not for the weak of stomach

if you have any weirdness about eyes... stop reading.

So my friends told me tonight to wear my glasses tomorrow. Good call. I removed my contacts this evening and just now (I know I know - 3:17am I should be sleeping already, but I've been busy with financial reports and catching up with Amy!) noticed that my eye was really red.

So I looked closer in the mirror. There's like this pussing goo and it hurts. (napolean dynamite) hurts real bad. So I washed it out with saline solution and I think I'll take it easy on the contacts for a few days... or a week or whatever.

So if you're the pr@ying type - please do so, 'cause I take eyes very seriously. I've only got two of them for my whole life. So I'm going to go close them right now, but wanted to make sure you were informed!

The Power of Peanut Butter

Really for a number of years, I've been saying that on the 8th day G0d created peanut butter and chocolate and put them together. It's the next best thing after salv@tion and men/women. Well, I've got peanut butter and chocolate in my life again. Packages from the States have come for the Christmas holiday and the power and life giving force of chocolate combined with the creamy dreaminess of peanut butter has infused my taste buds with job inexpressible. I know that heaven will include this tantalizing taste treat.

Okay - so I'm waxing philosophical about candy. We have amazing chocolate here in Russia and I can buy peanut butter, but there's just something special about this combination. I have an opened Reese's peanut butter tree sitting on the desk next to me and the aroma of it's sheer awesomeness is just drifting around the room like a narcotic. I'm not eating it yet, because a HUGE part of the delight for me is the anticipation.

So In a little bit… I'll break down and devour it. Hopefully, I'll manage to eat it a little bit at a time and not shove the entire thing into my gaping maw.

The word 'for'

In Russian there are 8 rules to learn about using the English word "for". I'm not exaggerating. I spent about an hour getting myself prepped and ready to DO my homework assignment. I think I did okay, but it sure was confusing. I'm glad to be learning this stuff though, because I know I sound a bit ignorant when I don't use the right words. It would be like saying, "I'm going to the store behind some ice". Instead of saying, "I'm going to the store for some ice". So I'm glad to finally be working through this little snafu!

Winter Storms

Wow! Last night at 3am the door to the balcony of my bedroom slammed shut. I jerked out of bed hard enough to levitate off the mattress. I've never seen a snow storm with lightning before! It was incredible. I funny expected to get up this morning to a foot of snow or more and to huddle up with a blanket and some tea to start studying my Russian and for my exam on Friday. But the sky is blue this morning (something I haven't seen for a few days) and the sun is shining this morning too.

Today looks to be uneventful as far as scheduling is concerned. Lots of studying and planning on the agenda.

Monday and a Photo a Day

this is a new idea I read about on Saturday night. I'm going to try it. Take at least one photo every day. Isn't that a great idea? Anyway, I'm sure I won't post the photo every day, but here's the first one from Sunday.
It's Monday morning and it's VERY quiet in my apartment now that Don and Diedre are gone. Vadim isn't here yet for the work week and Ehud is working in his room. It's still a bit like a reality TV show, only now is the sad part where the master of the house is sitting in his little quiet room all alone working.

I was pretty sad to say good-bye to Don and Diedre, they were really great to have here and the conversation was incredible (much of it centered around getting married, thanks for the advice guys!) Diedre added the additional awesome qualities of a woman being around AND she cleaned the apartment twice as a special ministry to me! Oh wow was that nice!

Today is somehow a CRAZY day. I'm going to Lingvo to talk about teaching for this next semester, I have Russian lessons, a meeting at the Center, I'm teaching an English lesson as Pre-ev@ngelism and we have discussion club. So basically I'm 9 hours straight starting at about 12! Wow, huh?

Loving others in foreign countries

First I just want to give our a HUGE shout out to whoever had the initial idea for the internet. (Wasn't that Gore?) Anyway, I love the fact that I can communicate back home and it makes living so far away that much easier. There is SO much technology that we truly can stay connected. Certainly extra effort is required, but even heroic efforts are sometimes not enough.

For example. I've spent the last 34 minutes on repeat speed dial to Kenya. I can't get through. Amy and I planned a phone date and there's almost never a technical connection problem as much as there is a scheduling issue. So now that we've got a time booked, I can't get through! UGH!

Is this some crazy test? If so, I think I'm failing (I'm a bit sleep deprived and thus a bit crankier than usual). I had an hour for this conversation and now 40 minutes is gone and I have a meeting ... sad.

Thanks for letting me vent. Pr@y for a connection from Russian via internet to Kenyan cellular.

I'm baaaaa-aaaack.

