HAPPY FEBRUARY!
| Well, at long last, I finally get to write you all about our adventures since arriving in Ukraine! We arrived four weeks ago! Can you believe? WOW! We had a great flight, made all of our connections, caught a few winks of sleep along the way, and arrived with all of our stuff, namely the harp! YAY! A missionary friend, who has a van, picked us up from the airport. We have been living in our missionary friends’ apartment, since our arrival and it has been WONDERFUL! We were unpacked and settled within two days. I knew where to find everything in the apartment and how things work from my summer 2008 trip. Their apartment was already stocked with all the necessary items that were waiting for us in the boxes that we shipped (sheets, towels, hangers, spices, dishes, etc.) Also, I know the surrounding area fairly well and feel comfortable with this small section of town. The only thing that was wrong when we arrived was the water pump was broken. Therefore, we had low water pressure and no hot water. So, the first week found us boiling water for dishes and taking bucket baths! It was quite the good missionary experience! ;) Once Ukrainian Christmas (January 7th) was over, we were able to have a plumber and an electrician come out and fix the pump. Oh, the joy of a hot shower!! Jet lag hit us really hard this trip. It was a full week of being tired during the daylight hours and being wired at bedtime! :) After several days of pushing ourselves to get up and attempt to function normally, we finally made it through the toughest part! In addition to hot showers, I’m very thankful for sleep (at the appropriate hours!!) Upon our arrival in Ukraine, Nathan and I found ourselves living alone for the first time since we got married. (We are grateful to have been able to live with my aunt during our three weeks in Houston and then with Nathan’s family during our Colorado trip.) Just for the record, we ABSOLUTELY LOVE being married to each other! ;) Now that we are in Ukraine (where we’ve been planning to be for months now), we have begun to establish our life more permanently. Keeping in mind that missionaries HAVE to be flexible, we have set up a daily routine for ourselves. Part of this trial and error scheduling included the decision to eat two meals a day! At the beginning, I found that planning, preparing, eating, and cleaning up from three meals a day, took A LOT of my time! I like to be in the kitchen, but I also like to be able to get other things accomplished! :) We decided to try switching to two meals a day. Now, we eat brunch around 10:30 a.m. and supper at 5 or 6 p.m. I've really appreciated how much time I save making the food and washing dishes. Also, Nathan and I like to eat when we're hungry, not just because it's "time to eat" again! This plan helps me to think about food less, which cuts down on the brain energy associated in that direction! :) Oh, one more thing, I've also been cooking for 4, instead of just two people. What we don't eat, I freeze to pull out when we need a quickie. It’s been great! Preparing food here has been a fun and interesting experience. In America, you can buy almost any food year round. Here, food is very seasonal, especially produce. So, apples, oranges, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions, turnips, beets, napa cabbage, etc. are all very plentiful and cheap. (Get this! They have kiwi here, of all things! And it’s reasonably priced.) Cucumbers, red bell peppers, lemons, etc. are rather costly. So, I’ve been trying to use what is seasonal, stay on our budget, and create meals that have variety! :) Nathan could eat the same stuff all the time, but me, I appreciate the change of pace! So, I’ve had fun planning menus, making grocery lists, and shopping, and creating in the kitchen! If you have any good cabbage or root vegetable recipes, please send them to me! Ukrainians tend to stop by the store every day or every two days and buy a few items for their supper (maybe one bag of groceries.) But, we prefer to shop once a week on Fridays and stock up for the week. So, we walk to the grocery store and fill our cart (with the fellow shoppers looking on in amazement! ;) After filling 4-5 large plastic bags, Nathan calls a taxi and we ride home. This system has worked very well for us. It helps me stick to my menu and do without, if I don’t have it in the refrigerator. There are smaller stores or produce bazaars close by and sometimes, if we’re in a pinch, I can walk a few blocks and pick up what is needed. One of the projects that kept me busy for the first three weeks, was writing the remaining 57 wedding thank you notes! It was a marathon, trying to find the time slots to write 4-8 notes a day. Thanks to the Lord’s help and my husband’s flexibility, I was able to get them all accomplished! Now, each one is headed for America and I sure hope they make it!! :) The Steele Family (our missionary partners) will return to Ukraine in April and reclaim their apartment. In preparation for that, we are have been looking for our own apartment to rent. The Ukrainian version of finding a house is a similar process to that in the States, but different. Each party – the ones renting out their apartment and the ones seeking to rent (that’s us)- has a representative realtor. For example, Nathan called our realtor, Nastia, and explained to her what we were looking for in an apartment (location, cost, number of rooms, etc.) Then, she checked what apartments were available and met our criteria. We set up a time to meet her and walked to each prospective apartment. At the apartment entrance, Nastia called the owner’s representative realtor and he or she would also meet up with us. The owner’s realtor (acting as the liaison) showed us the apartment, the owner also being present. Any questions we had about the place were asked of the owner’s realtor, who then asked the owner (standing there) and then back to us! We left one apartment and walked to the next option, meeting up with a different representative realtor and did it all over again. Very interesting! We found one apartment that was perfect! It was nicely remodeled, the light colored walls were painted (American style), it had solid flooring, newer windows and doors, an enclosed balcony (good for hanging out laundry, etc.), tidy indoor plumbing, enough kitchen cabinets (no pantries here), decent sized rooms, etc. We were ready to sign on it when the owner informed us that they could rent it out for four months, but then needed to move back in, while they remodeled their other apartment. After