Finished with week 1 of teaching!

Well once again it is that time to update my blog!

It is so good to back in Voronezh! It really feels like home and it is such a privilege to live here! I was disappointed that I was sent to the Voronezh school at first. I wanted to be in Moscow or St. Peterburg. I was originally sent to a Moscow school, but I wouldn’t be living with a host family so I switched and Voronezh was one of the only areas. So I decided to make the switch. ---- One of the best decisions that I have made! 

I really have been sent to work with the most amazing people ever! They are so incredible! I absolutely love them all! We all are different, but that is what makes our group work! One persons weaknesses are another’s strengths!

Tessa- She is just incredible! She has her own lingo, and how we all are beginning to talk like her! She has been to China with ILP before and so she is our head teacher and gives us feedback and helps us! I feel SOO privileged to be in her group! We bonded over the Moscow Metros and that kind of bond can’t be broken! BEST HEAD TEACHER EVER!

Mikaela- She is so selfless, just last night she made us Blini! She was in the kitchen for 2 ½ hours just making our group food! Also she is hilarious and makes everyday lighthearted and fun! She always has the craziest stories and makes any awkward moment completely comfortable! Pretty sure she always makes me laugh! I pretty much copy everything Mikaela does, I even bought the same shirt as her in Moscow!

 

Alix- I’m not sure why she isn’t translated right now, because she is so sweet! She never thinks about herself and is always making sure everyone in the group is doing okay and just loving! She never gets mad and I am sure she gets frustrated (I mean she is teaching the 14-yr old boys…) you don’t even know it. She never complains! She is just a bundle of sweetness!

Ryan- Ryan is quite the character! He went from being very quiet to opening up to all of us! Seriously I don’t think my day would be complete without some weird obscure comment from him! Usually if there is silence going on, Ryan will always just say something completely random and make us all laugh, and normally it is an obscure movie quote that NOBODY has even heard of! He’s a great asset to the group!

(ps-Ryan's rules say things like "no happy thoughts")

Jallyn- She is the best person ever! She is so talented at everything she does and is such a good listener! I really enjoy spending time with her- she is very silly! She works so hard and she also always thinks of others! Whenever I hang out with Jallyn I usually cry because I am laughing so hard! She is the best!

Then in kindergarten where I teach I work with Luke and Sami

Luke- Haha Luke is our comic relief! He is so so so random but very funny! He manages to get in almost every picture! He says the funniest things and it is so much fun to be his partner in kindergarten! Luke is also very talented and very creative and a great teacher! He also is very good with hair and pretty sure he has braided all the girls’ hair at one point in time! Probably one of the funniest people I know- you can’t be sad when you around Luke!

  

Sami- She will make a wonderful teacher one day! She is very dedicated to the work and is a very hard worker! She always has random dreams that are VERY CRAZY and make us all laugh! She is very fun to be around and I feel very privlidged to be able to work in the kindergarten with her! She keeps me sane! I am very grateful for her and all her wonderful ideas! She is a wonderful person!

So those are my “co-workers”, we all eat lunch at the school at 1 o’clock and that is our comic relief! We always end up crying from laughing- it is what we need!

So yes, teaching has began! This is definitely going to be the deciding factor if I want to be a teacher! My schedule is something like this Monday-Friday:

Usually I get up around 7:30, then I eat breakfast and shower (ps-they don’t have a shower curtain, and so I have yet to find out how to take a shower and not get everything soaked!) and then I have the morning to read scriptures, study the language, read, or do whatever…

and I know that that does sound perfect, but I haven’t been that diligent or strict and so I have been lazy and sleep a lot more, but strictness in the schedule is being put into place this coming week! I must remember temperance in all things, and so I am kind of dreading it, but I know it is SO IMPORTANT to make good habits at the beginning! Then I leave for school at 10:30am. It is about a 10-15 minute walk. It is not bad at all, however, it has been rainy and so my shoes are very dirty and the bottom of my pants. I now understand why we can’t wear shoes in the house. We also have to wear slippers at the school. 

Then I arrive at school and plan lessons, laugh with the group, and get ready for the day. Then at 1:00 we all eat food that a local elementary school cafeteria has prepared. It is usually a chicken cheese soup of some sort, then some kind of meat, bread, and sometimes fruit. It is really good! I always feel very full! The only bad thing is that they don’t give us water, so I bring water from home, but once I drink it all, it is all the water for the day. Once again I AM THANKFUL FOR DRINKING FOUNTAINS, and will never take them for granted ever again! :)

Then I have 2 hours to finish preparing and then the kids come. Luke, Sami, and I teach 2 different groups. The first group of kids is from 3-5 and we do opening together and then separate the group into 2 separate ones. So I teach twice and have a break. 

Then from 5-7 we usually split into 3 groups and so I teach 3 times with no break. The classes have an average of 4 kids in them. The kids are about 3-6 in age

The kids are very very cute! Check out these legit Russian names:
Paulina, Dasha, Fedya, Varomir, Varoslav, Vanya, Lira, Tomosha, Nastia, Atrium, Matvey, Liza! Haha and most of the boys have legit mullets! Bahahaha! 

