Post-KGB Russia truly dysfunctional

Ex-agent: Post-KGB Russia truly dysfunctional
By Jack Markowitz
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, October 30, 2005

Want to do business in Russia? Hire an ex-KGB man. Nothing like good old-fashioned experience in the secret police to keep Russia's criminal gangs out of your shop.

Such is the implied advice of 73-year-old Moscow businessman Victor Cherkashin -- by no surprise an ex-KGB man. Even "prominent liberals," he claims, agree that the KGB produced "among the least corrupt members of the new society."

Cherkashin doesn't hide that he regrets the breakup of the KGB and, indeed, the evil empire itself.

He blames the reckless flirting with freedom of ex-President Mikhail Gorbachev, "overcome by praise" from then-President Ronald Reagan and then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Even Gorbachev's drive against the national weakness of alcoholism -- a public relations winner, you'd think -- proved "immeasurably harmful." Less vodka came from the factories, Cherkashin says, but more people died swilling "samogon," moonshine. And the Soviets' top domestic source of income dwindled.

Cherkashin has issued a book, "Spy Handler," with American journalist Gregory Feifer, highlighting his glory years in counterintelligence in Washington. It was he who "handled" two of America's worst traitors ever -- the CIA's Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen of the FBI. (Both left enough clues that the CIA and FBI should have caught them, but they're too "risk-averse," says the Russian. Public criticism, firings and scandals scare them.)

Retiring in 1991, Cherkashin badly needed a second career. He opened a leather company spun off by the government, but soon left it -- too many Communist functionaries kept butting in. He tried buying and selling surplus military uniforms, gas masks and imported cigarettes, then became security chief of First Russian Bank, set up with "an American partner," unnamed.

Mafia-type gangs were specially targeting banks that grew fat on the profits from give-away sales of state property. Bankers regularly were gunned down. Police were no help -- they were shaking victims down themselves. Only men with intelligence backgrounds had the skills needed to neutralize the Mafias. Cherkashin's security force grew to 150.

"We often feared for our lives," he writes. A man hired to negotiate with gangs was shot dead in the office. The bank had to turn to a government "special services" group in the SVR, successor to the KGB. Ironically, First Russian Bank failed anyway, due to "siphoning" of depositor accounts, including $70 million from an oil company. By then Cherkashin had formed his own private security firm, which today employs 100 workers -- many of them ex-KGB -- at shopping malls, offices and film studios.

As for current business conditions, the Russian cautiously observes: "Stability doesn't necessarily mean rule of law."

Second-term President Vladimir Putin "has done much to shut down individual purveyors of influence under his predecessor (Boris Yeltsin)," he says, but "corrupt insider politics (has) grown."


Jack Markowitz can be reached at jmarkowitz@tribweb.com

Agriculture Minister Blasts Russian Press

Agriculture minister blasts Russian press over bird flu
28/10/2005 11:53

CHEBOSKARY, October 28 (RIA Novosti)-Russian Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev criticized the Russia media Friday for sensationalizing the bird flu situation in the country.
"This subject will be closed and forgotten in a week or two," he told journalists.
He said he thought that there had been too much unfounded commotion in the press about bird flu and called the media's response to the scare "unprofessional".

Tuesday!!!!!

Okay, so the oven is here and Tom moved it in to the kitchen. However, Ervand is sick. So he cannot get Alexei the tools he needs until Tuesday. The dream I had of having a completed kitchen by the end of the week is no more. I have a great looking Bosch oven sitting in the kitchen.... Oh well. It won't go anywhere!

Lena came by for a tutoring session today. Spencer went to work at the Children's Home. Nathan was sick and Tom took a much needed nap. So it was just Lena and me. I was thrilled. We worked on my school work and then we listened to a worship CD in Russian and she helped me with a few words that I could not quite get. Did you ever do that back in highschool? You know, listen to a song over and over until you know all the words? Try doing it in another language it is a hoot! I finally have the words to four of the 16 songs on the CD. I made her a copy of the CD and now she can go home and listen to it. So next week when we work on it she will already know all the words. She will just be helping me figure it out!

We put in a request for funds today to buy Russian New Testaments for the Rehab Center. They have wanted them for awhile but could not afford them.

I think in about six more months I should have the language skills to start an Al-Anon meeting here. We will then put in a request for funds for literature. I am excited to be able to understand more and more each week.

Lena is asking for prayer. She has been asked to teach at the BLTC next year. Tom and I are very excited for her but she is nervous. We think she is an excellent teacher. She will teach on The Woman's Role in The Church.

Before Lena left our home today she heard Tom snoring.... he was asleep in the livingroom while we were working. She wanted me to get my dictaphone and make a recording of him! She said Alexei had done this to her once. I told her I didn't know where my dictaphone was! I didn't want Tom to be upset. We are pleased that she is getting so comfortable with us that she would even suggest something like that!

We helped her send a text message to Alexei. He is up near Nalchik doing a seminar and won't be back until Monday. Since she was writing to her "sweetheart" on my cell phone Tom made sure she signed HER name to it. He didn't want Alexei to think it came from me!

these lessons really work!

Spencer and I went to stock up on food today. We have not really done a big shopping trip since we returned from Ukraine. So today was the day. Which meant a taxi to come home. I have gotten a taxi before but I have at times felt slightly uncomfortable because they might ask me something I don't know or I cannot quite tell them how to get to our house. Well, thanks to Lesson 12 I can now tell them exactly how to get to my house. I told the driver my building number and then my apartment number and I saw the confused look on his face. You know "the where is that?" look. I told him it was not far from Sograt and he understood. Then when we got to the right street I was able to tell him to keep going straight and where to turn. I could even tell him which entrance number was mine. I learned the word entrance in lesson 12 "podyesd" we live in Podyesd number 1. So when he stopped at number 7 I didn't have to do sign language I could say "Nyet nomer sem. Mwee zhivoot podyesd Nomer Odeen!" (Not number seven. We live at entrance number one!)

Spencer was relieved.... at first when we moved here I would have the taxi drivers drop us off at the grocery store about a block and a half from our house. Now I can direct them to our front door! If only I could get them to bring the groceries up the flour flights of stairs!!!!! Oh well, we have teens with us for at least two-three years!

My oven is here... kinda

I have an oven in the house.... right here beside me in the hallway. At least the dostofka (delivery) men brought it up the four flights of stairs. But after that we have no idea what they said to us. I spoke with him on the phone and could not understand him so I handed the phone to Lena. Lena got off the phone and said SHE could not understand him either. Four hours later when they finally show up Lena is not here and neither Tom nor I know what in the world this guy is saying so he finally just said "dosveedonyah" (goodbye) and left. Which brings me to where I have an oven sitting in the hall right in front of Nathan's doorway. Hopefully, tomorrow Alexei (Ella's husband) will show up and cut the counter tops to install the oven and sink and the kitchen will be complete.

I have learned the meaning of the Apostle Paul's words when he says "I have learned to be content..." I am ok with how we are living right now. I would love to have the kitchen finished but I know of greater trials others are going through and I can be content knowing that I do have a water source and a way to cook. We are clean, fed & housed and that is a good thing!

Watch what you say!

In class today Madina told us that we are not supposed to say "I want you" In Russian this does not translate well and has a sexual connotation. She gave us a different phrase to use. After giving us some scripts to use she had us role play calling each on the phone but asking for a family member who was not in the room. When it was time for Janet and I to role play she told me to call and ask Janet if I could speak to Patrick ( Janet's husband). Janet looked me in the eye and said " you better not be using the wrong phrase!" Our teacher laughed so hard it took several minutes for our class to get back on track. When we finally regained composure I made sure I asked for him correctly! I don't want to cross her!


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Later: After school a group of us went to the zoopark. It was a small one but very clean. It is strange to be in a zoo where you are so close to the animals. And the signs posted tell YOU not to frighten the animals! The only animal not really able to get near people was the crocodile. And I was grateful for that. The amount of blood visible in his cage showed the size of bunny they had just fed to him! Nathan thought that the falcon eating a bunny was pretty cool so he wanted me to see the no-headed bunny laying in the bottom of it's cage. I have that visual stuck in my head now. Thanks a lot Nathan.

I took only two pictures of the guys standing in front of the zoo sign with Liza and Natasha. They are around 21& 22. They told Jody they wanted to get their photo taken with the guys. Because they thought that Nathan and Spencer were very beautiful! Just what a mother wants to hear..... I can understand them being interested in Nathan he is close to their age. Spencer is only 15. Back away from the young one Devoshkee! (young women)

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Language Mistakes:
*I told Lena that a my pie crust recipe had moohah (flies) instead of mookah
(flour)
*Janet asked her nanny for smetana (sour cream) instead of salfetki (napkin) to wipe her daughter's face.
*And Nathan was trying to correct me when I said Caputsin monkey incorrectly. He said I was saying kapusta (cabbage) and that Kapusta is Ketchup. I said "um... Nathan it's ok if you correct me but make sure you are saying the right word. Kapusta is not Ketchup. It's Cabbage...."

Nathan: "OH! Sorry, Mama!"

Школа!

