Monday the 20th

Lately, the weather has been absolutely BEAUTIFUL. It's been WARM. I mean, I'm talkin 30's and 40's the past couple of days!! I've had to turn down the radiators in my room! Spring has never been more welcome.

There is this family of dogs that live just down the street. The owner of the mother dog lets her roam free in the neighborhood and therefore, she has many umm... friends. With many friends come many puppies. Mean puppies. I don't know why they're mean. They're vicious, really. I'll turn the corner on my way to Michael's house praying that one isn't in the street. If one is there, it'll start barking and then they all appear. I'm not just talking about three or four dogs, I'm talking about seven or eight. They come sprinting straight at you and follow you for a while, barking at your heels. The last time it happened to me, I almost maced em. I've never been more terrified of dogs! I hate those dogs, I hate them.

Yesterday, M took Mike and I to this famous park in Almaty called Panfilov Park. There's a huge statue in memory of the soldiers in WWII as well as this huge Orthodox Church. It's yellow! I guess it was made without a single nail, only wooden pegs. When a huge earthquake hit Almaty, it was one of the only structures to remain unharmed because the pegs gave enough flex so that the church absorbed the shock. Amazing, no? We were able to go inside as well and it was absolutely stunning, I've never been inside a church so beautiful. M also took us to the Green Market. The Green Market is one of the largest markets in Almaty and you can find ANYTHING there. I wish it weren't so far away from our neighborhood, I would go there all the time. (Mike and I live in a neighborhood called Kamenka, fyi).

I started teaching at the Youth Home tonight and will be teaching Monday-Thursday from here on out. Mike is also starting to teach more and we're finding that we are exhausted by the end of the week! It's crazy to think it's almost March!

Is it too soon to say that I really want some strawberry shortcake?