Training & Coordination in Ekaterinburg is over!

Dear everyona, I've just got back from a rather challenging trip to Ekaterinburg.I really got tired there and it was 2.30am when I finally stepped in. The main problem was that I had to carry a pretty large bag with all the training materials (booklets, videos, instructions etc.). This was not easy and my shoulders are still aching. Nevertheless, the whole experience was worth it. I met so many nice young teachers from all over Ural and Siberia and we had so interesting exam sessions with guinea pigs (volunteer candidates - school kids) that this made up for all the problems. My tranees were really highly motivated and it was not difficult to run the sessions with them. The hotel I stayed at was also rather good (its name is 'Fort'; a small, family-run hotel not far from the centre). The weather was really good and sunny. I even managed to walk along the local flee-market (they sell semi-precious stones there and 'Russian Souvenirs' like matreshkas, ushankas etc. there. My visit to the local cafee called 'Uralskie Pirogi' was absolutely unforgettable - I ate there a very special slice of such a Pirog stuffed with salmon - very good!!! It is said to be made by the old Ural recipes. Another predictable joy was my visit to the Church named after Russian Tsar's family built on the site of the Ipat'evsky house where the family was murdered. The Church is really grand and I spent 1,5 hours there walking around and looking at the dear faces. After that, with my huge bag hanging from my shoulders, I strode to the local Chamber Music Concert Hall where I spent 2 hours enjoying symphony orchestra and innovative combination of symphony and juzz performed by their leading musician Arkady Shilkloper and the conductor Dmitry Liss. I really loved not only the performance (Betkhoven's symphony # 4) but also the atmosphere of the place - all people are smart, intelligent,but more importantly, not fussy. This is really so rare nowadays...I even took some photos to prove that in such places there are no any generation gaps -look at the photo of a boy and his grands. I also enjoyed a picture exhibition there and shot my favourite personality - 'Cat on the Red Sofa'. Isn't it sweet? I loved it very much as well as my whole stay at Ekaterinburg (24-26 October 2008) - for 2 really busy but memorable days...Love you ...