tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29494222466335484042024-03-06T08:13:07.844+03:00On Life in St. PetersburgThe journal of an American expat in RussiaElizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.comBlogger1472125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-37019911142277466302022-10-18T18:50:00.000+03:002022-10-18T18:50:50.922+03:00Voices<p> In the past month, it has been interesting to read the published thoughts of Russian friends as they've gotten their voice back upon <strike>escaping the regime</strike> leaving the country.</p><p>One friend (now in another country) writes daily updates about the state of things, warning fellow citizens not to comply.</p><p>One friend (in a different other country) writes about his sadness at leaving his home and not being welcome in a new place. He posts photos in black and white only, as a statement of grief.</p><p>The friend that writes the warnings came to the realization that she had surrounded herself with like-minded people, thinking that her views were more common, when really she's in the minority. Most of those leaving the country are people I know in a church context, but politics were never a topic of discussion. It just so happened that in being drawn to each other, we instinctively knew that we shared values, but we didn't ever imagine or guess that they would be tested in this particular context. And now that we know, we may never meet in person again, as I observed in a <a href="http://lizinstpete.blogspot.com/2022/06/june-2022.html">previous post</a>.</p><p>Another friend (still in Russia) wrote a post in the style of a famous diary from the Siege of Leningrad, where a young girl is eventually the only one left (the others having died of starvation). "A. left for Kazakhstan, S. moved to Georgia, V. flew to Turkey, R. is going to hide in the village, T. plans to work from home and not answer his door. C. is panicking. And I haven't decided." *</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, back in St. Petersburg: A friend from church writes that she sees no other way but to emigrate. And her brother, in a wheelchair his whole life, has just received his draft notice...</p><p><br /></p><p>*names changed</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-44042025394807595102022-08-16T14:32:00.003+03:002022-08-16T14:32:30.876+03:00The Good Samaritan in Slavic Culture<p>(I found this draft from last month that I forgot to post! I'm shocked that the summer went by so fast!)</p><p><br /></p><p>National identity. I remember feeling self-conscious as an American first living abroad. It wasn't anything negative but just the realization that all eyes were on American brands, movies, public figures, etc. That's in a general context and then of course in church culture Americans had left their mark too, from prosperity preachers to missionaries. Not only was it jarring to see America's role in the world, but also to wonder which aspect of the USA came to mind when people met me personally. </p><p>As a resident of Russia, this country has become part of my identity, too. Russia has contributed much to the world, but sometimes it's like a slur. Let's be honest, the Russian team has become a pariah at the Olympic Games. There is always a scandal or controversy. I was so mad about the last games in Winter 2022. Young promising athletes (not even allowed to fly their country's flag due to doping issues) came under scrutiny and it only worsened Russia's reputation. Instead of focusing on skill and potential, rules and discipline came into the spotlight. I remember a tour guide once saying how Russia is like a family member. You love her even when she has embarrassed you and hurt you. My own experience is that when it comes to your country, family, or a team you're on, you can criticize it yourself, but outside criticism hurts. </p><p>I told my husband that the rumors of "Russiaphobia" were false; a ploy of the Russian State to boost nationalism and isolate itself even more. Surely MY corner of America wouldn't participate in the prejudice. Surely cultured Europeans wouldn't stoop to that level. No, Russian culture is not being canceled. But then again, I can see it happening in subtle ways. Part of the way it works nowadays is that with the help of social media, everyone jumps on a trend, according to their political party. Right now, support for Ukraine is popular in most western societies. Therefore, the opposite is anti-trend and must be shunned. Of course, in some parts of the world, this particular topic might be flipped around, with the "Z" popular to show support for Russia. At any rate, I know that pro-Kremlin shows have been canceled, but that's more an extension of "sanctions." The more subtle part is feeling awkward about writing in Russian, posting scenes of Russia (unharmed vs our neighbor in the war zone), or sharing about celebrations while others can't take part. And that doesn't feel quite right. Tact is important, but censorship hurts. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Russia and Ukraine; Ukraine and Russia. We had our sermon on the Good Samaritan, and it actually hit differently! Our pastor even recommended checking out the Wikipedia entry, and it's true that it includes extensive explanations, interesting to read.</p><p>(here my draft ended and I don't remember all of my initial impressions)</p><p>Now, the players are different. Picture the Good Samaritan, but with an injured Russian or Ukrainian lying on the ground. Who is more likely to help? Would you help if the person on the ground was from a hostile country? What if you were the one needing help? Would you be surprised if an enemy stopped to lend aid? Would you be even more surprised when a friendly party turns its head away? </p><p>It is easy to think in hypothetical terms, but this scenario is constantly repeated in daily life. The United States takes in many refugees, but they aren't all treated equally. This has come to light even more with the welcoming of Ukrainians vs those from other parts of the world.