have you heard there's a rumor in moscow (lol get it)

Hello! 
I have been in such a good mood lately because the sun is out and it's getting warmer. I have been wearing my short coat, and sometimes not even a coat or jacket at all and it makes me so happy. There are flowers popping up and AHHHH. I love spring. 
Okay, anyway. 

UPDATES: 

Abby and I went inside St. Basils Cathedral, which is the really famous one on Red Square. It has nine or ten different cathedrals inside. I have seen so many cathedrals, but I love looking at them because all of them are so different. Some are active, so we have to wear scarves on our heads. St Basils is more of a museum though. We met some Americans there! I saw a guy wearing a Park City Utah hoodie, and I didn't think there was any way a Russian would get their hands on something like that, so I asked him where he was from. He was from Utah, and goes skiing in Park City. Him and his wife were here visiting their friends who work at the U.S. Embassy here. They were very nice. It's always fun to find other English speakers. Sometimes I hear it, but it doesn't sound real because I hear Russian everywhere I go lol. 

For conference weekend, those of us in my group who wanted to all got together to watch it together. The first session was at 7 pm for us, so we all brought some snacks and squished onto two twin beds. After the first session, some of us walked to a nearby market to stock up again, and as we were headed to check out, one of my favorite moments in Russia occurred. A guy came up to us and was talking to us in Russian, something to the extent of "Girls, my friend here thinks you are pretty, and he wants your number" or something along those lines. We told him the Russian word for English, which usually people understand that we speak only English and they either walk away, or continue to speak in Russian. But this guy says, "No, Russian!" In Russian of course. And we all died, because he thought we were asking if he was English, but we were telling him we only speak English lol. Hilarious. The next morning, we all got up and we headed to a cool old cathedral at a metro stop nearby. There was a huge tour group there, so we just sneaked in with all the cute old people lol. We also got some food at a Georgian restaurant at another metro stop. We almost didn't find it, but I'm glad we did, because it was so good. I got khachapuri, which bread filled with cheese pretty much. On the English menu, it said "tsar-style," and I like trying new foods, so I ordered that. It was just normal khachapuri, with a slice of thick, melted cheese on top lol. No regrets. After that, we walked to a place that Gulya had told us about. It's called Art Play, and it's just this complex with restaurants, hang outs, museums, and schools for the arts. Super cool place. We just walked around for a bit and explored, and then headed home. 

We went inside the Kremlin on Saturday. Kremlin means fortress, and the entire city of Moscow used to be inside the Kremlin, which is crazy.This is where Putin's office is. He flies there by helicopter. There are a few churches inside of course, and some other official buildings. The Tsar Bell, the huge bell that is broken, is there, as well as some old cannons that are super cool. We got there in time to get front row seats for the military parade, which was fun. It was super squished, but it was fun. Anyway we explored the churches, and then a few of us went to a Mexican restaurant, which I had been CRAVING. We went separate ways after that. I went to the mall with J and Abagail, cause I wasn't ready to go home lol. We got Burger King, which is ten thousand times better here than it is in America. And then shopped for a bit. I got a dress and a necklace. 

Mara's parents came to visit her, and they had an open invite for dinner on Thursday night. I wanted to go, because 1) they were paying 2) mom hugs 
But we went and it was so fun! Her parents are super nice. By the time we were done with dinner, our bus had stopped running, so we planned on getting a taxi. I was determined to figure it out by myself, so I tried one but he said he was busy. There was one by our bus stop, so I talked to him, and it was a little pricey, and I didn't care, so we went for it. Not gonna lie, it was a little sketchy.  It was this nice old Russian man, and he spoke a little English so he talked to us a little bit. I followed us on the map, just to make sure we were really going home just to be safe. But we made it home okay! So it's okay! Don't worry Mom. 

