O blagodat' (I'm the one with the flute)

Yep, this is our Christmas performance: "Amazing Grace" in Russian, a la Celtic Women.

It doesn't really sound like the Celtic Women version, but it was a fun project trying to learn and memorize all 3 parts.

Also, I got choked up near the end thinking about the words, so my voice sounds a little shaky.

On corruption

A recent article in the St. Petersburg Times gave an interesting look into the issue of corruption.

I found this quote especially interesting:

"Russian bureaucracy is such a giant beast that what is sometimes termed as corruption is just a misconception that actually has more to do with the heavy bureaucratic structure where there is an unwillingness to accept responsibility. It’s easier to say no than it is to say yes because saying no doesn’t carry any risk." (emphasis mine)

There is no doubt about the existence of corruption in the Russian government, yet in day-to-day life I try to think the best of people and see them as humans rather as The Machine. I'm not sure if I've ever been a victim of corruption, and I'm not sure I would catch on if I were being encouraged to pay a bribe.

Who is corrupt?

I came across my residency permit honestly, although it took a lot of sweat, blood, and tears. As I look around at the other people in the Immigration Office, I see their sweat and tears (literally) as well, and it's hard to believe any of them are offering bribes. Who is, then? I remember a couple of times when there were line-jumpers. Someone barges in with a baby or some other sort of diversion, and the next thing you know he's in with the Inspector and doesn't come out for an hour, while everyone else is still waiting out in the hallway. Did money change hands for him to get into The Room, or was it just a case of being pushy? Did the The Inspector act illegally? Hard to say.
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Short-cuts: Corruption, or not?

Is hiring a lawyer to get your documents in order legal, or not? I've seen representatives of different companies waiting in line just like everybody else, to hand in their client's documents. But I don't know if all lawyers do that. People say the working hours are few because during "non-working" hours the officers are serving clients through the back door, so to speak. Or...they could be just doing desk work.

Whose problem?

Back to the issue of responsibility. As you know, I have had some issues with my case being unprecedented and the authorities "not knowing" what to do with me. In general, this is because of a lack of knowledge/ communication between different government outfits, as well as between the standards of different countries, especially when changes have taken place recently. Exhibit A: My FBI check. Exhibit B: My name-change documentation. All's well that ends well...

I can tell you, it's frustrating when they make up requirements just because they don't know what to do with you. You so want to hear the words "Okay, we'll let it slide" or "We'll take your word for it." Yeah right! Okay, I understand that they want to see things looking official. But why, if they work with people from dozens of different countries, do they expect everyone to have the same information? Do they really all think that all nationalities in the world use patronymics? Why do these things come as a "surprise"?

Wild Goose Chases

The result of made-up requirements is that when you go to wherever you're sent, nobody there can help you, obviously, since this service does not exist. I was directed to go to Moscow for a document that doesn't exist (a phone call saved a wasted trip), and I was sent all around St. Petersburg searching for something that even the people requiring it could not describe.

This was all because they were afraid to just say "Okay, your country does things differently. We'll think of something."  They were afraid to take responsibility and get in trouble for not being rigid enough, I suppose. What confirms this suspicion? The fact that the Boss didn't seem to see a problem at all. Sure, he wanted some stamps, a nice format. But in general he was willing to listen to a logical explanation and make a fair conclusion. Something his subordinates either couldn't or didn't want to do.

Interestingly, I started writing this post before elections came into view. Now there is corruption for you. I'll address that in another post!

Christmas limbo

My husband and I are both sort of on "vacation," yay! The last week of December, people are still working. But then they have a break until Jan.9th or so. I wouldn't want to need a doctor or anything during this time (lots of people out of town), but it's still nice to have time off.

Andrei and I sat looking at the clock yesterday evening and realized that it was only about 7:30 pm and we were both already home and had eaten and didn't have any work to do. He had stayed up until 2 or 3 a.m. for the past I-don't-know-how-many nights.

We played a board game, had dessert, looked at the clock...it was still before TEN O'CLOCK. So amazing.

It's nice that Christmas and New Year's are on weekends this year. When Christmas is in the middle of the work-week, it just doesn't feel right! This year, we had a Christmas concert on the 23rd....

At rehearsal earlier in the week.

For once, the songs were thematically-appropriate! Our concerts intended for Christmas and Easter often end up getting postponed and the songs lose their relevance, but we were "on time" this year. continue/-

On Christmas Eve, we gathered with some other families to have a meal. It was typical of parties here: taking turns around the table in the small apartment, more and more food appearing out of nowhere when you were expecting a simple meal...catching up with friends.

