The Month of May: Russia

This has been an exciting month.

The sunshine is coming and staying (we hope) and there is light in my windows as early as 3:30 and as late as 9:00, perhaps even more.  The sun comes in long and low, and lights up my living room full of red light in the evening.  That is, when it isn't so cloudy like right now.  It is still spring, a bit chilly at times, wet with rain.  But, I've been out most weekends this month, and it is time to share some of the more thrilling events, sights, occasions.

This post is in 4 parts:
Creatures.
Tanks.
Ballerinas.
Cosmonauts.

Event I
Creatures.

I had been hearing a screeching noise while I sat at my desk.  I thought maybe I was hearing things for a bit, or that there was a mouse somewhere on my balcony, living some crazy adventurous life.  Rizza had eyes and ears for it as well.  It's audible when the window is closed, and even more so when the window is open.  There were some bumps on the wall, some knocks that said something was somewhere and I didn't know where... or what.

Well, I was sitting at my desk the other day, gazing out the window, and saw a bird fly almost into the window.  I walked outside to the balcony to try to have a glance, and sure enough, some pieces of a bird's nest are peeking out from the eve under the window.  I believe (and I can't see it without extreme danger to myself) that there is a little birds' nest outside my window.  And little baby birds are calling for their mama.  Aw, spring.

Rizza can hear them.

Event II
TANKS.

Victory Day was May 9, the day that the soldiers returned to Moscow having defeated the enemy.  This, apparently, leads to some pretty fascinating events.  The buzz was about the school about Victory Day and the parades.  For at least 4 times before the big day, they have rehearsals, where some streets are closed and the tanks go through the city to practice their Red Square debut.  A few times from our office window (at school), we could see the planes in formation heading up for a rehearsal as well.

I was pretty excited about the tanks.  And with this excitement, here comes something of the misadventure of the K.

I knew that there was no way to get into Red Square, because it was against the rules.
I knew that there was some way to see the tanks, and that there was a route of the parade.
I knew the approximate times for the events, but not necessarily the places for them.

So, I went out to Tverskaya (aka one huge road towards Red Square) when I knew they were having a rehearsal.  I saw a ton of people out, seeming to walk toward a parade spot, with families in tow.  And, perhaps I assumed that there was something about to happen.  I waited and waited, not knowing exactly what the situation was.  I watched a man put his fist through a display window and get removed by a small section of security guards/police.  I bought a few waters.  I enjoyed the sunshine.

I saw no tanks.

I did, however, see planes.

All the planes.  I didn't get a ton of great photos because I watched the planes and not the phone, but I think this video is decent.

I was disappointed, because after the planes, the people began to disperse and I knew that my tank experience had been thwarted.

But.
There was another chance.
That was just the rehearsal, not the actual day.

So, Victory Day rolled around, and I got up earlier than usual (because I didn't have curtains and the sun was up and bright at 4).  I had some coffee, relaxed a bit.  And decided that this day was the day to see tanks.  This would have been easier if I had, say, asked someone for help.  Alas, that was not to be.  I walked to this place near the zoo, and asked a policeman if the tanks had gone already.  He said yes.  I went to a second place, and asked the police and innocent bystanders (there are some crowds here that surprise me at times) what they were waiting to see, and if it was tanks.  It was not.

Finally, I walked to the third place, the end of the parade route, and found the policeman.

"Da," he said.  I asked a second policeman (because they were just 15 feet apart).  "Da," he says.

And so, I hunkered down with my book, at a cafe looking out the window.  Because, it was mighty cold and wet that day.  Nothing like the beautiful sunny and blue day of the planes.  I had a coffee, and waited.  They had both said 10, but 10 rolled around without any tanks in appearance.

10:15, more people, more crowds, but still cars on the road.
10:30, more people, more crowds, no tanks yet.
10:45, no more cars, more people...

TANKS.

It was 20 solid minutes of tanks. Soldiers were waving, or just looking serious. I was waving, and looking like a super happy fool.  The street was moving with the tank weight.  It was fucking awesome.

Then, that evening, we went on a boat cruise on the river to see the fireworks, and that was another beautiful (cold) evening.  Such an amazing place that I live in.

Moscow smoky with fireworks. 

Event III:
Ballerinas

There were two ballerina themed things of this month.

One, a staff trip, took me to one of the Seven Sisters (super tall buildings you see all over Moscow) to the apartment of a famed ballerina (Galina Ulanova) which was preserved with her things, her photos, and her memorabilia.

