2 run-ins with the Eastern European Police force is enough for a lifetime

So, some of you may or may not have heard about my apartment's debacle last weekend.

First off, I apologize for not writing as much- I've been letting 2 other students use my computer since they don't have one of their own and so it's hard to find that time to write posts.

Anyways.

Last weekend I was doing ministry with some local orphans. We did a cooking seminar for them to teach them cooking (duh), nutrition, shopping, budgeting, etc. Fun, yummy, and exhausting! Saturday night I slept over at the other girls' apartment since it's a lot closer to the base than mine. After teaching and cooking all day I couldn't wait to sleep. Just as I was about to lay down in bed I got a phone call from our DTS leader that I needed to come over to my apartment because there had been a gas leak and the police and firemen had broken in to stop it. Since the other girls were still out I got over there as fast as I could to find the street swarming with the Ukrainian police.

Now, Ukrainian police are nothing like American ones. They don't eat donuts; they pull you over for no reason to see if they can get a bribe from you. These men were trained in the Soviet Union and look like they know torturing abilities we only see in horror films.

Needless to say, I was a little nervous. I let them in to the apartment and in went about 12 inspectors, police men, gas men, fire men, captains, lieutenants, and investigators. (They're very reactionary here.)

Then they wanted to question me, as I was the one girl from the apartment who was there. However, I didn't know a thing, I hadn't been home since 8:30 in the morning when the other girls were still sleeping! And once they realized I was an American who didn't understand Ukrainian they really didn't want to talk to me.

Marta, one of my flatmates, came home and she was thoroughly questioned, then promptly taken to the police station and fingerprinted. Apparently that's procedure around here. Still, a little overkill don't you think?

By the time Marta came back home it was about 2:00 am. And I still had to be out the door by 8:30 for the cooking seminar. So much for a good night's sleep.

We're still waiting for our gas to be turned back on. We need to pay the fine for all the trouble we caused (you should have seen how angry our neighbors were since their gas was shut off that night too!) and hopefully after that they'll take the seal off our gas line. If not, I guess I'm not eating much this weekend!

Yeah, that's life here for ya! Eventful even if not always enjoyable...

I'll try and get back on soon to write about how the school is going. Classes have been great, I'm enjoying them a ton. We're heading very quickly in to winter here, so I'll be writing about snow soon. Hope you all are enjoying the fall!

The misadventures of a foreigner

So here's some humor. Being the independent girl I am, I have no problem walking around on my own. If I need something from the store, why do I need to wait for someone who actually speaks Russian to go with me??

So the other day I was walking home by myself and decided I wanted some cheese so I could make a type of sandwich for lunch. I walked in to the market and up to the cheese counter. I wasn't sure I remembered the Russian word for cheese, but that's what your finger is for right? So you can point at the object you can't name!

So I'm at the cheese counter and I see a cheese I bought the other day that looks (and tastes!) just like American cheddar cheese. Yuummm. So I pointed at it and mumbled some word that may or may not have been "cheese" in Russian. The woman behind the counter says, "Ti hochesh maclo?" Which means, "You want maclo?"

I thought to myself, "Hmmm, I thought maclo was the Russian word for butter, and sir (or something like that) was cheese, but I want cheese, not butter. However, she's the lady, she must know what she's talking about and I'm just confused!"

So I nod my head and gesture with my hands how much of the cheese I want. She shakes her head at this crazy foreigner and wraps up my cheese. I proudly pay for my purchases and walk home. Who says you need to be fluent to make your way around? Look who's all independent!

I get home, head held high and begin to make my little sandwiches. I pull out the cheese to cut and very quickly realize that in fact, yes, I HAD bought butter. I was right in thinking that sir was the word for cheese and that the lady behind the counter thought some crazy girl was buying a half pound of butter. Some party I was having!

So, needless to say, I will never again forget the words for cheese or butter. And, also needless to say, we have enough butter in our fridge to last us a long, long, long time.

Fires, bugs, and SUN!

Ugh! I have bites all over my legs and I have yet to figure out what they actually are. We think bed bugs? But why just me and not my room mates?!!? I am more than miserable. Hopefully we can find something to flush those stupid bugs out and I am going to the pharmacy today to buy some cream that should stop the itch. I hope. Ugh.

