Season in the Serengeti

So, I'm moving to Tanzania next month. October 15th. I'll be the volunteer coordinator for an orphanage, working for the Tanzanian Children's Fund. For two years.

This may seem sudden, this may seem like a dream, like an escape, like a risk. The truth is, I feel like my adult life has been preparing me for this experience. Everything has lined up perfectly and given me the skills, experiences, or desires to do this job in this place. It's exactly what I'm supposed to do, and I know it.

Volunteering in orphanages in Russia, coordinating volunteers for organizations in Seattle, camp counseling, teaching English, mentoring children of all ages, are all just some of the reasons that make me perfect for this role and what makes it right for me.

So, as I couch hop in Seattle, work grave shifts, and put down hundreds of dollars for immunizations and a year's worth of medication, contacts, etc., I regularly smile to myself with the knowledge of an upcoming adventure which will change my life.

Tanzania, I'm ready for you.

Insight from my younger self

“Recently I have been struggling with whether I even want to pursue a career in my life. Sometimes I think I just want to be a free spirit, drifting here and there, never quite settling, traveling to new places, and constantly learning new things and meeting new people and making small or large differences in the places I’m in and the people I am around.” -- Me, aged 20 years old, Sophomore year, Sociology of Gender class

A Year’s Worth of Posts

Blogging...I've decided most of the fun of blogging is my own joy of looking back to see how far I've come and to sit in the semi-sweet nostalgia of memories.  Also, I have only 40-50 more years before I’m supposed to write Andrew Runge’s biography. 

So perhaps I'll attempt it again. 

To start, let's summarize what has happened in the last YEAR, from April 2011 to April 2012. 

• My best friend and roommate of 4 years, Jo, got married.  A momentous event, eye-opening for me in the reality that after 6 years of growing up together, she was ready to do something big, get married, be an adult in ways I could barely understand.  Because of all this and the knowledge that I was losing her forever, I cried for 6 hours, only partly because I was quite drunk. 
• Cutting my hair short! 
• Being a receptionist, realizing that no matter what odd job I find myself in there will be lovely people, people who want to befriend me or help me further my goals.
• Job Search from Hell 2011.  Probably the worst time of my life I can remember, I’m lucky to say.  My roommate/life partner Jen had to put up with me throughout 2-3 months of it.  She was constantly trying to cheer me up and get me to leave the house to do fun things.  Her constant chant was, “we’re young and fun!”  I didn’t feel either of those things throughout half the summer.
• AmeriCorps job at Habitat for Humanity—this finally came through in the end of July, after interviewing for several jobs and applying to dozens.  It felt like a miracle to accept the position   and end the job search for awhile.   This job has brought me many new friends through co-  workers and volunteers, and has utilized many of my strengths yet presents constant challenges.        Maybe I’ll be bettered through it.  We’ll see in 2.5 months when it’s over…
• Turning 25.  A milestone marked by best friends, pizza, and jello shots.
• Experiencing my best relationship, and learning how to say goodbye to it.
• Visiting Aimee and Andrew in Denver!  First in February, second this coming weekend. :) 
• St. Patrick’s day weekend 2012: many firsts. 



• Running a 5k with Jo, after never running a mile in my life. 
• Going to Whistler with co-workers.  Skiing all day by myself, feeling at one with the mountain and the beauty/novelty of it all.  Meeting British Ben while drunkenly sledding!! :)
• Dealing with health insurance, taxes, and strict budgets for the first time—realizing that nobody ever told us how hard it would be to grow up. 
• Becoming a Girl Scouts Daisy Troop Leader!  Learning the Girl Scouts motto, promise, and law.  Shaping a new troop of girls…didn’t see that coming.

Overall, lots of ups and downs, firsts and challenges and milestones.  A few themes in my recent life are: make fun a priority, don’t be too controlling, and remember hope always. 

I'd like to introduce you to my newest obsession:

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles (It's a LIVE stream of a family of eagles, with three newborn eaglets just days old!)

Now, I'm positive that a month ago, I could have cared less about this website. I might have looked at it to be polite to whoever sent it to me, and commented on it, but then closed it and forgotten all about it.

However, yesterday I spent approximately several hours in between calls and clients at work with my eyes peeled on these little creatures. They're keeping me company while at work! :)

To enjoy oneself, one ought to work. To sleep well, one ought to work too.

So...I'm thinking of starting to blog again. It's really my only option right now, as I'm stuck in an office 40 hours a week and I end up sitting here dreaming of Mexico all the time. Really, though. Imagine a day, a week, a month, forever? sitting in the sun in Mexico, drinking something cold (Cervezas? Margaritas? Pina Coladas? Yes, please!) and eating something delicious (Lobster? Fajitas?)...It's too much. Put me out of my misery.

Anyways, I have a job. I shouldn't be complaining. I'm temporarily the receptionist at a swanky insurance company in downtown Seattle. I'm starting to make friends, but it's pretty boring around here, so I spend my free time looking for other jobs. Or just gchatting with my friends. Whatever gets me through the day!

In other news, my best friend of six years is getting married NEXT WEEK. Saturday. I can't believe it. It feels like we're still 18 years old. WAY too young to get married. But somehow I blinked and actually we're 24 and very much adults...(just got to work on paying my own cell phone bill and car insurance now!)

