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Change of plans...
Hello all! Once again, it has been quite a while since I have journaled, so sit down for a few minutes and induldge. Yes, I am still in Russia and I will tell you why… My internship teaching English and agriculture at the gymnasium ended last the Wednesday before last with "The Day of the Last Bell". This is what the Russians call graduation. On this day, all of the students in the 11th Form (12th Grade) are honored for their acheivement as they have finally completed their required education. They are presented with a sash and a bell, which they proudly wear. The day is a celebration with many of their underclassmates and families in attendance. I was honored to be invited to attend, and even shocked when I was presented with flowers and recognized in front of the entire crowd as their "guest" teacher. It was pretty cool. The Friday before graduation, on the 20th, I was invited to the school dance. It was my first as a teacher, and I was practically obligated to go since I had been invited by nearly every student. It was actually better than some of the clubs I have been to here in Moscow. There was actually a variety of music, and the students were good dancers. I danced a bit, but did my best to maintain that fine line of friend/teacher between me and my pupils. We all had a good time, until after the dance the students asked me to drink Vodka with them! I was shocked, and politely declined, but they were persistant to the point that they said they would never forgive me. I said this would be fine, and that I just couldn't drink Vodka with them. They looked disappointed, but when I saw them the next week in school, they were as happy as ever. So…that about wraps up my duties as a Russian English teacher!
Now not only was it cheaper to set my departure date for June 11, but I was looking forward to the free time to do some travelling. Weston and I had made plans to go to the Black Sea! We were going to leave today and then struggle through the 27 hours train ride and arrive tomorrow (Saturday) at lunchtime. We'd see the sights around Sochi, spent the days on the beach, and maybe even hit up a sauna or two. After nearly three full days in the tropical paradise, we would head home on Tuesday night and arrive home Wednesday evening. This would give me just enough time to pack up, wrap up my odds and ends, and head home on June 11. But…things often do not work out as planned, so I am sitting here in my dorm room by myself writing this journal entry to you. Weston did not enjoy his internship at John Deere, and decided that he would rather try and go home early than to suffer through three months of employment in Russia. So, he quit his job and was planning on relaxing with me at the Black Sea and then for a few weeks afterward here in Moscow before he went home. Well, when he called the travel agency (on Wednesday), they said he could either go home on Friday, or wait until mid to late July!!! Yeah...so he opted for the prior and thus left Moscow early this morning. I am here for about a week now and will do my best to enjoy the time that could have been spent at the Black Sea…it's not Weston's fault, I feel bad for him because of the short notice, he did not get to say goodbye to many of our friends!
Speaking of friends, I am meeting more and more people here in Moscow the longer I am here, and it is getting difficult to keep track of them because as for the Russians, all of their names are the same. Sergei, Svetlana, Julia, Anna, Katia, Alec, Masha, and Andre lead the pack, as I know two or three of each. But I have also met many American's and guys from other countries in the past weeks. Bahir is a student here from Syria and I hung out with him and one of his friends last week. Then there are the Kelle's…Eloise and Allen from Minnesota. They are an elderly couple who have been coming here to teach English for the past 12 years. They invited me to go to church with them and I had a wonderful time getting to know them through church, and Eloise's pancake dinners! Then there is Abby and Sasha. Abby is from Nebraska and completed this program three years ago. She met her fiance, Sasha, on the St. Petersburg trip, and she has been here working for ACDI-VOCA for the past few months. Both Abby and the Kelle's have gone back to the States for the summer. But I have met tons of new people at a new church. Weston's mother's long time friend's daughter is the Pastoral Intern at St. Andrew's Chaplaincy here in Moscow and I went with Weston to church last Sunday. I loved it, and am anxious to return again this week. I definitely wish that I would have found this church earlier in my trip, but it is a blessing to have found it now so that I can visit before I leave.
Other than these turns of events, there is not too much going on in the next few days. There is a new American in town…Travis from Kansas. He is here doing an internship for ACDI-VOCA and then for Dmitrov Dairy Farm for until August. He, Weston, and I have been hanging out a lot the past few nights, and he is here in Moscow until next Wednesday, so I have some company until then. I have, however, managed to see some sights here in Moscow that I have not had the opportunity to see yet. Weston and I went to Novodevicheskiy Convent on a bright and sunny day, relaxed at a car show along the Moscow river, Travis and I ate authentic Georgian food and then went up to MSU, finally finished souvenir shopping at Izmaylovskiy Park, and yesterday we went to Tretyakov Gallery and got in for free thanks to our student passes. Travis and I are gonna hit up some sights here this weekend and next week before he goes up to Dmitrov. But for now, I am just going to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather. I try to get outside a s much as possible since it had been sunny and pleasantly warm nearly everyday now for the past few weeks. The day of graduation was the warmest with temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit! Only 8 days left of my international travels for this year…I will do whatever it takes to make the best of it.
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| Category: Travel story | Added by: EnergyVortex (04.10.2009)
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Views: 1345
| Rating: 0.0/0
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