A few of my favorite photos:

Our tour guide, a ballerina herself, with some footage of Galina on the screen.

She taught, as many ballerinas do, when her dancing career had slowed.
I would love to have seen this moment. 

She had a tiny little barre installed in a practice section of her apartment. 

The second ballerina-esque thing that happened was the viewing of a new movie that looked amazing.  It is in Russian, but it's also about dance, so I have confidence in your ability to enjoy the trailer.

Here's the trailer:

So, after dance on a Saturday, Katya the dance teacher and I (and another gal, Olga), went out to the movies to see this show.  I was happy to go with a Russian speaker, because I knew that there were things that I would miss otherwise.  I can get the gist of these things, but not quite all the details.

You have to choose your seat, like in other places I've been.
Here's the cash desk. 

Concession Stand and movie poster. 

Katya got a big popcorn to split with Olga, and I got an Americano, because coffee is served and it is such a beautiful thing.  We could also have bought beer, which I find so interesting.  We went into the theatre, found our seats in the corner of a pretty small cinema room.

The film is about this young girl from the country who, through a series of events, finds herself in the big Academy under the wing of that terrifying looking teacher.  Said teacher has some form of dementia and is struggling to remember the girls that she teaches from day to day, and the things that she does.  There's a plot around the earrings that the trailer shows; the teacher gifts them to the student, then forgets that she has done so, and she almost gets expelled from the school for this.

There's a parallel plot of competition between the two girls.  The film follows them from youth into a more mature age, and they are always fighting for roles.  The main girl seems to have more talent, but the other one has more money.  At one point, her wealthy mother begs to the dance teacher to give her a role, and then pays off the other girl for the same role: the lead in Swan Lake.

There's a handful of other themes covered: alcoholism and drug abuse, the problem of going home to the country when you've been in the city as a ballerina, some intimacy and boy issues, and some struggles with food.  All in all, a fantastic film.

Event IV:
Tulips and Cosmonauts

The weather has been warming up some (although those who have lived here for some time do say that this is a chilly sort of spring).  And, so I've been going on walks to see some of my gorgeous city.  I've been recently to the botanical gardens, a place that was somewhat small but full of all kinds of tulips.  It was also easy to get to and is perfect for warm weather as it is outside.

I do feel a certain affinity for tulips given their relationship to home for me.  Pella must be getting tulips at this time of year as well, and I can imagine that they are blooming so gloriously at home.  I've heard words that indicate that these bulbs are a gift from the Dutch for some long-standing rescue of the old days, but I cannot confirm or deny this claim.

Recently, I've also been to see the Cosmonaut's Museum.

That tall tower is massive. And it towers over the rest.  It is the monument to the Cosmonauts and the Space Race.

(It's always the food with me)

The museum was incredible, full of glorious nods to the Russian space program.  I've just finished a book about space, Seveneves, which had a huge contingent of the Russian space race.  I found a few things in the museum that the book mentioned or nodded to, and it was quite thrilling to see it all.  It's underneath this huge tower that you see, in something of a basement, but it is full of models and artifacts and photos of space.

I just jumped in on my way to other things (read: to enjoy the sunshine), but I will go back again and immerse myself in the paraphrenalia that it had to offer.

On my walk, I also enjoyed the large "theme park" known as VDNKh.

Even Wikipedia gives me unclear reasons why it was built, but it seemed to be a nod to some of the Soviet states, with pavillions of all kinds that house different things.  There are a few museums, and one of the pavillions I visited had a small market.  Some of the buildings look quite run down, though there was also a horse park where I saw riders in a corral.

Does this do the scale of this place justice? I'm not convinced. 

Shiny fountain. 

Rockets! Airplanes! Why?

I'll be walking a lot in future weekends, I believe.  And there will be more photos all along the way.  This walk ended with some gardens (including a Japanese Garden) and a ride in the new train that goes around the ring.  It was truly a beautiful spring day (if a bit brisk).

Have I said before how much I love Moscow?  Because truly, I do.

A Moscow Update!

It's been quite some time since I've written a blog, so I wanted to give some updates about the everyday things (and the small, but special things) that are happening. I feel so comfortable in my life here in Moscow, and my life doesn't feel much like an adventure.  Alas, here's some updates for your enjoyment.

It's a balmy 30 degrees outside, although there is some freezing rain that is making everything glassy.  The first day of spring has arrived, and hopefully will be showing up in the next two months.

Rizza staring pensively at Russian hat.

