Easter!

The week leading up to Easter was kinda hard because I was away from home and I would be missing out on all the traditions I have with my family. However, I probably had one of the best Easter's of my life.

It started out on Saturday morning when I went to the Kremlin and then the Swan Lake ballet. The Kremlin was so cool! I got to see and go inside some of the cathedrals that are inside the Kremlin. After that we went to the armory where I saw dresses, carriages, weapons, and other artifacts from the tsars in Russia. It was amazing!

After the Kremlin we went to the Swan Lake Ballet. Seriously, nothing can get better than seeing a Russian ballet. They were amazing! It was a little over 3 hours and I have to admit I was getting a little sleepy, but it was so good! I love the music and the swan parts were my favorite. After that I was ok with missing out on Easter at home because I had just had a fabulous day.

Then on Sunday we went to church. I have a calling there and I am the primary pianist, so I got to be with the little kids as they learned about the resurrection in Sharing time. Those little children have such sweet spirits and they are so close to the Lord. I loved it.

After that a couple in the ward invited us over to their house for dinner. I was thinking it would be in another high rise apartment building, but no. They lived in a town house! It was like in a mini-America because they live right next to the school where children from Canada, America, and the UK go to school. All the people who work in the Embassies live there. I felt right at home! I could not believe it! They even had a park and everything! Sister Lockhead made us cheesy potato soup with ham and broccoli. Then she made us a casserole. For dessert we had fondue. After that all of us went into their living room and we sang church songs. Then Brother Lockhead told us stories about the Kiev temple and other things. He is like the Lawyer for the church in East Europe so he knows about all the legal stuff that goes on. They made us feel like we were their children. I had such a great time.

Us with the Lockheads and the Sisters from the Philippines.

I missed my family during Easter but I also had a great Easter in Russia. I would not have wanted it any other way!

Victory Park!

A couple of weeks we went to Victory Park! I had such a good time there. Victory Park is a monument to all of the people who died in World War II.

Me in front of the Victory Park monument! Every ten centimeters of the tall spire represents one day of the war.

My group jumping in front of the monument!


Sitting in front of the monument building.


Me in the Hall of Tears. The ceiling is adorned with crystals for each person who died in the war. They are supposed to look like tears.


Me making a wish. Sorry I can't tell you what I wished for because if I did then it would not come true.

Yea! I am having such a great time here. Of course I am starting to want to go home, but after two months I am halfway done! I am on the downward slope now!

Suzdal and Vladimir

I am so sorry it has been so long since I have blogged last. I have been really busy with teaching. Teaching is going well and we are on the downward slope now. I can't believe it has already been 2 months since I arrived here! Well, last month I went to two cities in Russia named Suzdal and Vladimir. Here are some pictures from that trip!

Every year when spring comes, they have a celebration saying goodbye to winter and hello to spring! During their celebration they burn a big scarecrow that looks like an old grandma. This is in Suzdal.


The burning babushka!


Me with the flag for the celebration!


Me with a puppet at the celebration in Suzdal!


Me with an authentic Russian woman!


While we were there we saw a lot of old cathedrals made in the 11th and 12th centuries. They were amazing and so beautiful!


Ya. So...I was kinda terrified of the hotel we stayed in. This is my 'scared' face.


Now can you tell why I was scared?


I was afraid for my life. But it was an experience to remember!


In front of another cathedral. They were so beautiful. It was also freezing outside. This cathedral had a tomb with a real man inside. The man was from the 11th century. I actually saw his hand! It was all black and rotted but it was still really cool! This cathedral was in Vladimir.

It was really fun to go inside all the cathedrals. I got to look at all the art and see the people worshiping. It was really interesting and cool! This trip was only two days but I saw a lot of different things. I am glad I got to go!

Some Random Thoughts

So as I walk back and forth between everywhere I go, I am always thinking. I walk a lot and I have a lot of time to ponder to myself. They are always random thoughts, too. So I just want to write them down so I can remember them. I know that blogs are more interesting when there are pictures, but this post is just going to be words because they are my thoughts and there are no pictures to go with them. So here it goes!

