Already Friday?
I'm dreaming in Russian again. Doesn't take long to get my mind back in Russian mode, although it makes for a bad night's sleep because my Russian dreams are always restless.
I slept pretty well last night though -- almost 11 hours. Hard to believe I'm still tired after that, huh? But it's getting better. I'll be adjusted soon. Definitely by the time the tired Americans get here :)
I forgot what I wrote in my last post...did I already tell you about going to visit the English tutor and her family? That was such a crazy afternoon, because even though getting to speak English is refreshing, it wore me out to endure the hours of questions. She was so sweet, of course, but like many people here, she was very amused by me and my American life. Her father in law, too. He asked me everything about my church, about religion, about what I learn in school, about world history. Not sure if he was quizzing me on the history part, or just trying to get an American perspective. Either way, I kept saying "I don't study history, I'm a religion major." Haha. I should probably brush up on those WWII facts...
Yesterday I went with Slavik and Tanya to Dombai to see the new site for Family Camp. Let me just say it is going to be a very different experience. They have (drumroll please) KEY CARDS for the doors to our rooms, and something like 8 floors of rooms. KEY CARDS! We joked last night about how at the Teberda camp the administrator would have to try every single key to find the right one for each room. Haha. No more, my friends! Aparently key cards are unheard of here, but we have them :)
The camp site overall will be a lot better. Inside, that is. There is a kitchen with the coolest wooden tables and chairs and a big fake tree in the middle of the room...I'll just have to post pictures later. We think the women can meet in there, if they are separate from the men this year. There's a huge kid's room with a door that CLOSES. We have a TV, DVD player, tables and chairs, pool table. I imagine it will be a piece of cake to contain the kids there, and it will be especially helpful on Friday night when we have our pizza night. I'll have to have someone bring a DVD or two for us. There's a big gym, too, where we can play basketball, volleyball, and tennis (or lift weights, which if I get bored enough in the afternoons I just might...). Also, there's a cafe-looking room where the men could meet, or the women could have tea, since there's a small kitchen in there.
Outside is not so great, though. It's in the middle of the touristy Dombai proper. There are a few little pavilions and a kids play area, but mostly just construction and concrete and other businesses. And Tanya says we could go bowling or swimming in a pool not too far away. No lake like in Teberda, but I imagine we can find things to do with our free time. Maybe even get the chance to sit down and talk more (Linda and Michelle!).
kent, there are shower curtains :)
Some rooms have two beds and some three. I guess I should tell them what we want for the team. Things like that sometimes take a while to communicate, so I need to gather up some energy!
Mom (and everyone), I have a local sim card in my phone now, so if you try to call or text my world phone I won't get it. i'm on email often enough though.
Today I went with Nadya, Ruvim, Vitalik, Karina, and Rusik to the "stadium." There's a track, basketball court, handball court, and fields for soccer. The bleachers look like they've been there since the beginning of time. It was fun, though, to see more of what the kids do all day. We played badmitton, rode bikes, etc. Props to Nadya for being 8 months pregnant and still walking across town to the stadium! She is a warrior of a woman, that's for sure.
Speaking of Nadya, she is going to the hospital in Prokladny on the day camp starts. (Sasha and the boys will be at camp though!) She's having a c-section, and they'll keep her in the hospital for 10 days. Can you imagine being in a Russian hospital for 10 days? Sheesh. I kinda secretly hope Little Girl will come early so I can meet her. Her name is Tatyana - Tanya. Nadya is such a free spirit, has always had an infinite amount of energy, and instinctively knows how to raise boys. She's nervous to have a girl, but I know she'll be such a great mom to her.
Nadya and I talk a lot. I ask her lots of questions I wouldn't ask anyone else. Like "why don't women drive here?" She said, "A lot of women do drive here. I just don't because it's easy for me to be independent and strong, and God is teaching me how to rely on my husband more. How to be Mother instead of Mother AND Father. How to be a woman. And so Sasha drives me."
Interesting. A lot of things about this culture and these people are still foreign to me, but I've learned so much. Last summer was the hardest summer of my life, but because of it, I enter into this world with little trouble. It's like muscle memory. I understand my Russian families well, and they understand me. I was worried about not having Walter and Natasja here to translate for me, but it's really not bad at all.
I think the biggest danger for me this year, because living here seems so normal, is to begin feeling like this is ordinary. Like being in the caucuses isn't such a big deal. It is a big deal, in that it gives me an amazing opportunity to spread around a kind of love these people rarely see. I don't want to forget how important this time is.
Don't worry if I don't blog/email/facebook for a while, because I'm doing wonderfully, I just like to unplug more and focus on where I am. I regretted not doing so last year, so I'm trying now.
Family Camp Team: we've decided to try and keep the team together the Sunday night when you get here. A bunch of you will stay with Slavik/tanya, a couple with Sasha/Nadya (Kent), and maybe a few more in Walter and Natasja's upstairs rooms. All three of their houses are on the same street. That way it's easier to get moving in the morning! I think it might actually be possible for us to get to camp by 10.
Kent: another good gift for Ruvim and Vitalik is a matching game. They have one Nadya made, but Nadya was asking about one from America. They play lots of card games in their family, and Uno is getting pretty old and worn out too! She's looking forward to the vitamins. Anything else you need to know?
For God's glory,
Jordan
I slept pretty well last night though -- almost 11 hours. Hard to believe I'm still tired after that, huh? But it's getting better. I'll be adjusted soon. Definitely by the time the tired Americans get here :)
I forgot what I wrote in my last post...did I already tell you about going to visit the English tutor and her family? That was such a crazy afternoon, because even though getting to speak English is refreshing, it wore me out to endure the hours of questions. She was so sweet, of course, but like many people here, she was very amused by me and my American life. Her father in law, too. He asked me everything about my church, about religion, about what I learn in school, about world history. Not sure if he was quizzing me on the history part, or just trying to get an American perspective. Either way, I kept saying "I don't study history, I'm a religion major." Haha. I should probably brush up on those WWII facts...
