For me, it was truly a fun adventure and brought back long-dormant creativity in approaching every new situation...and with a smile. I think I laughed at myself more in those first few months than I usually do in a whole year.
And despite what some nay-sayers said, for me, by God's grace, the transition was easier than just remaining where I was and continuing to live the life I was living. It was a breath of fresh air to be challenged to be creative and to be on my own and figuring out how to get around and do things for myself, especially with the language barrier. God always provided in ways that were easy for me to see that it was Him who provided and I wouldn't trade that experience and faith-booster for all the ready-made stuff! For the first time in a long time I felt alive again and like my brain was working in a good way and not just stuck in the usual rutted routine of daily living...
I have a TON of thoughts from my first year here, but wasn't into blogging at the time. So, most of it is on paper still and some is here, online at another site.
There is no situation that is too much for you when you rely on Him to take care of you.
29/03/06. Greetings from slushy Ukraine! The weather here is beginning to feel like spring will stay... This morning it was windy and misty and brought back fond memories of being at the seashore in the off-season. Of course, the melting ice and snow means muddy, flooded streets and sidewalks. So, for amusement one can watch the high-heeled ladies tripping through the mud trying to find the best path to keep their shoes and pants from getting covered in mud. But then again, why bother to avoid it (besides not having a washing machine)? Mud is great for your skin!! ;-)
This week was perhaps more "normal" than past weeks as far as adventures go. On Wednesday night, we had our first re-grouped bible study. Only 5 people came b/c it hadn't been generally announced yet. But, it was nice anyway... Perhaps having fewer people for the first re-started meeting was good b/c that way everyone had time to share their visions for the group and what we should do. I was so tired that night that I forgot even simple words that I've known for a while - quite funny! I was very thankful for my dear friend, Lena, patiently translating for me and helping me to make sure that the logistics went well (those of you who know me well know that I have a tendency to spill/drop things when preparing food and beverages). We have our next meeting tonight and hope that more of the group will show up this week. Of course, one thing I need to do that I haven't had time yet to do is buy a few stools b/c most people don't enjoy sitting on the floor and I don't have enough stools/chairs for everyone to sit on yet. Maybe today before the meeting I can run to the store and see if any are available and affordable. We'll see...
As far as funny stories to share, this week my brain only worked sporadically due to lack of sleep and twice when buying things in the little store near my flat the ladies asked me something and I either couldn't remember or couldn't properly say the words I wanted to say and we all laughed together. They probably think I'm a "few fries short of a happy meal," but they're friendly and I joked with them that my brain was still asleep b/c it was too early in the morning. God provides humor when situations might otherwise be frustrating or embarrassing! When you can laugh at yourself, you'll amuse yourself and others - and laughter is a great balm for tense/difficult/frustrating situations. A wise person once told me that you can get away with saying almost anything if you say it with a smile...so try it out this week. I've been working at it since I first heard this and it really does make a difference not only in how people react to you, but in how you react to yourself and view the situations you are in. It's hard to feel sorry for yourself when you smile! So, prayer and choosing to have a good attitude go a long way in helping me to see a situation from a bigger perspective than my own (God's) and laugh instead of getting flustered or frustrated. Not that I have perfected this yet, but practicing it helps it become a habit and that habit eventually becomes part of one's character. So practice eventually makes things come naturally...
What else happened this week? Ukraine had elections on Sunday and it looks like things will be calm this time around. Last year's elections precipitated the famous "Orange Revolution" (similar to what's happening in Belarus right now). One thing the elections meant for us was a shuffled sports schedule since the schools closed on Saturday evening through Monday morning to accommodate voters. We had sports on Wednesday instead of Sunday morning b/c the schools were closed for elections on Sunday. On Friday, I got to play a few short football (soccer) games with the teens before our regular sports ministry with the rugby/floorball kids. I could tell that I haven't played in almost 4 months! Whew - my meager skills were more meager than usual, but by the end of the last game I was starting to feel a little less like an elephant and a little more like a footballer again. In a few weeks, I hope to practice with the guys' team here, Onyx. That will help keep me in shape (after 3 months of inactivity sports-wise I'm "kahk boolichka" (a little soft)) and also help me to remember foot-skills and game strategy before we begin coaching summer leagues. On Saturday morning, I was late for sports as my body finally rebelled against lack of sleep and I missed hearing my alarm. So, because of that I learned a new word (see the words for this week)!
Last night, our weekly friends' dinner was breakfast - yum! We were treated to M's special, thick pancakes with homemade kiwi syrup, omlets, hashbrowns (which some were afraid to eat b/c the potatoes turned grey - hey we don't have preservatives in our food here remember!), and oatmeal cake w/ browned coconut frosting. Afterwards, we tried out "Fluxx," a new game that a visitor from the US brought. After a few rounds where Lisa won each time, we switched to speed Uno and for the first time ever, I actually won! Ha - so the one who usually comes in last by a mile in this fast-paced game finally kept up with the pros for a change... ;-) As always, it was a blessing to hang out with friends and eat and play games.
This weekend I may have to lead volleyball sans translator again as Z is in southern Ukraine doing a sports ministry seminar with 2 different groups and may not return in time. We usually switch off weeks and I did the last session, so it's his turn this week. It's nice when I have 2 weeks ahead to prepare b/c then I can translate my thoughts into Russian and have enough time to practice before teaching. Otherwise, I just end up reading from my notes (aka, stumbling over my tongue) and not interacting w/ the girls like I should. So, we'll see... I started working on it already, but won't have enough time to really feel confident with it if I have to lead it this weekend instead of next weekend. I know that God will provide what is needed to do well regardless. Other than that, it looks like the schedule is back to usual for the weekend, subject to change as always...
21/03/06. Greetings from Ukraine! I tried to send this earlier, but we've had internet problems... The weather here has been starting to feel like spring the past few days as the temperatures fluctuate above and below freezing. During the day it's slush-city and at night it's a skating rink! Quite fun... :-) The wind has started blowing more strongly and sometimes at night I hear an "aeolian harp" when the wind blows the clotheslines the right way. The changing weather has also brought on an outbreak of the flu and the schools here are under quaranteen for a few weeks so the kids are at home. Because of that, our orphanage ministry w/ invalid children is on hold until the quaranteen is over. However, that gives our team more time for planning! Our sports ministries continue as usual despite the quaranteen and we have a full schedule Friday through Sunday with a number of different outreaches with children, teens, and young adults. We also have other impromptu events during the week.
So, what's new? Well, we've had good sports ministries these past 2 weeks. This past weekend we worked with a different group of kids (ages 10-13) with floorball. They enjoyed the sport and we will start working with another group probably next week and plan a competition between the various floorball groups to be held later this spring w/ some kind of prizes for the winners. Again in volleyball this weekend I was w/o a translator, but this time I had prepared the bible lesson in Russian ahead of time and had my teacher check it for me. However, despite writing it out ahead of time and practicing a little, I flubbed things up when speaking and stumbled over the new words I had just learned. So, this week I'll work on the lesson for 2 weeks ahead so that I can get to the point where I'm not reading, but am speaking what I want to say w/ only needing to refer to notes now and then. That way I'll also learn new words by heart rather than forgetting them in the sieve of a brain that I seem to have lately. I keep praying for faster/better language aquisition. Some days I understand a lot and other days my brain is just a big sieve! Already, I've had quite a few opportunities to lead groups in sports ministry w/o a translator, and it's still a challenging b/c I don't know enough sports words to explain all of the nuances of tactical stuff that I want to teach yet. So, I am praying that by the time summer sports camps start in June, I will be able to lead groups w/o a translator and can carry on deeper conversations w/ my Ukrainian friends who don't speak English. It's hard for me to study just by reading/memorizing by myself b/c I don't learn well that way and always seem to have a lot of other things to get done during the day so that by the time I have time to study my brain is already fried and I don't absorb what I read. I like to practice speaking w/ my friends in the office, but they're not always here.
Last Sunday evening, was a great time of fellowship w/ about 12 young adults from my church here. After our plans from several weeks ago for a similar activity fell through, it was wonderful to see how God provided a good time for us w/o any planning. It was totally impromptu and yet it was far better than we could have ever planned! We played "icebreaker" games and I learned more about each person there than I would have from slow, stumbling conversation in Russian. Everyone seemed to have a great time and I am praying for more times of fellowship and friendship like this. When we laugh together, we become closer...
One thing I wrote about last time was that our weekly home bible study group had been disbanded w/o warning. We've all been praying that we could get back together b/c this was a great group and a great way for us to support and encourage each other and grow closer to each other. Well, this Saturday, my friend called me to say that another guy was considering leading it, but they didn't have a place to hold it b/c where we'd met before was no longer available. My friend had offered them my place, knowing that I said it is always open anytime for anyone. As I see it, it's not "my" place, but God's place and I just live there and am available to whatever He wants to do there! My parents set a great example for me growing up when they opened our home to anyone, anytime and we had different people live with us and meet with us through the years... It was a great heritage to pass on to us. So, my siblings and I enjoy being hospitable and having guests and seeing what people God brings our way to help. So, anyway, now our group will meet in my flat this Wednesday for planning and prayer to decide whether to continue. I'm praying that God will give the new guy who wants to lead it the courage to try (he's shy) and wisdom to lead well. I think it would be great for our group to continue and it would be great to host it...so we'll see what God provides.