Школа! School. Monday is normally a difficult day back and yet suprisingly everyone had a great day! It was nice for Tom and Spencer because their class was just the two of them with their other classmates out of the country right now.

Nathan and I only had half a day of class and the other half the director came in to speak with us about how we are doing so far.

We asked questions about culture and school lessons.

I asked why someone would call Spencer a помидор? (pomidor, tomato) He was wearing a red coat and it was one of the puffy ones. Tania said it was a joke! She said that it is perfectly acceptable for someone his age to wear that type of jacket.

I found out why people think I am European. It is my clothing. I have completely changed the way I dress. Most of my clothes were purchased here. I slip an American piece in occaisionally. But I look like I come from Great Britain or France. And now with cooler weather and my regularly wearing a hat... definitely French is what people are saying! Besides, people here assume that no Americans would come here because it is so far away.

Tom has decided he wants a fedora hat. He is already wearing a black leather jacket. Tim said to Tom "you know what you need to look like the Russian Mafia? Nothing! You already look like the mafia." I told him if he gets the fedora he will look like the Italianskya Mafioso!

Plita, Halelujah!

oo menyah yest plita! I have a stove! Finally. We went out to Krasnaya Ploshad and found a reasonably priced Bosch. We got a partial reimbursement on our expenses in Ukraine. And that gave us enough to purchase the last appliance for the kitchen. Tom can call the plumber out and we will have a full working kitchen ... maybe by the end of the week?!

When we purchased the plita we picked up two DVD's and some conditioner for the iron. We went to the front desk which is what I thought I understood we were supposed to do. Wrong. They brought out the plita and the range hood. Whoa.... we cannot get that home on the bus. When I saw it I made my eyes get big and looked at the poor guy bringing it out and said "dostofka nada" Delivery is needed! He told me to go back to the other department and arrange for delivery. Whew... that was a relief. Tom kept saying "gestapo" and I was trying to ignore him so I would not forget the word dostofka! He is so helpful.... sometimes more than others. On the way home he changed gestapo to mufasa. I told him that was at least closer!
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On the way home Tom was looking out the window and motioned for me to look out at this taxi driver who was standing beside his taxi eating an ice cream cone. Tom said "it's Harry Belafonte driving a taxi and eating ice cream!" Honestly, that is what it looked like!

Prayer concerns

Every six months we have to leave the country for visa purposes. Once a year it will be to renew the visa completely; like we just did in Ukraine. The other time it will be just to get the passport stamped and come back. Our resources were strained severely when we had to stay in Ukraine for an extended amount of time. We are looking ahead to March and are concerned about whether or not we can afford to make it to WorldVenture's Leadership Conference in Johannesburg, So Africa...

That trips hits at the time when we have to leave the country to get our passports stamped. It is not a renewal time. We will need to leave the country in March. At least for a day.

*Please pray that we will be wise in how our resources are used.

*Pray that if we are supposed to go to the Leadership Conference that the support will be provided in such a way that the answer will be clear to us!

*Pray for us as we will be undergoing testing these next few weeks over everything we have learned at language school for the past 13 weeks.

We appreciate everyone who comes here to read...

There have been over 4000 visits to this blog since July. Thank you and may God bless you richly!

Yah oochoose Angleeski yahzeek

I teach the English Language! Tamara asked me if I would teach her fifth graders a song. I decided to teach a song from the Wizard of Oz. As I walked into the room with the DVD a few of the boys said "that is a kids movie" I said "oh no it is not!" I let them know that EVERYONE in America knows the words to 'Follow the Yellow Brick Road'. Because it is shown in America on TV every year. That made a difference.... "everybody in America?" "Yes, everybody!"

I had to sing it for them first and they all clapped loudly and they were ready to sing as soon as I was done. We sang it through maybe 10 times. Then Nathan & I judged their poetry. It was interesting that we chose the same three winners that were chosen in the official contest!

Spencer went back to work at the children's home today. He says they have a new boy who is having some problems.

Tom was not able to go to the Rehab Center to work today because they could not find a male translator. He is not allowed to take a woman down there with all those men!

We had Tim Watson and Dave Henderson here for dinner. It was good to see Tim for the second night in a row. Joy had sent some goodies for us. A CD for Nathan and Spencer and yarn and beads for me and Tom! Tim and Joy won't be back here until May. Joy is having surgery. Please pray that all goes well and that she will recover quickly.

Dave's wife Shari is ill too. She will be having some tests soon. It is not easy with recovering from the Dengi fever they contracted while in the Philipines. It has been good to meet Dave. He is our field superviser for Russia. He lives in Moscow. He will be back to see us in January and hopefully Shari will come with him on that trip.

Lena came over today and we had a great language time. I didn't work on the lesson. We just talked. And she told me that I just need to work on grammer and sentence construction. I am still using English word order with Russian words and that doesn't work. I will get the hang of it. She told me how pleased she was with both Spencer and Nathan's progress. They are both talking more. Spencer is asking her questions now in Russian and Nathan is having conversations. She hit her brother yesterday (Nathan told me) because he was talking too fast. He is hard to understand when he talks fast. It is her younger brother.... She made him slow down and talk to the boys so they could understand him. I saw him at her house on Tuesday when I had lunch over there. He was talking fast and had his mouth full. Only Lena makes bliny ( Russian pancakes)like her mother so his wife Olya doesn't make them for him! Anyway, I kept asking him to repeat what he said so I could answer his question!

Tom had a good lesson with Lena too. She gave each of us individual attention this week. We all needed it. I could hear her working with Tom she was drilling him on verbs and how to conjugate them. She is such a good friend and teacher.... God is so wonderful to us. It really could have gone south and not worked out for our friend to work with us on language. I think she is naturally gifted. She really cares about us learning the language so she puts her all into it!

Rakovina

We have a kitchen sink now! Somebody call a plumber quick to come and install my new sink! Tom and I skipped out on a session with Lena to go and get a sink. Both things were important but one was a little more urgent...

We found a great deal on a double stainless steel sink and two mirrors. One mirror for the bathroom and one for the hallway.

Now seriously somebody call the plumber!

Lesson 11

Do Quail come in flocks? As I rode home on the bus today I saw a flock of quail and a chicken out on the side of the road. Do you think the chicken felt like an oddball?


Nathan & I are on lesson 11 of 150. We can now invite someone out to eat. We got divided into pairs to role play. Nathan was paired with our teacher Madena. Nathan then asked Madena if he could practice with Michelle (the only single girl in class). When Michelle agreed to go to dinner with him Nathan did a classic Napolean Dynamite hand gesture; you know the one where if you score a goal you put your hand in the air as if you have grabbed something and then close your hand into a fist and then excitedly whisper "Yes!" He apologized to her later in case he embarrassed her. It was a great stress reliever for all of us to laugh so hard.

Janet was shocked that:

1) Nathan would ask someone older than him

and

2) that he would do it in front of his mom!

He said it wasn't 'for reals' so it didn't count! Jody asked Nathan if it was an excuse to get his "mack on" Nathan denies having "mack" but Janet's husband Patrick was quick to quip "I have a Mac!"

(as in MacIntosh computer) and together we can all groan.....

Back to School

Oi! School is hard enough in English... imagine being 42 years old, looking at the board and seeing Russian letters in cursive and trying to decode them in order to transfer them from your brain onto the page in front of you in print! Ochen Trudnah. very difficult. Figuring out how to print again seemed like a foreign concept. The Russian was easy to understand. But, the teacher wrote in cursive and I wanted to print... how do I do that?

We all met our new teachers today. Tom and Spencer have Tonya. The teacher that Nathan and I had. And Nathan and I have Madina. The teacher that Spencer and Tom used to have.

It was so good to see our friends again. Lots of hugs and "glad to see you again" went around! Mike and Kathy have to leave for a month because Kathy's dad has to go into a nursing home. Robert and Ann will be gone for two weeks to take care of their visas. Judy B. has to leave for a women's retreat and a meeting. We just came back and our friends have to leave!

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correction: Kathy's Dad is ill not Mike's and Kathy has to take a month off of school. Learning Russian is difficult and to miss additional weeks of school (on top of visa trips) makes it even harder; please pray for them!

Baptism

A cold cloudy morning on the side of the lake was the scene for our church baptism. My thought when it started to rain was "maybe summer is a better idea". I didn't get to vote!

The five gals who were baptized seemed thrilled. Klaus and Valodya got it done fast and we all went back to church for lunch. Nathan and Hannah (18 & 9) talked about how neat it was that the church rented a bus and drove eveyone to the park just for the event. It was exciting to celebrate this as a family. And we enjoyed being back with our family to experience it all.

Make sure to check http://www.sharpmomphotos.blogspot.com for the photos from today!

Radiator drama

Spencer really should tell this story. Today when we woke up (ok so it was about two this afternoon) we just got back from a 23 hour bus ride remember! So what happened was this... Spencer notices his wall is leaking... then he notices his ceiling is leaking so we start moving really fast to get his belongings out of the way so nothing gets ruined.

