Rain and a trip to the sea

 

Last Thursday we drove down to reserve  a place to stay with all the students for our long anticipated four nights at seaside. We had packed a bag and left early in the morning in case it took all day to find a place to stay. However, we went to the place we stayed last year first, and they had lots of space, so we paid a deposit, and we were set.  Garry went for a quick swim in the sea, we bought some chiburecki (kind of a big flat fried pie with filling, we got cheese) for an early lunch and before noon we were on the four hour drive back. 

We drove through some rain on the way home, but it hadn't rained much in the village, just enough to stop baling straw. I was busy making final plans for meals, deciding what I needed to buy when I went shopping. A couple hours later, we had about two and a half inches of rain, and Max showed up just before dark to tell Garry that we should just go tommorow, since they wouldn't be able to bale straw for a couple days. 


So they told the students to be ready at six am and I spent a frantic night getting ready to feed twenty people (with three kids, us, 14 students and Yana's 12 year old niece) three times a day for four days without buying more groceries, except for bread and stuff available in a corner store! I didn't get much sleep, but we were off in a caravan of cars at six am, with Victor, Garry and Max driving. We arrived around ten am, with two cars of students getting a traditional photo with the golden deer at the turn off the highway. We had lost Victor in Zaporosia when one of the students in his are needed to buy something. We had an unscheduled stop at a gas station when little Angelina threw up in Max's station wagon, so Victor caught up as we arrived at our little hotel and we relieved to hear that they had places available for the weekend!

Before long everyone was  settled in and headed to the beach, except Max, who headed right back to Nikolaipolia, and me, getting lunch ready ( subs). Victor stayed just Friday night, and drove home on Saturday. I ended up serving all the meals in bowls, since I didn't pack the plastic plates. 


Everyone had a good time in spite of sunburns and jellyfish. It turns out the reason it's easy to get rooms is because it's on the news about how there are so many jellyfish in the sea of Asov. It sounds worse in Russian, they are called medusa. Everyone learned to watch out for them in the water, after the first sting. The students also played a lot of volleyball, and played uno and board games under the shelter at the hotel where we had meals. Leila volunteered to wash dishes, so Garry gave her extra money. Even the little ones had fun.

They were all wishing we had come for a week, but Tuesday morning they went for a last swim after breakfast and group photos, when they discovered the beach was covered with dead jellyfish! So maybe it was time to go.

Max came and we packed everything and everyone into two cars and drove home. We drove through some thundershowers, in Zaporosia the water was running down the streets, but it was dry in the village, so they're baling straw, the mow is full now (Friday afternoon). I've been watching Danil so Alona can work too. Yesterday afternoon I had him and Angelina for a couple hours while canning salsa and the power went out for a couple hours! No Netflix cartoons! 

That's Garry throwing off more bales!

They might even finish before mowing fourth cut alfalfa.