I can't believe my time is coming to an end again. But that is one thing we can always count on, right, time passes. This trip has been so eye-opening.
There is still snow on the ground. Some days it still snows but the days the sun is out the tops layers melt. Those of you that don't live in snow areas might not know this so let me explain. The top melts but then re-freezes at night. That means ice and slippery paths. The path is very treacherous. I have fallen 3 times THIS WEEK and this week is not quite over. Luckily, I learned a long time ago to laugh at all my embarrassing moments. Wed night, Ilya dropped me off and the car was full of people. Janet wanted to wait and see if I got to the door ok. Of course, that would be one of the times I fall. She so nicely rolls down the window and yells to see if I was ok. My rear was not as injured as my pride. hahahahaha Then Thursday night I was walking to the bus with a group of people that live in my neighborhood. Luckily one of them was walking close enough I could grab onto him so I didn't fall on the way down. But I made quite an entertaining show with my arms flying about and my feet slipping over and over. When I finally pulled it all together everyone was laughing (including me) and one of them shouted AGAIN! and another said For the camera. Ugh. hahahaha. Actually, a lot of people are falling. I see at least one a day. It is so so slippery. Today is nice and sunny so there is a little more slush than the past few days. Spring is coming, ever so slowly. I am only wearing one shirt under my giant coat. :-)
There are more teams coming so we are super busy and it takes everything in me to get Joseph to finish his school. I get called the mean teacher be/c I am "torturing" him to read so many pages. Luckily I was raised by a woman that knew being the bad guy is part of being an adult. So, I don't mind being the bad guy so much. I know that in the end he will appreciate not having work, he just doesn't know it yet. hahahaha THANKS MOM! :-)
I will be seein y'all in a couple of weeks.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Uhhhh???
I only have a few minutes to write this but I wanted to tell you guys briefly of my experience with the Russian medical system.
I started the process of applying for the 3 yr temporary residency status. Well, before you can send in any paperwork you much get 4 tests done: HIV, drug, STD and TB. All of these are at different places and you don't have to make an appointment. Every place we were able to walk in and get it done right then. Walking up to the buildings was a little creepy. They looked so run down and sketchy and of course, the first place we go to is the HIV place. As soon as I saw the building, I started praying. It looked so dirty and they were going to take my blood! Whoa!! So, we get in there and the hall is lined with people waiting. Luckily they kinda pushed up to the front of the line. I go to the window and she tells me the price. 245 rubles and that comes to around 7 American dollars and they told me to come back in the next day around 2. Can you believe that?! 7 bucks for an HIV test and there was not even a line and I got my results the very next day. It may be a shady building but it beats the American system in cost and speed! The next place was the drug test. We had to go to a different part of town. There was a little bit of a wait there and of course, I really don't know what exactly is going on. I just do what Olya tells me to do. We go into an office and then follow a woman down the hall to another room. Well, this room was the toilet and I had to pee in a cup, WHILE Olya and the woman were in the room waiting for me. Just a wee bit awkward. hahahaha. And again, right then I got my results. Didn't have to wait or anything. Paid my bill, which was a little more than the HIV. It was 300 rubles. The next stop was the STD place. Apparently this was the building for all communicable diseases. Olya was very uncomfortable in there. She is one of those germy fobes. :-) This place we had to wait an hour and when we finally get into the room, they told us we were in the wrong room. The correct room there was no wait. Got my finger pricked and in 15 min, I found out I was STD free. Not that I was really worried. :-) Lastly, the TB test. This was probably the most awkward of all the tests. In the states, they just give you a shot. Well, in Russia, you have to get a picture taken of your insides and this meant undressing. So, Olya was standing at the door with her hand over her eyes translating for me. It was kinda funny. I would randomly see Olya's hand sticking out pointing. She reassured me I still had my dignity..... I could not imagine having that job and seeing everyone. YUCK! Anyways. That only cost me 60 rubles. I mean really. WOW. Just under 2 bucks. This is crazy stuff.
Yet, after all this I decided not to apply. I am not 100 percent sure this is where God wants me to be and I do not want to hurt my chances of ever coming back at all.
