it's all about the look

I was able to snap this with my cell phone while waiting for that #34 van that is approaching!

... her boots are the same color green as her coat. I love a girl who knows how to match her footwear with her fur!

Chechen flatbread with an American Twist

I made the Chepalgish again the other day but was out of cottage cheese. So I chose to use some grated cheese instead. It rolled out nicely and fried up a beautiful golden brown. For the final step I chose to add lemon pepper and garlic salt to the melted butter to lightly drizzle on each layer... the guys said it was a hit!

locks and keys

For several days our front door has been tricky to open. Tom tried to lubricate it to see if that would fix it. But, no such luck.

Spencer came home the other night and he could not get the door open. His key would not turn and he could not get it out of the door. Tom had to take off the back panel to reach the lock itself.












Without the panel on the door it is just a shell of metal.

















Tom took the lock apart to open the door.

















We had to use the slider to keep the door locked.

We needed to find a repairman to come out and tell us where or not we needed a new door or if we could just put in a new lock. Anotoly, the repairman came and decided that a new lock could be put on the door. He went with Tom and Spencer over to a little hardware store in the market not far from our building to see if there were any locks available there.

They only lock they were able to find fits the bottom part of the door so the top lock still does not work. But, Tom has the door put back together and we are safe and secure once again!

thought for today

“I will not take "but" for an answer”

Langston Hughes

Drinking Holy Water...

Last week I posted a news article about Russians jumping into the water for Epiphany.

Here is a follow up article:


117 Hospitalized After Drinking Holy Water
26 January 2010
AP

More than 100 Russian Orthodox believers have been hospitalized after drinking holy water during Epiphany celebrations in Irkutsk, an official said Monday.

A total of 117 people, including 48 children, were in the hospital complaining of acute intestinal pain after drinking water from wells in and around a local church last week, said Vladimir Salovarov, a spokesman for the Irkutsk branch of the Investigative Committee.

Salovarov said 204 people required some medical treatment after consuming the water, the source of which was a stagnant lake. He said, however, that it was too early to say what caused the illness.

Many Russians consider any water obtained on Epiphany — which they celebrate on Jan. 19 — to be holy.

The water is typically bottled for consumption later. Tap water in most of Russia is undrinkable.

While in western Christian traditions, Epiphany marks the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus, in Eastern Orthodoxy the festival commemorates Christ's baptism.

Orthodox believers also plunge into icy rivers and lakes in their traditional Epiphany celebration. Typically a cross is carved out of the ice near the bathing spot, and a wooden dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit is thrown into the water.

Irkutsk is located in eastern Siberia near the border with China.

Marc Chagall Exhibit

Jeremiah







"Ever since my earliest youth I have been fascinated by the Bible. I have always believed that it is the greatest source of poetry of all time...The Bible is an echo of nature, and this I have endeavoured to transmit.... In art everything is possible, so long as it is based on love"

Marc Chagall


For Tom's birthday we went to the museum with our friends Brennen, Stephanie, Valera and his granddaughter Eva. We were surprised to discover that the exhibit was a collection of Chagall's lithographs with biblical themes.

My favorite was Naomi and her daughter in laws click here to see a copy. Each lithograph was displayed with a verse from the Bible that inspired the piece.

If this collection comes your way you will not regret going to see it... even if you are not a fan of surrealism this Russian artist will leave an impression on you!

Slip sliding away...

The last few days we have had a layer of ice on the ground. The practice here is to cover the ice with sand. However, there always seem to be patches of ice that don't get covered with the sand and that makes walking at a normal pace hazardous.

Yesterday Tom had a fall and so did Spencer. Tom is a little sore from his fall but doing okay. I was concerned that if I fell it would be a disaster due to the pain I am already in from my fibromyalgia. So I decided to buy some salt and sprinkle it on the ground in front of me as I walked. I was nervous at first that if one of the babushkas saw me wasting salt that I would get yelled at. I am happy to report that I successfully protected my path with salt and made it home from my English class without incident!

Praying for Polly's second surgery

Today in Chicago, Polly is scheduled to have surgery again. You can read more about her by clicking here: Pocket Lint

thought for today

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Orthodox Christians brave the cold waters!

Russians plunge into icy water for Epiphany

MOSCOW (AFP) – Scantily clad Orthodox Christians braved freezing temperatures throughout Russia on Tuesday to immerse themselves in ice holes in rivers and lakes to celebrate the Epiphany religious holiday.

