16 august: What the EVS!?

Okay, so it took me a little longer to get back to the blog than I expected. What´s new? Well the biggest news I recieved just ten minutes ago; appearantly I will be having a hostfamily in Russia (along with some German girl). I have never before meet (or heard of) any EVS person who have had a host family, so I am quite shoked to say the least. At the age of 20 I am perhaps also a bit skeptical of the idea, as I feel I am too old. But, I will try to make the most out of it! So many new questions I cannot have answered until I get there!! Will they be strict? Will I have curfews and other (teen-related) rules? Can I smoke in my room? Will they be expecting me to join them for chruch etc.? Will I be expected to live according to their religion??? How much will they be able to respect my culture, and how much will I be able to respect theirs??? I immediately freaked out and called Clara, to hear if she had any news on how she will be living. She did not, but decided to find out now, so I am eagerly waiting for news from her. I won't lie, best sennario for me was to share an apartment with her.

In really good news, I picked up my new BEAUTIFUL computer which I am currently blogging from, yay! It's a samsung RV511, and it is everything I wanted.The hunt is now on for a cannon camera!  I was at the embassy to apply for the Russian visa which went smoothly. The counsulat isn't exactly placed where they said it would be, but it only took me a few minutes more to find it. I shall be picking up my passport with a russian visa on the 22nd. I wasn't entirely happy about leaving my passport to strangers. After travilling so much the past year my passport has really become by best friend and ally, and I like to keep it with me at all times.. but I need the visa and they need the passport to make my visa. Luckily the embassy approved all my papers without problems, and helped my fill out a few questions on the application I wasn't able to figure out for myself.

I have also started sending the vaccine receipts back to my sending organisation. We have to put down the money for the vaccines and then get them refunded by sending our receipts, and it's about time I do this, I am seriously starting to run out of money!

Finally I have also been able to reach the Danish authorities and make an agreement on the taxes I owe them (I still haven't figured out the Danish tax system!?), and figure out the exact rules for moving out of the country despite my student loan. Last but not last the office for foreign affairs had some very nice information on bringing medicin into other countries. So far so good. Now if only I hadn't slept past my doctors appointment today I could have gotten the documents for my medicin, but too little too late for do anything about that now.

I am stressing out soooo much about the host family situation at the momment, so I think I will go out and chainsmoke (don't try this at home, kids..) my troubles away.. not that it every really works.

'Till next time cheers and best wishes

Cate
Ps. How the hell did anyone EVER learn Russian!? Beautiful langauge, impossible to learn!

9 august: Introductions

Finally the last preparations for Russia are about to fall in place. I arrived back home after the EVS preparation camp two days ago. I have a visa application time for the Russian embassy in two days, and my new computer has finally been picked and ordered.  But before I start going on and on about this, I should probably introduce myself and this blog, in case anyone stubbles by it for long enough to read. 

I am Cate and I am a 20 year old Dane. I recently graduated and was awarded my International Baccalaureate diploma. In just 23 days my plane will leave Copenhagen airport and bring me to Samara Russia.  I have been fortunate enough to get the opportunity to work 9 months as a volunteer in Russia through the European Volunteer Service program (EVS).  My job will consist of 30 hours as a caretaker for Down syndrome children in an orphanage, and 10 hours at Samara University participating in discussion and multicultural clubs. It is this EVS experience which will be the focus of my blog. The blog is sort’a and extension of my other blog (click here to see it), a more personal and perhaps less light blog about my life. The idea is that the other blog deals with the generalisations and broader aspects of (my) life, where as this one will deals with my experiences in a more personal manner. 

The camp I just finished is the ICYE camp for Danes who are about to leave the country to be a volunteer and foreigners who just arrived to Denmark to be volunteers in Denmark. In short the camp was great. It lasted for 3 days, and while the program was pretty long (approx. 8am to 11pm), the atmosphere was great and the program was mostly fun, education and at times both. The camp was also the first time I meet Clara, the only other Dane I will know in Russia. She is also going as an EVS to Samara for 9 months. Luckily for the both of us, we got along great! About the same age (she also just graduated pre-university school), we also seem to have somewhat the same background, and both former members of the alternative(ly dressed) environment in Denmark, although you’d never have guessed by looking at either of us now.. quite a coincidence and quite a pleasant surprise.  So far I have nothing but praise for her personality. 

Clara wasn’t the only good person I meet at the camp. Everybody was very easy going, and a group of us decided to form a private facebook group for all of us to share our volunteer experiences across the world for different organisations through different programs, which I hope will be a source of comfort and encouragement for all of us.. in fact it was kind’s a comfort already now to be able to be introduced to others in the same position as myself. 

As far as the Russian language skills goes, I have had little success until now. Samara is not an area with many English speaking people, so our host-organisation advised us to learn some Russian before we arrived in May. After much searched I have found only few Russian courses through the library, and have attempted to use them with limited success. The latest addition to my collection is the “Russian for Dummies” book, which I hope will be more helpful than the (crappy) CD programs. But I haven’t quite gotten though it yet. Luckily a vacation in Poland in July/August helped my inspiration, as the opportunity to refresh the Polish I know made Russian seem a little less impossible, because quite frankly, Russian has felt really impossible lately.

Anyway, other than that I need to learn Russian here’s the current “to do” list:

Pick up the new computer on Thursday: I just ordered the Samsung RV511 laptop today! Woohoo!! Spend almost 20 hours online figuring out how to get the most on a small budget. My current computer will not survive a long trip to Russia, as much as I love it, it won’t.
Get visa at the Russian embassy, also Thursday. I have my visa invite from the university, so the rest is basically technicalities I think. I also need passport pictures, the printed and filled out visa application, the time confirmation and money for this occasion.
Figure out how to bring enough things for 9 months in a just 23kg bag!? I have no idea how the hell they want me to bring 9 months supply of EVERYTHING within 23 freaking KILOS.
Say goodbye to friends and family, I have no idea when I am planning to do this!?

On the bright side Clara and I finally got a bit more info on our stay today, after we forwarded quite a questions list to our sending organisation. I got a (pleasant) schedule for my time at the orphanage/kindergarten, and apparently I will get about 90 Euro pr month in allowance, which I think is pretty fair considering the purchasing power in Russia (according to various independent websites I searched through today). I am however still missing my contract, which would be nice to have by now.

There are a few more thoughts and concerns I would like to share today, but it’s almost 11.30pm here and I’m quite smashed, so I will heading to bed now, and continue as soon as possible.. 

‘Till then, cheers and best wishes, 

Cate 

Ps. I apologise for the look and name of the blog as it is at the moment. I haven’t quite figured out a name or the look yet. I assure you this is just temporary.