:-)
I started the process of applying for the 3 yr temporary residency status. Well, before you can send in any paperwork you much get 4 tests done: HIV, drug, STD and TB. All of these are at different places and you don't have to make an appointment. Every place we were able to walk in and get it done right then. Walking up to the buildings was a little creepy. They looked so run down and sketchy and of course, the first place we go to is the HIV place. As soon as I saw the building, I started praying. It looked so dirty and they were going to take my blood! Whoa!! So, we get in there and the hall is lined with people waiting. Luckily they kinda pushed up to the front of the line. I go to the window and she tells me the price. 245 rubles and that comes to around 7 American dollars and they told me to come back in the next day around 2. Can you believe that?! 7 bucks for an HIV test and there was not even a line and I got my results the very next day. It may be a shady building but it beats the American system in cost and speed! The next place was the drug test. We had to go to a different part of town. There was a little bit of a wait there and of course, I really don't know what exactly is going on. I just do what Olya tells me to do. We go into an office and then follow a woman down the hall to another room. Well, this room was the toilet and I had to pee in a cup, WHILE Olya and the woman were in the room waiting for me. Just a wee bit awkward. hahahaha. And again, right then I got my results. Didn't have to wait or anything. Paid my bill, which was a little more than the HIV. It was 300 rubles. The next stop was the STD place. Apparently this was the building for all communicable diseases. Olya was very uncomfortable in there. She is one of those germy fobes. :-) This place we had to wait an hour and when we finally get into the room, they told us we were in the wrong room. The correct room there was no wait. Got my finger pricked and in 15 min, I found out I was STD free. Not that I was really worried. :-) Lastly, the TB test. This was probably the most awkward of all the tests. In the states, they just give you a shot. Well, in Russia, you have to get a picture taken of your insides and this meant undressing. So, Olya was standing at the door with her hand over her eyes translating for me. It was kinda funny. I would randomly see Olya's hand sticking out pointing. She reassured me I still had my dignity..... I could not imagine having that job and seeing everyone. YUCK! Anyways. That only cost me 60 rubles. I mean really. WOW. Just under 2 bucks. This is crazy stuff.
Yet, after all this I decided not to apply. I am not 100 percent sure this is where God wants me to be and I do not want to hurt my chances of ever coming back at all.
:-)
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Oh what a difference......
Just a few days, weeks or months can make. I was reading my journal entries from when I first got here and I am in such a different place. Life is still hard but God is greater and I am closer to Him than I was and He is still blessing me by allowing me to draw closer and hear Him more. :-) I met an awesome guy who just so happens to be Canadian. It is wonderful being able to speak the same language. But besides the mushy girl talk, I will not bore you with all those details. I only have 4 weeks and I am just getting settled into life here. Here are some mini-adventures for ya.......
My outdoor key was broken and we do not have a intercom/phone in our apartment to call to let us in. Well, there are times when I am walking home alone and that means I have to call some random persons apartment and ask them to open the door for me. By this point, I am decent in communication. I, of course, can understand soooo much more and sometimes even answer people in English be/c I know what they are saying. I digress..... The apartment door. I found one number where the lady was nice enough to let me in, when she was home. When she was not home well, I had to wait for someone going in or out. Not so fun in the snot freezing cold. We eventually got new keys but didn't know a guy had to meet us at the apartment to put the code on, it's an electronic key. Again, I am calling and waiting. This went on for 2 or 3 weeks. We finally get an appointment to meet the guy but he wasn't there when we got there and yet again, we had to call. Luckily this was after church one night and I didn't have to wait by myself. We called so many people. One lady was so angry with us she was yelling at us through the intercom and she said she was tired of opening the door for us and she was going to "give it to us" when we got off the elevator. She lives across the hall from us and you know what, she was out in the hall waiting for us. She was actually changing a light bulb but the instand we got out of the elevator she started in on us. I didn't really catch all of what she was saying but there was three of us and one of her so, I think she decided against "giving it to us" and just stuck to yelling. :-) That next morning the man came and I haven't had to call anyone since.
