It's raining grass......

Today was a busy day.  We went to a friendship day festival at one of the schools in my village.  SO CUTE!  The kids were assigned different countries around the world and they had to dress up in traditional costumes and do dances.  They were really cute and of course we represented the US.  For these type of events it is important that we sort of "do enough" stuff in order to participate.  So we sang Woody Guthrie's (This land is your land...) song.  It was good but we all were so busy that it was difficult to memorize the words.  But we plowed through a few verses.  We also made a short speech....did a chant about the US and Kazakhstan being friends.....then we played a country song and 5 of us girls line danced.  SO much fun.  And most importantly they loved it. 

I was supposed to teach today but when it was time to go the classes had been all switched around and they were done really early.  Usually if there is a holiday they just either cancel classes or cut the time back in order make it a half day.  So I talked to my friend Courtney outside of her house for a while.  Then these little girls came over and started talking to us.....in Russian of course.  We sort of communicated but then we started playing a game where we pulled things out of my purse and named them.  Haha.  Eventually I pulled out my markers and paper.  Then we drew pictures for each other and that was fun.  The next thing I know one of the girls is ripping out fistfulls of grass and throwing them up in the air all over us!  We tell her in Russian that it is raining and they laugh and laugh.  She does it for about 15 minutes.  Then we decide after a while that we should split up.  So I walk home and the girls follow me.  One girl runs home and brings back a bunch of pictures for me to have.  They are drawings and watercolors of outside scenes....I think she was 10 years old.  Then the other 5 year old goes home and tells her family that she was talking to an American.....they all came running out to say hi.  Then the last 7 year old girl and I walk to towards my house but when we get to the intersection where I go right and she goes left....she insists that I go to her house.  I don't know exactly what she is saying but I recognize the word for house....and eat...and candy.  So I just go with it.  I wait outside in the yard and she is inside for a few seconds.  The next thing I know....she comes out with a fist full of candy for me and her grandmother comes out and says hi.  She gives me the candy and then I tell her goodbye.  It was the best spontaneous afternoon ever!!!!

Megan

Kazakhstan Fun Fact: