A Normal Fiasco

The other night. Oh man.

We have been told that someone might knock on our door, aggressively, until we open it to show our "papers." So, the other night around 1:30 AM, someone knocked.

And rang the doorbell. 

And knocked again. And Again.

I decided I wasn't going to answer it, but just wanted to peek through the hole to see who was out there. As I stepped out of our bedroom, my feet were immediately covered in water. Water was everywhere, an inch deep. 

 I swim through the water to see who was at the door and there was a lady in her robe. She begins speaking gibberish, and I speak back English. 

Water. WaaaaTer. WATERRRR. She understands.

"Yes, eeez eet yu?" 

No, not me!

"May I see?"

She proceeds to walk into our flat to see from where the water was flowing and then sprints out our door and up the stairs. We don't see her again.

I go and wake Eric up. 

ERIC!!! Water! Water everywhere!! We have a flood in our house!!

It takes a minute for Eric to fully wake up (as usual), and naturally, his reaction was very startled. 

"Huh? What?! Water, where?! Where is it coming from??"

I call our logistics guy here to tell him our situation, and he said he will send a guy over in the morning to have a look. We then proceed for the next HOUR to soak up all the water in towels and squeeze it into buckets. Finally, when all the water was up, we crawled back into bed...around 2:30 AM.

3:00 AM- Doorbell. Knock. Doorbell AND knocks.

People here are do not have much patience when ringing the bell and knocking. They don't give the person much time to get to the door before deciding to ring the bell hundreds of times.

I tell Eric to go to the door, so he answers it. And then comes back to our room.

Who was it? I ask.

"Two homeless men, I don't know what they wanted, they spoke Russian."

Oh, okay.

We finally doze back off to sleep.

3:45AM- My phone rings. SERIOUSLY? It was our maintenance guy telling us he was sending a couple of guys over to check out the flooding. "They are there," he says, "So let them in."

You send them over NOW? Can this not wait until the morning? I think.

Eric goes to the door, lets the men in, they walk around til 4AM then leaves.

Eric comes back to bed.

So, were they the "homeless men?" I ask.

"Yep." 

We end our night...well, morning at this point, in laughter and finally doze off until our alarm clock went off an hour later. 

Apparently, these types of situations are very "normal" for our part of the world. And sometimes, all you can do is laugh.

One Year Update

This update is a few weeks late. With the move across the world, yes WORLD, I have been a little preoccupied.

Addie Grace had 4 birthday parties. I believe (maybe, ehh not sure actually), that I already posted about these. One party was at the beach with Eric's family, another at the beach with mine, my friend Marty threw her one the week we left, and then we had a little party with some team members over here.

Even though she turned 1 the Sunday after we arrived, she was still celebrated a lot!

We have not yet had her 1 year check up, but there is a clinic here with Western trained doctors that we will see for her appointment. So, no stats right now but as soon as we go, I'll update!

Eating: Whatever we eat! YAY!! So glad to be done with bottles, baby food, etc. I still don't feed her candy, chips/junk food, and red meat. She LOVES fruit.  LOVES. I am her hero if I give her a handful of grapes. After we arrived, we allowed her a night time bottle to stick with some normalcy, but this week we took it away, and she has adjusted wonderfully. Loves drinking her whole milk in a sippy cup. When she is finished with her food, she throws it off her high chair and on to the floor...this drives me nuts. She does the same with her sippy cup.

Talking: She is a talker. mama, dada, papa, dog and other noises that I don't know. We say, "what sound does a doggie make?" She says, "ruff ruff." We have a nanny that speaks Russian to her, so maybe a few Russian words soon??

Personality: She loves to smile and laugh. When she is tired she whines, but don't we all? She is really silly and loves to play with stuffed animals and her baby. She has learned to kiss, so she loves kissing on the lips. She'll put her forehead to mine and smile (melt my heart). Loves to clap her hands. Gets so excited when daddy walks into the room. She has so many expressions . She loves to smile with her nose scrunched. Loves peek-a-boo, thinks it's hilarious. She has started hitting, and hitting in the face I might add. She gets in trouble for this!

Mobility: Crawls and climbs everywhere. She is cruising but not walking by herself. She gets braves and stands up by herself, then she'll give herself a round of applause.

Sleeping: She's a champ. Sleeps from 7am-7pm. She has dropped her morning nap since we have been here. We would let her take an hour morning nap, but then wouldn't take an afternoon nap so we figured it was time! She takes an afternoon nap from 1-3:30/4. If she wakes up earlier, we leave her in her crib and she usually falls back asleep.