We had our spectacle today for our kindergartners. They did so good! We worked super hard with them, and I was so excited for it! We also learned part of a Russian song to sing after their performance, because it is tradition. Their school has an English Day, and each class presents a song or a story in English. So we did our little show, and then they did their things with their classes. IT WAS SO CUTE IM SO PROUD OF THEM. It was a very rewarding day. Also nailed the Russian song. We also had an Easter party with our other school today, and that was super fun. All the kids decorated an egg, and we had everyone vote for their favorite. Abby and I decorated eggs too. We decorated bunny cookies with them, played games, and had them color paper eggs. The winner of the egg competition was this cutie named Anna, and she had made her egg into a unicorn. Some of the other kids were sad they didn't win, but I loved all the eggs. And it was fun to have a break from our normal lessons, and just be with the kids. 
Also today- 
my host family at 5 pm: do you want lunch
me: yes
my host family at 7 pm: do you want dinner 
me: yes

also yesterday i ate four ice creams in like twenty minutes. no regrets. half of one fell on the ground, so technically it was three and a half okay back off.


SAINT PETE'S 

I was singing Anastasia in my head the minute I got to Saint Petersburg. Our group all travelled there in groups, and kind of just did our own thing. But we were able to find a hostel with enough rooms for all eleven of us, so we all met up at night. Anyway, I travelled there by bus with Abby, Lauren, and Sarah. There was a mix up with our tickets, so we had to leave a little bit earlier than we were originally planning, but it all worked out. We all met at the metro station, and then tried to find where the bus stop was. We had a map, but we were super confused and tried to ask people but they were not helpful. Eventually we just walked over to what looked right, and this nice man helped us. We had to wait a little bit, because we got there so early in case there was any issues, and it was cold. But the bus stop was literally right next to the metro, so that was funny. The same man showed us when our bus would come and where to go, it was so nice. Our bus departed from Moscow at about 6:30 pm, and we were scheduled to get to Saint Pete's at 6 am ish. The bus was super nice actually. There was a teeny bathroom, outlets to charge our phones, and also complimentary hot chocolate, tea, and coffee. We stopped a few times on the way, which was good because my legs were super sore for some reason so it was nice to stretch my legs. Because my legs hurt, I didn't actually get much sleep on the bus. I tried, but I mostly just sat there with my eyes closed. I finally got some sleep after I listened to some music, and I slept for about an hour and a half, if that lol. We rolled into Saint Petersburg at 5 am. It was hilarious because I woke up and I asked Sarah if we were stopping again, and she said, "No I think we're here.." It was still dark and cold lol, and we were both so out of it. The bus driver must have been speeding or something. It was funny though because what do you do in a city you've never been to before, at 5 am, when the rest of your group doesn't arrive for another two hours?

We found a restaurant close that was open. We got some breakfast and changed our clothes. We hung out in the restaurant until we got a hold of our group and headed towards where they were at. But then plans changed a little bit, so we just headed straight to the city. We got metro tokens, and went to the main part of St. Pete's. We walked around and went inside bakeries because they looked amazing, and smelled amazing. We walked around St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is a stunning cathedral inside and out. When we went inside, there was a ceremony going on. There was a choir singing, and we could see the priest too. So cool. And so gorgeous. I bought a ring there, that says, "God save and keep me" in Russian. It looks like something straight out of Lord of the Rings. You can climb up to the top of St. Isaac's but I didn't have time, so I was sad about that, but it's okay. We met up with some girls from our group at the Hermitage Museum, which is inside the Winter Palace. It's that blue one, but not the one with the fountains, that is Peterhof Palace. We spent a few hours in the Hermitage, which we got into for free with our international student cards, btw. If you spent one minute looking at everything in that museum, it would take eight years apparently. Which is insane. It's a huge museum, and I loved walking through it. We got some lunch at this pizza and pasta place. I shared a pizza with Mara, that had gorgonzola cheese on it and mushrooms. It was 10/10. We walked around the city, and later got some snacks at a 24 hour market nearby our hostel. We had to wait for the key, so we ate outside. We hung out with our group at our hostel, and went to bed. 

