Take a tour of Kitezh!

So I thought that now I'm about to leave my Russian home, it might be a good time to show you around the place! 

Just in case you're curious, here's what typical meals in Kitezh are like! Breakfast is almost always some form of kasha (like oatmeal) and a sweet dish, lunch is always a soup along with multiple types of salads, and dinner is usually a meat dish and some sides like rice, gretchka (buckwheat), or lentil beans. These photos are from Alen of New York, our local nutritionist, who obsessively takes photos of every one of his meals. 
Click for a larger picture!

Now that you know more about what I've been eating, I bet you want to know about where I've been staying! The houses in Kitezh were all built in a fairy-tale style to invoke the kids' notions of fantasy and imagination; the idea is to help them believe that anything is possible and that good can always triumph over evil. The result: a very unique looking community! Here are just a few of the buildings at Kitezh.

(Above)  Not a sight many city-dwellers would be used to seeing, but easily a place a child could call home. (Right) Here is Mariana's house--with it's bridge and rose garden, it's a favorite for volunteers. (Below) Talk about your rustic charm! This is the original house built in Kitezh. The Kitezh founder at one point lived there without electricity or any running water. How far we've come!

So what else is fun and unique about life in Kitezh? The farm animals! Unfortunately I haven't gotten a chance to do much farm work while I've been here, but I have fed the chickens and collected their eggs quite a few times. Just look how cute the goats are! 

So for my last bit of this brief tour, I just wanted to share some photos of how lovely Kitezh is in general. I apologize for not having more photos, but it's impossible to capture it all. Plus, who wants to take photos inside houses or in the kitchen when there are adorable children and kittens to photograph! :)