Schedule: I liberally follow this...definitely can change based on what we have going on for the day
7:00- Wakes up
7:30- Breakfast
10:30- Snack
12:00/12:30- Lunch
1:00-4:00- Nap/Quiet time
4:30- Snack
6:00- Dinner
6:45-Bath
7:00- Bed

Fall!

Its fall here and baby girl is ready! Custom here is to let moms know their babies aren't dressed properly. They dress according to the calendar, not the weather...so babies here have toboggans on in 70 degree weather! Not my baby :). 

                                         

He is good, I promise.

I write this following post to boast about G-d's kindness, once again. Over and over He has proved Himself faithful and good, yet over and over I question it. Someone so unworthy to receive any of His grace, I constantly find myself covered in it. He is good, I promise. 

Today was a harder one. When our nanny arrived this morning, I found myself a little more reluctant to hand over my most prized worldly possession, and teared up as I left for school. Discouraged that I no longer get to spend all my day with this sweet little one, I began to cry a little as we waited on our ride to school.

Then I dropped my breakfast in a puddle. 

We arrived at school and all was great just like it usually is, I even went on a run.  But today I just longed to be home. North Carolina, home. I left school early so I could go spend the rest of my time with Addie. Before our nanny left, I walked to the market and bank...to find the ATM wasn't working with my card. The man that worked at the bank tried to explain something to me...maybe why it wasn't working, but of course, we didn't understand each other. I use to think it was kinda funny. Not today. I just want my money, man. I finally gave up on any sort of communication and charades and walked tearfully back towards home. 

After our nanny left, I am home for a few hours by myself until Eric's gets off work. But remember, today just wasn't a good day. Which means, today I just need someone who speaks English to be my friend. 

Addie and I went outside for a bit and I found myself once again, tearing up. Trying to hold it together. I really just want to be home. So I began talking with Him. L-rd, please reveal more kindness to me. I just really need an English speaking friend. Or something. I felt so selfish in my prayers. He has given me so much and is always kind, I don't deserve anything more than what He has already shown. He has even provided a wonderful team for us, but I have to take a bus to get there houses and I have no idea how to do that. 

So Eric arrives and I am so thankful to not be alone any longer. He then proceeds to ask if I care if he goes on a run. I guess that's fine. He could sense my hesitation, so he suggests that we all go on a walk. 

A few minutes into our walk, we hear, "You must not be a local, you have a BOB." (A BOB is the name of our fancy jogging stroller that I so adamantly begged for while I was preggers. Actually, I knew I wanted this thing before I was preggers.). We stopped where we were and found this couple with grocery bags in hand. I immediately thought, english. ENGLISH. They speak ENGLISH!! We began talking and found out they were from Boston. They immediately invited us over to their flat, where we hung out for the next hour.

He is good, I promise. He used something as silly as my materialistic drive to own a BOB for His glory. And it isn't because this couple heard us speaking English, that they stopped us. In fact, they were in a taxi on their way home, saw our BOB, and asked the driver to drop them off right in front of us. I pr-yed for Him to reveal more kindness. And He did. HE DID. After all He has shown, I asked for more, and He so patiently and gently provided it. How often do we ask Him to do more than what he has already done? Really, all we need is to know that we have J-sus, and that should be enough to satisfy our longings for the rest of eternity. He knows our fickle hearts, our worries, and doubts. I am so thankful we have a patient G-d who grafts us into eternity with Him, through J-sus. Even through all our imperfections, He still wants us.

Success...in the Eye of the Beholder

Yesterday was a successful day. Let me just say that my standard for the word "success" has diminished greatly. 

First off, I had a conversation in Russian. Okay, okay. I wasn't the one speaking in Russian.  I actually had no idea what she was saying. A woman just started speaking to me as we were out and about... I just nodded and smiled and kept trying to say "English. Eeeeeng-lish. EN-GA-LISH." She just kept on talking, that woman. Chatty lady. 

30 minutes later....

Secondly, as I was waiting outside for Eric and Will to pick up Addie and myself for dinner, another lady with a baby spoke to me in Russian. I'm thinking I look super approachable today or something. "Oh sorry, I speak English." To my great delight, she started speaking English! 

In a mild accent she says, "I'm looking for a house, what number is this building." 

"Oh I'm not sure, I just moved here from the States on Friday," I say, thinking this was definitely a good excuse . 

"Oh. You don't know your address?" She patronizingly states. Okay so it probably wasn't that patronizing but I'm super sensitive, vulnerable, and insecure about my survival abilities right now. 