My biggest thought lately is, why can't life just slow down a little bit, so changes can happen more slowly and I'm not left feeling dizzy most of the time?

(Quote in Title taken from Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy)

Fall 2010: Missing Russia

In case anyone is still checking in on my blog, I’m keeping you on your toes…I haven’t written since June. Now, though, as I sit by the heater in my new apartment in Seattle and look out at the rain and colorful trees, I ‘m motivated to write.

I miss everything about Russia. I miss Carolyn and Sarah the most, but also each of my adorable little students that ceaselessly write to me, asking if I’m coming back to Moscow, asking me how I am and what I’m doing. What AM I doing? I know that it’s good for me to be here, I know that it is better for a future career to make connections in the city I want to live in. I know it’s good that I’m back in relationships with my dear friends from college. But, it doesn’t always feel right, as life often tricks us into thinking we’re not happy, we’re not in the right place.

Sometimes what feels right is the feeling of tromping through the snow in my boots with the fur twenty minutes to get to the Metro. Sometimes, it’s realizing that I’ve succeeded in getting my point across in Russian, a language I cannot grasp. Sometimes, it’s when my fifteen year old students complement my smile or tell me I’m cool, and that they can’t live without me. Sometimes, it’s getting drunk and singing loudly with other Americans in public. Sometimes, it’s the feeling of being completely out of place, 24/7.

Those are some of the things I miss about last fall. Who knows if I’ll ever get to experience that again, but meanwhile I will make sure I never forget the feelings and experiences of my magical year in Russia.

Goodbye, Nineties!

This is a poster that has been hanging in my bedroom for years. Today, as I unpacked my suitcases and went through all my stuff, I decided to get rid of some of my old shoes...

Ode to the Dixie Chicks

I have thought about writing this post for quite some time. Today, while on the Metro with nothing to do, I dug out a pen and a tissue from my purse and wrote down how my favorite band makes me feel.

First, I’d like to say that I don’t even enjoy country music—not anymore. At one time in my life it was exciting and great, but now it’s simply too much. However, the Dixie Chicks has surpassed all of that, and over the past five years they have become many things to me.

1. For almost every one of my very best friends, there is a D.C. song I correlate with. For Aimee, there is “Cold Day in July.” For Jo, there is “I Hope” and “Travelling Soldier.” For Micaella, “I hope.” For Beth, “Travelling Soldier.” For Jen, “Taking the Long Way.” For Stephanie, “Lullaby.” Any time I hear one of these songs, I immediately picture myself back with these people, and my heart feels more full.
2. My personal favorite Dixie Chicks song is Landslide. This is mostly due to one of my favorite moments of life. During my Freshman year, on the infamous, annual Quest trip to San Francisco, we were on the third leg of the trip. Aimee was driving Traz (Alcatraz), our newly-dubbed Volvo. Kelsey Roche was the bubbly, singing shotgun, and Jo and I (and someone else I can’t remember) were asleep in the back seat. We had just passed over the California border, and my sister had the Dixie Chicks CD in. It was 5:00 a.m. The sun was rising, and we were going up, over, and around breath-taking, green mountains. In that moment, Landslide came on, and I felt a huge surge of happiness. I tried many times to wake Jo up to show her the beautiful world (and her first glimpse of California), but she was too comfortable and happy sleeping on my shoulder. That is something I both hold against her (that she wouldn’t wake up for her first sight of California, or enjoy my life’s greatest moment with me), and love her more dearly for (that she knew what she wanted, and nothing could take it away from her—after all, she’s quite a strong woman!).
3. The Dixie Chicks has changed me in some ways. In a ministry class in university, we had an assignment to write down the top three things which have affected our views of the world. Many people wrote down more traditional answers, such as The Passion of the Christ film or The Trinity painting, or even Les Miserables. But for me, it was the Dixie Chicks. I feel deeper and more truly me because of some of these songs—either they have shaped who I have become, or they sing to my soul and help me embrace my true nature.
4. Finally, I believe the Dixie Chicks just keeps getting better. It’s certainly true that I grow to love them and their music more all the time—I can listen to it in any mood, anywhere, and feel instantly better. No road trip is complete without the D.C. greatest hits in the stereo. Dozens of moments of my life were made better due to the Dixie Chicks, especially combined with friends, my Volvo, and the sunroof. And, due to writing this post, I have discovered a new album—from two of the three members of the band (the third wasn’t ready to record the album, so it’s temporarily just the sisters) called Court Yard Hounds.

That’s all. Congratulations if you read the whole thing—I’ll give you a pat on the back when I see you!

T-MINUS TWO WEEKS!

Okay, finally I have pictures for your viewing pleasure. Here are a few things I've done so far in May:

• Walked through the city at night with Carolyn, happening upon a photo exhibit, which included at picture of the beautiful city I will be landing in in just FOURTEEN DAYS!

• Went to the Moscow zoo with these beautiful people--my former student twins, Mary and Jane, plus Mary's boyfriend Grisha.

• Spent 16 hours in Moscow's center for Victory Day--saw a parade, met new and old friends, got caught in a flash storm, and watched a fireworks show while chanting "Roc-ci-ya!"

• Went to Moscow's oldest circus--Nikulin--and fell in love with a sea-lion master (not-pictured).