• I never thought I would consider an orange to be a delicacy. Of course they have a ton of sweets here in Russia, but an orange is always on my mind. I love them! They are so good and juicy! I kind of have a craving for oranges all the time. At least they are good for you to eat!
• I have lost weight here! It's awesome! I can now take my pants off without unbuttoning them! I am eating a lot healthier than I do at home. I probably eat more vegetables in one meal than I have in my whole entire life. I am actually starting to like vegetables. Of course I still HATE carrots, but everything else is starting to taste better to me.
  
• It is amazing how the church is true everywhere in the world. I feel like I am in Utah when I am at church because everyone speaks English and the church still operates the same way! The teachings of the gospel are the same. The way the church operates is the same. The callings are the same. The people are the same. The bishop still cares about you and I can tell the missionaries here, the senior missionaries, really, truly, love their missions. They are awesome! I am sorry if my thoughts are kind of messed up and if I am not using correct grammar in my sentences. I guess I should work on that since I am teaching English. But I just have so much going through my head that it is hard to write it all down fast enough! I love the gospel so much and I am so glad that the Lord has set up the church in such a way that everyone throughout the whole world can know of it's goodness and truthfulness.
• Teaching is HARD! Especially when I thought I would teaching little kids and I have ended up teaching teenagers. All through training and all the way to Russia I thought I was going to be teaching little kids. Like 3-6 year old children. Then when I got here I was told I was going to be teaching 8-14 year olds. HUGE DIFFERENCE! I have not been around this age a lot. I have babysat a lot through my life and I am better with little children than I am with older children, so this has been a huge challenge. It is hard because the teenagers don't want to be at English School. They want to be out with their friends, partying. I can tell they are only there because their parents are making them go. They don't want to talk at all and that is what the whole ILP program is about...having the kids talk constantly. I feel like a bad teacher because the kids are not talking and I don't feel like they are learning anything. It is also hard because the ages 8-14 is kind of a big difference. A lot of the things I plan are really fun for the 8, 9, and 10 year olds, but really not fun for the older kids. I have to constantly ask myself if what I am planning is going to be fun for everyone. Recently I have come up with activities that are more fun but not as language centered. That means that the activities are more fun, but there is not as much talking going on. I want the kids to have a positive experience and I want them to talk, but right now I can't figure out how to fit both in the same lesson. Hopefully I will be able to figure it out sooner rather than later because an ILP director is coming in a couple of weeks to see how our teaching is going and I need to be able to show him that I am a good teacher. Being a good teacher, to me, is having a language-centered activity while at the same time making sure the kids are having a good time. If they don't have a good time, I am afraid they will tell their parents, their parents will get mad, and they will stop coming to English class. That is not what I want to happen. I am learning a lot everyday so hopefully I will become a better teacher. I take comfort in knowing that I am doing my best and that is all I can do. I am constantly trying to become better and I am working hard. I am doing all I can, and now I just need to remember that after all I can do, the Lord will help me and do the rest. I am putting a lot of faith in the Lord during this time in my life and I know He will help me do what I need to do. (Sorry, that was kind of a long thought).
• I love it here in Russia! Just yesterday I realized that it finally feels like home. I am past all the culture shock (finally) and I am really comfortable here! At the beginning I was scared that I would never feel comfortable here, but I do now. This is my home for the next couple of months and I am happy about that.

Well, that's all for now. I am sure that as soon as I get off my computer I will remember some more things I wanted to write about, but I will have to save those thoughts for another day. I am so grateful for everyone who has given me so much support and I love you all!

Russian Basketball and My House!

Everyday seems like a new adventure while I have been here. Everyday there is something new and exciting. Yesterday, 2/19/11, we went to a Russian Basketball game! It was so fun! And it wasn't fun because of the basketball game, it was fun because of the cheerleaders!



Anyway, I just really got a kick out of the cheerleaders! They also did a dance with fake violins and the music was violin music. It was hilarious!

After that we went to get crap dogs! They are really called StarDogs but 'Star' in Russian looks like the word 'Crap' in English, so we just call them CrapDogs!


