The Closing of the Door, Opening of the Window Part 2

At our last Rotary meeting, the club wanted me to cook Russian food for them. So my host mom and I cooked pelemeni, which they said turned out horrible because we made so little of it. The club then said their last words to the Taiwanese student and me, who were the only ones remaining in the city at that time. ive never seen a person break into tears that quickly as the Taiwanese student did. In the end, I thanked the club for what they have done for me. And donated my Russian flag to them, as they will go through with the Field of Heroes in Russia, I will be their first hero, they said. at the last night, my entire host family gathered s they could all speak with me one last time, it took a while to get them all here. but we very well talked the night and everyone wished me luck for the rest of my life.

its the end, thats whats been going through my mind the last week or so. soon ill see my friends again in the US, my screams of "Vinicio!" will be replaced by my screams of "Walt!". ill know the life i once knew 10 months ago, the land i called home. the language i speak better than everything. i just cant believe it. 9.5 months ago i was walking into this airport to start my exchange, and now, 294 days later, im leaving through this very airport to end it. all i can say, is that im leaving it with flying colors. i have said my goodbyes. one friend will be with me when i fly out, my brazilian friend who said he wouldnt miss it for the world. my host family pratically invited the entire family over this evening to say good bye to me. the day i fly out will just be me waking up and going straight to the airport. i finished packing yesterday.
i see this world in totally different eyes now, like theres a whole bigger new world waiting to be discovered. i feel like i want to continue my russian studies now while in the US. theres just so much im thinking about right now, when will be the next time i see this land? Russia, the place i have called home for 9.5 months. ive lived in 3 different cities, had 6 host families, and changed many lives on sakhalin and in Nakhodka. but like everyone at this point, im tired. it still hasnt hit me that ill return soon. i answered recently that i dont want to go home. but deep down, when ill be in the airport, i know, that ill want to go home. because something you cant change about me, its that im a patriot, and my homeland is calling. The United States of America. i missed you so much, my house, land, traditions, people, friends. but i know ill miss Russia, my host city. its people, land, traditions, and spirit inside everyone here.its just strange, i now understand how my mom felt at this point after her year, how Greg Miller felt, how everyone feels. its just a shame that it all ended, after living in 6 families, 3 cities, gaining this big impression of Russia, starting the frst ever Russian field of Heroes, along with all my other accomplishments, i can finally say, that now, its time to go home

Goodbye Russia!