• Met Sarah for a lovely evening, walking along the Moscow river and eating Georgian food on a BOAT restaurant. Unforgettable.

THREE WEEKS LEFT

Hello, dear world. I have tried to write at least three new posts, and failed--mostly because I wanted to include a bunch of recent pictures, but my internet doesn't want to cooperate...maybe next time we'll try the pictures again!

It is a perfectly GORGEOUS eighty-degree day here in Moscow--I've been going on long walks everyday and enjoying the sights, smells, sounds, and feelings of nearly-summer...I'm happy, because the world is beautiful, there are exciting things happening here, and I am starting to feel that creepy-crawly anticipation of the flight home!

Tomorrow is Victory Day, which is a really big deal here, understandably so. In the morning, we're going to a huge parade near Red Square, where I'll see lots of tanks, planes, soldiers, and celebration. At night, there'll be a big firework show! It should be a pretty interesting day. On Monday, we're going to the old Moscow circus! I'm trying to fully enjoy the last few weeks, as you can see!

More to come...

Today is Heather-Day

Why? Because I have a sinus infection, and it’s my easy-work day. And, any excuse is fine with me to relax a little. So this is what I’ve done with it so far

1. Made leftover-oatmeal pancakes with blueberry yogurt, cinnamon, and brown sugar topping

2. Looked at every single tagged photo of myself on facebook, while listening to all the Beach Boys I own

3. Showered, and didn’t put on make-up

4. Got dressed to go outside

5. Put a load of laundry in

6. Crossed the street to check out the beauty salon, asked to see their tanning bed, and proceeded to have a 5-minute stand-up tan, which was FABULOUS

7. Went next door to the Apteka (drug-store) and bought Amoxicillin to get rid of my sickness

8. Crossed the street again and went to the post office. Purchased stamps and sent two letters to America

9. Went next door to our ooniversam (grocery store), and bought whatever I was craving at the moment: apples, tortilla chips, gummy bears, and my latest-obsession: cabbage salad (similar to sauerkraut but BETTER)

10. Went back home

11. Put another load of laundry in

12. Ate all my cravings

13. Washed dishes

14. Watched my other accidental new obsession: Sex and the City

15. Laid in bed

16. Typed a new post for my blog

17. Last step: go to work

My Recent Cultural Outings

Yes, it has been many weeks since I have typed my thoughts on life. But, I have a really good excuse for that which I may share someday if I feel like it. For now, however, I would like to tell and SHOW you what I've been doing the last two days!!

Yesterday, as I had the morning free because a student is out of town, I decided to go visit our favorite Soviet leader, Vladimir Lenin!! His body has been preserved for almost 100 years, which is so strange and creepy that I couldn't resist seeing it for myself! Plus, it's free...

I was going to post a picture of the experience, but it's too weird for my blog...if you're interested, follow this link to see what I saw (or just google image lenin mausoleum if it doesn't work):

http://www.google.ru/images?hl=ru&newwindow=1&q=lenin+mausoleum&lr=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=_MPIS4mZMcqOOP3BkaoN&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQsAQwAA

The whole thing was just so ridiculous to me that I couldn't help feeling amused. I smirked, then caught the eye of one of the guards, who gave me a death stare. Needless to say, I quickly made my way out of the mausoleum!

On a lighter note, today I went to the Manezh Hall...

...to see a photography exhibition! I went because Henri Cartier-Bresson is featured this month! I have loved this man since I was 15 and did research on him for my photography class. Here are some of his pictures, many of which I saw in real life today!

Anyways, I'm off to bed so I can wake up for my morning Saturday classes--uggh. The rest of the weekend may hold souvenir shopping, Moscow's free Museum day, and some friends. Look at me, enjoying my last weeks in Russia... :)

Things I'm Learning about Myself:

1. I'm a clean-freak.

I have always been a thorough cleaner--just ask Momma Sibet which child she would rather have do the dusting or clean the kitchen...

But only in Russia, having my own room and sharing a small flat with two other girls, I have realized I am slightly obsessive about things being clean. I try to go more than a week without vacuuming the floor, and rarely succeed. My room is almost always tidy, and my clothes are USUALLY put away! I wash my bedding nearly every-other week. I feel uncomfortable if the kitchen table is dirty...Oi.

I suppose the change came with having my own space, and a little more time on my hands. Aimee and Jo (my previous long-term-room-sharers): you have helped me reach 23 years old without realizing I am a CLEAN person! Thank you, I surely enjoyed my childhood more thoroughly with your help.

2. I love being alone.

This change is something I hoped and expected would come out of this Russian experience. But, it took 6 months for me to really feel HAPPY being alone. I take every opportunity to escape my flat and wander off by myself, on walks around Mitino, or to the center of Moscow to do sight-seeing, shopping, or coffee-drinking. I smile to myself now, often. As my wise mother said, "you are your own best friend." After living 22 years constantly being surrounded by people, literally having no more than two hours to myself EVER, this is a welcomed change. Now, hopefully I can learn how to incorporate this new aspect of my life into my relationships (without being anti-social) when I return to the States...

3. I love teenagers.

Love 'em. I guess I wasn't around them enough before, but now my teenage students are what drive me forward in this place, making me see that there is something worthwhile here, a reason to go to work, and potentially an area of work or volunteer I could pursue in the future!

