Sunday was the first day that I've actually slept in while in Russia and I took advantage of it! After waking up around noon (haven't done that since I was in college!) me, Jen and Bayleigh decided to have a relaxing afternoon lying on the beach. Since we weren't planning on going in the water, just lying out, we decided to go to the closer beach (the one that's highly recommended not to swim) but since we weren't swimming, there was no issue. I think I may have actually gotten some color too! Being used to the sun in Colorado, where you burn after 20 min, after sitting outside in Russia for about 2 hours... I may have some sort of microscopic tan.
The new group of volunteers didn't arrive until about 7pm (after only a 4 hr bus ride - much less thrilling than my 8 hr ordeal from the airport). There are about 9 army cadets from West Point, a few girls volunteering and a family of 4 from England. Trying to be the gracious 'older' volunteers, me and the 2 remaining girls invited the group out to McDonald's, to give them a taste of what Yaroslavl has to offer (and for us to use the internet :). I have to say, it is a little interesting being with a group who knows nothing about living in Russia and I have to tell them all the little details that I've already learned in my 3 weeks... how to get on the bus, where to get off, how to order, what to do at the HB, what not to do at the HB... not that I mind but going from a group where you experienced all these new things together, to telling the new group how to do all these things... it's different. Not bad, just different. The night ended up fine, getting back from McDonalds and visiting with the rest of the volunteers while watching Spain dominate the Netherlands.. well, maybe not dominate, but Spain won :)
On Monday morning I went to a placement that I'd never been to before, the Children's City Camp. This is essentially a summer camp for children from low-income homes, who have alcoholic and drug addicted parents or even, who come from the orphanages. As always, the children were very excited for us to spend time with them... they were super excited to play football (soccer) and there were even a few boys playing basketball... or some kind of game where they shot the ball into the hoop.... and Dad you'd be very proud, I was helping them learn how to play basketball :) In the afternoon I worked outside for a while at the Botanical Gardens - it's sometimes nice to work there because it's so different than all the other placements but I have to admit it is HOT and the mosquitos are unforgiving! I think I will come home comepletely covered in red bumps ...
Tuesday was my regular schedule of working at the women's hospital in the morning and at the school in the afternoon. Although at the school I did have a slight issue when I stood on a chair to scrape some of the paint and essentially fell completely off and now have a giant welt on my leg. Oh and Russia doesn't believe in ice or ice packs. When I asked the translator if they had any ice at the homebase I could put on she said I could maybe find some cold chicken to put on it. Needless to say, I passed on the chicken and am just waiting for the swelling to go down :)
Wednesday we did not have any placements at all but instead went on an all-day cultural excursion to Kostroma.. a town about 2 hrs from Yaroslavl. We went in an "air-conditioned" bus (aka after it had been running for about 20 min there was slightly cooler air coming from the vents) and our first stop was a moose farm. Yup, a moose farm. Let me tell you, this place is out in the middle of NOWHERE but apparently they breed mooses... I still don't really know whyyyy they breed mooses but they do. You can also try delicious moose milk at their little gift shop... and if you think I tried moose milk you clearly do not know me well at all! I don't drink regular, American milk... you think I'm going to drink Russian moose milk? HA! :)
Our other stops on the trip were the monestary - where apparently is where the Romanov Dynasty was started... way back in the 1400s Mikael Romanov was in hiding with his mom at the monestary and while he was there he was elected by people in Moscow to be the next tsar (he was also 14yrs old...). Our last stop was a church that had been decorated to resemble an Anglican Church. This was because apparently Queen Elizabeth and Ivan the Terrible did alot of trading and since Kostroma is on a river, alot of merchants became really wealthy from trading with England. Thus they felt the need to build a chuch :)
It was an interesting trip but it was just SOOOO long and SOOO hot that at times, it was a little difficult to be completely focused on what I was seeing and where I was. It's SUCH a different place and a different life here, I'm really glad I'm getting to see outside of Yaroslavl (and Moscow and St. Petersburg)... I've become quite the Russian traveler :)
Tuesday was my regular schedule of working at the women's hospital in the morning and at the school in the afternoon. Although at the school I did have a slight issue when I stood on a chair to scrape some of the paint and essentially fell completely off and now have a giant welt on my leg. Oh and Russia doesn't believe in ice or ice packs. When I asked the translator if they had any ice at the homebase I could put on she said I could maybe find some cold chicken to put on it. Needless to say, I passed on the chicken and am just waiting for the swelling to go down :)
Wednesday we did not have any placements at all but instead went on an all-day cultural excursion to Kostroma.. a town about 2 hrs from Yaroslavl. We went in an "air-conditioned" bus (aka after it had been running for about 20 min there was slightly cooler air coming from the vents) and our first stop was a moose farm. Yup, a moose farm. Let me tell you, this place is out in the middle of NOWHERE but apparently they breed mooses... I still don't really know whyyyy they breed mooses but they do. You can also try delicious moose milk at their little gift shop... and if you think I tried moose milk you clearly do not know me well at all! I don't drink regular, American milk... you think I'm going to drink Russian moose milk? HA! :)
Our other stops on the trip were the monestary - where apparently is where the Romanov Dynasty was started... way back in the 1400s Mikael Romanov was in hiding with his mom at the monestary and while he was there he was elected by people in Moscow to be the next tsar (he was also 14yrs old...). Our last stop was a church that had been decorated to resemble an Anglican Church. This was because apparently Queen Elizabeth and Ivan the Terrible did alot of trading and since Kostroma is on a river, alot of merchants became really wealthy from trading with England. Thus they felt the need to build a chuch :)
It was an interesting trip but it was just SOOOO long and SOOO hot that at times, it was a little difficult to be completely focused on what I was seeing and where I was. It's SUCH a different place and a different life here, I'm really glad I'm getting to see outside of Yaroslavl (and Moscow and St. Petersburg)... I've become quite the Russian traveler :)
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