It gets crazier from here...

As April approached as quickly as it did, it was time to prepare myself for a busy month. I started off the month with being an assistant coach to our middle school girls volleyball team. Being in Russia, we didn't actually play any games for volleyball is not a sport you can find in Russia but we taught the girls how to play volleyball and enjoyed teaching them skill. Every Monday and Wednesday have been extremely busy and exhausting for me. We had volleyball on these days right after school until 5:30 pm which had me getting home around 6 on Mondays and not until 10 on Wednesdays for I went to Bible study directly after volleyball. Volleyball lasted for the whole month of April so it really wasn't a long sport season but long enough to become wore out and ready for it to be over. I truly enjoyed being a part of the volleyball experience with these middle schoolers, it also helped me to become familiar with these students for I do not get to spend time with them at school during the week.

April 4th was a very special day for all of the staff at Hinkson. The admin held a Staff Banquet at a beautiful place here in Moscow. We all dressed formally and headed out after school to enjoy a beautiful evening with the people who we work with and uplift us daily in what we do. The food was absolutely amazing but there was so much of it. We had 4 courses, all of which were wonderfully done and looked so beautiful. Some teachers were recognized for their commitment to Hinkson for 3 years, 6 years, and 9 years. My roommate was one of those teachers for she has been here for 6 years. It was a beautiful little ceremony with a lot of laughter and memories to cherish forever. The people I work with are incredible and have such a passionate heart for missions and teaching. I am so blessed to have had this opportunity to meet such great people and I now have friends from all over the world who have made some kind of impact on my life. 

The following weekend was an eventful weekend for me but I enjoyed every minute of it. I was able to attend "Belle Notte" which is the concert that was put on by the high schoolers at Hinkson. The theme was a diner theme and the students sang songs from all of the decades from the 40's until now. They rocked the night with their talent and joy that they always bring across on the stage. On Sunday I was able to enjoy the day with one of my students and her family. We made blinis at their house and played games with the kids until it was time to go to church. I went to Moscow Protestant Church with them and had a great bible study before service and then was able to experience the service with great friends. After service my students family brought me out to dinner at TGIF and then I went home to enjoy the church service online. 

April came to a close just as fast as it came and we are now down to 5 weeks left of school and then summer will begin. I thought April was a busy month but it is only going to be busier for the next 5 weeks. We have: RCE Dinner, Russian Easter, Staff mtgs, Victory Day, English Picnic, Elementary Shine, MS/HS concert, Senior Banquet, Field trip to the Zoo, field day, exams, party's, and graduation... I am sure there is something else in there that I am missing but you get the point. It is going to be a fun month but an exhausting and busy one. All prayers are very much appreciated while my head may be spinning like crazy before these 5 weeks are over. 

Is it really Spring Time?

Acting is something I always have had an interest in but never pursued in it myself. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go and see the play "Mama Mia" done in Russian. It was a stunning performance! Absolutely loved it and really enjoyed dinner and my time with my roommate and a good friend from HCA. I also had the pleasure of watching our high schoolers perform their school play called, "The Importance of Being Earnest." Again it was an outstanding performance and we are all proud to be able to say these are the students we are helping grow here in Moscow. I get so amazed when I get to see all the hard work that people put behind what they love to do. You really get to see the joy and inspiration in them as they perform.

In the month of March, the theme of Kindergarten was, 'March into your imagination.' We talked about what imagination is, how to use your imagination, and we also practiced using our imagination in class this past month. I think the children really grasped the concept of imagination and used it very well. I love to see where the minds of five and six year olds can go. I had everything from talking buildings to chocolate cars and strawberry head Allison. The imagination all started because of Dr. Seuss's birthday celebration we held at Hinkson on March 1st. The kids were able to dress up as their favorite character (my class made Cat in the Hat masks) and we had a Dr. Seuss Assembly at the end of the day. We read all kinds of Dr. Seuss books and really engaged in the fun activities we could using rhyming words and such learning opportunities.