This week our team from Vinnitsa came to visit and we had a day of prayer, updates, and fellowship. It was good to see the team again and to hear what God is doing in their lives. We are looking forward to the busy spring and summer of ministries and seeing how God works in and through our lives...
One thing I thought of earlier this week was that we have several ways of looking at our circumstances... For example, if I have to carry heavy bags from one place to another, there are several different ways of thinking about it. 1) I can complain about having to lug heavy bags such a long way. I can think thoughts like: I can't make it! It's too hard...these bags are too heavy. Why do I have to do this? If only I had a vehicle to haul these. If only someone would help me. This is too hard...grumble, grumble, grumble... or 2) I can thank God that I have legs and arms, all of which work well and can carry these bags. I can be thankful that I am able to walk and that when the bags become to heavy for me I can stop and rest and no one is forcing me at gunpoint to keep walking until I expire from exhaustion... or 3) I can be excited about the great workout that I'm getting - building stronger muscles and bones by carrying heavy bags for a mile. I can be thankful for the good exercise that I'm getting that I otherwise would have to make special time for in an already full day. I can be thankful for the opportunity to be outside and to see God's creation and see what people or circumstances God has planned for me to encounter that I might otherwise miss if I just stayed in "comfort." Personally, I like to practice thinking of things in the last way (#3). While the second way of thinking is better than the first, it still sees some things negatively rather than seeing a challenging task/circumstance as something totally positive. Another example that made me think of this last week was a quote from a movie that made me reflect on how people think about things. A father said to his son, "it's okay to dream about what you want to do until it's time to start doing what you were meant to do." Now, the person who said this meant this in a negative way, but my first thought when I heard it was, "What if what you dream of doing is what you were meant to do, what God created you to do?" To me this quote meant that instead of just thinking about one's dreams, one should actively pursue them and see where God gives a heart and opportunities to do what He created one to do. But then I realized that the father actually meant that the son was supposed to give up his dreams and "do his duty" in supporting his family w/ a job that didn't match his dreams rather than risk his family's comfort and security pursuing a life-long dream. As I thought about this it struck me that there are often several ways of looking at something - one is positive and one is negative. How often do we take things at their negative value instead of looking for the positive side of a challenge or difficult circumstance? When I'm tempted to feel down about something not working out or moving forward too slowly, God reminds me to count my blessings and by the time I finish thanking Him for all the good things I've experienced and seen that day, no matter how simple, I'm full of joy for the life He's given me and for how much He's blessed me undeservedly...
A concrete, practical example of this is my shoulder injury. Before I came to Ukraine, I played soccer in order to learn the sport and be able to use it for sports ministry/outreaches at some point in the future. Because I hadn't played before and had absolutely no foot skills, but had played softball and was a natural "kamakazee" kind of player (sacrifice your body to stop the ball at all costs), I played in goal my first season and enjoyed it thoroughly. However, playing in goal meant that I didn't gain any foot skills and didn't learn much about the tactical side of the game either... Towards the end of that season, I seriously injured my shoulder playing in goal and was no longer able to play in goal. Also, I was no longer able to play the sport I loved best (softball) and later, even coming here was in jeopardy as God waited a long time to heal my shoulder. However, despite the negatives of the injury, one very postitive thing it did for me was that the one sports thing that I could still do was to play soccer as a field player (b/c you don't need your arms). So, the sport I used to make fun of b/c it wasn't a "whole body sport" (no arms) became the only sport I could still play. Because of the injury, I gained valuable foot skills and a good, working knowledge of the game that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. I also gained a love for this international game that is a universal language in every country and gained much better physical conditioning than I would have ever gotten by just playing softball and field hockey. Through this injury God taught me more about my character and the need to intentionally rely on Him for everything rather than thinking that I was capable of doing something by myself b/c He had blessed me with a certain talent. Before that, I used to pride myself in my strength and ability to help people with "grunt work." I enjoyed being strong and capable and a good helper. However, afterwards I was no longer able to help people and had to learn to not only allow others to help me, but to even ask for help rather than just gritting my teeth and silently working through the pain as I would normally do. It was very humbling, but a great thing to learn in a very practical way rather than just acknowledge in my head as fact. So, the injury was really a positive thing all around. Sure, I missed out on playing my usual sports for almost a year, but during that time I focused on coaching and learning things I wouldn't have otherwise taken the time to learn...things that are far more useful to me now than just playing my usual sports would have been. I also learned to have more compassion for those who are suffering physically and to not be afraid to ask for and accept help even if I don't desperately need it... One idiom that's very apropo is that in every cloud there is a silver lining. The way I see it, for those who trust in God, every circumstance works out for their good (Rom. 8:28) - although it may not seem so at the time. By giving each day and each circumstance into His hands and seeing things through His eyes, we can with His help learn to see things positively instead of negatively and practice thanking God for everything - good and bad. "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God for you." So, the next time you're lugging heavy bags or feeling down or challenged by a difficult circumstance, pray and then practice seeing the good things that God has for you in that circumstance...keep your eyes on Him instead of the waves around you and you might just be surprised at the joy that He will give you.
09/03/06. Greetings from a land where it is still winter and will still be winter for a while! It's nice to have a real winter and steady snow for so long. While I miss the occasional blizzards I was used to before, it's nice to have a light, fresh blanket of white stuff on a regular basis to make everything look clean and sparkly.
Yesterday, some friends and I went sledding on a nearby hill and had fun dodging the kids on sleds, plastic bags, cardboard scraps, and even slick shoes! It was a blast...despite the bone-jarring hand-made bumps at the bottom of the hill. Afterwards, we made pizza and chilled out for a while, enjoying "International Women's Day" - a holiday leftover from the Soviet days which is celebrated throughout the former USSR. On March 8th, schools are closed and people have a holiday where they celebrate women. The guys give girls flowers and cards and everyone wishes each other a happy 8th of March or happy Womens' Day. The men in our office got a nice flower arrangement for each of the women on our team. At our home bible study group, we had cake and flowers to celebrate. As my day off is usually on Tuesdays, I ended up getting 2 days off in a row - a nice treat after a hectic, non-stop weekend!
Earlier this week, we had sports on Friday night (rugby), Saturday, and Sunday. On Saturday, I unexpectedly got to lead the girls in floorball in 1/2 of the gym while D lead the boys in crab soccer on the other 1/2. It was great to be able to be helpful in this way and thankfully, after praying for help, I was able to explain enough (w/o a translator) to the girls that they were able to understand what I was trying to tell them about how to play. One of the teens who played floorball before was a big help to me. One interesting thing to note... Despite some varying opinions on the matter, the girls that we work with here are fiercely competitive about winning. We had 2 walk off in a huff on Saturday when my team was down 4-0 (b/c I am a horrible floorball goalie - too used to field hockey and not using my feet w/ a stick in my hands I guess). They were upset b/c it was their first time to play and they were actually (gasp) LOSING! So, after consoling them, we re-grouped, divided teams a little differently and had a talk about the importance of defence to not allow 3 offenders to face off on the goalie w/o any defenders. After that, it went much better and they ended in a 2-2 tie. On Sunday we had another upset when one girl was mad at D for not stopping all of the shots on goal (my team beat his team 3-2)...so a good word to learn here when working w/ kids (boys or girls) - don't cry (nye plahchish).
Saturday night volleyball went well. We had 12 young women, some of whom hadn't really played volleyball before. So, we started w/ a simple demonstration and warm-up drill. This week we actually had quite a few volleys and some great saves! The first time we played we were lucky if we had 1 volley before the ball hit the floor or the wall or the ceiling. After the game, I did a short bible lesson and this time Z was there, so he translated for me. However, for the next lesson (Z and I are taking turns), my teacher will help me translate ahead of time what I want to say - that way I'll not only be prepared, but learn new, useful words in the process. This coming Saturday we will play an hour of v-ball and an hour of floorball. That should help kick up the energy level... As much fun as volleyball might be, it can get boring after 2 hours - especially w/ full-size teams. So, we'll see how things go this week w/ the new 1/2 and 1/2 format... I'm looking forward to playing some floorball with full-sized people for a change! ;-)
Also this week, our weekly home bible study group was suspended w/o warning for no apparent reason. This was a great way for me to meet and get to know my fellow Ukrainians and to fellowship with them. I also got to play my banjo each week which was great b/c I love to play music and it was the only place I can play regularly, so far. So, unfortunately, we're going to have to split up and look for other weekly groups to join. We all got to know each other and it was such a good group of people. I'd hate to see that disappear... I am praying that we can re-group and meet together regularly again with the same group of people. I don't know why our leader canceled the group, but all of us feel at a loss... So, we'll see how this new wrinkle unfolds next week. One neat thing that happened that night was that I was able to put into practice some phrases I had learned in my Russian lesson earlier in the day - specifically so I could carry on a better conversation than my limited vocabulary usually allows. So, I'm praying that I won't be bereft of this great opportunity to grow and learn like this for too long...
