Hi. Finally it's Spring Break! Right now I'm sitting on my window sill with daffodils and tulips that were gifts from my students. If I look outside, I can see and hear the snow melting. It's brown, dirty, and slushy, but to me, it's beautiful. I'm a huge supporter of the winter season but am definitely ready for some warm weather. Russian winter is brutal but it makes spring that much sweeter. You appreciate so much more.
Here in Russia, the first day of spring is March 1st. To celebrate the coming of spring they have a week long holiday called Maslenitsa. Each day has a name and something different is done on each day. I'm not sure of the specifics. In the kindergarten at school we celebrated it together just one day. We all went outside, sang songs, and played games. Beforehand, the children made paper birds, flags, and suns. We decorated the front of the school and invited all the parents to come and celebrate with us. One of the parents actually hired professional actors to come and play with the kids. My favorite part was when we all went to the back of the school and burned "Woman Winter"! :) It was a little disturbing to watch a straw woman burn with 3 and 4 year olds but they liked it and I liked it. It's supposed to be symbolic of our farewell to winter and hello to spring. After we were done watching her burn, we went back to the front of the school. Here, the cafeteria had brought out tea and blini. Blini is a traditional Russian pancake. They are very thin and are filled with whatever you can think of. Traditionally, people eat them with jam, sour cream, or sweetened condensed milk. It's kind of like Mardi Gras. It's right before Russian Orthodox Lent.
The next day, we celebrated Women's Day. This is on March 8th. It's a national holiday and we didn't have to work. On this day, women get flowers and gifts. I was walking through the metro on the 8th, and it was crazy how many flowers I saw. Men standing with flowers, waiting for their "women." I got flowers from my students. I also got some really good coffee.
Right now, we are on Spring Break. Most of the American teachers here have already left on their trips. We (Sarah, Amber, and I) don't leave until Tuesday. We are going to Copenhagen to visit a friend who is living there. He name is Oli and I have mentioned him in previous posts. It should be a relaxing time away. I'm looking forward to a change. Hopefully most of the snow will be melted when I come back? We'll see about that.
School is going well. I'm really enjoying working with the children. They trust me a lot more now and actually love the lessons. Whenever I go to the preschool (which is actually 5-6 yr olds) they all ask me, "Which group are you with today?" If it's not their group, they are disappointed. This makes me happy. :) Here is a video of some of the preschoolers. They are too cute. I can't understand what they are talking about. I think just a penguin. It's interesting how you can not understand them, but clearly see individual personalities. Liza is loud and abrasive :) and likes to be in charge. Leva (the skinny one in the long sleeves) is very much about facts. He's very smart and likes things to be perfect. Pasha (the redhead) is mature in a strange way. He speaks in a lower voice and will joke with me like an adult sometimes. He also will shake hands with all the security guards whenever we go outside, just like a little man. He also very rarely will walk down stairs but chooses to slide down the handrail instead. Anton, the one with the Polo shirt, is the rowdy one. He is SO cute but also a troublemaker. Fyodor has the vest on. He is so sweet and loves my lessons. He needs a lot of practice. But this video is my current world. I hear and see this from 8:30-5 every week day. Weekends are mostly filled with English. :)
I love you for reading. Type at you again soon.
-Kristin