"No. No, I don't."

Fail. Fail. Fail all over the place. 

So how was this last interaction successful you ask? 

Because I got to speak English with a local. 

And because at the end of our conversation, she finds the building number and tells me where I live. I KNOW WHERE I LIVE Y'ALL!! Okay, maybe I don't know the street name, but I know the building number! Halfway there. Baby steps. 

And lastly, I ate local food. We went out to dinner with Abby, the Gilberts, and Will to a local restaurant not too far from our flat. The menu was in a different language, so we had the Gilberts order for us and trust that they were ordering to our liking. And they did. 

If you know the relationship my taste buds have with food then, well, you know that I'm a bit skeptical, dramatic, and a bit of a snob. I don't mean to be, it's just that I struggle a little in the area of food tolerance. This is all another way of me simply saying I'm picky. I have been this way my entire life, although I have greatly improved and have broadened my food selections since childhood. We ate an amazing dish called....um well, I can say it but not spell it. But it's pronounced Lockmon. So I think. 

This dish is homemade, thick noodles with chicken or beef and veggies. A combination of everything I love! It's very similar to chicken and veggie Lo Mein. I will definitely be eating this again!

This pretty much sums up our day yesterday: We went to school, and I went home early. Eric stayed longer and played basketball with a bunch of guys. Meanwhile, I was making friends with the locals and being super successful at it. Then, he and Will came to pick us up for dinner, and we ate!

 Overall, yesterday was a good day. 

Small victories

It's the small victories that are celebrated over here. When you don't know the language nor the location of your flat (apartment), anything that is completed by yourself is a big deal. My big deal happened two days ago when I bought fruits and veggies all by myself.

I was told that at the fresh fruit/veggie stands, it is possible I would receive a "foreigner price." Which is a nice was of saying ripped off. There are a few stands close to our flat, so I decided to walk over and give it a shot. The interesting thing about this place is that there are all sorts of people here. Dark hair-dark skinned, blonde hair-blue eyes, etc. So I thought if I just kept my mouth shut, this could possibly be a success. 

And it was. The thing is, if you act like you know what you're doing, there is a good chance everyone else thinks you do too. I mean, what can be so hard about picking out fruits and veggies? I do it all the time in the States. So after I paid a good cheap price, I opened my mouth for the first time. "Thank you." The man at the stand brightened up his eyes, let out a surprised grin and looked at the man next to him. I walked off. Victory indeed. I paid the equivalent of $4.00 for:

Watermelon

Two onions

Three cucumbers

I think the L-rd allowed me to experience the joy of a small victory before allowing me to realize I need so much help. I leave early from school, so I can spend time with AG at home. I have a driver that will be taking me home everyday, so yesterday was his first day. Keep in mind his English is not good. The traffic here is the worst I have ever seen. Not to mention the driving. OH THE DRIVING. We almost hit a girl on the way to school. And playing chicken with other cars is normal, an everyday occurrence actually. And people drive on sidewalks and other areas not created to be a road. 

Anyways, after what seemed like forever on the road, my driver gets pretty close to my flat and says in broken english, "where to?" 

Um turn right?

He starts to turn. 

No no no, actually go straight.  

He swerves back on the road. "Keep going?" he says.

 I think? Um yes, keep going. 

He goes. 

Actually, I have no idea. 

Fail. 

He pulls over on the side of the road. And we just sit there. Think Kelly, think. 

Oh yes! I have a phone! 

G-ds providence that I was given a dumb phone by the logistic guy on our team. Surely his number is in here. So I scroll to the contacts and find his name. PTL!! I say in English to my nice driver man, "I'm going to call my friend, and he will tell you where to go," while of course pointing to the phone, his ear, and the road, all at the same time. I have a feeling charades is going to be my new favorite game.

My logistics guy speaks in one of the two languages that are spoken here (Yes. This is a BILINGUAL country...we are dumb, America) and explains to him where to go. So, 100 yards later, yes YARDS, I am home. Well, at least now he knows where to go for tomorrow?

On a side note: Usually on my first day of school, I like to try to get to know my students by asking them questions. One question I asked is, "what languages do you speak?". Most of my students are bilingual and trilingual.  Also these students been to more countries than they can count. Their worldview is not small, and I pr-y that He will continue to expand my worldview. I have so much to learn here. And so much to learn from kids 10 years younger than I. It's easy to get caught up in the idea that this is not home to me, but I pray that I will soak up this time in another culture. In another world. That I will not waste it, and that I will be changed to be more like Him. 

First day of school for the whole family

We made it

We flew out on Wednesday evening. We arrived Friday morning.

Let that sink in.

 

 

 

17 hours. In the air. But we are here. We made it. Barely sane. But we are here, and I write from my quaint little kitchen all the way across the world.

And of course, I have to represent...

 Part of my computer is in Russian...not sure why?

We flew out Wednesday even at 5:10 (US time). We went from RDU-NYC-LONDON-OUR COUNTRY. We had a long layover in London, so we decided to escape from the confines of yet another airport and enjoy the dirty air of England. At first this idea seemed a little daunting, because not only did we have a sweet little baby who was running on so few hours of sleep (not to mention all of us "adults" were too), but we CARRIED ON:

Carseat

Pack N Play

 the BOB

Huge diaper bag

My personal bag

My purse

My pillow

Abby's carry on suictcase

Abby's bookbag

Abby's purse

Eric's carry on suitcase

Eric's bookbag

Eric's pillows. Yes, pillowS

 

 

...and there were THREE of us to man-handle all the goods. Besides the overwhelming amount of items needed to travel with a baby, AG was a total rockstar. Seriously. I couln't have been more proud of her. On our long flights she slept or sat quietly most of the way. She was ready to play the last two hours of our last flight, but who blames her right? I sure don't. Goodness. I was ready to play.

 

 

But, back to London. Excuse the random thoughts. Jeg lag going on over here.

 

To our great delight, the London airport has a baggage service where we can pay per item for them to store our things while we sightsee. So of course, we felt it necessary to fork over the cash. We took many pictures, saw many tourist-y spots, marveled over amazing architecture, and ate outside at a cute cafe. AG slept for most of her time in London.

 

On the Heathrow Express to Paddington

 

Heathrow Express to Paddington

 

Our taxi ride from Paddington to Buckingham Palace...Yes, we straight up rolled the stroller into the taxi.

 

 

 

What's London without a selfie?

 

This telephone booth was so gross and smelly

 

 

 

 

When we arrived in our country, we hauled our many items inside to Customs. One thing I learned about this country from the get-go...no personal space.

 

Somehow we ended up in the BACK of the line. We did not start in the back. Apparently if you aren't touching your nose to the back of the persons head in front of you, people think its fair game to cut you in line. OH YES. MY PET PEEVE. Line cutting brings out a side in me y'all. Not to mention the lack of sleep.

 

Anyways, my conscience, aka ERIC, gave me a look that said "cool it." Okay fine, but remember I'm holding a very fussy baby right now so this mama bear is about to flip out if she doesn't get through customs ASAP!! Many people staring at white girl with red hair, who speaks a funny language, in a funny dialect, rocking a baby back and forth.
 

Real life. Tired baby, daddy, and aunt

 

After an hour wait, we finally made it through. The very last ones. But on a positive note, it was very easy to find our bags. Except that one of Abby's didn't quite make it.

 

So we are missing a bag, and we have this huge language barrier going on. How do we communicate to these people...WHERE IS OUR MISSING BAG?!

 

Oh. Right. It just so happens, that one of our team members (from Alabama) was on our flight with us and speaks fluent Russian. G-ds grace. It's incredible the amount of His grace that has been so evident within the last few days. I could cry thinking about it. We learned that Abby's bag got stuck in NYC, but thankfully is making it's way to us as we speak.

 

On a random note...Eric and I opened one of our huge duffle bags to find a little boy's Sketcher shoe?? Just one of them. Our theory is that this kid's shoe fell out of his bag, so while they were stuffing it in a random bag (aka ours), they forgot to load Abby's bag. Yeah. This is probably what happened. Poor kid only has one shoe.

 

We walked out of baggage claim to be greeted by our friend Liz and our driver. They brought ONE van. Our bags were stuffed to the ceiling. Abby squeezed in the front with Liz. Will, Eric, Addie, and myself squeezed on one row. Will was holding the Pack n Play in his LAP. Eric was holding the BOB in his LAP. The front wheel to the BOB was poking Liz in the head the entire 45 minute ride back to our apartment. We couldn't have squeezed in one more bag. G-ds grace that Abby's bag was delayed.

 

 

Since we got to our apartment, our schedule has been jammed packed. It's Sunday here, and we still have not unloaded our bags. We have not had one bit of time. Our team here is AMAZING. We have our meals provided the entire next week. They have taken us grocery shopping to help show us what is what. We have already pr-yed together. Sang together. We have a family away from family here.