As for adventures, other than sledding, I also slid on my feet down the hill my building is on - to avoid the slippery "lestnitsyah smyerti" (stairs of death) and only took one quick spill. I almost missed my bus stop on Wednesday while doing my homework on the bus - thankfully I happened to glance up just in time to throw my stuff in my bag and get off the bus. I accidentally threw milky mashed potatoes on my friend while making dinner on Tuesday...thankfully she was wearing a washable jacket. Hmm, there are many other small things - but that's the life of a Tigger. We seem to break things and wreak havoc wherever we go! ;-)
21/02/06. Greetings from slushy, mizzly Ukraine where we've been having a "heat" wave of 7 C / 40 F for several days... Soon, the temps will drop below freezing again, turning the water-filled streets and sidewalks into skating rinks again. In the meantime, I've had to unlayer and wear a lighter jacket so as not to overheat in this balmy weather!
This weekend we had several sports ministries... On Saturday, we introduced floorball to a new group of kids and played for about 2 hours. Then, before that session was finished, I had to pack up and walk to a nearby school to meet up with a group of young ladies for volleyball. When we arrived at the school, the guard wasn't going to let us into the gym b/c no one had told him our group had reserved and paid for it. So, the guy who made the arrangements talked with him and with several people via phone while we prayed that we could get into the gym. Finally, after about 15 minutes of discussion and calls, we were allowed to use the gym and we changed into our sports clothes. The 2 girls who had promised to be there to translate for me (since I was leading it by myself this week) didn't show up... So, I had to do everything in Russian, without a translator to help! Interestingly enough, that morning I had woken up dreaming of what I'd say for the volleyball session and bible lesson - in Russian. I guess I should have realized then that it would have been helpful to not only prepare in English, but to write down in Russian what I wanted to say! Oh well, live and learn... Next time I will take time ahead to look up the words I need and don't know in case we don't have a translator again. Thankfully, the girls were able to understand me and we played 2 fun team-building games prior to me demonstrating some volleyball skills and starting the real game. After playing volleyball for about an hour, I had a short bible lesson (in my broken Russian, of course) and we prayed and everyone changed back into street clothes and headed home. I think they all had a good time and I asked them to each bring a non-believer friend next time. I walked home w/ one girl who lives near me and it was great to talk to someone who was very patient and kind about my lack of Russian fluency... I learned more about her and her family and told her about what I would be doing here and all that... It is definitely slower to build friendships w/ a language barrier, but sports really makes a great foundation on which to build strong relationships.
On Sunday, we had girls and boys rugby practice. I enjoyed participating in the game at the end of the practice session and helping our team to score some goals! I would really like to plan a get-together for the kids at the office sometime during the season and see if we can get our team driver to pick them all up (since they live too far from the office to come by themselves). We'll see...
Last night, for our weekly friend's dinner together, we made Spanish rice, quesadillas (with real Mexican spices), French fries, and apple crisp w/ ice cream. One thing I realized is that I should have added only some of the chili powder to the meat and tested it before adding all of it as it was quite spicy, especially for the Ukrainians who aren't as used to spicy food as most of you might be. It tasted good, but I felt bad that maybe some people would have indegestion from the spices! Oh well, live and learn, eh? I've been doing a lot of that lately...haha! It was great to see everyone enjoying each other's company and to have some down time with friends after a hectic week and weekend of work!
One thing that really touched me this weekend is how much my heart is already into sports ministry. I love it!!! I enjoy being with the kids, I enjoy helping with the coaching (and would like to coach myself as well), and even enjoyed leading the v-ball session by myself w/o a translator, as challenging as that was. There is so much that we can do here with sports and I'm just glad to be even a small part of it at this point. My heart really longs for getting more into the sports ministry and having a chance to do some real coaching with girls! I also am praying for an opportunity to play a competitive high-energy sport here (like field hockey or soccer or something similar) b/c it's not only a big part of who God made me and a great way to stay healthy and in shape, but it's also been the best way for me to learn how to apply right living to real life and to practice giving 100% and overcoming obstacles in a tangible way. The more I've learned to do this through sports over the years, the better person I've become by God's grace b/c what I practiced on the field became a habit and then became part of who I am. Of all the things that people have asked me about missing in coming here, this is the one thing I really miss - being able to play competitive sports on a regular basis. I was used to having the opportunity to play multiple sports each night of the week year-round if I so desired, but here... So, you can pray with me that God provides a way for me to participate in competitive sports and for other people to have this opportunity in this city as well. I know I'm not the only one in this city who has this desire and I bet there are enough of us to have some real competition and develop teams and relationships through REAL sports! I miss how much God taught me and refined my character each week through participating in real, competitive sports...
16/02/06. Greetings from windswept, glittering Ukraine! The temps this week have gone down a little and a cold wind is blowing at 30 kph. So, although the temps are only -10 C, it feels like -20 C b/c of the wind and humidity (75%). We keep getting a little snow almost every day, but no big storms like some of you experienced recently! :-( But, it is beautiful here and maybe later today or tomorrow we can get a group together to play in the snow and take a break from work!
This weekend, I mostly rested and recuperated from the illness I had last week. On Saturday, I made a "Welcome Home" sign for the group coming back from North Africa and on my way to the office to hang up the sign before they returned, I had an interesting experience. Just as I approached the "bog" (a shallow river of sludge and mud that doesn't freeze until it's well below -20 C / 0 F), I saw a man fall headlong into this bog a few feet in front of me. He didn't get up and as I approached him, I noticed that he seemed to have passed out. I also noticed that he was drunk... Now one thing about living here, I see drunk people a lot more often than before, in fact usually at least several times a week - maybe b/c here it is a city and I lived in the country and maybe it is a bigger problem here than where I came from. Now before you start to worry, the drunk people here aren't dangerous or violent like in other places in the world. I also have seen that here very few people will help a drunk person. Most people just laugh at them or ignore them completely... And many drunks freeze to death in the winter or are hit by vehicles in the streets. So, as I saw this situation unfolding in front of me, I prayed for wisdom and guidance and realized that I should help this man. I couldn't just walk over him and leave him lying in the ditch. He would most likely freeze to death before morning and it wasn't likely that anyone else would help him. So, I shook him and told him to get up b/c it was such cold weather. He didn't respond at first, so I shook him again and told him again to get up. Finally after a minute or two, he mumbled something that I didn't understand and closed his eyes again and made no effort to get up from the bog. At this point, a couple happened to be walking by and the man saw me trying to help him and also told him to stand up, but when he saw he was drunk and that the man didn't want to get up, he walked on. So, I kept praying and realized that I couldn't just leave the man there even if he didn't want to get up b/c he would die from the cold. So, I kept shaking him and urging him to get up b/c it was too cold to sleep in the snow. Finally, the man stuck out his hand and let me help him to stand up. When he stood up, I realized that he couldn't stand on his own, so I needed to help him go to a safer place. So, I asked him where he was going and he mentioned a street that I wasn't familiar with. So, I asked which way he wanted to go and he pointed towards the bus station. We walked together to the bus station with me holding him up. And while we were walking, the only thing I could think to say to him was about how much God loves him and how Jesus died for us to make us right with God and wanted to help him, etc. Finally, we reached the bus station after several near misses of almost falling and one fall and I asked again where he was going and where he lived. By this time, he was more confused than before and had forgotten where he was going and wasn't making any sense to me at all. So, I thought that I could at least help him to get to a bench b/c it was in a place where lots of people were at all hours so that if he needed more help, someone maybe could help him. But, before we could make it all the way across the bus station parking lot to the benches, he stopped and refused to go any further. He was too big and heavy for me to move him unless he wanted to be moved, so I again urged him to walk to the benches, but he wouldn't move. Finally, after several minutes of trying to help him get to a safer place, he pushed me away. I asked if I could help him and tried unsuccesfully to communicate with him, but he seemed to not want any more help. So reluctantly, I turned and left him at the edge of the parking area, my heart heavy with how much this man needed help to reach safety and to live a better life and how little I could do to help him or understand even what he was trying to say to me. On the way to the office, tears were streaming down my face as I thought about how many people are suffering from alcohol and drug-addiction here and how little help there is for them and how little I currently understand of the langauge to be able to communicate in even very basic ways. So, I prayed to quickly learn both languages so that I will be better able to help the people who need help that are put in my path.
