It was difficult enough to get used to the idea of having a blog – “Let me post my life for all the internet to see!” It’s even stranger to have to write a succinct About Me page. You’ll just have to be satisfied with what you’re given. 🙂
I grew up moving around quite a bit because of my father’s job with the U.S. State Department. I had the opportunity to live in Belarus, Poland, and Turkey, but whenever we lived in the States we lived in Virginia. (Virginia is my answer to the ever-complicated, “Where are you from?” question.) I was incredibly lucky to see so much of the world when I was younger, and learning to constantly adjust to new cultures and new homes has definitely helped me on the Race.
Everything I loved as a kid I still love today. I was a big reader – my two favorite books are The Phantom Tollbooth and Cry, the Beloved Country. I loved music – I play piano and flute (and as of the Race, a tiny bit of guitar). I love learning languages – I love the way people’s faces light up when you make the effort to learn how to say something in their native tongue. It’s such a simple and direct way to make people feel loved, especially when it would otherwise seem like you have nothing in common.
I went to the University of Virginia (wahoowa) and double-majored in Foreign Affairs and Russian Language & Literature. However, I spent most of my time in the music department. I had a job in their office, took piano lessons, went to the fantastic concerts that were free for students, studied in the quirky music library… One of my favorite moments of my entire 4 years at UVA was one night in that building when I was closing up after work. Some professors had been rehearsing late onstage, and asked me if I could close up the auditorium as well. The auditorium is a beautiful place, and when I walked in, the stage lights were on, I was completely alone, and the 9ft concert grand piano was sitting in the center, ready to be played. Students don’t often get a chance to play this piano, because it’s only rolled out for official concerts. Playing on this piano… it sounds like heaven. I may have spent an extra hour or so in the building after it was supposed to be closed, having the time of my life in that empty auditorium. (Of course, when I was done, it was then up to me to roll this giant instrument 20 feet across the stage all by myself… struggle bus.)
The most central part of my UVA life, though, was InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Most of my closest friends were among this group of students seeking together to live for Christ. IV taught me leadership skills, as I was on the outreach team for 2 years and led a small group for 1 year. It was an extremely close-knit community that we did not take for granted – we knew how many students at UVA struggled with loneliness and depression, and whose lives revolved solely around grades. The IV family was a safe place to be imperfect and still be loved. It’s safe to say that I learned more from that community than from all of my UVA classes combined.
After I graduated in May 2013, I lived in Charlottesville for one more semester and worked at an apple orchard (ask me anything about apples). Then, in January 2014, I left for the World Race.
I am now preparing to Squad Lead beginning in January 2016. To learn more, visit larisaaleksandrov.wordpress.com
