Area Staff Conference

A week-long party with over a thousand coworkers who serve in 20 countries of Eastern Europe and Russia. We gathered on the Adriatic coast of Slovenia to worship, pray, learn, share and simply be together. It was a very encouraging time for me, and an incredible time for our kids.

We were too busy to take pictures, but managed a few on the last day when the kids performed their songs. 'Childcare' was actually a conference for the children, put on by 23 volunteers from Bakersfield, CA, who raised money for their own journey (and tubbies full of crafts, ethnic food and American treats)! Our kids had a great time, learned a lot, and were only disappointed that they couldn't stay with their new friends and teachers forever.

See more cute photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=265347&id=593736915&l=94e2625d71

 

A New Year's Beginning...

Our first family cultural experience-- the Nutcracker Ballet.

My grandmother's Christmas gift money was partially spent on tickets for a children's ballet performance at the Oktyaberskiy theater. It was very well done, with many old teenagers or adults participating.

We all loved it, though agreed we wouldn't complain if it was shorter. I was very glad to join Ella for a nap in the car while the boys went to McDonalds (this was at 3:30!) After watching The Sound of Music for New Year's Eve, and seeing the Nutcracker, we're all feeling cultured and musical!

The boys and I are all motivated to push through some English homeschool during their Russian school vacation. It is wonderful to have two weeks off, but amazing how little homeschool we are getting done! It is always challenging here to be ready for western Christmas on December 25th. Though we were happy it was a Saturday, we were surprised that Danya had school Monday through Wednesday after that! But now we are enjoying a long vacation, while our friends in America have to already start back to school. Today (January 7th) is Eastern Orthodox Christmas, but it's hardly celebrated, so this year we're basically ignoring it.

While we do school, Ella likes to play with 'the little squares' in the 'muffin thing'. Some days she gets carried away with other objects.

The tears were that I said we had to clean them up. Can you see this is the middle of the kitchen? I actually cooked lunch around them, but said that for dinnertime we'd have to put them away. Oh, the tragedy.

A few sunny moments on some days remind us how beautiful that big ball of nuclear explosion can be. Overall, I don't even notice the sun's absence this time of year. The hardest time for me is October-November when we can feel the drain of daylight hours, and all is dark and gloomy with rain. As soon as the snow stays, it becomes beautiful! Now, we are in the hopeful months!

Pre/School Performances

Our little snowflake! Thanks to our teammates Lena and Natasha, she had a stellar snowflake dress and crown for her preschool New Year's performance. (It was held on the 23rd, which is wonderfully early, and made it feel like Christmas.) Russians celebrate New Year's with the same traditions we use for secular Christmas celebrations, with a few exceptions (see below)!

The little snowflakes and rabbits in Ella's class dance around Grandfather Frost and his Snowmaiden. The kids dance, sing, say their rhymes and play games with him before receiving the gifts.

Tima's group at preschool were elves (boys) and 'beads' (girls). This dance was Tima's favorite part. Though he talked about not performing, he ended up taking courage and doing it. He had a lot of fun!

More worship of the Tree, games, and ...

Notice anyone strange in the photo above? Part of the games was the appearance of Baba Yaga, the witch of Russian fairy tales. Ella, watching from the audience, was quite scared! I kept explaining to her it was just a teacher in a costume, though she was a great actress. After the kids sang a lullaby, Baby Yaga fell asleep and they were able to steal the key she had locked Grandfather Frost up with...

So all worked out in the end, and Eric and I also learned more about Russian holiday traditions!

Danya was fortunate to have the 25th off of school, since it was Saturday. He performed in an English carnival with the kids in his school who are learning English. While the translation of the traditional Russian fairy tales was pretty sketchy, the kids did a great job of delivering the lines they were taught. Danya is one of the roosters- in an orange hat below.

Danya will have three more days of school, and a soccer tournament! next week, and then have 11 days off for winter vacation.

The Season of Waiting...

a package from the States which made it on time resulted in gifts under the tree!

Cookie decorating-- our teammates Lena and Natasha helped create some beautiful, tasty treats!

Every evening we light the advent wreath, sing some Christmas hymns, color a picture and read from the Bible.

(As if it's ever this calm and contemplative!)

Early December Days

Skiing home from preschool. (Note to self, it's actually slower than walking... not to be recommended on days when the high is 0 degrees F!)

I am so grateful that we live so close to great cross-country skiing. Yes, that's our building in the background. And the kids are all very excited about skiing. Ella has cheap plastic mini-skiis, and the boys have decent skiis. I was impressed with how well the boys can get themselves back up...the only thing they coudln't do was get their skiis back on when the detached. Well, Danya also fell in a pit and coudln't climb back out himself!