Then Andrei was up most of the night preparing the sermon for Christmas morning, which I hear was (not surprisingly) excellent. Unfortunately, I was sick.

The Sunday school put on a Christmas play. I just love, from the pictures at least, how everything turned out. Sometimes it is good (and healthy!) to know you're not needed. I helped out at rehearsals a little bit, but putting on plays (in a directorial role, at least), is not my thing. And then I couldn't actually attend the performance. It was great to hear that everyone worked together and it all came together well in the end.

My dear friends!

And I just LOVE the little star, our youngest congregant!

So now we still have New Year's, which I have always sort of regarded as a non-holiday...and then Russian Christmas, also rather ambiguous in the light of having already celebrated.

But, nonetheless, Merry Christmas!

Admiring the newborn King...

Thanksgiving

Oh dear, another month went by! Well, I can at least write about how my document saga ended up.

On the day after (American) Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law and I headed back to Immigration. As usual we had run around making photocopies and paying fees at the last minute.

It wasn't my last chance; I still had a Friday or two left before my deadline. But I didn't want it to come down to the last minute.

Nina (my mother-in-law) went in early to get in line so I could rest a little at home and finish getting ready. There were even more people than before, so we were pretty far down on the list. She convinced me to stay home for a few more hours.

Eventually I headed over and we waited the last hour or two together. One of the guys from the previous time was there and raising a ruckus again. He had almost gotten into a fistfight before. We all held our breaths as he barged into the office and argued about something with the Inspector. Then a few people took issue with the schedule posted in the hallway, and the Inspector actually came out, stunning everyone into silence, and read the schedule out loud at the top of her lungs.
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So, fast-forward to us finally getting into The Room. I believe it was "lunchtime" at that point, but she took us anyway. My mother-in-law tried to make the situation more personal and tried to "get acquainted" with the Inspector. But the Inspector would not give us her name...I guess she thought we wanted to write a complaint! It is so hard to be compassionate when people are pitted against each other like that. A name, a little personal information...it makes it easier to think of another person as human, but in the bureaucratic system that is taken away.

I had some mistakes on my application and I knew that I wouldn't get in again today if I had to leave and do it over. But she let me just write in the corrections. I also had to add a paragraph to the "explanation," and she let me just come back in and drop it off, without waiting in line.

Then there was ripping, and stamping, and...approval!!! Free until next fall.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the future, and I don't fully understand what happened THIS time. The Inspector said that my report wouldn't cut it, if I were to apply for a permanent residency permit. How, then, will I fill in the missing pieces?

But for now, I got to celebrate Thanksgiving after all, and began the Advent season with a glad heart.

What's been on my mind

Recently, I was musing about doing good deeds...just reminiscing about surprises we had arranged for various friends, and how good it felt to witness their joy.

But the Scripture popped into my head:  "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" (Matthew 5:46, 47)


Okay, Lord. If I'm supposed to love my enemies, who are they? Defiant English students? Angry bus-drivers? I was puzzled by this.

I was walking home and saw some migrant workers clearing leaves. They had claimed an old baby buggy to help them carry things around. It was physical labor that probably didn't pay much. And I thought, "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." (Psalm 84:10)

So what were these observations going to teach me about love and humility? What was coming next?
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Oh. It's Immigration time.

I went to the office later that week and waited in line for hours, as always. I didn't like that assignment they gave me, no way. Why do they never give enough information the first time? No instructions, no addresses or phone numbers.

I felt so very defeated walking away, and I told myself, "We're going to treat this like a school project. You're a student again.You have a month to do all the research and make the proper conclusions. And then, you will be tested."

I've taken a few steps so far, but the last visit revealed further complications. I know I have to kick into high gear, but it is so very hard to find the energy.

I do not want to go back to that Immigration Office. Maybe next time will be the last? It will be an early Christmas present to myself...no more dealing with Russian bureaucracy for a year...or so.

Blood

I was reading about the construction of Solomon's temple and all the decorations, when I was reminded that the temple was not only a place of beauty, but that just outside, animals were slaughtered for the sacrifice.

Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar.  Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey." Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” -Exodus 24:6-8

Maybe we put on fresh clothes to go to church; watch our language; try to put on a happy face. This is all very good, but sometimes we forget that redemption is a messy affair.

It took bloodshed to get us here. I don't know why this image is so vivid for me today in particular, but I want my life to show that I'm thankful.