Full of pride

After a week of fairly intense ups and downs, it was great to be reminded how great it is to do our job.

Russia week culminated in a joint performance between the Russian students and our own students - 3 mixed groups who had 6 hours to learn a dance routine and 6 hours to learn a song, along with other activities including the design and make of their own t-shirts, the backdrop art etc etc.

After only five days, the students are such a tightly bonded group, and there will have been tears as our students left tonight. I hope some friendships have been forged that will be sustained into the future.

Amazing contributions from staff all week as well. Seemingly never ending reserves of energy and capacity, with people going above and beyond to support in different ways.

Tomorrow I will be bravely (stupidly) attempting to drive over to the Trafford Centre to meet up with them for one last time before they leave. It will be sad to say Do Svidaniya, as it always is. I feel like family is departing - I will miss my hugs from Larissa and Julia!

So, with glass of wine in hand, I toast my Siberian friends and say
"Do sleduyushchego raza"

xxx