Today the boat next to ours was on fire. Despite what you would think, these boats are like matchboxes waiting to go up in flames. So the authorities came to our boat as well and were walking all over, turned off our water (nobody could figure out why they thought that nessecary, and have put us on the list of boats that need to be shut down. It's not an immediate threat (think about it, we're talking post-Soviet government here) but it's still something to watch out for.

Surprisingly, the sun has been out for 3 days straight this week! This NEVER happens in the fall, so this post is going to be short so I can get out and enjoy! I've had to get up early this week to make breakfast for our team and it's been nice to watch the sunrise and hit the tops of the churches. Eastern Europe can be a pretty drab place with all the apartment buildings and thedirty streets, but when you look up that's when you see the beauty. The trees, the sky, even the majestic churches and statues. The trick is to find the hidden beauty.

Our speaker this week is Sergei Shetlovski and he's been speaking to us about relationship with God. Awesome speaker, awesome topic. This is the first week our DTS has really been just us (last week we were joined by another team and the week before that was the conference) and it's nice to see us all gelling together. Personalities are an interesting thing, and yup, they're coming out. Hmmm.

Ok, that sun is calling me and I have GOT to find some cream for these bites! See ya!

Pictures!

Here are some pictures of my first few days in Kiev!

This is where we have classes every morning. We also eat breakfast and lunch here. And have Monday morning base prayer. Let's just say we move the chairs and tables around a lot.

The main square in downtown Kiev. The stature is the Spirit of Ukraine.

Me and Kseniya (who is 28, finally someone my age!!) on the escalator in the metro. It takes at least 2 minutes on the escalator to get to the train platform that's how deep underground they are.

Here are my roomates (left to right): Oksana, Arielle, Masha, Marta. Please note the deliciously huuuge pile of crepes in front of Oksana that we are about to devour.

If you didn't notice from the picture in the metro, we're already wearing winter clothes here. I've got my boots, scarf, long johns (yes, already!), two pairs of socks, and gloves on. Ok, not right now, but whenever I'm outside I have to bundle up. Boooooooooo. Since we're not completely sure where we're going on outreach yet we're supposed to be praying about it as individuals and as a DTS. I can already tell you that God has spoken to ME that He wants us to go to the warm coast of Turkey. Just sayin'. The Lord has spoken.

We cooked spaghetti for the school last night, and since we had another DTS that's joining us for the week we had to cook for over 40 people. I made the Texas toast and my hands still smell like garlic. It was a big hit, though.

You know my favorite part of the day? After lunch most days we have a break of an hour or so. I go find a quiet spot, put my headphones on, go online and catch up with things. Ahhhh, it's nice to be 'alone'. Haha, that's a funny thought. You're never ever ever alone in DTS, unless you're in the bathroom. I'm learning to find my own time, though. For example, I let my flat mates leave the apartment ahead of me in the morning and then I leave a few minutes later. Then I have the 20 minute walk to the base all to myself. Woohoo!!! Of course, I have to share that alone time with all of the morning traffic in Kiev, but it's so worth it. We ignore each other.

I really like Kiev and I can't wait to get to know the city better. There's a sushi place across the street that I'm wanting to try out soon. Maybe this weekend or next. The trick is to find another student who isn't as poor as the rest and can actually afford sushi. I think my friend Kseniya will go with me. Mmmmmm. I'm holding off on going to McDonald's until I'm desperate. I'm sure that time will come soon, haha.

Love you all, hope things are going well in the States!

Hey here's a post I wrote last week, but now that I finally have my own internet I can actually post it from my computer! (Sorry if the picture doesn't upload, I'll figure it out soon.)

September 27, 2010

Day 2: Can that really be it?! I feel like I’ve been here forever. In a good way. J

Here’s a few firsts:

First meal in Ukraine: Pizza! (Second meal was also pizza, by the way)

First washing of clothes: By hand. Makes me envy my missionary friends in Africa- even they have a washer!!!

First time getting lost: Tonight with my flat mates trying to get home from dinner. We asked for directions about 10 times and probably walked at least 3 miles.

First time growling at my room mates when they tried to wake me up: Sunday morning. Their mistake.

First time buying milk in a bag (see picture below): Tonight at the Flora market.