My average week looks something like this.
Wake up every day around 6, and on the bus to school around 7.
Get to school, have some breakfast in the cafeteria (usually oatmeal and smoothies).
Work all day (which means library classes and reading for the little people, getting some projects done, answering emails, possibly going into a high school class)
Get home around 5, sometimes earlier, sometimes later.
I eat dinner, which is usually fish, veggies, and always spinach that I fry with garlic.  And, I usually finish dinner with a grapefruit.

Grapefruits in my window.

Monday this week, I went to the grocery store.
Tuesday and Thursday I will have a skype call when I get home and then go to dance.
Wednesday, I have plans to cook some granola.

Dance is excellent, and I spend one hour or two hours stretching and working out with a mixture of ballet, pilates, yoga, and some of the special tricks that our teacher (Katya) comes up with.  Last week, I sat next to friends in the class and she pulled a teacher on me.... saying that if we couldn't be quiet, that she would move us apart.  To be fair, the class hadn't started yet, and also, I laughed with another friend when she had an unexpected spill on her mat.

I've also been cooking a ton.  Most recently, I made some granola that I'm pretty thrilled with, and have a plan to try a new recipe this week.  I've made a green curry with vegetables that is one of my standard evening dishes.  And, I've made chili garlic mushrooms, which is not something that I thought I would ever cook, but turned out almost too spicy to eat (aka delicious).  This week, I've bought a butternut squash that I'm going to try with tahini, so that will be an experiment in the making.

This week, some mail came, and Rizza got a Valentine.

XXXXX, Love, Gammy

This last weekend was pretty busy, full of activities.

On Thursday, there was a Peace Corps event hosted by a couple at the US Embassy.  It was to celebrate the birthday of Peace Corps by bringing together all the Peace Corps people in Moscow.  It was quite a high number of people, maybe 25?  Three of us work together at the school, and the rest work in the state department here, which is a massive employer.  There were folks who had served in Russia, in Malaysia, in Cameroon, all over the place.  We had all the continents represented, with the exception of the Pacific Islands.  And overall, it was a really nice time.  I talked about food with some other volunteers, and heard some war stories.  My service was a walk in the park compared to some.

On Friday, we had a final Broomball party, hosted at the German Embassy.  It was themed and costumed with all the German food one could ask for.  I celebrated with my team, and took the stage to accept the gold medals with the other Chicks.  A fuller blog about the magic of Broomball will be forthcoming.

On Saturday, I slept in some (because broomball no longer takes my mornings), and found myself at a Vietnamese restaurant in the city before I went to the opera with a friend of mine.  She is, in fact, the same friend that fell over in dance not too long ago.  Nastia is lovely, and she accepted my invite to see Tosca at the Stanislasky theatre, which is royal blue everywhere.

Nastia and I in the opera, looking classy.

And on Sunday, I rested.  All the resting happened, and I made some scrabble tile coasters and finished my book.

Other big-ish things that have happened recently?

Maslenitsa Happened

Maslenitsa is a huge Russian holiday, the week that precedes Lent.  It is traditionally celebrated with blini (pancakes), more blini, and yet more blini.  Blini for every day of the week, with a special person or persons sharing in their blini bounty for the family.  From what I've been able to gather, it is a mixture between the Orthodox tradition of Lent and enjoying all the food you can before you observe the fasting tradition... and the pagan coming of spring.  Because, in addition to eating all the pancakes you could ever eat, with sweet and savory fillings, you also fill an effigy of a woman with straw and set her on fire.

So, our effigy of a woman lived in the school for a solid week, and then on Friday afternoon, we all went out to the courtyard and watched as some Russian performers took a torch and set her on fire.  It was, all in all, pretty thrilling a moment.  I do feel as though spring has sprung because we set lady winter on fire. In fact, when I came back from break, I found it to be quite mild.  There was less ice than usual!

I had a taste of dog sledding.  

Ready to Run!

The school organized a short trip to a town not far away, just a few hours.  Me and some of my colleagues took the journey out into a realer Russian, the non-Moscow Russia.  Moscow is absolutely an island.  So, we went out, and found a little patch of forest behind a bunch of dachas (country houses).  We walked about a kilometer to a piece of land in the middle of the forest, and there was a warm bonfire, and some coffee and snacks.  AND..... a whole bunch of beautiful huskies, all tied up and yipping.

The First Glipse.

