Hot Day

Today was a hot one. It's been warm the last few days but usually there is a nice cool breeze. but not today. so we had to go down to the beach to cool off our feet in the water. We brought some hot dogs to cook, didn't need the extra heat from the fire but it was fun.

We haven't gotten a copy of our interview yet. None of us will be able to understand it though as we just figured out that the local news is all done in Tuvan so they will be talking about us in Tuvan and translating David's russian into Tuvan. We'll have to get our tuvan friends to translate it back into russian for us:)

Well we didn't get to see ourselves on TV. They told us to watch at 2, and then they told us to watch at 9:30 but apparently it was on at 5:30... One of the helpers at Emma's school saw it and said it was great. We were all on there... I thought they would only show David and the stuff but they put the whole family on. I don't think the station would but maybe we'll ask if they have a copy of the show. We don't really want to see it but it would be good to know exactly what they said about us and our org/work.

This picture is of David (and me:) painting at Emma's school. School is over but they are doing some renovating so David has gone and helped out a couple of times this week. We just went there to play in the playground as it is a bit more exciting than ours.

Tonight we have English Club I think. I'm not sure if we will keep having it as our main students (the two mongolian girls) are gone and others are busy with summer things. We'll see. Maybe we'll just make it more of an Uno/Game Night now- I won't prepare a real lesson but they can still use their english and learn some things from us. It is so nice out today 26C? so I don't want to be in here making lessons all day:) I'm just waiting for the boys to wake up from their nap and then maybe we'll head down to the beach for an hour or two or at least just sit outside.

TV Interview

We got a call early this morning telling us that an ambulance would be coming to pick up us at 10am and to be ready for a TV interview. We were expecting this to happen but it wasn't supposed to be till tomorrow. SO I dried pants with the hairdryer etc. and managed to get us all looking decent just in time.

It was a quick interview- only David had to talk in front of the camera. We just sat around trying to look decent while they filmed us. Josiah couldn't stop picking his nose and Huddy kept hiding his face with his hands and Emma was constantly fixing her hair but other than that they were wonderfully behaved- still and quiet. We haven't seen it yet, we thought it would be on the 2 O'clock news so david ran out and bought an antenna for $2.50 because we haven't set up our TV for TV yet. We always just watch movies on it. I can't believe we haven't had TV channels yet just because of $2.50!!! That's what being on TV does- gets you to splurge for the antenna:)
Anyway, it wasn't on at 2. Maybe it will be on later today. Not a big loss if we don't see it- David didn't think the interview was so great and I've seen Josiah picking his nose enough:) I have my camera ready by the TV to try to get a poor quality video of us on the news just in case it comes on- we'll see...

Sorry, no pics of David getting interviewed- it happened too fast... just one of David and Emma and some of the stuff and staff and the kids enjoying the ambulance ride.

Sports Equipment Project

We just finished another project with the psychiatric hospital. The head doctor was telling us how she doesn't want to just give all the patients medication and have them confined to bed all day. She wants them to develop mentally and physically. The problem is that they had nothing to do when they were awake. They had no games, no puzzles, no sports equipment, nothing. So we decided to buy them some things to help them develop. (the $ was donated by a group in the US)

The equipment and games will be divided by the different wards. (Women, Men, Children) It won't be much but it's a start. We bought lots of volleyballs, nets, basketballs, soccerballs (called footballs here:), big bouncy exercise balls, hand strengthener things, a climbing/jungle gym, educational mattress, badminton raquets and birdies, skipping ropes, table games (hockey, basketball, football), chess games, checkers, dominoes, puzzles, board games, building blocks, massage pad things that you walk on, bowling sets.... They also really needed a computer so we got them a new computer too.

It was a lot of fun buying all these things for them and at times very hard for our kids to have this stuff in our living room and not be able to touch it:)!!! They did well though and it was good for them to be able to give some of the very things they've been wanting for themselves to others. The head doctor told us that she will want us to come and present these things to the hospital patients/staff on Friday and that she will try to get the TV channel to come film it. We told her that we don't want any attention or praise for it but she said it is for the purpose of letting others know that these sorts of things can be done.

Donating is not a common thing to do here. The only other donation to the hospital in recent years besides what we have given is a bunch of old wood, scraps etc. from a building project that the hospital could go pick through and take anything they'd like. So they really are amazed that they would get new things, things that they can use and will help the patients- especially for free. We'd love to build them a basketball court or a playground outside as they have nothing but that will have to wait...

The things you learn in kindergarten...

