Once again, apologies for the tardiness of my blog posting...I still get that overwhelmed feeling when I sit down to write stuff because there's just so much information floating around in my brain. But, in light of my homecoming, and as a tribute to my country, I figured today would be a good day to bite the bullet and do some blogging! (With PICTURES. Courtesy of my team's photography...Lauren Young and Stephen Pittman, in this particular post.)
My team and I traveled home a little over a week ago, on the 23rd of June. We woke up at 2:30am (after going to bed two hours beforehand) and rushed to gather our belongings and haul them down four flights of stairs to the street. Everyone was sleep-deprived and on edge as we loaded into our taxi vans. I know I wasn't the happiest camper that morning. We got to Domodedovo Airport (I was so proud to be able to read its name in Cyrillic!) just as the sky began to lighten...you know, just before four in the morning. We shuffled through customs (Abby made it! Woohoo!), tiptoed through security, and plopped down on the floor near our gate. As we boarded our plane, I prayed for no airsickness for myself and my team members...
Well, right at about breakfast time, I barfed. It was NOT fun. I seriously don't recall vomiting since sometime back in high school. I hate it. I felt bad because I was sitting in between David and Lauren when this occurred, but it couldn't be helped. Lauren shifted into mommy gear and took great care of me. And David was quick to find me an extra barf bag in case I needed to hurl again, bless him. Okay, but enough about vom. Ew. Basically, I just felt pretty lousy during the first leg of our trip.
We had a layover at Heathrow, where at times, I caught myself trying to answer security personnel in Russian...whoops. By the grace of God, I found a bench without armrests that I could lie (Lie? Lay? I can never remember the rule...Eric?) across in order to recover before our last leg of air travel. I also had the pleasure of randomly meeting up with an old high school classmate, Derik, who happened to be passing through London at the same time our team was there. Small world! We had a nice chat and then it was time for my team to get to our gate. Apparently, our airplane was the plane to be on if you were traveling back from a missions trip. There was us, a group coming back from Kenya, another group traveling home from somewhere in Africa, and even four Mormon boys coming home from their 2-year missions.
Thankfully, the last leg of the flight was very pleasant. I had fun sitting next to and talking with Brent, was able to eat a decent amount of my food, watched True Grit and an episode of Modern Family (I'm a fan of British Airways, y'all.), and napped probably more than I did on the three previous flights to and from Moscow combined. I even managed not to toss my cookies!
As we landed at DFW and trudged our way through to awaiting family members, the sadness of leaving finally hit me. Summer Project had come to an end. Tears were shed as my teammates and I said our goodbyes and went our separate ways home. I'll always be thankful for this summer, and the many things that God taught me during my time in Moscow. What an incredible experience. :)
Okay, so since I've been back home for a week and a half, I have new lists of things I miss about Moscow, and things I am SO happy to have back at home! Drum roll!
I Miss...
My Russian friends! Sasha, Masha, Oleg, Katya, Tanya, just to name a few. I loved meeting and getting to know each and every one of the students I encountered. They were so much fun, and so very friendly to us! They showed us around the city, took us to yummy restaurants, laughed with us, played games, told stories. I loved being a part of their lives, even for just a little while. If any of y'all are reading this, I miss you and I hope we can stay in touch! :)
New Life staff! Thank y'all so much for your help and your encouragement to us while we were there! I am praying for you guys.
My SP family. Steve-O, Khleb, Plaura, B-Giff, McCall (hmm, no nickname...), Moz, Brenton, Gopher Girl, Rach, DLP, Abbs, Pittman, Jerms, and Jach and Zamie. It was a pleasure to live with all of you for a month. What a blessing to experience Christian community with y'all! :)
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| lamb shashlik at Ismaylova market |
Russian food. I have been craving blinis and shashlik and pastries and sharma and yes, even kvas. Pretty ridiculous. I brought home a cactus water, but I'm saving it to drink in the fall. That's the plan, anyway....
The metro. Seriously, I miss Russian transit! I miss being able to walk to stores and restaurants, or just hop on the metro to get across town. Now I have to drive places. (Except I'm glad Nana [my car] and I have been reunited. She missed me.)
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| An example of a beautiful, sunny Moscow day! |
The WEATHER. It's. So. Hot. In. Flower Mound. I miss my breezy, low-to-mid-seventies Moscow weather. Even the occasional rainy days. It's a sauna outside in Texas, my friends. 95-100 degree weather. (35-38C)
Okay, as much as I really miss Moscow,
there is no place like home. Yay, America!
I'm Glad To Come Home To...
My family! It's been great to come home to Mom, Dad, David, and my dog Roxie!
Giant glasses of ice-cold, fresh, clean, free-of-charge water.
Iced tea.
Momma's cooking. :)
Dr. Pepper. (We stumbled on cans of Dr. Pepper at a street vendor in Moscow for three American bucks a pop, but to have it for cheap and in unlimited supply in the States is quite a comfort.)
Virtually no exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke.
The English language in general. Speaking it, hearing it, reading it again.
Air conditioning.
Hot showers with good water pressure.
Not smelling people with awful body odor...(e.g. "Smelly Man" in our hostel, crowded metro cars)
Ample access to fruits and veggies.
Tex-Mex. Praise the Lord.
Fat Straws bubble tea! Holla!
My full-sized bed and space to store my stuff.
Christian and country music radio stations. :)
Well folks, that's all for now. But don't worry! I have a lot more Russian adventures to blog about. If you want to hear about any aspect of my trip in particular (hostel life, students, sights, my team, lessons learned, etc.), post a comment and I'll blog about it! That would help me decide what to focus on next. ;)
I just wanted to let everybody know that my team and I are home safe and sound. Thank all of you for your prayers and support throughout my trip! It wouldn't have been possible without y'all at home! God is so good.
In Christ,
Laura
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