Tom calls our contractor Alexei who takes a while to show up so Spencer stands there holding a bucket to catch the water that is pouring out of the pipe in the ceiling and Tom is handling a leak that is a huge bulge in the corner of the ceiling. Tom has a great attitude and is keeping everything in perspective. He keeps telling us this is not New Orleans. It will be ok. I found as many towels as possible for the guys to clean the floor with. And then I left for the bank and other errands that had to be done. On my way out I called Valentin and he came by when he got off work. Alexei got here at some point and they got the water turned off for the building and that stopped the flooding in our place! Everything will be repaired tomorrow (maybe!)

Valentin said that there was a notice on the news today for people to stay home because they were going to fill the radiators with water. And that someone should be home in case of leaks.

New photos posted

Make sure to check out the new photos at www.sharpmomphotos.blogspot.com

Glad to be home!

When we got back to Krasnodar I actually did not recognize the city. I have only been to the bus station once and not being a morning person I don't remember the ride there. Tom got us a taxi in the pouring rain and we made it home.

Our friends Lena and Olya were at our house waiting for us. It was so good to see them. Spencer called our home to see if anyone would answer the phone. When Olya answered I knew that there would be food waiting for us! And she did not disappoint! Chicken and rice and hot tea was such a treat after being on a bus for twenty three hours...

Lena was so happy that we had kept in touch by text message with them. It was worth the 8$ for the new chip. I can save it for the next time we go to Ukraine! She especially liked the message I sent about making a homemade water bottle. Alexei will fill a bottle with water as hot as you can stand it and put that in the bed to warm it up. There are no "hotwater" bottles as we know them here. I remembered his story and used a half liter water bottle to make a foot warmer..... it kept my feet toasty until I fell asleep!

Now we have all eaten and watched a movie and even though we need showers we are ready for bed! We are safe and warm at home.
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Due to the incident in Nalchik there was an increased police presence along the way. The bomb sniffing dogs were out to sniff the cargo hold of the bus and the bag I was carrying for Tom. Rebels use women to carry bombs now! So my "bag" was sniffed in our group and noone else's! This was our first experience with passport control after a major event. Nothing really happened out of the ordinary...

On the final passport check point before entering the city the officer there came on board with a rifle. He checked every ID and then left. We are safe and glad to be home.

going home Slava Bogu!

We have our new one year visas in our hands. We will go back to the bus station tonight and get on the bus and finally head to Krasnodar!

We have so much to take back with us....

Books to deliver for Keith

A package to mail for one of the pastors, Alexander.... his might not make it; there is peanut butter in there!

gifts for friends

warm clothes

new books!

We came with four small bags and are leaving with 4 small and 2 large. Plus each of us has shopping bags!

So until we are back at home pray for clean toilets and a safe journey all the way!

A Face that can STOP Traffic

Do you know if you have a face that can stop traffic. I mean if you decide to cross the street just anywhere you want .... will the traffic stop for you? I have watched various people and examined the faces they make. Young men do not have the face. Children, young ladies and babushkas do! They are able to cross the street any where they please and traffic will come to a complete stop for them. Young men must stand there or dodge cars to cross.

Tom tried one day to hail a car to the eye clinic to pick up some medication for Spencer. The one car that finally stopped for him just gave him directions and continued on. I can hail a car very easily when the kids are with me. Single mothers always garner sympathy! I can hail a marzhutka alone or a taxi. I think it depends on the mood of the driver. It also depends on how full the vehicle is when it comes your way!

Before you travel abroad you need to start working on your traffic stopping face.... or borrow a child whichever is easiest!

Our time here is almost over!

We can finally see the end of our time here in Odessa! We left Krasnodar on the 19th of September and by the time we return we will have missed a month of school.

Odessa is a great place to relax and recover from the faster pace life of the bustling city. Odessans place a high value on laughter.

I was trying to take pictures at the Stress conference so I could post them when we get home. One of the PASTORS saw me and kept getting in the way by acting like a gorilla scratching himself...

I asked a question in English on the first night and one of the PASTORS turned around and said "now ask it in Russian".

Sasha was translating for Lee: Lee was talking about the Garden of Gethsemane, however, he mistakenly said Garden of Eden. Several of us called out "Gethsemane!" and he turned to Sasha and asked him to translate the correction. Sasha said "I already did!"

Jokes have been going on all around us. Some by us and some by others... Nothing is sacred!

*******

Today Spencer and I went out to the small Christian bookstore here in town. I was praying for something that I could read. I found a book and tape of Russian and Ukrainian worship songs. Then I found a Bible Study that looks exactly like the material we were using at Capo Beach in the women's group when I first started going. Only it is in Russian. I got so excited. I should be able to translate that book (over the next few years) back into English!

Brownie update

Our dog is doing well at home. She is being taken care of by Robert and Ann. Robert says that she still remembers where she lives. She tries to go there sometimes when they go out for a walk! She will actually make it home before we do. Robert is going to take Brownie over to our apartment and Lena's brother Slavic will start walking her now. He has been staying at our home while we are gone.
*****
Today at lunch Leta told Nathan he could "eat or not eat"! He has been waiting a month for her to say that... She told him last night that babushkas are supposed to make sure kids eat! I told her American babushkas (grandmothers) do it too.

She has resigned herself to the fact that no matter what he eats he will not get fat! Somedays he can eat more that others... Just ask his Tadah; she has seen him pack away pizza & her blonde brownies!

Breakthrough!

This Sunday morning at church was a breakthrough for me. I finally heard a complete sentence and was able to write down something the pastor said. I heard "kazhdee chelovek ochen ochen vazhnee". Every person is very very important. I was shocked that I actually understood a complete sentence.

Tom said he got something this morning too. The final speaker was a cross between the Oxy Clean commerical guy and the Crazy Gideon electronics guy from LA. Tom drew a picture that illustrated his thoughts!

It was good to hear a sermon in English. Lee Hotchkiss also spoke through a translator. We heard our first English sermon in 6 months. That was very refreshing.

Nathan and Spencer got to see Eden and Arwen. Everyone said their goodbyes. We leave here on Thursday and will most likely not see them again for a while. We are making deliveries for them as well as for the Prestons.

Tom was able to attend a Recovery meeting after church. That makes three countries now where he has been able to attend a meeting! It is good for him to make connections. Now this gives us more people to network with. He will attend another meeting tomorrow night also.

Today we were trying to decide what time to have dinner. I asked Tom what he wanted to do he didn't really care. Neither did Nathan or Spencer so I asked Leta what time was best for her "shto vrema loochee?" what time is best? I also wanted to say 'for you' but I could only think 'para ti' which is Spanish! I knew that wouldn't work!! She didn't care what time either... So Tom finally decided on six. We have time to be here at the Internet club and then get back for dinner.

I think Leta believes Nathan is a hopeless cause. She has tried very hard to fatten him up. She even stands over him and says "kooshat, kooshat!" eat, eat! He tries.... he just can't! She is Ukrainian; she has no concept of how much food is too much food!... and she keeps giving him too much food no matter what anyone says to her!

Stress Filled Morning!

Last night and this morning we attended the seminar on Stress. So our time was stress filled... get it? Okay, so it was not that funny.

Anyway, Tom and I had the great joy of attending a conference that was taught in English but translated into Russian. The power point was in Russian totally so unless we heard Lee say it in English our notes are in Russian! Lee offered to make us a copy of the power point in Russian. There is no English copy; only his personal notes are in English! We are going to take him up on the offer. He was using specific terminology that Tom and I will eventually need. Some of it was hard for Sasha to translate. I don't yet know the Russian word for inadequate... but I heard Sasha say "incorrect" and I knew that was not right. I leaned over and told Tom that Sasha had just translated that wrong. Fortunately, another attendee whose Russian is MUCH better than mine, Keith, was also there and he heard it too and he was able to get Sasha back on track! It is interesting to me this language to language tranlation stuff. It is so complicated and delicate that one word can really make a difference.

Last night there was confusion over "loss of control". The reference was to control over outside circumstances but the meaning most Russians picked up was not being able to control themselves. And this led to interesting questions for Lee to answer... Thank God for Keith. He was able to clear this up and Lee addressed it first thing this morning! Keith has spoken Russian since age 12. English and Russian go together hand in hand for him.

Tom and I had lunch with Sasha afterward he told us about just having graduated from law school here in Odessa last year. A lawyer was doing the translating for a pastor/psychologist!

Sasha translated last year for a basketball coach from Mississippi. He said that guy did not speak English... he spoke slang! It took him a week to get rid of that guys speech pattern!!

King Lear

Before I get to attend the seminar tonight I am heading over to Grace and Keith's house to drop the boys off. They are going to watch the movie King Lear with some kids from Arwen and Eden's school. The English Literature class, taught by Grace, just finished reading King Lear and now they get to watch the movie. Nathan and Spencer have not read it but she thinks they will still understand the movie. She said she chose a clear version! Shakespeare.... clear? I hope they like it!

Tonight's seminar is being led by Lee Hotchkiss. He was supposed to get here yesterday. However, he got stuck at Dulles airport in Washington. The connecting flight was coming from Tampa and had mechanical problems and he missed the plane to Ukraine! He will get here today at 2pm. His seminar starts at 7pm. For all of you who speak or who teach you will appreciate his predicament. He is teaching on STRESS!

