Riding the Roller Coaster

April ended just a quick as it came. It is the middle of May and I have been extremely busy. There hasn't been many moments that I have actually had time to just sit and breathe (unless I was sleeping). We are now on the downward slope and its going to be a fast ride! As the end of the year rolls around there are many things that happen at the school as well as in our own lives as we prepare to wrap up another 10 months in Moscow. I am going to give you a quick summary of what has happened so far in the month of May.

On May 2nd, we had a half day at school because that evening the staff at Hinkson were being appreciated as staff members. The school paid for all of the staff to go on a Ghezl River Boat Cruise down the Moscow River! It was absolutely beautiful. Everyone was dressed so fancy, and we were able to see downtown Moscow at sunset! I will never forget the beauty of God's creation even in a fallen world! We celebrated going through accreditation again and doing well and we also celebrated the time and service those staff whom are leaving have given to Hinkson! Another bittersweet moment of being a part of Hinkson and having this year be my last year. My weekend ended by me administering the SAT early Saturday morning and ending the day with a great picnic with our English Cafe group at Kolomenskye Park! It was a great afternoon of fun, laughter, food, and games! Thank God for wonderful friends.

The next weekend was probably the most eventful weekend I have had in a very long time. 7 of the Hinkson women including myself decided to take a trip over to St. Petersburg. After a long day of work on Thursday and a farewell party for me and a couple other teachers, we headed out on an overnight train to St. Pete. The train ride was approximately 6.5 hours. We arrived in St. Pete at 6:30 in the morning and we were on the go until 3:30 the next morning. We slept for about 5-6 hours and were on the go from 10am until 10 Pm when we headed to the train to make our way back to Moscow. In a total of 40 hours and 20 mins we slept for 6 hours but managed to seen about 10 sights in 34 hours. Our feet were killing us and we were exhausted when we returned to Moscow but it was well worth the trip, even in the rain!

When we got back to work it was also going to be a busy week. I had a field trip with my kiddos to the Moscow Zoo. It was a beautiful sunshine day and the kids really enjoyed seeing all the "smelly" animals! At the end of the week we had our last Elementary Music Program and the kids rocked it! They looked great, they sang beautifully, and they remembered all their parts and motions! Thank you Ms. Siwak for a wonderful performance! It was definitely "Oceans of Fun."

There are now 18 days until I leave this place that I have been able to call home to head back to my home in Florida. There are many emotions that are full of nerves, excitement, and sadness. Through all of the emotions I am trusting that God will continue to provide for me what I will need upon my arrival in Florida but also that I can say goodbye well and adjust back to the culture! I would like to ask for prayers from all you of as the next 2 weeks are going to fly by and be full of emotions but also that I can have a safe return to Florida in June!!!

Where did the time go?

March?? Nope it is now April... Wait, when did that happen? Time is something that just keeps on ticking even when it seems other things take forever to come or go. The time here in Russia has just been flying by without anyone really noticing. It doesn't seem possible that it could be April right now but then again, it has been a very busy eventful couple of months. Everything from, Spirit week, Men's Day, Dr. Seuss Day,Valentines Day, Women's Day, English Cafe's, ACSI Team coming, Spring Break, and many more has made the month of April arrive much sooner than we were expecting. Maybe we didn't notice because the fact that even though it is April the weather has been cold and off and on with snow showers. Just when we think to ourselves, "yay the sun is out and it is getting warm," the dark clouds roll in and snow dumps on us. I do not believe the sun knows how to work here. It shines but that doesn't mean there is heat that radiates from it.

As I sit in my apartment staring out the window at the beauty that the sun brings to Moscow, I think about everything that I have to get done at school and at home before I can depart from this beautiful busy life and return to the states. The things that I ponder actually crack me up and to think that not many people in America will even understand kind of makes me sad! I will miss the public transportation, I will miss the daylight hours, I will miss the scenery, I will miss the snow (maybe not the length snow stayed but the snow in general is beautiful), I will miss my work place, the people, the fun 1st time moments, the adventure, I will miss many things about Moscow. To think that in 7.5 weeks I will be on my way back to America leaves a bittersweet feeling. Everything I have learned here will stay with me, everything I have gained will be near to my heart always, and everything that frustrated me while I was here- I am sure I will miss at one point.

