Culture Shock: Take 1

So, you can all thank our friend Sarah for guilting me in to this post. As usual, I apologize for being a horrible blogger and not keeping you guys up-to-date on my life. The last 2 weeks in Georgia were super busy and on the one day we had off some friends took me around the city so I didn't have time for the internet really. Howeverrrr, now I'm back in Kyiv with unlimited internet so there's no excuse!!

Ok, let's see. We went to Batumi 2 weeks ago. Batumi is a city on the Black Sea and is known throughout this part of the world as a vacation spot. It was beautiful there! We had great weather- 50s and sunny- and the church that hosted us was so welcoming and hospitable. Several of the kids from the youth group took us all over the city, we rode bikes along the Black Sea and we even got driven to the Turkish border (about 20 minutes outside the city)! It's too bad we couldn't have crossed, just for that stamp in my passport. Next time!

After Batumi we were in our last full week in Georgia. We spent a lot of that week with friends and ministry leaders sight-seeing, hiking (up to the top of a fortress in the snow!), and of course, eating tons of Georgian food. Mmm, best stuff ever. I miss it already.

The last night we were in Tbilisi we had a party for all the ministries we worked with. We invite the YWAM staff, and all of the ministry leaders. We had about 20 people in our apartment. Me and Sevinj spent the day making salads and other snack foods. And what do you know, the city decided this was the perfect day to shut off the water and work on the pipes.

Now, our water got shut off almost every day but it usually happened for just a few hours and almost always while we were gone or while we were sleeping. But there seemed to be a pattern that developed that every time we had guests over the water stopped. And the more guests, the longer we had no water. This last time was the worst ever! The water stopped in the afternoon, just as we started preparing the food, and it didn't turn back on until an hour before we left for the airport the next day. Do you know what it's like to cook and clean up after 20 people with no water? I do!! It involves the few bottles of carbonated water we were able to find (the last in any store in the neighborhood) and practically licking plates clean. Crazy stuff.

So that was my last impression of Georgia- good, fond memories to take with me.

But you know what? I miss it! Tbilisi is a great city, and especially being back in Kyiv, I really miss the atmosphere there. Speaking of Kyiv, though, I am so glad I decided to stay an extra week here. Part of me knows I'm so close to the end and all I want to do is come home and hug you all, but I realized the first night we were back here that it's a good thing to give myself some time.

I never thought I'd experience any big culture shock in Kyiv, and I didn't anticipate it coming back from Tbilisi, but it hit me hard! The first night we were here I went to the grocery store to buy some food for breakfast for the next day and was completely overwhelmed. Now, the grocery stores here are tiny compared to anything in America. You can fit about 10 or more of them in a Wal-mart. However, the stores they have in Tbilisi are even smaller! Sure, they have grocery stores (and even those are pretty small), but they can be expensive and they're not always convenient. I think I saw ground beef 2 times in 3 months there, and boneless chicken breasts were also a rarity. When you want to buy something in Georgia you go in to the store (about the size of a corner market) and tell the woman behind the counter what you want. Variety is being able to choose from 4 different kinds of ketchup or 2 different sized cans of corn- small or large? And when you want your veggies and fruit, well you walk outside and get it from the man selling on the street! So when I went in to Forshet and saw a whole wall of meat, rows of juice, and a produce section inside I didn't know what to do!

So, needless to say, it's a good thing that I'll be here in Kyiv for a little bit to get used to this culture before coming back to America and getting hit with that. Bear with me if I cry or faint the first time I'm in a Wal-Mart. And lets not talk about the mall, shall we?

OK, I think this post is long enough, even for you, Sarah! ;) I miss you New Yorkers and I can't wait to be home. Less than 2 weeks now... Crazy to think about, huh?