I love God's sense of humor!!

Women's Meeting

Women seem to find each other all over the world. I attended a group that had been meeting for over 11 years. Not every woman has come for that amount of time. The longest attendee has only been around for 9 years. Women come and go but the group has been available for those that want the fellowship for the past 11 years. It is a place to share what is going in your corner of ministry. There is no competition. I met a woman who is involved in a street ministry for children. She had been out on the streets last night looking for children who were homeless. She was "protecting" a new team member who had just arrived. She said it was not safe for HIM to go out alone! They offer medical care and schooling to all children who go home with them. They just exist to get kids off the street.

Another woman I met is here with her husband who is an Executive with an major manufacturing company. He was sent here to help work at the port in Customs. He thought he was going to be a consultant and then found out he was head of the project.... then he found out they were moving to Ukraine. They will be here about 5 years. She is putting her talents to work teaching art in a local school.

Each woman had a story... a family... a heart for the work she is involved in. They meet once a month and are reading a book together. I am looking forward to a similar group that was just forming when I left Krasnodar.


********

When Denise was dropping Grace off at her home Nicole's boys came running out to the car. They had just recived a package from their grandmother. They had brand new light sabers!!!! Stone(4) was waving his high in the air to let Denise know where she should park the car to come and get him. Don't tell him... but, I think maybe she had been there before and knew where she should stop the car!

Head coverings

Just pondering the head covering issue this morning here in Odessa....

On Sunday I noticed that most of the women who had the coverings on were also wearing wedding rings...

I had been told that the covering was a symbol of a womans submission to God...

However, women who are single, divorced or widowed do not have to cover. So who is the submission to? I already know I am to respect my husband. But now I have to wear a head covering to show my submission as well?

The younger set of women seem to be taking this in stride. I noticed the size of the head coverings varied! Some were simply headbands. Some women had brightly colored scarves... floral patterns, various colors were blooming around the room... Only the women over 60 had plain coverings on that were tightly bound to their heads.

I crocheted mine after church last Sunday. I was taught by my church growing up not to offend another believer 'in order not to cause them to stumble' so I will abide by the "rules" while I am here. My covering reflects my personality. It is approved of by my husband. He loves bright colors and intriguing patterns. So I made a scarf of lime green, torquoise, orange, mauve, royal blue and purple. I kept my head covered the whole time. The older women nodded their approval and I was kissed many times by several dear old babushkas after service. They were so happy to see us back at church. One women gave me her testimony about how she had gone to a baba (shaman) and was told that she would be healed in four months. She showed me her scar on her leg. She said that God had healed her when she started coming to church. She gave all the glory to God's healing power and not to the baba.

I am grateful to my grandmother, Maxine Shorter-Summers and the people who formed my sprituality when I was younger. I think about the women like Bertha Woodson, LeMoine Ralston, Jurline Brown and Hattie Crockett who were and are ladies of faith. I know how to behave no matter where I go because of the example they set for me.

I am grateful to have a husband who allows me to be me...
and who knows that whether my head is covered or not I respect and love him and our Lord dearly.

Russian Consult

Today we filled out the applications for our Russian visas... they should be ready on Thursday of next week! We were excited to see the DHL package waiting for us when we woke up this morning. We took a walk to the post office to mail postcards. Went to get more photos taken for the visas. Got some cash for the application.

We chose to be wise stewards of our salary and to do the normal processing it was 600$. We are grateful to our supporters and when we calculated the expedited cost versus paying for room and board and the normal processing time.... Tom figured we would save almost 400 dollars. So we will stay here another week. It is okay with all of us since we now have an end to our time here in sight!

Todays sightings...

A man who looked like he had just rolled out of bed was walking toward us with big red puppy dog slippers on. The kind with the floppy ears and a tongue!

We found the street Russian Consult on Italianskyah Street!

Todays correction:

There are many legends, fables and stories that grow larger than life.... we are not saying we were lied to about the Potemkin steps.... that would not be correct. But when Tom and I were reading together last night we both noticed the dates of when the steps were named and who they were named for! Not a poet, not even the General Potemkin... but Prince Potemkin who was here and was very gracious. The steps were dedicated to him in 1905. There used to be 200 steps and now there are 192.

So no matter who the steps are named for and what romantic legend surrounds them... they are part of the gateway to the city & I climbed those suckers in my high heels!!!!

Gateway to Odessa

Yesterday we decided to be tourists. We went to the Potemkin steps. Potemkin was a famous Russian poet who decided to end it all one day by taking one final walk down these stairs and into the sea...

When you see my photos you will wonder why anyone would look at such a view and decided that life was not worth living. It is a mystery to me. I had to dress up for this trip because we were also planning to go into an Orthodox church which is out on the peninsula. I needed to be in a skirt and have a head covering. So I climbed the stairs like a Russian lady in HEELS!!! I was not the only one that day. It was funny... there were these two young girls talking about me. I heard them clearly say that I was a foreigner but they could not tell where I was from! Maybe America, but they did not think so!!! One of them guessed France and the other England. I keep getting the same two contries. The boys get Canada sometimes... yesterday someone asked Nathan if he was from Ukraine.

After going down the stairs we out the peninsula to the Art gallery and then the church. I took some photos of a few brides and a FEW INSIDE the church. Nathan says I will be "smote" for doing this someday! I don't think God works that way. Tom put on his cross just in case!

After our excursion we decided to eat out at a little Italian restuarant. It was very good! We are enjoying the relaxing time here in Odessa. Hopefully, we will be going home next week and will be hitting the books and getting up early each day for school... and you all know how much Tom and I love getting out of bed before noon!

letters of invitation

Tania finally called yesterday to let us know that our letters of invitation had finally arrived. She is sending them to us by DHL. Our friend Judy B. says that DHL took about one week to get to Kiev... hopefully they will find their way to Odessa much faster!

We were so excited at the news we celebrated by going to the zoo! Our family has enjoyed spending afternoons at the zoo since Nathan was a little squirt! He knows the place so well he can identify many animals without reading the signs. And that is a good thing since these signs were written in either Russian or Ukrainian!

Nathan was very concerned over the health of some of the fish, the crocodile and the lion. We discussed the zoo's condition. It was a cross between the LA zoo and the Santa Ana zoo. If you have been to these places you know that the Santa Ana zoo is small and does not have much funding but it is clean! And the LA zoo is large but has lost animals in the past because of neglect. We don't know if neglect or lack of funds is the cause of the condition of the animals at the Odessa zoo. It is very very clean. The animals seem happy. The elephants were very happy. We watched them play for a long time. The parents were very protective of their baby even when he was playing with a metal rod that he found and the keepers were trying their best to get it away from him; the parents circled around the baby and would not let the keepers get close. They had to entice them all away with several loaves of bread.... and then the baby dropped the rod and a rake went in and the rod was swept out of the pen!

The lion needed a larger cage. His pacing was unnerving and his growl kept the other animals on edge. His roar.... well it shook the ground!

Tom watched the baboons for awhile and told us about his study in psycho-dynamics! Noone would dare eat until the leader ate. Noone made a move until the leader made a move.... Gang mentality was at work!

I took some video of a weasel... we have a friend we want to rib with it! We should not be so mean but we could not resist the chance to poke fun at a friend! He is still undergoing rabies shots... maybe we will celebrate the final round of shots with a gift CD!!!!!

Yah tseh loobloo

I'm loving it! We found McDonald's!! Everyone had a great meal and we are very happy! The sign on the wall at Mickey D's said "Yah tseh loobloo" which is the slogan I'm loving it! Of course it was written in Russian and I can only type it phonetically!

We took a taxi since we did not know exactly how far away it was... turns out it was just on the other side of Baskin Robbins! We just did not walk far enough on Saturday. Oh Well! We had intended to go to the zoo afterwards but there was a street that was blocked from traffic and across from that street was a park where artists and crafters hangout. I purchased a cream colored handmade sweater that is absolutely beautiful and Tom has a new painting. We also found some smaller treasures we could not live without!

We keep telling people we are from Krasnodar when they ask us where we are from and one woman finally said "why do you speak Russian so badly if you are from Russia?" We told her we have only lived there six months and before that we lived in California.... " OH, then your Russian is VERY good for six months!" Perspective makes a difference!

We found out that the teacher that Nathan and I have, Nellie, had a bad accident. She impaled her foot on a wire. But somehow she is still managing to climb the flight of stairs to the classroom and teach! Our friend Judy B. ,the nurse from Alaska, is concerned about infection... I would be too. The city is pretty dirty. I don't think I would leave my house until it had scabbed over!

Our friends Robert and Ann are falling for Spencer's dog... Brownie is warming up to them. They are dogsitting for Spencer. Robert is doing well... he had an incident with a weasel and is undergoing rabies shots. Let's just say he won't be helping anymore little girls get their pet ferrets back! Especially, if that ferret turns out not to be a pet ferret but a wild weasel instead!

