Getting Better

The clock is ticking! Only a few days left.....it's quite sad. But I will have you know, I am finally getting better. If you have forgotten, I have been a bit under the weather. For pretty much the entire time I have been here. I have the immune system of an infant. Last week it got pretty bad. I had a high fever. So high that it got to the point of hallucinations. Once you start seeing freaky faces on your laptop, you know it's time to see a doctor. So I went. I, Marci Allen, went to a doctor. Truly ground breaking. From what I could gather (you know, the whole language barrier thing) nothing is too serious. Which is great new. But they gave me this medicine to take. You know....with the technology we have today, you would think it would be possible to create a cough syrup that doesn't want to make me projectile vomit. It tastes awful. Katie has to force me to take it just like my mom. There are few things in this world that taste worse than this medicine. Maybe...bacon, fish, and poop. Other than those things...this cough syrup takes the cake. But hey, at least I am getting better.

Things continue to improve with me and Sieva. Remember I mentioned he is making progress. He sat on my lap, then said I love you. The last time I went to his class he...wait for it....kissed my cheek!! Amazing. Sieva, you have shown tremendous improvement. Bravo. Then there's Vlad....while Sieva is loving me, Vlad is trying to murder me. Every time I walk into that class he attacks. Punching, biting, slapping, throwing objects, twisting, spitting, choking, you name it. My arm almost got broken off by a 6 year old. If I wasn't leaving this week, I believe he would come out victorious in one of his attempts.

Even though I have to fight for my life, I am really going to miss these kids. 

Last week I went to the Hermitage for the last time. Sveta took me and Megan. What an awesome day. The Hermitage has so many amazing exhibits. It would take decades to see everything! I saw some pieces from Da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Those were definitely the high lights. It's so incredible to see the things you learned about as a child. We all learned about these artists in elementary school, but never did I think I would be staring at an actual painting or sculpture by one of them. It was such a moving experience. 

My favorite piece was this sculpture...

It depicts a story of a friendship between a boy and a dolphin. One day the boy was swimming and got stabbed by a shark. The dolphin swam him to shore where they died together. Beautiful.

Saturday was our last day with Sveta :( I wish everyone I know could meet Sveta. She is the sweetest, nicest, most genuine person I have ever met. She has made this experience better than I could have ever hoped. She took care of us and treated us like her own kids. Sveta is very positive and happy. Her smile is contagious. I could go on and on about how awesome she is. Sveta, we love you and you will be greatly missed. 

That's all for me this time. A bit shorter than normal. I apologize if I am becoming less and less interesting. Life is just becoming more and more normal here! It's my home. But for only a few more days...what an adventure this has been! Peace and Love :)