In preparation-

With less than a month to go before my big departure, I have been running around both Washington, DC and Nashville, TN to prepare for my trip. My nerves and excitement are both escalating, but I look forward to my adventure in which I am travel to Taganrog, Russia after a brief stay in Moscow via a layover in Frankfurt, Germany.
I now have a 'cubby' in my small Capitol Hill apartment dedicated to items that must accompany me on my trip. This includes: adapter/converter, teacher-esque items for classrooms, teaching materials related to American currency, books about Tennessee, items from both Vermont and Tennessee (since I am teacher from Nashville, TN- Stratford High School, but am working for the VT senator as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator), and other odds and ends. I know this list will grow and then decrease as I further refine my needs, but it is a pleasant start as I look towards next month.
Taganrog is a seaport city on the Sea of Azov which is the northern part of the Black Sea in the Rostov oblast. A 16 hour train ride will move me from Moscow to Taganrog. The city was officially founded by Peter I the Great on September 12, 1698 and it is closely connected with the history of the Russian Empire. Taganrog is also the birthplace of Anton Chekhov a Russian playwright and short-story writer.
My trip is hosted by the American Councils for International Education (an international not-for-profit organization working to advance education, research, and mutual understanding across the United States and the nations of Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and Southern Europe). American Council's mission is to foster democratic development and civil societies by advancing education and research, cultivating leadership, and empowering individuals and institutions through learning.
Since its founding, American Councils has administered more than 30 exchange and training programs between individuals and institutions in the U.S. and the countries of Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Afghanistan, and the Balkans. American Councils develops collaborative and partnership programs, administers fellowship programs on behalf of the U.S. government and private funders, consults on project design and innovative education programs, and actively contributes of the development of Eurasian language and area studies in the U.S.