How we spent our weekend

Saturday- We found a mall. Not just any old mall. Galleria Afina. Athena in English. It is an exquisite building. Marble, glass & the architecture on the outside reminds me of some of the buildings I saw in Rome.

We all found treasures at the mall. Books, sweaters, long sleeved shirts.... the only thing we did not find was McDonalds. However, the Baskin Robbins made up for that! It was great to find a familiar logo and taste the icecream again. Russian ice cream is good. Sometimes though we just want the tastes of home!


Tom found a fabric store on the way home and it had yarn and beads inside! Of course we went in. And it's a good thing too...

Because on Sunday...

Have you heard the one about the black woman who went to a conservative Baptist church dressed in lime green (shoes too) but did not have her head covered? .... Well, let's just say that she left church to go and crochet a head covering for next Sunday! Just in case someone noticed her. Tom says maybe they noticed me because of the camera around my neck... I am not convinced! It was their Thanksgiving. They had children dressed in costume and there were skits and poems, lots of songs. Children played violin and sang it was wonderful....

I had a translator. I sat on the side to take photos.
And this woman looked at me and said " do you speak English?" (In Russian)
I answered (In Russian) "yes I do."
"How can you understand what is going on? (In English.)
"I am studying Russian" (in Russian)
"would you like me to translate some things for you?"(in English)
Yes, that would be nice" (In Russian)

So if I had a confused look she translated for me! Which was great. There were 3 sermons. This seems to be typical in the Baptist services that we have been to. Our church will have two speakers normally. I was glad for the translator on the second speaker. It generated a bit of controversy. The speaker used the word "negro" he had been told if he used the word "black" it was derogatory. Because that word is used here to discriminate against the Chechen population. Chechens are darker skinned Russians. I was not offended by the word "negro" there is a sign downtown on a store called "niger sports" And it is most likely from the country Niger or Nigeria. The African population that I have met can tell I am not African. And the label African American is humerous to them. It was interesting that this sermon was on embracing those who are different from you and it was a Jewish man who was upset about one word that was not even directed at him!

Rained in

Yesterday was a wonderful brisk autumn day! Today it is raining... So we are stuck inside. Nathan came up with a wonderful idea; he suggested that we wait out the rain at an internet cafe. That does make the rain easier to bear. Although I know when I leave here my umbrella may still be wet and the walk home will be awkward; the time here connecting with life on the other side of the world is worthwhile.

Nathan finally convinced Leta that he does like her cooking.... he just does not eat much. She served Nathan and I smaller portions today. Which was a great relief. It was not easy to put away all the food she wanted us to eat. We just keep telling her it is "ochen koosny" (very tasty) and patting our stomachs. Tom asks for seconds and the rest of us can slide away!

We had hoped to find the famous Ptomkin steps today, he is the writer who killed himself by walking down the steps and straight into the sea! But it will be better for photography if we do this on a day when it is not so dreary. Or maybe today would have been the right day given the subject matter!

It still looks like we are here until October.... We have not heard from Tania today. We think maybe she wanted the school to be quiet so she is holding onto our letters of invitation for awhile... I keep wondering what Tom and Spencer did to her while they were in her class!!!!!!

We did receive a text message from the Parkhomeko's last night. They were checking to make sure that Nathan had said "hello to Ukraine" for Lena!

We heard that Houston may be in for a hurricane and that gas prices are going up. It helps to keep things in perspective as we just sit here in a resort town waiting to go back to school and work... maybe we should accept the rest and recovery time we are being given and not be in such a hurry to get back.

Black Sea

What a brilliant sight. It is hard to describe the "radost" (joy) that we feel when we are at the beach! Spencer thanked me for taking care of his soul. He said he "needed" to be near the water again. I know the feeling. He said he thought that this is what heaven will be like. I know that some of you might be desert people or mountain people... but we are beach people and I agree that my ideal heaven will have the sound of waves crashing onto the shore!

Is this a path or not a path.... Today we found the beach in a roundabout way. Since when have the Russian Sharp's ever done anything the easy way? We followed the main streets and the smell of the water for a while then took out a map to get our bearings. We found the sanitorium to walk through but could not find the break in the fence that the map showed. Thanks to a cat and Spencer's looking out we found the way. We had to climb down some hills on some well worn foot paths. It was not too steep; however, the guys were all concerned about me making it down and back up again. I did it. Breathing hard at the top on our way home but, I did it!

We got word that our Letter of Invitation is still not ready. They are hoping to get it next week. So we are still here UNTIL..... At least they speak Russian and the sights are spectacular.

Now if I don't get going Leta is not going to be happy.... she is already upset that Nathan does not eat enough! Dosvidonyah!!!

Welcome to the city of Odessa

Nathan hates looking like a tourist. And Tom & I needed to look at the map to figure out where we were in the city and which direction we needed to go. Well, as soon as we pulled out the map on the busy street some teens walked by and said "welcome to the city of Odessa, it was founded in...." I started to laugh. Nathan says that only encourages them. I still thought it was funny. He turned around because he was being a smart aleck and didn't realise that we speak Russian! When he heard me laughing he blushed!

OK... Nathan and I have been talking each night about new words and what we are learning. Well our cook, Lita, keeps using words we are not familiar with and some of which I can find in the dictionary and some I cannot. I thought it was because I only brought the 10,000 word dictionary not the 120,000 word one. It was too heavy to pack. Believe me, I debated with myself long and hard over the value of having that dictionary here with us for two weeks! Anyway, we found out today when our contact person arrived that the cook is not speaking Russian.

Lita is speaking Ukrainian.

Spencer and Tom are off in search of a bank to get American dollars. We have tried several bankomats and one currnecy exchange and no luck. All we can get are grivens. Grivens are going about 5g=1 dollar. So it is a sign of a stable economy for Ukraine....but for us prices have gone up in comparison from Russia.

We did purchase a new keyboard here for our computer. It was only 29 griven. About 4.18 USD. It has Russian and English letters which will make it easier to type in Russian. We can each do it now but it is hunt and peck.

Last night for dessert we had bliny, Russian pancakes! She (Lita) put apples inside and topped them with blueberry sauce. She is working hard to fatten Nathan up. She is always trying to get him to eat more. She is very concerned. But then most babushkas are like that!

in love with Ukraine!

Odessa,Ukraine is:
clean
peaceful
beautiful
very western
clean
serene
has great shopping
good food
clean

It seems like we are in a whole new country... oh, we are... this used to be a part of Russia before the fall of communism. But, Ukraine wants the dollars that the tourists bring in. When we make purchases we are paying taxes. It is worth it. Did I mention how clean it is here? I see why Lena is so proud to be from Ukraine. And why she wants to retain her Ukrainian passport. I would be proud too. Parts of California are not this clean!

We went shopping today. We found a store that is sort of like a Walmart it just does not have enough clothes to make it "just like a Walmart"; otherwise it has everything else a super Walmart has. We stocked up on needed items. Now we know we don't have to go to Italy or Budapest to find supplies!

The guys bought some very nice winter clothes at a store downtown. The sales girl even talked Nathan into some clothes that are not black... We started off looking at "tolka chornee" and slowly moved on to other colors he might "nravitsa" be pleased with! He now has some good quality and fashionable winter clothes due in part to them not being chosen by his mother but by a gorgeus & smart Ukrainian sales girl! Whatever works; I am just happy he tried them on and said yes! Spencer got two new jackets and went down a size! Tom even found something he was pleased with. Then she turned her charm on me! It would have worked but we had reached our spending limit! Darn that cash only!!!!! I will have to go back!

When we came out of the store we were across from the giant ceramic hamburger so we crossed the street and entered the submarine... so here we are in the internet cafe!

My friend Cathy L. from Kansas told me in an email that she and her husband had used a landmark in Africa that was a rock shaped like a hamburger... she said I brought back to her memory the times they turned at hamburger rock! It really is a small world Cathy.

How far would you walk?

I think Spencer and I walked about a mile and a half to find this internet cafe.... we just stumbled across it. We were laughing about me telling him to remember "we have to turn left at the big hamburger on the way home!" and I looked across the street and there it was! Just like in Rome this one in downstairs. Why do some people think us computer nuts like to be in basements? At least this one is well lit!

It is designed to look as if you are in a submarine. Very clever... I feel silly sitting here at this station. I feel like Captain Nemo is watching me from somewhere!

The bus ride was quite an adventure.
The first time we went through passport control was leaving Krasnodar.
I dropped somethings as I was getting my passport out and the militsia picked it up for me. I thanked him and he said "you are welcome." He stared at Nathan's passport for a long time and then gave it back. But, he took this guy from the back of the bus off for questioning. The second stop was a little more exciting. Tom had to be awakened by the militsia... I did'nt know he was asleep back there. And his passport was carefully scrutinized... but the same guy as before was taken off for questioning. The bus driver asked him if he was a foreignor! The answer was this was normal. Spencer thinks he was from Daghestan... he kind of looks like our friend Murat.

From the bus we saw some vegetable stands Nathan and I could not believe the size of these cabbages. They were the same as a large watermelon! It was unreal.

