From the preparatory process to the whole process of boarding the plane to St. Petersburg, I hoped everything would go well in anxiety. I didn't expect my six weeks in St. Petersburg until I saw the host family arranged by the project party, a very good Russian girl.
As I was the last volunteer to arrive in St. Petersburg in the whole project, my homestay girl took me to meet the project leader and other volunteers on the first day of my arrival, and I didn't have time to relax by jet lag. I will never forget that a group of us sat on the grass next to the famous knight statue, introducing ourselves to each other, playing games, snuggling up to each other and facing the sunset in St. Petersburg. Later, we walked around the huge Winter Palace Square, chatting with each other about everything, just like old friends we had known for a long time. At that time, I was glad that my homestay girl, the girl named Rada, was always with me, because she was worried that I was the only one in China who would be lonely.
The international kindergarten program is somewhat different from what I expected. In fact, we volunteers didn't play much role. For example, I and two other Indians (except a girl from China and Kyrgyzstan, the others are all Indians in this project! ! ) was assigned to a well-equipped kindergarten. Every child of different ages has two teachers in charge. What we have to do every day is to help the teachers complete their teaching tasks, which is equivalent to the role of teachers' assistants. The first few days were really uncomfortable. I am in the youngest class, and the average child is one and a half years old. We can't communicate in words at all. To them, I am just a strange teacher from another planet. But magically, in a few days, we learned to communicate with eyes and body movements. They could guess my meaning from simple English words, and I followed other teachers to express my meaning in simple Russian. Kindergarten is more interesting than I thought. They hold parties with different themes every afternoon, from the animal world to Superman, from human geography to ancient and modern anecdotes. In addition to attending classes every day, the busiest thing for teachers is to keep preparing props for the party. It turns out that everything from clothes to masks is prepared by the teacher himself bit by bit. I think I really saw some people's persistence in education. They can play with children in different ways and come up with different ideas every time. During the conversation, I found that several teachers have obtained master's degrees, but they still enjoy the most basic education industry. In addition to the party, I happened to have a birthday party for the children and ate the birthday cake of the fighting nation (too sweet to doubt life). I also helped other teachers prepare China Festival, hand in hand, handed out jiaozi to all the children, made bracelets for them, told them to write Chinese, and listened to them say "hello" and "thank you" one by one. I see the city of St. Petersburg from the perspective of a bystander. Its development is really not as rapid as that of domestic first-and second-tier cities. Sometimes I even think that their pace of life is very slow, but I have to admit that this is a happy city. Walking on every street in St. Petersburg, I feel comfortable and relaxed, because they freely express their feelings and do what they want. From the beginning, I will show my surprise when I see couples kissing and hugging. Feel the free soul flying in the air.
After talking about work, what I want to share most is the entertainment life after work. St Petersburg in June and July is really interesting. I remember when I first arrived in St. Petersburg at the end of May, I was always shivering with the strong wind outside, completely forgetting what the heat in Guangzhou was like. What's more interesting is that, apart from the longer and longer daytime, I actually saw the hail in June for the first time in my life. At that time, Rada and I had just visited the supermarket and stood by the bus stop waiting for the bus with big bags and small bags. The wind never stopped, and finally it started to hail. Finally, we were wrapped in my big scarf and kept laughing in the cold wind.
Rada is a very simple and friendly girl. She taught me all the skills of living in St. Petersburg, from buying subway cards to using access cards. We are almost inseparable except for working hours. She would get up early to make coffee for me and make a local breakfast. I will take her to the supermarket and cook Chinese food for her according to the recipes found online. She will eat all her favorite Chinese food with praise, jump up and drink water after eating the first bite of Chili, and then watch me sit there and smile and put Chili in my mouth. Every night before going to bed, when I watch all kinds of food and radio programs in China, I will introduce all kinds of China food to her and promise her that when she comes to China, I will take her to eat all over the streets. She always looks at me while playing games and complains why girls in China are not fat when they eat so much. During my six weeks in St. Petersburg, I soaked with her several times and tried hookah, which is the favorite cigarette of Russian young people. For the first time, she said that she would take me to try the best hookah in St. Petersburg. Then in the evening, we said the secret code like thieves, carefully went to the place where she and her friends often gathered, and got a free private room as a foreigner. This is the attic of the apartment. We stood on the sofa and looked down at the beautiful scenery of St. Petersburg from the river to the church through the overhead window. Rada brought her friends to see me. From her work partner to her American teacher, we talk about everything, from politics to local customs, to misunderstanding and discrimination against their respective countries. Finally, we always come to the conclusion that China and Russia should be friends forever.
The appearance of mid-June coincides with the celebration of high school students ending their high school life and about to enter the university. I walked through so many streets, visited so many churches and museums, and saw so many beautiful scenery. This celebration is really one of my favorite experiences. On the day of the celebration, Neva Avenue was closed to all vehicles. Neva Avenue that day was the most beautiful day I have ever seen, with blue sky and white clouds, singing and crowds. Flags that I can't understand are flying in the street, and street performers are performing everywhere. People surround them, and then they sing Russian pop songs over and over again. Although you can't understand them, you can't help swinging with them. As night fell, the carnival began. All the young people are singing, dancing, drinking, saying goodbye to friends around them, kissing people they like, some laughing and some crying. Seeing their sadness and joy, I always feel that such youth is full of vitality. When the celebration really started, fireworks were in full bloom and huge red sailboats sailed from one side of the river to the other. Everyone cheered, and this day belongs to them completely. This is a ceremony they used to bid farewell to the past and welcome tomorrow.
This is the highlight of my trip to St. Petersburg. I am glad that a brave man came out at that time. So I cut off all dependence and accepted all friendliness. There will be loneliness and fear on this road, but neither can be the focus of this memory. What I will always remember is that there are always gentlemen in St. Petersburg who open the glass door of the subway station for me, and there are always Rada who take me around all the interesting places in St. Petersburg, and there are always beautiful things to experience bravely.