A while back Emma came home and told us that she was chosen along with a few other girls to be in a special dance routine. She was so excited and so were we. Then a few days later she came home and said that she wasn't going to be in the dance anymore. She told us that she had explained to the teacher that she didn't think she should be in it as she felt the dance was a little too provacative or romantic or "saxy" as she calls it.
We were impressed that Emma could explain or at least try to explain all that to her teacher in russian and that Emma would even consider these sorts of things. We were sad that she wasn't going to be in the dance though so David went to talk with the teacher to see what the dance was like etc. She told David that the dance was a national dance so we figured that Emma just misread the moves and really they were just acting out moving trees/nature scenes as would be expected in a tuvan dance. So after talking with us Emma decided she would do the dance. She didn't tell us about the costume or show us many more moves as she wanted it to be a suprise...

Well...when the exotic music started and She-miit came out without his shirt on we knew that Emma was right!!!! Ooops. This was a pretty hmmmm how should we say it... grown up dance for kindergarten!!!!! We even blushed a little as we watched Emma!!! (she did the moves very well:) Who would have thought middle eastern dancing would be part of a kindergarten program...

She-miit (the sultan?) and his harem:)

Emma's sash/belt thing slipped up so she had a bit more coverage:)

Here is Emma doing some normal dancing with She-miit (I have no idea how to spell these names so you can read them like they sound...:) You'll see why I call this normal dancing later... They danced very well together to Tchaikovsky and some other classics. Sometimes it seems like we put Emma in some kind of theatrical/dance school instead of your basic kindergarten.... it is perfect though- she loves it!

I wonder about the kids who just don't like to sing/dance/dress up.... maybe all russian kids like it? I doubt it. Do all russian kindergartens do this much dancing? I think it is good that they get over stage fright etc. while they are young though... they don't have to remember the first scary time they went up front and danced and gave a speech or said a poem because they do it before they can remember anything:)

Our little graduate....

On Friday, we had Emma's big last day of school/end of the year program/party. 6 of the students (including Emma) graduated! Kinda funny to graduate out of kindergarten but it was cute- they got diplomas and said a little speech each and gave flowers to honour the staff. Emma said her speech very well- she thanked the cooks for their wonderful porridge and soup etc.

Emma also received a gift containing all the workbooks, craft supplies and pens that she will need for first grade. Of course Emma is actually finishing up first grade in homeschool but if we were going to be here in the fall we would probably be sending her to first grade in the russian system too. They finish kindergarten when they are around 7 here. It was a sad day, saying goodbye to her classmates and teacher, especially knowing that if she will ever be with these students again it won't be for a long time:( I'll put some pictures on of her "special" dance and the other dances too.

English Club

Zhenya and Togi. They love UNO. Easy game to explain in another language...and easy to play. Thanks for sending it to us mom!
Dolgarmaa trying out Emma's bows- pretty cute! This was our last English Club with the mongolian girls (Dolgarmaa and Togi) - they are headed home for the summer. We are sad that they are gone:( The good news is that we will get to see them at their home as they live in Ulan Bator where we will be heading in July! We will have quite a few days there again so we should be able to spend a lot of time with them.
(our internet is working a bit better right now- we got hotmail to work and maybe this will work....if it does I'll put on some more pics)

Interesting Couple of Days

We finally have a day with nothing planned. We have been very busy these last two days with Emma's graduation program/party, our mongolian friends leaving:(, English Club and our English for Journalists class, a big birthday party for our friend Aldunai in the country, my last language session with Sayanna:( and we are in the middle of a project with the psychiatric hospital again. It has been super fun and exciting but the kids have been going without naps and going to bed really late so today we plan on taking it easy but maybe something will come up.

I'm not sure this will post. Our internet isn't really working. I can only get Google Search to work but then I can't load up any pages. I can't get into either email accounts and I only got here by using cached pages etc. strange. I have soooo many pictures to put on... I'll have to choose selectively from the 400 or so I've taken in the last few days.

Emma's graduation program was great. It wasn't supposed to be her actual last day but they decided to do some remodelling to her room this next week or so, so now it was her last day:( She is sad to have to leave. And sad that she won't be with those kids again in the fall. She said "Das Vidania" "Ya Loobloo Tibya" (Goodbye and I love you) to all her friends as we walked away from the school. What a great year she has had there...

Our hot water was off for 4 days this week. We thought it was the yearly hot water shut off where they clean and repair the pipes or whatever. But it is usually off for 2 weeks- sometimes a month Sayanna says. But this time something just broke, so we still have another no hot water time to come...

Hopefully I'll be able to put some pictures on of all our recent events... I'll try now...
nope. won't work. can't load up the upload pictures page:( I can't load up our blog either. weird. It's been like this for a few days..we'll have to call up the internet company I guess.

Bits of Green

Tuva is quite a grey/brown place. I actually really like it that way. Looks kinda desertish I guess and just interesting:) But sometimes we long for just a few green things and this is the time of year when there are a few green things around. Soon it will get too hot and dry for anything to stay green but right now there are some really pretty green bushes across the river and the leaves are bright green on the trees. No grass anywhere though.... It's been rainy off and on all week so far so that is helping the green stuff look good.