We settled in, and learned our dog sledding lesson from the man in charge.  The sled has two places to keep your feet, and you have to gracefully step on them and off the brake when the dogs start moving.  This is more challenging than it might seem.  We sat around the fire and chatted with one another, waiting as our party all took their turns.  The man would take you ahead on the snow mobile as your partner would ride on the dog sled, and then it would return back to the fire.  In between rides, they would put snow on the puppies to cool them down!

Beautiful and Warm Fire

When it was my turn, I rode the snowmobile first, which honestly I could have done all day.  It was amazingly entertaining and quick.  And then, we got the dogs turned around and I got on the sled.  It was brisk and chilly, and the wind was in my face.  The dogs were so loud when we were stopped, but as soon as they started running, there was blissful silence.  It was almost like sailing, where you only hear nature from a certain place.  I will say, my fingers got chilly, and I could see how any long lengths would be slightly uncomfortable.

So tired from all the work!

But. At the end of the ride, when we were all done, we got to feed them hot dogs, and that was a beautiful moment.  I had prepared all these little hot dog pieces and they hopped up and snapped them out of the air all graceful like when I tossed them.

Russia!

After the sledding journey, we took a few minutes to walk to the nearby cathedral and on the wall, seeing some of the real Russia.  We happened upon a wedding party, with all the girls in short dresses in the chilly, chilly weather.  As we walked around, we saw them posing in various spots, taking photos.  At the end of our walk, we saw them taking a cigarette break, sharing the cigarette even.  So sweet, that was.

A Hockey Game, part 2.

I had been to a hockey game previously, but I enjoyed a second one recently as well.

This game took place at the CSKA arena, which is just a few metro stops from my house.  The security to get in is pretty intense, as it is most places, but I got in with ease.  This game, we were a bigger group, and cheering for a family friend.  One of my colleagues has a nephew (cousin??) who plays hockey for the Russian leagues.  They don't know each other so well, being so distant and all, but since he was down to play in Moscow, we decided to join the match.

On the ice.

 The entertainment was in the variety of music, from American pop to rap, to Russian national classics, to anything else you could imagine.  All of this with the beautiful women dancing in the background.

They filed in so silently.

During the 1st to 2nd period switch, the lights went down for an ice skater (who couldn't have been more than 10) to perform.  And, when the lights came up again for the game, there was an entire army corps in the section next to us.  Not one of us saw them come in, and all of a sudden, the whole thing was full.  They were pretty silent the first few minutes, but eventually started to cheer a bit.

My Apartment: Unique Spaces

Tomorrow, I receive my shipment, and I am shocked at the speed with which my items have traveled across the planet.  So, before my place is filled with some of the treasures that I've decided to bring, I thought I would share some of the cool curiosities of my place.

This is part of my neighborhood.

There is a dish drying rack in the cupboard above the sink, which is handy for everyone involved.

My window opens like this, to the side...

And also like this... from the top.  And this is all the windows in the place.

I have real radiators at every corner of this place, in every room.

This towel warmer uses hot water going through the pipes to warm up my towel, which is epic. 

I have a bathtub, and it is as tall as me.  This bubble bath with the Russian woman on it is the jam as well.

My washing machine is in French. 

This is part of my dryer, which is a condenser dryer.  Every time I use it, I empty this container of water from my clothing. 

A gas stove. Praise.

This is a trash chute in the hallway, for my garbage to fall down to the bottom.

And last but not least, the landing at my stairs. Beautiful and full of flowers. 

The Small Surprises

I must admit, I have many things to write and less time than I need to write them.  However, I was asked a question today at a girls' evening that I must write more on.

The question: What has surprised you about Moscow?

This place is full of endless surprises, if I'm honest.  There will be many in my years here, for certain.  For right now, at the end of this long and lovely day, here are my answers.

- The people are friendly, smiling, helpful, and forgiving of the stupid mistakes that my next blog will explore.
- My house has a towel warmer, a dish rack in the cupboard above the sink, and windows that open two ways.
- There is sun, and it makes a beautiful city.
- The city is safe, super safe, and alive at all hours.
- It can rain for more than 15 hours in a row (and not flood).
- The school community is amazingly diverse.
- I look Russian (yet to be determined).
- The sidewalks are made for walking: wide, pedestrian friendly, and everywhere.
- The metro (every metro line) comes every 2 minutes.  Without fail.  And the system is easy.
- Things are easy here, so easy.
- There are fruits and vegetables.
- (Once more for mom) This city is safe, so safe. Walking around, there are zero threats.