They are so good. It is a hot dog in a hogie bun with ketchup and mayonnaise. At first I was kinda scared to try it but after I ate it I realized they were so good.

Now I have some pictures of the house I am living in. And when I say house, I mean an apartment on the 17th floor of a high rise building. Here it is!

The Hallway

The shower with no shower curtain. I also can't get water on the wall because it will seep down to the people below us and they get mad.

The clothes washer. It is so cute and tiny!


The kitchen. It looks big but it is really only like 5 feet by 5 feet. There is barely any room to walk around but it has a nice dishwasher and it fits our needs!

Well, that's it for now! See ya later!

So Funny!

Today has been such a funny day so far and it's only 12:00! Ok. So I went to teach at the University of Moscow. Once a week some people from my group go there and teach English to some students there. Anyway, I went there thinking I would be teaching people who were older than me. Come to find out, the kids who go to the university are 16 years old! It was kinda funny. As we were going back to the metro, the university coordinator was talking and he asked me if I was Mormon. I said yes. He then said, "So, are the second wife or the third wife?" HAHA! I wanted to laugh so hard! But then I said, "Um, that's not Mormon. That's a different religion." He said he though he had read that it was. I said, "Nope, that's a separate religion." He just laughed and I think he felt a little confused. Anyway, that's my day so far. I totally forgot that it was Valentine's Day! Thankfully Sarah reminded me so that I can write to my family. I love you all!

My Life So Far!

So since I have been here I have been experiencing a lot of new things. If you know me you know I am not the most adventurous person, so it has been a little scary! However, the more new things I try the more fun I have and the more I learn!

My Beet Salad with Parmesan Cheese on top


Me eating my Beet Salad and soup. Yes, I really did eat it. I am not just posing.


My Beet Salad and Soup. The green flakes in the soup is Dill. They put dill in Everything!


Me eating a bagel-type thing with poppy seeds on top. I ordered it all by myself in Russian!

We have ridden on the metro a lot to get to places around Moscow. While waiting for our whole group to show up, we had a little fun posing in the metro station.

Jeff, Sarah, Me, and Lisa practicing our Russian faces. (Sorry the picture is a little blurry)

I absolutely adore my host brother and sister. Their names are Katya and Mitya. Katya is 11 and Mitya is 9. On Sunday they invited me to go tubing with them. I was so exhausted but I decided to g0. I ended up having a blast!

Mitya, Me, and Katya

On Saturday we went to an exhibition of sand and ice. They sculpted the sand to represent the history of Russia and they sculpted the ice to represent common fairy tales that they tell in Russia.

Me in front of part of the sand and ice exhibition.

Oh! I guess I should show you where I am living! My room is small but I like it.

This is my bed! And yes, I do really make my bed every morning!


This is my room! There is a big mirror on the closet doors which come in hand every day.

I am working hard to become a better teacher. Teaching is hard but the more I do it the easier it will become...hopefully! I am learning a ton. Not just about Russia and Russian culture, but also about myself. I have a lot more to learn, too. This is going to be a rewarding experience.

Well, that's all for now! See ya!

I'm Here!

Hey Everyone!
I made it to Russia! There has been so much going on! Ok...I will start at the beginning!

Getting ready to go to the airport!

I flew from SLC to Chicago where they had the coolest toilets! I know...kinda weird. But I had never seen anything like them before!

You wave your hand over the sensor and the plastic rotates until new plastic has replaced the old plastic. Then you are ready to sit!

Then we flew to Washington D.C. where we immediately got on the plane that was headed to Moscow!

The view out my window as we arrived in Moscow!

When we got through immigration and customs we had to wait for the other teachers to come through, so we took a picture of our group! Thankfully the luggage for everyone in our group was not lost. A lot of other girls had their luggage lost and still don't know where it is.

