First Day of Volunteering

I had such a great evening, despite initial awkwardness! After all, what would a study-abroad experience be without awkwardness? If you aren't uncomfortable, you are doing something wrong. 

So I went to the Children's Center for the first time today, which was extremely nerve-wracking. When I called my contact to ask how to get into the building (which is conveniently located 5 minutes away from my University!), she told me she wasn't going to be there. And when I went into the building, it was completely dark and when I introduced myself to the three people in the building, no one else introduced themselves and then the only girl whose name I knew started talking on the phone, giving someone directions. Some other people started coming in, presumably volunteers, but no one was telling me where to go, I wasn't sure who to ask, people were headed in different directions, and none of this was helped by the fact that the electricity wasn't working!

I ended up standing in the hallway with two other girls. No one was speaking, we were just sitting on a bench waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Finally, I broke the ice and asked for their names. I introduced myself and said that I was an American student. This further broke the ice and I found out that one of the girls was Czech and the other girl was from Dagestan (a republic of Russia). The fact that both of them were also outsiders (in a way) set me at ease and we chatted for a while, which was quite enjoyable, they were easy to talk to. Then, the children arrived and we all sat in a room lit with candles and a single flashlight pointed at the ceiling. All things considered, it was a surprisingly effective arrangement.

Then walked in...a pirate! It was one of the volunteers dressed up as Jack Sparrow and the kids loved it! He was a real showman, he played all sorts of tricks and jokes on them and got them all to play some games. There were maybe 7 kids, most from Afghanistan, I think. A few of them were having a hard time understanding his Russian, so their older siblings would whisper the translation from the side. 

This went on for maybe an hour and a half, but it was so much fun to watch! The pirate made them all balloon flowers, swords, and animals, while one of the girls painted their faces. After all that, we all went into the kitchen and had some tea and snacks. I was finally able to talk to one of the coordinators and reconfirmed that I'll be teaching English, a couple evenings a week. Although it was elementary children today, they also have teenagers who come in for school help and to prepare for entry exams into college. I gave my contact information to the coordinator, who will be arranging the schedule. Can't wait to hear back from her and get started!

Classes + Daily Life

So last week was my first week of classes. It was rather hectic and confusing, but went well overall. I have classes on Russian Theater, Language in Mass Media, Russian Grammar, and Practical Discussion. I like everyone in my class, we're all starting to warm up and get to know each other. Hopefully, this coming week, we might go out to lunch together or something.

I will also be taking a class in the International Relations department, but understanding what classes are available continues to be a nightmare. I have a list of possible classes, but frankly none of them seem that appealing and I can't decipher when they take place, so I'm not even sure if they fit into my schedule.

I'm feeling quite settled in now and the strangest thing is just how normal it feel to be here. In the spring, we all had to go to a study abroad meeting, where they showed us a version of this graph...

But I don't feel that what this graph describes is really applying to me. Not "everything is new, interesting, and exciting"! Which is not to say I'm not happy and enjoying myself, because I certainly am.
I suppose because of my time here last summer I knew what to expect when it came to cultural differences. I'm hoping that since I'm not experiencing the study abroad "high", I won't experience the "low". Of course, time will only tell.

The only source of real frustration right now is that I feel deprived of my greatest source of stress-relief: cooking. I cook almost everyday for my family when I'm at home and when I'm on campus at Dickinson, I tend to cook an awful lot as well. But here, my host mom cooks for me, which is great and it's delicious but...
Sometimes, when I come home after class, I just want to have a grilled cheese with fruit, or a salad with goat cheese. But that isn't really possible, because dinner is already prepared. It's like living at home again, instead of on my own at college. Except my new "mom" doesn't really know what I like!
But then again, even as I'm writing this, I'm thinking of solutions to this "problem"! I definitely need to offer to make dinner some nights of the week.

Also, I haven't been super motivated to go places in Moscow, in my free time. I've seen a lot of the city before and I certainly don't feel as if I'm on vacation, so sight-seeing just isn't a priority. I'm so used to either being in my small college town or tiny hometown I have to constantly remind myself I actually have things to do here!

Anyway, this is all rather rambling. But it's where I'm at right now.

Day of the City!

The first weekend in September is a holiday that celebrates just how awesome Moscow is. There were concerts, activities, and events going on throughout the city. I visited two parks, Park Gorky and Poklonnaya Hill, on which Park Victory sits.  
Park Gorky was beautiful as usual. There is always a lot to do there, but even more so today. We saw  an acapella group and dancing. The dancing was great, it was just a crowd of random people being led by one older man. Plus one teenager who was hip-hop dancing to her own ipod. Each to their own, I suppose.
As the sun was setting, we walked down to the river, where the view was gorgeous, of course. On our way out of the park, we bought some cotton candy which we didn't finish, for two reasons. First of all, it was banana flavored, which is disgusting. Second, it got wet. This happened when a drunk couple very intensely asked me when I bought the cotton candy, and while I was answering, they got way too close. It brushed up against the huge panda plushie she was holding, which was apparently damp. It also got all over my pants, jacket, and glasses. Hardened sugar is not easy to get off.

The next day, Danielle and I went to a vegetarian restaurant, one of three in the entire city. It was excellent, just amazing. Danielle got a burrito and I got a sort of cheesy lentil stew. It was honestly the tastiest thing I've eaten so far in Moscow. Definitely going back here!