All of March was a very busy month as we prepared to end the third quarter and get everything ready for Spring Break. I felt like I was always running and barely had time to breathe but I managed to stay above water. I had one student sick for a week, one student was on vacation for two weeks, and another student was out for two weeks because she caught the chicken pox. I was constantly staying busy trying to prepare lesson plans with only having four students but also trying to keep in touch with these children whom were out. It was a huge responsibility to make sure all these students had all of their make up work and as much turned in as possible before the quarter ended...This definitely kept me on my toes the last week before Spring Break started. In the midst of the running, my roommate and I decided that we would host a "girls night" at our apartment on a Friday Night. We stuck with our plan, ordered pizza, had nice fresh fruit and vegetables, watched Les Mes', and really engaged in conversation before and after the movie with great friends that we work with.

During the first half of Spring Break I had the opportunity to go to Germany for the 'International Christian Education Conference' with about 17 other HCA staff. The trip to and from Germany was not an exciting one for me for I got extremely sick both ways. The conference was absolutely amazing and I had the best time getting to meet other teachers in MANY other countries all there for the same reason and that is to Serve God in these schools overseas. It was stunning to sit in a room with 300 other Christian staff all worshiping God. I attended six general sessions, seven workshop sessions, and one banquet all in four days! It was mentally exhausting but so worth it, there was so much that I walked away with from all of these sessions. Some of the topics of the sessions I attended were: "The Teachers Talk and Walk, Learning to Say No:Child Safety, Bad Behavior Begone, Facing your Giants, and Make your teaching Pinteresting." You could totally see God in each session and through each Christian Educator that I came in contact with (and I'm sure even the ones I didn't come in contact with) I am so thankful I had this opportunity to attend this conference, it was definitely worth it and I would most definitely consider going again. During this conference a lot of emotions were brought to the surface from all different aspects of being a Christian Educator Internationally and all the struggles along the way... but we sang a song that has definitely touched my heart and I want to share the chorus with you, it goes like this.....
                          "Never once did we ever walk alone
                      Never once did You leave us on our own
                      You are faithful, God, You are faithful"

While we were gone in Germany the snow in Moscow never stopped and when we returned to the school on Wednesday evening the snow was piled up everywhere and almost over the fence! Moscow definitely welcomed us back, but I wouldn't say it was a "warm welcoming." LOL As we head into April, the snow still  covers everything around us but the sun is out and the birds are chirping, there is a sign of SPRING coming!!!