4. I'm bad at learning languages.

It is just not a skill I possess, or have the patience to acquire. This took me a few months to realize, but now I have accepted the fact that I will NEVER be good at Russian. As I told Jen the other day, my Russian skills are maybe a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. Oops...

5. I HATE drama.

My life before this point seemed so NORMAL and care-free, compared to all the crap I have experienced/seen experienced around me here. I wonder if it's simply boredom, or an eclectic mix of foreigners who CHOOSE to live in Russia, but it seems everything is a big deal around here, and the rumors/gossip fly quickly and efficiently. I tried to stay out of it at first, but now I'm learning to simply let it slide. Maybe I've developed a thicker shell--I do think I care less about what people think of me now than ever before!

Things that make me happy:

Kinder Pingui Kokos

Getting Packages

Starlite

Coffee, always—as long as it’s not instant

My peace flags

Sewing St. Basil’s

Coffee Bean

Baked things

Not working

Shokoladnitsa

Pekarti

My bed

Watching my best friends perform on Glee, the Office, and Grey’s Anatomy

Skype chats

Un-pictured:

• Smiling waitresses
• My Bible study
• Red things
• Le Pain Quotidien
• When students say priceless things
• Natasha

Winter in Russia: My Song to You...

If you ever wondered what it would be like to live close to Siberia for an entire winter, please copy and paste the following and watch this song:

http://www.sesamestreet.org/video_player/-/pgpv/videoplayer/0/b9ba8a9b-1550-11dd-8ea8-a3d2ac25b65b

The BEGINNING of March

SO, post-travels and accomplishments and joy, I seem to have fallen into a "funk" of sorts--the best word for it is moshy, which is an Aimee Sibet-patented word. It is that feeling that things aren't quite right--maybe life is going on as normal and great things are happening, but something inside of you stops you from fully enjoying it. You feel lethargic, reflective, anti-social, and all-around not yourself.

To combat such feelings, I have compiled goals for the month of March, which will give me something to focus on and that feeling of having a purpose in life...

March goals:

• Week 1 - do student report cards ; figure out pacing schedule for completing textbooks
• Week 2 - wire money home so I can pay my student loans ; mail a package to a friend
• Week 3 - come to a finalized decision about what happens to me in June
• Week 4 - buy a plane ticket home for (hopefully) June

In addition:

• Visit the Tretyakov art gallery
• Go say "hey" to our friend Lenin's preserved body in Red Square

FRIENDS. I need some help--my resolution for February was to walk on a frozen river, which i ACCOMPLISHED. What shall my resolution for March be???

February: Russia’s best month yet…

Here are the highlights from this grand month:

• Successfully mailing an international package by myself, after trying and failing at three different post offices! The man in line with me was amazing—he told me everything I would need on my forms, and helped me through the whole process (although I did the transaction entirely by myself…)
• Buying a train ticket to St. Petersburg, also by myself, which was more difficult than it sounds! It took me three tries here too…I went to the first cash desk, at which a woman yelled at me and told me she didn’t understand me. Okay, try again. The second one had a long line, then when I finally got to the front, the desk closed for lunch. Ugggh. I stopped and wondered, “can I do this?”, then I bucked up and told myself, “you have lived in this country for 6 months—you better be able to buy a train ticket!” So, I DID! I found another desk, got to the front, and told the woman exactly what I wanted. She was perfectly patient and nice to me, wrote down the dates, times, and prices to make sure it was what I wanted, and I walked away, smiling and holding my own train tickets for a personal vacation!!
• Traveling to St. Pete’s, by my lonesome—except I wasn’t lonesome! This was one of the best experiences of my life, and I had many firsts. I stayed with my old acquaintance/new friend Elizabeth, where I felt perfectly welcomed and at-home. Her two roommates were also wonderful, and I felt like I lived there—even though I was on a fabulous retreat. I made two wonderful new Russian friends through these American girls, went to the Russian art museum by myself, and walked on the frozen Neva river!! But best of all…
• I SAW MY ORPHAN CHILDREN!!! It was one of the most fulfilling days in my life, I was constantly struck by how good God is, and how lucky I am to have such opportunities! I had dreamt of this day for 2 ½ years, and it came and went in a whirlwind, with me being unsure of what to say or think. My heart is full and my life feels in a state of contentment, no matter what else happens around me.

So. It has been a month of learning about myself and how to be alone. I have learned how to rely on God, who is constant and good in the midst of loneliness and the unknown. It was a month of struggling through my Russian to accomplish practicalities and getting to know people, new and old. It was a month which gave me a renewed spirit of hope and a boosted confidence in what I can accomplish, through faith and independence. I can only hope March will find a way to compare!

Heather's New Years Resolutions TWENTY-TEN

1. See East Coast cities, including Chicago, DC, Baltimore, Cape Cod, and Boston.

2. Not defer student loans, i.e. pay student loan payments EVERY MONTH.

3. Find an orphanage in Moscow and volunteer there.

4. Visit kids in St. Pete's.

5. Speak more Russian. Hang out with Natasha ALL THE TIME.

6. Learn 40 new Russian words per week.

7. Spend more time on (especially) exam class students.

8. Before arrival back to USA, see ONE country outside of Russia.

9. Go to international church twice per month.

10. Go to zoo, circus, and museums -- 1 per month.

February of Fun??

