2018 - before it's over

Before the year gets away from me (maybe it already has?), I wanted to write about what I've been up to in 2018.Where I've been, work I've done (what do I even do?), etc.

The main thing, and the one you've probably heard something or other about from me already, is Tyumen! It really deserves its own post to be honest, so I'll try to make that a priority.  For now, I'll summarize it by saying that I was out there once a month to train teachers as part of a professional development program the region started at the beginning of this year. 

Another big trip was Lebanon, where I went in the beginning of May to visit one of my best friends from college who's living in Beirut.  First of all, Lebanese food is officially my all time favorite.  I was in Lebanon for 10 days, and we got a lot done - walked all of Beirut; visited ruins, markets, and a palace in Sidon - one of the most important Phoenician cities; swam in Batroun, which boasts its own Phoenician ruins; camped in the mountains; saw the Old Souks in Tripoli; hiked in the Chouf biosphere; walked around the castle ruins in Byblos; went through the Jeita grotto, and much more! Not to mention driving in a foreign country for the first time, which in Lebanon was a whole experience in and of itself.
The country was buzzing with energy because elections were looming, so there would be parades of cars honking their horns for 10 minutes straight, huge posters everywhere, and fireworks in the middle of the day.  For everyone asking: yes, I was and felt safe, the whole time.  And yes, a lot of people speak English there, though it was definitely helpful having someone who spoke Arabic by my side. In short, I highly recommend a visit and would love to go back myself!

In June I was home for: my best friend's wedding; my mom's birthday; Father's day.  Not the most relaxing trip home, but is it ever? And I got to work on my frolf skills.

Not having gotten nearly enough beach time in Connecticut and facing an unexpected long weekend, I flew off to Sochi. During the World Cup. Which turned out to be the best time for a trip, because there were people everywhere and I made great friends with some Uruguayans in my hostel, who then came and stayed in Moscow! The World Cup as a whole was much better than I'd expected - instead of being crowded, poorly organized, and generally overwhelming, it created a really positive atmosphere - the whole city was like a big party for that month, and people were noticeably happier than usual.  And I got some good Spanish practice in!

Those are the main points from this year so far.  Other than that I've been working on some fun projects, hosting people who've come to visit Moscow (come visit Moscow!), trying to strike a balance between ignoring what's going on in America while still staying informed enough, and thinking of what to do next - whether that's going back to school, or something else.  I know I'm not a consistent blogger (sorry mom and dad), but I'm here! And everything is going pretty well.  Keep an eye out for a post about Tyumen, I promise it'll happen!

Back in the (former) USSR

The nicest part about getting back to my room was that my subletter, Ira, had washed all of the linens so that I didn't have to do it.  The day after arriving in Moscow, I had to go into EF for training and then the rest of the week for oral placement testing (OPT), demo lessons, and more training.  It was a rough week, as I was still jetlagged for all of it.  Classes officially started on September 3rd this year, and I have some comments about year two of teaching.  

This year has already been going a lot more smoothly than the last in terms of the classroom, and this is even with my new class of 4 year olds.  It was really nice to walk into a classroom of familiar faces, and even nicer when they were happy to see me as well and said they'd been waiting all summer to practice their English with me.  Even with classes completely filled with new faces, I still felt much more at ease because I know exactly how the courses work, what the exam schedules are, and generally how to be at the head of the classroom. 

Work aside, it's also really nice to be back in Moscow.  My Russian was a train wreck when I first returned (still better than September 2012, but...not good) but has already returned to its previous level, I'm already settled in with my apartment, I already have friends, and now I get to focus on seeing the people I love and discovering new things about the city.  People have asked me how I feel about Russia after going back to America, and while I loved being home, I also really enjoy being here.  A lot of stuff doesn't make sense to anyone (example: I went to the shop for apple juice.  A 2 liter box of the same brand with the same expiration date was cheaper than a 1 liter box.  Just because), but that's part of its charm in my opinion.  So, I'm going to keep on keeping on with my Russian adventure and continue my semi-regular updates in the meantime.