Hi all, I know it’s been a bit since my last post, so this one is to fill that void. However, I will say this is a bit more personal. Rest assured, this won’t be a ton, but I’ve been thinking over it and am relatively pleased as to how to last couple days/weeks have been. To start, things have been going well: I now have a solid rhythm going for my classes and I’ve been attending some Russian lessons. This has been especially helpful given my school is starting to transition into testing mode, if not to survive three consecutive classes Tuesday and Thursdays and a three and a half hour class on Saturdays. Just seeing how I’ve come along from the first awkward classes to the present is amazing, and it reinforces that I’m working at a fantastic place with even better colleagues! Seriously, being able to walk in the door with absolute confidence is amazing. Before this mini-transformation of sorts, I was the guy who was nervous even when I had poured plenty of time in my preparation. Now? I have no fear of the many possibilities of what may happen every day in class. It’s amazing, and it’s just indicative of how beneficial teaching has been for me. The second little thing on my mind is that since I’m quasi-independent, I don’t have my parents to rely on for food. Thus, I have to pay even more attention to what I’m eating every day. One thing I’ve noticed about Russian food is that while it tends to be fresher and seemingly healthier, it goes bad quicker; I believe this is attributed to the distinct lack of preservatives. For this reason, I have to be economical about what I buy. Yes, it can be tough, but I think it’s a wonderful learning experience and I feel that I can handle anything after it. Given the early spate of trips to McDonald’s and how I could feel the fat affecting me, eating healthy has given me a second wind, so to speak. A wise man once said that a healthy body results in a healthy mind, and I wholeheartedly agree! As of late, I have felt nothing but optimism even in the toughest circumstances. Overall, to wrap up this little update, I’ve been doing pretty gosh darn well. A wee bit tired, yes, but great nonetheless. Thanks for reading, and I hope to have some more updates in the coming days!