</p><p>As I write this, certain countries are closing their borders to Russian tourists, and I mourn the loss of connection and mutual discovery that comes from international travel.</p><p>Russia itself has quite the international population. Even though it doesn't have the same background of racial tension as in the U.S., stereotypes and biases are there in the background. Reactions to the current influx of refugees have been mixed. One story I read spotlighted a local summer camp that was receiving children from Mariupol. These very summer camps were "pioneer" camps during the Soviet Union. Later, American churches sent missionaries to these camps, and deep friendships were forged. I imagine young refugee children sitting on the bunks in those buildings where Christians prayer-walked and sought to share the Gospel. I don't discount the possibility that local camp counselors may be believers and seeking to serve!</p><p><br /></p><p>As you can see, rereading a familiar Bible story unleashed a flood of emotions and ideas! And that was a month ago already....</p><p><br /></p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-69713822191872844902022-06-25T23:01:00.000+03:002022-06-25T23:01:17.012+03:00June 2022<p>So, we are 4 months into what's happening in our part of the world...though, of course, we live pretty far from the border! </p><p>Currently:</p><p>-Lots of western businesses are closing, with Russian ones opening in their place. For example, our favorite Finnish grocery store chain closed, and just reopened in the same place with a Russian chain. As an expat, it's surreal to see everything happening in reverse. I've been traveling to/living in Russia for 25+ plus years, so I've watched globalization happen before my eyes, with lots of brands from different countries becoming prolific. I remember when IKEA opened here! And now one by one, the same companies are leaving. It's not a BIG deal, until you need specific medical supplies...even something like frames for your glasses. Or parts for your foreign-made appliance or electronic device.</p><p>-Lots of celebrations are being held as usual. Some of it is more patriotic and some just traditional. There is a sense that everyone is ready to celebrate after being locked up with Covid for so long (I honestly can't remember which celebrations were held last year. I think there were still parades, but we also had family members in the hospital with Covid, so it was still very much a precarious situation) Speaking of patriotism, Russian schools are starting to hang the flag and sing the national hymn each day. Ironically, they probably got the idea from American schools.</p><p>-Mobilization is ongoing. Remember my playground friend, Lena? Yesterday after I had held her 4 (?) month old baby, she told me that her husband had joined up. He'll be helping to destroy specific targets. Honestly, I didn't understand the whole explanation, but I'm not sure I want to know. And what could I say to a fellow mother, left at home with an infant and 3 year old? Some might think it is shocking, but the United States also does not have the best reputation in terms of invading other countries. I can think of lots of times when occupation occurred despite protests. And yet, most of those protesting had never been friends with a military family. It's a similar situation here. The point is not to justify anyone's actions, but to ponder our response to those who are culturally different from us due to their involvement in the military. It's one thing to observe from afar, and another situation when you talk to someone in person. </p><p>-Some friends have emigrated, but it's not really openly discussed, so I often find out after the fact. It all feels so final! It's one thing when you still live in the same city and imagine that you might bump into each other. And now everyone is spreading out all over the globe. I think a lot of international workers go through this when they change assignments every few years. But I tend to spend more time with locals than expats, so it is an odd feeling being the one left behind!</p><p>I'm out of time, but wanted to give a quick update! I read plenty of news from different sources, but various topics are either too controversial or too sad to write here. </p><p><br /></p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-49526186899469296492022-05-15T22:03:00.002+03:002022-05-15T22:03:47.265+03:005 years later<p> After my latest <a href="http://lizinstpete.blogspot.com/2022/02/when-theres-too-much-on-your-mind.html">weird dream sequence</a>, I found my mind wandering to an alternate scenario where our church <a href="http://lizinstpete.blogspot.com/2018/07/breaking-up.html">never split up</a>.</p><p>I did the math and realized that it has been about 5 years since it all started. At the time, Sophia was a baby and I wasn't able to be involved much in the discussions that followed. It was painful to feel cut off at such a crucial time! </p><p>If you read my blog a long time ago, you probably remember that Andrei and I both were involved a lot in our church even before we were married and had kids. And the church played a big role in our courtship and wedding.</p><p>I look at the kids now and imagine that in our old church, they would have both been attending Sunday school by now, and I would have probably been involved with music again or been attending a small group.</p><p>If we had all stayed in the same church, I had imagined the kids growing up with "church friends," who would possibly become friends for life. The year I had David, 4 other families were expecting babies. They were girls, but still could have been playmates for him.</p><p>-One family emigrated to Germany on a heritage visa, after their second child was tragically born at 24 weeks and passed away in the NICU here.</p><p>-One family emigrated to Canada, after years stuck in a cycle of poverty here.</p><p>-One family went back to the church the wife had attended before they married.