A month and a half has passed by. To make it up to you, the blog-reading world, I will happily post a few pictures of the frozen world around me.

Here is the half-frozen river and the Church of Christ our Savior...oh-so-beautiful.
The trees in our precious park, complete with a wintery sunset.
The fabulous ladies of my life and flat--Carolyn and Jenny!
I like bridges...and they're even more fun with snow instead of water!

So, here we are in the month of February! Here are my current reflections about this month of love:

• Jenny's birthday is coming up, and we will surely have some good times of celebration, food, and dancing!
• Valentine's Day will bring games, crafts, and exciting new vocab for my little студенты...so there. The holiday will finally be worth something (although, nothing can beat Valentine's Day '09--right Micaella?? ;)
• I'm trying to get a day of work and go to St. Petersburg from the 19-23rd...I could stay with the fabulous Elizabeth Miles and visit my darlings at the good ol' orphanage. I'm simply PRAYING that it can work out!
• New Month Resolution: walk on a frozen river.

The Joys of Traveling and Landing into my Family's Arms..

For the first time in my ENTIRE life, I am the first one awake on Christmas morning. I have expected at least my father to meander into the living room since 7am, but still I only hear snoring. I can imagine this is due to the CHAOS of the last 40 or so hours!

Here is how it all went down:

December 23rd, 6:30am – my nice taxi driver took me to the Shodnenskaya metro. After lugging my heavy suitcase into the trunk, he asked, “Russian Vodka?” and we laughed together.

12:30pm –boarded my flight from Moscow to D.C. GOT A WINDOW seat. Stayed awake the entire time, and often caught myself smiling of pure joy, at the thought of being home, at the fun of travel, of the beautiful sun out my window…

3:00pm, D.C. time – arrival into the U.S.!! sailed my way through customs, quickly picked up a peppermint mocha from starbucks, and became quickly amazed at how FANCY and English-speaking this country is...talked to beautiful voices on my AMERICAN cell phone and became overly hyper/slap happy due to lack of sleep and sugary coffee.

7:30pm – departed across the country. Pulled down my eye-cover dealy, plugged my ears with music, and dozed off for the next 5 hours, completely missing all snack/beverage services!

10:30pm (STILL DECEMBER 23RD) –LANDED into PDX, made my way quickly off that plane, down and around, and INTO THE ARMS of: Aimee, Mother, Jeremy, Father, Micaella, and Kylie. Yes, my family managed to make a gigantic scene in the middle of that peaceful airport by screaming my name and holding up a huge sign that said in both English and Russian (go, sis!): “Welcome Home, Hezer!” we chatted and laughed and loved each other as we awaited my suitcase, then I had to part from Kylie and Micaella, who had both left half-drunk beers and pizza at a pub where they were hanging with friends. My family fought our way through the streets of Portland, looking for any food available. We found IHOP, and I consumed way too many chocolate chip pancakes plus hashbrowns and whatever else my family gave me…

1:30am – we made our way south, through lots of fog and weary eyes.

6:30am – HOME SWEET HOME.

Whew. That was one LONGGGG day! I then proceeded to sleep for 10 hours, then wake up in time to eat delicious food with my family and head out to the annual Christmas Pageant, where my pastor’s daughter starred as Joseph!!! I was so proud of her…if the men don’t step up, you’ve gotta take over! ;)

Last night, my family suggested I take something to help me sleep. I said confidently, “I don’t suffer from jet-lag!” uh-huh. Hello, 3:30am, when I lay in my bed with my eyes open, wondering what to do. Well, I’ve been awake for five hours now, hanging out with my cats and dogs, and I seriously CAN’T WAIT for someone to come play with me and drink coffee and eat something great…

MERRY CHRISTMAS, world!!

Dreams of home…

In EIGHT DAYS I will hop on a plane and get out of this freezing country, only to find my way to another freezing place. :) ha, it’s funny how that works out. However, the difference is that I will be leaving beautiful people who hardly know me and finding my way back into my intimate community of lovers. It’s a little overwhelming, because there are sooo many people back on the West Coast whom I love so much, yet the MOST IMPORTANT thing is to be with my family, who are sacrificing a real Christmas just so they can eat “saltines and mac-n-cheese with Heather”—my sister’s words…

HOWEVER. My body and soul needs to be in Seattle, for at least 48 hours or so...The plan is to work out a brilliant scheme to see as many people as possible, and still spend tons of time with my family. Hmmmmmm. It shall be great, no matter what!

Things I’m dreaming of eating (always on my thoughts…):

*note: see, I’m mostly a vegetarian, but in Russia it’s hard to be—plus, right now chicken sounds REALLY good. SO, below list is part vegetarian, part not.

