Sunday, October 9, 2011

The kindergarten just exploded... no big deal

I can’t believe how fast the time is flying! It is already October 9! Time is seriously flying! I don't know what to do with myself! I am seriously loving Russia! :) No, I would never ever want to permanently reside here, but 4 months I think might be the perfect length. I think I would enjoy it a lot more if I understood more of their culture and language. It is hard to understand their way of life when I can't understand really anything! But my host family has been nothing but kind, and our coordinators are very kind, plus all the ward members are so friendly! 
Ps-There is a completely different atmosphere from the Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sanits and then people on the streets. The members are full of light and happiness. I love them!! :) They are living such hard lives, but yet take time and try to live a life patterned after the Savior!
So I do like Russia, it is just very different- but I knew that when I was signing up!

So here is how this week panned out 
Monday: I was teaching arts and crafts this week and it was a lot of fun! The kids really cute! :) After a day of teaching we headed to Family Home Evening (FHE) with the missionaries. We love the missionaries! Being a missionary in Russia is very different than being a missionary in the United States. The rules are rules, but a lot are guidelines! Like the fact that we have FHE with all the missionaries probably wouldn't happen in the states, but it is Russia, and things have to be different! Which is the great thing about this church, it serves all kinds of members! So FHE is consisting of a lesson and then a game. This week we played this awesome game where you have a tie a tie around your head- here is an action shot with Jallyn, Sister Kuessling, and Elder Jones.  

 INTENSE!
Then we played "Mix up the fruit basket" which is kind of like "do you love your neighbor" Here is a picture from that:
 Ryan listing fruits
Then after FHE the security guard and the missionaries took us on a field trip to the basement. There we saw the baptismal font :) and then even lower in the basement is a statue of Lenin's head. I have a picture with me and it, but I think I will be smart and not post it on here! We have no idea why it is there, but it is just chilling in the creepy part of the basement with all the spiders!
 The font is so cute! In the Summer they get baptized in a nearby river!

Then on Tuesday nothing remotely exciting happened. It has been raining a lot, in the morning this was my wonderful view!
 My window has the best views!

 Here is Nastia again, I just can't help myself- she is so so so so adorable. She had french braided pig tails, and the dress is really of Hello Kitty prints! :) 
Then Tuesday night I went on a walk with Ilena! It was me, her, Vasya, and then another friend. We went on the bridge again and we saw a frog! I had to get my pic with it! (Yes I am sporting my BYU football hoodie!)
 Wednesday was Daniel's день рождения! So I decided to make him an American cake. It turned out okay, but I mean there is differently processed foods here, a different altitude, and Celsius oven so it turned out a bit funky, but it was good. My family made a huge deal about it. My mom was like "Oh it is so so good, oh it so so good" and my grandpa ate 2 pieces. But I could tell they thought it was weird! Their cakes usually consist  of a lot of whipped cream throughout the entire cake and little cake. Ilena and my babushka didn't eat any because they don't eat after 6! Ilena seriously doesn't eat hardly anything. But after 6 they refuse to eat-only a cup of tea. I have heard it in America not eating after 9... but 6? WOW! They have some serious hard-core will power. I have none of that! So that is why I am a blob and Ilena is a toothpick. (There is nothing to her).   
 Daniel got this awesome scooter for this birthday, and then he got a phone!
 So this is what the cake looked like after I came home from work. Daniel had been a little squirrel and picked at it because he wanted to taste it- Bahahah it totally made me laugh really hard, I had to take a picture!
 Happy Birthday Daniel!!!
This is my entire Voronezh Family! :) They are so good to me! Language barrier is so difficult... and not my favorite, I wish we spoke the same language, but they are great!
Thursday was an interesting day... So Jared, one of the head honchos of ILP visited our school to see how teaching was going. We are doing out opening routine, and then all the sudden the lights go out in the kindergarten! So unexpectedly! We didn't really know what to do... so we kept on singing songs. 
Then all of the sudden we hear this huge crash and see a spark of light in the room next to us. 
I guess what happened it  there was a short in the power, and it caused the light to pop out of the ceiling and took a lot of ceiling with it! It also smelled like burning electricity. It was so scary! I thought the whole ceiling was going to collapse. But luckily it didn't! :) it was chaos for a while, but we got everything back to normal!
 This is a pic of the ceiling after it collapsed. Our joke for the day was "The kindergarten just exploded... no big deal!"
We calmed the kids down and had regular class and everything was great!
 Russians love their braids on little girls. Here are the 3 best friends. Liza, Dasha, and Paulina! If only I could braid like that!
 Everyone gives Jared a hard time because he is taller beyond all reason, I had to join the fun!
Then on Friday was a normal teaching day! We were so happy for the weekend. We get about 1 new kid a week and so it is very difficult because they are scared (this is like their first school experience), and no one speaks their language, and everything is new, and they are young. So this week we had about 3 new kids and it was draining. After teaching I went to volleyball, but I seriously am so bad, so I just sat and talked to Sister Kuessling who is from Paris, France. She speaks French, English, and Russian. :) She is amazing and I love her!