The last 7 weeks of teaching at Hinkson will be dear, happy, and sad. I think about the lives I have touched and how my life was touched and blessed by many others. As much as I missed home, my family, my friends, sunshine, and Florida - I wouldn't have traded the last 2 years of my life for anything! Where else can you go and get squashed and pushed out of the metro at rush hour? Where else would a babushka yell at you for not wearing your scarf when it is 40 degrees F outside? Where else would you go through 4 cement doors and use 4 different keys just to get into your apt? Life here was very interesting, weird, funny, cold, irritating but it was also a new life experience, a great adventure!!!

Here is something I want to leave you with today... As we are approaching Easter, I have been teaching my littles the story of Easter and what it means. My very inquisitive kiddos have had so many conversations and questions about this story it blows my mind. It reminds me that, no matter where in the world we are from - Africa, America, or Russia (all the cultures of my kids) We all serve the same God who lived and died just for US. We are special to Him, He died for us, and He wants us to live for Him!!! It is our job to go and teach this story to all people of all cultures and to celebrate His life and Resurrection!!

The last thing I will leave you with... As I sat at my desk while my students where finishing their Bible worksheet, I typed quickly the conversation they had among themselves.

Student A - What color was Jesus Cloth when he died? Purple Right?
Student B - No one knows, ask him when you get to Heaven.
Student B - When we die, Satan will die and go to Hell.
Student A- But he is already in Hell.
Student B - But how?
Student A- Satan can get into our bodies and make us bad….
Student B - Yea that is why God put him in Hell to stay out of our bodies so we can be good and go to Heaven.
Student C – Jesus is Awesome.

Happy Easter Everyone!!! 

A little bit of my Heart

My whole life had been in shambles from things like: my dad being a severe alcoholic, a car accident that almost killed me, being sexually abused, my sister dying at a young age, my mom going into depression, and the end of my junior year in high school-we were being evicted from our home. This really rocked my world because this meant I had to change schools going into my senior year, quit soccer, not go to church, and everything else I loved. I decided at this point it was best for me to leave my parents and find somewhere else to go, I had no idea where I would stay, how I would eat, how I could finish school and survive. I looked to God in the midst of the nasty storm in my life and He took care of me. For the next 8 years, although I was taken care of, there still seemed to be uncertainty in my life.  I really started to lose faith around this point because I never thought I would get out of this circle of my life. I had a youth pastors spouse tell me that I would never be anything. That I would turn out just like the rest of my family, unmarried, pregnant, a drug user, and a drunk. I began to believe this and because I was always told these things and lived in it, I started to believe it and acted on it. I did many things I regret ever doing but in doing these things I learned I wanted nothing more to do with this part of my life and I could be better than this and I would show everyone that I was capable!! I still bounced house to house, I had to say goodbye to many of those who truly cared about me as I left to go away to college alone, I had no idea how I could manage to pay for college, live on my own, work, and study. Through it all, God never left my side and in 2011 I graduated college, something I always dreamed of but never thought I would have the chance to succeed! I did it and I did it for me! Even after college, life was still rocky, I still bounced around, I still was unsure how I could live, but again, God opened a door to a teaching job and I survived one more year without my parents or all of those negative people in my life. Throughout all this time, I always wished my parents would come around and want me, to want to be a part of my life, but my hopes were always crushed because they only wanted my money (what little I had) and when I didn’t do what they wanted, they would yell, cuss, and tell me how horrible I am. I never wanted to hurt anyone but I knew I had to do this for myself. I knew I couldn’t turn back to their lifestyle. I was very active in church, made wonderful friends, and my life continued even through the pain I suffered from daily.
God had much bigger and better plans for my life and it was laid upon my heart to really consider teaching overseas. Before reality even sank in, I was on a plane heading to Moscow to start a life there. My whole world was about to change, again. I was unsure how I was actually going to handle it after reality sank it and jet lag wore off but God knew what he was doing and exactly what I needed in my life! Moving across the ocean into the total unknown all alone was extremely frightening. It was rough living so far away from people that I loved and a church that had always been there for me through all the storms. I must say, that in all my years of heartache and change, being here in Moscow I have felt so much more encouragement and sense of belonging that I have ever felt. I am accepted here for me and it is a great feeling to have. I had many rocky moments my first year in Moscow but I made it through with Gods continual guidance and faithfulness. I am now ending my second year in Moscow and I am preparing how to say goodbyes once again. I am prepping for yet another change in my life. I don’t know where life is going to take me. I don’t know where I will stay, how I make it once I move home again, but the one thing that is still constant is Gods love and Faithfulness through it all. God still continues to show Himself to me in all of the storms and changes of my life, it is my job to trust and obey what He is calling me to do.
I am not good at goodbyes, I never have been. I keep telling myself, “the more I do them, the easier it will get.” That is a lie! It will never be easy to tell my true friends and family goodbye or until next time. I have met some amazing people here in Moscow that I can call family and I know I can always call on them. As I begin to process all of this “change” that is about to happen, a lot of pain along with happy memories rise to the surface. I will miss Moscow very much, maybe not all the cold and lack of sunshine, but I will miss the love, support, encouragement, and friendship! I believe that my being here in Moscow has brought me to be a different person with a new perspective. I am going back home a new changed person with a better understanding of who I truly am! Being here in Moscow, I have found ME!!!

