Russia: Day 2

Rise-n-shine and smell the breakfast prepared by Sasha! Mmmm, he made us fried eggs with tomatoes, fried up some ham, and mixed veggies. This was actually my favorite breakfast that Sasha provided. Tasty! Got ready (220V for the hair dryer was a powerful breeze! Didn't even seem like I had a diffuser on the end…but I did!) and headed down to the van to make the rounds and pick everyone up. We drove to the church to have a tour of the building and the school (Light to the World - a Christian school). Unfortunately, the sanctuary was under repair so we only got to take a peek. The Russian government keeps its tabs on the church and school. Apparently, their building code deemed the wooden floor a fire hazard and made the church get it replaced. The government also takes quite a look into the school's affairs and curriculum, but their ever watchful eye is not without aide! The government supports the school somewhere in the range of 25-33%.

Kostroma Christian Church

Sanctuary under construction.

Alex (the guy who picked us up from the airport, school principal, church elder) gave us a tour of the school. He told us a great deal about the level of education the school provides. Many parents will send their children to the school because they want a higher level of education (not to knock their public schools, which probably have higher standards and produce better results than American schools). However, the Christian school is above par. This is an exciting opportunity for the school because teachers and other students have an opportunity to share Jesus with students. Bible is also part of their curriculum. They are certainly hearing the word. Of course, not all choose to believe, but many are being reached and in turn their parents and families are being reached and coming to the church. The school is very clear about their purpose, which ultimately is helping others reach Christ!

School purpose. 

School purpose in Russian.

Kindergarten classroom [little desks].

After touring the school, we stopped by a little grocery store to get some snacks. Eating in Russia is a top priority and we did it often! :) After food, we drove out toward the camp to visit a moose farm. This was quite a unique experience, as I'm sure that moose farms are not in abundance. I was excited considering I'd never seen a live moose. I was sure I'd see an old, large male with amazingly large antlers, nope. This moose farm operates to produce moose milk, which is available to purchase and try (yes, we did partake!), as well as to sell for it's favorable properties for stomach issues. So to produce milk, they obviously target females. When males are born they grow up on the farm, but are not tagged and do not come back. Now, how do they acquire this moose milk you  may ask. The process is not quite as simple as with cows. When a mother is pregnant and gives birth, two employees are close at hand. One to take the baby and make it believe that the human is its mother. How is this done? The employee puts birth fluid on their clothing and holds the baby…yeah I thought that was rather gross…and not right. Here's where it gets a bit more cruel. The same process happens with another employee and the mother so that the mother will believe the employee is her baby. That way the mother will return to nurse her "baby" and the employee can then milk her. So mother and baby could be standing near each other in the woods 5 years later and never know they belong to one another. Seems crazy to provide a sampling to guests and a meager supply for stomach health. So, I did not get to see a large, regal, male moose, but we did see and feed some young ones, and we also saw some babies.

Eddy's way of feeding the moose.

My way.

Next to a 2 month old moose.

I'm sure we went and ate some food again after this! You know, never miss an opportunity. :) I believe we went back to our host homes afterward to rest a bit, but this is where my memory runs out on day 2!