On Sunday, I rested for most of the day and then went to the evening church service to wait for my friend, L, since I hadn't seen her since she came back from her trip. She finally arrived and it was so good to see her again after several weeks of absence! Also, a neat surprise for me was that my friend N, who used to work with us and then moved to Kyiv, came for a visit and was at church too! Such a small world... After the service, we went to the office to look at pictures from the trip and to hear about what she saw and what they did each day. It was really interesting to hear about the part that affected her the most, the garbage cities. In that country, people send garbage (in large, sturdy bags) to designated garbage cities. People live in these cities and thanks to a missionary who visited them many years ago, instead of living without shelter, water, or facilities, he taught them how to build buildings and run plumbing and water pipes, etc. so that they now have houses and water and sewage in these cities. The people who live there slowly sort through the mounds of garbage and pick out what is useful and sell it in the markets. What is not useful is burned/destroyed (if I remember correctly). So, our group visited these cities and met the people and had some sports camps for the children there. The whole group was touched by how little these children had and yet how happy they were to just hold a ball or meet new people. The group also saw a lot of children with Down's syndrome and saw that these children had so much joy and contentment. To them, everything was normal and the simple things brought such joy to their lives. My friend commented on how she thought about how many times having a "bad hair day" would make her day turn sour and yet these children were full of happiness and didn't even know what it meant to have a bad hair day. It was a lesson in seeing God's blessings in the little things each day and choosing to look at things with a positive view instead of a negative view of our circumstances. On Tuesday, we had a party for L and Z and heard more about their trip - it was neat to hear about how much they saw and learned and were blessed during that trip. If I have a chance to go on an outreach there in the future, I would like to go...
This week I need to re-start Russian lessons with my new teacher (I was sick and then she was sick, so I've only had one lesson so far) and prepare for volleyball ministry on Saturday night b/c it is finally a "go." On Saturday, I will have 2 sports activities - one with a new group for whom we are developing a sports program and then the volleyball ministry which I will be leading alone since Z is out of the country on another trip. So, you can pray that I am well-prepared and that God gives me what is needed to do a good job leading the volleyball ministry w/o him. For the past 2 weeks, this program was cancelled b/c we didn't have a gym, so this will be our first meeting and I am praying that lots of girls come and that this activity is enjoyable for them and they will come again and bring more friends next time! There are so many possibilities here for girls/women's sports programs and I am waiting for the opportunity to develop some teams and start real coaching. Floorball is our biggest possibility at the moment and for me, I am more comfortable with this sport than with some of the others b/c of playing field hockey for the past several years and attending some excellent field hockey coaching clinics. So, we are thinking about what we can do with this sport and I would love to have the opportunity to develop the young players into better players. When I dream big, it would be to develop and lead a women's team to play in the Open Czech Floorball Competition next year. So, who knows where God will lead? I can see lots of potential for developing a good women's sport program here if given the opportunity by our leaders... I really want to start putting into practice what I've learned and been training for before I forget everything!
10/02/06. This weekend we received a fresh blanket of snow and then on Monday morning the world was transformed into a beautiful fairy land by frosted trees and buildings. Every day this week, we've received fresh snow to cover the trash littering the ground around my building. A few days ago they started cutting down lots of trees and building a fence around the mini-soccer field/play area between my building and the road on the way to the office. I'm not sure what they'll be doing there, but perhaps they will finally tear down the abandoned, unfinished sports hall they were unable to finish building when the soviet union collapsed and which they can't finish now b/c it's structurally unsound.
This week I received 3 care packages - it's like Christmas for us each time one comes. It's great to have practical things to share things with my teammates. One verse that has been in my heart for the past several weeks is "share all good things with those in need" - and remembering how everything I have is a gift from God and that sharing everything with others and helping to take care of their needs is a practical way to express my love for them. It's always a joy to share whole-heartedly with others and for God to use me to bless others, unworthy though I am! So, when I'm tempted to be selfish about something God has given me, He reminds me through that verse of where my priorities should be - not on myself! He's perfectly able to take care of all of my needs...
This past weekend was an adventure in MacGuyver-style electrical work while assembling 3 light fixtures w/o any instructions, "drilling" a hole in a block wall sans drill, and making a mounting bracket from scrap wood using only a dull steak knife, some old screwdrivers, a mini-hammer, and a few nails and screws. It was a reminder of how prayer and persistence overcomes obstacles! It was a task requiring a lot of patience and determination - only one of which comes more easily for me right now (can you guess which?). Needless to say, I'm thankful that I wasn't fried and that all the lights work well and that they haven't fallen off the walls yet. I still have some more painting to do as I've been painting a little at a time to freshen up the doors (still dirty after much scrubbing) and making everything fresh and clean in my flat. When the weather warms up, I'll repair and paint the walls in the living room, bedroom, and kitchen as currently there are holes in the walls and the paint has started flaking off in places and doesn't hold up well to scrubbing. It's been a good experience b/c I can use that time to meditate and pray and God always teaches me life lessons and reminds me of important truths during these times of tedious, repetitive work.
This week our sports team held a series of sports coaching seminars in a seminary just outside the city. They were quite interesting and it was good practice to hear the English lecture and the Ukrainian translation. If words are repeated enough, I start to actually remember them! Imagine that?! I learned more about the basis for sports ministry and although I missed the hands-on session, I'm sure that I will learn that part quite well during my time here as we go through the 2-year sports training program. A guy on our sports team led the seminars with God-given wisdom in answering some tough questions. Some people here think that sports are "evil" and should be avoided. I'm not sure that I understand exactly where that mindset originates, but perhaps b/c what little the people with that mindset have seen of sports is mostly people swearing at each other and behaving in an "unsportsman-like" way. So, this was a good seminar for them see the possibility of sports ministry and that sports is a great way to reveal what's inside a person's heart. For me, sports has been a tremendous catalyst for personal character growth and learning discipline and persistence. Sports has shaped who I am and continually shows me so quickly where I need to grow and become more like Christ in my character. For me, there is no place quite so pressure-filled as a playing field where what is inside gets squeezed out more quickly than in the usual day-to-day life situations. It's also a place for me of constant prayer and of practicing giving myself 100% all-out...which pays off in "real" life where it's important to live each day to it's fullest and to give 100% in whatever I do and not do anything half-heartedly or grudgingly. Sports has also been a great place to practice having a good attitude when things are unfair (refs, the other team, etc.) and to practice focusing on giving my best and not worrying about how other people are behaving. Again, it's a good parallel to life and whatever I practice in sports applies to my daily life as well. If I'm lazy and undisciplined in sports, I will also be lazy and undisciplined in life. If in sports I learn to have a good attitude when the refs or other team is bad, then it's easier to have a good attitude when life is "unfair" or other people aren't being nice. Maybe that doesn't make sense to you, but to me, sports is a great way to see what is hidden in my heart (good or bad) and to put into practice the right way to live - which then makes it easier to establish good life-habits and keep a clear conscious before God.
Also this week, I got a new language teacher and this one is a lot better than the last one. Although we only had a short lesson, we spent most of the time talking in Russian and I learned a few new words that will be helpful in basic conversation. She is very forward-thinking for this country in helping students to learn by non-traditional methods (great for a visual-kinestetic person like me). So, we will be using pictures and games and other methods to help me remember and use what I've previously learned and to build new vocabulary on that foundation. I am praying that my brain learns and retains these new languages well. It's definitely a hinderance to not speak the language well. I have another lesson with her next week as I was sick earlier and now she's sick, so we only had one this week. So, I am praying that she will be able to understand what I need to unlock this closed brain and start learning and retaining the languages! She also asked me to practice speaking Russian to her class and they will practice speaking English to me. I think this will be a good opportunity for me, so I'll see what I can do to help.
Maybe tomorrow we will have sports ministry (possibly 3 in a row) and maybe not. It depends on whether the kids are still making up for missed school (b/c of "cold days") on Saturdays or not. The recreational volleyball program which was supposed to last Saturday night didn't happen, so perhaps it will start tomorrow. I am still waiting to hear when and where and if. If not, then I hope to go w/ our home group to visit the church's drug rehab center and take some goodies to the men who are in the treatment program. So, we'll see. One thing I enjoy about life here - it's always spontaneous. You can plan, but in the end you have to go with the flow and be flexible. For someone like me, that's more enjoyable and natural than a totally scheduled life... So, I still prepare as if an activity will happen, but if it falls through, then I have unexpected time for other adventures. So, enjoy the spontaneous moments in your life and look for the joy in the interruptions and times of waiting - you never know what interesting adventures or people God may bring you! If you keep your eyes open for the opportunities and for interactions with the people around you, you might be surprised at what neat things you may have missed if you focused on your frustation at the interruption instead of the new opportunity at hand.
03/02/06. Greetings from snowy Ukraine where the temps have moderated to where I don't need to wear a hat and scarf to keep my face from freezing!
Next week it is supposed to be colder again, so I am thankful for the heater that my teammates lent me! It's also interesting to see that when the hot water runs through the building (which is sporadic), it's warmer in the flat b/c the exposed pipes help heat the air. So, when I get home I can usually tell if there will or won't be hot water by how warm or cold the air is in the flat before I turn on the electric heater.
