Throughout my experience in Russia so far, there is one thing I have learned over and over again. Expect the unexpected! Every day has been a new adventure, and nothing has happened how I anticipated. From the language barrier, the icy cold, how busy I am, and how out-of-control my students are, it is so different than I could have imagined.
I knew there would be a language barrier, but it's not really something you think about when you're going to be in a foreign country. For some reason, I just thought that I'd be able to communicate with people. But, it doesn't happen. I end up playing a LOT of charades and end up looking like an idiot. I guess I thought people would be able to understand me, because my egotistical self feels like every body in the world should know English. Well, they don't. And sometimes, I feel like if I speak louder and slower, they'll understand me. Trust me, it doesn't work. :) This is a learning experience for sure!
I hate the cold. Hate, hate, HATE it! I found myself questioning why the heck I signed up to move to Russia, of all places in the world. If I had my way, I would live in Utah until November and then move to Florida or California for the winter. I hate wearing coats, but I love wearing jackets and especially cardigans. I myself thought I was crazy for moving to Russia in the middle of the winter, but it just felt like the best decision for me to go. So I came, and I thought that the cold would be... cold, but not a big deal. Holy cow. I was wrong. It is a frozen wonderland here. When I go outside, I wear my fleece-lined nylons, leggings, thermals, and then pants, and within minutes am STILL cold!! I knew I'd be cold, but I never anticipated this. I love being here, but I am so excited for the snow to melt. And to think, my head teacher, Sarah, told me that it's even coldER in St. Petersburg. Oh, the horror...
I only teach from 4:00 - 5:30 Monday - Thursday and 9:30 - 11:30 on Fridays. Before I left, I thought, "Holy crap! I'm going to have so much free time, whatever will I do with all my time?" So I bought lonnnng books (the unabridged Les Miserables, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Great Expectations) so I could have something to do with all my down time. I have not had a moment to really breathe since getting here. Every weekend we're in the city all day long, church is a 7 hour excursion on Sunday, we have a University class we teach Monday morning that takes up most of our day, culture classes, language class, group meetings, and teaching. All this adds up to hardly any time leftover in the day, and the extra time I do have I spend with my roommates, watching silly shows or talking about the good looking Russian boys. :)
As for my students... they are all wonderful individually. But collectively? That's an entirely different story. My children literally punch each other, scream, run around in circles, climb on top of the piano and jump off it, rip up my art projects into shreds, kick me, bully the little ones, and don't pay attention to a word I say. Of course, they don't understand a word I say. But it's hard to get a lesson in when there is not even a little bit of discipline. So yes, this has been a struggle. Definitely much different than I imagined.
Does it sound like I'm complaining? I'm totally not meaning to. I just want you readers to know that things don't always happen how you'd like or how you imagine. But, in the end, it's actually better! Yes, a lot of things have gone wrong, but I am so incredibly happy here. I am having an amazing experience, and I don't think I could be doing anything better with my life right now. It is a challenge, but I can conquer it and I know that I can do amazing things. I have promised myself that I will smile always, no matter what is going on there is always something I can smile about. I am so happy to be here, and I know these next few months will be some of the greatest, most memorable times of my life.
I knew there would be a language barrier, but it's not really something you think about when you're going to be in a foreign country. For some reason, I just thought that I'd be able to communicate with people. But, it doesn't happen. I end up playing a LOT of charades and end up looking like an idiot. I guess I thought people would be able to understand me, because my egotistical self feels like every body in the world should know English. Well, they don't. And sometimes, I feel like if I speak louder and slower, they'll understand me. Trust me, it doesn't work. :) This is a learning experience for sure!
I hate the cold. Hate, hate, HATE it! I found myself questioning why the heck I signed up to move to Russia, of all places in the world. If I had my way, I would live in Utah until November and then move to Florida or California for the winter. I hate wearing coats, but I love wearing jackets and especially cardigans. I myself thought I was crazy for moving to Russia in the middle of the winter, but it just felt like the best decision for me to go. So I came, and I thought that the cold would be... cold, but not a big deal. Holy cow. I was wrong. It is a frozen wonderland here. When I go outside, I wear my fleece-lined nylons, leggings, thermals, and then pants, and within minutes am STILL cold!! I knew I'd be cold, but I never anticipated this. I love being here, but I am so excited for the snow to melt. And to think, my head teacher, Sarah, told me that it's even coldER in St. Petersburg. Oh, the horror...
I only teach from 4:00 - 5:30 Monday - Thursday and 9:30 - 11:30 on Fridays. Before I left, I thought, "Holy crap! I'm going to have so much free time, whatever will I do with all my time?" So I bought lonnnng books (the unabridged Les Miserables, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Great Expectations) so I could have something to do with all my down time. I have not had a moment to really breathe since getting here. Every weekend we're in the city all day long, church is a 7 hour excursion on Sunday, we have a University class we teach Monday morning that takes up most of our day, culture classes, language class, group meetings, and teaching. All this adds up to hardly any time leftover in the day, and the extra time I do have I spend with my roommates, watching silly shows or talking about the good looking Russian boys. :)
As for my students... they are all wonderful individually. But collectively? That's an entirely different story. My children literally punch each other, scream, run around in circles, climb on top of the piano and jump off it, rip up my art projects into shreds, kick me, bully the little ones, and don't pay attention to a word I say. Of course, they don't understand a word I say. But it's hard to get a lesson in when there is not even a little bit of discipline. So yes, this has been a struggle. Definitely much different than I imagined.
Does it sound like I'm complaining? I'm totally not meaning to. I just want you readers to know that things don't always happen how you'd like or how you imagine. But, in the end, it's actually better! Yes, a lot of things have gone wrong, but I am so incredibly happy here. I am having an amazing experience, and I don't think I could be doing anything better with my life right now. It is a challenge, but I can conquer it and I know that I can do amazing things. I have promised myself that I will smile always, no matter what is going on there is always something I can smile about. I am so happy to be here, and I know these next few months will be some of the greatest, most memorable times of my life.
I'm so glad you are posting on this blog! And that really sounds like such a crazy experience! If one day you are at a loss of what to blog about, I would like to hear more details about all of these classes that you have to go to and stuff.
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