• NERVOUS NELLIE’S: toast with butter, cheese, and raspberry jam and an americano
• Top pot donuts: double trouble, lemon bismark, glazed old-fashioned, maple bar, and apple fritter (hopefully all at once…)
• Americanos and Vanilla Lattes—from ANYWHERE, anytime!
• Jai thai: PHAD THAI, chicken or tufu—2 stars! (or maybe 1, because my taste buds have surely adapted to the bland food here…)
• Elliot bay: chicken Caesar sub
• Copper Barrel--vanilla bean chillers
• Thai kitchen: Crab delight
• Trophy Cupcakes—triple chocolate
• Chipotle—veggie fajita burrito with black beans and guac.
• La burrito—chicken chimichanga and all the chips and salsa in the world!
• COFFEE, all the time
• All manners of baked goods, in great quantities—cookies, cakes, brownies, pizzooki, muffins, etc.

Apples and Onions

I’m going to take a small break from my personal Office: Season 6 marathon to update you all on the last week.

Highlights:

• Celebrating Thanksgiving at work, showing the Russians how it is done (actually, I think they are far better than we are at sitting around with close friends and family and eating and drinking as much as you physically can!)
• Finding Hummus in the local седмой континент and consuming it for almost every meal for the last week
• Receiving two darling packages from Miss Aimee Sibet and Miss Marion Kessler—you better believe I rushed to apply Burt’s Bees to my lips and place brand-new bobby pins all over my hair (I have also scarfed down all signs of chocolate…)
• Receiving a “Happy Birthday” balloon from my star student with zebras and monkeys on it. She said, “I know your birthday isn’t until December 22nd, but I thought of you and had to get it!” ahhh.
• And…having a big Thanksgiving bash with all of our closest American/Russian friends here. I believe there were 17 of us, and my flatmates and I got dressed up to host. Instead of turkey we had chicken, instead of sweet potatoes we had pelmeni, and instead of wine we had vodka. GOOD TIMES.

Lowlights:

• Feeling constantly emotionally unstable for some reason or another, and realizing that most of my stability lies in my bestest friends and family who are VERY far away from me right now. booooo.

Victory in Teaching Day!

Today is a very special day. It is the day in which I learned my students LIKE me. They actually LIKE me! They aren’t just being nice to me so I will let them play Pictionary. How do I know? This is how it went down:

At the very end of my teen class, one of my students abruptly left the classroom, only to come right back. All the others were acting funny, and one of them was talking to me super fast—obviously trying to distract me from something. Then, they stood in a little semi-circle, told me they had something for me, and made me close my eyes and hold out my hands. (At first I thought they were going to put a hamster in my hand, as one of the students had her hamster with her today, oddly enough!) BUT, instead of a hamster, it was an adorable little bear knick-knack, and a GREAT card, on which they wrote me the most precious message in the whole world.

(In case you can't read it, it says, "From the moment you become our teacher, our lives changed for the better...we love you very much and want to be wish us forever."

Now, I am not one to cry over sentimental times, so no tears came, but it was pretty close. My heart was bursting, and I gave each of my darling girls a big hug. Now, the bad part was: I had just finished report cards for them to take home to their parents! So, I followed that brilliant display of affection with grades for their parents to see…OOPS!

Take THAT, discouragements of last week! :)

Anecdote from Afar

Today I haven’t enough energy for a big post, but I would like to share with you, my readers about my most treasured memory as of late:

Yesterday in class, I told my teenagers I miss them when they don’t come to class (this is ½ true, and ½ my evil plan to motivate them to come to class all the time…). Then one of my favies said, “I miss you too! Tonight at dinner I told my mother that I wanted to go to English class!” ahhhh. What a little cutie! (So, my students actually WANT to come to my classes...yessssss)

This little nicety came at a PERFECT time, because the previous day was a rough one! I have been getting really easily discouraged lately, about all sorts of things (but especially teaching!) So, it’s sooo nice to hear these little words of encouragement from my adorable little teens!

Well, that’s my cute Russian student story for tonight…

Goodnight, my darling internet friends!

It's Starbucks/Snow Time in the City!

Last Wednesday, my lovely flatmates and I headed to Starry Arbot, where they have TWO Starbucks, plus loads of cool shops and restaurants. We had a beautiful evening wandering around and looking at souvenirs. To cap it off, we headed inside this little beauty of a shop: Okay, yes, I call myself a Seattle-ite. BUT, I am not into the Starbucks in the U.S. I would choose almost any coffeeshop over going to Starbucks. HOWEVER, being at Starbucks was exactly the comforting environment that I needed. I may have actually said at one point, "this is my favorite place in Moscow..." EEEK. So much for experiencing the culture...BUT. Check out our awesome paper cups with our names in Russian...SO worth the $6 or $7 I paid for my vanilla latte...

Here you see Carolyn, me, and Jenny enjoying our lattes...what good times and delicious drinks!

On the bus ride home, Carolyn and I felt so tired plus brave that we hopped right up on the side of the Metro train. We did get some funny looks from Muscovites, but at least it made for a cute picture...On Friday, it snowed buckets on us. Carolyn and I thought it was so beautiful, so we went out for an evening walk. Here you see our little street lined with snow!

Well, that's it for today, my friends! Enjoy.

National Unity Day / Victory Day????

Well, Well. Two posts in one day. I make myself proud...

