Concert at the Ambassador's Residence in Moscow

Munich -Nymphenburg Palace

Munich

Munich

Munich

Korennaya Pustyn Again

Korennaya Pustyn Monastery

Abkhazian Dance with Knives

The Kremlin

Red Square

Leaving Kursk, and Moscow.

WWII museum, Korennaya Pustyn Monastery, Nuclear Powerplant

Russia Highlights!

April 24th, Saturday

Today has been a lovely day so far. I was able to visit a Monastery that dates back to the 13th century. It was extremely beautiful and I look forward to posting some pictures and video soon! There was also a visit to a WWII museum that was quite near the monastery. The people of Kurchatov have been so extremely kind to me! They are so proud of their town and their region and have been gracious enough to share them with me. (Some things I've done...meetings and presentations at 5 different schools, attended an Abkhazian folk concert, and visited the Nuclear Power Plant) I have been given gifts just about everywhere I've gone. (This is sad for me as I have no gifts to give since my luggage was lost!) Tomorrow I will be visiting a 19th c. palace called Maryino and on Monday there will be more school visits and a conference that will be broadcast on local T.V. The students and staff at each school have been so welcoming and professional with me, it's been truly, a heartwarming experience. After my T.V. "performance" on MondayI will be heading back to Kursk for one night and a day. In Kursk on Tuesday I will have more school visits and presentations. (Thank you, Dan Bliss!) In the afternoon, my walking tour of Kursk will be continued and then in the evening I will board an overnight train back to Moscow. I will spend all day Wednesday in Moscow. (Hope I sleep on the train this time!) Wednesday will be capped with a dinner at the U.S. Embassy, then it's a night in a hotel and Thursday will be the return flight back to Washington. (Barring anymore incidents with Volcanoes!)

April ???

Honestly, I'm not sure what the date is, I'm so tired and busy. I do, however know that it is Thursday! I will have a lot to report eventually, but my host family has to pay by the minute for internet use so it may be a few days. I am in Kurchatov, Russia. It is a very hospitable town and I even signed autographs for school children I was such a celebrity! It has been quite the adventure (good and bad, both), and I really miss my family and friends, but I have learned so much and can't wait to get back to work and share all of my new knowledge with my lucky students! Lots of photos too!

April 20th

Waiting at the gate for a flight to Moscow! Luggage still in DC, but I'm here!

April 19th, continued.

So, I am booked on a 10:25 flight to Moscow tomorrow. Whether we go or not is up to Mother Nature. I do hope we go, especially since we've come this far. I did get some bad news today though, I found out my baggage did not make it on the plane in DC. So, I will be traveling ultra lite with no gifts, and no dress clothes. Luckily, I have rudimentary toiletries, and a couple casual shirts and pants, but that's about it! We'll see what happens! Could be 7 hour lines again!

April 19

Later today I will work on posting video from yesterday's adventures! Right now, though, we are heading to the airport to try and retrieve our baggage. The US State dept wants us to move to frankfurt or Berlin...could be a busy day! Hoping I still make it to Russia!

Interesting History of Munich

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/germany/munich2.htm

Munich Marienplatz (Central Square)

Munich and Music

April 17...continued

We are going to be here (Munich) until Monday at least. I, personally, had a lovely day just walking, absorbing, enjoying, this lovely city! The situation is not ideal, because I feel bad for my Russian hosts, but it really could not be better considering the circumstances! Munich is a beautiful city and I look forward to enjoying it even more tomorrow!

April 17th.

This is a picture of our group while still in DC.

I don't know if this is going to post because my internet connection keeps going in and out. I will keep it brief...heading out for a day on the town in Munich. I'm going to go solo like I did years ago. Looking forward to just taking in the sights and absorbing what the city has to offer. Because I'm a social studies teacher, I simply must go to the Deutsches Museum, other than that I have no plans and am very excited. I do feel so badly for the Russian teachers who poured hours of effort into planning such lovely itineraries for our stay. Hopefully only slight modifications will need to be made! Okay, I'm heading out to enjoy this beautiful day!