On Friday night, some of our team left for north africa and it was strange to say goodbye to 2 of my closest friends here, whom I've known for 2 years already, and to be the one to stay behind instead of leaving.
On Saturday, I got lost on the way to the gym for a floorball session b/c I didn't recognize the stop. After an hour on the same bus, it became obvious that I'd missed it and by then it was too late to make it before the practice ended. Life here sure makes me laugh at myself more often than before. So, I stopped in the city centre market and froze while looking for some material for curtains for the living room and a plastic table cloth (since I keep spilling stuff on the cloth one). I returned with material to make curtains and spent Saturday evening cooking ahead for the week, studying Russian, listening to our team's Christian radio program, and sewing the new curtains.
On Sunday, instead of trying to remember where the school was, I asked the bus driver to show me where the school was and made it in plenty of time for our practice session. We played floorball with the older girls and guys, but first had rugby practice for younger girls. It was fun to see how much they enjoyed playing and how quickly they were learning new skills. Afterwards, D led rugby practice for young boys and a few of us played catch, rugby-style on the sidelines and then practiced soccer while one teammate was the goal keeper. It was nice to be able to play soccer again and to interact w/ the kids in a language that everyone understands!
For the past 2 weeks at our home group I've been w/o a translator and it's been good practice to try to figure out what people are saying. It's helpful when I know the main gist of the conversation b/c then I can pick up new words. I also have been playing my banjo (sans 5th string - still waiting for the new tuner to arrive) and people here enjoy it. I'm glad they don't know what "real" banjo music sounds like - haha!
One big change this week was that after talking to my team leaders, others here who are experienced in these things, and praying about the language situation and lack of growth since coming here, I will be changing teachers. As difficult as it was to tell my teacher that I am leaving, it is a huge relief and I know that it was the right decision to make. So, now I am praying to find a teacher who can teach in a way that I learn best and who also makes it fun to learn. In the meantime, I am working more diligently on my own to learn new nouns and verbs and practice the infinitely complicated grammar rules. Ah, to have learned a language when my brain was young and pliable! ;-)
This weekend will be hectic as I will have 3 sports activities in a row on Saturday from 11:00 until after 21:00 and will also have ministries on Sunday. Tomorrow, I am supposed to be leading a recreational volleyball league in Z's absence but still am waiting to hear in what gym and at what time it will be. So, I am praying that the information arrives on time and that I will be prepared to lead this first session by myself. We will start with some team-building games and then volleyball and end with a time of fellowship and sharing.
24/01/06. Greetings from Ukraine where apparently we are setting records for cold weather! Today it is about -20 C/-7 F with a stiff wind and 60% humidity. However, we think that warmer temps are on the way soon... Tommorrow it is supposed to be up to -10 C/13 F - almost balmy!
People are skating in the streets and those who don't have skates slide on the ice (like riding a skateboard, but your foot is actually the skateboard). Thankfully, the slippery stairs of death have been somewhat tamed and are not quite so treacherous as in previous weeks. And I have been able to get around for a whole week w/o doing a modern dance impression...an accomplishment for sure!
In my flat, it got down to about 5 C/40 F yesterday, so my friend lent me an electric heater last night and it brought the temp in my bedroom up to about 13 C/55 F...wow - a real heat wave! I actually had to turn down the temperature in the middle of the night b/c it got too warm for what I am used to. Ah, it brings back fond memories of camping and backpacking in frigid temps where your head freezes and you can't wait until morning so you can get up and generate some heat by walking...or my room back home where the temps sometimes got down near freezing until we got a ceramic heater to help stave off the cold.
Last week, my language lessons went so poorly that before my lesson was finished, my teacher said, "I think that's enough for today." My brain must be frozen as well as my nose-hairs and eyelashes! Hopefully, this week my lessons and study time will be better. I'm trying to get more practice talking to people who know only a little English (so that they can help a little but not too much). I've also been trying to find books and movies in Russian that I already know in English so that my brain can learn w/o me just memorizing bunches of separate words. So, I watched "Miracle" in Russian (the story about the 1980 US Olympic ice hockey team beating the Soviet team) and learned a few sports-related words that will help in sports ministries.
This weekend, I also played floorball with a group from our sports team leader's youth group and it was a lot of fun. He introduced me as a "real" floorball player - haha. So, it's a good thing I've had lots of experience playing all-out, ankle-bruising "counselors vs youth" floor hockey on Friday nights and a spotless, undefeated record for as many years as I can remember being a counselor no matter how many youth played. Most of the girls had never played floorball before, but they had fun and I saw potential for starting a real floorball league for youth this winter. We are praying that we find enough youth and organizations interested in starting a league so that we can have competitive play and real coaching. I'm really looking forward to getting into the sports side of things here...
Also last week, we visited an orphanage for handicapped children (mental and physical). It was a real pleasure to see the joy on their faces as they listened to Christmas carols, watched a short drama, and received gifts from Samaritan's Purse. Our visit brought them so much joy and it was such a little thing for us to do. I can't imagine how difficult life can be for them, and they are appreciative of the time and attention people give to them. We hope to not only help them learn English (one guy from our team will take the lead on that, I hope), but also start a sports ministry with them as well. They want to make 2 small fields on their land where the children can play soccer and maybe even field hockey! I'm thankful for the experience of playing both sports and even though I'm not great, at least I know enough about the games to make a start and then can learn more as I coach, by God's grace.
One thing that God reminded me of this week is how much he takes care of the little things in life that we don't usually think about. We have been waiting for requested funds to come to pay everyone and to allow the group going to north africa to purchase tickets. However, the funds were delayed - probably b/c of some administrative error and nothing came for a very long time. Today, some of the funds came and the group was able to purchase tickets for Egypt! During this past week, there were a few times that I needed things - like food or fellowship and God provided what I needed, often before I even asked. For example, this weekend I went to the store to buy some veggies and fruits and some meat to try to stay healthy and an old woman asked if she could get in line in front of me. I said yes, of course, and then she asked if I had a discount card. I said no and she told me that she would let me use her card. It saved 14% on the bill and I was able to afford to buy what I needed for the week! Without it, I'd have had to give back some of the food. Another example was Sunday night at church I wasn't feeling great (toes/fingers still frozen from spending all day in the cold and the church was very cold too so no chance to thaw out there or at home) and I was hungry and tired and wasn't looking forward to going home to a cold house w/o food for dinner. So, I prayed that God would give me some food and a warm place to thaw out (since my flat isn't warm enough to thaw out). After church a recently married couple from our weekly home group invited me to their house for a wedding celebration dinner with some other friends. What a blessing it was to have plenty of healthy food in a warm place amongst friends... So, even though these are small things, to me they were a reminder that God cares about us and takes care of us when we rely on Him to provide what we need instead of relying on ourselves.
18/01/06. Greetings from the ever cold, snowy, beautiful northern Ukraine!
For over 2 weeks now the temperatures have stayed below freezing and there's no warm-up in sight. The highs have been in the upper 20s F (~-7 C) and lows around 0 F (~-18 C). Most days it stays in the teens (~-5 C). Much to my regret, we haven't had a lot of snow, just flurries now and then each day :-( But, the past few mornings and evenings have been beautiful as the trees have been coated in white frost and it makes a beautiful background on my way to/from home. And next week - real cold comes from the arctic. The temperature may go down to -30 C here (yay!) and more snow... As I like to say, you know it's cold when your nose hairs freeze as soon as you walk outside. Ahh, I love it!! :-) Now I'm just wishing I had brought my snowboard with me. I'd be getting tons of free practice and exercise on the rolling hills near my flat.
This week has been a little quieter than usual for me, but not so for my fellow sports team newbies. They accidentally flooded their downstairs neighbors when they left the tap on when water wasn't running. They came to the office and then the water came back on full-force and there was 2 inches of standing water in their bathroom and a massive flood in the flat below. See, in Ukraine sometimes we have water and sometimes we don't, so you can easily forget and leave a tap open when there's no water and then when it comes back and you're not at home...oiy! A nice waterfall for your neighbors! Thankfully, the damage is minimal and we were all reminded to be careful to check that the water, gas, and electric are all off before leaving each morning. It is something that has happened to just about everyone here, so now the guys are real Ukrainians! They have been initiated...
And I have now revealed my lack of grace and fine-motor skills through two minor mishaps... The first mishap was when opening a box with a box cutter last week, it slipped and sliced open the tip of my right index finger to the bone instead of slicing open the box...oops! Thankfully, the cut has not shown signs of infection and is starting to knit together (mostly). They have some interesting green/blue stuff w/ iodine and who knows what else in it that cleanses cuts. So, now I have a blue gaping finger. I keep taping it shut, putting anti-bacterial cream on it, and praying that it will heal properly and quickly.