The next morning, we got up and found a boat tour that would give us a discount. We were a little iffy with a tour at first cause it was a bit pricey, but a nice man took 200 rubles or so off for us. We told him we would come back in a few hours. We went to the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood next, which looks similar to St. Basils in Moscow. But the entire interior is decorated with mosaics, which is not like anything I have ever seen. It took my literal breath away. Absolutely one of my favorite things I've seen in Russia. We spent probably an hour in there, walking around with our jaws hanging wide open. Unfortunately, the top of it was under construction when we were there, but it's still so pretty outside too. We headed back to the canal for our boat trip. It was cold, but it was nice. It took us around the main sights of St. Petersburg. The tour was in Russian though, so we just sat and looked around not knowing what was being said lol. Love that. My travel group had booked a flight back to Moscow, so we rode the metro to the bus stop that would take us to the airport. But we couldn't find it so we just got a taxi lol. We got some dinner at the airport, and then waited until it was time to board. They had all of us sit in a waiting room, and then called us group by group to get on a bus. But since none of us speak Russian, we were some of the last to get on the bus cause we didn't know what was happening. We squished into a bus, which drove us to the plane. I've never boarded a plane that way so that was fun. The flight was only an hour or so, and I was so tired so I closed my eyes the whole time. We had a few options of getting home. We planned on taking the Aero Express train that would take us straight to Kievskaya metro stop, about twenty minutes away from our home metro stop. But when we got to the airport, we had just missed the ten o' clock train, and the next one didn't go until 11. We looked into taxis, and that was way cheaper so we went with that. He took us to Kievskaya, and then we rode to Molodozyna. Our host brother got Abby and I a taxi, and we went home. It was late, so I felt bad because they had to open the gate and the garage for us and put Rex away. But it's okay. 

EASTER SUNDAY
Easter was by far, one of my favorite days I've had here. I woke up, went to church, and then we planned on going to Kusovo Palace. It belonged to the rich Sheremetev family, and Catherine the Great came to see performances there. We got some snacks at a market (a common occurrence), and headed on our way. We had some fun adventures figuring out the bus that would take us in the right direction lol, but we eventually made it to the estate, and it was FREE. Always a win. We walked around, and despite most things being brown and dead, it was still pretty. I would love to see it in the summer when it's all green. There was a museum in one building that we walked through. And then there was the actual palace, where we had to wear giant slippers over our shoes to walk through. So pretty. We walked through bedrooms, a ballroom, sitting rooms, etc. It was very interesting. Afterwards, we laid by the lake for two hours, soaking in the sun, eating snacks, and just chatting. Some guys came to us and asked if we were speaking German, which we definitely were not lol. But they were nice, and we talked to them for a little bit. One was from Kazakstan I think? And I don't remember where the other one was from. And that one spoke very good English, the one from Kazakstan not so much. But that was fun. Kinda awkward, but fun I guess lol. They wanted our contact info, but we told them we were leaving in a few weeks, which is kind of true. After that, we headed home. It was one of my most favorite days. 

Also my host sister, Malika got a parakeet, and named it Leo. He's a cutie, and she is very protective of him. I rode bikes with her a few weeks ago, and it was so fun. The weather is so nice, and she likes to show us around. One time it was after it had rained, and I was so content. I just am thriving over here. 

We go on our two week trip starting this Saturday! Super stoked to explore Europe! I will write a blog post about it when I get back. It's so crazy, but when I get back to Moscow, I will have three more weeks of teaching, and then I'm done. (except i might stay for another two weeks. tbd. updates to come) 

Also my family GOT A DOG. HIS NAME IS BENTLEY AND I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET HIM. 

CUTE KID THINGS: 
-every time class ends, Polina says, "Nooooooooo!" and gives me a hug. she's a cutie 
-Natalya is in the kindergarten class, and she is the loudest singer. It's hilarious. 
-Platon is low key one of my favorite children, he is so freaking cute. He holds my hand sometimes and helps me carry things. 
-I saw one of my basic reading kids at Red Square on Saturday, AND on Sunday at the park when I was walking home lol. 
-Another one of basic reading kids, Roma, has started saying "spinky" whenever we sing a song, or when I ask him what the next word is on our reading list. He said it's English, so the other kids ask me what it is but I do not know so we just shrug 
-George is the troublemaker is my catch up class at Barvikha, but he was actually pretty good last week. This week.. not so much.. but I survived. He's grown on me a little bit though 
-After the spectacle today, Masha's mom told us that she loves our classes and thanked us for our hard work. My heart exploded I think 
-I had the kids sign my paper egg today at our Easter party, and my heart also exploded then too 

