no internet...

Well... it seems that there is still no working internet at our apartment.  I didn't get a chance to write my weekly post on Sunday, so I'm writing you all now.  But, I'm sorry to say, I don't have much time to write.  I have to go help out at an english class soon.

Last week we got to go bowling with some friends.  IT WAS FANTASTIC.
1.  Bowling here is somehow easier than in the states... so I got an abnormally good score.
2.  We got to have some really good conversations with them. ;)
3.  They want to hang out again sometime!

I feel horrible that I don't even have any new pictures to give you... but I promise that next week I will load my new post with pictures, stories, and maybe even a video.

I love you and miss you all!!

Keep standing firm and pressing forward.

Pancakes & New Friends

This week we did so much!  We visited a couple english classes and got to know some of the students. It's helpful for them because they can practice their english with us.  The same thing goes for the english club that happens a few times a week.  We've made several new friends.  One of them even invited us to go bowling this week!  Hopefully we will become good friends with her (as well as exchange some english for russian).  

Something else we've been doing every week is going to a gym... which looks more like a really big garage with workout equipment in it.  We go a couple times a week.  The first couple times we joined our friend's Zumba classes.  Fun stuff.  But, we decided to come up with some of our own (more intense) workouts.  We gotta get in shape for rock-climbing some how.  And YES! we will be starting rockclimbing soon hopefully.  A rockwall is being built at one of the university campuses.  And once it's warm enough, we can start climbing outside!  

Story time... 

I decided to try making some buckwheat pancakes on Saturday.  Turns out, buckwheat is not like flour.   So to make the batter more fluid, I added cream... and more cream... and more cream.  The batter dried up way too fast and looked more like biscuit batter when I plopped a scoop of it on the pan.  In conclusion, they ended up looking like this:  

It tasted very rich and creamy, I must say.

I want to write a bunch of stories about this week, but I don't have much time.  The internet at our apartment has been down since Wednesday.  I'm at a friend's house right now.  

Next week I'll put up some pictures of the mountains!  They're beautiful.

Some things to Remember for us:

- we will soon be spending more time with our new local friends.  I'm so excited!  Hopefully we will have some good conversations. 

- I know I'm not very bold.  Boldness is something I need to work on.  When given the opportunities to spend time or talk with our new friends, I need to make the most of those opportunities.

That's all for now!

Thanks for remembering us!

Love you all!

Drinking Nutella...

Here's a picture of me and Joanna for your enjoyment...  drinking chocolate (what we call Nutella) doesn't really work apparently.  But we tried.

Haha, so I almost forgot to write a post today...  I'm a little sick, and so are the other girls.  It's just being passed around town I guess.

Anyway, it's been a slow yet relaxing week.  We visited the university that we'll be helping at (english class).  We visited the market which has pretty much anything and everything, from clothing and electronics to fresh meat and candy.  We visited the nearby mall, which is still decorated with New Years decor, weirdly enough.  

We also were invited to each of our friends' apartments this week.  So we got to play games (Settlers of Katan is a new favorite of mine), hang out, and I think I've successfully befriended all the little kids they have.  I've played doll house, pillow fight, and princesses, in three different homes.  It's funny how I've gone straight to playing with the kids at each house we've visited.  Maybe it's because I miss playing with my younger siblings...  good times.

You'll be pleased to know our group of four has been getting along quite well.  Joanna and I like to take walks together.  Jessica and I like to point out all the cute dogs and cats (which are both flea-infested, probably).  And, Hannah and I enjoy playing with all the awesome little american kids.  Also, we've had a few movie nights together and some really good late night talks.  I'm excited to get to know my friends even better as the time goes by.

STORY TIME.  So a few days ago, our neighbor, who lives right above us, came to our door.  She greeted us with a plate of freshly made pastries and some candy.  So we ate the pasties (while they were hot... oh yes) and decided we should make her something as well.  So Saturday, I managed to bake a loaf of banana bread (I'm working on my cooking/baking skills... it's coming along) which came out quite tasty.  Except, our oven is kind of stupid and like to change temperatures or something.  So some of the crust was burnt.  BUT, we saved it by sneakily shaving off the burnt parts and slicing it up all pretty on a platter.  Then Joanna and I brought it up to the neighbor.  She gladly received it and invited us in for coffee.  We did our best to comunicate with the little Russian we knew.  After an interesting attempt at a conversation, we decided that the only logical thing to do was to meet again later and exchange some english for russian.  So, this story is at a cliffhanger for now, but there are sure to be exciting developments ahead!  a.k.a. friendships... :)

That's all the news I have for now...  I'm off to get a good night's rest and hopefully rid myself of a headache.  Thanks for remembering us!  

I remember and love all of you... and the great Hope we share.

Have a fantastic week!

The Ice Sled

Yeah, I bet you saw the title of this post and thought, "I HAVE to read this one."

Our last day in Moscow, we stopped by a couple ice sleds.  I guess someone pours water down a hill and it just turns into ice, creating a fun slide for the kids... and us, apparently.  So here's a little video for ya... I hope it works.

Anyway, it was good way to end our two weeks in Moscow.  But, now we have traveled down south to a small city where we will be staying for the rest of our time.  

