Hi all! I'm writing from Kiev again after three months in the States - months of very little blogging (sorry!)
The NYC to Kiev flght was pretty long and filled with a bunch of young 'work and travel' Ukrainians, but thankfully, Delta gives you earplugs! Just wish that economy class seats leaned back a bit more... :)
Guess
where
this
was taken?
Well, after jet lag wears off some more (or maybe because it doesn't!) I'll be back on the blog, blogging away . . .
poka!
-julie
Funny title: 'on this shore.' Sounds more like a new album by Iona than a statement about my location--especially considering we aren't on the shores of anything except the creek behind our house. Or the Beaver or Ohio Rivers, I guess. :)
I've been back in the US since June 14th, when I flew to Pittsburgh with four of the nine who'd come to Ukraine for a 10-day visit. The team was great! I'll post a pic soon.
Apologies to all who actually read my blog. I've not written much or well in the last month or two! Always seems to go in fits and starts. If you are reading this and want to get regular up-to-date ministry/mission reports, leave a comment with your email address, and I'll put you on my newsletter list!
...more later...
hello again...just sharing memories of the trip home as they come...trying to make the blog a little more personal, since I'd love to have 'my people' talk back to me! :)
So, this italian airline really does have very little leg room, and I'm not that tall! Had to literally straddle my seat-mates to get up and use the restroom. Kind of embarassing for us all. The food is good though - but definitely not 'south beach.' They give you a main dish with a side of potato. Pasta on the side with that. And a roll. And a cake! You can almost imagine the flight attendants saying 'eat up! mama mia! you are so thin! eat!' :)
Backtrack to Pittsburgh when I left mom and dad at security, took off the shoes, back on, grasping coat and backpack and purse and shoes...and rode the shuttle to my gate. Looked at the waiting area and found empty seat near harmless and sweet-looking older couple. Then i realized their daughter who was seeing them off was speaking to them in Hungarian, a language I only recognize by its distinctive 'vampire' intonation (think 'i want to suck your blood') and a few transitional words I've just heard so often I feel like I know them, though I don't really.
I sat staring at them now and then, just like Ukrainians stare at me whenever I ride a bus with another American and speak English (or even if we don't speak). They probably thought I was a stalker or serial killer or something. Was trying to figure out whether to say hi and when in front of the sweet and protective mid-aged daughter. I decided to wait and see. Boarded the Delta flight (with normal amount of leg-room) and who knew? the Hungarians were right behind me, and I mumbled something that I told myself was a sentence with the word 'Magyar' in it, trying to ask if they were Hungarian - and she responded as if I'd done it right. After that I had to quickly explain that I was only faking and knew just a little tiny bit. Explained to her in more broken Hungarian that I had friends in Hungary and that's why I knew a couple words -- but I think what I probably really told her was, 'I have a boyfriend in Hungary' - which isn't true, at least not to my knowledge! :)
Either way, it was one of those fun experiences that reminds me why I love living in Europe, being a missionary, having vague tiny bits of knowing a few things in this 'other' world. We wished each other a good arrival or trip or something. Actually I said 'to your health' in bad hungarian again, and she gave me 2 or 3 other appropriate versions, to which I said 'God bless you' or 'God welcomes you' or both (or neither)?
A few dear friends taught me when i first got here, say what you know even if you know nothing, and people will love you for it. It's a way of reaching out and saying you want to build a bridge.
I wonder how else - how many other times - there's a chance to throw out a word, a smile, a common experience to someone - to build a bridge?
For the last few weeks I've been out of my usual country and in a new one. Several people ask me each time I'm in the US, 'How's Russia?" to which I must answer, "Well, I'm not sure. I've never been there. I live in Ukraine."
So finally, I'm in Russia. For real. The real deal. It feels so big. A bit more sure of itself than Ukraine. Just as frustrated. A little more proud. A good bit more grandiose. A good deal less familiar. . . . And so much bigger than this little piece I'm getting to see by visiting one city for one month.
But here I am in St. Petersburg, the former Leningrad, the former Petrograd, the former St. Petersburg, the Venice of the North. Beautiful canals. Lots of tourists (it's August after all). Coffee shops. More opportunities to spend/waste money. Enigmatic people.
Believe it or not, despite the many incomplete sentences I just used in the above paragraphs - I'm here studying English and learning my grammar again! I can almost discern present perfect from past perfect, and past continuous from past continuous passive....argh!
Though St. Pete is a good deal bigger and a bit more intimidating than Kiev, I do feel that I've become accustomed to 'city life'. So much so that I almost didn't notice the huge cathedral on fire as I walked home Friday night. The Cathedral of the Trinity (I think that's what it's called) was shooting out flames from it's cupola -- and the view from Gorokhovaya on the canal bridge I was crossing - was impressive. I only noticed because there were so many others stopping and watching the spectacle. On the news that night we saw neighbors and parishioners running in and carrying out icons and other church articles from the beloved cathedral . . .
Some random trivia for you: they have toilet buses in some of the parks here in St Petersburg. It's literally an old bus converted into a restroom -- talk about Port-a John!
I'm not sure where I am half the time -- most of my time is spent in the TEFL bubble with other English-speakers (more English than I've heard and used since last time I was in the States!). But the rest of my time is spent in this city which is similar in some ways to Ukraine, different in many ways, and I'm sure, very different from much of Russia. Russia of very Russia, with a bit of Scandinavia, a bit of France, a good dose of Urban...
I'm getting a bit stream-of-consciousness here so I think I'll close. Just wanted to say 'hello' from this temporary home-for-the-month. I'm learning a lot. A huge thanks to all who've helped me be able to spend this time here!!
We had a great team from Cornerstone Church back at the end of May to take us through the Steps to Freedom in Christ and get us started with the tools for that ministry.
Here's a shot of the team clinging to the side of a mountain in the small ancient town of Kremenets in western Ukraine. We took an excursion on the rainiest day of their one-week trip (not intentionally). As we drove up in our mission van, we saw two men in a car and two young boys on bicycles. The older man got out and asked 'do you have a translator? where's your translator?' and I sheepishly said, 'here, kind of.' He then took us on the grand tour of the hill top, complete with the remains of ancient fortress walls, somewhat steep and very narrow path around the summit, and tales of landmines that haven't yet been found and detonated! Let's just say that we were very proud of the visiting team, who took all the surprises with grace and perseverance :)