OKAY PICTURE OVERLOAD I'M SORRY BUT I'M ALSO NOT 

Platon <3 

tsar style lol

more of Platon sorry 

Dasha and Amalia with their cupcake liner fish 

Sveta with her cutie fish

UM OKAY BUT HE'S SO CUTE 

Saint Isaac's 

The Hermitage

Catherine the Great

Inside Saint Isaac's 

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

Inside the bloody church (way easier to say than the full name lol)

The Hermitage again

our group with some asians who wanted pics with us outside the bloody church

saint pete's. i love those pastel colors 

at the kremlin, this is putin's office

in front of the tsar bell

the square where we saw the military parade

one of the cathedrals in the kremlin

easter sunday at kusovo palace

a cutie old lady with purple hair 

this is the back of the palace. I didn't really get a good picture of the front 

The other Platon. He is hilarious. He's the one who changes his name like every day and it's always super long but I try to remember it for him. He's super creative as you can see with his empty tape roll on his face 

some of my catch up kids. that is george on the ground 

the hermitage again 

inside saint isaacs again 

march update lol

*my last post* 
"wow it's march"
*this post*
"it's april" 
So sorry it took me forever. 
But this post was a PAIN I TELL YOU. I started typing it three weeks ago, and when I went to update it, it was gone. So after getting over that devastating loss, I started typing it again last week, only to finish it right before the WiFi shut down, so this is now my third draft and I'm not super excited about that. This post will cover the month of March, so it's kind of a lot so if you make it to the end you're a true friend. I only proofread half of this because I was tired just a heads up 

-For Pancake Week/Women's Day weekend, our group went to three cities to celebrate. The first was Yoryev Polsky, which is a super small and old town. While we were there, I tried pelmeni (Russia's version of ravioli) for the first time, we saw a lot of cathedrals, and also slid down an ice hill lol. It was low key depressing, but I liked it. The second city was Suzdal, which was probably my favorite. There are no mountains there, so you can just see everything surrounding and it's so pretty. In Suzdal, we saw the Kremlin, ate blini aka pancakes, and shopped. There were a bunch of stands and stalls set up on the streets for the holiday. This is how Russia celebrates spring, and they have a ceremony where they burn a huge doll made out of hay, which I got to see. Afterwards, everyone was rubbing the soot on themselves and dancing. We danced but we didn't rub any soot on our faces lol. I bought a cashmere scarf for $8 and also a little giraffe because I'm obsessed with them. We also tasted some different flavors of a honey drink, and I don't remember them all, but there was honey with mint, honey with spices, and also honey with horseradish? Which surprisingly wasn't bad. We slept at a monastery that night, which was super cool, had blini for breakfast, and walked around a bit more before we headed to our last city. The last place we visited was Vladimir, where we went to the Golden Gate museum. The museum is located in the only preserved ancient city gate in Russia. They had a cool diorama that told the story of the Mongols invading Russia in the 13th century and they played the reading in English for us. We got some lunch at a mall, where I had some weird pizza and also ice cream with chocolate-covered pop rocks in it? I didn't hate it. We saw a few more churches and some fire dancers on our way out. We rode a train back to Moscow, and it was super packed and super hot inside. I was stuck in a middle seat and I didn't have enough room to take my coat off so I was dying for the first hour or so. It was a three hour ride, so I listened to music to distract myself from being so squished and uncomfortable. But it's all part of the fun and I've never been a train like that before so I didn't mind. 

-After we got back from this trip, I felt way more comfortable with my whole situation here in Russia. Teaching actually went pretty well that week, and I felt like I knew what I was doing better than I had before. They told us the first month is the hardest, and they are definitely right. There's a learning curve that comes with teaching, and I feel like I have the hang of it somewhat. The thought of going home is exciting, but I try not to think about it. Also I know I already know I'm going to miss my kids and living in Russia, so I'm not ready for that. 

