A weekend in Nizhni Novgorod!

We arrived by train at 6:50 on Saturday morning and found a little cafe to have breakfast and recuperate from our night on the train. From L to R: Elin (UK), Mareike and Caro (Germany), and Marlene (France).

Early in the morning on the main walking street in Nizhni

We rented an apartment for Saturday night. It was nice to have our own space and our own kitchen (and it made eating a little cheaper). This is the entryway to our apartment building. Don't worry, our apartment was quite nice. Almost all apartment building doorways look like this in Russia

There are numerous beautiful orthodox churches in Nizhni Novgorod. I liked this one because of the contrast with the Soviet apartment building right next door.

The church inside the city's kremlin (although "the kremlin" usu. refers to the Russian government in Moscow, a kremlin is actually just a fortress and all of Russia's older cities have one).

The view of the Volga from the kremlin

Us along the kremlin's outer wall

In a park. The leaves were almost at their peak when we were there!

A typical Russian city scene - elegant old architecture next to ruins (where someone often happens to be living anyway) that are beautiful all the same because of the red-leafed vines growing up their walls.

Exploring the streets of Nizhni ...

Pepsi - drink of the Carolina's

"Cafe" and "bar"

"mail" - I think I'll start a collection of Russia mail boxes.

The sunset over the Volga on Sunday evening before we left

On the train heading home. I love the mugs the tea comes in!

Our bunks :) Not always the most comfortable, but its nice to fall asleep to the rocking of the train.

A few scenes from daily life

Privyet!

Here is a somewhat random assortment of pictures from my life over the past few weeks. Once again, I couldn't quite get the formating right, but I was able to get all the pictures to post.

I think one of the strangest contrasts I encounter is the difference between the glitz and glamor of life here amoung run-down buildings and a crumbling infrastructure. Our university has flat screen TVs in the halls and lobbies of various buildings that play safety videos 24/7, yet they they don't offer toilet paper in the bathrooms (and we only have continental toilets), nor do they provide soap (well, sometimes there might be a brown shrivled something next to the sink, but I'm kind of afraid to use it). Some of the clubs here are quite posh and people dress so nicely even just to go to classes, but it all looks a bit ironic as they walk to school in their two-inch heels, navigating around potholes in the sidewalk or down dirt paths between buildings.

I've become involved in a children's home ministry here through my church and that's been a lot of fun. We went for the first time this past Sunday and it went really well! I'm also planning to go the a villiage school outside Kazan this coming week to help the students with English. There are only 65 students in the whole school. I'll let you know how it goes!

How am I doing? Well, right now is probably not the best time to write about this. Yesterday my wallet was stollen and it was a little traumatic (riding around in a police van, spending a long time in a very cold police station, ...). I don't really know how I'm doing. I'll let you know later. :) Please pray for me as I process it. Most of all my God's name be glorified through it all. It was, at least, and helpful reminder to hold all things loosly and to look to Him to provide.

I love you all and I miss you!

~ Brooke

one more ...

Pictures

The central gathering place at my university. Its called "the frying pan."

The university's main building (they still have the soviet symbols up) and a stutue of young Lenin when he studied here.

More pictures ...

Waiting for the professor ... (they're always about five minutes late)

Dinner at an Uzbekistani resturant (for Mareike's (far L) birthday)

Caroline and I next to the lake in the center of the city

Pictures from one of the clubs we've been to

One of the main streets downtown. The lines above and below are for the trams.

A neigborhood mosque that we visited

"For letters and newspapers"

The lady who sweeps the street that I follow on my way to school

Our kitchen

My church after a service

Pictures from our first trip to the children's home! (with a group from church) The first is of a skit that the clowns did (very Russian) and the second is of the kids playing with the bubbles we brought them.