To Orthodox believers, water blessed by a priest on Epiphany has miraculous powers, a belief harking back to Christ's baptism in the River Jordan. Jumping into the water is optional, but is a popular ritual among the faithful.

Water blessed on Epiphany "never goes stale, sick people who touch it are healed, devils are driven out and people are given strength," Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, said Monday during a trip to Kazakhstan.

Around 30,000 people immersed themselves in ice holes in Moscow overnight, the RIA-Novosti state news agency reported, citing city police.

The emergency situations ministry said it had posted over 200 lifeguards at lakes and rivers around the Russian capital to help prevent tragedies.

Just after midnight on Tuesday morning, worshippers gathered at a golf club outside Moscow, braving temperatures of minus 25 Celsius (minus 13 Fahrenheit) to leap into an ice hole, an AFP journalist witnessed.

Around 200 people followed a priest in a candle-lit procession to a nearby river, their breath throwing up clouds of steam. They then stripped to swimming trunks or wore long white shirts to complete the ritual bathing.

The well-off worshippers had paid 3,500 rubles (119 dollars) for a holiday package that included felt boots and a shirt to wear during immersion, as well as a performance by a Cossack choir and a buffet afterwards.

Six percent of Russians were planning to jump into ice holes for Epiphany, according to a poll published Monday by the Levada Centre, the country's most respected polling firm.

A more cautious 48 percent planned to visit a church to collect water blessed by a priest, the poll said.

The holiday is a favourite with politicians, who reinforce their reputation as devout Russian Orthodox believers by jumping into the ice in previously announced photo opportunities.

Dancing girls!

Angelina and Diana dancing before MOPS













One of my favorite things to watch is children playing. The joy on their faces is priceless!

Cooking Chechnyan Style

This morning we had 6 moms at MOPS and Lena taught us how to make Chepalgish. It is a traditional dish in Chechnya and typically is eaten for breakfast or lunch.


The dough is made from equal parts of flour and buttermilk. Lena used 2 cups each and then added in 1 teaspoon of baking soda.


















Zhenya kneads the dough while Lena explains to us what consistency the dough needs to reach. After the dough is elastic (like for bread dough or pizza crust) let it rise for about 15-20 minutes.






















Lena separated the dough into 7 sections and shaped them into circles. Using a large tablespoon she places a dollop of low fat cottage cheese on each circle. Then she carefully closed each one up like a dumpling.

















After they are the in the dumpling shape take a rolling pin and flatten into the shape of a tortilla and place in dry skillet and cook on each side until golden brown. You can see Lena frying them in the background.

















Each one was then dipped into a hot tub of water, laid onto a plate and drenched with butter!






















They are stacked like pancakes, cut into wedges like a pie and then eaten by hand.


This was the first time that Lena herself had ever made them, normally her mother cooks this dish, and although she said they needed more cottage cheese, the rest of us thought they were great!

shadows & light

Onion domes of an Orthodox Church

thought for today

I keep trying to lose weight... but it keeps finding me!
~Author Unknown

Russia's Anne Frank

I just started reading this diary of a teenage girl, Nina Lugovskaya, who grew up during the Stalin years. After her father's imprisonment the entire family comes under scrutiny. The house is ransacked and her diary is found. Because of the dangerous thoughts written in her diary, Nina, along with her mother and sisters are sentenced to 5 years hard labor in the Gulag followed by 7 years exile in Siberia.

Here is one example of her counter-revolutionary thoughts:

Maybe I should just poison myself? Sometimes I want to, you could say I dream about it, but I know for certain that I won't do it.

Her thoughts were those of a 13 year old girl who was frustrated with trying to figure out if a certain boy at school liked her or not. At this time in Russian history, however, just this mention of suicide was considered a sign of a degenerate thought crime against the state.

donation boxes around Krasnodar!

For those of you in America, who are used to seeing the Salvation Army bell ringers or perhaps the canisters in convenience stores with the local photos of someone in need of help, these photos may not be a big deal. But, when you live outside of your home country there is a tendency to look for that which is familiar.

Not long ago I started noticing these donation boxes to benefit needy children showing up in various places. In the first photo which is hard to see there is one right next to the cashier at our favorite little cafe. In the second photo that box is at our local Tabris supermarket. It warms my heart to see them and to know that all over the world there are people helpers who care about the needs of others!!

Bread & Salt

I just found a new culinary magazine in Russian. I love the way the magazine is laid out and the editor, Yulia Vysotskaya, is also one of my favorites. She has her own cooking show and a series of books called "We eat at home".

If you are studying Russian then watching her cook can be a lot of fun and great practice with listening skills... she talks really fast!