We've been here fore only a weekend and I LOVE it.  No, it's not perfect.  People here tend to use the ground as their trash can, and it's not ideal for us ladies to be walking out at night.  But, it's warmer here, and you should see the mountains!!  I'll show you a picture or two next week hopefully.  I want to wait till the overcast sky clears up.

I'm so excited for what's ahead.  We will be able to do some rock climbing soon, to teach some english, and to spend time with some of the american friends we've met here.  Also, I love having our own apartment.  It's got plenty of kitchen space, four beds, a comfy couch and TV with DVD player.  It's much nicer than our space in Moscow... a pull out couch for a bed, a TV with a VHS player, and a very small kitchen.  Haha.  We have a lot to be thankful for.  

Dad has provided everything we need and so much more.  

Thanks for remembering us!  I love you all and think of you often.

Here's some extra pictures from Moscow:

This isn't my hat... but I had to try it on.

This is an average Moscow sidewalk... and my boots.

We found a boba place.  If you don't know what boba is... go find some and try it in a smoothie.

In Russia, I live on tea.

Skype??

Hey friends and family!!  Just a quick fyi, I have skype.  If you'd like to say hi, let me know and we'll set up a time (or just look to see if I'm online).  I'd love to see your face!

That is all. :)

борщ Anyone?

борщ (borsch) is a classic Russian soup: beats, potato, tomato, etc.  It has a bright red color.  It's quite delicious with a spoonful of sour cream, a cup of green tea, and a rasberry pastry for dessert.  In conclusion, Russian food is fantastic!

As for the language, I'm still working on it.  I try to read every sign we pass, listen to every conversation, hoping that I'll recognize a word.  I've found that I can greet people in several different ways, say goodbye in two ways, ask "How much?," and say a few extra words like "apple" and "funny."  So I'm improving, right?

I guess I owe you some stories since last Sunday...

The first story is a comic.  Enjoy!

So, that summarizes that.
Yeah, it gets around 2 degrees Fahrenheit... average.  Good times, good times.

Monday, some friends took us to Red Square to see St. Basil's Cathedral and eat lunch at the fancy little Russian cafe.  There was also this really cool historic toilet that cost probably $50 to use... so, no, we didn't use it, but the red carpet staircase leading to it looked very inviting.

There were some other days when our friends, who teach ESL, had us meet some of their students.  We helped them practice their english.  We also helped our friends hand out flyers for their classes... outside... at 8:30am.  Our toes and fingers kinda froze off, but I suppose it was worth it if our friends get some more customers.  haha.

Hmmm, what else can I tell you?... Hey, wanna hear a funny story??  Welp, too bad, I'm telling you anyways.  So Hannah and I were waiting at the front of a grocery store while Jess and JoBell went to get some cereal and milk. A tall young Russian guy walked up to us like he was trying to ask us a question... but of course it was just a big Russian word jumble to us.  So he finished his spiel, we responded with, "uh. No Russian. Engleski?"  He kinda smiled and said, "Oh, sorry."  He walked away for a second then came back... "Where you from?"  We said, "the U.S."  He smiled and nodded then walked away.  2 seconds later, he came back and with a really big smile, said, "I have friend in Canada."  We smiled and nodded.  Hannah said, "yeah, me too."  He smiled and walked away to do his shopping.  5 minutes later he comes back with a friend and a large bottle of something.  He smiled and said, "You come with us and drink beer?" Hannah hardly let him finish his sentence and said, "No."  I was like, "uh, nope. No thank you."  He nodded and said goodbye.  Once he was gone, Hannah turned to me and said, "No, Mckenzie.  No beer for you."  We laughed it off.

So far, I love the time we've had in Russia.  We stay together, enjoy the Russian atmosphere, and survive the cold.  The families and friends we've met have encouraged us and taught us a lot.  I'm looking forward to what's ahead... whoever we meet, whatever see and do.  :)

I wish I could tell you more, but there's only so much I can say on a simple blog.

Thank you for thinking of me!
I love you all!

THIS IS RUSSIA.

I have three words for you... Snow. Snow. and Snow.

As we flew into Moscow and we descended below the clouds, all we could see was white.  It's pretty darn cold here.  Our cold gear works well though.  I like to wear leggings under my pants for extra warmth.  Turns out everything we are wearing is basically what most Russians wear... boots, hats, scarves, etc.  So, it's nice that we don't stand out among the Russians, unless we start speaking English... we're working on that one.

Most of the time, it's snowing... in this picture, it's not.  So, don't be deceived.

We live in an apartment with a new friend who is also from the U.S.  She's a teacher at an english school.  We have some other friends too who we've been able to have dinner with and play games with.  It's been a fun weekend with them.

So far, jet lag has been the worst part.  It's 9:30pm here while it's afternoon in the U.S.  Other than that, Russia is awesome!  I'm slowly, but surely getting used to things.  Things like:  

- You ALWAYS take your shoes off when you enter a house... 

- You don't need to throw away your trash at a food court.  They have people who do that for you.

- Using the trams/buses, there's a good chance you'll be standing out in the cold to wait for one.

- Tea is awesome! (but I already knew that)

There's other things, but I'm too tired to think of them right now.  I'll have some good stories by next Sunday.  

до свидания!

(pronouce: "dasvedAnya")