Dinosaur Dresses

Alright.  I wanted to post about a few things, but I knew that I needed to tell this story first.

Shows seem to be a big deal in their culture--performances of all kinds, dancing, singing, random talents.  So quite frequently, we would be dragged into these performances (often the day of..."So, you're doing a song for tonight's show, right?"......"Uh...sure!").  One of these performances (which we thankfully had more notice for) was involvement in this dance-off thing.  Groups would get together to create a dance to a set of 8 counts.  Groups would have no idea what song it would be danced to, but you were responsible for creating a dance for a given amount of time.  And then come show time, two groups would be pitted against one other, dancing at the same time to the same music.  Additionally, each time would then bring out a solo dancer after the group dance to do the same thing.

So the first round, we did some dance in black outfits with Russian scarves tied around our waists:

Alaina was our solo dancer, as she had some dance experience.  She was pretty much amazing. ;)  She broke out some pirouettes.

We ended up placing in it somewhere, which meant that we had to go on to round 2 (I think everybody actually did).  So we had to come up with a whole new dance, joined by some Russians on our team.  And we raided the costume room in the main lodge and found lots of animal costumes.  So, we had a variety of animal or other nonsensical creatures doing this completely ridiculous dance.  Full of cheese, nowhere near being a cool dance like we attempted with the first dance.

Tiger(A), Butterfly (R), Carlson (R), Juggler (R), Dance Manager Natasha (R), Dinosaur (A), and Grasshopper (A)

Yep, those would be pinwheels.

And, as before, we needed a solo dancer.  We are walking into the gymnasium, and we still haven't chosen a dancer.  And I say, okay, fine.  I'll do it.  Totally winging it.

Me, in my starting pose.  Thinking, I have got to be kidding myself.

I do some random steps, old dance moves, but really just being ridiculous and looking like I'm having a ton of fun (which, besides the pressure factor, it was).  And since everyone seemed to like it when the boys threw in gymnastic stunts, I decided to not let them have all the fun and broke out a front handspring!  Didn't quite land it, but everyone went nuts--the rest of my team and our Russian friends were amazed!  Haha.

Galina, giving me a huge hug, after my ridiculous (and apparently amazing) performance.

AAAnd we won.  We won the Dance Grand Prix.  Yep.

Time

I know it has been a very long while since my last post, where I did say that there would be a next time.  I'll get back to that point in a minute.

I still look back at last summer with many emotions.  I've come to the conclusion that I will be processing this for a while.  I think all impactful (and I mean truly impactful, not just emotional) experiences will always be open for the examining.  I still think about the week-long mission trip to Costa Rica that I took my senior year of high school--that was 7 years ago, 7 years next month.  Nothing super-obviously revolutionary happened then, but I took risks I never took before, in a way that I could never take now.  I was super shy, but I still remember sitting on the bench in the part with Jill (I think that was her name; it sounds right at least) while everyone else on my team was playing soccer or maybe "Mas Alto!"  I knew zero Spanish.  Really.  I could say, Hola, commo estas?  But if they said anything other than Bieno, I was lost.  Ha.  But I sat and watched with her anyway, and attempted some sort of communication, but mostly sat in silence.  Now, in the same situation, I'm not sure I would have so naturally approached her.  I would think too much about it.  I would agonize over what I would say.  I would force conversation that didn't need to happen.  It challenges me to remember what I learned that week, that perhaps I was meant for such a time as this (Ester).  That I give what I can offer, and that is what is needed. 

Likewise, I think 7 years from now, I'll still be processing my trip to Russia.  I have no idea where I'll be in 7 years, but I'm sure that I'll remember certain facets of this trip, and be challenged in some way or be reminded of something I learned, like what it means to serve, or what it looks like to be surrendered to His leading.

I'm sure that I still don't know where this trip "leads."  I'm sure that the ramifications of me having gone on this trip are still to be seen, in ways that I will never expect.  For example, last weekend, I got a call from a friend and ministry partner.  He told me that they were going to be going to Russia this summer to help lead a conference for students there with his church, and he wanted to invite me along!  Oh, how exciting that would be!  Alas, I will be teaching here during that time frame.  But I am half expecting the other shoe to drop--for my supervisor to walk into my lab or office one day, or send me an email saying that they don't need me to teach that summer session, thereby enabling me to go to Russia again this summer!  How crazy awesome would that be! Maybe next year...

Okay, I know I said I would explain the weird dinosaur picture...but I have to go eat dinner now.  I'm exhausted after a day of teaching but I still have grading to do.  Maybe I'll take a grading break later on this evening and tell the story.  It's not as great a story as the anticipation is probably leading you to believe, it's just a complicated story requiring details.

Adieu (oui, c'est francias)