Our first soccer game. Not as many fans as Italy but just as rowdy as you can tell after this goal.

Our group at the soccer game

Lucas on the ride home from Rostov

The Monastery in Rostov about an hour south of Yaroslavl

The CCS field trip to Rostov. This is a tour of a enamel factory where everything is still done by hand. Some pieces take 6 months to complete.

More pictures of the enamel factory and the tour of it's museum

Lucas-First Week

Lucas begins the Cross Cultural Solutions program today. He is signed up for two weeks and has his orientation today. I think he will really enjoy it. He is working at the Shelter (one of my favorite placements) and the City Camp this week.

Yesterday was the 997th Birthday of Yaraslavl and there were celebrations all day and all over town. We had fun watching all of the dancing, singing and festivities. I have lost my camera cord but as soon as I find it I will post pictures. So far in Lucas's first 9 days we have:

-gone to the Bonya with volunteers

-walked along the embackment of the Volga river

-spent the day at Nadia's Dacha with friends

-gone to the Symphony

-walked along the Embackment

-shared tea and snacks with Nadia's sister and brother in law

-Lucas has had three langague lessons with Irina

-walked along the Volga

-bought Lucas favorite Russian books at the bookstore (without a translator :)

-eaten some wonderful dinners at Nadia's

-gone shopping at the market for vegatables, fruit and yogurt

-walked the embackment

-Lucas spent one afternoon on a field trip with the volunteers..I have attached some of the pictures he took.

A very very special week for me.

Lucas in Russia and Mom's Birthday

I am so excited as Lucas is coming Thursday and will be here for 5 weeks. We will quickly introduce him to Russia as we will be going to the Bonya with the new group of volunteers this Friday, Nadia's dacha to plant flowers and grill out on Sunday, and we will be attending a performance by Liza's dance class on Saturaday afternoon. We also have tickets to 2 different symphonies and plan to attend at least one Shinnick (Yaroslavl's soccer team) game. I have also arranged for him to take some langague lessons from Irina and he is signed up for the CCS volunteer program for two weeks beginning May 26th. And we hope to spend one long weekend in St Petersburg and one eekend in Moscow.
I will take plenty of pictures. :)

Happy Birthday Mom!!
С Днём Рождения Мама!!

May 9th, Victory Day.

May the 9th is a big holiday in Russia. It is a holiday celebrating the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War (known as World War II in the U.S.). The Soviet Union paid a heavy price losing 24.5 million people during the war. This compares to 7.5 Million for Germany, 419,000 for the US, 450,000 for Great Britain and 2.6 Million for Japan. The date is earlier than the date in US history books since the Soviet Union was not at War with Japan. Their war ended with the fall of Berlin.
The Soviet Square, which surrounds the church of Elijah the Prophet, is the site of the parade in Yaroslavl. Afterwards everyone eats Soldiers Porridge and visits the Internal flame to pay respect to the sacrifices of another generation.

May the 9th, Victory Day on the Soviet Square in Yaroslavl.