Well I have so much to write so I will try to get it all in!
So I left my parents and sibs (Morgan and Jake) and got in the security line of the airport.
(Last Name pun!)I was so nervous, I was a lost sheep with 1 hour of sleep. Yes, Yes i was! I got through security just fine and found my terminal just fine. I met a bunch of girls from ILP (www.ilp.org) who were all on my same flight. A lot of them were traveling and staying in Moscow but I am teaching in Voronezh. So it was comforting to know this was all new to all of us! 1 girl and 1 guy on my flight were going to Voronezh with me (Sami and Ryan).
Well I got on the flight to DC. I was so lucky! I had the window seat on the plane, and no one in the middle or the end. The sleep situation was very good!
(Beautiful!)The flight was 4 hours and went fairly quickly! We arrived in Washington DC and had a 2-3 hour layover. We just talked and sat- nothing to exciting.
Our plane actually was delayed and we are thankful because we missed the earthquake because of that. Yes Heavenly Father is watching out for us J
Well the plane ride to Moscow was not like the first. Yes I was sandwiched between a grandma (бабушка) and an older gentleman. The babushka was really friendly and spoke about as much English as I did Russian (Basically not much) We didn’t speak each other’s language very well but, we did communicate. We talked about family and why we were traveling. It was such a cool experience! The Older gentlemen grew up in Russia but has lived in Tennessee for 22 years. His English was flawless. We talked about his childhood, Russia, Tennessee, Utah, Mormons (He informed me that mormons don’t drink and have many wives.) I informed him that it is true that we don’t drink, but we don’t have many wives, I am not sure he entirely believed me ;) But I tried. He also wanted to know the difference between Mormons and Catholics and I explained about the priesthood and how it is God’s power here on earth, the restoration of the gospel and how the gospel had been taken off the earth but had been restored by Joseph Smith, baptism and how it is by immersion because that is what the scriptures teach, and the godhead being separate beings but one in purpose. He said that he was very impressed that I knew so much and wasn’t just believing because my parents had told me so, but he also said “What is the fun if you can’t drink and have many wives” haha Oh Russians!
I really knew I was sitting with 2 Russians when the babushka ordered tea and the older guy ordered 3 small bottles of red wine and 2 cups of black coffee! Haha the babushka thought it was weird I didn’t drink tea. Yes I am a Latter-Day Saint J
Well the plane ride was only 9-10 hours and so the whole plane ride (Both DC and Moscow) was a total of 14 hours, not the 24 I was planning!!! MUCH BETTER!! I don’t think I could have done 1 more!!!! THey fed us a tortilini dinner, roll, water, salad, and a granola chewy! For breakfast they fed us yogurt and banana bread (YUM!) But it was weird eating dinner at like 4pm SLC time and then breakfast at like 12 am SLC time when it is really 10 am Moscow time! haha
We arrived in Moscow and we got our baggage (One of our girls was missing a piece of luggage :( Poor girl!!).
Here is me after many hours of attempted sleep and lack of cleanliness!
We then went through customs, yeah I didn’t know what I was doing. A girl named Ileena was waiting there. She is 19 years old and speaks a little English. She helped us exchange money and bought our train tickets. While we waited for our train, we ate Sbarro Pizza (Сбарро пицца).
Haha I CANNOT speak Russian. I was buying my head teachers lunch as well with separate money, so I tried to tell them I needed it on separate plates. Hahaha Finally I got it, but My Russian was terrible. Since we only speak English and were clueless I heard them talking about us Americans in Russian… haha Whoops! This was the crowning moment when I realized that Russian was not what I have studied for 3 semesters!
Then we went to the bathroom. I took a picture for you because I am such a nerd!
RUSSIAN AIRPORT
TOILET.
Well there are 8 of us in the group and I feel so lucky because each one is amazing! We all get along and it is so much fun! I love my group a lot!
We then got on a train which was to take us to the bus stop. 
Then we got off and loaded a bus.
Man I wish it was that easy!! Here is our bus situation
1. Some of our group didn't have wheels on their luggage and to we had to carry 50 pound bags by the handle
2. People like me had 2 bags with wheels, but my carry-on also had wheels, and a backpack, so it was almost impossible to carry all the bags at once
3. Our train left in 40 minutes and we had a ways to walk
So that was the story. We would carry some and then rest, Then some would go ahead, and 1/2 wait with the luggage and 1/2 run back and carry more. This was all on the streets of Moscow with Russians looking at us very oddly, yes I know we stood out!
PS- about 95% of Russian women wear killer high heels and dress up- it is so true, It was the most fascinating people watching I have ever seen (and I am sure the Russians thought likewise Bahaha) Ileena was an angel and carried so much heavy baggage. She was our hero! So we finally got to the bus exhausted, dehydrated, sweating, and very stinky.
