Thanks again, Kate! It looks awesome!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Smitten Blog Designs!
Big thanks to my sister, Kate Rosenberg, for doing some work on my blog! She made it look a bit cleaner and did the title banner at the top (awesome, right?). If you didn't already know, she and our sister-in-law, Heather Peterson, run a successful blog design business, smittenblogdesigns.blogspot.com. I got the basic blog design from their free gallery and then Kate did a little customizing. Check out their site! They are seriously talented--you'll be impressed :)
Thanks again, Kate! It looks awesome!
Thanks again, Kate! It looks awesome!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Land of No Marshmallows
You're probably wondering what the heck my blog title is about. Well, if you were not already aware, I'm leaving January 26th to go to Voronezh, Russia to teach English to kids. I received an information packet about Voronezh, about the program and other random facts. I noticed a list of things that you can't get in Russia. Peanut butter I expected, but I was surprised by some of the other things on there. For example: Lined paper (you can only get graph paper), duct tape, and marshmallows.
Marshmallows? What kind of country doesn't have marshmallows?! You can get all kinds of American name-brand products there, but no marshmallows? For some reason, I find that really funny, hence, the naming of my blog. No peeps this Easter--I'm gonna miss those little guys.
Anyway! Let me answer a few questions I keep getting with a little Voronezh FAQ!
Q: Why Voronezh?
A: That's where I was assigned! I originally planned on going to Kiev, Ukraine, but I was switched to Voronezh, which I'm actually really looking forward to. Voronezh is on the south western side of Russia, kind of by Ukraine, so it's not nearly as cold as, say, Moscow or St. Petersburg. In fact, the weather isn't much different from Utah.
Q: How do you pronounce Voronezh?
A: Your guess is as good as mine.
Q: Do you speak any Russian?
A: Not a word. The program offers free language classes though, so I'm definitely going to take advantage of that. I'll be living with a host family who most likely won't speak English and I'll be going to a Russian branch out there, so I have the incentive to learn it. They actually told us that the missionaries in Voronezh can translate for us at church. I'm really looking forward to learning some Russian.
Q: Won't it be hard to teach kids whose language you don't speak?
A: Yep.
Q: What is this program?
A: It's called International Language Programs (ILP). They send volunteers to 4 different countries (Mexico, Ukraine, China, and Russia) to teach English to kids in schools. It is volunteer work, so no, I do not get paid, but the program cost (about $2,500) pays for my airfare and all food and housing while I'm there, plus language and culture classes. The only things I have to pay for is entertainment costs, like traveling and going to performances and things like that. I found out that most ballets and shows you can get into for about 60 Russian Rubles--about $2 in the U.S.! I'll be living with a host family that lives near the school I'll be teaching at and they'll provide most of my meals.
If you have any other questions, let me know! I'll update as I get closer to leaving, and I'll try to be good about posting while I'm there, but I'm sure I'll be pretty busy, so no promises. I'm very excited to go, but I'll miss all of you!
Marshmallows? What kind of country doesn't have marshmallows?! You can get all kinds of American name-brand products there, but no marshmallows? For some reason, I find that really funny, hence, the naming of my blog. No peeps this Easter--I'm gonna miss those little guys.
Anyway! Let me answer a few questions I keep getting with a little Voronezh FAQ!
Q: Why Voronezh?
A: That's where I was assigned! I originally planned on going to Kiev, Ukraine, but I was switched to Voronezh, which I'm actually really looking forward to. Voronezh is on the south western side of Russia, kind of by Ukraine, so it's not nearly as cold as, say, Moscow or St. Petersburg. In fact, the weather isn't much different from Utah.
Q: How do you pronounce Voronezh?
A: Your guess is as good as mine.
Q: Do you speak any Russian?
A: Not a word. The program offers free language classes though, so I'm definitely going to take advantage of that. I'll be living with a host family who most likely won't speak English and I'll be going to a Russian branch out there, so I have the incentive to learn it. They actually told us that the missionaries in Voronezh can translate for us at church. I'm really looking forward to learning some Russian.
Q: Won't it be hard to teach kids whose language you don't speak?
A: Yep.
Q: What is this program?
A: It's called International Language Programs (ILP). They send volunteers to 4 different countries (Mexico, Ukraine, China, and Russia) to teach English to kids in schools. It is volunteer work, so no, I do not get paid, but the program cost (about $2,500) pays for my airfare and all food and housing while I'm there, plus language and culture classes. The only things I have to pay for is entertainment costs, like traveling and going to performances and things like that. I found out that most ballets and shows you can get into for about 60 Russian Rubles--about $2 in the U.S.! I'll be living with a host family that lives near the school I'll be teaching at and they'll provide most of my meals.
If you have any other questions, let me know! I'll update as I get closer to leaving, and I'll try to be good about posting while I'm there, but I'm sure I'll be pretty busy, so no promises. I'm very excited to go, but I'll miss all of you!
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