not gonna blog anymore

Hey everyone! I am soo sorry if you have been checking this blog to see if I've updated. Unfortunately, I have decided not to blog, at least for the time being. my internet time is limited here and I prefer to spend my time doing other things. I will still send out my electronic newsletter, so if you want to be added to the list, e-mail me at mariawhittle13@gmail.com.

Again, sorry and best wishes to all.

Love,

Maria

Second day

Hi all! This will be a short post, but I'm here in Kamchatka and having a great time. I understand alotmore Russian than I thought I would and my host parents, Oksana and Igor, are amazing! The trip waslong, but straight forward and I mademy heathrow connection with time to spare.

During my 12 hour moscow layover, a girl named Dasha, the daughter of one of the rotarians here, met me and helped me get on my next flight. during the layover, we went into Moscow to see the Kremlin and eat lunch. amazing!

People here are very friendly. I've already received invitations to go places. Our apartment is small, but I love it. It's very homy and comfy!

I start school Mondayand am very excited. Anyway, more later.

Love,

Masha (my Russian nickname)

Goodbye, America

Well, it is early in the morning of my departure and try as I might, I have been unable to sleep all night. I am feeling completely terrified at this point. I guess the reality of what I'm about to do has sunk in now that I'm finally leaving. I am unable to fathom that in just two nights, I'll be sleeping in another bed in a city miles and miles away from my own. I have a feeling that the first few weeks will be rough. I hope my Russian mommy understands that I'll be missing home.

I'll say goodbye now. I'll miss all of you. Please feel free to send me an e-mail when you're up to it.

Mom, Dad, Maddie, Susie, and Bronwen, I miss you already. I'll call you when I get there and will try to be in touch as often as I need to.

Much love to all,

Maria

Itinerary update!

Whew, so I just got back from my trip to Maine (more later, it was great and very relaxing) and a lot has happened in the time since I last posted. First, I went through a very stressful week and a half after my visa came (FINALLY, in early August) but before my itinerary was created. Apparently, it's really hard to find flights to Kamchatka that are a decent price this late in the game (thanks a lot, Russian bureaucratic system! :-p ) However, last Wednesday, my travel agent sent me my itinerary. Take a deep breath, because it's complicated!

Tuesday, August 28th, I leave bright and early (I think around 8:30 am) for London Heathrow

I have a two hour lay-over there before I fly to Moscow at around 11 PM London time. I'm a bit worried about this layover because I heard Heathrow is a complicated airport.

I arrive in Moscow early in the morning there (around 5 am) and wait around for a 12 hour layover. Then I finally get on the 8.5 hour plane ride to Kamchatka. I arrive there at about 11:30 in the morning on August 30th (it's 17 hours ahead of us).

All in all, that's around 35 hours of travel! That makes our drive back from Maine seem short.

As for Maine, it was very nice. I took some great hikes in Acadia National Park, ate some very good seafood and blueberry ice cream, and all and all had a great time enjoying the nature in the area. Plus, I got to see Brandi Carlile open for the Indigo Girls at a free outdoor concert. (For those of you who know me well, you know that this is a big deal, since Brandi is one of my favorite musicians. ) I was really glad I got that chance before I left.

I'm starting to get the pre-departure jitters and it is so hard to believe that in a little over a week I'll be getting used to a new home in a new country. Now I have to get all my last-minute preparations in order before I leave. I'll try to update once more before I leave to let you all know how I'm feeling in my last hours as an outbound. Until then, do svidanya!

Welcome/Background info

Welcome to my blog, everyone. In case you haven't figured out from the title, I am creating this blog as an account of my adventures in Russia during my 2007-08 gap year. After that, it's back to the structured world of school for me, though this time it will be in CA.

For those of you that don't have much of an idea of what I'm doing this year, I'll give you a little background. I am traveling to Russia through the Rotary Youth Exchange program. This is a fantastic privilege. Basically, Rotary International, a huge international service organization makes this program available to students for a very low price. Last fall I had to locate a local Rotary club who was willing to sponsor my application. The Falls Church Rotary Club decided to sponsor me. I am the first student they have sponsored in a very long time. By sponsoring, they agree that they will be willing to host an international student, though I'm not sure if they actually have to. I will be discussing this with them at a future meeting. After being sponsored, I had to apply to the program through my district, 7610 in NOVA. For our district, the exchange program was small, so it wasn't too competitive, but for some districts, it is insanely hard. Once I was accepted into the program, I had to wait when they figured out what country I would go to and then when I was given a host city. Rotary clubs in the country students go to agree to host, meaning they set us up with schools, host families, and monthly allowances. Basically all I had to pay was airfare, insurance, and some fees for various supplies like business cards, an orientation, etc. So Rotarians are really generous and kind people to make such a great program available to so many kids!

My host club wrote to me in early April. I am being hosted by the Avachinsky Rotary Club in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia. This is a very unique city. First of all, it is closer to Alaska than Moscow and is located on the Kamchatka peninsula, a remote city in the Russian Far East. The city is the second largest city in the world that is not accessible by road. Planning a road trip to P-K from Moscow? Well you should forget it now because the only roads on the Peninsula end only about 100 mi from the city. P-K has about 200,000 people and is the only major city on the peninsula. What else is unique about my city? well, Kamchatka is a volcanic hot spot, so the city is surrounded by volcanoes and untouched wilderness. Fun fact: Kamchatka has the highest density of bears in the world! There are also wolves, salmon, wolverines, foxes, and many other creatures. Kamchatka has geysers, hot springs, etc. So for me, a nature nut, this opportunity will be a rare treat!

My host rotary club has been really nice so far. I have heard from at least 4 separate women in the club who wished to welcome me and answer questions. They have placed me in Kamchatka State University so I can be with kids my own age instead of the 16 year olds in Russian high schools. Apparently, I will be a teaching assistant in the English department to pay for my tuition, so I will meet other language students. Hopefully this won't interfere much with my immersion experience. I am excited to teach kids about American literature/holidays/culture, though.

I have also received some really nice e-mails from my host mother, Oksana Kirichek. Her husband Igor owns a company that leads wilderness tours (specifically fishing and white water rafting) of Kamchatka and she has informed me that they love nature, and often go to the countryside to picnic, so it sounds as if I will get outside a lot! Yay! Their daughter Katya is going on a Rotary Exchange to Lake Tahoe, so I won't get to meet her. I will have a cat, though, so at least I'll have a pet.

So far I'm very excited and have way too much to do. The club wants me to come on the 15th of August, but I will be recovering from wisdom teeth surgery then, so I'll probably come on the 23rd or so. When I get my itinerary I'll post it. There's so much to think about: gifts, packing, saying goodbye, doing work on language before I go. I can't go an hour without thinking about my new life there! Anyway, I'll keep you posted as the year goes by. Please keep in touch.

If you want to write letters, my address will be:

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
4 Zavranitskogo st. apt. 116
Russia

In Rotary, they switch host families every few months, so I'll let you know when that changes.

<3 Maria