</p><p>-And the other family started attending a more modern church with an impressive children's program, as that was something important to them.</p><p>If the church split had happened 3 years later, the pandemic would have been starting, and church would have been online. The arguments about music and lighting and coffee hour wouldn't have happened. But...maybe we would have argued about masks and whether or not to meet in person. In fact, I'm pretty sure the large group who broke away did in fact keep meeting, and gave each other Covid.</p><p>If the church split happened now, 5 years later, the kids would be old enough to entertain themselves as we attended the discussion sessions. I'd probably get too emotionally involved...even more than I was when it actually happened. </p><p>Sadly, the church split probably would have happened over Ukraine if it hadn't happened already by then. I think that there was already some disagreement over the Crimea, not enough to really cause great offense, but I think that it would be hard to worship together while sharing different views on what is happening today.</p><p>It's probably good that people went their separate ways, but I always wonder if there's a way to address disagreements in a timely manner so as to prevent church splits. Or is it inevitable that churches eventually have a big conflict? Or should churches do some "pruning" periodically? Or just plan to split into smaller groups once they get to a certain size? For example, outgrow the space? Instead of looking for a new building, just split up?</p><p>Do you ever think about how life would be different if something happened in a different year?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-52885242307378168642022-05-05T19:14:00.002+03:002022-05-05T19:31:31.895+03:00Border Trips in the time of Covid, Part 3 (Armenia)<p><i> I noticed that I often neglect to write about our interesting travels. A certain amount of time passes and then the initial impressions are lost. Sometimes it's just a matter of getting the photos off whichever device...</i></p><p><i>It's been 6 months and everything has changed again. This started out as a commentary on travel with coronavirus restrictions, and now there are many other restrictions. If Covid math for the past 2 years has involved PCR test processing and validity along with quarantine length, we now have to worry about closed airspace and places where we aren't welcome as a family.</i></p><p><i>But, back to November 2021 when it was still Covid but pre-conflict. </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTR55tHlgQgPbMuzq8GmQxP1ElaTOf5NcGsMJ3SodAjEyQWKL--w-MaHLi-pQOZ_-x0Cuw7HVQ2boGqTWTq7g8flVOKUVwc4rOi2bM0TYqWc6OC7LhZOkbEVtVq9EiA9cSnAj3pTNGlagn6IUodbCGyasryN8hC5yD8PN3OzNfvqikB7kvCDioyx_pg/s4096/P_20211106_102602.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTR55tHlgQgPbMuzq8GmQxP1ElaTOf5NcGsMJ3SodAjEyQWKL--w-MaHLi-pQOZ_-x0Cuw7HVQ2boGqTWTq7g8flVOKUVwc4rOi2bM0TYqWc6OC7LhZOkbEVtVq9EiA9cSnAj3pTNGlagn6IUodbCGyasryN8hC5yD8PN3OzNfvqikB7kvCDioyx_pg/s320/P_20211106_102602.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i><p></p><p>...after our <a href="https://lizinstpete.blogspot.com/2022/03/border-trips-in-time-of-covid-part-2.html">night in the hotel in Yerevan</a>, we woke up for a day of tourism before heading to the airport. We enjoyed a full hotel breakfast buffet in the style that I've grown to love. None of that toast and jam here...try some hot porridge of your preferred type, make your own sandwich with a variety of cold cuts, or fix a plate of steamed hot dogs (David's favorite) with your choice of pasta dish or potato casserole. And then come back for more! I will admit that I like Scandinavian breakfasts a tiny bit more because there is usually some yummy smoked or salted fish. But any filling, savory breakfast is fine with me.</p><p>After breakfast, we had an hour to "get organized," which for me is always a pretty important/focused chore. I had also planned to map out our itinerary, figure out airport transportation, etc.</p><p>Then Andrei was looking at his phone and his bank had been reporting dozens of charges, leaving his balance almost at zero. Neither of us likes to handle these issues, but I also had to focus on packing everything up, so it really wasn't good timing. </p><p>I mentioned in the last post that we were having trouble keeping track of the exchange rate, and as we rushed to make calculations, the numbers seemed way too high for having withdrawn a little cash and eaten dinner. Armenia is fairly cheap, in general. So that didn't make sense. Meanwhile, we got a call from the front desk reminding us of the checkout time, which was fair, but didn't help the overall mood.</p><p>Our time was up, so we headed down to check out and get directions into the downtown area. Did I mention Yerevan is rather hilly and the streets are sort of on top of each other? We went the way we were told, down a hill by an abandoned amusement park that we hadn't seen in the dark the previous evening. Then we were supposed to get to town via a pedestrian tunnel. That tunnel....I'm glad we weren't walking through it at night, because we couldn't get out of there fast enough! At first, the end wasn't even in sight. Lots of graffiti, trash, etc. We emerged to see a cluster of dilapidated Soviet buildings. A few steps further and we were at a lovely park with fountains that would have been turned on if it weren't November. But some adorable fuzzy green sculptures made up for that. It reminded me of seeing cow sculptures in <a href="https://lizinstpete.blogspot.com/2017/06/remembering.html">Budapest</a>. It was really warm, by the way, probably in the 50s. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7fKgrKk4f-M6k-fIydDzJNuqtqYHT6ggOkwNBjOWHEeTwmYL7MxUwp5YH7msHmbpQwctLnFJk9kNpqpkGT_-p7kb6alT3kmURNMOChJN5fMDoo06WkSBCqNALtieVVrggsZkyuywBbtViixAqZmNPl8iy86B92YnG3vCajSfbOSccwAaoLiDKdPXLg/s4096/P_20211106_120213.