Sorry for being absent for so long. Phew. The B!ble college is nearly over (exams on Friday this week and next), but we've all got our heads above water now. Our professors leave Sunday (today) at 5 am... I know - I should be sleeping already!

Here's a quick update. First off, I've blogged back to 1/13 or 1/17 - so make sure to review. There are some great pictures from the chinese circus, ice sculptures, and my cooking.

I start Russian lessons again on Monday. I'm really excited to be back in the formal environment, but I know that I'm continuing to improve.

I co-lead a B!ble study on Friday on Mark 4's parable of the sower. It went great. We had an excellent conversation afterwards and it was REALLY an international group. American, England, Nigeria, Russia and Ukraine were all represented. Next week we're going to watch a film that's been sweeping Russia by storm called остров (the Island) I'll fill you in more after I see it, but it apparently got high marks at Cannes.

Discussion club is going GREAT and I'm really excited about this week. I'm going to lead us in an exploration of personal and family values this week. Let's hope all goes well.

Holy Smokes is Right!

Check out Amy's blog from 1/1/2007. I've been waiting to fill everyone in on this as I wanted to give Amy adequate time to talk with all of her family and friends about it, but Amy's house burned down in Kenya!

There are many silver linings in this awful cloud. #1 No one was hurt. Amy was not at home, but was actually in Nairobi dropping me at the airport the day before. #2 This was not the house that was being built for Amy, but the one that she had been living in. #3 Amy had a whole week's worth of belongings including her computer with her. #4 People have rallied to her side and sent care packages and financial donations to get her back on her feet. Thank you all for your help and care for her.

We're both doing well now, but it was REALLY hard for me the first 1.5 - 2 weeks afterward, because I literally wasn't even home in Tyumen yet from my trip to Africa when it happened. I felt so powerless to help and could do nothing, but pr@y and talk to her via the phone! Ugh. I can't wait until we're married and we're not separated on different continents.

Chinese Circus - these are not my photos....

I linked to these photos on flickr that were just like the circus we saw today!

The Chinese Circus

must say that the most impressive thing about the whole circus was the fact that 8-10 people did the entire circus. I really REALLY like the Chinese circus because it doesn't have animals. I kinda missed the clowns a bit, but no animals was a serious plus for me. (there was a dog act, but it was obviously inserted by the Russians to entertain the kids). I just have problems with caged animals.

By the way - there were two live tigers with trainers out in the open for you to pose and have your picture taken. Just think of the risk management fit the administration would have in America…

Phenomenal though really, how people can do such incredible things with their bodies astounds me. I'm really grateful for the opportunity to go and see this touring troupe… oh, yeah, for $12.

I

The proof is in the pudding

Have you ever thought about this phrase and where could it have possibly come from? Just crazy how the strange notions of language come to be. I mean, seriously, "kick the can?" "wear pine pajamas?" Death really should be something so much more serious, yet we find ways to lighten any mood with a bit of witticism. Well, Russians say "throw away the skates" so I guess we're in good company at least.

I'm not dead!

Hey all - sorry I've been absent from the online world for the last week. B!ble college is in session again for us. And I'm REALLY enjoying the classes, but I'm swamped. Here's a quick update on my life.

#1 I am working on about 3 or 4 blog posts about things going on here. Especially the visit from an orthodox pr!est who is really taking a reformed stance on the G0spel. Interesting.

#2 The B!ble college is fully underway already in our second week. We're studying leadership and new ch^rch development. The leadership class is PHENOMINAL and I'm really enjoying all that I'm learning

#3 Went to the symphony here in town last night (Sun) and it was wonderful. And for less than $4 how can you pass up the symphony? I just don't know. So we went. It was incredible because it was a celebration of religious music that had previously been forbidden here in Russia. I especially enjoyed Handel's Allelujiah chorus (even the second time for the encore). Amazing voices too!

#4 I've got a regular reality tv show happening at my place right now. A Brazillian national, who is now an American citizen as my roommate (the food!), an American past0r and his talented wife, a Russian, and myself. It's seriously been really fun, but with only one bathroom, we're enjoying a shower schedule. I've been baking and cooking and hosting and being a student and preparing to teach classes.... and and and....

going to sleep now! Thanks for your patience

Look out it's … slippery

The whole town has landed on it's bum. Get out the charmin kids, because 120 people landed in the hospital today. It got warm, and then it got cold… which here in Tyumen translates to "all the world's an ice-rink" I've been incredibly thankful to mom and dad for all those years of gymnastics lessons. Honed balance is a requirement in Tyumen right now. Otherwise, it's a scissor kick above you head and you perform air ballet without a partner to catch you. (I'm laughing in my head at the vision of me doing the upside down scissor kick which very little grace. Can you see it too?)