I'm thrilled to be here.  I know it won't always be easy, but I love it.

On the train today...

I observed something today that I would like to share.

I'm on the skytrain, heading back from the cat cafe to my home, reading my book and listening to my music on shuffle from the iPod.

I look over and scan the train and the people, and see a typical sight... mostly Thai people, a few white folk scattered about, and a fairly full car.  No seats, many standing, but not as packed as I've seen before.

Seated together, there is a group of three people.  One is a man, probably about 35, with a tattoo on his hand, speaking with a woman, younger perhaps, with short hair and a round, expressive face.  Sandwiched between them, another woman, with a sharp, angular face looks out the window, pensive and unengaged with the conversation.

I noticed them only because they were speaking in sign language.  I developed a passing interest in sign about a year ago, signing up for a 10 hour course through my school.  It helped that one of my closest friends at the time was nearly fluent and we could talk about the art together.  I tried to pay attention to the flow and see if I could pick up the jist of the conversation, but I was barely able to recognize a single word.

What I could recognize was a piece of the language that I was never fully able to attempt: the pure expressions on the face of the speaker as a means to communicate more fully.  The young woman stuck out her tongue, grimaced, smiled, raised her eyebrows, and communicated with her face as much as with her hands.  It was fascinating.

The other woman, with her eyes watching out the window and not the conversation, eventually joined in when the others tapped her thigh to get her attention.  They were engrossed in what she was writing down after searching one another for a pen and something to write on.  When we got closer to the end of the line, I noticed that there were a few comments about which stop they were on, from looking at the video screen and out the window to the signs.

There is no other part to this story, just faces that stood out from the crowd and lived their normal lives.

Goal Update: Money

One of the first blogs I wrote when I moved here was about money, and my current lack of it.

This blog, and the couple that are similar to it, inspired several comments from a variety of people.  Some people offered to front me some cash, some respected that there were words out there similar to their thoughts, some understood the place it was coming from.  Moving is hard.  Moving abroad is also hard.  I came over here with the expectation that I would be saving money, hence my goals, and those first months were quite the opposite.

But here we are, in June, and I'm reevaluating the goals that I had set, and seeing where I am now.

I've acquired a few extra jobs these last few weeks.  I'm tutoring for a neighbor kid, and also captioning videos online, a job which doesn't make much money, but gives me something to do besides sitting at home and watching television.  It's also entertaining; I've captioned for feminist MTV webcasts, alternative energy science videos, and a documentary about the Beach Boys.

These past two weekends, I've been spending only the money in my change cup.  I would go convert it to cash, but I would just be that a**hole who brings in a bunch of change to the bank and makes the ladies count it for me.  So, I've been using my coins to purchase my moto ride to the market, my coffee and water, and my rice noodle breakfast, making sure to use up all the coins that I've kept for the year.  The money stuck in there has bought two weeks' worth of breakfast routines, which is pretty nice.

All the other money I've used this week has been from my weekend tutoring gig.  My neighbor, who I rarely see, asked me a few weeks ago if I'd be willing to tutor her nephew, studying for the IELTS to get over to Australia.  We've worked on English pronunciation, and test taking skills, and reading comprehension.  Then, she buys me lunch, which is pretty neat.  I believe that people my age have an above-average appreciation for free foods.

I've been proud of myself this year.  I've saved some good money.

I saved enough to pay for eye surgery, and I couldn't be happier with the results.  I still have some astigmatism in my left eye, but they say that it may correct itself with more time.

I have saved enough to get myself home for summer, which is very exciting.

I have saved enough to pay down some of my student loans, which do nothing but stress me out.

Given the good news I had this week, I also indulged in a massage and a haircut, two desperately needed times at the spa that turned out to be well worth the money.  My hair and my neck were unhealthy in their own ways, and I've taken steps to make them better.  I also saw a movie, Spy, even though I accidentally purchased a ticket for the Thai dubbed version instead of the English one.

I've been thinking, though, that I don't usually try that hard to save money.  My colleagues seem to spend considerably more than myself, and I am often wondering why.  Granted, I live in a village far from the city center, which means my opportunities for certain activities are limited.  That will change in the fall; I'm moving into the city to be more able to acquire transportation and independence.  Hopefully, I can find an apartment that mimics the joy that I feel in my current place, and still provides me a community.