The second incident revealing my clumsiness was the re-enactment of a scene from "Bambi" where he sprawls on the ice and can't get up... Walking home from our young adult meeting on Saturday night, I slipped on the ever-present ice and sprawled just like Bambi. It took me several attempts to get my feet back under me with the assistance of my friend, A. Praise God, despite landing on my right shoulder (the one I injured last year playing football), I wasn't hurt at all. Needless to say, I wasn't born to be a classical dancer! Maybe modern is more my style... ;-)
On a more serious note, we somehow ended up being volunteered to teach English to invalid (handicapped) orphans at a nearby orphanage. Now those of you who know me well, know that I really don't enjoy teaching...sports yes, but anything from books, no! So, this will be a challenge for me as there is no way to say "no" and since I'm doing it, I need to do the best that I can. Thankfully, others are also in this venture and one is a very "smart bloke," so that will be a great help and maybe I can be more of a helper than a leader. You can pray that this is a way for us to really learn Russian and Ukrainian (best to learn by practicing rather than by books in my experience) and for us to share bible stories and help these kids learn English and feel like somebody cares about them. We also have an idea to start a weekly sports program for the handicapped children and youth here. There doesn't seem to be much for them to do and I think that this would be a great opportunity for them as well as a good learning experience for us. So, pray for wisdom in how to start this and for people to help.
Of course, there's nothing like initiating something that you've never done before! And there's nothing quite as "exhillarating" as learning "by the seat of your pants" - learning as you go. For me, I tend to learn the best this way although it's more challenging and I don't usually feel comfortable doing it. In the end though, what I learn this way I really know - and far better than watching or following or just reading about something. So, God knows what I need and now I just need to make the most of the opportunities to practice Russian as much as possible and to get out of just looking at books and into using it every day so that I really learn and remember! I can't tell you how many words I learned several years ago on my first trip here that I've forgotten I even knew... It helps to have friends who know some English and can teach me patiently as I stumble all over their language. I'm especially thankful for L and Z - two very good friends that I first met here 2 years ago - who are very patiently helping me to learn Russian.
Hopefully soon, I will get a new stove and will be able to cook for real again... In the meantime, cooking on just 2 burners and watching for fires makes for a more exciting life! Ah, I love it...really I do. I enjoy living adventurously, being challenged, and experiencing new things each day. It helps me to be more creative and resourceful again. And it brings back fond memories of growing up in a simple, creative way of life where we didn't have many resources. I'm so thankful for the parents God gave me and for all that they taught me about living adventurously with few resources and having an open heart to other's needs and God's desires. Now if only I can continue to live in that way all the time...
10/01/06. Greetings from cold, snowy Ukraine where the temps stay below freezing and each day is an odyessy on ice!
Some of you had asked about how Ukraine celebrates Christmas. As with any holiday, there's lots of great food and you have to let your belt out a notch afterwards to keep from popping a button on your pants! Some people here celebrate with fireworks and drinking, but I celebrated a bit differently. So, here's how I celebrated Ukrainian Christmas this past weekend (on the 6th)...
On Saturday morning, I was visited by several children singing Ukrainian Christmas carols. Normally, one gives some money or candy to the carolers, but as I had put off going to the store for several days, I didn't have any small bills or sweets to give them...oops! I'm used to living in the "sticks" and we never had any carolers, so I wasn't prepared. Then, after making french toast and starting to bake some bread pudding in my broken oven, I spent the early afternoon scrubbing the bathroom tile and grout (which had years of mildew and neglect to overcome). The bell rang several more times throughout the day with more carolers, but I ignored it b/c I had to hurry to get ready to visit with my friend L and her parents in the afternoon. I had stayed with her family 2 summers ago and was looking foward to seeing her parents again.
So, I walked to school 12 (about 10 minutes away by foot) and waited and waited and waited and waited for trolleybus #7 to take it to the end of the line where L lives. Finally, it came and I hoped that I was going in the correct direction (since there are 2 stops by school 12 - each going in different directions). As I got near the end of the line, I actually recognized her neighborhood and got off, but no L. A few minutes later, she came and met me and I was warmly greeted by her parents who had provided a delicious Ukrainian-style meal for us. I can't remember all the Ukrainian names of the food, so I'll just describe them for you. There was plum compote (fruit juice), rice and meat and veggies wrapped in cabbage leaves and cooked together (like egg rolls but with cabbage outside instead of dough), beet horseradish (homemade by L's father), bread (of course), a variety of cold, sliced meats, congealed gravy w/ meat (it tastes like meat w/ gravy, but it's cold and the consistency of jell-o), and potato/egg salad. I had brought some bread pudding (a great way to revive stale bread) and L had made a super chocolate sacher torte cake which we had with chai (tea). After stuffing ourselves, we looked at pictures on her computer and got ready for the Christmas service at her church. We were late for the 18:00 Christmas service, but we didn't miss much b/c not long after we arrived, about 40 of us went out into the below freezing temps (around 10 F, -10 C) and walked all over the northern part of the city singing carols in the courtyards and cramming into stairwells of buildings to sing. It was a bright, cloudless night and the stars were shining and every so often fireworks would go off. It was quite a beautiful experience. Finally, around 23:00, we all went off to our respective homes.
On Sunday, I got up early and made it to the 09:00 church service where they had some special Christmas programs and Christmas carols we all recognize. Then, our home group went caroling to invalids from the church and we sang carols and talked to them. We were given food and tea and other goodies by many we visited. As we walked between the buildings all over the city, people set off fireworks quite a bit (here, it's something that anyone can do - no permit required. It's amazing more people aren't 1 armed, 1 legged, or 1 eyed!). In the evening, we all went to A's house (where we meet for our weekly bible study) and had a simple dinner and then went back out to visit a few more people before everyone went home or tried to catch the end of the evening church service. Some of the invalids had waited all day for us to come and sing to them! I wish we could have spent more time with each person and helped them to not feel so lonely and isolated. All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend Christmas, bringing less fortunate people joy on this special holiday...
As my father says, it's good timing to arrive in Ukraine in time for 4 holiday weekends in a row! :-D It's been a great way to help me fit in and feel useful here already even before our sports programmes start later this month. I'm looking forward to being able to understand and speak the languages better to be able to communicate with people on a deeper, more personal level. You can pray that God helps me to learn Russian and Ukrainian quickly and well. It can be frustrating at times trying so hard to understand people and not understanding enough to get the gist of what they're tryinig to say, but it will come. I've found that I people use one word for something that I know another word for (maybe b/c I learned Russian Russian instead of Ukrainian Russian). So, I'm trying to learn as many of these synonyms as I can and trying not to feel too stupid when people laugh at me for not understanding simple things. One of my fellow newbies has only been here 4 months and already he can understand and speak Ukrainian really well. A lot of people here speak a mixture of Ukrainian and Russian, so between my teammates (who are studying Ukrainian) and me (studying Russian) we help each other to understand and communicate with people when we don't have a translator.
I've got one more holiday this month (Orthodox New Year on the 14th) and then it will be back to "normal" and creating social events for my friends and new friends here so that we aren't lonely and bored during the downtimes. My fellow newbies in the sports team say that I am a motivator, one who inspires them to do things. Interesting... I guess being a "cattle prod" or a "tigger" can be a good thing after all, eh? In the month that I've been here, we've already made some changes: organizing and cleaning the sports office, fixing my flat (still in progress), organizing social events for people to get to know each other and feel at home away from home, memorizing 1st John together as a sports team, organizing a daily time of prayer in the office each morning, etc. Each night I go to sleep thankful that God brought me here and that He has provided friends and a great team to work with. I'm so glad to be here!
Oh and guess what mini-calendar I got last week when they gave out calendars at our home group? "God gives calm" - haha. I guess He knew a tigger needs calm sometimes too, eh?!
04/01/06. This week we have a holiday for New Year's and Christmas, although quite a few people are still coming to the office. Mostly this week has been spent so far catching up on odds and ends; prepping to repaper my kitchen to remove the greasy, mildewed, torn wallpaper tomorrow; and traveling to nearby L'viv for some sightseeing with friends. Later this week I hope to be able to paper the kitchen, repair the holes in the walls, and scrub the tiles in the bathroom and toilet room to remove all the old mildew and mold. There's plenty to keep me occupied for quite a while making this place clean and sparkly!
Yesterday, we travelled by "Electrika" (electric train) to L'viv, located in the northern foothills of the Carpathian mountains in western Ukraine. L'viv is a historical, cultural city in western Ukraine that's quite different from all of the other cities I've visited in Ukraine. It has been described as the Vienna of Eastern Europe and I definitely agree. I was in Vienna this summer and the architecture and streets are so similar that unless you lived in Vienna or L'viv and knew it well, you might think you were in Austria instead of Ukraine! The buildings are mostly Polish and Italian influenced designs and date back several hundred years, having survived both Nazi and Soviet invasions and occupations in the 20th century. Most of the narrow, winding streets are cobblestone and often share space with trams. There is an extensive tram system here, as in Vienna, and because of the trams, cars park in the center of the streets since the tram tracks run on each side. There are statues of lions everywhere because the city's founder, prince Daniel of Halych named it in honor of his son, Leo, which means lion. It is known as the city of the Lion and because it was so well defended and was able to protect itself from multiple invasions until recent centuries, it also gained the motto, "Semper Fidelis," always faithful. The city has been part of Poland, Kievan Rus, Austria, Galicia, Turkey, Sweden, Germany (during Nazi occupation), the USSR (which annexed it to Ukraine), and now Ukraine. It's population is 800,000+ with over 200,000 commuters arriving from the suburbs daily for work.
