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!)