A few weeks ago, I and the rest of my cohort passed our one 1 year mark in country. This heralds a lot of good news, not the least of which is the end of winter. It wasn't the load of bricks we were led to believe it would be, but that may be due to the combination of it having been a relatively mild winter and my Michigan blood. Now the town is waking up again, shaking off its crusty hibernation. I feel a sympathy for the other half of volunteers, who arrive in winter. Whereas their first impression of their site was a cold, grey ghost-town, I have fond memories of a green and vibrant community. The end of a year means I finally get that back again.
Riding the dual high of sunlight and warm weather, my past week was very productive. I drew up some plans to put shelves on my piddly balcony. The labour training teacher has agreed to help me assemble and install them. In anticipation of the shelves, I got a summer herb garden started: basil, cilantro, watercress, and spinach. I've even got some cherry tomatoes and petunias going (The Russians call this sudden planting of a space озеленение or "greenification"). I completed both my taxes ($2,377.42 for the whole year, woohoo!) and the behemoth Volunteer Reporting document. I tried a new pizza dough / BBQ chicken pizza recipe. I knocked out a presentation with facts on all fifty states. Oh, and let's not forget that the notorious "not soon" sofas have returned, so at last my house has all its furniture.
The end of the first 12 months also concludes several other things. For starters, school is almost out. With the slew of orthodox holidays in the run-up to and aftermath of Slavic Easter (May 5th this year), classes won't even be in session for a full 2 weeks next month. What little school we do have left is a never-ending cycle of test prep and graduation dance rehearsals. The end of the '12-'13 school year means I will soon need to reboot my culinary club. Replacing these boys won't be an easy task, but I am excited about reaching out to a fresh audience.
Throughout Peace Corps orientation and training, the powers told us to be patient: spend the first year at site becoming a member of the community, then make waves during the second half of your service. I have faithfully stuck to this principle, integrating like a beast for the past year. [Status update: Russian now surpassing Korean at its peak; Expanding to direct communication with parents of students; Strong friendships in multiple social circles.] Now it's time to put this network to use, which demands a fundamental shift in my service priorities and my lifestyle. As of now, my school is floating the idea of overhauling one of the older, more dilapidated classrooms to transform it into a school newspaper. First, I have to make it through a very active summer, but I'm not opposed.
On the point of summer, if you're interested in supporting the camp in which I'm participating, you can donate online in a matter of minutes.*** Your donation will help fund the transportation and camp costs for needs-based scholarship recipients, as well as the materials we need for lessons and projects throughout the camp.
***Edit: The camp has been fully funded! Thanks to everyone who helped us get there! :)
Riding the dual high of sunlight and warm weather, my past week was very productive. I drew up some plans to put shelves on my piddly balcony. The labour training teacher has agreed to help me assemble and install them. In anticipation of the shelves, I got a summer herb garden started: basil, cilantro, watercress, and spinach. I've even got some cherry tomatoes and petunias going (The Russians call this sudden planting of a space озеленение or "greenification"). I completed both my taxes ($2,377.42 for the whole year, woohoo!) and the behemoth Volunteer Reporting document. I tried a new pizza dough / BBQ chicken pizza recipe. I knocked out a presentation with facts on all fifty states. Oh, and let's not forget that the notorious "not soon" sofas have returned, so at last my house has all its furniture.
The end of the first 12 months also concludes several other things. For starters, school is almost out. With the slew of orthodox holidays in the run-up to and aftermath of Slavic Easter (May 5th this year), classes won't even be in session for a full 2 weeks next month. What little school we do have left is a never-ending cycle of test prep and graduation dance rehearsals. The end of the '12-'13 school year means I will soon need to reboot my culinary club. Replacing these boys won't be an easy task, but I am excited about reaching out to a fresh audience.
Throughout Peace Corps orientation and training, the powers told us to be patient: spend the first year at site becoming a member of the community, then make waves during the second half of your service. I have faithfully stuck to this principle, integrating like a beast for the past year. [Status update: Russian now surpassing Korean at its peak; Expanding to direct communication with parents of students; Strong friendships in multiple social circles.] Now it's time to put this network to use, which demands a fundamental shift in my service priorities and my lifestyle. As of now, my school is floating the idea of overhauling one of the older, more dilapidated classrooms to transform it into a school newspaper. First, I have to make it through a very active summer, but I'm not opposed.
On the point of summer, if you're interested in supporting the camp in which I'm participating, you can donate online in a matter of minutes.*** Your donation will help fund the transportation and camp costs for needs-based scholarship recipients, as well as the materials we need for lessons and projects throughout the camp.
***Edit: The camp has been fully funded! Thanks to everyone who helped us get there! :)