We took the early train from our city in the 3rd class carriage (quite nice with heated cars and wooden seats facing each other in pairs) and arrived in L'viv sometime after noon. We ambled through the streets, admiring the beautiful old buildings and made our way towards the city center. During our walking, L was so entranced by the architecture of the L'viv polytechnical institute that she was hit by a car! Now before you think that was devastating, not to worry - she's perfectly fine. Thankfully the car saw her and had almost stopped before she ran into it. It just missed running over her foot and other than a bit of embarrassement, she was unharmed, praise God! What's interesting is that the pedestrian crossing signs here show people running - and now we know why. Unlike in our city, which is about 1/3 the size of L'viv, where cars stop for pedestrians and look before driving on the sidewalks, here, pedestrians need to be a little more aware of their surroundings, like in NYC. There are far more cars and far fewer pedestrians than what we are used to in our city.
After that incident, we stopped at the famous "Milk Bar" near the city center for some very cheap, good Ukrainian food and rich, excellent ice cream (the first "real" ice cream I've seen in Ukraine - the kind that doesn't come in a plastic tube from the supermarket) and then hiked up the highest hill above the city where the High Castle was once located before it fell into disrepair and was mostly dismantled. The steep hill stands about 300 meters (900+ feet) above the surrounding city and provides spectacular 360 degree views of the city and surrounding countryside from the top. Since we arrived there at dusk, we saw the twinkling lights of the city below, but hope to return when it's daylight and we can see more of the city sights from the hill. One interesting note on the hill, I previously described the "slippery stairs of death" to get to/from my flat... Well, the hill had to be ascended/descended by a treacherous "slippery spiral of death" - it's amazing no one fell as the spiral, sloping path was ice covered and slick and the hill itself must have been a 75-80 degree slope at least (extremely steep sides). Needless to say, it was a challenge, but made me think that perhaps a winter visit necessitates a sled so one could enjoy the ride in better comfort instead of slidly unpredictably down the path on one's feet.
We finally returned in the evening by train to a town about an hour from our city and were able to catch a 2 car diesel-electric train from there to our city a few minutes after we had disembarked. We finally reached our respective homes around midnight, tired, but full of the beautiful sights of L'viv, having spent a total of about 20 UAH for rail fare and food. So, where will we travel to next? Who knows, but we all would like to see more of Ukraine's natural and historical treasures in the coming months... The Carpathian mountains are not to far away and Odessa and the Crimean penninsula are also interesting places to visit on a budget. If you know of any neat places to visit in Ukraine, let me know. We'll put them on our wish list of places to visit this year...
29/12/05. Greetings and best wishes for the New Year! For us in Ukraine, Christmas isn't until January 6 & 7 (instead of the 24 & 25). So, this past week stores and homes and schools began decorating for Christmas and people are buying foodstuffs to make holiday treats for next weekend. This weekend we will celebrate New Year at the sports guys' flat on the 31st and 1st with food, games, singing, a time of prayer for the new year, and lots of fun. Our office will have a holiday all next week! So, I will probably use that time off to work on making repairs to my new home and painting and papering and scrubbing, etc. to make everything bright and cheery and homey for the coming year.
Now, let's see if I can remember what people asked me about so that I can give you a better picture of what life is like for me here in our city, Ukraine... See, for me it's harder to describe b/c this is the 4th time I've been here in as many years, so for me this is "normal" just as much as life back home was "normal" - so feel free to ask questions...
Young people here look similar to young people everywhere and perhaps in the older generation (grandparents) you would notice the most difference by their clothing (same as in my home country how the older generations usually have a different style of dress from the younger).
Hmm, our city is located in northwestern Ukraine in the fertile rolling hills of Europe's breadbasket. It was first mentioned in historical records in the 1280s, but you wouldn't necessarily know that from the buildings, as most are from the Soviet era. New buildings here are very beautiful with many colors and interesting geometric shapes. However, many of the buildings look like one has stepped into a Soviet-era film. Many buildings from that era are either concrete (now in desperate need of repair) or brick covered with tile or stucco. There are also many well-kept, quaint single-family homes that are painted in various colors (lots of blue and yellow - the national colors) with tile roofs and interesting architecture. Where the OM office is located near the outskirts of the city, we are surrounded by such small homes...quite picturesque. The city itself is different from many cities elsewhere in the world. There is a city centre, but it's not comprised of huge skyscrapers, rather it has older, interesting buildings of various colors, shapes, and sizes surrounding the central square. Also, this particular city is not laid out on a grid pattern as many other cities are. The streets wind themselves about in many different directions and bends following the terrain. Vinnitsa, which I visited a few weeks ago, is laid out on a grid pattern with wide, straight, tree-lined streets. So, there is variety here - each region has its own look and feel just as each region, province, or state in other countries has its own special flavor.
As to where I live, it's easy to find a bus, trolleybus, or mini-van heading to my place b/c it's located on a hill above the main bus station. So, as you can imagine, the roar of engines is what I go to sleep to and wake up to each day! I live on the 3rd floor of a 14 story building which has a twin building behind it. My kitchen and living room overlook a busy street and my bedroom and balcony overlook a small store and lively rooftop restaurant where loud music and fireworks can be expected during weekends and holidays. On the ground floor of my building is a pharmacy and the ground floor of my twin building is a library.
In winter, as I mentioned previously, the sidewalks and streets are kept ice & snow covered (Pennsylvania-style). So, just picture living on a steep, manmade 30' hill which you have to descend/ascend each day to get anywhere (including the outdoor market or supermarket). Some guys from the sports team lived here before I came and one guy dubbed the decrepit concrete stairs the "stairs of death"... I've added another adjective, so now they are the "slippery stairs of death" as I have slid down them 3 times in as many days this week already! What I wouldn't do for some good ice melting salt and/or spikes to put over my shoes... Needless to say, I'm still in one piece and get a good laugh each time I take a spill. Living here in winter, one learns the art of shuffle walking everywhere as the streets and sidewalks and steps are rather treacherous.
Right now, the weather here is similar to what I was used to before, except that it's consistently colder over longer periods of time. I love it!! We've had a little snow or freezing rain every day for over a week and it's been just below or above freezing most days with temps only dropping well below freezing at night. Of course the sun rises late and set early at this high latitude (~52 degrees N), so navigating over snow and ice becomes even more challenging and fun.
In this city, people are out and about at all hours and it's quite safe. There isn't a lot of crime like in the major cities elsewhere in the world. In fact, if you go to the post office to send a parcel, you will see that people leave their purse, bags, etc. on tables behind them while they're at the counter and nothing happens!
The topography here is very similar to where I lived before. It has rolling hills and outside the city, you can see fields and fields of crops just like I'm used to. Of course for this country gal, I miss seeing those vistas of rolling hills and farmland each day, seeing the sun set across acres of grass, and smelling fresh country air. Instead, I see lots of buildings everywhere I look and smell a variety of city smells. But at least I don't have to spend money for gas to drive everywhere b/c just like in cities everywhere, everyone walks everywhere. I do miss the open spaces and natural setting of farmland though. I also miss being near the water and mountains. But, they have them here too - they're just farther away!
Hmm, as to what's different about this culture from what many of you are used to? Well, that's harder for me to say b/c I've been to many countries and cultures and for me most places I've been seem "normal" to me, having grown up with a keen interest in geography and cultures. So, I'll do my best to help you see what might be different or unusual for many of you... Here it is common to see/have:
- girls arm in arm or hand in hand as an expression of friendship
- lockers in which to put all your bags when shopping in a store or the supermarket
- to bring your own bags to the grocery store (or else pay for better quality ones at the checkout counter) - you learn to save all of these b/c it's not so much fun to have a bag break on the way home and lose all your eggs
- eggs sold singly or in thin (very thin) plastic bags by tens (look carefully to make sure none are cracked and carry home carefully)
- milk sold in plastic bag packets and kefir (unsweetened yogurt) sold in milk bottles
- icy, snow/slush covered roads & sidewalks in winter
- some buildings with trash and grafitti in the halls and some fresh and clean (depends on who owns the building)
- normal people walking around safely at all hours of the night
- vehicles stopping for pedestrians in the street (no matter where the crosswalk is)
- people assume you know where everything is and how to get everywhere even if it's your first time, so you may be stranded some where and have to figure out how to get back
- musical people everywhere (who here can't play the guitar and sing?)