Briaunna, Lisa, Me, Jeff, and John

After the airport we went to our host family's home. I live in Moscow in an apartment! My mother is Marina, my father is Vladimir, my sister is Katya, and my brother is Mitya. Katya is 11 and Mitya is 9. I am actually going to be teaching Mitya's class this semester! Katya LOVES dogs, plays the piano, and likes to read. Mitya likes war toys (like tanks), is interested in bugs and insects, and likes to play games. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of them yet but hopefully I will soon! Marina made me rice and a hot dog the first day. They all speak English very well so it is pretty easy to talk to them. I still have to listen pretty hard, though, to make out what they are saying. They are nice and hopefully I will get more used to them and more comfortable with them as I stay there longer. I just don't want to do anything offensive. Haha!

We then exchanged our money for Rubles and got our visa pictures taken.

That was all on the first day.

The second day started out with me waking up and going into the kitchen to find Mitya watching Phineas and Ferb in Russian! The characters were speaking English but it was being dubbed in Russian! It was kinda cool. For breakfast Marina made me Blini (I think that is how you spell it). They are kinda like thin pancakes or thick crepes. She had me eat them with sour cream. At first I was a little scared to try it, but I have to admit it wasn't bad. Of course I still STRONGLY prefer cinnamon sugar and syrup, but sour cream on Blini wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

After that we went to the metro and then went to Red Square as a whole group of teachers. We didn't get to go inside the buildings but Gulya, our native coordinator, told us about the history of the buildings. We can go inside another day.

Resurrection Gate


Me in front of St. Basil's Cathedral


Lenin's Tomb. Stalin was actually buried here for 4 years but then he was taken out and buried somewhere else because they thought he was not honorable enough to be with Lenin.


A Cathedral we went in.


The Kremlin (the red wall) and the office where the President of Russia works.


My group in front of St. Basil's Cathedral. Going left to right: John's host brother, John, Sarah (the head teacher), Me, Lisa, Briaunna, and Jeff.


The Tomb of the Fallen Soldier. This is a grave/memorial for all the soldiers who died between 1941 and 1945. There are guards who stand there keeping watch over the tomb. They trade posts with other guards about every 15-30 minutes depending on how cold it is.

After visiting Red Square we went to the grocery store to get something to eat. I ended up just getting a water because I was so thirsty! It was huge but it hit the spot. At the grocery store, before you can shop, you have to put your purse in a clear plastic bag and seal it with a special sealer. If you don't do this the guards will get you. I guess this is to prevent shoplifting.

Me holding my water (Bon Aqua) in front of a McDonalds!

Well, that's all for now! I am going to the school later today and then we are going to have training. I found out yesterday that I am going to be teaching 9-10 year olds instead of 5-6 year olds like I thought. But I am still so excited! I will post more as the time goes on! Until then...Paca! (Informal 'Goodbye' in Russian)

Training!

Hey Everyone!

So this week I had two full days of training for teaching and living in Russia. The teaching method is really cool! It is gonna be way rewarding but kinda hard at the same time. We also talked about Russian culture and what to expect when I get there. I learned that there are four stages of culture shock: 1) Honeymoon, 2) Horror, 3)Humor, and 4)Home. I am really hoping that I can get through the four stages fast so that I can really enjoy my time there.

The more I learn about Russian history the more there is to learn. It is so interesting how a country's history really does affect a country's culture. Here are some things I found interesting about Russian culture. It is good to know these things before I get there so that I am not offending anyone! (My goal is to act as Russian as possible when I am in their country).

1. It is rude to cross your legs on Russian public transportation. It is disrespectful to show the bottom of your foot to someone.
2. Ice is never added to drinks in Russia.
3. Russians, as well as a lot of Europeans, wear their wedding ring on their right hand ring finger.
4. It is forbidden to shake hands over a doorway.
5. If a woman sits on the ground many people believe she will be barren.
6. You have a pair of shoes for outside and then when you go inside you take off your outside shoes and put on your inside shoes.

Russian Flag

St. Basil's Cathedral

Red Square

I heard Ballets in Russia are amazing.

It is amazing the love I already feel for these people and I haven't even met them yet! I can't wait to be there and immerse myself in their culture and learn what they do! I also can't wait to teach little kids and make a difference in their lives!

Oh, and by the way, I am not sure when I will have internet access when I am there but I will update this blog as often as possible!