Speaking of that, I took a step to save money during Summer School (June) by moving into a friend's apartment.  She lives in an apartment complex basically across the street from school.  This saves me having to take taxis to and from school everyday, which would cost something like $15-$20 a day, along with the added stress of finding one in the morning.  The closest shopping center to school, and these apartments, is Mega Bangna.  It is mega, in every way.  There is an Ikea, a grocery, a department store, and wings full of the same types of stores.  I hate it there.

As I've been staying here, I have really wondered if I could have moved here.  The answer, undeniably, is no.  This helps me to realize what I'm looking for in my next apartment in the city.  I couldn't put my finger on what I really disliked about the place, not immediately.  It's great to be able to leave for school with 10 minutes to spare and be 5 minutes early.  It's great to have a movie theatre a cycle away from your house, with every possible type of food.  It's not great that I must brave the wall of noise in order to eat all the food.  It's not great that a ton of kids and coworkers live in the same building.  It's really not great that there's no sense of community.  I need community.  It's the small town girl in me.

I've gotten off topic.  Living in this apartment is saving me money, even if I am close to a mall with tons of things I want to eat in it.  There's very little I'm inclined to buy otherwise.  I did buy a hose and some canvases, but other than that I've been able to restrain myself.

I'm in a good place financially right now.  The extra work, despite not always working out fantastic hourly rates, makes me feel productive.  I did say I wanted to save every extra baht, and I have.

My goals for this summer with some additional cash:
1. Pay off at least one loan, and all the interest for all four loans.
2. Keep at least $2K in both Thai and US accounts.
3. Allot money to emergency saving fund.

Slowly, but surely, I'm getting on my feet and looking to pay off the momentous debt that the American education system has left me with.

The Week Without Walls

View from my tent by the lake.

What an interesting week this has been.

This week, from Monday to Friday, I’ve been chaperoning a Week Without Walls fieldtrip, full of the Grade 8 class on a nature adventure.  This nature adventure began with camping, included some trekking, and ended with a farm and a cave.  There was plenty of bonding that came about as well.

It’s been a very thought provoking fieldtrip.  I’m watching affluent children try to rough it (with a fully stocked bathroom) and deal with tents and nature.  I’m also reading a very sharp book about Thailand that is highlighting several of the things I’m seeing with historical commentary about the guy in charge.

We cooked fish in this forest.

I’ll also say that I’m in the boomerang of life overseas.  When I started with Peace Corps, everything was absolutely glorious for a few months, but when the holidays (read: Thanksgiving) began showing up, I began to get a bit homesick.  Thanksgiving is about that time, when the shine begins to wear off and you start to understand the culture more.  I’m in that down slope, where I see more of the negatives than the positives.  I’m in that place where I can see the problems but can’t affect the solutions at school.  It’s the frustrating thing about living overseas, and it happens to just about everyone.

Our hotel was right next to this river.

It’s not like me to find so much negativity in life, but I’m working in a place that I’ve yet to understand.  I am finding it challenging to work within such affluence and wealth, within the confines of overprotective behavior.  I see it, I understand the premise, but I know what made me what I am today… and overprotectiveness is not it.  I’ve been reflecting more on what my middle and high school experience was like, so that I can find what worked for me to make me a successful human.  It was not overprotective, not ever.  I spent summers with grandma, off to camps here and there.  I spent time on my own, fending for myself after school.  I worked from a young age, in the fudge and coffee shop.  I made mistakes, felt the impact of consequences, and changed my behavior.

This cave was full of Buddhist idols.

I want these kids to have the same.  I want them to be functional humans, not using money to solve every problem.  I saw a beautiful thing yesterday along those lines as well.  We went to a school to let the kids interact with students from a different world than them.  At first, I must say, I was skeptical of the idea.  I think that these kinds of visits can go awry so quickly.  But, I was so pleasantly surprised.  Our kids played with those kids, talked, laughed, interacted.  It was lovely.  A few of them ended up in tears, and one of them mentioned that it was one of the first times that she actually felt as lucky as everyone said she was. 

I want those emotions for all of the students.  I want activities that bring that out for them.

I greatly enjoyed the cave.

But we are fighting such greater forces.  To get to that, we have to battle overprotective school policy and overprotective parentals.  We are fighting a karma based culture, that has entitlement written into merit from previous lives.  It makes me want to hit my head on the wall with frustration sometimes.  But, slowly, progress.

Slowly.  Very slowly.  And, until then, a frustration that is difficult to fight.  Until then, a boomerang that is on the negative side.  Until then, a hope for the different, a plan for change.

The cave was next to a monkey... something.  They liked bananas.