Not Quite There Yet...
Thursday, December 22, 12:20 P.M.
Well, I have been in Russia almost a week now, a fact that is still hard to accept, even as I am painfully aware of how little I fit in with this society. Everything is SO different here – the social norms, the food, the weather, but most of all, the language. For a person who adores people and loves to talk to everyone she meets, it's incredibly difficult not being able to speak to anyone. (On that note, I realize I tend to be long-winded, especially when I haven't spoken much in the past week, so I'll try my hardest to keep this relatively short.) Russia is a beautiful place, though. It is very cold, but the snow is beautiful. As the airplane descended over Moscow, I was shocked at the appearance of this new place. I was certain we were below the clouds, but everything was still white! For someone who never saw snow until their high school senior trip (not counting the one day it snowed when I was 2), this was quite a surprising sight! I have managed to keep warm, though, without any trouble, really.
A quick summary of my travles so far: I left San Antonio last Tuesday, flew to Dallas, spent the night with Carreen, left for Moscow at 11:00 Wednesday morning, and arrived around 10:00 Thursday morning. I stayed there until Monday night, when I took the train to St. Petersubrg, which is where I still am now. I will be here until Saturday, when I will take the bus to my village, Pikalevo. I cannot wait to get there, to finally see this place I have been dreaming of for nearly six months. My time in Moscow and St. Petersburg has been great – I have seen incredible sights, met very kind people, and have been given ample time to adjust to this culture. I am a worker, though, and since I know I did not come here to play tourist, I am very anxious to see my new home and get busy with whatever I will be doing. In addition, living in these cities is extraordinarily expensive – a fact for which I was not prepared in the slightest – and I am very anxious to quit wasting so much money. Natalia, a contact in Moscow, informed me that the city was recently proclaimed to be the most expensive city in the world (by which report, I am uncertain).
The individuals I have been able to speak with (primarily the contacts with whom Hope works with on adoptions) have been very kind – Natalia, Nina, Tanya – they have been very helpful, very supportive. The few other Russians with whom I have spoken do not know what to think of my situation at all. Most find it incredibly difficult to believe that I would move to Russia by myself at all, but when they find out I will be living in a small town and working in an orphanage, their confusion and bewilderment is almost amusing. The man I sat next to on the plane just couldn't understand why. He grew up in a small village near that area, why would anyone choose to go there, especially alone? He attempted to convince me that I would be very lonely, have a very hard time – he even suggested that I change plans and work in an orphanage in St. Petersburg. He thought he remembered seeing one somewhere. I wanted to say so many things to him, to explain why I really am doing this, but it was useless. Already we were worlds apart, though only a few inches separated us physically. Our differing languages, backgrounds, and worldviews are so different that I feared even a ten hour plane ride would not be enough time to fully explain. I'm certain he, and all the others I have spoken with from this area, are right – I will be lonely, I will be cold, I will long for sunshine, etc. But I also know that there are orphas here who need someone – someone to play with them, to love them, to be their friend. They are alone in this world, they are poor, they are forgotten. And I was made aware of this – that is my reason for coming. I was made aware of them, their story was shared with me, and now I cannot to anything but try to bring some hope and love into their lives. How I will go about this I have no idea. I realize I am not qualified or adequately prepared for this task, but I am here now, and will do my very best at whatever is to come in the days ahead.
Well, I have been in Russia almost a week now, a fact that is still hard to accept, even as I am painfully aware of how little I fit in with this society. Everything is SO different here – the social norms, the food, the weather, but most of all, the language. For a person who adores people and loves to talk to everyone she meets, it's incredibly difficult not being able to speak to anyone. (On that note, I realize I tend to be long-winded, especially when I haven't spoken much in the past week, so I'll try my hardest to keep this relatively short.) Russia is a beautiful place, though. It is very cold, but the snow is beautiful. As the airplane descended over Moscow, I was shocked at the appearance of this new place. I was certain we were below the clouds, but everything was still white! For someone who never saw snow until their high school senior trip (not counting the one day it snowed when I was 2), this was quite a surprising sight! I have managed to keep warm, though, without any trouble, really.
A quick summary of my travles so far: I left San Antonio last Tuesday, flew to Dallas, spent the night with Carreen, left for Moscow at 11:00 Wednesday morning, and arrived around 10:00 Thursday morning. I stayed there until Monday night, when I took the train to St. Petersubrg, which is where I still am now. I will be here until Saturday, when I will take the bus to my village, Pikalevo. I cannot wait to get there, to finally see this place I have been dreaming of for nearly six months. My time in Moscow and St. Petersburg has been great – I have seen incredible sights, met very kind people, and have been given ample time to adjust to this culture. I am a worker, though, and since I know I did not come here to play tourist, I am very anxious to see my new home and get busy with whatever I will be doing. In addition, living in these cities is extraordinarily expensive – a fact for which I was not prepared in the slightest – and I am very anxious to quit wasting so much money. Natalia, a contact in Moscow, informed me that the city was recently proclaimed to be the most expensive city in the world (by which report, I am uncertain).
The individuals I have been able to speak with (primarily the contacts with whom Hope works with on adoptions) have been very kind – Natalia, Nina, Tanya – they have been very helpful, very supportive. The few other Russians with whom I have spoken do not know what to think of my situation at all. Most find it incredibly difficult to believe that I would move to Russia by myself at all, but when they find out I will be living in a small town and working in an orphanage, their confusion and bewilderment is almost amusing. The man I sat next to on the plane just couldn't understand why. He grew up in a small village near that area, why would anyone choose to go there, especially alone? He attempted to convince me that I would be very lonely, have a very hard time – he even suggested that I change plans and work in an orphanage in St. Petersburg. He thought he remembered seeing one somewhere. I wanted to say so many things to him, to explain why I really am doing this, but it was useless. Already we were worlds apart, though only a few inches separated us physically. Our differing languages, backgrounds, and worldviews are so different that I feared even a ten hour plane ride would not be enough time to fully explain. I'm certain he, and all the others I have spoken with from this area, are right – I will be lonely, I will be cold, I will long for sunshine, etc. But I also know that there are orphas here who need someone – someone to play with them, to love them, to be their friend. They are alone in this world, they are poor, they are forgotten. And I was made aware of this – that is my reason for coming. I was made aware of them, their story was shared with me, and now I cannot to anything but try to bring some hope and love into their lives. How I will go about this I have no idea. I realize I am not qualified or adequately prepared for this task, but I am here now, and will do my very best at whatever is to come in the days ahead.
posted by Jessie | 5:42 AM
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