It's currently about noon, and I'm typing away at my little Ikea desk in my room in my flat. Here in Russia, it's a national holiday! What holiday? Well, it turns out that everyone I ask about it is confused, which is understandable. I just did a little websearch for November 4th, and apparently today is a mix between a celebration of the October Revolution and a celebration of all of the peoples of Russia uniting to preserve their country, without even needing a czar to help them. This holiday is new, as of 2005, and it is so confusing that they had to make a movie to show all of Russia what is being celebrated. *Phew*

Whatever. I get the day off, and that's all that really matters!

My flatmates and I are currently cleaning our rooms and studying Russian, to celebrate productivity on this national holiday! Later we are heading into the city to waltz around and meet up with some friends for sushi.

Things that have happened since I last posted:

• Halloween. We had a big party for our students, and I dressed as a politically-incorrect (in the U.S.) GYPSY -- a.k.a. цыганка (thank you Marion for the idea!). Here you see me with a few of my lovely teenage students! We also had a big teachers-extended-friends party in Mitishi, which was INTERESTING to say the least...

• Sarah's birthday.
  

Now, this was a big adventure in the center of Moscow. It included DELECTABLE Georgian food, AND the world's biggest ice cream sundae (a.k.a. the KITCHEN SINK). This little baby had TWELVE scoops of ice cream, and every delicious topping you could ask for! Chad and I thought it would make the PERFECT birthday treat, and I think it did the job well...

We acquired the fantastic dream-boat of a sundae at the VERY American Starlite Diner. We're going back this weekend for Sunday brunch (bring it on, pancakes and eggs!)

*Thank you Sarah for these lovely pictures. I apologize for not knowing how to make them look pretty on my post.

That's all the excitement for now, folks. Enjoy, and happy Unity Day!

Why I don’t blog regularly:

• Grey’s Anatomy (I just finished season 5—and nearly died of a panic attack doing so)
• Skype (mostly Micaella Verro and Daniel Kessler, who are available to me at the times I need them)
• Tea and cookies in the kitchen with Carolyn and Jenny
• Phone calls and G-chats with Sarah and Chad
• I’d rather read other people’s blogs instead (Micaella, Beth, Sarah, Tim, Liz, Brandon)
• It’s like when you don’t talk to a person in weeks or months, then feel like you have too much to catch up on and it will be so much work to do it, that you procrastinate, therefore building up more things to catch up on…

Therefore, I now feel fully justified in being a slacker.

Is this real life?

It’s so weird to be here for six weeks, and to know this is my life for much longer. It’s good, but hard to imagine. I feel constantly disconnected from everything—I skype with people, and see their faces, but I feel like I’m stuck in space or lost in some time-vortex. I feel like it’s not real. BUT IT IS. Russia may feel like a dream, but it’s real life and it’s happening to me, and people at home are having real life too. This year will go by before I know it, and all of a sudden 10 months of this huge experience happened to me, and I missed out on 10 months of life lived with the people I love the most. I don’t know how I feel about this, but I know suddenly it’s true and I need to face it.

Thoughts on a Rainy Thursday...

Hey all,

The weeks are flying by, and suddenly I've been in Russia for more than six weeks!!! That is the total amount of time I was here last time!

I have been trying to make the most of everything lately, because I realize before I know it it will be December and I will look back on my first THREE MONTHS of living here. I sometimes feel all this pressure that it has to be good, I have to be spending my time wisely, taking every opportunity, etc.

Meanwhile, this means I haven't opened a single book I brought with me, I haven't responded to more than 1 out of 3 emails I receive, I haven't...done so many things I thought I would have time for. I find myself scatter-brained most of the time, and constantly forgetting about something.

Oh well. I'm having fun in the meantime, and teaching is progressively getting better!

I am finishing up my third week of classes, and more and more lately I have been walking away with a smile on my face. I can't help but fall in love wth many of my students--especially the teenagers. They are sooo cute and charming! My favorite 14-year old boy walked with me to the bus stop today...ah. It made my day. And my favorite teenage girl had a birthday yesterday, so she brought be a giant chocolate bar--which is traditional in Russia, but I LOVED it anyways! I love the feeling that my students and I are starting to get to know each other, and with that my confidence in teaching and discipline are growing. I do still screw things up a lot of the time, but my good teaching moments are growing daily... :)

Oh! And my flatmate Jenny and I just started taking Russian lessons from a teacher at our center. We will have lessons for an hour, three days per week. This is MUCH-needed, because as our job is to speak English, there is not much chance to learn Russian as I would have liked!

Things I miss from the U.S. right now:

• bobby pins! (I have 2 left that I'm guarding with my life...)
• DONUTS --Top Pot, Krispy Kreme, Safeway, I'd take it all!
• tall double-shot americano from ANY Seattle coffeeshop
• ROSS --I am quickly becoming tired of my clothing, but things are so expensive here, and shopping is a big task to overtake!
• my red rubber rainboots. :(
• my roommates
• my family
• my lovers

Things I love about Russia right now:

• adorable children/teenagers/adults--let's face it, they are all pretty great
• tea and cookies
• efficient and reliable public transportation
• cheap beer
• having flatmates/friends to hang out with whenever I want!

Let the Teaching Begin...

Yes, I realize I haven't been updating you all on what is going on in my Russian life. BUT, I constantly THINK of updating my blog--does that count??

SOO, my friends! I have had my last week of training and my first week of real teaching...Wowza. Life gets overwhelming at times.