- open air "farmer's markets" everywhere selling everything from food to clothing to tools to hardware supplies to ...
- rough toilet paper that we normally use as paper towels in schools (the stiff brown paper)
- toilets that won't flush the toilet paper, so you throw the paper into the trash can instead
- no shoes worn in homes or offices, so you wear house shoes or socks (just like my family's house)
- fur collared coats and hats in abundance along with thin, flimsy dress shoes/gloves
- bumping and pushing through people w/o apologies - it isn't rude here (try getting from the back of a mashootka (mini-bus) to the front through people standing 2 abreast in the aisle meant for one)
- over-crowded public transportation most of the time (like a big city after a sporting event or Japan on a normal day)
- mixing your own dye to make your paint the color you desire
- tea, tea, tea at all times of the day and night
- excellent chocolates (some of the best I've ever tasted in the world)
- lots of fish in the stores and markets
- using abacus to total your bill (not as common now as when I was first here over 4 years ago)
- Christians who live passionately for God each and every day
Now on to the more interesting stuff for those of you who've stuck with me this far... This week has been a bit more adventurous than usual (yay!). On Monday we had our office Christmas party and I had to play and sing w/ a broken banjo (the 5th string tuner cracked) and voice still out of shape from being sick last week.
After that, on Tuesday I had a Russian lesson, but as I waited for the trolley bus or mashootka that a teammate told me I should take, none came (I didn't realize that he meant from the office, not my flat - haha). So for about 20 minutes I waited and watched the same few numbers go by, but not the ones I had been told to take. So, finally I hopped on a trolley bus that I thought might go close to where I needed. However, it took me to the train station and that was the end of the run...so I had to get off. The train station is in the northernmost part of the city and my teacher's flat is in the western part. So, I waited at the train station to see if one of the numbers I needed would come by (not knowing the name of her region, I couldn't tell which was correct). Finally, after another 10-15 minutes of standing in the cold and wind and no buses, trolleybuses, or mashootkas stopping to pick up passengers, I decided to go it on foot since I had seen a map of the city and knew approximately where I needed to go.
Oh yes and I forgot to mention that the first thing that happened that morning was that I took 2 spills down the "slippery stairs of death" with food in hand for the guys to eat at the office that night per their request. During my slide, I dropped the food and one of the lids cracked and the Indian vegetable curry spilled out all over the inside of the bag. Thankfully the bag was one of the good, thick ones!
So, imagine me now walking on foot through the city center, across the train tracks on a high bridge, and for quite a way down the main drag lugging a rucksack full of Russian language books, purse, and large bag of messy, spilled food in hand over ice and snow! It's a good thing I love to walk... Well, despite the obstacles that morning, I finally arrived at my teacher's only 1 hour late!
Ah, I forgot the most exciting part of the week! On Monday night, after the Christmas party some friends were going to come over to help eat the leftovers from our Christmas Eve feast before it went bad. However, as I was cooking some more rice they each called to say they were too tired to come, so they asked me to bring the food to the office the next evening instead (hence the first part of my story). So, as I was cooking one of the burners on the stove caught fire and it's a shame I didn't have any marshmellows handy, I could have made smores! Once that was under control, I used the leftover stale flatbread from our Christmas Eve feast to make bread pudding... The oven (which is finnicky to say the least) was doing okay and things were going well, so I ran down to the small store next to my building and came back a few minutes later. I checked on the oven and the door and sides were burning from old grease, but it seemed okay (and besides my bread pudding wasn't finished yet). So, I started studing for my Russian lesson and then I smelled something strange burning (not food). So, I went into the kitchen and opened the oven and one of my pans had melted from the intense heat. The oven apparently gets a LOT hotter than it should and well, I'm now one pan short of what I brought with me...and had less bread pudding to share. And of course, the kitchen window is sealed shut and won't open, so there wasn't anywhere for the smoke to go except throughout the flat. Thankfully I have a bathroom fan and turned it on and soon the smoke cleared and I salvaged what I could of the bread pudding from the pan that didn't melt (tasted quite good).
So, you can imagine that after all of this, when I brought the food to the office after these 2 adventures and found out that the guys (who had asked me to bring the food to the office for them) had made other plans for that evening, all I could do was laugh and see if anyone else wanted the food I lugged across the city. As it turned out, one of the guys came back to help eat the food and several other friends were able to come share in the leftover feast so that my adventures weren't for naught. However, I told them next time they want food that can be spilled, they should come to my place b/c I am not going to risk life and limb in winter on the slippery "stairs of death" or walk across the entire city for them to change their minds and make other plans anyway.
I must say that I found it all quite amusing and have been having a lot of fun in these "mishaps." For me, it's all an adventure - my parents raised me that way... Whenever unexpected things happened, we looked at it as an adventure instead of a disaster (just ask about the time we went hiking and came back to a flat tire and a flat spare tire). My strongest, fondest memories of childhood are from those types of adventures. So, when life gives you lemons, you can either be sour or you can be positive and make lemonade. You can choose to look at things from different points of view - as an interesting challenge to overcome with joy or as a big problem that can't be solved. It helps to choose to look at things as an adventure from God that will make you a better person through perserverance. It's not always easy, especially when really difficult things happen, but by God's grace, it can be done...
20/12/05. The weather here is finally like winter (yay)! It started snowing on Friday night and has snowed a little every day, but no major accumulation. For those of you who live in PA, the conditions of the roads and sidewalks here would make you think that you were at home. ;-) It is certainly beautiful when the snow blankets the city.
The trip to Vinnitsa this weekend was very good for me. I went with my good friend L, and the 2 new sports team guys (from England and South Africa), and another guy from the office. The trains here only seem to travel at night, so we left our city at 20:40 and arrived in Vinnitsa sometime after 02:30. L and V slept a little, but the sports guys and I stayed up talking and getting to know each other. They came to the team in September and have been adjusting very well to life here. The train had sleeping compartments, just like the old-fashioned ones I've seen at home. There were 4 bunks together on the left side (one on one and one on one) with a small table in the middle and 2 bunks on the right side (one on top of the other), then a partition and another group of 6 seats/beds. The trains were blue and yellow, Ukrainian colors, and the inside was just like in old movies.
When we got to Vinnitsa we stayed with the OM Vinnitsa team in a very nice apartment on the outskirts of the city. The city of Vinnitsa is about 2xs the size of our city and has a grid system for its streets (unlike our city which is more "spasmodic" as B would say). The girls that L and I stayed with were very warm and friendly and hospitable. The people in this country are so hospitable. They will give up their bed and clothes for you as a guest... We had a wonderful time of fellowship together during the weekend and came back to our city by night train on Monday, arriving at about 08:00.
This week I moved into my own apartment and praise God that there is hot water and that it is in good condition. It's about 1300 meters (8/10 mile) from the office on foot and about 5 minutes from the open air markets where one can buy fresh fruits and meat for cheaper prices than in the stores. Today I will need to scrub the flat from top to bottom as some of the sports guys, who were living there before I came, have a different idea of clean than I do (guys!).
We are planning to have some Christmas celebrations for those of us who are away from family. I think it will be helpful for us and keep us from getting lonely and homesick. God has given me strength and energy to face each day despite late nights and early mornings. I am so happy to be here and am looking forward to becoming fluent in Russian and able to find my way around and be able to hang out with new friends.
11/12/05. Praise God, I arrived safely in my new city around midnight on Tuesday morning after a LONG journey via 3 planes and 2 buses. Today is Tuesday and it is almost 15:00. I slept in today until 11:00 and then fell back asleep until around 13:30 trying to get myself to get up and get moving. I guess I was really tired after only getting about 2 hours of sleep and hauling a heavy laptop and backpack halfway around the world since Saturday night... ;-)
The journey was long, but there were pleasant things to enjoy along the way - seeing the sun set, rise, and set again all in the same journey...seeing the towering, snow-covered Alps from the plane above Munich, seeing snow in Germany, seeing new things in Ukraine even though I was last here 6 months ago...and most especially seeing dear faces of friends here when I arrived.
It is so good to be here at long last. Last night I was dreaming that I was only dreaming that I was here, but when I woke up I realized that I really am here!
For the next few days I am staying in a flat behind the office until my flat is ready for me. It is nice to be right next to the office while I am ajusting to the new life here... My good friend L had written colorful greeting signs for me in the room where I am staying and had a good supply of food and tea for me as well. It was so nice to have hot water to wash up before bed and to sleep in a bed that was warm and comfortable!
The weather here is warmer than home (they have a warm spell) - maybe it is in the 40s and no snow. But soon it will snow (I hope). For me, that would be nice as I love snow and cold weather! I miss the snow I left at home...
Today I get to rest and check email and get settled before the real schedule starts. I will need to buy medical insurance here to register in Ukraine and will need to find a bank and start finding my way to and from the market, the bank, the office, the bus terminal, etc. Most importantly, I need to stop being lazy and start using the Russian I already know and begin to learn more so that I can become fluent.
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