So good!

After dinner, we headed to Victory Park, which is at the highest point in the city and has just an overwhelming sprawling feeling to it. The park celebrates Russia's victory in WWII and has a was museum on site. I went to the museum last year and don't plan to revisit it. Such a serious topic hit me hard enough the first time, the second time would just be too much.

We drank mulled wine in the park, walked around, and watched in bemusement all the marching policemen. I understand why there were some there, to provide security for light show, but there must have been at least 200! And you see crowds and clusters of police all over the city, honestly, I've never seen so many in any other city.

The light show in the park was amazing. It was a sort of concert/pyrotechnic show/fireworks.

Really crazy, really awesome stuff. What a great way to end the summer!

Next post: Classes finally start!

Eye Candy

Here are just a few photos I took around Moscow. Enjoy!

Personal Favorite.

What A Day! New Internship

So happy about today, despite it’s rather chaotic beginning. It began with me making a confusing phone call to a non-for-profit that is based in Moscow. The reception was horrible and I could hardly understand anything the woman was saying. Finally, I just gave her my email address and ended the conversation. I felt pretty incompetent after this call, because I felt that my language skills were insufficient. But Irina, my program director, had called another organization, Комитет "Гражданское содействие", or Civic Assistance Committee, and had made plans for me to meet someone there to discuss the possibility of an internship. And, as luck would have it, the main office of the organization is within walking distance from my apartment. I had found this organization online and was excited, but nervous to be meeting with them on such short notice. So off I went.

But of course, I got completely lost, in the torrential freezing rain and wind. After about 20 minutes of waffling around, I had given up any hope of finding the office and planned on heading home and changing into a dry pair of clothes, when I spotted two elderly women. When lost in Moscow, always ask elderly women; they are helpful 99% of the time. They directed me to the right street and I finally found the building.

I gathered my courage and went inside, only to be told that the woman I was to meet with was busy. But the man at the front desk dropped me off, to my surprise, at the desk of an American student. We made small talk and I was introduced to a number of people, all within their twenties and all whom had graduated from RSUH, where I am studying! We talked and talked and I learned more about the organization. Then everyone except the American went off somewhere, so we chatted some more and I found out she is fluent in Uzbek! Which is just about the coolest thing ever! And then I met the director of the children’s center and it was decided I would start working there on the 17^th. We exchanged contact info and that was that!

While I was in America, preparing for my time here, finding an exciting internship seemed like such a remote possibility. And here I am, soon to start an internship with an amazing organization! I’m just over the moon; I don’t think it could get any better than this. 

Here are two items I got at the organization, the first is a postcard, the second is a sticker.

"It all depends on perspective"
On the left, "Migrant", on the right, "Human being"

"Racism: Dead end"

Summer is Officially Over

I’ve been here a week and a half now and already the past summer seems so far away. Although there have been a few sunny days, it has mostly been rain and clouds so far, accompanied by a brisk wind. Autumn is my favorite season and I can smell its approach every time I step out the door. However, no autumn can compare to those in Vermont and I will dearly miss the strength that autumn blows in with, overwhelming all the senses. However, there are plenty of trees in my neighborhood and hopefully they will suffice. And thankfully, we will definitely be visiting a dacha (country house) sometime later this month. Russian dachas are wonderful and I would feel absolutely starved of nature without a few visits.

My classes here have yet to begin. I have taken an exam that will place me in appropriately challenging Russian courses and my first class on the Russian arts will take place tomorrow. I will also be receiving a list of courses outside of the international students faculty that I might be interested in, such as courses in politics and history.

As I have been to Moscow before, I have already visited many of the normal tourist sites. However, there are some events in the past week that stand out. On the evening of the 2^nd, we went to a show on Red Square, of military tattoos, from all around the world. It was quite impressive, especially when the last Russian tattoo was accompanied by a light show on St. Basils Cathedral.

We also went to the Pushkin Museum, where there was a pre-Raphaelite exhibit. I love the aesthetics of pre-Raphaelite paintings and was pleased to have the opportunity to see some of them in person.

            I also had my first tutoring session on Tuesday. My tutee, Fedya, is 12 years old and a really great kid. Teaching English will be an interesting challenge for me, in addition to being a steady source of income.

Everything has gone great so far and I honestly don’t have any complaints. The little details that make up my days always seem so bright. Just this morning, as I walked past the kindergarten near my apartment building, I saw a little boy in the tree next to the fence. Right as I walked by, he fell out of the tree! I went over and asked if he was ok (in Russian, of course) and he began to cry and ran away. His mother was not far, packing something into the car with her little girl in tow. I told her that the boy had fallen and turned to keeping walking, but she called after me “Girl!” so I went back.

She wanted to know what he landed on when he fell, but I’m horrible with body vocabulary in Russian, so I apologized, saying I didn’t know enough Russian. Then, she asked me in English! Honestly, her English was fantastic and I’m so glad she spoke it, else I would have felt like a jerk for not being helpful. She decided not to bring the boy to the doctor, since he did not fall on his head.

I feel so at home in my apartment with my host mom and dog, but the next nine months seem so unbelievable. I just can’t comprehend such a long span of time! Though, I’m sure that once I reach the end, it will seem as if these months have flown by.