoping for the best. God is in control and nothing is too difficult for Him. (that sounds better.)
I have to keep reminding myself that I am here to TEACH. I am not here to impress the other (glaring) Russian teachers. I am not here to make loads and loads of money. I am not here to shop. I came here to teach. I am here for these kids. No matter what language they speak or how much money they have in their future college funds, they are still children who want and need to learn. They will love me if I love them. They will learn if I do my job. They will be impressed if even if my clothes are from Walmart. :)

Here's my room! I have removed the fur blanket praise the Lord. But the bearskin remains. Fred will just have to stay up there and be ugly forever.

ok so it wasn't up to my chin, but who the heck cares! look at this thing!

If you would just tilt your head to left you will see what we like to call, HEAVEN. AAAHHHH!. it's our wonderful shower. You gotta try it. This is how we roll in Russia, people.

and our lovely marble coffeetable with our dead animal skin placed so tastefully underneath.

If you just tilt your head to the left you can see our silky, satiny room. Two chandeliers and very extravagant curtains. Only the best for Hannah and Kelsie.

Our kitchen. I like, but no microwave. boo.

Ah...our table. We have named her Mother Russia.

So, I guess in Russia, if you want a furnished apartment, this is what you might get. A fur covered couch. The landlady said that we can't take it off and she doesn't want us to change anything.

The hallway that you seen when you come into the apt.

oh my, people!

Wow. So sorry that i haven't been updating this so far. It has been SO hectic since we landed. So...I'm in Russia! Who would have thought!
I said my goodbyes to my family on Monday. It was pretty hard, I'm not gunna lie. You would think that I would be used to leaving them all the time but it is still hard. I remember thinking, "What am I doing?" I felt very lonely as I walked through the Minneapolis airport. I kept wondering why I always have to do things on my own. But then I remember that I am not alone at all. God has been with me through this whole process. He was there when I decided that this is what I wanted to do. He was there when I was stressing out about not being able to go. He was there when I walked through the airport alone. He sat by me on the plane! And He is with me now as I sit here in my Russian apartment. :)
The first day is kind of hard to remember. We got off the plane and boarded the MES bus. They took us to the school and we sat down in the teachers' lounge and ate some food. Within 10 minutes we were being told where we were going to live and had to decide who we would live with. I really like all of the girls here and we all get along so it wasn't a really big deal. It was just all so fast! Soon we were signing papers for advances in pay for rent and then we were off to move in to our apartments. I live with 3 other girls at Shmitovsky. I don't know if that is a road or what. Ha. But live here. The apartment was kind of shock when we first walked in. Everything is very...gaudy. The apartment came furnished so this lady went all out! I'm talkin' fur on the couch, a cow skin rug, a marble coffeetable, really ugly curtains. My room has a bear skin hanging on the wall and the bed was covered in a fake, plasticy fur blanket. gag me. It was gross. The other bedroom had frilly satiny curtains and the same on the bed. This room also has 2 chandeliers. It's somethin' else. BUT the amazing part about the apt. is the bathroom! Oh, I wish you could all be here to shower in it's wonderfulness. It bathtub is h-uge and it is marble. i can sit up in it and the rim of the tub would probably come up to my chin... yeah. The entrance to the tub is a marble archway. It looks like a baptismal! Hey, it might come in handy! You never know! Hopefully i can put up pictures soon but they will not to it justice.
The next day we were here, we signed our contracts! I'm officially a Russian teacher! That was about all we did that day. Today we went to McDonald's. oh you should see this McD's. It's so huge and it's really nice. We went to get coffee because some of us were having coffee withdrawls. not me of course...
The first 2 days that I was here, I really didn't like it, I'm not gunna lie. I was SO sad and worried about everything. I didn't want to be here and everything bothered me. But i think that was a result of lack of sleep, shock, and no coffee...I mean.... :) But really, I didn't like it and I kept asking God to fill my heart with contentment and joy. I knew that I should be excited but I really wasn't. Today was a different day though! I made an effort and it paid off! I have just loved every minute that I spend walking around Moscow. Today I rode the Metro which was an experience! It's so much fun learning new things and being around new people. I also started learning the Russian letters and their sounds. I can actually sound out most words now! I am learning new words and I can't wait to communicate with people.
It's such a strange feeling when no one around you can understand you. We were in IKEA today and we couldn't find any sheets!! Everywhere I looked were more Russian words. I could sound them out but not read them! We asked a few people and were ignored or told no. I felt like we were walking in circles. I can definately sympathize with foreigners in America. Oh this reminds me of a verse that I read the other day. Mom, you probably remember! ha. Ok here it is: Leviticus 19:33 -'When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.' So I would just remind you...if you happen to come across an immigrant or foreigner, help them out. Be sympathetic. You never know...maybe all they need is a good set of sheets.

Last Days in America

So this is it guys. My first official blog. I never thought that I would be a blogger but it seems like a good idea now. I hope if you are reading this, that you will continue to read it for the next 10.5 months. I will do my best to update it as much as possible.
The summer days flew by so fast. Today was my "goodbye" party. I'm so thankful for everyone who came. I started to get a little sad thinking that I will not see everyone for a long time. It's also crazy to think that I will be living in a city with 14 million other people!! Just me, a girl from a small town in Northern Minnesota all the way in Russia! God is good.