When we got to Novorosissk I forgot to take in my toilet paper when I got off the bus. Yes our friend Kurt gave us a roll of toilet paper for the trip. We did not know we would need one. So I went to a market to purchase another before heading off to the ladies room. Well it did not matter that I had my own roll. I still had to pay the attendant 5 rubles for a strip of her paper just to get in! 5 rubles is what I paid for a whole roll...

Anapa was gorgeous I wish we could have stayed.

We got to the ferry and of course this time it was us who got pulled out of the line. We chose the lady who had never seen visa extensoins before and she did not know how to enter the dates on our passports. So the superviser was called out. Well the ferry was held for the AMERICANS and until then no one onboard the bus knew we were the AMERICANS. We try hard to balance speaking English and Russian and just being quiet! Once I the last to arrive came onboard; everyone who could speak English was using us for practice!!!!

The couple in front of Nathan and I have a daughter in the States for an exchange program. She asked me how to say daughter in English. She was speaking Ruglish... the half English/ half Russian that we still do some times if we don't know the Russian word. Only she was speaking English and throwing in Russian when she did not know the English word!

Anyway once we got across to the Ukrainian side we went through passport control again!!!!!

The busdriver and the militsia collected everyone's passports and when they brought them back they did it roll call style the first time the busdriver came to a name he could not pronouce he just yelled the country "Ukraine!" Someone yelled "here" it was funny. He told our family there would be a delay everyone groaned.... then he said it was just a joke; the computer was slow and they would be out in just a minute! Six months of immersion in the Russian culture and language and everybody is a commedian with us now!

We love Ukraine; it is very pretty here. And everyone speaks clearly and precisely like Lena. so we can understand what they are saying. It helps having a Ukrainian language helper. Her Russian is great. In Krasnodar the accent is lazy and the speak is unclear. Can you imagine learning English in the remote hills of the south somewhere! That is where we are comparatively!

When we arrived at church Tom told the taxi driver he thought this was the right one... the taxi driver told him this was "exactly the right church.... there is only one baptist church here in town." There are apartments behind it. And for 15$ person we get two rooms and 2 meals a day! Not a bad deal... our friends Kurt and Rochelle have stayed here with their kids. They came to our rescue once again!

Don't know what to expect

Tomorrow morning at ten we leave for Odessa. We don't know if we will be able to call from there or not. We don't know if we will have internet access or not. We have never been there before. I remember that when I flew to Rome I had forgotten to turn off my cell phone and I got a text message from their satellite welcoming me. Possibly, I can use it to do text messaging or make phone calls. Ukraine is in my roaming area! But, then so was Italy and I could receive but not call or text back. Now, I have a larger amount of rubles on my phone so hopefully it will work!!!

We will have to exchange money in Ukraine they use another form of currency there.

We can only take one bag each and they need to be small. We will try not to look like tourists but, hey! I always stand out in a crowd! I usually dress like those around me so if I remember to speak Russian I should be okay. Most people only travel with a small "paquet" a small plastic shopping bag. If we use our school bags we will be okay.

Our friends Kurt & Rochelle have found a place for us to stay and we are going to try and connect with some friends of Lena and Alexei as well. It is going to be an interesting trip! I will have my camera and so will Spencer to document it all. This is such a new experience to us all.

We have never had to renew a visa outside of America before so we will be going to the Embassy to do it in person. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue our adventure!

Social project day!

Nathan got up and went to school and taught his 9 am English class. I was late to teach my 1 oclock class. Spencer worked at the Orphanage at 4pm playing games with the children and Tom was at the Rehab center by 1pm. Everyone had a full day.

I burned a CD for Valentin of the Wedding Preparations and the wedding. I will make them another soon; I left our kitchen photos on there! Who wants that?

Tom and Valentin went to the train station to purchase our tickets to Odessa. We will have to pack very light. One bag each! And that means backpack size!!!!

Lena's brother Slavic will stay at our house while we are gone. And Olya will still come to clean. What a great sister in law she is to him! It is great how people take care of one another here. I got a phone call from Lena to make sure that I got home safely. Spencer got a phone call from Tabby at the orphanage to check in on him as well.

Brownie is going to stay at Robert and Ann's house while we are gone. I hope she does well for them... They are missing their dog, Sadie. They saw her on a video call the other day and it made their day... of course they were excited to talk to their sons too!

Oy, Mamochka!

Tonight a group of us women from school went over to Ann's house. Let's just say that one of the things we had in common is that we are past the big 40! When we got off the elevator there was a darling little boy standing there with his mom. He saw four grown ups get out of the tiny "lift" and his EYES got huge and he exclaimed "Oy, mamochka!" It was pretty cute. His mom just smiled and they got on the elevator and took off.

Today Judy H. and I finally had the chance to go shopping at the warehouses I had talked about. I took her to buy office supplies and yarn. It was all very good prices. She probably got 50$ worth of yarn for only 200 rubles. Which is around 7$ depending on the exchange rate. I love this place. She asked me why I didn't buy anything & I had to tell her that I had enough yarn at home to start my own store! Shopping wholesale is sooooo tempting!

We started in on verbs in our class. Nathan and I can speak using present tense actions now! Some of them we had heard as we go along in our day to day lives... such as when someone stands up on the bus to offer me the seat and says
"siditeh" (formal you, imperfective aspect, present tense)
or we hear a mom tell her child to
"sideesh" (informal you, imperfective aspect, present tense)
I know they have conjugated the verb "to sit" which is sideet. It is interesting. We are grateful that it follows a pattern and should not be too hard to memorize by Monday. Now just so you don't go around thinking we don't have this in English. Russian has only three tenses... past, present, future. Supposedly,Enlgish has twelve!

Be sure to take a peek at the kitchen photos!!!!
http://www.sharpmomphotos.blogspot.com

Swan Lake

Tonight I saw my first ballet in Russia. I saw the Bolshoi Ballet in California. And they were great. But to watch the ballet here was incredible. The costumes and the sets were extravagant and magificent. The Swan Lake version we saw had a happy ending. Only the evil sorcerer dies and not the Prince. So the lovers can be together.... depending on where you see the ballet done or who the choreographer is will determine the ending. Judy B. had just seen it Kiev, Ukraine and the girl who turns into the Swan dies at the end. I wish I had photos to share but I don't; for once I obeyed the no photos rule. I did not want to embarrass Lena.

I took her with me. I had to explain to her "Tom neh loobit balet" he does not like the ballet! When I went to pick up Lena at her home Alexei was there with his friend Andrei and they were giving us a hard time about two zhenshinee going to the ballet alone! I told Lena that in America this is "narmalne!" no big deal! It happens all the time! When we got there we saw one of Tom's former students and his wife. Larissa is Ann's language helper. And so Stas was dragged along. Robert was telling me that Stas had not seen a ballet since he was ten. Stas had just asked me where Tom was. I told him the same thing I had told Lena about why I did not bring Tom. So Stas procalimed loudly "Yah neh loobit balet tozhe!" he does not like it either! Oh well so much for our night of culture... Jody looked like he was bored to tears... maybe because there was no car chase or wrastlin! He and Melanie cleared out very quickly when it was over. JB did not even come in with Iris we saw him later across the street and he said 'He was sorry he missed it'. I was not convinced. I didn't see how Patrick looked; I will ask Janet at school tomorrow.

I had a hard time concentrating during the second half. While in line for the bathroom Ann mentioned that the male lead had a 'Michael Jackson' thing going on! It was too true! It was hard to tell what gender this person was. If it was truly a man or a woman dressed as a man. Neh Iznaiyou. I don't know! I spent the second half wondering each time he appeared...

Nathan went to Nastia's 15th birthday party tonight. It was held at the church. They made pizzas and baked her a bithday cake. Again it was all girls and Nathan. Such is his life!

Spencer and Tom spent the evening studying at home.

More things are appearing around the apartment.... boxes are disappearing and it looks more and more like home each day!

Kartoshka and cir

Tom likes Ira. Ira has finally warmed up to Tom. This afternoon Olya stopped by to pick up our laundry. What a blessing to have a friend and housekeeper who lives 8 doors down! She was out walking and brought Ira by with her. Tom followed Ira into our kitchen I had just finished making meatloaf & mashed potatos with cheese. Ira loved it. She ate half a bowlful while Tom held her and drank some apple juice from a 'big cup'. She is such a sweetheart. Right now she can "govareet tolkah papa!" understand... she will only say daddy! Even in Russian it is a baby's first word!! Next she will likely say "DyahDyah" which is Uncle. I'm not sure about Olya. But, I know several guys around here who will be thrilled!

monday, monday

Today is such a strange day. I typed out a full post and then it disappeared. Sometimes I can click on recover post and it all comes back. Not today. It has no intention of reappearing.

Lena was quite suprised to discover that she has an accent. I told her about my encounter on Friday. She thought it was very funny.

My taxi driver was from Houston, TX on Sunday night. He is here to spend time with his family before going back to work in America. It was wierd when he asked if I spoke English and what country I was from. He started to sing about America...

