We taught the world new ways to dream...

Bonus points to anyone who gets the reference in the title. Happy Saturday to y'all! As the sun has long since disappeared and it is generally unknown, when it will be making a reappearance (experts think sometime in March or April, LOL...jk), and as Thanksgiving draws closer, I must find ways of keeping myself busy. Believe me, that is not difficult. I'm either working diligently on a translation for class, in which I try so hard not to focus on the fact that I'm one of the weaker students in the group, or I'm collecting books and articles for my thesis in which I am determined to find new ways of teaching Russian grammar (i.e. through fairy tales), as well as other interesting books about linguistics and teaching Russian as a second language. Needless to say, I have a mountain of materials to read and analyze. Generally I like to read a source one for general concepts and then reread again in more detail, making comments in margins. I have analyzed a few sources in some detail, so when it comes time to begin writing the beast, I will be able to easily incorporate that. Plus my introduction is pretty much written already, having established that on the outset in my outline. So let's say in a paper of 25+ pages, I have one written already. As I told my classmate, I am much more comfortable expressing my ideas in written form. Writing allows time for me to gather my thoughts and organize them, whereas in oral form I always feel rushed, hesitant to speak, seemingly sure that my ideas are either not good enough or require serious reworking. It's a character flaw that I've been working on for years. The good news is I'm definitely more comfortable (even if I still seem shy, I am by no means passive) in social situations or in situations requiring me to defend/present an argument, identify main ideas/theses, etc.

But yes, I never tire of reading, especially if the material is worth my attention. In general, almost everything I have read has been fascinating. What is most interesting to me is that for a single fairy tale, there are often multiple variations of the same fairy tale. For example, in a fairy tale about Ivan the fool, who always ends up being the hero and marrying the tsar's daughter and inheriting a huge kingdom, there might be 4-5 variations of the same fairy tale. It should be mentioned that Ivan the fool is one of the major reoccuring characters in Russian fairy tales, and he is by no means a "fool" in the sense of being an "idiot." He is a simple character, but with a good heart and determined to complete the tasks set for him. I look forward to advancing my idea that you can use fairy tales (both folk fairy tales and contemporary literary fairy tales, like for example those of Chukovsky, who wrote such amazing skazki as "Doctor Aibolit"...my thesis focuses exclusively on narodniye skazki because of space restrictions, but I will be surely including both modern and traditional fairy tales when I one day set foot in a classroom to a bunch of eager students of Russian, be it beginners or more advanced learners.)

One thing that has surprised me (pleasantly so, I might add) is that I have not felt culture shock to the extent that I had when I first arrived in Moscow last winter or when I was in St. Petersburg four years ago. This isn't to say that everything has been perfect, I've had to face some challenges, most notably the lack of focus or purpose of my history class, but overall I haven't felt terribly depressed. Part of it is due to my enduring sense of optimism, you all know that, but most of that is of course due to singing in choir, which has been directly connected to my strengthening faith. I've said it before and I said it again, ever since I started out in Chapel Choir six years ago (wow!) I've gone to church more frequently, I've develeoped a better relationship with God and in general I'm more confident about my abilities. While I may never be fully independent, it's not such a bad thing because we are all, like it our not, dependent on one another to sustain ourselves each and every day.

I hope that you all get something from my blog. I totally understand that people are incredibly busy all the time, and can't always respond with a quick comment, but if even one person takes something useful from this stream-of-consciousness style of writing, in which I don't always make sense, I'm happy. In a culture where everything has to have been done yesterday, where technology simultaneously brings people together and drives them further apart, it is SO important to forge and maintain some sort of connection. This is why I write my blogs: to connect with the people I care about since I can't physically see them at the moment (although that too will happily be remedied as of Christmas Eve!!!!). Maybe then, through the connections we make and keep with each other, we will teach each other something new, something you can't learn from a book or in a classroom. That is my wish for you this week: to learn something new and pass what you have learned to others, thereby making a new connection between what you have learned and to whom you are transmitting that newly acquired knowledge and wisdom.

I leave you with the words of Emerson: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/trust_thyself-every_heart_vibrates_to_that_iron/262305.html

as well as this link from the same site, this time from Lois Wyse: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/a-good-friend-is-a-connection-to-life-a-tie-to/348586.html

May God keep you and your loved ones in good health and excellent spirits. As always, I pray for and miss each and every one of you. Talk soon! :) Peace!