The New Year has Begun

Snovym Godom! As it is pronounced in Russian, Happy New Year! Fireworks boomed throughout Moscow from approximately 10pm-6am. It was one of the longest nights I have witnessed here in Moscow. Just when I think I could roll over and fall asleep, huge flashes of light would come through my window and the sound would startle me awake! Although I didn't get too much sleep it was a beautiful night! For the first two weeks of January we were still out of school for the Holiday break! I stayed home, enjoyed the peace and quiet since my roommate was gone away to a camp. I did my favorite things; cleaned, watched movies, cleaned some more, and enjoyed being able to skype with home as much as I wanted to. It was a glorious time.

January 7th is Russia's Christmas, I had the opportunity to go over to my bosses house and have dinner and play games with their family. It was a great night, I was introduced to new games! What great fun we had! The following Friday was a busy day but it ended with great fellowship at our directors house for dinner and games. If you haven't noticed food and games are a very common interest we all have here at Hinkson. :) Our Christmas break was coming to an end but we were all very anxious to get back into the swing of things at school. I was especially excited because I was getting a new student, A GIRL! YAY! That now makes for 6 boys and a total of 2 girls in Kindergarten class this year!

The first week back was an exciting but extremely exhausting week back. There is nothing like having to retrain your kiddos every little thing from how to get dressed to go outside to write your name on your paper!! It also amazes me how much dynamics of the classroom change when you add one student or even if one student is absent. Boy, has it been an interesting start to the new year. The rest of January seemed so very busy and exhausted as we were battling issues in Kindergarten, trying to finish Curriculum trak for our re-accreditation, meetings galore, tutoring everyday after school, and also trying to keep up with my own things at my apt. It seemed so busy and overwhelming that I turned around and February had arrived so soon!

February arrived and was quite a happy but rushed start. February started off quite calm but as we sat in our staff meeting it became very busy and overwhelming to write down all the dates on the calendar. The calmness of February has ended and the hoopla of stuff is just about to begin. This coming week we have Spirit Week; Twin Day, Wacky Tacky Day, and Character Day. Followed by Valentines parties, finishing Curriculum trak completely, Winter Break, 100th Day of School, Mens Day, and Dr. Seuss Day! I believe that February, already being a short month, is going to pass right before our eyes. I am prepared as much as I can be but the prayers are very much appreciated for our whole staff team as February is a very crucial cram month! Re-accreditation is vastly approaching here in March and there still is a lot to be done!

I still must say that through all the chaos of things happening at school and around us, our staff has been incredible at uplifting each other and helping in any way possible. I am blessed to be a part of the staff here at Hinkson! God is using each of us to serve the school and the students/families that we come in contact with on a daily basis!

Who gets a break??

            Since my last posting, I don't think I have actually stopped moving long enough (until now) to think about what to write next. The hoopla of Holidays and end of the semester at work completely took over my life. The end of November came and went in a flash. Mostly I remember having 3 Thanksgivings in 3 days, one with Kindergarten, one with the staff at work, and one on Thanksgiving with wonderful friends. Being able to share stories, love, and laughter with amazing people in my life is truly what I am most blessed by.

