First I was in Moscow! Now I'm not!

I went to Moscow!  Then I went to Novorossiysk!

Well guys, I’ve finally arrived in Novorossiysk, my ultimate destination.  Tomorrow, I’m going to pack up and head to the camp.  Kiddos arrive on Sunday!  In the time since my arrival, I’ve…

VISITED MOSCOW

I spent two days in Moscow with Tom's family before heading down South, mostly to get used to the time change but also to see the sites.  The first day, as you now, I got poured on, and as for what else I did it’s not important because I was such a jet-lag zombie that I hardly remember myself.

On the second day, I got out and saw the town.  Lucky for me, my buddy Dalen, with whom I studied and palled around with at the University of Montana, works in a suburb of Moscow teaching English.  He came into town to show me around.  He’s such a sweetheart, he found out the night before we met up that his mom died.  He has to head back to America as soon as he can, but he still showed up to give me a tour.  He’s a real friend and a real trooper.

The famous Bolshoi Theater

St. Basil’s, Russia’s most famous landmark

Me with this….well-known thing….

The original church of Christ the Savior was destroyed during the Soviet Union.  They wanted to build a big tower in its place so they dug a foundation, but that fell through so they turned it into the world’s largest swimming pool.  After the Soviet Union collapsed, they closed the pool and rebuild the church.  No joke.

In Moscow, Dalen and I saw the famous Tretyakov Gallery, Red Square, and famous Arbat Street.  Tretyakov was amazing, because they had almost all of the famous paintings that I learned about in school.  I was like a really geeky kid in a candy store.

A massive painting by Ivanov, “Christ Ascending to the People”

A portrait of the composer  Modest-Mussorsky (the scary demon thing on the mountain in Disney’s Fantasia?  That’s his work)

My favorite Russian painting, depicting Ivan the Terrible right after he murdered his son and only heir to the throne

After an action-packed day in Moscow, the next morning I…

FLEW TO NOVOROSSYISK

I arrived in Novorossiysk around noon, and it was hotter than blazes (which seems to be a pattern for me; when I was in Russia in 2010, it was the hottest summer in some 1000 years).  I waited for my ride and for another American coming to help at the camp, named Danna (rhymes with Hannah).  She’s from California and works full-time at a camp; the Russian’s who run the camp I’m going to, Anya and Alyssia, went to her camp to get some training a couple years ago, so they know her quite well.  She’s a peach, I can tell already.  Plus, she’s very close to obtaining her helicopter pilot’s license!  How cool is that?

In hot Novorossyisk we drove to the Vasilyev home, to stay with Natasha and Oleg and their two kids Sveta and Andree.  Andree just got his PhD in engineering (very Russian) and helps at the camp every year; Sveta is still in high school.  They have the most beautiful house, with the most beautiful garden you’ve ever seen.  I’ve already had a couple home grown cucumbers. 

Andree drove us around town and took us to the beautiful boardwalk on the bay; Novorossyisk is a beautiful city.  During WWII, it was occupied by the Nazis and practically leveled, so most of the city was build in the early fifties.  It’s a pity that so many beautiful old buildings were lost, but things now are in very good condition. We had a wonderful day all in all.

Yesterday the real work began.  After a trip to the Russian market (which is totally crazy and unlike anything that we have in America; they literally sell the kitchen sink there) a hike up a beautiful (though trash-ridden) canyon, and lunch, we went to Anya’s apartment to help her assemble work books for the campers.  As these kinds of projects often are, it was far more complex than it first appeared.  We were making all kinds of frustrated noises and pulling our hair out, and it still isn’t done.  Today, however, we’re going to get it finished and head up to the camp.

            Andree and the beautiful house

 

The fairy-tale garden

My canyon-hiking hat.  I’m a trendsetter.

Anya and Danna, losing their minds over our project.

So far, I’ve really enjoyed my time.  Except for the heat, things are comfortable here, and I really like Novorossyisk. 

Oh, and for whoever cares, the place is crawling with lizards.  They are absolutely everywhere.  These totally adorable kids ran up to us on our hike today with fists full of lizards and a jar of them to boot.  They were the cutest lizard hunters of all.

Alright, here comes camp week! 

Пока ребята, Russian Jane