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7fKgrKk4f-M6k-fIydDzJNuqtqYHT6ggOkwNBjOWHEeTwmYL7MxUwp5YH7msHmbpQwctLnFJk9kNpqpkGT_-p7kb6alT3kmURNMOChJN5fMDoo06WkSBCqNALtieVVrggsZkyuywBbtViixAqZmNPl8iy86B92YnG3vCajSfbOSccwAaoLiDKdPXLg/s320/P_20211106_120213.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFhgD3kMQi3A6izJHv2ejt5yuCEZrgvFjVm3Cyk7UlNIrt7CSgY588LwWwJDaH0vv3A9dKjlEeFnr2GD5HxOUoMNj3w9FN-TSbMqhXXt24Pl8aHh9Wvz4r77iFpMM60sF1XKkbBAjDkuhn0eCy4T1ROyhcTWlRhAwzi07ZcqC5z0ky1rgIkHGOSGEaQ/s4096/P_20211106_120400_1_p.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFhgD3kMQi3A6izJHv2ejt5yuCEZrgvFjVm3Cyk7UlNIrt7CSgY588LwWwJDaH0vv3A9dKjlEeFnr2GD5HxOUoMNj3w9FN-TSbMqhXXt24Pl8aHh9Wvz4r77iFpMM60sF1XKkbBAjDkuhn0eCy4T1ROyhcTWlRhAwzi07ZcqC5z0ky1rgIkHGOSGEaQ/s320/P_20211106_120400_1_p.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>I started to get twitchy with time running short and wanting to do some sight-seeing before we had to head to the airport. The landmark that I chose was the Cascade, which is an interesting staircase structure that gives you a good view of the city. It took some time to walk there, cutting through parks and passing the Opera House on the way. Huge staircases must be a Soviet thing, as I remember seeing one in Odesa also (sob) when we were there a few years ago. That one is called the Potemkin Stairs and my husband used to see it in childhood when they would vacation on the Black Sea. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1fJa8KflRc7gqhWdr3Rp4FKkCA_MAC8e-xSXrjBxqdmZCPrQ68O8DhumiNzKNST7tNtTVHmRp_pd1G_P7PFRt1x7ujwWlp6GBUR21wQmFCYbgxL3AoZ-Z5tFhgAOYKBYrKrUyavXUorcnWQw8A7OIgoE2yHm4X6H7DAB0wnFxAPDRbohhFDBNzRAaQ/s4096/P_20211106_133744.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1fJa8KflRc7gqhWdr3Rp4FKkCA_MAC8e-xSXrjBxqdmZCPrQ68O8DhumiNzKNST7tNtTVHmRp_pd1G_P7PFRt1x7ujwWlp6GBUR21wQmFCYbgxL3AoZ-Z5tFhgAOYKBYrKrUyavXUorcnWQw8A7OIgoE2yHm4X6H7DAB0wnFxAPDRbohhFDBNzRAaQ/s320/P_20211106_133744.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I was pleasantly surprised upon arrival to find upon that the Cascade complex contained a museum/cultural center of modern quality, in contrast to the rundown buildings we'd seen earlier. There was an exquisite-looking exhibit on the Armenian alphabet, which we didn't have time for, to my dismay. Inside the building, there was also a series of escalators to reach the top, each of them featuring a different modern art installation. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj378bxf8G--oLAeNVdGHm5MKwm9vUONuF8PWfPX-J8j6RZMzT5CickcJrDcKfOqik4VlF8MDu1YxoxEDb1EloXYWVyIVCOqazy-8Ru53ny_aGtRiz-9krU4ziw2aSkXgB98THctZs6QnREiJJlikR9G4gPmnXEohVdUWyxHBah60c6w2yJdMD-ZsXWuQ/s4096/P_20211106_132332.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj378bxf8G--oLAeNVdGHm5MKwm9vUONuF8PWfPX-J8j6RZMzT5CickcJrDcKfOqik4VlF8MDu1YxoxEDb1EloXYWVyIVCOqazy-8Ru53ny_aGtRiz-9krU4ziw2aSkXgB98THctZs6QnREiJJlikR9G4gPmnXEohVdUWyxHBah60c6w2yJdMD-ZsXWuQ/s320/P_20211106_132332.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We visited the delightful gift shop as well, with its beautiful souvenirs and prices to match. We took turns browsing so as not to knock over expensive goods with our bags.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5m6ugB4fCeRl1ragl1aS2_9Kt93oamsTDajL4YIvpGh0PpMYUSv-HmDA7ElJ3lmLKHLOVAhikHSXJDNIKKPy74lxfUg0CBQJpG8pqMHtQf21LVm-jF3w9waUx9g8aPlcy0GH-KsNY4TDe0agQ5aG6mpCs420DzcBGj3YCe4k2lk8MZ6-fzUOkz1kTSQ/s4096/P_20211106_125114_p.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5m6ugB4fCeRl1ragl1aS2_9Kt93oamsTDajL4YIvpGh0PpMYUSv-HmDA7ElJ3lmLKHLOVAhikHSXJDNIKKPy74lxfUg0CBQJpG8pqMHtQf21LVm-jF3w9waUx9g8aPlcy0GH-KsNY4TDe0agQ5aG6mpCs420DzcBGj3YCe4k2lk8MZ6-fzUOkz1kTSQ/s320/P_20211106_125114_p.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>On our way back down, I was realizing that we not only had no time left for a leisurely lunch, but not even for some street food. In fact, we needed to get to the bus ASAP. We headed for the nearest metro station, Sophia crying all the way about wanting ice cream. The metro was small and quaint and reminded me again of Ukraine. We got off at the next stop and started asking people for directions, but the most common reply was that we had to go back to the same station that we HAD JUST COME FROM. But here we had only 5-10 minutes left and would likely not make it by the time we went down the escalator again and then up the escalator to get out. </p><p>Finally we stopped one family who shook their heads indicating they didn't speak Russian (unlike most locals). So we switched to English and learned that the young woman and her brother, accompanied by their father, had grown up NEAR BOSTON, MA (my home state) and were back in Armenia exploring their roots. Since I didn't have a taxi app installed, they took the time to call us a taxi and wait with us! We had a nice few minutes chatting and agreeing that our meeting was certainly orchestrated by God!</p><p>After a bit of a hubbub trying to get seated in the taxi while searching for my phone, which I had hastily shoved into a backpack section in order to not lose it, we were off to the airport. We had plenty of time, really. The taxi driver told us about the economic situation in Armenia (not great) and how during Perestroika, foreign investments had flowed into Russia and not into the former republics. That's another topic, but it's interesting to observe how different former republics have fared, which you'll see when I post about Estonia. Among many positive features of Armenia is its low crime rate, and the rumors of warm hospitality ring true.</p><p>We got to the airport, picked up our PCR results, and had time for ice cream before boarding our plane to fly over Mt Ararat at sunset again. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5nYcs_IiDtMnhiir3lqLcyvpKQrmGVlyQ_7f8KfrPrsBBXYKe5X8HbjcVJxsLj0ymygJmJbMwMJJ2JTDdEC2MsYA1pOi5wwaD-M2GawNZxjNnL89QkIxof6ctzJvFu9Q5sn69F_9Wq-dS9qEenxgmsO-HMf7bF4hUHq8qtobOeYhvB53e9WllIEjNg/s2560/P_20211105_123522_BF.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5nYcs_IiDtMnhiir3lqLcyvpKQrmGVlyQ_7f8KfrPrsBBXYKe5X8HbjcVJxsLj0ymygJmJbMwMJJ2JTDdEC2MsYA1pOi5wwaD-M2GawNZxjNnL89QkIxof6ctzJvFu9Q5sn69F_9Wq-dS9qEenxgmsO-HMf7bF4hUHq8qtobOeYhvB53e9WllIEjNg/s320/P_20211105_123522_BF.