Merry Russian Christmas!!

The Russian Orthodox date for Christmas is January 7th and it is an official holiday... the banks and post office are closed, people are out in the malls, gathering as families and enjoying the holiday spirit.

Here are a few of my memories from today:

Five little angels reciting their Christmas poems!

Pastor Valodya presenting gifts to the guys from the rehab center... a meat grinder and some hymnals!

Christmas show at one of the local malls.

Our church service was at noon and afterward Spencer and I went out to Krasnaya Ploshad to try and see a movie, but, the lines were so long that it was impossible. We settled for lunch and then hung out in the bookstore. Everywhere we went we were greeted with the official greeting for today's holiday which is "С Рождеством Христовым" (s rozhdyestvom hristovim) and literally translates to "with the birth of Christ"!

Thought for today

The tongue always returns to the sore tooth.

Russian Proverb

How Yulia Timoshenko got her hairdo!

Yota WiFi in Krasnodar

Today is the first day of our Yota service actually working in our region. We have friends who started their service a while ago and are quite happy with it. We purchased the Yota egg (Thanks Mom and Dad for the Christmas gift) and then had to wait for the service.

Just a few minutes ago Tom broke through the quiet in our apartment to say "Alida, do you hear that?... That is the sound of the 3 of us on the internet at the same time!"


I love that sound!!

С празником... Happy Holidays!!

Happy New Year!! С Новым Годом!!

thought for today

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. ~Benjamin Franklin

2009 Christmas memories...

Enjoying the tree!

Reciting Christmas poems

Pastor Valodia and Lena

Spencer, Misha and Leeza

We had a party at church to celebrate as a large family and here are just a few shots from the evening. It is traditional for the little ones to dress in costumes and recite poetry.

Feliz Navidad in Russian

thought for today

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away;
While quite unselfish, it grows small.

Eva K. Logue

today's sighting...

I saw a beautiful young blonde today taking out the trash. She was wearing a pair of high heeled knee high black leather boots and a fuzzy purple bathrobe!

Putin in the Olympics?

Putin may join Russian Olympic judo team

Published 20 December, 2009, 12:47

Edited 21 December, 2009, 16:16

The Russian Judo Olympic team may have a new member. It is none other than the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Talking with the national team on Friday, he applauded the team’s successes.

Moreover, the Prime Minister has offered his services to help the national judo team's Olympic dream.

Read more

“If you need hands-on assistance, you may enter me into the team,” Putin told the team’s coach.

The Russian Prime Minister advocates the development of judo in the country.

Vladimir Putin has a black belt in the martial art and competed at a high level in the USSR.

Russian Santa (Ded Moroz) Jammin at the mall

When I took this photo he was playing 'Summertime'!!

Praying for Polly

My friend Gillian's three year old daughter is having brain surgery today at 7:45 am CST in Chicago. She will be in surgery for about 3 hours... please join with me in lifting up this little one.


Grab This Button

thought for today

Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more."

~ Dr. Seuss (1904-1991), American author of children's books. From 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas'.

Visit to the Optometrist

Spencer's glasses got broken so we had to take him to the optometrist to get new ones. We braved the snow and cold for a good cause. We were in and out with his new glasses in one hour!

First snow day!

Our neighbors had their kids out on the playground in the snow... the little one on the sled was laughing pretty hard!

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Here in Russia the big holiday is New Year. That is when Ded Moroz comes and presents are given to one another. This is the tree at Krasnaya Ploshad, one of the shopping malls here in town.

thought for today

“Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.”

Oren Arnold

a little shopping at Metro

I went to Metro today with a my friend Katya. Metro is like Costco or Sam's. We didn't find the prices there to be cheaper than regular stores in town but there is a wider selection. And they have products imported from America that are not sold at other stores.

I picked up peanut butter, hot chocolate with marshmallows, Franks Hot Sauce and sweet potatoes. Now all I need is a recipe for Hot Wings and I will be a happy camper!

learning new expressions

Tom came home from Yakutia yesterday and we are so happy to have him home. He told us about an expression he heard there. If someone is totally irritating you and you have had it with their behavior to describe this situation you can say that the person is "sitting in your kidney."

Mops Craft time

Spencer worked for MOPS today. He helped the kids with the craft and kept them entertained while their parents met. Here are the fruits of his labor!

Where in the world is Tom?

This past week Tom has been in Yakutsk teaching on Codependency. He got there on Saturday and they have had him working each day since he arrived. He has been to the local rehab center, spoken to a group of youth and is teaching daily at one of the area churches.