Munich April 16

Ahhh, so I've seen footage of people stranded in airports, etc..., now I'm experiencing it first hand! I am going to try to upload a video of Munich airport that I just took moments ago. We (9 American teachers) have been waiting in a line for 4 hours to get rebooked on tomorrow's flight to Moscow. This is the only functioning airport in Germany right now and rumor has it that it will be shutting down at 8:00 tonight. Had a great flight here though! It was an additional two hours long (10 hours instead of 8) because we went directly across the Atlantic, through Spain and Southern France, to Southern Germany. Typically, this flight would go further north, closer to Iceland, but I don't need to explain why that didn't happen. This was a Lufthansa, German airline. One has to appreciate the German fortitude to go through with the flight! Also, three of us were on standby and didn't get on the flight until the very last minute. I have always dreamed of being in the Amazing Race and now I feel like I'm living it. Okay, I'm going to try to post my little video...

April 15th... Again

I am such a liar! I had said the next post would be from Russia, well I'm still in DC. It turns out that a volcano in Iceland has disrupted Trans-Atlantic travel. My flight to Moscow has been cancelled and am now on standby for a later flight via Munich. All is contingent upon the ash plume clearing, and guess what? I think this is cool and adds to the excitement of my adventure! Also, I had a fabulous morning of meetings with the American Councils and State Department staff. I am so appreciative of this opportunity, and the support of my school district. One topic in particular was about the importance of utilizing teachers as ambassadors because we're just regular folk. As regular folk, we can connect with foreigners on a level that seasoned bureaucrats maybe cannot. I love it!

April 15th

Today is the big day!! I'm sitting in the lobby of the D.C. Hilton with some time before my first meeting. We American teachers have morning meetings to prepare us for our journey, then it's off to Dulles International Airport for our 10 hour flight to Moscow! My husband amazes me with his ability and willingness to take such extraordinary care of our kids. There is no way I could do this without him! Last night we were treated to a lovely dinner in a French Bistro. I personally had so much fun talking with the Russia experts from American Councils and cannot wait to visit with actual Russians about so many topics. All my students know my interest in Putin and Medvedev of course, and we also discussed tensions in the Caucasus and Stans, the upcoming Sochi Olympics...all major "passion areas" for me. Currently I'm planning to walk around the city a bit since I know I'll be sitting today...a lot! Next post...Russia.

April 14

While sitting in Chicago waiting for my flight to DC, I decided I would pass the time by uploading a photo I took on my visit to Russia in 1997. This is a mass grave of soldiers killed in World War Two. It's in the largest cemetary in the world, called Piskarevskoye Cemetary in St. Petersburg. What is special to me about this photo is that my great uncle, Walter Heino, is buried there. Walter was a Karelian Finn who died fighting in the Soviet army in 1942. This family connection is important I think because it helps to explain my own personal interest in Russia and World War Two. This day is off to a good start. It was terribly hard to leave my family this morning, but now that I'm on my way, I know it's going to be an incredible experience!

The Plan

It is now just eight days until I leave for Washington DC, Moscow, Kursk, and Kurchatov, Russia. I will be in DC for the night of April 14th, then a direct flight to Moscow on the 15th, arriving in Moscow on the 16th after a 10 hour flight. I will spend the night of the 16th on a train to Kursk, where I will remain for the next five days. Plans in Kursk include: touring WWII sites and monuments, visiting a Russian Orthodox monastery, and visiting the local art museum. On April 22nd I will move to Kurchatov, a city near Kursk, where I will partake in a barbecue on the Seim River, visit a 19th c. palace at Maryino, and tour the Kursk Nuclear Powerplant. In both Kursk and Kurchatov I will be participating in roundtable discussions, teaching sample lessons, giving presentations on my local school and community, and meeting local officials. On April 27th, I will board the overnight train back to Moscow. I will be in Moscow overnight on the 28th, and then back to DC on the 29th. I will participate in a debriefing workshop in DC on the 29th and will return home on the 30th.
Five American teachers of English and Social Studies as well as 4 teachers of Math and Science are participating in this experience. We will all be in DC and Moscow together, but will then disperse to our respective host communities. The purpose of this exchange is to use teachers as cultural ambassadors to promote a positive relationship between our two countries.