Not long after Thanksgiving ended did we start preparing for Christmas. On Saturday December 7, we had our annual Staff Christmas Party. We all dressed up, enjoyed the company, had wonderful food and fondue, and sang Christmas Carols together. The weekend couldn't have been better hadn't I gone to church on Sunday and Ice Skating. Some friends and I decided it has been too long since we have ice skated so it was time to go out. Now if you know me (klutz) it was going to be a long interesting night. We arrived to Gorky Park and after the wait in the bitter cold, we finally had our skates and were ready to tackle this fun. Well you dont need all the details so we will just say, it was a blast! We skated, laughed, sang songs, tried dancing in our skates over the lite up ground, sat by a fire, and fell.

The last two weeks of school for the semester were crazy busy and filled with excitement at the same time. We held the Elementary Christmas Program this year with no music teacher, I tutored almost every day after school, I lost my voice, there were meetings galore, decorating for Christmas, preparing Parties, and there was shopping for Christmas. We ended the second semester very well. We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus at our Christmas party in Kindergarten and that was the kiddos favorite part. It is so wonderful to see the love of Jesus in my classroom and to think that I get to be there teacher. Since Christmas Break started, I have been busy doing something everyday. Is it really a break for me?

I ask myself if it is a break and when I look at my calendar I would say no but I have to say, even though I am busy everyday, this Christmas break may not be about me at work from 8-6 but the fact that my focus over break is to spend quality time with friends here. Time for me to step away from the business of life at work to regain strength and energy but also to focus more on the Reason for the Season.

December 21, the annual HCA Family Christmas Service. What a great time to worship and fellowship with our HCA Family the birth of Jesus and this Christmas Season. Sunday at church was the kids Christmas program, although we are an international church and people are always coming and going, we had about 6 kids learn songs in English and sing for the congregation, it was beautiful. Afterwards, I enjoyed lunch and games at a friends house. Christmas Day approached quickly, at first I was bummed about not being able to come home for the holidays or at least visit my friends in Italy but I began to see how truly blessed I was to be able to stay here in Moscow with my new friends and family. My roommate and I stuffed each others stockings with fun little things and we enjoyed building two puzzles and watching Christmas movies the whole Christmas day! The day after Christmas, some friends and I decided to rent a limo and ride around the City of Moscow and see all the beautiful Christmas lights! Oh what a glorious time we had singing Christmas songs in the limo, seeing the lights, and building relationships and memories together.  

Christmas is over for Americans but in Russia Christmas isn't until January 7. I get to spend New Years Eve on Red Square this year and then celebrate Christmas again, Russian Style! I am praying for you all back home or wherever you may be. I know Christmas is over but something we should always remember is why we are here. The true reason for everything is because of the birth of Jesus, because without his birth there would be no death. Be a blessing to someone else and in return you will be blessed!!

Where has the time gone?!

    Do you ever have that feeling that life just jumped out the window and you are not sure where it landed? This past month has been so busy that I feel like I lost track of time. If I sit here and think about all that happened over the last 30 days, I draw a blank because it was so full that everything runs together. There is a reason I have 3 calendars that keep track of what my life holds. I know that may sound pretty scary to some of you but most of you I think know what I am talking about. 

 

October ended with a pretty big Bang! As the last couple weeks were busy with tutoring, meetings, regular class, parent teacher conferences, and soccer games, I do have to say it ended well. The weather started to drop towards the end of October but there was no snow! Praise God. A lot of the Russians that I work with are ready for snow but as many of the Americans at school say, "Not yet!!" 

November seems to be the month that everyone gets slammed. Elementary hosted a family movie night at the school, we also had meetings, 2 English Cafes, a Ladies Night, Fall Festival, In-service work day, and a Coffee House. Tonight a few friends and I are meeting up for Dinner and then we are going to the Old Moscow Circus! I am stoked for this will be my first time ever going to a circus. How exciting and what an adventure to be able to experience all of this here in Moscow. 