The Closing of the Door, Opening of the Window Part 1

So the Rotary club of Nahodka wanted me to do a presentation about my 2 cities in the US, in Russia I say that I have 2 cities. I live in Columbus, but do everything in Westerville. I had my presentation recorded as a souvenir. And I explained how Westerville was the 15th best place to live in the US, the project “the Field of heroes” my club does every year, the Japanese shrine in Westerville, the prohibition of Alcohol. And how Columbus has the best zoo in the US and is a business center and so on. I also explained how I wouldn’t say that my city was Columbus if I didn’t live there, as I all around prefer Westerville. At the end, the Rotarians were all saying that they wanted to travel to Westerville. I consider that a Victory. The Club was also having their installment banquet on Saturday, and wanted all the exchange students to reenact the Russian fairytale “rebka” where an entire family is needed to pull out a vegetable. So to surprise them, we went to the local theatre to get costumes for the fairy tale. (I kinda hated it because I had to do all the talking) but soon we got costumes for the fairy tale. I was also asked to do more assignments for Nahodka at their banquet. A poem by a Russian author (ecenin) and a presentation about my life on Sakhalin. Along with all that, I was also the announcer for the fairy tale “Rebka”. And 2 pther songs which we all had to learn. All in all, I was kinda nervous, but knew if I pulled it off then the Rotary Club who practically saved me, would be glad that they did so. We also spend time helping the rotary club make paper lotuses for a kids summer camp. We made flowers which everybody learned how to make at the district conference, except me, because I wasn’t there. So when it came time for the actual installment banquet, I found myself as stressed out as ever. And it was definitely noticeable, as I would spend more time looking at my papers than eating the meals they brought us. As I still (after 2 weeks) could get my poem down. The entire time, the students were telling me “Aaron, you’re the best here, you don’t need to worry”. Well when it came time for my poem, I went up, messed up the first line by saying “me” instead of “you”, corrected myself, then proceeded to recite my poem, without flaw. I couldn’t believe I did it. When my presentation came along, I made everyone laugh when I talked about many examples of culture shock. Like cows wandering the streets, and how its deer who do it in the US (nobody in Russia has seen wild deer really) at the end, I thanked Nahodka club for taking me in and all that they’ve done for me. When we portrayed the fairy tale, it was funny thanks to the costumes and our Brazilian students. The rotary said that I was practically a star on the night. When we arrived home, I saw my bed, jumped on it, and went to sleep instantly.
After the Installment banquet in Nahodka, they have a tradition to climb a mount called sister. We did this the very next day (after some eco action and picking up trash on the shore) we reached the top of sister and saw all of Nahodka, a view ill never forget. And the Brazilians also wouldn’t, as the next day they left to Yakutsk to see more Brazilians. We got everyone together as the two Brazilians left us forever, leaving us with 10 days of awesome memories. My host mother the next few days, took the remaining students to see bears and eat in the weeds with them. And to a dolphin aquarium. Where I saw dolphins for the first time, and touched them. We saw them do tricks and such also there. On that same day, I explained to Nahodka Club more about the field of Heroes idea which they are planning on doing. They mentioned that in Russia its harder because of the local minorities who would seize any opportunity to ruin Russian patriotism or steal free flags. In Russia is a patriotism problem. The soviet union always said “be patriotic” and now that the soviet union is gone, whos saying “be patriotic” so the nation doesn’t do it much. (imagine it being like a mother always telling you to eat cereal all the time, you eat so much that you cant stand it anymore, then the mother leaves, now what will you do? Still eat cereal?) I was also stolen by a Rotarian to teach English at a sea school, for sailors who need English to work at their jobs. And we celebrated the last day of our Taiwanese student, with a trip to the banya.
so I can also say that ive fallen in a Russian Wedding. On the 25th of June, My host brother got married. Russian weddings are a lot more fun than American. We started by decorating all the cars with flowers or decorations. Then the groom had to buy his way to the bride by completing obstacles set up by the bride, like guess what certain numbers meant that had something to do with the bride. After the groom made it to the bride, we went to the marriage hall where the marriage was registered and then we took an excursion around the city. In Russia, all the cars watching you honk as they pass by, as a “good luck, congrats” way. Even the police turn on their sirens for the wedding, the Russian spirit of love is surprisingly everywhere. The entire Russian wedding traditionally is 2 or more days. So we went to a base and camped there and played some games that the wedding planner planned. The bride and groom aren’t considered bride and groom in Russia until they have spent one night together after the wedding. Everyone went to sleep around 1 or 2 in the morning. The next day we grilled shish ka bobs, talked, played volleyball, and went home around 6 or so. Many people wanted to talk to me, the Russian youth has considered me cool as the American who speaks Russian, has a sense of humor, knows enough Russian slang to make you laugh, and is full of surprises. I spend the last days in Russia, being with friends for the last time, and packing all my stuff for the plane on Wednesday the 29th.