 

G-d is SO good. He is so kind to us that He has provided so much already. Just a few things I for me to remember:

 

1. AG did amazing on the flights. His kindness.

 

2. When we walked into our apartment, I immediately cried. Overwhelming tears. I just wanted to go home. This apartment doesn't feel like home. Then I walked into the kitchen. My dream kitchen. I see this kitchen as His kindness to me.

 

3. I was anxious about getting AG milk/food if we ran out, since we don't have a car. Across the street from our apartment is a little market. WITH AN ENGLISH SPEAKING girl who works there. His kindness.

 

4. There is a fresh fruit and veggie stand down the street from us. His kindness.

 

5. Our first night, we left our apartment to go to a school picnic. When we came back, we had no idea how to get into the door of our apartment building. We just stood outside. Couldn't get in. Someone eventually came out, and let us in. So I decided to ask, "Do you speak English?" Pretty rare, here. The guy said, "yes." He said YES!! So we asked him how the door works, and he showed us. His kindness.

 

6. Although the buildings aren't very pretty (old Soviet architecture), we have an amazing view from our living room of the mountains. His kindness.

 

 

7. The amazing community here amoungst our team. His kindness

 

8. I have already met several young American moms who are blvrs who want to help/hang out. His kindness.

9. Will (from Alabama) was on our last flight. He helped us get through customs and find Abby's bag. Out of all flights, all times, all days, someone from OUR team was there. His kindness.

 

I could go on. I cannot get over the amount of grace He has provided in so short amount of time. One thing after another. I am overwhelmed with the amount of love He has for us. He is a good G-d. A kind G-d. A loving and gracious G-d.

 

Marty, a dear friend of mine from back in NC sent me the most encouraging email the day we left for CA. It is a quote by Charles Spurgeon, that I highly recommend you take the time and read. So let me leave you with these encouraging words:

 

"All events are under the control of Providence; consequently all the trials of our outward life are traceable at once to the great First Cause. Out of the golden gate of G-d's ordinance the armies of trial march forth in array, clad in their iron armour, and armed with weapons of war. All providences are doors to trial. Even our mercies, like roses, have their thorns. Men may be drowned in seas of prosperity as well as in rivers of affliction. Our mountains are not too high, and our valleys are not too low for temptations: trials lurk on all roads. Everywhere, above and beneath, we are beset and surrounded with dangers. Yet no shower falls unpermitted from the threatening cloud; every drop has its order ere it hastens to the earth. The trials which come from G-d are sent to prove and strengthen our graces, and so at once to illustrate the power of divine grace, to test the genuineness of our virtues, and to add to their energy. Our L-rd in his infinite wisdom and superabundant love, sets so high a value upon his people's faith that he will not screen them from those trials by which faith is strengthened. You would never have possessed the precious faith which now supports you if the trial of your faith had not been like unto fire. You are a tree that never would have rooted so well if the wind had not rocked you to and fro, and made you take firm hold upon the precious truths of the covenant grace. Worldly ease is a great foe to faith; it loosens the joints of holy valour, and snaps the sinews of sacred courage. The balloon never rises until the cords are cut; affliction doth this sharp service for believing souls. While the wheat sleeps comfortably in the husk it is useless to man, it must be threshed out of its resting place before its value can be known. Thus it is well that J-h-vah trieth the righteous, for it causeth them to grow rich towards G-d."

 

Move update

So I believe it has been a little too long since my last post. Let me start by filling you in on a major update... our visas have arrived! This means we fly out on Wednesday. So it's happening. It's really happening. Life as we know it, milk as we know it, transportation, meat, plugs...as in electrical outlets...family, friends, and everything as we now know, will be different. I will not be able to buy anything on my own, as I have no idea how to find it. I will not be able to communicate with locals because I don't even know how to say hello in their language. Everything I find comfort in...my friends, my family, my favorite foods, tv shows, my BED...will be different. 

Yet one thing will be the same, and in this I find great hope and peace. God is the same here, there, in my joys, and in my sorrows. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He never changes, and I can count on that. 

I believe this experience will truly reveal my heart. The good, bad, and ugly. I believe that this experience will allow me to see the beauty of the Gospel in a new way.

If I stay here, there are so many other things fighting for my affections. So many other things which I find comfort and hope.

But to have everything of this world

every material thing that gives me comfort, 

stripped away...

I will only have Christ. 

And that is enough. 

So please be praying for us these next few days! Once we arrive in country, we have a jam-packed schedule so please be praying for endurance!