I started work!

   Yes, I have officially started working here.  Just the teachers are at school this week to set up/lesson plan. The students will come for the first time on Saturday.  September 1st is "Knowledge Day", so no matter what day of the week it falls on, it is the first day of school for the students.  It will only be a half day, and I hear it is more like a celebration.

    My job is unique and challenging to say the least.  I will be teaching a craft and a conversation class to two different groups in 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade.  (but really it is kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade in the US).  Each grade has a team of teachers.  The way that the classrooms are set up is different than in the states.  For each grade there are two small classrooms that are connected on the side by I guess you could call it the teachers' office (that the team teachers for that grade share). I will be working with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade team of teachers.  My desk is stationed with 1st grade team, which is wonderful because one of the other teachers on that team is pretty fluent in English! She has been very helpful to me, as maybe 15% of the native teachers from the school speak English. One teacher on my second grade team is moderately fluent...and no one on my 3rd grade team is fluent. I am sure it very comical to see me explain my lesson ideas to the 3rd grade team. They mostly stare at me, nod, and give me sweets and tea.  I'm pretty much in my own little world at the school this week. It is hard to tell if the other teachers like, or even understand my lessons when I explain, so I have just been going with my ideas and not worrying.There is a lot of "figuring it out myself and hoping it is right"going on here. I have been lucky enough to meet a teacher who had a similar position as mine last year at my school, and she actually taught 3rd grade (one of the grades I will teach).  She left countless materials that I can use, and directed me to lesson plans saved from last year. 

   It seems all of the classrooms have a bathroom...I noticed some have a shower, and there are separate rooms where they store their coats and bags.  I am told that students change clothing for recess and gym. The playground is something that I want to play on, it looks super cool (there is a huge wooden ship)! From what I understand, I am on recess duty, so perhaps my dream will come true.

   On special occasions at the school (like the first day, or a day when parents are there) the male teachers wear a tie, and the female teachers wear a scarf.  I'm not quite sure how to wear this scarf, its a big square. I'm still playing around with it:

   p.s. It is chilly here. It has been in the 60s, there are jackets everywhere...its not even September yet! Boy am I in for it!  

   

"Lavender Sunrise Palace of Mirrors"

.....this is the name of our flat.  "Lavender Sunrise Palace of Mirrors". Why you ask? Well take at look at these pictures:

Entrance. Lavender.

View from entrance.

In the entrance, looking at the bathroom door. Mirrors.

Bathroom. Mirrors. 

Bathroom. 

Bathroom. Mirrors.

Bathroom.

Living room. Through the curtains in the back there..you will find my bedroom.

Another view of the living room. Door to one person balcony behind the curtains. Sunrise.

Closer view of where you will find my bedroom.

 Part of the living room where I store most of my things and do my makeup. Mirrors. 

What I do when I go to sleep. Who needs a wall?

Kitchen. Mirrors.

Are you dizzy and confused yet?

View from the balcony. Sunrise.

View from inside my bedroom. 

My bedroom. Palace. 

    Now let me tell you the good, the bad and ugly of this flat.  I live here with two other teachers.  This is a three room flat...meaning there is one bedroom, one wannabe bedroom, and a living room. I share the wannabe with one of my roommates.  But since we are in our twenties, and we do not feel like sharing a whole big "bedroom" like children, we did this: 

We separated into two sides using my clothing, a shelving unit, and curtains.  And now, with all of the curtains..its like a giant fort! 

   Apartments here come furnished like condos.  The kitchen was fully stocked with dishes when we arrived.  The refrigerator was stocked with numerous beverages.  The living room was stocked with Russian children's DVDs and toys.  The bathroom was stocked with used toothbrushes and old soap.  The balcony was stocked with a hairdryer.  The entrance was stocked with furry slippers and broken in chairs, and boy were they broken.  The "bedroom" was stocked with an MRI scan.  The front door was stocked with tight security...so tight that sometimes, you can't even get out of the apartment.  The building was stocked with 6 flights of stairs, zero elevators to my flat so I don't have to join a gym. I thought "Wow they really want to make sure their tenants have everything."  

....then I thought maybe this stuff belonged to a previous tenant who just didn't feel like packing up.  Now,  if I did something like that in the US, I would NEVER get my security deposit back.

