first day of school.

Monday was the first day of class here at the University of Nizhnii Novgorod. As i was following our fearless leader Debbie through campus, we carefully dodged packs of students and it finally occurred to me that this is actually happening. Most days I wake up feeling as though I'm living in a dream. Nothing feels tangible to be honest. Everything feels like a fantasy, living in a dream world of sorts.

As we walked into our classroom, i had flashbacks of primary school. The walls were painted a pretty light blue which offset the alphabet posters and the Russian map decorating the walls. A small chalk board was at the front of the room, along with a seemingly homemade desk. There are four simple rows of homemade desks, carefully welded together to give a finished look. The green potted plants decorate the window sill. We silently await the coming of our Russian professor.

Class starts off with a lot of Ya ne panimayu's (I don't understand) and introductions all around the room. We have a small stretching break an hour in our lesson, and then a tea break two hours in our lesson. (ps-the chai [tea] is simply amazing). Our Russian class is not easy. Three days in and we are already forming and speaking sentances. I must study a lot to keep up with the rapid pace. I am continuing to make Russian friends despite the terrible language barrier. And there is a lot of tutors available for my Russian class.

I love it here.

Love from Nizhnii Novgorod, ChelseaBeth