-Also for Women's Day, my program director got us tulips and I was so happy. We're going to the tulip festival in Amsterdam in a few weeks and I am super excited.

-I went cross-country skiing with some girls from my group one Saturday morning, which was super fun even though it was super icy. When we were done, we walked straight into an Irish party for St. Patricks Day in the park, and everyone was DECKED out in green and had fake orange hair. Psh. Fake fans. We even danced with them for a hot sec.

-Abby and I went back to Izmailovsky market for some souvenirs. Most people there speak English which is nice, but also they're super pushy. The trick is walk in the middle and just take a quick look at everything because if you stop you're probably doomed. Honestly everything looks the same, and I have what I wanted already, so I'm kind of done with souvenirs, but I will get things on our two week trip probably.

-We went to the Armory Chamber Museum at the Kremlin in Moscow, and it was $15 to get in, but it was worth it. They have nine or so different rooms to walk through. Each room is huge and various displays of furniture, thrones, super fancy carriages, and church artifacts. They have dresses and shoes that belonged to Catherine the Great and other important people, Ivan the Terrible's crown, Romanov faberge eggs, and a ton more. Anyway super cool museum. 

-We also went to Arbat Street, which is super touristy. We went to an upside down museum with three girls from our group. They left after that one, but Abby and I went to the giants house museum, and the museum of illusions as well. It was an adventure finding the museums, but we had walked past it multiple times and some nice girls who spoke some English helped us. 

-A few of us went to a modern art museum on its free admission day, but it was a bit too modern for us so we went to Cathedral of  Christ the Savior instead, which is incredibly gorgeous. It was torn down during the Soviet time, turned into a swimming pool, and then re-built, so it's a newer one and it's sooo pretty. 

-I've lived here for two months and I went to the GUM for the first time on Saturday finally. It's huge. and expensive 

-Abby and I went to the World War II museum, which isn't super English friendly so we got the audio guide, but we got lost so we just wandered and listened to the guide even though we definitely were not where we were supposed to be. Also the metro station that the museum is at is the deepest one in the world apparently, so the escalator ride is long but I like it. 

-After church one Sunday, we went to a metro museum which was cool. It's inside a metro station so it's right there when you exit. I liked all the old black and white photos they had of the metros when they first opened. After that, we went to some of the prettiest metro stations and took pictures. There is one that looks like a ballroom. So pretty. I love how all the stations are different. 

-Also we started to plan our two week trip. We are going to Amsterdam, Prague, Krakow, Vienna, Budapest, and Athens. EXTRA STOKED FOR THAT. I'm packing for 16 days in a backpack and I'm excited? Idk but it brings me joy.

-Next weekend we are going to Saint Petersburg. Abby, myself, and two other girls are taking an overnight bus to get there so that will be fun. We are only spending about a day and a half there, so it will be a quick trip, but I'm excited. I will have the Anastasia soundtrack on repeat. We found a hostel that could fit all eleven of us all in one place, which will be a party. 

-I ran out of toothpaste so I got some at Russian Wal-mart aka Auchan (I learned how to spell it) and it tastes terrible but that's okay 

-There's a pastry that they sell at Auchan, and I get it literally every time I go there. Which is like once a week. But it has LEMON in the middle and powdered sugar on top AND IT IS AMAZING 

-We went to the Gulag museum, which is Russia's version of concentration camps. They had English signs thankfully, some readings of first-hand accounts, footage, and also a lot of artifacts from that time. There was one room with a walkway that was completely surrounded by bullet shells. A lot of Russian Orthodox churches were turned into these camps, and there was one girl who kept a diary and hid it behind a loose tile in the wall and it was never found. They have the tile and her diary on display. The first thing you see when you walk in is a lot of different doors. They talk ed about the significance of doors and what they can mean. Like beginnings, endings, but also what can be hidden behind them. They had doors to apartments that were raided, jails, and things like that. Those are the things that stood out to me. 

