I am kind of experiencing shock right now. But it isn't really from the culture or from really being in Russia. It is because I hang out with and talk with a bunch of girls. There is me and 6 other female teachers and Marci, the head teacher. Then both of the coordinators, Alla and Sveta, are Russian woman. So I am surrounded by woman which is something I am not used to. I spent my summer working up at a boy scout camp where there were a bunch of boys there and not many girls. There were about 10 girls that even worked up at camp but a handful of them were younger than 18. After scout camp ended then I lived at home with my parents, brother and sister and that was still that was pretty normal. Normal meaning something that I am used to. Hanging out with 7 girls ALL of the time is not normal. Its like I don't know what I am supposed to do because guys and girls act different (Profound? I know. I have learned a couple things.). I will explain using some experiences:
Things start even before we even got to Russia. I flew with my sister Katie, Megan and Ty to St. Petes. In the Frankfurt Airport after we had gotten off the plane we had to go up the escalator. I thought "Oh there are a ton of people so my fellow travelers will just follow the crowd and go up escalator." Well I went up the escalator and waited. Then after what seemed like forever though it was probably only a couple minutes I see them coming up the escalator. Fast forward past security. I see a bathroom and decide that I need to use it. So I go around the corner to the mens' side and all the girls went to their side. I get done in the bathroom and then I thought somebody might have stayed outside of the bathroom to look after luggage and I was wrong. They had all gone into the bathroom and taken their bags with them. So I waited and waited. It was about this time that I reminisced about the last time I was in the Frankfurt airport. I was with Elder Sare and Sister Jensen and Sister Read. We would wait on the sisters quite a bit then also. But things were pacified because I had Elder Sare to keep me company. This time I had no Elder Sare to keep me company and make things less awkward. So I just stood there, kind of awkwardly because I am not sure if they went on without me or were just taking a long time in the bathroom. If I would have really thought about it I would have guessed that they were taking a long time in the bathroom because they took a while coming up the escalator. Then Megan makes the comment that they took a while in the bathroom. I don't remember if I replied out loud but in my mind I thought, "yep, definitely took long enough."
Another funny little experience was like the first night I came over to the ILP apartment. Everybody was there and we were just sitting in the big room. I was just looking around at the apartment and then I realized that I was starting to feel a little nervous. It was really weird. Then I recognized why I was feeling that way. While on the mission you are not supposed to be in an apartment alone with the opposite sex and I was in an apartment with 7 other girls. I was actually thinking about how much the bookshelf really made the room look Russian and then it was like "BAM! What are you doing? You shouldn't be alone with girls in an apartment." I suppressed the nervousness and continued on with whatever we were doing because it isn't warranted anymore.
That same night I took Katie home and I felt the same feeling. I didn't have a problem walking with Katie because she is my sister. But once I dropped her off at her apartment I was walking alone. Then accented by the fact that it was dark which would totally be нельзя "forbidden" if I was on a mission still.
Moral: I don't have mission rules anymore. Be patient.
Then today I felt very much like a 3rd wheel. This isn't the first time I have felt like this here in St Petes because the girls that I am walking with just talk to each other and I walk alongside, quietly. ON this occasion Marci and Courtney were talking and I wasn't involved. There were a couple times that I said something but not very much. I wasn't included in the conversation. They were talking and I just kind of walked along side them not saying anything. I pointed this out to Marci when we were on the metro because Courtney and Marci were sitting on one side of the metro car having a good time talking and I was on the other side of the car writing in my book. I joked "oh, don't mind me. I will just mind my own business over here on my side of the train. I will just write my own little secrets in my book while you two gossip away." It was pretty funny.
Later that night we went to get blini (surprise surprise) and on the way back Marci was talking with Sydney and I was walking along side. Then Marci told me that if I have something to say then I should just say it and be assertive and forceful about what I have to say. She is one of those types of people that has a hard time with silences. If nobody else has anything to say then she has something to say. If she doesn't have anything to say then she always has something to say about herself and so never runs out of things to say. She is the queen of associations. With this noted I made sure that my presence was known the rest of the way home. I contributed to Marci and Sydney's conversation and, even though I interrupted Marci like 5 times, they were happy that I added to their conversation. Sydney even said that I had grown a backbone.