Old New Year 1/14

Today we didn't get as much sleep as we'd hoped for. We're celebrating New Year once again. Only this time, instead of looking forward to the 2007 year, we're reflecting on the 2006 year. Russians celebrate New Year's day 12/31-1/1 on the 'new' Gregorian Calendar and the 1/13-1/14 on the 'old' Julian Calendar. I know that the transition was made back in 1582. Russians seem to think that January is an excellent month for celebrating, so we have holidays all month here.

Looking back at 2006 is really a highlight for me. It might be hands down the best year of my life so far, so much has happened. Here's just a few highlights:

• Met, fell in love with, and got engaged to Amy! Really encompasses a HUGE amount of the joy from my year! (we met Jan 3)
• Left my UM job of 12 years to serve on the m!ssion field
• Counting the USA, touched soil in 9 different countries (very liberal use of the 'touched soil' phrase
• Really started speaking a foreign language
• Lost 34 pounds, it feels great to be healthy!

Saturday the 13th - the sun! ugh!

It's so warm here, we're all terrified that the world is going to melt. It's hardly below 0 F anymore and we're aching to have the cold back (I must be Siberian now). We've gone out for another look at the incredible ice sculptures of Tyumen to capture their beauty before they all melt. Alas.

When it's warm the snow turns to mush and becomes dirty. Let it be cold!

I am Dead but I forgot to Fall.

This is a Brazilian phrase that Ehud used last night. He was so tired, we were all so tired. I just don't have the excuse of being jet lagged. My only excuse is that I'm just tired.

Ehud is my roommate for the next 3 months. He's a Brazilian Native, but is also a US citizen (he's lived in the US for 20+ years). He's here working with us at H0ly Trinity Ch^rch to help establish several of the leaders here, so that we can start a search for a new past0r. He's really amazing, insightful, incredibly intelligent and FUNNY! I'm really looking forward to the next three months… although the past 5 weeks have been INUNDATED with entirely too much English. I really need to get re-immersed into Russian.

I think I'll do some jump start work on that RIGHT NOW. I'm desperately trying to read a short story by Pushkin. Something like: The Lady Peasant, maybe? I look up about 40 words per paragraph (they are LONG paragraphs at least!) My vocabulary is expanding.

Russian Cuisine

I made Blini! There's a Russian proverb that you always ruin the first blin and well… I did. See the first and the last Russian pancake that I made today. My Swedish grandfather would be proud. Arne, this one's for you!

Master of the House

I got up this morning at 5:45 am to start off the day and greet the B!ble professor and his wife who will be teaching a course on leadership. Don and Deidre arrived promptly at my doorstep at 6:04am and were ready to hit the hay and get some sleep. So I started baking.

I'm a bit worried about being a good host and providing adequate food, while studying Russian AND being a student in the B!ble college. So, I got a jump start today and baked banana bread, oatmeal cookies and chocolate chip cookies. I'm freezing the bread and one batch of cookies. I figure, it'll be great later on in the week to pull out cookies!

Tonight: Mexican. I'm making homemade flour tortillas - SO good! I don't have access to lard though, so butter will have to do!

It's getting colder in Siberia - snow flurries yesterday.

On being a wise man

My life in Russia really takes on interesting twists and turns. I'm a student, a teacher, a friend, an advisor, a shoulder, a builder, and even a wise man.

Yep, this week I spent 30 hours with Jim building a construction that is truly a marvel. The story actually begins on 12/25 this year:

The folks at our ch^rch decided to put on a really elaborate production of the Nativity Story. Not the recent movie, but the same plotlines. It was so well received that another ch^rch asked for a repeat performance.

Only one hitch. We couldn't attach the scenes to the walls of their building. And you see, we have some VERY talented artists. The scenes (5 of them) are huge. 3 meters by 5 meters to be exact. And they're gorgeous. So we needed to bring them with us. Vladimir (our interim pastor for November - December) had this great idea to build a free standing structure to hang the scenes on. So, we built it. And they did come. There were probably 150-200 people in the audience on January 7 when we put on our spektakl (play).

Oh, did you notice the we part of that? Yeah, when we put on our play. That's right, I was cast as wise man #2. Vladimir originally held this role, but he had already left for the states and I got to take over. The energy was really electric and (that's kind of a redundant statement isn't it?) and we had such a great time rehearsing and performing. I even wore a turban!

