Week 11 in Russia: Sick Day and First Aid Class

I don't have much to report from last week, my 11th week in Russia. I got food poisoning and was home on Wednesday from class. I decided to try to go to school on Thursday, but left after my 8am class because I still wasn't feeling 100%. I spent the day working on next year's class schedule, finalizing my summer plans, and talking to friends from home online. I got really homesick, made mac & cheese, and decided to change my flight home. I was planning to home back on June 20th, but now I'm coming back a week early on June 13th. I very much needed the day off to get these things accomplished, but really didn't feel well :(

On Friday, I saw "Russian Phantom" at the musical theatre. It was a solid production, and definitely made up for the disaster that was "The Sound of Music." I enjoyed the choreography, sets, costumes, voices...I just didn't understand the storyline sometimes. It could be that parts were lost in translation. I went with my roommate and another American student, and I really enjoyed having the girls' night out.

On Saturday and Sunday, I had a two-part first aid course through work. Each of the volunteers on the project this summer were offered a first aid course (for $6!), so I decided to sign-up. On Saturday night, I saved a life. :) We learned how to give CPR, and I was the third person who was able to save the dummy out of the 8 or so who went ahead of me. The doctor who taught our course had an electronic model of a human torso that talked to you while you gave it CPR. It would tell you when your hands were in the wrong place, when you've pushed too hard and could break a rib, or when you aren't giving enough air with each breath. It was difficult, and I'm glad that I was able to do it correctly! On Sunday, we were there all day, but it was Russian Orthodox Easter, so we took a break to eat kulich and beat hard-boiled eggs. So, yes, I celebrated Easter twice :)

That was the extent of my 11th week in Russia. Week 12 is already vastly more interesting, but I'm going to wait until the end of the week to post.