Moving to Russia...

On or around August 20th, I'll be moving to Moscow, Russia for about two years. My purpose? To learn enough Russian to pass a fluency test so that I can go to graduate school. I'm not entirely certain as to what my concentration will be in, but I'm leaning toward Russian Literature--hence the necessity to learn Russian Language.

I'll be working with a company called Language Link (http://jobs.languagelink.ru/) as a Work-Study student. This means that I'll be spending half of my time teaching English, and the other half learning Russian. I'll live in a flat with one other person (whom I do not know), and get paid a stipend each month to cover living costs. There are many reasons why I chose to do a work-study program rather than just an interning or teaching program. I'm going to Russia with a goal, and I intend to see that goal through (God-willing). If I had chosen to intern or merely take a teaching position, the chances of my Russian improving would be slim. I decided to dive right into cold water because I'm ridiculous :)

Anyhow, I'm pretty excited :) Two years is a long time, but I feel confident that it will be entirely worth it--hard, but worth it. Russia is unlike any other place I've ever been, and I'm so excited to go back. I know there is all sorts of adventure awaiting me, and so much humor to be found. It's always difficult to say goodbye to those I love, but I know God will protect them at home. It'll be hard to attend church services in a language I don't understand, but as I was told last time I lived in Russia--When a church service is in another language, it's a better idea to listen with your heart rather than try to comprehend with the mind.--Kind of cheesy, but true.

Anyhow, in the future, feel free to read this blog. It will be a general posting for everyone, so any truly personal information will not be attended to here. You should email me for that instead.

I'm excited!

YAY!