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Although Yerevan felt a bit small and understated after St. Petersburg, I would love to go back and take some side trips to explore more of Armenia's history and natural beauty.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgYt2M7e6TyUOze-hGRNhTqKBJ4WGL8zHTAgAwucK3xIohaI5bGwTRApScGxjZBeuvZ2L8lLdG5Y1MtKnQyGs2sAawfPIJ9p8RqeqQqTqf1d8lIaRugD71SNSHw4sejAQcDbTI07k5GpiHcIsK7x0U_9N5hpZxioRfinu12fROR_5chWLoPwBBVakNg/s4096/P_20211106_171737_1_p.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgYt2M7e6TyUOze-hGRNhTqKBJ4WGL8zHTAgAwucK3xIohaI5bGwTRApScGxjZBeuvZ2L8lLdG5Y1MtKnQyGs2sAawfPIJ9p8RqeqQqTqf1d8lIaRugD71SNSHw4sejAQcDbTI07k5GpiHcIsK7x0U_9N5hpZxioRfinu12fROR_5chWLoPwBBVakNg/s320/P_20211106_171737_1_p.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_nUnoBAFgdnVN7uyL0_k9CohTUjbiygTzpXVAwkoCUvfvyGKR5oxD8Ig5I9BZL0WrJObgIKxgmQH-bAJanU3Smo8HfTbUVlXvYDg3knj5CPfQvlrtVwyqzJ1veDgrX8f_yUk_ORhf6DTKApw2g5lAb_5wEgK8LiXuLg0WMTwVp6n7gz2sK_yxWaRVA/s4096/P_20211106_171900_p.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_nUnoBAFgdnVN7uyL0_k9CohTUjbiygTzpXVAwkoCUvfvyGKR5oxD8Ig5I9BZL0WrJObgIKxgmQH-bAJanU3Smo8HfTbUVlXvYDg3knj5CPfQvlrtVwyqzJ1veDgrX8f_yUk_ORhf6DTKApw2g5lAb_5wEgK8LiXuLg0WMTwVp6n7gz2sK_yxWaRVA/s320/P_20211106_171900_p.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqxCAIUj_Vgd-485Ye2SDKD3c1NKWaCsSuzvuypNpCP39XS2lJyDtdpQ-o1J4snRf6MrQPOQSgl6-25o59k-FjlFuQOiMfZUbRBJmbVVxtAeww5UrvBxe7Jqc28s_8H2tRVrdnG8nM7AKTqYDt026P1lEPoxEI1SVkcHtZsRUAJXbVw-BMF10_PrV_w/s4096/P_20211106_172227_1_p.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqxCAIUj_Vgd-485Ye2SDKD3c1NKWaCsSuzvuypNpCP39XS2lJyDtdpQ-o1J4snRf6MrQPOQSgl6-25o59k-FjlFuQOiMfZUbRBJmbVVxtAeww5UrvBxe7Jqc28s_8H2tRVrdnG8nM7AKTqYDt026P1lEPoxEI1SVkcHtZsRUAJXbVw-BMF10_PrV_w/s320/P_20211106_172227_1_p.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>P.S. Since we visited, Armenia has become a haven for Russian political dissenters leaving their country, and the price of plane tickets has skyrocketed. </p><p><br /></p><p>P.P.S. We eventually got the refunds to our bank accounts and it all worked out.</p><p><br /></p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-29078940862626344052022-04-05T21:31:00.000+03:002022-04-05T21:31:22.247+03:00Children<p>Types of energy come in waves. I feel drained of physical energy this week, but more in tune with my emotions. And there are a lot of things to process this particular week. </p><p>On to the topic...we are still homeschooling these days, of course. I actually share some visuals on Instagram (the handle is ourhomeschoollife_overseas), but it's not a "blog." Homeschooling offers some flexibility in the midst of a pandemic, family sickness, changing work schedules, international travel needs, and attempts at a social life. </p><p>When a local friend recently mentioned keeping his kids home from school to skip a lecture on the current political situation, I thought...it's a good thing we homeschool. Our kids don't have to wade through all that conflicting information. Not yet, anyway. But they will still encounter it in the world. And although I thought we had time, I suddenly realized that their potential PLAYMATES are all getting an earful at their own schools. They ARE the world. We can hear them all playing on the playground right outside our window. They might wake up in the morning and get a glimpse of whatever news source their parents choose. Then they go to school and compare notes with their classmates and maybe hear a little from their teachers. And then they are outside our window, each one carrying the weight of all that information.</p><p>No, I haven't heard anything, per se. It's just where my imagination went last night as I was preparing to sleep. Perhaps the kids are just playing innocent playground games and not thinking about war. Not playing at refugees like my daughter did with her dolls one evening. </p><p>My friend and his wife are quietly selling all their possessions so that they and their children can start a new life elsewhere. The future is now. The next generation is here. Kids are soaking it all in. In other countries, people will move on. They will vote on their next president based on a perceived notion of their own sense of freedom and security. But for a certain few countries, the effects are long-lasting, for the next generation and beyond. Freedom and security are a far-off dream.</p><p><br /></p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-65735824217362886762022-03-07T23:10:00.000+03:002022-03-07T23:10:17.936+03:00Forgiveness<p> Let the blogging continue.</p><p>Easter Sunday in the two church calendar traditions has just a 1 week difference this year. Ash Wednesday happened during Pancake Week in Russia.</p><p>Yesterday was "Forgiveness Sunday" in the Orthodox Church, marking the final day before the Lenten Fast. You can look it up, but it's meant to be a day of repentance and asking other people for forgiveness. Sometimes I might get a text from an Orthodox friend saying "I'm sorry, please forgive me if I've wronged you." In the age of social media, people make general posts saying they're sorry if they've offended anyone.</p><p>I like the idea of making relationships right. I don't like ignoring the elephant in the room. I mean, there are generic apologies and there are specific wrongs that no one acknowledges. I did see some of my local friends lamenting publicly. But we are not really allowed to comment at this point, so, I just pray that those who are repentant for their part will follow their convictions to act accordingly, and receive the gift of forgiveness.</p><p>I have a mom friend in the neighborhood. Lena is her name. We bump into each other once a month or so and actually talk to each other! I can't take credit for the friendliness though, because I noticed that she knows everyone and asks how each person is doing. </p><p>But anyway...Lena is a bit older than me and has a new baby! I was excited to spot them recently with a baby buggy instead of burgeoning belly. She even let us take a peek, which is a no-no sometimes in Russian culture due to superstition. No showing the baby's face initially.