We had a new student come and visit from Canada today. We are hoping that Jody did not scare her away. He starting talking Southern to her... you know he says stuff like "you might could" and "wrastlin" Only today he was realllly pouring it on thick! Her name is Michele and she is 21. Hopefully, she will come back. Surely, Grand Prairie has a few people with a strange sense of humor like his!

Tom spoke with Kurt today about our trip this weekend. We are taking the bus to Odessa. It is cheaper and faster than the train. It is supposed to be a very beautiful city... right on the Black Sea. Maybe it will seem like home. Southern California gets to be very pleasant in the fall and spring! No smog...

Nathan has been buying movies this week from the guys at school. He is able to watch on his lap top with his head phones on. He likes being able to come home from school and unwind that way.

Spencer has arranged his room the way he wants and Brownie can go in his room and the hallway. Keeping her out of the living room and other bedrooms has cut down on the dog hair all over the house which is nice!

Our home smelled and looked wonderful when we came home from school today. I was able to write Olya a note in Russian telling her what I wanted done. She did everything and more. She even wrote out her hours on the note for me. I get practice writing in Russian by text messaging a friend. It helps me with grammar and adds to my vocabulary when I see what she writes. So I was glad that Olya could read my writing. We all just learned to write in Russian cursive a month ago!

I hope that you are enjoying the photos of the wedding. Tom thinks I may be asked to do more weddings while I am here. It won't be the death of me if I am. It will just be our wedding gift if that is what happens. This wedding gave me an experience I will treasure for a lifetime! Lena went through some of the photos with our family today. It took two hours to get through about half of what I took. When Sveta gets back from the honeymoon she can come and tell me what she likes and what she wants copies of!

http://www.sharpmomphotos.blogspot.com

Day after wedding day snooze

Spencer was the only one to get up at a mormal time today. Tom, Nathan and myself all woke up this afternoon around 4:30pm. So much for making it to church. I did clean up in the kitchen... a new housekeeper starts tomorrow and I did not want her to be scared away on the first day!

Ола is her name and yes she is the mom of the little girl whose party I posted pictures of. Olya speaks a little English but we both have to do the same thing for each other when we speak our native languages... SLOW DOWN! I don't always realize how fast I can talk. I know that Nathan does it but I didn't think I did it too! Anyhow, Olya and I agreed on a wage and a time for her to come over. She has my house keys which I was thinking of giving them to her anyway since she lives in the same building as us. She is in number 98 and we are number 8. It is an extremely large building!!!

She came over and got two loads of laundry and will bring it over tomorrow all dried and ready to be put away. Since school started those of us who thought we could get by without house help are learning fast the reality is we can't. I have to be in class and/or studying for 8 hours a day. I barely have time to shop and cook. I spend a lot of time just sitting on tram-vi's and trolley buses. I am grateful for my MP3 player so I can listen to my Russian lessons as I commute. Tonight I was away for almost 4 hours just going to the supermarket!

Tom finally found the time to get on the somputer and aswer some emails toinght. Thanks to those of you who were so patient.

Please pray for some dear friends of ours in Wichita, Kansas. Terri Cowley just had her father pass away on Saturday. He had been ill with pneumonia the final week of his life. Remember Terri and her family this week.

Make sure you check the photo blog for wedding photos!
www.sharpmomphotos.blogspot.com

Svadba...

Svadba... That is what a wedding is called. Marriage is vrach. Today we witnessed the wedding and the beginning of a marriage! Sveta and Valentin included us in every part of the day. I started the day off at 9am decorating the cars and finally got to leave after the bride tossed the bouquet. We got home around 9pm.

The bridal car is the fancy one; the lead car acts sort of like the lead car for a funeral procession. We stop the traffic and alert everyone that a wedding party is coming through. It was an adventure being in the lead car. The camera crew always took the lead! Sveta (another one) and I were together all day. She videotaped and I took photos. I have over 1100 photos of the event. Tomorrow I will start weeding through to edit them for printing. Tom and I will put together an album for them as a gift.

We went to Zachs. The official office to get married in. Tom stood in for Valentin as his Dad. Sveta's mom is still in the hospital so she was not present but there is enough documentation of the event to make her happy; I am CERTAIN!!!!

We went to various parks around the city to take photos. I took all the posed shots they asked of me. Everyone gave me instructions in Russian only the videographer spoke English. I was able to comprehend most everything they asked me to do. At the church there were a few English speakers so we had a translator during the banquet. But did I sit down... well, just long enough to eat. My name was called everytime they wanted another shot and off I went. Tom got to eat but then he could not sit back and enjoy the show instead he became a part of it. The emcee for the banquet was Alexei so of course he dragged Tom up to speak. Well, after the Best Man heard Tom's sense of humor we all kept hearing "Toam, Toam!" He was in every game or extra skit they had for the audience to partake in.

It was truly a great day. I have never seen Sveta so happy nor so beautiful. I saw other gals with dresses that looked like they must have paid a fortune for them. Sveta is a professional seamstress and hers far outshined anything else I saw today!

Are they not the most handsome couple? 

One more shot; how cute is this! 

The girls set this one up nicely. I understood exactly what they wanted me to do... & all my instructions were in Russian. 

The Day Before!

Tomorrow is Sveta and Valentin's BIG day. He is very nervous. I have not seen Sveta yet. She has been calm whenever I see her. Maybe, she just hides it well! We have to go over and decorate the church for the wedding. We need to decorate cars, the inside of the church and make sure the outside is clean too!

<=Tom is showing where the sink will go!

The kitchen still needs a few finishing touches...




Nathan and I went back over to the school we visited for September First today. He and I are going to be helping one of the fifth grade teachers. Her name is Tamara. (tu-mar-uh) And she has traveled more than we have! She taught Russian in Japan for two years. And she has been in Italy, Great Britian and the United States. She has been to Washington D.C. and I have not!

Yesterday I had a new experience. I was purchasing produce from a guy who had set up in front of the doughnut shop. (smart man) And as I was finishing up he asked me "Ukrainka?" I thought I heard him wrong so I repeated it "Ukrainka?" He said "Da, Ukrainka?" I smiled and simply said "nyet" He was asking me if I was from Ukraine! I hurried home as fast as I could because I was about to burst out laughing. I finally got home and told the story to Tom. You see Lena is from Ukraine. So we have Ukrainian ACCENTS!!!! She is our language helper and she is the one who corrects us when we speak! I remember Erin telling me a similar story this summer. She speaks Italian but with a Roman accent. Her Italian teacher in California noticed it when she was speaking with Erin after she had returned from Rome!

Phone line!

We have a phone.... we are back on line in our own home. No more internet cafe. I can post photos again!

Please take a look at my photos of the September First celebration: www.sharpmomphotos.blogspot.com

It is so good to be back!

Madonna's English Roses in Russian! 

Two aunts and they are both named Lena! This is Olya's sister. Our friend and Language helper Lena P. is Olya's sister in law. (Olya married Lena P's brother!)

Snapped this shot precisely at the right moment!  

The babushka.... really, she may look young; but she is the grandmother! 

The spread was fantastic! 

Adeen Goad! One year old!  

Blowing out the candle!

"Hey Tom, I don't have any socks!" says Anna.... she is very friendly; and filled with information like most two and a half year olds. 

The cake has been cut and served! 

Cups have been filled with gareeachee vadah (hot water) They are awaiting Chai (tea) or kofee (coffee) whichever you prefer. 

They are making a break for the door! 

She figured it out of course; two year old Anna has tenacity! 

Moroshenah! We like ice cream very much! 

Yummmm....... 

Priceless... I will leave you to guess what she just said to me! Her name is Kayla and she is five years old. 

All babies put things in the mouth! 

Photo albums are traditionally shared at gatherings when in Russia! Two of the albums were done with Creative Memories supplies from someone in the States. 

Ira is getting sleepy; it is hard work being the Birthday girl! 

This is Ira's mama; her name is Olya. 

We watched their home movies; Ира (eera) met this little girl on the ferry ride to Ukraine!

What in the world?

Last night we were at a birthday party for a one year old... It was a blast! Ira (eera) can run, chatter and screech. She followed the big kids around like a pro. She has a friend, Anna, who is American and she is 2 and 1/2. Together they managed to set off someones car alarm, empty out a purse and unlock the front door! You have to move quick with fast thinking toddlers around.


Our friends showed us their home videos of a trip they took to Ukraine. They told us they were near the home Mike Tyson bought. There was a place where they could put on German military uniforms and pose for photos in a vintage German automobile. It was funny to see these Russian guys dressed up like Colonel Klink from Hogans Heroes. But, the hilarious part was when one of them put on the Mike Tyson mask and flashed a peace sign!

I am glad we had this cultural experience after we had been here long enough to understand what was being said. Otherwise we could have easily misinterpreted a lot last night!

The kitchen is coming together...the cabinets are in; all we need now is a sink and stove. (just a minor detail!)

We will have to leave here for about a week to renew our one year visas. No, we have not been here a year but our visas were issued a year ago and they have to be renewed. The government has granted the extension. So we can stay for the wedding on Saturday. We are planning to go to Odessa, Ukraine. It is supposed to be inexpensive and simple to take care of everything there. We saw photos of how beautiful it is which makes the decision easy to make!