Each day he sends us text messages to keep us updated on how things are going. Yesterday he told us that the day started off at -50 and warmed up to -47. Today he wrote to say that it was colder than yesterday but that he was afraid to know exactly what the temp was. Oh, by the way, the locals are telling him that it is not even winter yet.

If you Google "coldest city on earth" Yakutsk pops up... give it a try!

thought for today

A fly cannot enter a closed mouth.
Russian Proverb

Alida's Sweet Potato Pie

2 cups sweet potato, baked
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup fine granulated brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon sour cream
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 unbaked pie crust

1. Place baked sweet potato in bowl. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, sour cream, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.

2. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools.

Notes:
white sugar works well too
instead of cinnamon and nutmeg you can substitute 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
This is my favorite Holiday Pie...but, if you don't like sweet potatoes you can substitute them with cooked pumpkin!

Joann, let me know if you try it!!

Expat survey: Hard Life, Many Friends

Expats Have a Hard Life, Many Friends A recent survey reveals that Russia ranks 24th in terms of quality of life for foreigners among the 26 countries surveyed, but it places fourth in terms of making new friends, especially among locals.

Expats Have a Hard Life, Many Friends
26 November 2009
By Alex Anishyuk

Maintaining a comfortable lifestyle while working in Russia is difficult for many foreigners, but the ease of making new friends among the locals could sweeten the pill for many.

According to HSBC’s expat experience report, Russia ranks two points from the bottom in terms of quality of life among the 26 countries surveyed, but it places fourth in terms of making new friends, especially among locals.

The survey rated 26 countries on 25 day-to-day factors, such as accommodation, food, social life, the ease of organizing finances and accommodation.

Russia ranked 24th in terms of overall quality of life, placing dead last in terms of ease of setting up financing and enrolling children in school, and was also ranked poorly for its quality of healthcare (25) and commute (23).

Canada, Australia and Thailand placed among the top three globally, while India and Qatar trailed the rest, ranking 25th and 26th, respectively.

Russia’s weak points also include a difficulty in setting up utilities (25) and finding an apartment to live in (23), but the country ranks stronger in terms of entertainment (9) and social life (7).

Russia’s people, however, may be its most valuable asset, as many expats found it comparatively easier to make friends while living here.

“While making friends is easy for most expats, there is a preference for making friends within the expat community rather than the local community,” the report said. “An exception to this is Brazil, which ranks highest for local community integration (94 percent of expats making local friends easily). This was closely followed by Canada and South Africa (both 91 percent), India and Russia (both 90 percent).”

While foreigners living here may be having a hard time of it, Russians working abroad are among those most likely to stay away for a long time.

“The countries that produce the ‘expat-lifers’ include those originally from Thailand, Bahrain (81 percent), South Africa (73 percent), Russia and the United States (both 70 percent),” the report said.

HSBC issued the first survey in its series in June reporting on the economic experiences of expats. According to that report, one-third of all expats living in Russia — the highest proportion in the world — make more than $250,000 per year, with almost half reporting an income of $200,000 per year or more.

Almost 60 percent said they had $4,000 or more every month in disposable income, the second-highest proportion in the world, while 70 percent earn enough to be able to employ at least one person as domestic staff, significantly higher than the global average of 48 percent.

The surveys was commissioned by HSBC Bank International and conducted by research company FreshMinds. More than 3,100 expats were questioned between February and April 2009.

Boot Season!

It is that time of year again... when all of the boots come out of the closet and into the streets. These gold heels caught my eye and I am thankful for the camera on my cellphone!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Celebrating American holidays when you live abroad can be tricky. This year the price of turkey is unreal. It would have been cheaper to buy duck. And I remember when I thought duck was a delicacy.

I ended up buying 4 turkey breasts to go with my homemade stuffing. (no Stove Top here)I wish you could have seen the smile on my face when I discovered the celery that I needed for the stuffing at the supermarket! Spencer and I even splurged on two cans of Dr. Pepper (6$)

I found sweet potatoes in the supermarket this summer so I baked and froze them so that we could have them for sweet potato pie today.

Our menu today is simple... turkey with stuffing, peas, corn and butterhorn rolls. For dessert we have a cherry pie and a sweet potato pie.

Our challenges this year have been many, but, our blessings have outweighed them all. We are truly grateful for our life here and the work that we are able to do. We are thankful that we had the opportunity to celebrate last night with our teammates (Russian and American) and happy today is a quiet family time before Tom leaves for Yakutia tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

thought for today

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude. ~E.P. Powell