class day 2

I have a very serious prayer request for my trip.  I know for certain that there will be people who pray for our safety and for blessings over our trip, but if someone could PLEASE pray for my camera, I would appreciate it more than you know.  Please make sure that someone prays that my camera will work flawlessly so that I can use the talents that God has given me and be able to share what I see in Armenia and Georgia when I come back to the states.  I know that He has given me a talent for photography, and that I need to use that talent to bring glory to Him, so please pray for that, in addition, of course, to the safety of the members on our trip as well as blessings over our interactions with the people of Armenia and Georgia.

On to other things.  Today in class we made a list of who was going to get engaged, and in what order.  I have photos, but I'm not sure if I should post them.  We'll just have to see what happens.
But what we really did in class today was talk about a book we read called A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch.  We also watched a really long movie on Stalin, who sacrificed his people to create a world power.  He industrialized Russia, certainly, but he lost many citizens in the process.  Russians love powerful leaders, though.  What do we as Americans value in a leader?  I'll think on that one, but I'm pretty sure I would rather have someone concerned with the desires of the people as opposed to satisfying their desires of power and ambition.

Watching the Stalin documentary.

We also had two group presentations.  One presentation was about minorities in Armenia and Georgia, and my group's presentation was about education in the two countries.  It was really helpful to be able to hear all of the information that my peers had gathered about each country.  It was also great that I didn't have to research each topic myself!  I did end up with a topic that I feel really strongly about, though, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Armenian and Georgian citizens have to say about their educational system.

Tomorrow we should have a pretty short class, and then I will be able to go home for an evening before heading to the airport early Thursday morning!  I continue to get more and more excited as the flight approaches, but I'm also still very nervous.  I haven't fully wrapped my head around what it will be like to be out of the country with limited contact with my family and friends for three weeks.  But the truth is, many students have done a trip like this before me, and many will continue to do it after me, and if they can do it, so can I.  This will be a very intense learning experience for me, and I'm hoping to use it to my full advantage.  I just pray that I can keep a positive outlook for the duration of the trip and trust that God will give me the strength to get through the rough spots.  You are invited to pray for these things as well! :)

Also, have I mentioned that I'm really glad that you're reading this blog?  Thank you!  I appreciate your support as I embark on this journey!

let the classes begin

Today I came to Mercer for our pre-departure classes, and it was really great!  It was so encouraging to finally have people to talk with about the material we have been reading for weeks.  It was also wonderful to see everyone.  It makes the trip seem so real now!  Today there were so many times where I could hardly decide to laugh or cry from excitement, so I mostly just smiled and nodded a lot so I wouldn't embarrass myself.

Dr. Grant talked with us about Lenin, who is embalmed and can be visited in Russia to this day...and yes, that is what I took from the video we watched about Lenin's life.  Also, in the beginning of the video, one scholar claimed that Lenin did not come from a broken family as his actions later in life would seem to reflect, but he did encounter what I think would be pretty damaging, psychologically, when it comes to his family.  What I mean by this is that, while he may have had a great family in his youth, his father died, and his brother was hanged before Lenin even graduated high school.  Not the perfect family situation if you ask me.  Breaking point?  Probably so.  Also, tomorrow I will add a photo of the nesting dolls that Dr. Grant used to teach us about the Soviet leaders.  I love visual aids.

Dr. Drake had us watch a movie called Fail-Safe, and it was one of those really intense movies that are really good, but also really bad at the same time.  Here's a photo.  Please watch the movie or visit IMDB to read what it was all about.  We related it back to an essay we read called "Perils of Obedience" which discusses the Stanley Milgram experiment.  You should look into that too, if you aren't familiar with it.  Once you do that, you will be up to date with everything I did today.  :)

Also, another student will be in charge of managing a group blog for our trip, and as soon as I have our link, I will post that on here so you can see the writings of everyone in our group as well.  In addition, I discovered that I can make Skype calls for free as long as I have access to free wi-fi, so make sure I have your Skype username if you'd like to talk to me while I am overseas!

That's all I have for now!  More class tomorrow, and getting so excited to leave on Thursday!  Wow!

it's a journey

I can't sleep.  If you've checked the time-stamp of this post, I guess that's a pretty obvious statement to make.  I'm just way to excited.  I have to be up at 6:15 in the morning so that I can get ready to drive to Mercer for class.  I've been doing a lot of work on my paper, and I've also been gathering information for my group presentation, and now I have no desire to sleep.  I feel like I've done so much this week to prepare for this trip, yet there is STILL so much left to be done.

I have everything packed for the trip.  Now I just have to make it through 3 days of classes, 4 nights of limited sleep, 2 plane rides (with 2 long layovers), and I'll be there!  But I don't want to get ahead of myself.  I have certainly enjoyed the whole process, and I intend to make every minute of this experience count, from packing down to the final ride home after the trip.  I'm excited to be one step closer to being there, but I'm also trying to enjoy the journey itself.  Reading books, writing papers, and packing bags is all part of the experience, and so far it has been a great experience.  Let's hope that continues!

I guess it's time to try to sleep!  I'll leave you with this photo of my packed bag:

getting closer!

Today was very eventful in terms of planning and packing for my trip.  Early this afternoon I packed a suitcase for school and put together some other things for when I go back to school.  Later in the afternoon, the pants that I ordered for my trip arrived, so I tried them on and they fit really well.  I think that they are going to be great for the trip.  Also, Bo the Bear came in the mail today, and he is adorable.  I'm excited to take him on the trip.

When my mom got home she helped me get all of my stuff together for the trip, and we packed everything up.  I am pleased to report that I have plenty of room left in my bags, and both bags take up only half of the weight limit.  I still have a small list of things to add to each bag, and knowing me, I'm sure I'll re-pack both of them before the week is over, but at least I know that I'm pretty much good to go for the trip.  Tomorrow I'm going to get some more odds and ends together, and I will have the rest of the week to read!  Stay tuned for more updates!

gifts, bears, and backpacks!

Today at work I bought some gifts to share with my new Armenian and Georgian friends, and I'm already imagining the people I'll be sharing these gifts with.  I got several WWJD bracelets, a few books of Proverbs, and some coloring-type books about easter.  My mom also got 10 or so coloring books to donate to the Fuller Center in addition to the coloring pencils she got last week.  She also got me a book of Columbus postcards to take and share in Armenia and Georgia.  I'm very excited about sharing a little piece of the States with my new friends.

I also found out today that one of my sorority sisters, Stephanie, has 'traveling bears' to use as teaching aids in her classroom, and one of the bears, Bo, is going to be able to go with us to Armenia and Georgia.  We will take pictures of them with us on our travels, and she will use the pictures and bears to help teach her students about other countries and places around the world.  How exciting!

Also, Caleb is going to write me some letters to take with me on my trip to read for when I get homesick.  If anyone else wants to do that too, I would be very appreciative! :)

Finally, Dad decided that he would get me a large hiking backpack to take on the trip, rather than having to carry around my luggage, as long as I mostly filled it with things to take to the Armenians and Georgians.  So, we went to Academy in Auburn today and got a large backpack, and I can't wait to pack it full of gifts!  I'm so excited for this trip!