~Love is in the Air~

    February has been a very unusual month of Craziness. I don't think there was much down time for me this whole month. The month started out with me still recovering from all the doctors visits and trying to regain my health and stabilize my heart rate. An update about my health, I am now on a heart rate medicine to help try to regulate my heart rate as well as anxiety medicine to keep my body calm more than what I can control. I have been on my heart rate medicine for a little over 2 weeks now and have only had 1 episode where my heart rate was really high. I think the medicine is definitely helping. I have only been on my anxiety medicine for about 5 days so it will take a little more time for that to really sink into my system and for me to start seeing it work.
  For the 100th day of school, I only made it for the parade and then I had to leave to return to the doctors office. It was such a joy to see all of the elementary students dressed up to represent something of "100." My children represented 101 Dalmatians and very cute Dalmatians might I add. At the end of this week I was able to return back to work and my kids welcomed me with open arms and lots of love and happiness. I have never been made to feel so loved. It is reassuring to know that I must be making a true influence in my students lives for them to miss me that much when I am out. The school had an Elementary Movie Night after school on a Friday. We ordered pizza, sang some silly songs, watched a movie, and enjoyed popcorn together. The kids had a blast and I think the teachers and parents did as well. It is always nice to be able to give to the kids fun things to do outside of the school day but to enjoy it with their friends and family in a safe environment.
   The most exciting week in a school year, I think, is Spirit Week! It is a time for silliness, creativity, and imagination to run wild. The first day of Spirit Week was Twin Day. All of my kids dressed like someone or something and I dressed alike with the 2nd grade teacher. Next was Character Day, this was a huge hit with the kids and trying to figure out who everyone was through out the day was a bit of a challenge. I sank into my childhood and was Junie B. Jones (from a book series) Everyone's favorite day including the teachers was on Tuesday and that was Pajama day! As much as I love this day I also despise this day because I get so tired being so comfortable and warm through the entire day, it makes it hard to teach. The last day of Spirit Week was the most absurd. Wacky Tacky Day is always a hit and a lot of students enjoy this day to for they do not have to match anything they are wearing. I got really involved in this day as well. It is so fun to bring out the inner child and craziness in the teachers. It shows the kids we really do know how to have fun and be "cool" in their eyes. Spirit week came to a close when we wished the basketball players off to Budapest for the tournament and we ended the week with Valentine's Day Parties.
   I titled this particular entry, "Love is in the Air" because Valentine's weekend I had a chance to be a part of the English Cafe Retreat again. A group of about 40 of us, Russians and Americans, left Moscow for the weekend to become more acquainted and help the Russians with their English  It was cold, very icy and snowy, but we had a blast. We played games, sang songs, watched a movie, had discussion groups, and thoroughly enjoyed each others company. We all learned new things about ourselves as we all took the 5 love language test. We discussed relationships (bf and gf, friends, family, etc) and even had a devotion time on Sunday morning for all who wanted to attend. We do not push religion or things on these people for we aren't trying to turn anyone away but to help improve their English, build relationships, and in the end, hopes that they would be willing and initiate the move to learn more about Christ. What a great time of fellowship it was. On a side note from this weekend, I had the opportunity to walk around outside in the snow and ice to take pictures of my bosses daughter who is a senior. On our journey, I stepped through snow and ice and was stuck in a river. It was only about a foot and a half deep but was enough to soak me past my knee and freeze my toes and leg through my pants and boots. Needless to say, I still have all of my toes and Alisha and I just created some very humorous memories that will never forget.
    February has slowed down a bit since Kindergarten met their last obligation for the month. Kindergarten and first grade lead chapel this past Friday and did an outstanding job. We sang some old fun songs and performed 2 skits. We talked about how Jesus is the only way to Heaven and also performed a skit about Zaccheaus. The children memorized scripture and even learned a whole praise and worship song in Russian. It was a very beautiful chapel and I am one proud teacher! My children were rewarded also on Friday after chapel by having a, Friday Fun Day. We left the school and went to a park for a little over 2 hours. We played on huge mounds of snow, went sledding, and painted the snow! When we left the park we were all cold and tired so we made our way back to the school and watched a movie while we ate popcorn and drank hot cocoa. The kids absolutely loved such a wonderful fun filled day. I am definitely looking forward to the last few months here with these kids before we all set off for the summer!
   