Admits all of the chaos of things going on in my personal life and work life here at school, things in Moscow are going great and getting colder. We have a Student Teacher here from Taylor University in Indiana. We are glad that she has chosen to be here with us. Her name is Emily, if you would pray for her please, for a great experience and safe travels back to the states in December. As the midway point of the school year is vastly approaching, our recruiting person is working very hard at making contacts to people about teaching at Hinkson next year. If you would, please pray for these positions at Hinkson to be filled. Here is our Website if you would like to check out what our school is all about or if you know someone who would like to check us out, please pass this on. http://www.hinkson.ru/ 

As most of you know, this year at Hinkson will be my last year. I actually just bought my plane ticket back to Florida yesterday. As wonderful as it felt doing this for me, it also became more of a reality that this chapter is almost over. I ask for continued prayers for me as I prepare to leave this place and take the next step of Faith into the direction God has planned. 

Nonstop Love and Passion

October has been a busy month already and it continues to get busier as the month goes on. Before we know it, October will be over and November will be here! The weather has been a bit bipolar but it was nice to finally have our Granny Summer. We had snow flurries on September 30 and some cold weather for a while. It was in the high 30s and 40s for a while until we had our Granny Summer of the 50s and maybe the 60s. It was beautiful! The Granny Summer has left us and it is now getting to the bitter coldness that will only get worse from here! It is almost time for the winter boots, jacket, scarf, hat, and gloves!!

October was kicked off with the most incredible week of VBS. During the Elementary Spiritual Emphasis Week, we decided to do the VBS Theme Kingdom Rock. It was a total hit! Some of the teachers went in on the Sunday before and decorated the gym to look more like a castle and had such an incredible time doing this together as a team to make the week even more exciting for the students. The children looked forward to Chapel time every afternoon where we sang such fun songs, listened to incredible stories, watched videos about how to STAND STRONG, and embrace the love of God. The teachers enjoyed it just as much, if not more, than the students did. This was definitely a great idea and a good tradition to keep doing at Hinkson. We all send lots of thanks and appreciation to Karen's church in America who provided all of the materials to make this happen for our kids.

The beginning of October was very busy for me with VBS all week but I also started a tutoring job after school, 3 days a week for a little boy who wants to come to Hinkson next school year. He is such a fun intelligent 1st grader. On Wednesday of the same week, I had the opportunity to go to a Performance in Moscow. Shadowland, a Shadow puppet group from New York, who won America's Got Talent, came and performed an amazing show here in Moscow! I am so thrilled that I was able to be a part of such an incredible night. How stunning to me that people could perform such amazing talents in such a way! Absolutely Beautiful!!!

Also this month, my roommate and I had some coworkers over for a girls night at our place. We had dinner together, played games, and enjoyed fellowshipping with one another. This is my second year here and on October 8 and 9, I had the opportunity to support our guys and girls soccer teams while they played great games. The guys won on Tuesday with an incredible win, unfortunately the girls lost but played such an incredibly hard game! Great job Huskies!!! Being a part of the English Cafe also was something I went to this past week. The theme was all about challenging your brain but was such an exciting time. There were so many games we played and were challenged to. Some of the Russians at my table were very determined to figure out all of the "American Phrases" and might I add they were very successful and even knew the meaning of some of them! The time together with Russians and Americans was incredible and a great time to share with each other the abilities and strengths we each have. God created so many different people with different strengths and weaknesses but when we all pull together it is amazing the outcome!

Last night, I cooked Stuffed Shells, Corn bread, and a broccoli Salad for my boss/friend and myself. It came out so incredibly delicious, I was surprised! I had such a good time preparing dinner and having such a special and important person in my life come over and just relax. The conversations that we had meant a lot to me. It was nice to have someone to sit here with me and share the good and the bad stories with. Having someone like Karen in my life has been a blessing since I have been here in Moscow. I honestly don't think I could have come as far as I have without her here! I am blessed to call her a friend and for the two of us to grow as close as we have in a little over a year. Both of us have such big caring hearts and we both LOVE hugs! Sometimes we take things or people for granted, sometimes we don't tell people enough how much we appreciate having them in our lives, but I think it is very important to make the effort if you really love and care for someone. You don't have to sit down and talk for hours on end but a sweet little message or a phone call can make all the difference to someone. Make the effort to make someone else's day brighter!