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!