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.