The Hoopla since the New Year

     I have been really bad about sitting down and actually writing out how things have been going here in Moscow lately and I apologize. Please bare with me as this second semester is only going to get more crazy and busy but I will do my best to keep you all up to date.
     In the month of January I have been trying to get my kiddos back into the swing of school. It has been another adjustment period for these kids especially because I had kids travel all around the world for Christmas Break. My kiddos have surprised me though with how much they remember and being so eager to be back to school and learn. We enjoy each others company and knowledge in my classroom. I love being a part of what the Lord is doing each and every day through me for these kids. I am so blessed to be able to say that I work at Hinkson with such wonderful staff and very special children. As the days went on in January so many things took place at our school. We had the opportunity as a school to help pack seeds to send to families who are less fortunate or who are struggling. We packed 1,004 bags of 7 different types of seeds in each bag for families in need. This was such a wonderful experience to be apart of in helping Moscow community. I love the outreach ministries that I can be a part of while working here at Hinkson.
   Here in Moscow it has been so beautiful with all of the fluffy snow and crazy amounts of it as well. I had the opportunity to go sledding with Karen, Alisha, and Haley. We took a walk through a beautiful white covered park and made our way to some slopes to go sledding. This was my first time ever and it was one of the best days ever, despite the frozen legs and soreness afterwards. Sledding down the hill to get to Karen at the bottom was a blast, going forwards, backwards, on our stomachs, and also trying to race each other was so much fun. We laughed, face planted in snow, rolled off sleds, threw snow at each other, and tried catching snowflakes in our mouths. So many memories were made on this wonderful Saturday with special friends, including stepping into knee deep snow, getting stuck, making tunnels and so much more. My boss Karen made hot chocolate and when we returned to her house she had some very delicious hot soup ready for us as we sat around and had wonderful conversations.
     Our school has been taken over by sickness and a lot of the students and staff were out with some kind of flu and other sicknesses. I had 2 students gone for over a week straight. It is so nice to have my class back to school all together  and still just as excited as the first day of school. Now that my whole class is back together I have been out of work for a week now. I have been battling hot flashes, heart races, dizziness, headaches, and chest inflammation which causes chest pain. The dr said I was very dehydrated and have a viral infection. I am under drs orders to stay home, drink lots of fluids, and rest. All of my blood work came back normal so he is unsure why some of these things are still happening and causing pain. I will call the doctor again on Monday and we will discuss further investigation. I appreciate all the prayers as we try to determine what is really going on here.
     As January has come to an end we prepare for so much excitement and new adventures in February and the months that follow. The 100th day of school is on Monday and I am very excited about seeing my Dalmatians trot through the whole school in our elementary parade. We are also getting ready for our Elementary Movie night at the school, spirit week, valentine parties, winter break, Chapel presentations, and Friday Fun Day in Kindergarten. SO many things to look forward to but with all of this comes a lot of planning and preparation. I hope and pray we can all stay well and enjoy the time we have with each other. Take care friends and family, know you are loved and miss all the way in Russia. 

In a Nutshell

    I can say that a lot has happened since the last entry and that would be true but at the same time its been pretty relaxed. The first half of the year ended on a very good note. We celebrated Jesus Birthday in my classroom and had a wonderful Kindergarten Christmas Celebration. We ended the 2012 year with a huge successful Bang here in Moscow! I am a very blessed teacher and so proud of each of my students. I have seen so much change and love happen right in my classroom each and every day. I am amazed by what these children bring to our class each morning.

Over Christmas Break I had the opportunity to go to Italy and visit with the Bruce's  It was a very much needed vacation away from the frozen and snowy Moscow. I arrived the Sunday night before Christmas and the little ones had no idea! It was the best surprise EVER.. I spent Christmas there in Naples with the Bruce's. We made a trip up Mount Vesuvius. The drive up the mountain and back down were just beautiful. I am still in awe of everything I got to see and experience while I was there! So many wonderful memories to cherish forever! We spent endless hours laughing and just enjoying each others company then it was off to Rome for 3 days. We visited the Colosseum, The Vatican, St. Peter's Cathedral, Sistine Chapel, and so many other sites there in Rome. We walked for what seemed like forever each day. We ate pizza, pizza, and more pizza! lol :) I spent the nights in the hotel room with just the girls. We had a giant slumber party. Painted fingers and toes, took silly pictures, pillow fights, and watched Italian cartoons. After we left Rome, we headed back to Naples for just a few more short days before I was to return to Moscow. We played games, went to Ravello, Walked in the Sea, collected ceramic stones, went skiing down some stairs, skyped with family from home, and had wonderful home cooked food! New Years Eve was a very tiring day for us and the girls didn't stay up for Fireworks and all the jazz but Trisha and Jason and I walked outside to watch the fireworks and to bring in the New Year together! No better way than being with family.

