The First Blog in Kiev - Catching Up on Events

I've been in Kiev for over 2 weeks now, and I'm finally getting a chance to blog.  It's been a busy and exciting first 18 days!

I'll summarize my impressions so far:

The weather is hot and humid.  The city is filled with lush trees sprinkled between tall, dingy buildings.  The streets are dusty and broken in places.  Wires for buses and electricity span the roads.

People keep to themselves.  They are concerned about their own world, and seem distrustful and guarded toward strangers.  I speak of the older generation.  Children are just as curious and open here as anywhere in the world.  No wonder Jesus said to be like little children...

I get stared at on the Metro.  Sometimes I'll stare back, but usually just try to blend in so as not to offend anyone (which apparently is easy to do here, especially if you're an outgoing/outspoken foreigner with different customs and habits than the natives are used to).  One of my friends said I shouldn't whistle on the street!  I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from humming as I walk--I don't care who stares...

The Metro itself is a mini war-zone getting a seat or walking through the lines.  Some people don't wait for others to exit the train before entering.  Perhaps you could compare it to driving in LA or New York.  You adapt, or you get left behind.  I've adapted, but I hope to bring a flare of respect to the process as I assert myself.  "Izvenite," I say warmly, but firm.  That is the polite way to say, "Excuse me," in Russian.  It seems to work.

The church is great here.  Everyone is friendly and warm--a total contrast to the culture, which I always find amazing about disciples.  I still haven't mastered the names, but it helps that if I can't remember someone, I can guess very easily.  Names get reused a lot here.  I think I've met 20 Sashas (a nickname for both males and females), 15 Tanyas, 8 Loshas, and 13 Olgas.  Oh, and maybe 10 Natashas.  That's just a rough guess, though.  Hehehe.

I've met a few fellow foreigners already, and expect that this will be my biggest outreach until I speak more Russian.  Only 3 days after I arrived, I had some great conversations about God with a British man and a Ukrainian who speaks English very well.  People are people, no matter where you go.  They're hurt, lost, and looking for true acceptance and friendship.  As the Good Book says, "What a man desires is unfailing love."

A few days later, I got to go to a cafe concert where some native English-speakers played, and they even let me sing one of my songs at the end, thanks to the urging of my friend and roommate here, Petra.  I met a few English students afterward who are excited to speak with me (I am seeing that Americans are almost like celebrities here...), and even ran into one randomly in the city the next day.

I recently returned from a 5-day camping trip to an island in a river just outside of Kiev.  It was an adventure of survival and beautiful skies.  (Seriously, the skies here feel 3 times the size as back home.  It's so...vast and out of reach!)  No running water, and no bathrooms except for a hole dug in the ground!  Ha!  Talk about roughing it.  Like a character said in "To Kill a Mockingbird," it's amazing what you can adjust to, as a human being.  We adapt.  We get used to a certain way of living...and I realized from this trip how little I truly need to survive and be happy.

Even though not many people on the island spoke English, I was able to bond, connect, and share some fun memories playing guitar or throwing a Frisbee on the white-sand shore of the river.  The river itself wasn't the cleanest, as people in the Ukraine don't have convictions about littering, but I still swam a couple of times.  It was too hot NOT to!  And it was fun to have a few water-wars with the Teens here.  Reminded me of Preteen Camp in LA!

Speaking of hot, that's another thing I've noticed here.  The sun is more intense.  I feel like an ant under a magnifying glass just standing in the sun for 10 seconds.  I've gained at least 20 new freckles, I'm sure of it.  I almost don't recognize myself!

Me and Chris at his 35th birthday party the day after I arrived.

Oh, did I mention I now have a boyfriend?    He's been on a mission in Kiev for the past 4 years, and is the contact I've been working through most to coordinate my trip.  We've been getting to know each other through email and Skype for the past 6 months, and though I came to Kiev to serve and do mission-work, I knew the friendship was special, and hoped it might lead to more.  I definitely wasn't expecting it so soon, though, just 10 days after my arrival!  I thought we'd just continue to be friends as we both served and got to know each other in-person.  It seems that Chris and God had other plans--hehehe--but I'm not complaining! 

Really, I'm so grateful for Chris.  He's been an incredible support and friend through this entire process, and continues to amaze me with his kindness and patience.  This wouldn't have been the same without him, and I feel absolutely spoiled by God to have such a wonderful man looking after me on this wild adventure.

Okay, friends, you're caught up, now.  Check back every week or two.  This month will be busy (I'm going to 2 more Teen Camps from August 15th to the 29th), but I'll be posting more regularly here on out, with more observations, good news, and adventures to share!