 Dasha, Liza, and me!

They are really sweet though! There is this boy Daniel who gives us hugs and is the sweetest boy ever! I am tempted to take him back to America with me- He is the one that especially makes it worth it! He also dresses very nice and is ADORABLE! He always asks for his “token bag”, and it sounds like “Chicken bone”

Nastia is our coordinators daughter and she is  2 ½ years old. OH. MY. Goodness! The cutest girl I have ever seen in my life! I really will take her home with me! Okay not really- but seriously her laugh is the deep belly laugh and it is so cute! She makes me very happy!

 Yes, this is Nastia. Yes, I want to take her home with me!

Then we have the crazy kids who have LIMITLESS energy! Yuroslav is CRAZY! But he constantly makes me laugh!

Week one went okay- good for week one! Sami, Luke, and I were SOOOOOOOOO exhausted after every day, but luckily I get a lot of sleep. At the end of the week, there was much rejoicing. I am hoping that I will get the hang of it soon!   

So my host mom works at the school and so then I drive home with her, and then I eat dinner, and then spend time with the family.Sometimes we walk, other times I will just go and read. 

I am so grateful for this experience- really I can’t say that enough. I love waking up and being in Voronezh! It is a beautiful city and it is such a neat experience. I am hoping to pick up the language. 

I know I talk about the branch here, but I can’t help it… it is so amazing! The members are very strong and so friendly. The streets of Russia are kind of dismal and dirty, but at church the people always greet us and are awesome! Their testimonies are so strong and I feel their love! The missionaries (and sometimes members) translate Sacrament Meeting, then we go to English Sunday School which is taught by the Missionary Couple (The Frosts). Then we go to Relief Society- and I played the piano again! I am glad to share my talents, and I am glad that music is universal!

Sunday is seriously my favorite day! I walk down the street a ways and then get on a bus (I have a list of busses that I can take) and these busses are quite the experience. They are usually crowded and dirty and sometimes you have to stand! It costs about $0.33 to ride the bus one way. Then I have to watch for the blue church and get off 2 stops after that. Then I walk some more and make it to church. It took me a total of 25 minutes, so that is not bad at all! It is on the same side of the bank of the river as I am.

I wish everyone could come to the Voronezh Branch! Pretty sure everyone’s testimonies would be strengthened! I also went to choir practice, and the spirit was there!

My host family is so loving and great to me! Seriously I love Ilena so much and can’t wait till the next life when we really speak the same language! She speaks very well, but I have to speak slowly and sometimes we don’t understand each other. But it is good! Daniel is really goofy and me and my host family are finally understanding each other and things have gone well. I know Heavenly Father is helping me so much! I love having the gospel. I can’t imagine a life without it!

 My Voronezh Mother Zhana

 My Voronezh sister, and 1/16 of my face!

 Me, Ilena, and Vasya rode the merry-go-round at the park... pretty sure I was going to throw-up!

Also being in Voronezh has made me humble in the fact that it is so important for me to be an example to the Church here. This city is about the population size of SLC and there is 1 small branch. That means that pretty much everyone that I associate with does not know about Jesus Christ. Then there is me, and I have the knowledge. I am so so blessed and I need to make sure that I treasure is as the special gift that it is. I hope that you feel the same way. Seeing that the people who do now know they have a Heavenly Father and a savior, and knowing that I do- I must not treat it lightly ever. I know it is such a privilege and I am very thankful for the knowledge. I hope that I start acting more like I know!! I am so grateful for Sunday to help remind me of that!

The food here is very very good! I am not sure why people think it is bland, because none of mine has been- although there is dill in everything! Also they eat so much sugar for breakfast! Today I had cereal similar to coco puffs, cookies, and this cheesecake chocolate thing… talk about not healthy! 

Here is dinner I had the other day (chicken, pasta, and meat blini)

Oh and milk comes in packages... not cartons, it is very weird!

My father gave me the advice “Love the people, and they will love you” and that is very good advice and have found that it is so true! The Russian people are very incredible! It is so interesting to watch these people living their lives. The babushkas always having millions of bags and wear awesome socks! There are always a million military students walking the streets (I live right next to the military school). And then pretty much everyone smokes. 

The view from my window is amazing, even is the weather is poopy, it hasn’t gotten me down!

I miss you all and would love to hear about your lives, please send me an e-mail (kelseeg@hotmail) or a facebook message.

Ps- kids here love peanut butter, and they don’t even sell it here, and if they do, it is like $10 a jar! I am going to miss reeces so much! I have almost finished my bag! NOOOOO!!!!  Hahaha

Also this week is celebrating city day 425 years! Yay Voronezh!

That is all!

TAKE CARE!
oh also at church 9/11 was brought up. My heart goes out to all those who have suffered.
---Kelsee