what lulls you to sleep?

So, I was just offered to sit in a meeting.  This meeting will be about the planning of art classes for the next school year.  They will discuss music, dance, drama, and visual art.  Normally I would be all over that but when the meeting is in Russian it's a little harder to participate.
I've gotten to the point where I can follow the conversation in the meeting and know the general topic.  I can even understand maybe 60% of it, depending on what they are talking about.  But I've found that the sound of Russian just simply makes me sleepy.  I would have NEVER thought that Russian could be a calming and soothing sound but it certainly is.  I will be sitting in the meetings and following along as best as I can, and then my mind will drift off and I hear constant sound of Russian.  Then I start to nod off.  I find myself thinking, "I could just lay on the floor right here and listen to them talking and I could have a great nap."  I've even gotten to the point of pinching myself just to stay awake.  And then my boss will say, "Kristin, are you following this?  What do you think?"  My eyes are half open and I have no idea what they are talking about. 
One of the worst feelings in the world is when all you want to do is sleep but you can't.  So, what lulls you to sleep?  I love the sound of rain, thunderstorms, and a shower.  If I had the money and it wouldn't so wasteful, I would have a running shower in my bedroom all night. :)  I would sleep SO good.  Or a dryer.  That also would be nice. 

Cookies

It is now summer school here at MES.  I have been put in charge of summer school and the planning of each day.  I decided to make it a 2 week long science camp.  The first week we are learning about our senses and the second week, we will be doing fun science experiments.  These children are 3-6 so the experiments involve things like bubbles and raisins and the making of goop.

Today we talked about our sense of taste.  I brought the kids to the lunch room and we all made cookies together.  It was really fun and the children enjoyed it.  After the children left, I was finishing them and the cooks came out to see them.  She asked me, "What are you doing?"  I told her that I was making cookies.  She said, "Weird cookies."  haha.  I told her, "American cookies."  They don't make cookies like we do in America.  They don't make the dough and then make it into balls and put it on a cookie sheet.  I was a little worried that they wouldn't turn out.  After about 20 minutes, the children came back.  The cookies were ready.  The cook brought them out and said, "Are they done?  I don't know if they should look like that." :)  They were done and they were good. 

May in Moscow

May in Moscow is amazing.  I've come to realize, living in very cold climates my whole life, that spring is so much more appreciated.  It is special when you have to wait for it so long.  SO long.  Spring did not want to come this year.  At one point, I felt like I was developing SADD.  I was talking to my Russian friends about it and they thought that was a completely crazy idea.  (These two friends are "psychologists," mind you.)  People who develop a disorder because of the weather??  And then buy silly table lamps to shine on their faces during the coldest and darkest nights of winter??  They thought it was pretty funny.  I would never invest in a fake-sun lamp to keep me happy when it's snowing...but I did start taking vitamin D. 
At first when winter comes, she's a lovely time of year.  She woos everyone with her slowly falling snow.  You can hear the bells of Santa's sleigh and the soft singing of "Silent Night."  You get to put on your newly bought winter coat and look cute with your matching scarf and mittens.  You get excited about drinking hot chocolate by the frosty window as winter blankets the city with snow.
But then...4 months later...winter isn't so cozy anymore.  She's a mean and nasty old woman who refuses to leave even when she knows she's not wanted.  People have lost all interest in her...and yet she holds on with her cold, dead hands.  And just when you think the old hoot is gone for good, she shows her face again...and again you curse at the weather man.  You get sick of wearing your winter coat.  It's not cute to you anymore.  You feel like your scarves are slowly choking you to death.  You could still go for some hot chocolate...but only because it's still so cold!
But then...finally...spring shows her beautiful face.  You were waiting and waiting and even cursed her for not coming. But she slowly waltzes in as if she was never late at all.  And you've forgotten why you were mad as you become mezmerized by the warmth of the sun and the hundreds of tulips.
In Moscow, spring means to long weekends.  The first long weekend is Labor Day, May 1st.  On Friday of this long weekend, me and a group of friends went to this amazing restaurant.  It's called "In the Dark."  Here, you are seated, served, and eat in complete darkness.  When you get there, you first choose your meal.  There is a menu with four choices: Red-sea food, green-vegetarian, blue-meat (without seafood), and white-mystery meal.  There were seven people in our group.  Then we went downstairs.  The hostess told us to put our purses, cellphones, and even watches, in a locker.  Then we all stood single-file and held onto the person in front of us.  Then our waiter came.  Did I tell you that all the waiters and waitresses are blind??  He led us into COMPLETE darkness.  I have never been in a place so dark.  Literally cannot see anything.  At first your eyes play tricks on you and you almost see a fake light where light should be.  It's really weird.  So...our waiter lead us to our table.  One by one he sat us down, showing us our chairs and napkins and silverware.  Then he brought us our drinks and then our food.  We ended up eating with our hands.  It was really delicious.  You don't really know what you're eating until you put it in your mouth.  While we were eating, we could hear other people around us and we could also hear a band playing.  It was a live band too because they were interacting with the people in the restaurant and asking us questions.  It was such a fun experience.  Definitely worth the steeper bill.
The next day I was able to help out with a youth retreat.  It was at a place in Moscow called Pokrovsky Hills.  I like to call this "Little America."  It is just like a neighborhood in America.  Everyone speaks English.  There are houses and driveways and yards.  There are trampolines and grills.  It's so nice to visit when I'm homesick.  The youth retreat was so much fun.  I led the worship for the sessions.  We played games.  Then we had a campfire and made s'mores!!

