Letter from September 1st.

Sender: Anastasia Lebedeva, Flagstaff, Arizona

Recipient: Mom, Kazakhstan

Hi!

We hope you are doing well. Everything is great here, so don't worry! What's up with Oleg's car again? I haven't been behind the wheel for ages, I'll soon forget where the gas and brake are)

Let me tell you where we are. I absolutely loved everything in Flagstaff – starting from the hostel where we stayed, to the incomparable nature.

I'll start by saying that this small town in Arizona welcomed us warmly – a small airport, forests all around, and mountain air! The taxi we took is called Friendly Cab – and it really lives up to its name. The city is surrounded by mountains and forests, everything is so cute, with a local Native American vibe. You can easily walk around this town. Even though it's Arizona and we expected to end up in a hot desert, we barely took off our hoodies! It's all because of the cool mountain air.

We walked around, tried local cuisine, and watched a movie under the open sky. People here often gather in the square to watch films. And this time, in honor of Labor Day, the residents organized a small show with contests and entertainment.

And in the morning, while our friends went to university according to the September 1st tradition, we went to see the Grand Canyon and the Navajo lands.

At first, we had to wait for our tour bus. We were afraid we wouldn't make it anywhere since the bus wasn't showing up. We called the tour company. They told us to wait a little longer. We finally waited it out! The driver was late, but he did arrive.

A feature of Arizona is that the landscapes change very quickly. First, you see many volcanoes and mountain hills out the window, one of which is the San Francisco Peaks. According to local beliefs, you can see San Francisco from its summit, hence the name. Then there are desert lands, and then forests. And the Grand Canyon is the real gem of these places. It's breathtaking – such beauty! When we reached it, we were speechless. It stretches for several hundred kilometers. It's better to see it once with your own eyes than a hundred times on TV.

We will send the photos. Tomorrow we are flying to San Francisco! Anya will take me to her favorite places where she was last year. Can't wait.

Say hi to everyone.