Update from Ребячья Республика

So... I had this huge blog typed up, but due to technical problems, I can't get it opened on this computer. I'm going to take it as a sign that it was never supposed to be posted.

I've been at the second camp for a little over a week now. I was placed with another girl from the UK, Joanna, and we've been getting along really well. She doesn't speak any Russian, so it's complete role reversal from last year however we're managing pretty well.

The majority of the deleted post was about how I hate this camp. The first five days were OK, then a fantastic day off, and then two days of absolute hell. Two more days that were slightly better... it's been slowly going uphill since Monday... Being here is a lot harder this year as they're expecting significantly more from us. We're being treated as actual counselors (which means 4 hours of sleep/night if we're lucky), expected to teach 2x/day, all with very little English instruction. Like I said, we're managing, but it's been hard. We're slowly changing things and making adjustments so it's getting better.

I don't want to say I regret coming here again because I don't know what the next three weeks will be like... but I know I came back for the wrong reasons. I returned to Cherepovets because of the relationships I made last year, both with the administration, counselors, and most importantly the kids. Although I made lots of friends last year, I chose to come back to Rebyachka because of the camp itself... I know that in the big plan, there's a reason I'm here again and I'm just waiting to figure it out!

Since leaving Cherepovets, I've become more confident in my ability to speak and understand Russian, and it really was an overnight change. On the train ride back to Moscow, I shared a room with a church restoration architect. He showed me lots of pictures about his work and we talked for a few hours and I understood almost everything he said. I was sooo much more confident the next day and my Russian has only improved since then. For anyone who is learning a foreign language: be confident and don't worry about mistakes.

Although I didn't want to leave, I wasn't sad when I left Cherepovets. There was just something deep down telling me that it wasn't goodbye forever... as if I was going to see them all again really soon....

That's about it for now!