Alla is my sister and is in the 9th form. She's 14 turning 15 tomorrow (I have no idea if she'll have a party or anything. Maybe a family thing or something). She's like any other girl that age. She loves pink and cats and taking crazy pictures of her and her cousin Inna. She's very easy going though, more so then American girls that age. She always takes the time to help me even if it would appear to be inconvenient and she does what her parents say with little rebuttal. I haven't been able to talk to her that much because of the language barrier, but so far we get along really well.
Then there's Papa. Oh goodness, what can I say about Papa? Well, the first thing you notice is how loud he is. The first night I got there, their English speaking friend Ria came over to interpret somethings, and he told her to tell me not to be afraid of his loud voice, that's just how he is. It's like he's yelling all the time. But not an angry yelling. He's very goodnatured. He has a perfectly round face and a nice smile. And just like everyone else in the family, he does everything he can to make me feel welcome and happy. On the application, it said he owns a moving company, but I don't think that's right. He owns his own business, but there's a giant dump truck parked next to the house that he takes out really early in the morning. So I'm not sure exactly what he does! There are two other things you should know about Papa. He is very proud of his grapes and insists upon telling me about the different types and the growth cycle of them even though I don't understand a word of it. And he is also very proud to be Cossack. He is not Russian; he is a Cossack, which, if my memory of Russia history isn't too muddle, means his family is from the Ukraine or at least that area.
Mama is definitely the more level headed one in the husband/wife dynamic. She is very down to earth and is very patient when she explains things to me. She does most of the cooking and cleaning in the house with the help of Bubula. She also works a few days a week at a cafe in town. Like Papa, she not Russian too. She's Moldavian and when her brother comes over, I guess they speak in Moldavian but I can't tell the difference between that and Russian! I can't understand either! And Mama doesn't speak English like it said on the application, but that's okay. With no one speaking English in the house it's more motivation for me to learn Russian! But yeah, Mama is awesome and very motherly and I feel very comfortable talking to her.
Bubula is the one I know the least. She kinda keeps to herself, joining the family only at meal times. She's usually working out in the garden, hobbling about and mumbling in Russian. Sometimes it seems like she's in so much pain from walking around so much; I can't believe she's still walking to be perfectly honest. Her brown skin is all worn and wrinkly and she wears these thick glasses that make her eyes look huge and I always laugh to myself when she puts them because they look so ridiculous! We don't really talk, but she always insists upon filling my plate (like I'm not getting enough to eat) and she knows I really like milk so she always gets me a glass after supper. She's a classic Russian Babushka and maybe I'll be able to talk to her in Russian at some point!
Oh yes, then there's Afonia (I have no idea how to spell his name!). He is one of the most hyperactive 5 year olds I have ever met! He's constantly running around the house blubbery away about something. She I can always tell when he's upstairs because the chandelier in my room rattles whenever he runs around up there. Also, I think Mama and Papa let him act in ways that wouldn't be tolerated in America, or at least I think so. Like he has an aversion to napkins for some reason and Papa wiped his mouth with one and Afonia freaked out and screamed for a towel. He only uses towels apparently. And Mama and Papa just kinda shock their heads; they didn't tell him to stop fussing or anything. I don't know, it's just different parenting I guess. Afonia may be bratty, but he always says hi to me and loves to tell me when it's time to eat. He runs up to me and says "Shannon, kooshaet, kooshaet num,num,num,num". So he's still kinda cute.
So yeah, that's who I live with. Then there are about 20 gillion cousins and aunts and uncles and I can't remember who's who's brother and who is married to who. It's crazy! I do know Inna, Ulia, and Lesa though because they go to school with us every morning and live right down the street. But then they have a couple older brothers, Sasha and some one else. And then someone is getting married soon, I can't remember who... oh well, maybe I'll figure it out sometime! All I know is I have a great family that I can feel a part of. And as I learn more Russian, things can only get even better :)
Though I do suppose I have one little complaint. It's not that big of a deal, but still. The family doesn't really go anywhere together. I haven't gone anywhere except for downtown Korenovsk with them and that was just to run errands. Sarah has been to Krasnodar and Andrea is going to the mountains tomorrow with his family. I hope that we do something more as a family. And I mean, I've been here just under a month. There's still time. And I can't complain too much because I have such a caring and supportive family that I feel very comfortable being a part of.
I wanted to add this picture of my family I took at their church because I have no idea when I'll be able to post this on facebook and I know you all want to see pictures so here you go!
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