Saturday is our party day! We ate at.... get ready for it....
BARak O'Mama's. Bahahahahahahaahahahahahahaha yes... there is only one of these in the world and it is in Voronezh called BARak O'Mamas! They serve American food and Mexican food! So funny! It is a bar and cafe.
 How could we not go there?!?!?
The menu was so funny and just was in English and Russian. So the English had some awesome translations! Shrimps, Sundays, Pastes were all on the menu! 
 Here is the group! :)
 I know this looks pathetic for all of you in America. Haha 8 chips covered in cheese, but it was DELICIOUS! I miss mexican food so much! I devoured every bite! It was so delicious. Others got cheeseburgers, quesadillas, and sandwiches and said they were equally tasty!
Then we went to the park and waited there until the ballet started!
This is Mikaela, me, and Sami at the park. Everything in this picture is Russian including all the pounds that I have accumulated since I have been here! ;)
 Then we went to the Nutcraker. It was fabulous! We loved it so much!!! It was colorful, happy, and well done! Ballets in Voronezh are only 9 dollars, compared to Moscow (which is world famous) which costs about $250! But the nutcraker was amazing :) I can't wait for Christmas time!
Then this is us waiting for bus 90 to take us back to the left bank! I LOVE MY GROUP!
Then what comes after Saturday?!?!?!
SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Our groups favorite day! :) WE LOVE SUNDAYS!
So this morning I got up and walked to my bus stop (it is about 7 minutes away) and then got on a bus. I then got off at Jallyn's stop. We then walked to church! :) Supposedly today is the last warm day in Voronezh :( So we wanted to take full advantage of it :) It was a wonderful walk and wonderful company. The church is about a 30 minute walk from Jallyn's stop. 
Our group met at the church. While me and Jallyn waited for the other members of our group to come, we sat outside. Some of the members of the branch were walking up to the church and just said "good morning" and smiled and were just amazing people! There is this guy from Uzbekistan who is a convert, and he just smiles and beams and always talks to us even though there is limited understanding. :) It is a wonderful place with wonderful people!
Then our group headed to the Frost's to watch the Sunday Session of conference! :)   
 Listening to conference!
 We all LOVE PRESIDENT MONSON!
 We love the Frosts! Like Elder Holland's talk in Priesthood session, couples should serve missions. There 2 people have changed my life and the lives of so many Russian members. The members just adore Elder and Sister Frost. Elder and Sister Frost are actually the Humanitarian Directors for ALL of Russia... talk about a call! They have impacted my life. Please thing about serving a mission, the world needs you!
Yummy lunch in between sessions!
 ribs, rice, salad, beans..... YUM!
 Luke and Jallyn!
 Me and Tessa!
 These girls are so cute! Mikaela was finding a scripture to tell Ryan to cut his beard- Bahaha
 Elder Frost is always so jolly!
 Ryan finding a scripture to rebuttal Mikaela's scripture!

Basically the day was wonderful! Wonderful company, wonderful words from our leaders, just an awesome day. Then we ate homemade carrot cake for dessert- and this is what happens when you give cake to ILP kids:
2 pieces left, i think there was only 1 left by the time we left- we like our food! :)

I am so grateful for this experience. I have learned so much and constantly am learning!
Ps- I love general conference :) 
Thank you (or spasebo....or "spaceebs" if you are Elder Jones) for your prayers, interest, and support. I am so grateful to all of you!
Take care-
Until next week!

:) Smile :)


No comments:

Post a Comment