Well I am back in Moscow and have been for about a week and since I have been back it hasn't stopped snowing. We go back to school tomorrow and I think I am actually ready for it. I am so excited to see my little kiddos again! I have missed seeing them every day! I have really enjoyed having a break and not being forced to go, go, go every single day. I have been able to sleep in, that is when I can actually get to sleep, make sure my house is clean, things are done on my end, catch up with friends and family from home, and really start focusing back on God and the relationship I have with Him. Things for me personally have gotten pretty shaky here lately and I have my moments and days of frustration, confusion, questioning, and loss of hope, but I am going to start focusing on me and what I need to do to better myself and my relationship with God. This may have some heartache and emotional ups and downs to it but I think this is what needs to happen. I need to go through this in order to move on in my life and know I am doing the right thing. I could definitely use all the prayers I can get. Also please be in prayer as we begin the second half of the year here in Moscow and that we all are ready to conquer what things come next for us. Things will be getting busier, harder, colder, but this is the long stretch to home. I have to keep reminding myself daily, If God brought me to it, He will bring me through it. I can do this, No- I WILL do this! Thank you all for your support and prayers. I will do my best to keep this updated a little better now that the Holidays are over now. :) Good Night America! 

Busy Life in Moscow

Life has definitely gotten away from me this past month so I am going to back track a little and try to catch you up! I am becoming more and more involved but the second semester is also coming to an end and with all the Holidays at the end of the year, things get a little insane! 

Back on November 16, my kiddos led chapel for the whole elementary.They worked so hard and did such a wonderful job preparing and telling the Story of Jonah to a large group of people. The kids led the music with, "The BIBLE, Who Did, Making Melodies, and Who is the King" They also shared a Bible verse that they have memorized so far this year in our Bible class. I was a very proud teacher. The following day the high schoolers performed a wonderful show called, Belle Notte. This year Belle Notte was called, InternatioNoel and they performed Christmas songs from all over the world. It was beautiful! 

The following week was a bit crazy for it was Thanksgiving week. We had a short week at work and on the last day before our break, we celebrated Thanksgiving as a class. We dressed up as Pilgrims and Indians, went on a Turkey Hunt outside, Read the Thanksgiving story, played games, did some crafts, Carved pumpkins, and had a Thanksgiving feast while watching, "Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving." The very next day I left Moscow with a group from the English Cafe and went out to a Dacha for a retreat. We had so much fun. It was so worth getting out of Moscow for a weekend to relax and enjoy fellowship with some great people. We played English games, sang oldies and Christmas songs, watched a Christmas Carol, and had group discussions with the theme of "Past, Present, and Future." 

The highlight for me from November was going to see, Little Mermaid, the play in Russian! No need to know how to speak the language when you have seen the movie 100 times! I still sang along to all of the songs in English as they sang them in Russian! It was so wonderfully performed and incredible to see it performed live!! I even got the soundtrack cd in Russian from the performance. I will learn the Little Mermaid theme song in Russian! (Some day HAHA) 

On to December, So far this month I have been extremely busy every single day before and after work and all weekend. Getting thngs perpared for the Elementary Christmas Program, trying to record grades, get into the Christmas spirit, planning all the days we have before we leave for Break and much more. I went to Izmilyva (Russian Flea Market) the first Sunday of the month and about froze to death walking around in the snow and ice! They have some awesome stuff and I am stoked about souveniers I can find there! I went to a friends house for Dinner and  that was very delightful  to not have to cook and be able to catch up and just have a girls night outside of school. I have been going to Bible study at a different families house every Wednesday, I meet new people there each week. It is so nice to be able to fellowship with people from Russia, America, and Africa! 