- I made a Russian friend! While I was waiting for the bus, she came up and asked me something, but I told her I didn't speak Russian. Turns out, she speaks English really well! She's a few years younger than me and she works as an English tutor for about ten students aged 5-46. We got to talking and sat on the bus together, We found out that we had the same bus stop, and on top of that, we live about a block away from each other. Her name is Victoria, and I had a fun time talking to her. Yay 

-We are putting on an end of semester spectacle at our schools. The theme is cats and mice, so our little cuties are singing "Hickory Dickory Dock," and reciting a poem about cats sleeping and it's pretty much the cutest thing ever. We are also learning a song in Russian to perform that night as well. We started to learn the words and the dance today, and it was fun because I don't know what I'm saying lol.

-Sometimes my host mom's mom hangs out at our house, and she doesn't speak any English. But she tries to talk to us and it's fun because we can sometimes kind of figure out what she's saying but a lot of the details are not there lol. She's funny though. She always tells us how certain foods are good, or certain family members are good or bad lol. Anyway 

-I currently have a cold. that's all 

Food Things: 
-I ate rabbit off the bone. It just tastes like chicken. Also there's like no meat on those animals. 
-My host family makes something called samosa, which is like a pastry stuffed with meat and onions with cute little seeds on top. Today they made samosa with mint inside.. which wasn't great but I pushed through.
-I've learned how to make a ton of Russian foods like pelmeni and beet salad so hit me up when I come home when I attempt to recreate them. I didn't like beets at home, but now I do.
-I am POUNDING chocolate, specifically Milka bars. When I run out, I buy more and they don't usually last very long. I'm not mad about it. I like the hazelnut one. But also I like all of them. My suitcase will most likely be filled when I come home and I'm not sorry about it.
-Speaking of chocolate, I found this Russian chocolate with popcorn in it? Naturally I bought it. And my official review is that it was weird and the popcorn crackled in my mouth which was a fun surprise. Not my favorite though. 

Teaching Things: 
-Things literally never go as planned when I teach, and sometimes I just have to wing it lol. But ugh I love these kids even though they're crazy. Here's some fun stories:

-During opening, I looked over to see one girl plug one nostril and blow out whatever was stuck in her other one.. yeah not a great sight but she is still a cutie 
-We made mice out of spoons, and while one of the kids was drawing a nose on her mouse, she also drew on her own nose with permanent markER 
-We played monkey in the middle the other day. Two girls went after the ball, and in the process, knocked over an open water bottle that was hiding behind the curtains, spilling water everywhere. The game promptly ended lol 
-One day we go into the cafeteria at Captains, and the kids were making SUSHI and it was the cutest thing
-One of my kids loves to be called anything BUT his name. Every day I say hello to him, he tells me what he wants to be called, and it's different every day. But it usually involves the Russian word for God and Vampire and Venom and Cheater (Abby called him a cheater one day because he was cheating in a game and he insists we call him that now). Anyway he's hilarious. 
-At Captains, after the kids are done eating they line up at the door and say thank you in Russian (spasiba) to the cafeteria workers and I keep trying to get a cute video because it kills me every time
-I love all the kiddos 


Alright I hope you enjoy these pics. 

this is made without any nails at all

these are those hay dolls I was talking about

kremlin in suzdal

i was in the back, but here is when they set fire to the doll in suzdal

at one church, we climbed up the bell tower, and made it just in time to hear a guy ringing them, which was awesome

i like window frames okay

this is a church we stopped at on our way to vladimir. it was a bit off the beaten road, but worth it

no offense but i'm a pro 

arbat street

these are supposed to be upside down but it didn't work on my laptop i guess so just do it yourself to see

gotta blast

this is at the illusions museum

christ the savior cathedral

 

the gum

okay but LOOK at her coat and hat im dying also im such a creep

metro stops

victory park

this was at the world war museum. i don't know what was happening, but all these cutie old people were dressed up all fancy

this room took my breath away, but the picture is not great. it has the names of russian heroes from world war II (I think..)

metro stops. also i love sunflowers

she wanted to see what the permanent marker looked like on her nose 

they stole my scarf. but they're so cute

I can READ THIS BE PROUD OF ME PLEASE

this is that super long escalator i told you about

Some of my kids at Barvikha <3 Look at their cute ice creams they made

this guy was just jamming on cardboard boxes

faberge eggs at Izmailocvsky