We have been getting tons of snow--I'd guess averaging 4" a day for the last weeks. But it has also been bitterly cold, with highs as low as 0 degrees F, with 99 % humidity and strong winds. Many days my fingers have gotten painfully cold, which is not helped by the cheap skiis whose many straps have to be threaded through the clips each time they need adjusting or fall off (which is often!) I've learned to bring a pair of wool gloves for the strapping-on part of the outing. Thankfully, this weekend we had one warmer day with a high around 30F. A little too close to melting/raining temps, but I wasn't complaining!

But I've so enjoyed having all the kids old enough to enjoy sledding and skiing. I still haven't gotten on my own skiis yet--I decided it would be an exercise in frustration to try when I'm with the kids.

Inside, we have more than enough to do each day, just trying to finish homework and homeschool, take periodic baths, and celebrate the season of waiting for Jesus. Our little Pumpkin Pie makes us all cozier. I must say when I come home tired, I long to just sit and hold her myself!

November topics

We are so thankful! (And grateful to the Beyars, for the tree idea.) Danya painted the tree on old IKEA bookshelf-package paper. And we used to useless leaves I can't help but gather each fall. Each evening, we wrote what we were thankful for on a leaf, and glued it to the tree. Some of my favorites:
Snow
Great Grandma's successful surgery
Karate Kid
Pizza
This leaf
[drawing of exercise equipment at preschool gym]
God answered my prayer.
(The prayer was for another chance to use the exercise equipment! Three gym classes in a row, Tima was delighted to try it all out.)

After first big snow, we played for over an hour at Danya's school. Although the cell-phone picture doesn't have a wide field, you can see groups of kids all over the place, each rolling up huge snow balls. It was a fun time with friends and the blessing of snow.

Daddy's home--and here's a package! The kids were shocked to see what was inside.

"Is it real?" asked Ella.

"Will it live in this box," asked Tima.

"A hamster!" cried Danya

Welcome home, Pumpkin Pie! This is our new guinea pig. She came to us on Thanksgiving, and the kids are delighted to have their first pet. She is still pretty skittish, but likes being held. It's fun to feed her--she eats a lot of hay, oat grass and carrot peels. The kids are pretty skittish still, too. They don't like how sharp her claws are, and are scared of squeezing her too hard, or of letting her go. Ella mostly loves to run screaming away, crying, "Mama, it's an emergency!" --which doesn't help anyone calm down!

The Humbling Clinic

Just when I start to feel comfortable...

Yesterday, we went to the policlinic to get Tima's TB test checked. And today we were back, to get Ella's 'medical pass'. I have no idea how to translate the справка that we need to get her back in preschool after missing more than three days. Her cold is almost gone, so I attempted to get our first 'medical pass'.

Leaving plenty of time to walk there, change shoes and hang up coats, we gather our things:
Empty Notebook to start Ella's public clinic medical records-check
copy of American doctors' notes - check
photocopy of American immunization records - extra credit
Clean slippers for Ella - check
Blue plastic covers for adult shoes- check
330 rubles to pay cash for the visit - check
diversions for Ella as we wait in the corridor - check
...and we were off.

For eight years now, I've been taking my children to Russian or Ukrainian medical clinics. I feel like I've got it down. Yesterday, I finally wrote down the name and hours of our doctor. Each section of the city is assigned a doctor; We live in the 11th section for the 76th children's policlinic. Our doctor is in about four hours each day, but at different times. There are no appointments.

We walk into the crowded corridor and I take a deep breath. Loudly exposing my foreign accent, I ask, "Who is last for 204?"

After the initial stares from each person along the corridor, someone answers, "We are." But then another woman asks, "Before twelve or after?" Because our doctor will come into the office and replace the former occupant at twelve. I am relieved to say I'm early, not late. And only one teenage girl is ahead of us in the 'after twelve' verbal line. Ella sits down with me, and is delighted I brought her notebook and markers. I open my magazine, giddy with success.

A few minutes later, a newcomer asks, "Who is last for 203?" With a shot of adrenaline, I remember that you are not secure in the verbal line until you have someone behind you. I've relaxed too early! But that's not our doctor's office. So I'm alert each time a new person walks up, until I can answer, "We are." And then, I am safe--hemmed in behind and before. I can talk with Ella, read my magazine, talk with the teenager (who is reading "Twilight" on her tiny iPod in English.) and relax. We are early, second in line, and it's all going to work out. I have figured out the system!

The doctor comes 15 minutes late. I'm a little anxious, as we need to leave to pick up Tima in just 20 more minutes. After a few moments, she opens the door and asks who is first. The teenager stands up. But the doctor says, "Don't you have a baby?"
"No," the shy girl answers.
"Well, I was expecting a woman with a baby."
At this point a woman a few back (in the verbal line) picks up her baby and walks into the office. The doctor closes the door. The teenager sits back down. I look around, alarmed, and ask the woman across the hall what it's all about. "Today is immunization day for healthy kids, so all the babies need a quick check before their shots."

