I have begun walking to the American Home every morning. It takes about 40 minutes. I enjoy it more than the bus. Even though the bus only takes about 15 minutes, it is hot and stinky because it is not air-conditioned. More importantly, I can see the city better when I walk.

My favorite part of my walk to work/school is when I pass this monument. It is a monument to what the Russians call "The Great Patriotic War" and what we call World War II. Almost every town in Russia has a memorial to the people who died in this war, and more are still being built. In The Great Patriotic War, more than 26 million soldiers and civilians (non-military citizens) died. 26 million - that is the population of Livingston times 1000! So really, every Russian family was affected by the war. If you are interested, the most significant battles of the war on the Russian front were the Battle of Stalingrad and the Siege of Leningrad. You can look these up online and find lots of information.

When Anya, my "host sister" graduated from high school a few weeks ago, the class had a ceremony at this memorial. This is a common Russian custom - when people are celebrating a milestone such as a graduation or a wedding, they visit a memorial or monument and have their photos taken there, or sometimes hold a ceremony there. I think that this is a very nice custom. When we are celebrating something good in our lives we should stop and reflect upon all the struggle that made it possible for us to have this good in our lives.