Today the children in the Elementary performed their Christmas Program! They did a wonderful job! The 5th graders performed with Bell Chimes, 4th grade performed with the Recorders, and K-3 sang a great bunch of songs with hand motions and beautiful voices. The finale for that age group before 4 and 5th grade joined back up to end with a bang was, I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas! The kids absolute favorite song and it was SOOOO cute!!! The night ended and I was out the door as soon as I was able to be. Now time to relax a little before the Christmas Dinner tomorrow for the Staff! Then back into reality come Monday morning again! Christmas break is so close but there is so much to do before it can come! Italy is almost here and I can hardly wait!!! :) 

November Makes its Appearance

     Fall Break was too short for us in here in Moscow. It was cold, wet, and gloomy but we tried to make the best of it while we could.After traveling all the way across town and waiting for another coworker in a metro for 45 minutes, I finally got to go exploring with my roommate at a Children's Hands on Museum. It is something new to Moscow and it was so much fun. It was two floors and we played with everything. I was able to walk through a "fun house," play with very large bubbles, sit on a chair of nails, scream into a sound box, and explore the many different kinds of machines they had. Natalie and I played in this museum for over an hour and then decided we should make our way back to our apartment.
Just a few short days after my experience at the museum, it was Halloween. Now people here in Moscow do not go Trick or Treating and all of that Jazz but who would want to when it is 18 degrees and the snow and wind are whipping around like crazy outside. Natalie and I walked home from work on Halloween evening freezing and getting pounded in the face by snow being whipped around because the crazy amounts of wind that were happening. Later that evening, Natalie and I were in the kitchen talking and I said, "Hey Nat, do you want to go trick or treating in this weather, I'll dress up like an Eskimo and we can ask people for hot chocolate when we knock at their doors." We cracked up for a good 5 minutes after this conversation. The conversations that go on inside our four walls of our apartment crack me up and keep things going bright here in Moscow while everything else outside is so cold and gloomy.
November 1st was an exciting day for me but as well as most of the staff and our Hinkson girls soccer team. It was the day of the "Hinkson Cup" which is when the staff and moms play a soccer game verses our girls team. I was a bit nervous because I am (as most of you know) a very clumsy person, and I was about to play soccer in the freezing weather, snow, and ice. What was I thinking?? We went out and played 2 halves of 15 minutes each so only a 30 min game. The first round I slid about 4 times but was quick to jump off the ice and snow and continue playing. We held the girls 0-0 the whole first round. Pretty good considering we were the "old people." LOL The second round we were all so cold and tired that the girls team scored 1 on us in the last 5 mins. They won 1-0, but we all did a good job playing considering the weather conditions.
So after a lot of praying and emotional long hard days of trying to work through some tough situations, my boss approached me with another job opportunity and I accepted. I now work one Saturday a month monitoring the hallways at our school during the SAT test that are given. I work from about 7:45-1pm. God is definitely working in my life and providing all of my needs at the perfect time. All my praise has to go to Him!
This past week has been a busy week for everyone here as we were preparing for our Fall Festival/Rummage Sale here at our School. We had a great turn out. We had so many fun games, costumes, face painting, decorating cookies, ping pong, video games, prizes, a jail set up that you could pay tickets to have someone chased down- picked up- and dragged to jail, dress up photo booth (which I was in charge of), lots of different items on sale, delicious food, and many other things. The kids and even the parent and staff enjoyed our time together. It started about 10am and lasted until 2pm. This was definitely a huge hit for all of the kids from our school and their families. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this incredible adventure.
I also had the opportunity to go to an English Cafe that some people I work with host at our school for Russians who want to better there English language by speaking to Native speakers and each other. Last night was "Open Mic Night" and I enjoyed listening to many people sing and share their talents! We also sang some karaoke songs together as a whole, which was a lot of fun! I am glad I went and I think I will continue to go each time they host an English Cafe. The people are great. What a way to make new friends!
Now as time gets closer to Thanksgiving, we are preparing for so many different things around the school as well as the holiday weekend plans. I am excited about what is going to take place for Thanksgiving this year but still having a hard time accepting that I will not be home for the Holidays. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is where God has placed me and He has a reason and a plan for me being here!