   Russians consider couches and cots to be beds.  So yes, my bed is cot.  I opted to take the cot as I am the shortest roommate and from the looks of it, my "bed" is meant for a child.  If I were 2 inches taller...my feet would hang over.  With that said, my "bed" is actually quite cozy in my little nook.

    When exploring in the area surrounding my flat yesterday,  I found a larger than life mall about 15 minutes from me.  Inside I saw smokers, a raccoon, and a bagpipe band.

    I went to the school for the first time today.  There was a meeting for all teachers...in Russian.  A translator sat near me, so I got the gist of what was happening.  I was somewhat confused and highly entertained when the the meeting went form talking about assessments and benefits of the international baccalaureate program....to showing us this:

    On my home on the bus today, this happened: A lady got on with a stroller that had a real live baby in it.  She gave the handle of the stroller to me, as she walked away from the stroller to the front of the bus.  Before I knew that she was traveling to the front to pay for her ride, I thought I had just been forced to adopt a child.   Shortly after my brush with motherhood, the bus driver stopped, got out, bought some cigarettes at a stand, and got back on.  

     Random overload.  

-Gina 

"If you can jump out of an airplane..."

….no, that isn’t me retreating from an out of control airplane.  That is me skydiving in the Outer Banks last summer.  Whenever I feel nervous about anything I have to do, I always think: “If I can jump out of an airplane, I can (insert scary thing)."  So I thought that Thursday morning before I picked up and moved across the globe.  Guess what? I wasn’t nervous! Not on the plane, or during my 6 hour layover at JFK.  That may not be the only reason why I was not nervous at JFK.  Other possible reasons for being an unnerved gal may be:

….because of my wildly witty choice in airport/plane reading material.

Here is an excerpt that I could relate to:

...because I made a friend and we bonded over trying to find the international terminal.

…because of the song by Lana Del Rey I listened to over and over again. (Thanks for the playlist Meghan!)

...the lyrics do not reflect my life, however I think the song is pretty and calming.

Click here to hear the song via YouTube

…because my arms got a workout wheeling around my carry-on and personal item. ( I swear they are heavier than they appear.)

...because I finally set up camp,

…because I had cocoa almonds,

…because I had Poland Spring water,

...because I had Dasani water,

…because all that water probably prevented my feet from swelling on the 9 hour flight to Moscow,

…because I have toes...

…OK, now I’m just getting silly.  But really. Perhaps I was not nervous because moving to another country is something I’ve wanted to do since my parents took me to Canada when I was 7 years old.  I was too excited to be nervous!

     ANYWAY. There really was not a reason to be nervous. When I arrived I was warmly welcomed by my contact person from the school where I will work, and a returning American teacher. Just before I met them, I somehow got a porter (who only knew these words in English: " 1 bag, 10 American dollar") to haul all 200lbs plus of luggage I had through the airport for me.  At first I thought that just MAYBE he would speak English so I politely asked "Can you help me with my luggage?"  He responded with a bunch of consonants thrown together that I didn't understand.  So I said "помогите...болшой luggage".  (poma-gee-tyeh...ball-shoy luggage) Meaning: Help...big luggage.  He understood, and did help. After a while as we were waiting at the baggage claim, I must've forgotten that he did not speak much English (it was a long sleepless flight...cut me a break) , and I began to (in English) explain to him what my oversized boulders looked like.  He just laughed, said something in Russian and gave me a cough drop.  

    I spent yesterday and today getting settled in here. (I'm almost all done).  The cell phone I have in Moscow is so very old school.  It has the good old fashion dial pad, no camera or internet! It is a pay as you go phone, only works to make calls in Russia, and there are machines around the city where I will add more money to my sim card (to get more minutes). While running errands today, I noticed that many other people around me had similar phones to mine. Much different sight than in the U.S.

     I went to a small grocery store a couple blocks from my apartment today, and this is what I found: 

(Please take special note of the toilet paper color)

     There you have it friends and fam! I am finally in Moscow! I have been enjoying these past couple jet lagged days of Russia's first impressions on me.  Check back soon for a post and pictures on my unique apartment!

-Gina

Just before leaving for the Pittsburgh airport.  I won't post a picture of me from after the flights. I think I might have had that outfit on for two-ish days...