</p><p>Lena told me about her disappointment visiting church a few days before. She paid the offering amount to get a few candles and light them, with the understanding that her prayer requests would be voiced. But someone extinguished her candles after just a few minutes. Then she was trying to pray and meditate and another member of the church staff approached and invited her to give another offering. And she said she just never got that peace of feeling that her prayers were actually heard.</p><p>Trying not to sound prideful, I said that at our church, needs are prayed for right away, out loud. So we do get that feeling of our burdens being shared and lifted up to God. We also have quiet time for repentance at each service. So while I mentioned Forgiveness Sunday, it's something that we incorporate each week. </p><p>In Russia, it's against the law to proselytize. But I can at least share my own faith journey. As we said goodbye, Lena asked me my name. We parted knowing each other's names, for the first time.</p><p><br /></p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-81008320528230964832022-03-04T20:48:00.000+03:002022-03-04T20:48:23.696+03:00Border trips in the time of Covid, part 2<p>Traveling to Armenia...(part 1 <a href="http://lizinstpete.blogspot.com/2022/02/border-trips-in-time-of-covid.html">here</a>)</p><p><br /></p><p>Public transportation was already running by the time we left the house, so we opted for the metro instead of a taxi, since we were traveling with just carry-ons. It was kind of a long trip, 90 minutes or so. Sophia starting throwing up when we were almost done with the metro ride, not sure why because she hadn't had breakfast and hadn't really been tossed around much. But at least that meant there wasn't much to clean up.</p><p>Back then, the delta wave of Covid-19 was still in progress and omicron hadn't started yet. At the airport, certain seats were roped off so that people wouldn't sit too close to each other. On the plane, of course, all the seats were occupied and many people wore their masks on their chins.</p><p>The flight was about 3 hours, and it was dusk as we were landing in Yerevan. I looked out the plane window and saw a snow-capped mountain peak. This was pretty exciting since there aren't any mountain views in St. Petersburg. Come to find out, we were seeing Mt Ararat. I made a big deal out of this being a "field trip" since we were skipping school and hadn't been able to go to any museums due to the pandemic.</p><p>Anyway, the mountain against the setting sun was absolutely beautiful!</p><p>After landing came the confusing part, one of those situations where you can't tell if you've actually exited or if there's something yet to come. We weren't sure if/when our PCR tests would be looked at. We also needed to withdraw some cash and get new PCR tests to use for re-entering Russia.</p><p>Even though I'd read about the diagnostics labs in advance, it was still pandemonium. In the testing area there was a crowd of people, a gatekeeper of some sort, and a "take a number" system. But one of the perks of visiting Armenia was that we could use Russian, so Andrei could do the inquiring. After a few false starts, we sorted out which lab we wanted by looking at the information boards, determined which testing station corresponded to that lab, and were able to get a number to be admitted to the testing area. There really wasn't much of a line, just not straight-forward. Since the PCR tests have to correspond to passport information, it took a long time to get our information entered into the system, figure out payment, etc.</p><p>We also went to withdraw some cash and had a hard time getting familiar with the exchange rate. I kept finding a good point of comparison (rubles to drams? drams to dollars?) and then forgetting right after. We got enough so that we could at least pay our way to the hotel.</p><p>Surprise! After all that, we still weren't technically clear yet. At the very end of it all was a checkpoint, where they collected our PCR tests for entry to Armenia. Otherwise, we would have had to self-isolate.</p><p>We walked over to the traffic island in ground transportation, to wait for the bus. I had read that it came on the hour and had free Wi-Fi. I pictured something pretty modern and comfortable, with big windows. The taxi drivers started taking turns coming over and trying to haggle with us, claiming their rates were the best and they'd give us the best service, etc. The same thing happens in Russia and we prefer to book through a more official route. The taxi drivers were friendly, but some haggling definitely would have been in order. The bus came after awhile. It was not at all what I expected: it was a crowded mini-van similar to the route taxis in St. Petersburg several years back (which have since been converted to mini-buses). It was also NOT an express route, with people getting in and out every few blocks and yelling out where to stop, and somehow we were in rush hour. It was also dark at that point; so much for getting to know the city. It reminded me of arriving in Kinshasa! We started asking fellow passengers where we should get off, and they gave us some advice and agreed to talk to the driver for us. Armenian hospitality!