Juergen Meister

Juergen Meister, 30, Austria.
Subject: Judo,Self Defense.

It was my first time in Russia and I didn’t have any expectations about how life will be there. When we arrived in the first village I was amazed about the welcome ceremony and how open and friendly those first few people were. My hosts in Mikhaylovka made their way into my heart. They were like my own family for me.

As an Austrian it was a bit strange for me to have the toilet outside and that there is no water pipe inside the houses. We have such homes usually high up in the mountains. But life was good there, anything was clean and I felt healthier than the last years.

There were not only sunny sides during  the summer school. I was used to work in strict organized programs, to have a time table and a guide line. Well, this summer school teaches me to be more flexible and more relaxed! Time is nothing important there, you will not find an appointment which start “exactly at”. You will just find appointments which will start “around”. This and that most happenings are not planed in a, for me common, way was the hardest to cope with in the beginning. It is important to accept that things will just happen and everything will turn fine at the end. And please, don’t worry if someone asks you to take a seat in his or her car. They won’t kidnap you :)

Another thing which was worth to discover was that you will get served a lot of vodka but you don’t have to drink all of it. It is enough to pretend that you’re drinking. And if your glass is empty it will get refilled immediately. Especially during celebrations it is good to let everything happen and just pretend to do those actions which might be a bit uncomfortable.

I was happy to work in such a nice team and with such nice and willing to learn children. I trained them Judo and self defense and it was so much fun. They paid attention, were asking questions and smiled a lot. My part was mostly to have some physical exercises and to play active games with the children so they can get a clear mind for the following theoretical class. I would recommend playing some games between the classes. They are very active kids.

Even if there were tensions within the team from time to time, I am glad that I took part in this Summer School. If I will have enough time and money I would be happy to take part the next time again!