We had no lines to memorize as all of the voices and sounds were recorded onto a computer and mixed ahead of time. The music was perfect, the voices were characterized well AND Zhanna stole the show. There was a small scene with a gossipy woman and her husband when the wise men first arrive in Jerusalem. She was a hoot! Sergei did a marvelous job, both with the voicing and acting of Herod. A special highlight was Natasha singing Mary's song to the baby Jes^s.

I'm officially a Siberian

It's around 15 degrees or so today and I'm sweating outside in my coat and hat and gloves. Um, and I'm not wearing my 'winter coat,' but my fleece and shell. Zhanna tells me that I'm officially a Siberian, not just a Russian, because I'm actually sweating outside in winter. Since when does 15 degrees seem not so cold?

It was really nice to hear someone say that I'm a Siberian now!

Collectivism vs. Individualism

Doing some grammar exercises, I'm just continually struck by how much language and it's sayings reflect the culture of its people. Check out these phrases -- no promises on the perfection of the translation… I made it pretty literal.

Семья - это семь я. (Family - it is seven of me.)

Вся семья вместе - так и душа на месте (The whole family together - the soul is in its place)

Time Boxing or the One Where Jeff continues to be a super geek about time management

So I know that I'm already an organized person. You might not feel that way seeing my desk, but my planner and the planning that I do, keep my life flowing steadily forward. So I was reading one of my favorite online sources to further my geekiness and I came across a new way to think about planning your day. I like it and thought I'd share it. Welcome to time boxing.

Time boxing is about fixing the time we have available to work on a given task and then doing the best we can within that time frame. So instead working on something until it is “done” in one sitting, we only work on it for say 30 mins. It is either marked as done at the end of this period or we commit to another 30 mins at a later time or another day.

Adventures of a Russian M or Plumber anyone?

Sometimes living in another country is SO cool. Sometimes not. Today my water was shut off, and the heat. Now we have heat and water again. In fact, it's SCALDING. And the kitchen faucet is broken. Literally, the threads to the faucet ripped off! There was water spraying everywhere. Looks like I'll have to wait until tomorrow to get it fixed too. It's still the New Year Holiday here - so I'm rationing water for the tea kettle! LOL. I love my tea now… by the way - after Kenya, I'm really fond of milk in my tea in the British style. Quite tasty.

Now it's off to market for some supplies. We're having a going away dinner for Vladimir today and I'm in charge or making the Russian salad. (carrot and garlic… mmm mmm good.)

Stuck without Heat (again)

Well, two interesting points of interest on this 2nd of January day. One, I woke up without heat again. It's quite cold outside - below zero again and I'm closed up all the curtains to hold in some extra heat. Friends to the rescue once again, Sasha and Zhanna's space heater is my best pal.

And I just got this interesting article emailed to me from Google about tourists stuck in the Maasai Mara. Looks like we were there at the right time, because there are 300 people stuck in the muck.

Today should be interesting. I've landed Vladimir's role as one of the wise men in our ch^rch's producation of the nativity, because we've been asked to do it a second time for another ch^rch. Vladimir leaves on Thursday and the performance is on Sunday, so I'm going to be filling in. Let's see how quickly I can pick up on my queues! PTL that I don't have to learn any lines! They're all recorded. Oh, the reason today is interesting is that we're building a stage... and if I'm understanding correctly, it's pvc pipe or something like that...

What I did on my Christmas Vacation by me

The Kenyan photo album is ready for you

Enjoy!

Happy New Year! С Новым Годом!

Ring in the new year! Russian's sure know how to greet the new year. Almost 2 hours of straight fireworks! It was incredible! I was at Jim and Sally's 8th floor apartment with fireworks on both sides. We just stood there squeeling like young children at the opulant display. Individuals as well as the city had fireworks. It was breathtaking. I was a bit sad that this level of joy isn't directed at Christmas, but maybe in the future.

The city is completely decked out for the holiday including several small ice villages. The craftsmanship and detail of the carvings is incredible. You can even slide off of some of them!

As a typical American, the New Year has me thinking about the Rose Bowl (go blue!) and resolutions. Who do I want to be and how can I be better? What should I cut out of my life and what should I try to add to it?

I haven't finalized a list yet, I've got some ideas... but it's always so hard. I want to make a resolution that I can keep, but I don't want it to be usual: lose weight, less tv, communicate with more people, exercise more, read more B!ble, eat out less, be more fiscally responsible. All of these things are great, but living in Russia has made them all a part of my normal life! Time for the thinking cap!