the remodeling was complete, we could move back in. That is Ukraine for you! We could not comply, especially since a potential move would happen during the summer months, which is the busiest ministry season here. We had to leave that apartment, praying that God would open other door for us somewhere else. At this point, we have not been shown anything else, but continue to wait and pray. To most Ukrainians, an apartment is simply a dwelling place, where they put all their stuff and live. To us, an apartment, is much more. It will be our home for 2-3 years, a warm haven in the midst of cold winters, a place of hospitality, where will raise our children, etc. So, when Nathan and I look for an apartment, we are searching for the right balance of structural qualities and the ability to make the house a home! I find it rather funny that God has sent this southern girl to a very cold country! But, let me tell you, I am LOVING WINTER!! :) I know I’ve only been here for a month, but the cold, the snow, the cozy home is all very enjoyable to me. Every time it snows, I exclaim, "It's snowing!!" (I think Nathan's getting a little tired of hearing it! ;) But, he replies, "At least you have several more months to enjoy the snow!" AND he reminds me that I will have only be here for half a winter this year...and I should just wait until next winter! Last week it was VERY COLD – sub zero temperatures! But, recently, the weather has warmed up a bit to the mid 20’s. Trust me, there is a big difference! We have been so happy to have blue skies and sunshine a lot lately too! This is rather unique for the wintry season of gray skies. Snow falls every few days, which means that I’ve only seen green grass one day when the snow melted enough. Walking on snow mushed sidewalks can feel like trudging through beach sand, where your feet don’t get much traction and keep slipping out behind you. When crossing the street, it is wise to calculate enough time, so that if you slip on the ice and fall, there will be enough time for the cars to stop before hitting you!! :) On Tuesday evenings, our missionary team (EuroTeam Outreach- www.euroteamoutreach.org) holds weekly meetings here in L’viv which consist of a one-hour English Club followed by a one-hour Bible lesson. During English Club, Ukrainians are invited to practice their language skills on various topics and read aloud in English. The Bible study portion will be resuming again this week (after a break with Nathan and the Steeles in America.) Nathan will be teaching through the book of Galatians in Ukrainian. I take part in conversing with the Ukrainians after the English lesson and bringing baked goods to share while we drink hot tea. English club attendance can range from 2-8 students and it has been fun to build relationships with the faithful attendees! Private Ukrainian lessons started for me last week! I am studying with Veronica, the lady Nathan used to take lessons from. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, find me riding a marshrutka (bus) to Veronica’s house for my hour and a half lesson. Thus far, I have taken 4 lessons with 296 more to go! ;) (That’s approximately two years of language lessons.) Ukrainian is based on the Cyrillic alphabet. Previously, I had learned how to read printed Cyrillic. During my first three lessons, I learned how to write and read script (similar to English cursive.) The part that I really appreciate about Ukrainian is that every letter only makes one sound. So, “a” always makes the same one sound ALL THE TIME! Therefore, phonics and reading is a breeze! Understanding what I read is a different story!! ;) Even though Ukrainian has a simple alphabet, the rest of their language is fairly complex with different noun endings, various cases, etc. I have yet to learn all of that, but Nathan has told me enough that I’ll just wait until I get there to understand! During my “off lesson” days, I stay pretty busy studying and absorbing everything that I learn in my lesson. Homework takes me 3-4 hours in between lessons. Overall, I’m enjoying learning another language and being stretched and look forward to the day that I can understand what is being spoken around me and be able to answer intelligently! :) You know you’re learning another language when you wake up in the morning and the first thing you say to your husband is, “So, how do I make a noun plural?” ;) You might think Christmas is over, but in the Day family, it has just begun! Our 15 boxes shipped from America have begun to arrive. In order for the boxes to make it through customs successfully, we had to ship each box to a different friend in L’viv. So, when the friends call to tell us that our box arrived at their house, I get all excited! Thus far, we have six here in our apartment, with the rest still on their way. Gratefully, most of the boxes have had relatively few dings, holes, etc. and all the inside items are intact. I was most excited to receive my Vita Mix dry blade that can grind wheat berries! And I’ve been keeping it busy with baking muffins, soft pretzels, cinnamon rolls, etc.! Another huge blessing is that we have not been taxed by the customs officials at the port for any of our boxes. We very carefully packed everything to avoid this problem, but in Ukraine, you just never know!! ;) Just in case you’re wondering how I am doing personally, I am doing great! I am so happy to be in Ukraine with my man! I am very fulfilled as his helper and love being able to spend so many hours together. I am enjoying living a “different” life and being stretched just comes with the territory. Once I am able to speak Ukrainian fluently, I’ll really feel settled. Sometimes, the thought does hit me, “How did I get here?” ;) And yet, I have not experienced any loneliness or homesickness. I’m one happy camper! Thank you to each one of you that has written e-mails. News from another country is such an encouragement and bright spot in my day! Between tending to my hubby (he’s high maintenance ;), keeping up with our home and meals, and learning Ukrainian, I am staying very busy! So, if I don’t write back immediately, please know that a reply is coming! Within the next couple weeks, I hope to compile a picture album of “A Week of my Life in Ukraine!” Stayed tuned… Blessings, Katelin :) P.S. Nathan and I have a blog and some of you have been added to that notification list. If you have not received anything from us in the last month and would like to subscribe, please do so at day.euroteamoutreach.org |
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