Emma's School Friends

Today as Huddy and I were going past Emma's school (our grocery store is right behind her school) we saw her playing outside. I had my camera in my bag so I had to get a picture of her with her sweet friends. (from the left Suzanna, Chai-anna and Tonjoon) They only have a couple more weeks together:(

lots of sand, no hot water, and not enough foreign men around.

Yesterday we got a new addition to our playground- a sandbox! It is funny to us because our whole park is sand. We were thinking something they need to build is a grassbox:) It is nice to have a place to sit and play in the sand though and there is a bigger collection of sand in it than on the ground (at the moment).

We had some really warm weather but today it is rainy again. We are glad it is basically warm as we have no heat now and this week we have no hot water! We will have to boil some water later so we can all get cleaned up a bit. Our electricity has been really bad lately too- hopefully it is on tonight so we can boil some water. no hot water and no electricity isn't very fun after a few days. we might as well be living in a yurt:)

Emma has her big end of the year program coming up on Friday. She is pretty excited about it as she has a little speech thing/poem to say by herself and she is in a special dance. She has come along way in the 7 months that she has been at school! Kids do learn languages fast. Hopefully they don't lose them as fast as we will be home for almost that long:(

Today David was stopped by the only russian teacher at Emma's school. She asked him to help her find a foreign husband. She listed her assets (2 room apartment, never been married, good job etc.) and said she wanted beautiful children like his and asked how she could meet a foreigner so she could have the same kind of kids. David didn't quite know what to say. We don't know any single foreign men in russia so we can't help her meet one.

Rain in Tuva!

One thing we've noticed in Kyzyl is that it almost never rains. (which could explain why it is so grey and dry and barren) So Emma never gets to use the umbrella we got her in Moscow. A couple of days ago it rained for a couple of hours and Emma of course wanted to go outside and use her umbrella. She was sad to be the only one outside- normally there are a dozen or so kids out there. She looked so cute standing out there by herself until finally another girl came out to play.

Emma didn't really know O-chaa before so it was good they were the only ones out there because they really enjoyed playing together. O-chaa and Emma eventually came inside and played. O-chaa is the first of Emma's friends to have shoes that I can fit in. I didn't think that would happen for a while yet! She might be 10 or 11? I forgot to ask. She is a nice and polite girl and can speak some English. I'm sure Emma will be teaching her some more. Hopefully Emma will pick up some Tuvan too.

Determination

Josiah called for me, asking if I could lift him up on the bars because they were too high. I had lifted him up already a couple of times so I told him to just play on something else- something that isn't too big for him. When I looked over a few minutes later I saw this:) He had stacked up a bunch of rocks so that he could reach the bars... He did get on- his idea worked! I felt a little bad that I hadn't helped him but I like that he figured out a way up on his own. A rock climber!!!

Today while we were out in our playground I was really noticing what a big change there is in Josiah. He used to just play by himself or with Huddy but now he always heads over to where the other kids are playing or sitting. He asks them their names and uses the other little bits of russian that he knows. It is too bad we have to leave soon because it seems like this is the age that Josiah is ready and wanting to learn a 2nd language. He is always asking us how to say things in russian now. We will have to try to spend a lot of time outside with the other kids before we head home. I will be sure to pack some russian cartoons etc. for the kids to watch in Canada so they will at least have a bit of russian language during their week.

I thought he looked so sweet sitting with this little girl named Nastya today. I wish I was closer so I could have heard what they were talking about.

It was a hot day- I think it got to 31C. Thankfully, they have turned off the heaters so our apartment is much more comfortable. Now hopefully we won't have really cold days again.

David has been pretty busy lately- he keeps getting invited to do things like lecturing about the history, economy, media, politics, geography etc. of Canada to a university class, he has a few hiking, climbing outings, he has his English for Journalists class twice a week and is organizing another project with the psychiatric hospital. I have been busy making the English Course for the Journalists and our little English Club lessons. It is a lot of work because we are making the course up all on our own without the help of books and lesson plans but once we are done this course we will be able to use it over and over and it will be just how we like to do it instead of someone else's way of teaching.

a Bantiki day

Today was another photo day at school. They were taking face shots and I'm assuming a class picture too. Emma was instructed to wear her big Bantiki again (or shower puffs as Joan calls them:) I tried putting them in at the back so that they wouldn't look so big (not really possible:) but by the time she got her picture taken, the teacher had changed her hairdo anyway. She came home looking more like Princess Leah. They are actually kinda growing on me I must admit. I'll have to pack them in our suitcase for Canada. I can imagine the stares Emma would get wearing these at Walmart. Because Emma's bows are so big and new/clean (most girls wear theirs a few times a week and outside to play), all the girls took turns wearing them for their picture.