</p><p>Thankfully the kids didn't get carsick. We eventually got to a neighborhood where the nice couple advised us to get out, so we found ourselves on a street corner...somewhere. I don't think I would recognize it now! I had grabbed a few free maps at the airport, but the street signs were in Armenian, which actually uses a different alphabet. Beautiful, but completely foreign. So we started off on our way, asking for directions every few minutes. It felt like many other similar trips. </p><p>Did I mention we had skipped lunch? All I could think about was food, and thankfully I'd made sure the hotel we booked had a restaurant. We stopped to grab some lavash at a bakery, and then I noticed that we were getting farther away from downtown and all the little cafes were shutting down, even though it was only around 8 pm or so. That always feels so different after living in St. Petersburg! Our flight had landed close to 6pm, so despite the smaller scale airport and urban area, it had taken a long time to get everything sorted out.</p><p>When we stopped to ask directions, people were starting to tell us to go "up" or "down" the street. That felt so funny to me. What about "left" or "right" or a compass direction? I knew we were in a mountainous area, but it was too dark to see any sort of topography. Supposedly the hotel room would have a view of Mt Ararat. </p><p>Eventually, we got to the hotel, dumped our bags, and headed down to the restaurant for some FOOD. The hotel was cheap, by the way. Much more reasonable compared to Europe, Scandinavia, the U.S., etc. The food wasn't very exciting, but palatable, and my son was excited about the plain hot dogs...lol. That sold him on Armenia as a destination.</p><p>And so we had made it out of Russia in time and were able to rest our heads on the hotel pillows, ready to wake up the next day and see Yerevan in the daylight.</p><p><br /></p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-68450464819108316622022-03-02T19:41:00.000+03:002022-03-02T19:41:09.083+03:00Picking and choosing<p>In these tumultuous times, hug your Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarusian friends. If you have friends of Slavic descent in your community, ask them if they still have family over there. Everyone needs to know that they are loved. </p><p>Even though we are called to pray for peace, part of me resists. I don't think my heart can catch up, nor my mind...what would a "ceasefire" look like, in this situation? What would the conditions be? Of course I hope that even as you read this, maybe by the time I'm posting this, a ceasefire will be on its way. I pray for an end to bloodshed.</p><p><span class="text Matt-5-43" style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj"></span></span></p><blockquote><span class="text Matt-5-43" style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj">“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-44" id="en-NIV-23279" style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj">But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-45" id="en-NIV-23280" style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj">that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-46" id="en-NIV-23281" style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj">If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-47" id="en-NIV-23282" style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj">And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-48" id="en-NIV-23283" style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj">Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:43-48)</span></span></blockquote><span class="text Matt-5-48" id="en-NIV-23283" style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj"></span></span><p></p><p>Yes, I pray for my adversaries, but I don't want to gloss over anything. I pray also for misinformation and lies to cease, so that the truth can be made known. And I pray that all victims of violence would be believed and shown compassion. Even without being a victim, I don't want this part of history to be buried yet.</p><p>I read a few sobering articles about how Ukrainian refugees are getting so much more attention compared to those from other (non-European) countries. This was especially noted in Europe, where no one wants to be the Good Samaritan and open their doors to refugees of certain descent. For various reasons, it's easier for us to love certain groups than others. However, I'm sure that this plays out in the U.S. also in a similar way. </p><p>The fact is that only certain stories make the headlines. On social media recently, I pondered the disappearance of Kazakhstan from the news, as Ukraine became the main story. I don't have any special interest in Kazakhstan, other than as a neighboring country, fairly large, and the birthplace of a few of my friends. However, when I brought it up on social media, a friend asked, "why should I care?" And indeed, some countries simply lack strategic importance and therefore will not be reported on in Western media. </p><p>I think that we should pray as our hearts feel led and not feel pressured to either jump onto a trend, OR find something unique to care about. Pray for the big story, and pray for the forgotten ones. Done with my soapbox for now, but I do think we have to be aware of how much our emotions can be driven by the media and not by the Holy Spirit. </p><p><br /></p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-79518810428551495212022-02-27T19:43:00.001+03:002022-02-27T19:43:54.657+03:00A Sad Week (in this part of the world)<p>I will continue my Armenia series very soon, but I needed to post something about world events, to hold space during this time and to look back on in the future.</p><p>I go back and forth between being heartbroken for Ukrainians and then for Russians. Amid the pain caused by the reality of war and violence, there is the deep ache of a seeing a generation of progress threatened and hopes for the future dashed. </p><p><a href="http://lizinstpete.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-visa-run-sort-of-to-kiev.html">Here</a> is my post about our visit to Kyiv (preferred Ukrainian spelling), in 2013-just one year before conflict broke out. <a href="http://lizinstpete.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-weekend-in-kiev-sneak-peek-with-photos.html">This</a> is the one with photos. Having been there made it even more surreal picturing what was happening. Being in Ukraine back then did have more of a European feel, but it ended up going off in a different direction.