Last Sunday, my roommate gave her key to a girl that stays with us sometimes. Well, this girl didn't know we don't lock both locks on the door. I don't have a key for the second lock and I got home around 10 and no one was home, and no one but me was coming home. I waited in the hall way an hour until Ilya found the extra key to come let me in. I think I may have even fell asleep sitting on the stairs. He came with one of his neighbors just in case it wasn't actually the lock and we had to do something else. Well, it turns out that this man just had a birthday and was having the Bantseev family over for cake. Since he was there, he invited me to and I couldn't say no even though it was 11 and all I wanted to do was just be in the apartment. So, I went. We were trying to leave around 12:30 when someone knocked on their door. It was one of the guys from the church who happens to be a cab drivers. Well, his car got stolen from him that night from the police! He has a twin brother who is always owing people money and he owed the police some. Since they look just alike the wrong one got beat up and gets that quite a bit. So, there was a little more drama that night. I finally made it home a little after 1. Oh man, there are some crazy times here and then there are the times I sit at home all night and ponder the meaning of life. hahahaha
Today, I did not go to the drug district be/c there wasn't going to be anyone to translate for me. But last week, the couple that we talked to came to the service and both of them were drunk. The guy had the thickest, scariest scars all over his arms and he was broken on the inside. He told us he tried drugs before but just drinks now. Apparently his mom is dying of cancer and he drinks be/c he doesn't know how to handle it. And when these people drink here, THEY DRINK. Friday around 3 in the afternoon, I saw 2 men out the window who could barely stand up. They were talking on the phone and trying to hold each other up. It is so amazing that people can still function in that state. It is a blessing in disguise that they pass out so they will stop drinking. There are a lot of deaths here from people passing out in the snow and freezing. The youth pastor's mom died that way. One of the church members doesn't have hands be/c he fell in the snow drunk. I can't imagine having frostbite. There were several days here that were below -30, even -41 one day, and my hands hurt so bad! Honestly, I can't believe I am living in such a cold place. Crazy.
Well, I am sure there are things I am forgetting but I figure this is long enough to keep you entertained for just a bit. :-)
My outdoor key was broken and we do not have a intercom/phone in our apartment to call to let us in. Well, there are times when I am walking home alone and that means I have to call some random persons apartment and ask them to open the door for me. By this point, I am decent in communication. I, of course, can understand soooo much more and sometimes even answer people in English be/c I know what they are saying. I digress..... The apartment door. I found one number where the lady was nice enough to let me in, when she was home. When she was not home well, I had to wait for someone going in or out. Not so fun in the snot freezing cold. We eventually got new keys but didn't know a guy had to meet us at the apartment to put the code on, it's an electronic key. Again, I am calling and waiting. This went on for 2 or 3 weeks. We finally get an appointment to meet the guy but he wasn't there when we got there and yet again, we had to call. Luckily this was after church one night and I didn't have to wait by myself. We called so many people. One lady was so angry with us she was yelling at us through the intercom and she said she was tired of opening the door for us and she was going to "give it to us" when we got off the elevator. She lives across the hall from us and you know what, she was out in the hall waiting for us. She was actually changing a light bulb but the instand we got out of the elevator she started in on us. I didn't really catch all of what she was saying but there was three of us and one of her so, I think she decided against "giving it to us" and just stuck to yelling. :-) That next morning the man came and I haven't had to call anyone since.
Last Sunday, my roommate gave her key to a girl that stays with us sometimes. Well, this girl didn't know we don't lock both locks on the door. I don't have a key for the second lock and I got home around 10 and no one was home, and no one but me was coming home. I waited in the hall way an hour until Ilya found the extra key to come let me in. I think I may have even fell asleep sitting on the stairs. He came with one of his neighbors just in case it wasn't actually the lock and we had to do something else. Well, it turns out that this man just had a birthday and was having the Bantseev family over for cake. Since he was there, he invited me to and I couldn't say no even though it was 11 and all I wanted to do was just be in the apartment. So, I went. We were trying to leave around 12:30 when someone knocked on their door. It was one of the guys from the church who happens to be a cab drivers. Well, his car got stolen from him that night from the police! He has a twin brother who is always owing people money and he owed the police some. Since they look just alike the wrong one got beat up and gets that quite a bit. So, there was a little more drama that night. I finally made it home a little after 1. Oh man, there are some crazy times here and then there are the times I sit at home all night and ponder the meaning of life. hahahaha
Today, I did not go to the drug district be/c there wasn't going to be anyone to translate for me. But last week, the couple that we talked to came to the service and both of them were drunk. The guy had the thickest, scariest scars all over his arms and he was broken on the inside. He told us he tried drugs before but just drinks now. Apparently his mom is dying of cancer and he drinks be/c he doesn't know how to handle it. And when these people drink here, THEY DRINK. Friday around 3 in the afternoon, I saw 2 men out the window who could barely stand up. They were talking on the phone and trying to hold each other up. It is so amazing that people can still function in that state. It is a blessing in disguise that they pass out so they will stop drinking. There are a lot of deaths here from people passing out in the snow and freezing. The youth pastor's mom died that way. One of the church members doesn't have hands be/c he fell in the snow drunk. I can't imagine having frostbite. There were several days here that were below -30, even -41 one day, and my hands hurt so bad! Honestly, I can't believe I am living in such a cold place. Crazy.
Well, I am sure there are things I am forgetting but I figure this is long enough to keep you entertained for just a bit. :-)
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