Did you know you all have a twin somewhere on the other side of the world? I have seen all of them, except Dan Lambert...there aren’t many red beards around these parts!
The challenges that I have faced thus far have been relational. Working with a group of people that I don’t know at all is more challenging that I thought it would be. Living with two people I don’t know at all is a whole other foreign visit. I have been blessed to live with close friends for four years, so moving in with strangers poses new difficulties. We will work through our challenges though, and I’m sure when school starts, and as we fall into a routine, life will iron many things out for us. Relationships and friendships have begun to form for me, but as always, it can sometimes be a slow and painful process.
The adventures of week two began with a trip to the Russian banya. The banya is a bathhouse -- there is one for the ladies and one for the gentleman -- that consists of a sauna, but it is much hotter than any sauna I ever imagined, and icy cold baths. It is as clean and as beautiful as a salon in the states, with leather couches, tiled mosaics, marble benches, rows of showers, statues, and professional manicurists and masseuses ready at your service. I left the banya after 3 hours feeling very pampered and clean. There will be many more trips to this Russian house of luxury!
During another adventure, our group went to the new Christ the Risen Savior Cathedral. It was torn down by Stalin so he could build a swimming pool, was rebuilt just recently, and only opened this past year. This stunning palace was awe-inspiring. I would have taken pictures inside if I could have; the paintings of Biblical scenes and Saints covered the walls and ceilings. They were so detailed, so intricate. Candles were lit for the saints everywhere. The floors were intricately laid with marble, in complicated mosaics. It was beautiful.
We walked around Gorky Park, which became a sort of amusement park after a couple of feet of rolling hills and a pretty pond. I wasn’t very impressed by this, probably because it seemed like it was just there to suck our money away. One day we also visited the tourist market, which is on the other side of the city. I mostly priced things, and will go back to really buy things. It was like another swap meet with every "Russian" item you ever dreamed of. There were matryoshka dolls, samovars, handpainted boxes, dresses, chess sets, and craft items. They even had those fuzzy hats -- and it’s still August!
I have taken on a "job" at my new church. I will type and then have the bulletin printed each week. There isn’t much to this job, and I get to work on the computer at one of the elder’s houses, which is a nice break from my normal routine. They have four adorable kids, and have fed me a wonderful dinner the two times that I have been to their house. The time I get to fellowship with them is more of a reward than any reward I could receive for doing the bulletin. They have provided me with the home that I need while I am away from my own.
This past week, after church, we were invited out to Nathan and Amanda’s house for lunch. Amanda used to be an MES teacher, and now she and her husband work at the US Embassy here. They live out in Rosinka. Let me try to convey Rosinka to you in words. Think American suburbs, a typical neighborhood with town homes, side by side, all similar. When you enter this community, which is about 45 minutes from our apartment by metro and bus, you enter another America. There are many Americans that live there, as well as a few other foreigners, but the US Embassy owns many of the homes. It is a self-contained community, with a lake (complete with paddle-boats and rowboats); a mini-market; a sports complex with a pool, weight room, bowling alley, and rec. center; an emergency clinic; and its own security system. Quite amazing for the back country of Moscow. It was an enjoyable afternoon out of the city for all of us. We met several more Russians, ate good ole’ burgers and watermelon, went bowling and boating, and just relaxed as we began the last week of our vacation.
We think school starts this coming Sunday, the first, but it may be on the second. Who knows!? Going with the flow around here...I’m not sure when I will begin actually teaching, but it looks like I may end up teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. My days will be long, with at least an hour commute each way. The first day, whenever it is, is an opening ceremony, with lots of presents for the teachers and shows put on by various groups. I’m sure it will be an adventure.
Many of you have said you heard about an apartment complex that blew up in Moscow. That is American sensationalism, since there was nothing in the news here of it. I have no idea where it was; the natural gas that flows, without lighters, into many apartments, is bound to have the same effect many more times in the future. The situation is a fireman’s nightmare -- old buildings, crammed with people, and gas that just gets turned on and lit with a match for each meal. All I can do is say, "Its Russia!", pray, and be careful. I’m sure we will be fine. Thank you for your concern, and I still covet your prayers for my safety.
I have been working to get my photos on the Internet, and hope to paste the address of the web site on the end of this letter. Connections are slow and uncertain here, but I am working on finding a good one!
While I was in college, a good friend returned from a mission trip, wanting not to be at school, but back on the mission field. My advice for him was this: “Wherever you are, be ALL there.” It is my turn to heed my own advice. Only I have the opposite problem as he did! I want to have my heart and my mind here, in this place, but I often wonder what you are doing in your place. Thank you so much to those of you who have written me and filled me in on your life. I promise that when internet connections get smoothed out I will write you back. It helps me be more completely here when I know what is going on there. I know that doesn’t make sense, but it is true!
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