Yesterday I went with Slavik and Tanya to Dombai to see the new site for Family Camp. Let me just say it is going to be a very different experience. They have (drumroll please) KEY CARDS for the doors to our rooms, and something like 8 floors of rooms. KEY CARDS! We joked last night about how at the Teberda camp the administrator would have to try every single key to find the right one for each room. Haha. No more, my friends! Aparently key cards are unheard of here, but we have them :)
The camp site overall will be a lot better. Inside, that is. There is a kitchen with the coolest wooden tables and chairs and a big fake tree in the middle of the room...I'll just have to post pictures later. We think the women can meet in there, if they are separate from the men this year. There's a huge kid's room with a door that CLOSES. We have a TV, DVD player, tables and chairs, pool table. I imagine it will be a piece of cake to contain the kids there, and it will be especially helpful on Friday night when we have our pizza night. I'll have to have someone bring a DVD or two for us. There's a big gym, too, where we can play basketball, volleyball, and tennis (or lift weights, which if I get bored enough in the afternoons I just might...). Also, there's a cafe-looking room where the men could meet, or the women could have tea, since there's a small kitchen in there.
Outside is not so great, though. It's in the middle of the touristy Dombai proper. There are a few little pavilions and a kids play area, but mostly just construction and concrete and other businesses. And Tanya says we could go bowling or swimming in a pool not too far away. No lake like in Teberda, but I imagine we can find things to do with our free time. Maybe even get the chance to sit down and talk more (Linda and Michelle!).
kent, there are shower curtains :)
Some rooms have two beds and some three. I guess I should tell them what we want for the team. Things like that sometimes take a while to communicate, so I need to gather up some energy!
Mom (and everyone), I have a local sim card in my phone now, so if you try to call or text my world phone I won't get it. i'm on email often enough though.
Today I went with Nadya, Ruvim, Vitalik, Karina, and Rusik to the "stadium." There's a track, basketball court, handball court, and fields for soccer. The bleachers look like they've been there since the beginning of time. It was fun, though, to see more of what the kids do all day. We played badmitton, rode bikes, etc. Props to Nadya for being 8 months pregnant and still walking across town to the stadium! She is a warrior of a woman, that's for sure.
Speaking of Nadya, she is going to the hospital in Prokladny on the day camp starts. (Sasha and the boys will be at camp though!) She's having a c-section, and they'll keep her in the hospital for 10 days. Can you imagine being in a Russian hospital for 10 days? Sheesh. I kinda secretly hope Little Girl will come early so I can meet her. Her name is Tatyana - Tanya. Nadya is such a free spirit, has always had an infinite amount of energy, and instinctively knows how to raise boys. She's nervous to have a girl, but I know she'll be such a great mom to her.
Nadya and I talk a lot. I ask her lots of questions I wouldn't ask anyone else. Like "why don't women drive here?" She said, "A lot of women do drive here. I just don't because it's easy for me to be independent and strong, and God is teaching me how to rely on my husband more. How to be Mother instead of Mother AND Father. How to be a woman. And so Sasha drives me."
Interesting. A lot of things about this culture and these people are still foreign to me, but I've learned so much. Last summer was the hardest summer of my life, but because of it, I enter into this world with little trouble. It's like muscle memory. I understand my Russian families well, and they understand me. I was worried about not having Walter and Natasja here to translate for me, but it's really not bad at all.
I think the biggest danger for me this year, because living here seems so normal, is to begin feeling like this is ordinary. Like being in the caucuses isn't such a big deal. It is a big deal, in that it gives me an amazing opportunity to spread around a kind of love these people rarely see. I don't want to forget how important this time is.
Don't worry if I don't blog/email/facebook for a while, because I'm doing wonderfully, I just like to unplug more and focus on where I am. I regretted not doing so last year, so I'm trying now.
Family Camp Team: we've decided to try and keep the team together the Sunday night when you get here. A bunch of you will stay with Slavik/tanya, a couple with Sasha/Nadya (Kent), and maybe a few more in Walter and Natasja's upstairs rooms. All three of their houses are on the same street. That way it's easier to get moving in the morning! I think it might actually be possible for us to get to camp by 10.
Kent: another good gift for Ruvim and Vitalik is a matching game. They have one Nadya made, but Nadya was asking about one from America. They play lots of card games in their family, and Uno is getting pretty old and worn out too! She's looking forward to the vitamins. Anything else you need to know?
For God's glory,
Jordan
Oh my word-KEY CARDS, shower curtains, working electronics???? A-MAZING! The new camp facilities sound incredible!!! So extremely excited for you guys!! I can't wait to see pics and hear all about camp life this year!!! I love reading your updates!!! Praying for Nadya and baby girl. Please give everyone my love!!!
ReplyDeleteHey thanks for the updates! Sounds like you are jumping right back into the Russian life pretty quickly. That's good to hear. Don't worry about contacting me, I'm fine. You just enjoy your time there and listen for God's leading. I'll continue praying and praying for you and for them. Divine appointments! I love you so much. Mom. (Can't figure out how to get my name to show up like everyone else.:( )
ReplyDeleteas much as i see the key cards being cool....i am defiantly worried about them...i feel like they will work once and we will have to get them "keyed up again..." as for the dvds...um do we have one for fri night?
ReplyDelete