The next day was another day 'o' fun.  After church, my Russian pal, Vitaly, invited us to his place outside of Moscow to make shashlik.  This is basically Russian kebabs.  In America, we have cookouts and barbeques but in Russia they make shashlik. So we walked and walked from Vitaly's apartment until we found just the right place in the woods.  Then he started up the little grill and we were shashliking. :)  Doing stuff like this makes living so far from home worthwhile.  Becoming good friends with people and doing normal things like having a picnic.  It makes this place seem a little more like home than just a temporary job.

The next weekend was another three day weekend.  May 9th is Victory Day.  (Pictures still need to be developed.)  This is when Russia celebrates their defeat of Germany in World War II.  Germany signed the surrender document late on the 8th of May 1945 which would be May 9th, Moscow time.  To celebrate this, every year they flex their military muscles with a massive parade on Red Square.  You can watch it HERE.  It's pretty impressive.  You have to be officially invited to watch it at Red Square.  Us townsfolk can watch a "parade" on Tverskaya street as the tanks and trunks drive through Moscow to get to Red Square.  After we watched the tanks roll by, we all went to Starlite Diner.  It is a fifties-style American diner that we like to visit a couple times each year.  Then we made out way to Victory Park.  Here, along with hundreds and hundreds of other people, we walked around the park and watched war veterans receive flowers from strangers.  All through out the city, the veterans put on their uniforms and come to local parks.  Here people give them flowers and thank them for their service.  It is truly a beautiful tradition.
Reversing back one day to the 8th...this was a Lord of the Rings Marathon.  It was my roommate, Sarah's idea.  It started at 10am.  People came and went, but in the end at 11pm, there were three of us that made it through all 3 movies.  I didn't really think I could do it.  :)  Those movies are so amazing.  I would encourage you to try it some rainy day.
Well, that's all for now.  I can't wait to come back to Minnesota in June.  It's been way too long, don't ya know?

B12

No the title is not a reference to Bingo.  (Although I am about to play that with my students in about 30 minutes.)  It is the name of a vitamin. 
*flashback*...I remember sitting in Spanish 4, my senior year of high school.  It was a bird course.  :)  To make a reference to the amazing movie, Sister Act 2.  "We call it a 'bird course' because we, uh, FLY right through it."  If you haven't seen that movie, you should.  Then you would know what I'm talking about.  Anyways, Spanish 4 was pretty easy.  I remember there were days when the class would convince the teacher to let us take a nap during the class instead of learn. "Senora Shewty-Tews, can we take a nap today??"  She would turn the lights off and we would all lay on the floor.  Who knows what happened in that hormone infested darkness.  I'd rather not think about it. 
Another memory from that class was the teacher's incessent talk about both her ex-husband and her great danes.  Sometimes, the whole class period would go by without any of us uttering a single phrase in espanol.  I kind of liked listening to her stories about her life.  She loved her great danes.  She promised to bring them to class but never did, as I remember, because of some rule about animals in the school.  I'm sure I knew all their names back then.  I can't remember them now. 
I also remember her telling us about her high school experience.  Everyone's is different.  Some people hate it, others love it.  I think she hated it.  She told us that she was voted "Most Ugly."  I'm serious.  I remember she told us that.  We laughed, thinking she was joking, but she wasn't.  She said they really had that in the yearbook.  I can't imagine a school allowing that, but I also can't imagine someone lying about being voted most ugly. 
Another memory of Spanish 4, is her telling us about vitamin B12.  I remember her telling us that vitamin B12 will give you very vivid dreams.  She said if you ever want to have memorable dreams, start taking B12.  I don't know why I remember that, or even why I'm sharing.  But lately, I've been having pretty vivid dreams.  None of them really make sense, but they seem to be relevant to my life.  Because of it, I feel like I'm not rested because in my dreams, I've been so active.  It's so weird.  I have been taking fruit and veggie pills that you can buy at Sam's Club.  I looked at the bottle and they have a big dose of B12.  I looked at that and immediately was brought back to Spanish 4.  I remember my teacher telling me that.  I can't think of any dreams right now, but wouldn't it be fun to start writing them down?  Maybe I will and share one with you. 
Thanks for stopping by.  And Senora Shewty-Tews, if you ever read this, just know that you impacted my life.  Spanish 4 is one of my best memories of high school.  I don't remember a whole lot of spanish, but I do remember you. 

way above the chimney tops...