So all my flat mates have arrived. We have 5 girls in the apartment altogether. OY!!!! It’s unique, to put it lightly. So far so good (but we’re only looking at 24 hours at this point).

To continue the lists here’s a list of my flat mates:

Arielle (18): American, SPEAKS NO RUSSIAN! Poor girl. We are trying to teach her, but the only words she knew when she came were ‘Hi’ and ‘Thank you’. I think she’ll be OK, but in the meantime she doesn’t understand a thing going on around her.

Marta (17): Ukrainian. I think her dad’s a pastor in Western Ukraine. Her best friend is also at DTS and the two of them egg each other on and laugh so loud and talk so fast that no one, not even the Russian speakers, can understand them.

Masha (20 but looks about 10): Ukrainian. At first I thought she didn’t even speak Russian (it turns out Russian and Ukrainian are very different languages) let alone English, but we’re starting to communicate. She knows more than she lets on.

Oksana (17): Ukrainian. She speaks a little English so we’ve been able to communicate, but sometimes we all get so frustrated trying to say the simplest thing that we give up before we even get anywhere.

Jet lag is getting a little better. I’m hoping to get to go visit the city in the next week or so, but true to YWAM form, things are going to be pretty hectic the next few weeks. We leave Wednesday for a retreat center outside Kiev to celebrate YWAM’s 50^th anniversary. When we come back Saturday we are joined by the DTS from Ternopil (a city in western Ukraine where Marta and several others are from). They will be with us for classes the whole next week so I don’t know when any sight seeing is going to happen. Booo. Ok, I know, I’m here for 3 months, it will happen! Then I get to go spend another 3 months in a completely different place and see the sights there. Tough life, huh?

Prayer please, if you will:

That the girls and I would adjust to living together with our different cultures and backgrounds.

Moments of alone time for me so that I can ‘recharge’ and not kill anyone while I’m in Ukraine. It’d be a pity to have to return early because of murder.

That’s it so far. As they said in lecture this morning: this is an adventure! An adventure is always welcome.

OK, so a few more prayer requests, just cuz I CAN.

I'm sick with some sort of sinus congestion gook. I'd like to get better please!

No Hulu!!! I can't watch my TV shows! I might die...just saying....

Sooo that's it. We're touring the city today (and I had my own personal tour yesterday) so I'll have pictures up soon. Love ya all!

Hey all! I'm still awaiting my own wifi account on the base so you'll have to wait a little bit longer till I can start putting up pictures (and there are plenty already).
We just got back from a 3 day conference outside of Kyiv to celebrate the 50th anniversary of YWAM. All of the bases from Eastern Europe (Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Belarus) and the founders (we're talking Loren and Darlene Cunningham here) came together all in one place. Now, I'm still new, but I've been told by a lot of the staff that something like this rarely happens in YWAM (maybe just once every 50 years, haha), so I felt pretty privileged to be able to hear the leaders and founders speak their hearts. And speak they did!! Honestly, they probably could've talked a little less...but no one asked me. ;)
The only downside to the conference was the weather and the food. The weather took a sudden turn for the Arctic and I only had my sweatshirt for the 3 days. Big bummer. Some of our staff went back to Kyiv and brought back coffee to sell to support our outreach. Trust me, they made a killing (and they made great coffee too!) Also, the food was terrible! It's actually called Soviet food. Think cold potatoes (or rice, or noodles), cold meat (sometimes with cold onions mashed in), and cold tea to drink. One morning I thought we got lucky because they gave us cereal. At least when that was cold it would be the right! But, nope, the milk in the cereal was actual room tempurature! I wanted to gag. However, we're back now and some of the girls are making crepes for dinner. Yummy and warm.
Monday lectures start. We're gonig to be taught by Al Alikoff who pretty much founded the Eastern Europe YWAM. Pretty cool. I have no idea what he's going to say, but all these people have a million and two stories to tell. As long as you've had your coffee it's great.
I think, just maybe, I'm learning Russian! Maybe. At least, I'm able to communicate most of the time, though our conversations often consist of half English, half Russian, and a lot of grunts and pointing. I'll be really, really good at charades when I come back.
I want to make sure I let you know what's going on over here, so are there any questions people have? To me the answers are obvious, but then, I'm the one living this. What do you want to know?