Two babies later, I realize we aren't going to see the doctor today. But when I stand up to leave, the teenager says we can go in front of her. We wait five more minutes, because if we leave today, we'll have to do all of this again tomorrow, and Ella won't be able to go to preschool until we get the medical pass. But, I know Tima is already sad that I'll pick him up late, and now we're heading into really late. How to weigh extending his emotional day at preschool against my desire to not return to this clinic tomorrow? So, we go downstairs, get our things from the coat check, change into boots, pack up our bags, unlock the stroller and walk home.

Ella starts to cry, "Why didn't the doctor check me?" And I feel like crying, too. Forty-five minutes, plus twenty minutes walking there and back, and it feels like a waste. I scheduled our whole morning around getting to that clinic early enough to be out of there in time. And I have no idea what we'll do tomorrow.

And I feel a little angry--at the women with babies, for jumping the 'line' (though they were invited to, of course). And at myself, for not claiming my 'multi-child-family' right to jump the line (who's jumping-the-line rights are stronger, anyway?)

And really, I just hate not knowing how to get a medical pass. (The consensus among those around me was that I could have gone to any available doctor, not just our assigned pediatrician, and perhaps even at any time of the day. But when I asked at the information desk, they told me we had to go to our doctor according to the schedule.) Suddenly, I'm humbled again, an outsider trying to figure out this system (which I know is confusing and frustrating sometimes for Russian moms, too!)

So, tomorrow the doctor's hours start at 4pm. I'm hoping to get Ella up early from her nap, be first in line, and finish by the time Danya gets dropped off after soccer at 4:30. Anyone want to take bets on whether or not we get the справка?

Cousins!

This last week we had the privilege of a visit from my sister, Dani, and her husband, Dave, with their three-year-olds, Adi and Mae. We last saw each other about 14 months ago, when Adi and Mae were not even two. So it was delightful to hear them speak full sentences, and watch them play together.

Dani and Dave didn't enjoy the jetlag-with-children aspect of life, but after about four nights, things got better. And they were very patient with staying in our small apartment. Nine people, three rooms (that includes the kitchen!) one bathroom. It had it's hard moments, but overall, it was great!

Waking up sleepy kids is never fun, but D&D managed with humor and patience.

Mae showing Ella what's what.

Ella showing Adi

The first evening, Adi contemplated all the unfamiliar people.

Ella's Violin Story

[Holding two colorful plastic rulers perpendicularly]

"Momma! Do you know what this is? This is my violin. Do you hear the music? Whaaat? How can you not hear the music? See how I play it? Do you know where I got the violin? For my first birthday! Whaaat? Did I play it with the orange on bottom and the blue the violin stick? Yeah, I play it with the blue violin stick."


"Did you do the picture of my violin? You just could write down."
[Do you have more to tell me?]
"No, I'm done with that story."

School- Preschool

On the 1st of September, Danya started Russian 2nd class. The anticipation was much less than last year. Eric and I were so relieved to already have relationships with the teacher and other parents, and to feel we knew what to expect. But Danya said he hadn't been scared the year before. "Last year I was excited because I didn't know what it would be like. Now I know it's just a lot of work." Despite his lack of excitement, he did say he enjoyed seeing his friends and starting the new year. Tomorrow he'll have five lessons, including English. His teacher has offered to work with him on Russian while the others learn English!

Tima took a big step and started the "Preparatory Class" at the public kindergarten/preschool/childcare. We are a little anxious about how he'll fit into a group that's been together for three years, especially as a foreigner with limited language skills. His teacher did not make a great impression, but did introduce him to the other kids and seems to understand that she'll need to be patient with him. The second teacher of his group was pretty confrontational today when we picked him up, stating that they've already learned the alphabet and now are starting to learn to read, and that she can't start all over again with him. It surprised us, since Danya's 1st grade started with learning the letters! We knew some of the kids already could read, depending on their preschool, but expected that the preparatory class was the place for letter-learning. We'll see how that works out--in our experience people are often more helpful after we assure them we understand and want to work together for the same goal.

Tima enjoyed playing with the toys, especially the race cars. He was quite impressed by the number of toys in the room. Many of the kids have not come back yet after the summer vacation--today there were only 6 boys and 1 girl! He played soccer with the other kids at recess.

Ella got in a little trouble when she ran to see Tima while at recess! Her teacher explained to her that it was not okay to leave her group without asking permission. Ella's teacher is kind and gentle. She could easily be a preschool teacher in America. Ella was excited to start, and also impressed with the toys. When I asked what she most liked, she said, "They have dolls! ... And a gold thing, and a gold thing that turns, and I thought it opened on top, but... " (She continued talking about various 'things' as long as I let her!)

We are trusting God to give our kids each a place to thrive emotionally, socially and academically. But we know that sometimes hard situations are the best things for all of us. So we're praying in expectation, but knowing that God will work it all (somehow) to the good!

As I left in the morning, I could see Tima playing right inside the window.