Ditching school

Tom and I had to duck out of our classes today. We are supposed to be having our kitchen cabinets built. So we had to come downtown to get money and get back home in time to meet the workers.

My class was going shopping. I thought it was interesting that Patrick said to me "do they think YOU have not shopped for four months?" I don't speak Russian fluently and I don't claim to. But, I can shop. I have a food vocabulary. Alexei likes to cook and so do I. So, when one of us makes something it is fun to guess what is in it! And so my food vocabulary grows when we share recipes and cook together. He teaches Lena and I both new things. It is great that he was a bachelor for so long!

On the bus this morning there was a woman who made Nathan give her his seat. She let us all know she was on her way to the hospital to have an operation. She was going from one side of town to the other. She made everyone close all the windows around her and when someone tried to open one as the bus filled up she would protest. Eventually the conductor stepped in and said she had 50 people to worry about and not just one. Then adamantly told that woman she should take a taxi if she wants comfort! Two younger women started joking about this lady wanting the comfort of a taxi for just 4 rubles... In April this conversation would have been lost on us. Today it was as clear as a bell! Where I come from this is called "loud talking". You say rude things about someone not to their face but just loud enough for them to hear it. It is done frequently here! These young ladies even looked her direction.

Poor Nathan; he was not even feeling well today. The last time he gave up his seat was to a nice little babushka who rewarded him with an apple. Today, no apple! I was praying he would not loose his breakfast on the hospital bound passenger! Finally someone opened up a window and we all breathed easier; much to her frustration.

Saturday Night

Eventful. How else can I describe the night. The drunks were out in full force. It was a major party night.

2 women fell up the stairs getting on the tram vi.

Tom saw a woman step out of her underwear and brush it aside as she stepped on the bus....

Nathan met Mr Mumbles from the Dick Tracy show. He got so flustered from talking to that guy he left his candy on the bench. We decided it was a rouse by that man to get his Twix!

Social projects

It is time to do decide on where we will do our Social work. Since we are here on Student and Cultural visas we are required to be involed in projects while we are enrolled at New View. Nathan and I are considering teaching English as a second language at school number 23; the school that we visited on September 1st. They have had as many as nine of our students in the past working at the school. The kids there learn English, French and German. The English they study is British English not American. Stop and think... do you say elevator or lift? Do you say apartment or flat? You decide if you speak American. Spencer may work at the Children's home or the kindergarten. Both places are in need of males to be around the kids. Tom is working at a Rehabilitation Center.

Tom toured the center yesterday. He took Valentin with him because he was told to bring a male interpretor. At one point there were a few addicts that followed them from room to room. This guy asked Tom if he had heard of Americans sponsoring people financially to send them to the States. Tom was not willing to do that for him... so the guy said "well, then will you buy me some cooookies?" Tom laughed heartily. The word he comprehended first was 'cooookies'. Valentin asked Tom if he needed a translation. Tom said he got the message! And no; he was not bringing back cookies either!

We are looking forward to having a phone on Tuesday.

We are eager to get the kitchen cabinets and counters done and that is supposed happen on Tuesday as well. After that the oven and sink will go in!

We are finally hearing news about New Orleans. It sounds unreal. I may have relatives there I am not sure. It is hard being in a place where news is not about the United States exclusively.

Today there was a memorial downtown for the children in Beslan who were killed during the hostage crisis last year. That happened on September 1st,2004.

The children in that city will not start school until next week so they can make new memories; although like the kids from Columbine how can you ever forget....

Friday, September 2, 2005.
Lawlessness Hampers New Orleans Rescue Efforts

By Adam Nossiter The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS -- The evacuation of refugees from the Superdome was suspended Thursday because of fires and gunshots outside the arena, authorities said, as National Guardsmen in armored vehicles poured into New Orleans to help restore order across the increasingly lawless and desperate city.
An additional 10,000 National Guard troops from across the country were ordered into the hurricane-ravaged Gulf of Mexico coast area to shore up security, rescue and relief operations in Katrina's wake. That brought the number of troops to more than 28,000, in what may be the biggest militєary response to a natural disaster in U.S. history.
"The truth is, a terrible tragedy like this brings out the best in most people, brings out the worst in some people," said Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour on NBC's "Today" show. "We're trying to deal with looters as ruthlessly as we can get our hands on them."
The first of 500 busloads of people to be evacuated from the hot and stinking Louisiana Superdome arrived early Thursday at their new temporary home -- another sports arena, the Houston Astrodome, 560 kilometers away.
But the evacuation of the 25,000 or so storm refugees was abruptly suspended by the ambulance service in charge of taking the sick and injured from the Superdome and by the military, which was overseeing the removal of the able-bodied. Richard Zeuschlag, chief of Acadian Ambulance, said shots were fired at a military helicopter, making it clear that it had become too dangerous for his air-ambulance pilots. And National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Pete Schneider said the military suspended the ground evacuation because fires set outside the arena were preventing buses from getting close enough to pick people up.
On Wednesday, Mayor Ray Nagin offered the most startling estimate yet of the magnitude of the disaster. Asked how many people died in New Orleans, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands." The death toll has already reached at least 110 in Mississippi.
Nagin called for a total evacuation of New Orleans, saying it had become uninhabitable for the 50,000 to 100,000 who remained behind after the city of nearly a half-million people was ordered evacuated over the weekend, before Katrina blasted the Gulf Coast with 233-kilometer-per-hour winds.
The mayor said that it would be two or three months before the city was functioning again and that people would not be allowed back into their homes for at least a month or two.
With New Orleans sinking deeper into desperation, Nagin also ordered virtually the entire police force to abandon search-and-rescue efforts Wednesday and stop the increasingly brazen thieves.
"They are starting to get closer to heavily populated areas, hotels, hospitals -- and we're going to stop it right now," Nagin said.
In a sign of growing lawlessness, Tenet HealthCare asked authorities late Wednesday to help evacuate a fully functioning hospital in Gretna after a supply truck carrying food, water and medical supplies was held up at gunpoint. "There are physical threats to safety from roving bands of armed individuals with weapons who are threatening the safety of the hospital," said spokesman Steven Campanini.
Tempers flared elsewhere across the devastated region. Police said a man in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, fatally shot his sister in the head over a bag of ice. Dozens of carjackings were reported, including a nursing home bus. One officer was shot in the head and a looter was wounded in a shootout. Both were expected to survive.
On some of the few roads that were still open, people waved at passing cars with empty water jugs, begging for relief.
The floodwaters streamed into the city's streets from two levee breaks near Lake Pontchartrain a day after New Orleans thought it had escaped catastrophic damage from Katrina. The floodwaters covered 80 percent of the city, in some areas 6 meters deep, in a reddish-brown soup of sewage, gasoline and garbage.
The Army Corps of Engineers said it planned to use heavy-duty Chinook helicopters to drop 6,750-kilogram bags of sand and stone into a 150-meter gap in the failed floodwall.
But the agency said it was having trouble getting the sandbags and dozens of 5-meter highway barriers to the site because the city's waterways were blocked by loose barges, boats and large debris.
The seventeen Russian university students who had been stranded on a rooftop in hurricane-flooded New Orleans have all been rescued, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
© Copyright 2005 The Moscow Times. All rights reserved.

Septemer First

Today is a big celebration. It is the first day of school. Here, for grades 1-11 it is a major day! The school we visited had the mayor of Krasnodar in attendance. And some of our students were delayed getting back to school by a motorcade that held some of the officials going to the opening of the school that Putin was participating in!

I am eager to post my photos of this event. One little girls mom spent time designing her daughters hairdo... it was very long and had several different colored ribbons braided into it. We saw at least 5 different Television cameras, radio reporters and print reporters there. Having watched my oldest brother do reporting over the phone or into a reocorder I am familiar with this reporting technique! I spotted a young woman dictating her story into a microphone in a corner and I used my camera to zoom in on her bag. She was from a Radio Station for the Deaf. Her bag had Russian sign language on it. Nathan studied American sign Language so he was facsinated with this photo.

The processional of the kids was exciting. The older kids came out first and then the little ones. There were dancers in bright costumes and speeches made by politicians.... sounds a little like in the states during an election year! oooops did I mention that the city elections are coming up soon! The ceremony ended with fireworks followed by the tallest boy of the 11th grade putting the smallest girl of the first grade on his shoulders and parading her around the courtyard as she rings a bell high above her shoulders.... signaling the beginning of the school year!

Then picture time begins and kisses are given and children march off to class! Teachers are decked out in their finest clothing and they looked grand!!!!!

Parents were in tears!

Children were grinning from ear to ear!

We stood back amazed at it all!

Ok... I am still having to come to an internet cafe; the ddd key is sticking so I have to go back and take out the random d's when they show up. And I just broke up a fight. These boys were most likely about 10 or 11 and they were smacking this one boy on the back of the head because he did not have money to play. I yelled "ostaroshnah" at them which means stop. So they left my area and took it over near Tom. He just told them the boy was his friend so they are leaving the kid alone now!