The Blink of an Eye

It's getting to be about that time.... in less than 24 hours I will be leaving Yaroslavl for Moscow and tomorrow afternoon, will get on a plane that will take me out of Russia. It's really difficult to grasp that my time here is over. I've spent so much time thinking about and preparing for this trip and now, it's all over. Time to go home ... and back to reality. I have been trying not to think about what awaits me when I get home... finding a new job, apartment, health insurance, everything... in order to enjoy my last few days in Europe, I know that it will hit me that first morning I wake up in Chicago. Back to real life. However, there is not a doubt in my mind that coming here, was worth what I had to give up.

The things that I learned, people that I met and experiences I had have been worth so much to me - a lifetime of unforgettable memories - that I cannot be anything but happy that I had this experience. I never in a million years thought that I would live and work in RUSSIA! Russia? Who goes to Russia?? Well.... I guess I do.

Without a doubt, the most rewarding and eye-opening experiences I've had obviously came during my time volunteering. Being able to see how these disadvantaged people lived, how they spent their days and what I could do to help... it was an incredibly rewarding experience. One that I will cherish forever. I only wish that I could do more! It is great to come here and help them, spend your day with them, give them the love and attention that they do not always receive; It was the reason I came here and has become the part of this trip which will mean the most to me. However, I also feel that while I maybe made their day a little better .... I still have to leave, going back to my comfortable life in America... and they are still here. Still struggling, still needing help, still needing someone's love and attention. I wish so much there was more I can do. The people I've volunteered with here have really given me a new perspective and I really hope I can carry the things I've learned and seen here, back to my everyday life in the U.S..

I have to admit that when I first arrived, I was a little (ok more than a little) hesitant at the thought of being here until August - it felt like such a long time! While I was getting anxious about what I'd committed myself to for the summer, my mother reminded me, ever so correctly, that really.... 6 weeks is just the blink of an eye; it'd be over before I knew it. (I didn't realize how right she would be :) This may have been only a blink in my life but I have been given a lifetime of memories to hold on to.