Novgorod is breaking up...

This morning we say goodbye to our two-weekers (or tweekers in camp parlance). On Monday we will receive a shipment of new tweekers, though these will be older kids, near in age to the 4-week credit kids I teach. And after theses tweekers go today, our cabin is closing down and we're all moving to available cabins closer to the main area of camp. Below is a picture taken of me and Zhenya (the other cabin counselor, kneeling center) in Novgorod with the 10 young men we've been living with for the last 2 weeks in close quarters. Zhenya and I are splitting up and taking 5 each to new cabins (I'm going to Minsk).

So, Monday we receive new kids and begin the second semester of the "year."

This weekend, though, we all get 24 hours off. I'll be spending it in the sleepy little summer town of Detroit Lakes (famous, at least, for its two laundromats)...

More later...

Poka!

A year ago, give or take a day...

Today in one of my classes, I was passing around some realia I brought along (rubles, MGU student ID, metro tickets, etc.) for "show and tell" and as I looked at the dates on some of the tickets, it's hard for me to believe that a year ago tomorrow I was in the Tretyakovskaya Art Gallery in Moscow and one year ago Sunday I was in the Russian Navy Museum in St. Petersburg!

Well, even though I'm almost halfway through 4 weeks of Russian, it's still kind of strange to be in the middle of the woods in Minnesota. Where will I be this time next year?

Alas, another slow blog day...

Poka!

It's bacon!

Slow blog day, but an interesting observation... Nothing gets kids out of bed and to breakfast on time like the smell of bacon wafting from the kitchen. It was all they could talk about this morning! Go figure...

Poka!

Willy Wonka

As Sunday's routine is more relaxed here at Lesnoe Ozero, some of the other counselors and I were able to get into town yesterday for a few hours. We did laundry and saw a movie-- Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. (The last movie I saw in a theater was Finding Nemo.) I like Johnny Depp movies and though this remake of the Gene Wilder classic was pretty good. Great special effects and a Johnny Depp is somewhat of a darker Willy Wonka... Gotta say that the I liked the Oompa Loompas in the original version better (as well as the original Oompa Loompa song).

Today we were back on the regular schedule, albeit under less than favorable weather conditions. It got kind of chilly overnight and was in the 60s with a stiff wind and light rain for most of the day; on the plus side, the bugs weren't as active today (but the kids had to be entertained inside, since the beach was closed).

Just another busy day here on the Black Sea (that's what we call Lake Trowbridge while we're here)... Tomorrow is Kyrgystan Day, since one of our teachers here is Kyrgyzi...

Poka!