We were getting close to the apartment and I hadn't interrupted them for a while and so I wanted to interrupt her but I really didn't have anything to say. But actually I did have one thing to say. That was, "Marci. I don't really have anything to say but it has been a while since I interrupted you last and I think it is about time that I interrupt you again. So that was my interruption." Marci was like, "oh okay." "You can continue with your conversation again." "Where was I?" The funny thing was that I was the one that prompted her what story she was telling and even where she was in the story. Courteous or something.
Moral: Grow a backbone and be assertive when talking to others, especially Marci.
Things start even before we even got to Russia. I flew with my sister Katie, Megan and Ty to St. Petes. In the Frankfurt Airport after we had gotten off the plane we had to go up the escalator. I thought "Oh there are a ton of people so my fellow travelers will just follow the crowd and go up escalator." Well I went up the escalator and waited. Then after what seemed like forever though it was probably only a couple minutes I see them coming up the escalator. Fast forward past security. I see a bathroom and decide that I need to use it. So I go around the corner to the mens' side and all the girls went to their side. I get done in the bathroom and then I thought somebody might have stayed outside of the bathroom to look after luggage and I was wrong. They had all gone into the bathroom and taken their bags with them. So I waited and waited. It was about this time that I reminisced about the last time I was in the Frankfurt airport. I was with Elder Sare and Sister Jensen and Sister Read. We would wait on the sisters quite a bit then also. But things were pacified because I had Elder Sare to keep me company. This time I had no Elder Sare to keep me company and make things less awkward. So I just stood there, kind of awkwardly because I am not sure if they went on without me or were just taking a long time in the bathroom. If I would have really thought about it I would have guessed that they were taking a long time in the bathroom because they took a while coming up the escalator. Then Megan makes the comment that they took a while in the bathroom. I don't remember if I replied out loud but in my mind I thought, "yep, definitely took long enough."
Another funny little experience was like the first night I came over to the ILP apartment. Everybody was there and we were just sitting in the big room. I was just looking around at the apartment and then I realized that I was starting to feel a little nervous. It was really weird. Then I recognized why I was feeling that way. While on the mission you are not supposed to be in an apartment alone with the opposite sex and I was in an apartment with 7 other girls. I was actually thinking about how much the bookshelf really made the room look Russian and then it was like "BAM! What are you doing? You shouldn't be alone with girls in an apartment." I suppressed the nervousness and continued on with whatever we were doing because it isn't warranted anymore.
That same night I took Katie home and I felt the same feeling. I didn't have a problem walking with Katie because she is my sister. But once I dropped her off at her apartment I was walking alone. Then accented by the fact that it was dark which would totally be нельзя "forbidden" if I was on a mission still.
Moral: I don't have mission rules anymore. Be patient.
Then today I felt very much like a 3rd wheel. This isn't the first time I have felt like this here in St Petes because the girls that I am walking with just talk to each other and I walk alongside, quietly. ON this occasion Marci and Courtney were talking and I wasn't involved. There were a couple times that I said something but not very much. I wasn't included in the conversation. They were talking and I just kind of walked along side them not saying anything. I pointed this out to Marci when we were on the metro because Courtney and Marci were sitting on one side of the metro car having a good time talking and I was on the other side of the car writing in my book. I joked "oh, don't mind me. I will just mind my own business over here on my side of the train. I will just write my own little secrets in my book while you two gossip away." It was pretty funny.
Later that night we went to get blini (surprise surprise) and on the way back Marci was talking with Sydney and I was walking along side. Then Marci told me that if I have something to say then I should just say it and be assertive and forceful about what I have to say. She is one of those types of people that has a hard time with silences. If nobody else has anything to say then she has something to say. If she doesn't have anything to say then she always has something to say about herself and so never runs out of things to say. She is the queen of associations. With this noted I made sure that my presence was known the rest of the way home. I contributed to Marci and Sydney's conversation and, even though I interrupted Marci like 5 times, they were happy that I added to their conversation. Sydney even said that I had grown a backbone.
We were getting close to the apartment and I hadn't interrupted them for a while and so I wanted to interrupt her but I really didn't have anything to say. But actually I did have one thing to say. That was, "Marci. I don't really have anything to say but it has been a while since I interrupted you last and I think it is about time that I interrupt you again. So that was my interruption." Marci was like, "oh okay." "You can continue with your conversation again." "Where was I?" The funny thing was that I was the one that prompted her what story she was telling and even where she was in the story. Courteous or something.
Moral: Grow a backbone and be assertive when talking to others, especially Marci.
Now you know how I feel when I am around the Jesters Royale Comedy improv team. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, sounds like you will learn many beneficial things from Marci. :)