The Final Countdown

well after the switch of my host city in Russia, ive been doing a lot to keep myself occupied in the last month of my exchange. upon my arrival in Nahodka, i instantly went on a resort trip to the sea with the other exchange students, my friends from taiwan and brazil were very happy to see me after such a long time. we stayed at the seaside for 3 days,there we stole an abandoned inflatable boat from the docks and rode along the lakes with it, and did some rock climbing along the edges of the shore, it was very fun to do as usually i wouldnt be so stupid to go jumping off rocks onto other rocks, but the dangerou of Russia gets to eevryone, at the camp, the people next to us were playing music, but not any music.. my favorite russian band lubeh! so the entire time, i could listen to my favorite russian songs as we relaxed by the seaside chopping wood for the fire place. we spend the time at night, singing songs and guessing who wrote them. so soo the exchange students had to leave for the district conference, and i was left with no friends to be with for about 2 weeks. what do i do? well this is why i have native russian friends in this city along with me. when i returned from the seaside, i was instantly "stolen" by my friend vova for 2 days, he showed me the university where he goes and there i also saw my other friend who lives in nahodka, aselya, a girl who along with vova was at the orientation helping the inbounds. we watched kung fu panda and went to the head rotary chairman's house. where she helped me study japanese better. so within days i went to my first rotary meeting in nahodka, where i told them all about myself, my crazy brother, and my godgiven mom and grandma. and they helped me find a soccer team in the city where my brazilian friend also plays, but i havent played soccer since childhood and all the time was a defender, so i cant kick the ball right, but when it becomes game time and im defending these russian 20 year old forwards meet their match in most cases. so arriving from tailand is also another friend who i started to meet, elena. she now lives with the brazilian student and for many days we walked along the city with her friends and joked about everything. they showed me the famous soviet cartoon "cheburashka" and gave me him as a doll. my friend vova also challenged me to bowling and pool. where we swapped victories in bolwing and thanks to his white ball mistake when he was sinking the black, i won in pool, but was beaten in the nextround by a total novice. my host brother, who lives outside of the house and will soon be married on the 25th. invited me and his friends to the nature, while there, they askedme to start a fire and show the american way of starting fires, and in under 30 seconds with a lighter, i started a fire which dropped the jaws of the russians. after 9 months of no scouting, pulling off the fire was a big surprise. they came back all saying "im jealous that he can start a fire that well" the eagle scout rank always helps! something that ive always asked my families to do, and never really have succeeded in, is teaching me to cook. well my new host mom, decided to actually teach me to cook. she taught me to make russian soup "akroshka" and russian meat dish "myaca pa kapitancki" or "meat in the style of captian" which really tastes good. after the cooking lesson, she showed me the town Naxodka. including the biggest freight port in the world, ocated outside of nakodka, and the sea where her son will get married.

so finally, the students arrived from the conference in the russian siberia! and along with them, were 2 other students.. brazilians, who were some of my bestest friends at orientation and the trip to the russian capitals. they will be here for 10 days, then leave back to siberia. on ths day also, my host mom showed me the museum and the X men, first class movie. so the next day, all the students got together and literally hit the city! we walked everywhere, everyone talking, happy to see eachother, nobody with a frown on their face all day. we 6 students were probably happier than a dairy cow whose in the middle of work. we had picnics next to monuments and saw sites of the city. on the weekend, we were invited to partizansk, a neaighbooring city to nahodka, where we stayed for 3 days. there we watched movies, and celebrated "Russia day". in moscow, there was a concert on red square and i saw my favorite russian band "lubeh" sing the rock version of the russian anthem. the brazilians and i spent a lo of time talking about video games. we all shared mutual games we loved and discussed new ones coming out. how i will soon know the feeling of video games. i havent played since i arrived to russia.
in more recent news, i did a presentation to nahodka club about my 2 cities in the US, Columbus and westerville. and when i was telling about westerville, i mentioned the shinto shrine, no alcohol, our awards, 4th friday, and the field of heroes. the idea of the field of heroes was taken isntantly in by the club (as i had wanted in the first olace to present to them this idea) and they are thinking about doing it this fall for a holiday. they just wantg to talk with my club about it first. maybe its how i can leave a part of my exchange for the community in russia. too bad that if its taken in, i wont be around to see it with my own eyes.
well the countdown has hit 14 days, its hard to believe that in 2 weeks ill be sitting on the plane headed home.. that in 2 weeks ill meet the people who gave me this opportunity, the country i love more than anything, the people who i know, the language which i speak better than anything, the food which i lost 7 kilograms from when i stopped eating it. in my mind, it truely seems like the final countdown has just started