 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

These are a few of my every day things...

This post is a lot like the last, about living in Moscow.  I promise to make a personal update soon about my actual life. :)  In the meantime, enjoy this little number.

For some reason I was inspired to rewrite this classic song to fit life in Moscow.  A possible inspiration for this is the fact that I just got home from work and it's a Saturday.

I'm sure many more verses could be written.  Please do not just read it.  Sing it out loud to yourself.  It will make you feel better.  I'm sure of it. :)

To the tune of "My Favorite Things"

Raindrops on sidewalks and dirty stray puppies

Old copper statues and rich snobby yuppies

Flowers and wine as gifts tied up with string

These are a few of my every day things.

Cream colored skin from a lack of the sunlight

Car horns and shouting heard from the street all night

Drunk man alone who decides he will sing

These are a few of my every day things.

Girls in short skirts wearing deadly high heels

Soft fur coats probably made from a seal

Brutal white winters that melt into springs

These are a few of my every day things.

   On the metro

   And the pee stinks

   If you're feeling sad

   Just simply remember my every day things

   And then you won't feel....so bad.  

Moscow, you gotta love it.  There's no place like it

You Know You're in Russia If:

This list was compiled by my lovely friend Megan and I added a few on the end. I thought it might be enlightening for those of you who are curious about what life is like here in Moscow. Enjoy.

• The majority of the calories you consume daily are from chocolate
• When you are walking outside you eye literally freezes shut
• You begin thinking that –5 degrees is warm.
• For a week of school you may have 6 out of 32 students
• Your students may stay home from school if they coughed one time on Saturday. This means they will be ill for a week or more.
• You ice skate everywhere. Your not actually wearing ice skates but since the sidewalks are one big sheet of ice you just glide along everywhere. (Because we all know if you try to lift your feet the chances of falling have greatly increased)
• If a law changes and you are upset, wait a week and it will change again… or ask someone else and they will give you a different answer.
• On the metro you smile and someone looks at you like you are mentally ill. And if you are reading a book and begin to cry… you will get lots of weird looks.
• You get body slammed by a 70-year-old woman who was walking on the other side of the street but decided that she wanted to walk exactly where you were.
• You have almost been knocked out by the swinging doors at the entrance and exit of the metro.
• You have been afraid of riding the metro because suicide bombers are in fact real and very prevalent in Moscow.
• One errand a day is an accomplishment. Two is a maybe and a huge feeling of success.
• You have had to put some grocery’s back because you realized that carrying 6 bags on the metro is quite a challenge.
• Your students correct your spelling of “mom” in class because it is spelled “mum”
• You drink so much tea that now you think teeth are actually yellow- When we made paper self-portraits I made my teeth white and my students told me “no, teeth are yellow”. I was quick to tell them mine were in fact white. But most of them still cut theirs out of yellow paper.
• You realize that kids really don’t need to drink water if they have tea… right??
• You hear English and get confused, sometimes it still sounds like Russian.
• It takes everything in you not to pet the lady’s coat next to you on the metro
• You hear the other teachers tell the children that putting tons of butter on a small piece of bread is, in fact, healthy.
• You have to walk in a zig zag pattern on the sidewalks to avoid all the spit.
• Now, sweetened condensed milk is not just an ingredient in a recipe but actually a sauce to be poured on desserts and breakfast items.
• You have become immune to the flavor of dill because it's in almost everything.
• You know that in June you will be either taking showers at a friend's flat or taking freezing cold showers, because your hot water WILL be shut off for 2 weeks.
• Piracy doesn't exist. You can get almost anything for free on the internet. Software, movies, music...
• You hear the strangest medical advice: "Don't read and eat at the same time. Your body can't focus on digestion." "Don't eat milk with fish because you will get sick." (and I told them my dad soaks his fish in milk after filleting them and they were shocked.) "Don't put milk in your tea. The chemical reaction will cause you to be sick." (Even though the whole of England drinks tea this way.)
• You get an eye-roll and an exasperated sigh if you come up to a cashier and give her anything but exact change.
• You are tempted to wink at a complete stranger on the extremely long escalator because you know you will never see them again.

After reading this, one might ask: "Why are you staying for a third year, my poor child?" :) I have decided to stay for a third year. I am very excited about this decision. I still feel like this is where I need to be. I don't feel done here. I just can't see myself going home just yet. With all it's craziness, Moscow is an amazing place to live. I am starting to feel attached to this place. But not in a I'm-Never-Coming-Home sort of way. For now this is my home and I'm not ready to leave it. I'm not ready to stop learning the language and I'm not ready to leave the job that I have started.

I miss all of you back home!!

Type at you soon,

Kristin