Our last week of training ended with a big celebration of sorts at the restaurant right next door to our school: Vokzal. We met all sorts of people at this exciting event, and the night was INTERESTING at the very least. Over the weekend, I spent lots of time with Sarah. We spent an hour trying to find a Georgian resaurant that didn't exist, and ended up eating at a general Caucasion restaurant--Shesh Besh. We had lovely soup, bread, chicken skewers and roasted veggies! We had our last sleepover at Sarah's flat, and on Sunday she moved away--at least TWO HOURS Southeast of me. BOOO.

On Sunday I met up with a friend and I finally saw many of the Moscow sights I've been wanting to see for a month: Pushkin Square, the Red Square, and St. Basil's Cathedral, plus Old Arbat. Now I don't feel like such a failure for being here so long and not seeing anything!!

So: Monday marked my first day of teaching my own classes. Holy moly, this is going to be rough! I have 7 classes total: 4 individuals, and 3 groups. The individuals are easier to plan and less stressful, but it's also way less exciting so the time tends to drag by. I have one 6 year-old, two teens, and an adult for indie lessons. My groups are: six 11 year-olds, eight 15 year-olds, and three 17 year-olds who are studying for an exam.

This all comes out to 28 hours per week, but each lesson plan has been taking me at least two hours to plan!! :( I'm sure I will get faster at planning, and things will continue to go more smoothly??

Pros:

• We live only 8 minutes by foot away from our school!
• My first class every day is 3:30pm!! So I have long, luxurious mornings (which mostly include lesson-planning...)
• I only have one class on Friday afternoon, so I have an almost-three day weekend!

Cons:

• Sarah lives far away.
• Three of my Seattle roommates plus three of my friend-o's are roadtripping down to California for our good friend Katie Brundie's WEDDING! And I'm missing it. :(

Tonight, after my flatmates are done teaching, we are going to head to the center of the city to hang out with some friends--we might end up dancing! Tomorrow, I'm off to my very first hockey game (sorry, I don't have any idea if it's professional or not!), and hanging out at our intern friend Shane's place. On Sunday, my flatmates and I are apparently shopping for cheap winter clothes! PLUS, I get to see Sarah on Saturday AND maybe Sunday!

Okay, enough for now.

September 28th

This weekend was fabulous. Why? Because WE GOT INTERNET IN OUR FLAT!!! So from now on I will have the means to connect with the world on an everyday basis!

Highlights of the weekend:
· Our friend Jeff stayed with us from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. Since he is basically laughter personified, this was a lot of fun.
· When the internet came, our building manager Zhenya came and hung out with us for hours. We drank a lot of tea, ate a variety of snacks, and chatted with him in Russian. Thank the Lord Jeff was here, because he was able to keep the conversation flowing. It was pretty fun, and he even gave us a recipe for borscht as well as a map of fun things to do in Mitino.
· I got to Skype chat with: mom and dad, Kess and Nate, Micaella, and Maisha!!!! Each of these conversations was wonderful in its own way.
· On Sunday I spent the later part of the day and night with my bestie-here Sarah. This was good for the soul, although we did have to spend a lot of time working on a paper that was due the next day.

Non-Highlight:
· Sarah has to move away on Saturday. BOOO. It will now take us about three hours to get to each other! I know we will still see each other, but it has been so nice for her to be close (an hour away), and to have sleepovers at least once a week. :(

September 25th

Two weeks have flown by! I only have one more week of training, thank the Lord. I am getting so tired of it!! Tonight was the first time in 2 weeks I have gotten home before 11pm! After training though, we won’t need to commute 3 hours per day anymore. Yesssssssssssssssss.

I have taught 5 lessons so far, each of them with some goods and bads, a lot of nerves and laughs. It is so interesting to teach English, especially through the Communicative approach with no Russian. I really like all the students I’ve had, they are usually super motivated to learn and they are respectful, quick to participate, and quick to learn. They have all been adults. I do hate lesson planning, but I’m sure I will get better and quicker. After next week I will be given my own classes, which is exciting but I know it will be a ton of work!

Last night I went to my friend from class Sarah’s flat. We made a frozen pizza for dinner! It was sooo good, we added peppers, onions, cheese, and spinach to it and it felt like a delicacy. We also made an apple pie, which we ate for breakfast this morning. Mmm. It was SO good!

Today was the first day I felt REALLY cold here. It started out with a gentle rain, like in Seattle. I was loving that, because it felt like a beautiful Seattle fall. BUT, then after training it was all of a sudden biting wet cold! Guess it’s time to start dressing warmer…

This weekend we are supposed to get internet. If that goes well, I will feel much better about my life, or at least more in tune with my other world.

I like my room, so much. I will post pictures when I have internet…

Peace and Pictures

September 12, 2009

Today I slept until the glorious time of 11:30. My roommates shortly arrived home to tell me the story of their nightclub dancing and saga of boys. Since then, they have been asleep and I have been putting pictures up in my room! I am already happier as I look around my room to see pictures of all the people I love and who will be thinking of me while I am gone. What a beautiful day it will be to return to them. Once Carolyn wakes up, we are going to find our way to the gigantic park which we see on the way to the Metro. It’s a peaceful day here in Moscow, and I feel content in my little room, thinking, decorating, and listening to Micaella’s playlist. Life is good.