We, NO LIE, reach the bus stop at 3:58 the bus leaves at 4!!! The driver takes one look at us and our luggage and says there is not enough room. Poor Ileena doesn't know what to do because she is in charge of us! We had bought the tickets way ahead so they should have to let us on......
Well after about 10 minutes of tense air, the driver decides to do some maneuvering and gets all the big bags on. So we had to take our carry-ons with us and sit with them smashing us, BUT we didn't care- we were on the bus! It was glorious when we found out that we would be able to go on that bus!
These are pics from the bus and street. Haha The Stop sign "СТОП" ( i knew I was in Russia)
Well the bus ride is the scariest thing I have done! I sat in the VERY VERY front. And so after about 20 minutes of thinking I was going to die, I decided not to watch!
Well the bus ride is the scariest thing I have done! I sat in the VERY VERY front. And so after about 20 minutes of thinking I was going to die, I decided not to watch!
People would pull out at odd angles, and we would stop about 3 centimeters from hitting any car! You would fall asleep but a big bump on the road would throw you awake! It was quite the experience. At the 5 minute breaks we would take, I would say that 75% of the people on the bus would get out and smoke! No I am not in Utah anymore! And the toilets are not like American pit stop toilets, they are just a building you go around and pee at… No I couldn’t convince myself to use one, I used the one that you had to pay 10 Rubles! (like $.33) It was nothing special but it had stalls, tp, and soap! (Ps- no bathrooms have hand towels, they are all dryers)
Well after much attempted sleep in a crammed seat on a bumpy bus, we arrived 8 hours later to Voronezh. I went home with my mom Zhena (I think that is how you say it) and Ilena (the girl who picked us up and took us on the bus) and then my 9-year old brother Daniel. It was around 1:30 AM Moscow time. I came home and made when they asked me for food, made the mistake of saying yes. After I got out of the shower (the shower had little water pressure and was warm, but it felt nice to clean up) They had warmed me up the biggest bowl of Borsht I’ve ever seen! Plus a chicken sandwhich, plus grapes, plus hot chocolate. I was not that hungry, and I ate a lot, but didn’t even but a dent in it, so I felt bad that they had to waste the food!
Well after much attempted sleep in a crammed seat on a bumpy bus, we arrived 8 hours later to Voronezh. I went home with my mom Zhena (I think that is how you say it) and Ilena (the girl who picked us up and took us on the bus) and then my 9-year old brother Daniel. It was around 1:30 AM Moscow time. I came home and made when they asked me for food, made the mistake of saying yes. After I got out of the shower (the shower had little water pressure and was warm, but it felt nice to clean up) They had warmed me up the biggest bowl of Borsht I’ve ever seen! Plus a chicken sandwhich, plus grapes, plus hot chocolate. I was not that hungry, and I ate a lot, but didn’t even but a dent in it, so I felt bad that they had to waste the food!
Then I went to bed, and slept very very well!
Here is Russian Harry Potter!
Like I said Ilena speaks some English and is the main translator for us. My host mom speaks VERY little English and Daniel speaks little english as well. This is so much motivation. If I want to communicate, I have to speak Russian. Tonight we had a pretty good understanding of each other, but I had my Russian-English dictionary out and we had to speak very slow and very simple. It was so good though! I really enjoyed it, and and going to spend time working on it, it is so worth it!
Well Ilena walked me to the school today, it is only a 10 minute walk which is nice. We then explored the school and went to our head teacher's apartment. After that, a 14 year old girl names Zhenya took us to the inner-city of Voronezh across the lake. We went on a very stinky HOT bus. It was around 20 minutes and cost 9 rubles. Cheap!
We then looked at monuments, and ate at a fast-food place. Zhenya's english is almost perfect and she has no accent, she helped us order everything and get around, it was very helpful! Here is some of down-town Voronezh
|This is Jallyn who I adore, and then that is Zhenya who is our awesome tour guide!
So then we headed back to Tessa’s apartment and relaxed! Ahhh! Well that about sums it up!
I am happy and healthy. I ate so much Russian food again for Dinner, my host mom is an incredible cook. We had cucumber and tomato salad, ribs, grapes, and a chicken sandwich (Which is very deluxe looking) and peach juice to drink.
It is now 1:30 am and I have stuff still to do, but I am very happy! J I am taken well care of. Things are very very different, but I am ready to learn new things!
Thanks for your interest!
Ps- Mom I love you very very much! I know you are worried about me, but I will be very fine! J
also, this is the first Russian Cat I found just for you. I stopped out whole group to take a picture of it!! :) It looks Russian... no? LOVE YOU ALL!!!
Kelsee- From Voronezh Russia!
Wow Kelsee! That IS amazing it's only been a couple of days. You are going to have an amazing experience there. And, I was so happy about your missionary experience. :) I keep thinking about the fact that this is such good preparation for a mission. (I'm also thinking about how much I am jealous.) Have a lot of fun! Can't wait to see your updates on here!
ReplyDeletewooo for girls named Alix! not Alex.
ReplyDelete