</p><p>We have visited Odessa as well, though I don't think I posted about it at the time. Andrei visited the Black Sea as a child. I think it's hard for us Americans to get our heads around what it was like to live in the Soviet Union as well as live through the changes that came afterward. What do the borders feel like? Who is a foreigner? Does it feel at all like traveling through different regions of the U.S.?</p><p>Both countries in this conflict (as well as some of the neighboring countries involved) have endured so much suffering through the years at different times, but I was personally called to serve in Russia. Even though I've studied Ukrainian history as well, it's Russia that has been on my heart since 1996. And the local needs as this tragedy unfolds will be different. I can tell you that Russian people are broken right now. Our hands here are tied just the same as everyone's across the ocean. I remember discussing with ministry partners how Russia gets hit by turmoil again and again and again, and you can go through so many of the Psalms, praying them with Russia in mind. </p><p>We are nowhere near the border with Ukraine. We live in St. Petersburg, the Hero City of Leningrad, which once endured a 900-day siege (Kiev and other cities in Ukraine actually got the Hero City title later as well). I know so many brave and resilient people, which is needed in a land whose citizens often experience oppression. We anticipate hard times once more, but the needs aren't as tangible and obvious as donating to refugees (which is so needed right now for Ukrainians). There will likely be financial hardships, though, as the world imposes sanctions on Russia. For now, we look forward to coming out of Covid quarantine in order to reconnect with our local friends and support each other emotionally and spiritually. </p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-34692601365749761302022-02-18T18:40:00.001+03:002022-02-18T18:40:19.060+03:00Where were you when...? (Olympics edition)<p> If there's anything that makes an expat nostalgic or homesick, it's the Olympic Games.</p><p>As a child growing up in the 80s and 90s, I amassed a set of memories from before there were Internet spoilers and the ability to rewind (besides via VHS). It was one of the few times where family members of all ages would watch TV together. It was (often) live action. And as an American, the NBC Olympics commentary and theme song will always be tied to those memories. </p><p>We rolled our eyes at the commentating and "behind the scenes" extras, but the heartfelt stories made it even more interesting to watch. We witnessed not only the breaking of world records, but "firsts" from certain countries and regions, great comebacks, and performances poignantly dedicated to a loved one's memory.</p><p>Sometimes I go down a rabbit-hole of "where are they now?" of former Olympic champions and their contemporaries, following one Wikipedia link after another to jog my memory and get caught up.</p><p>The first event that I remember must have been the Calgary winter Olympics in 1988. I can still hear the music and imagine my 5 year old self running in when the ad break was over. The next ones are easier to remember: Barcelona, Lillehammer, Atlanta...</p><p>My best friend then was a gymnast (still is) and there were lots of role models for little girls in the sports world. On an early trip to Russia, someone asked (through an interpreter) whom kids looked to as role models in American culture. Athletes were the first group that came to my mind. The Atlanta Olympics were actually in 1996 around the time of our first Russia trip, with the bombing happening on our way home.</p><p>Then there were the years when I didn't have TV access, although my mom got to go to Salt Lake City in 2002! It was fun hearing about that from my dorm room.</p><p>I remember watching the marathon in Greece when the crazy spectator ran out and spooked the competitors. That was so unexpected and upsetting!</p><p>Then I moved to St. Petersburg, where the lady I was staying with the first few years actually did have a TV. We rarely turned it on, though we sometimes watched old movies on VHS. One year I came back from Christmas break to find her daughter home on break for an exam session. It turned out she was a big sports fan and I remember her raving about the "biatlon" (biathlon), a previous unknown sport to me. We are all good friends now, by the way...the daughter is married and lives in Montenegro.</p><p>There was the Michael Phelps year when I was home visiting and my sister gave me some swim goggles for my birthday, after we visited the YMCA pool a total of one (1) time to get in shape.</p><p>For the next 2 Summer Olympics, I had new babies! You'd think it would have been the perfect excuse to sit on the couch watching sports. But somehow the timing was never right. My days consisted of chasing birth certificates, diapers, and lactation consultants.</p><p>(Insert intermission here for the World Cup hosted in Russia in 2018, which was fun! We didn't watch a single match but got to see the fan zone and visitors from around the world infiltrating our city.)</p><p>Then we got to 2020....delayed to 2021. I was getting that itch to get in on the Olympics action, so I did some research and fiddled around with my internet settings until I was able to get some streaming coverage, which I did again for the Winter Olympics this month.</p><p>To be honest, though, the viewing experience just isn't the same as back in the 80s. Is it the news spoilers? The computer instead of a TV screen? The company? With the option to replay some events, I find myself unable to commit to a couch-sitting session. There are plenty of ads to preserve that opportunity to grab a snack or fold some laundry. But there isn't that same feeling of everyone who's awake watching the same event together.</p><p>What controversy? My son and I have read all about Ancient Greece and the first Olympics for his classwork. The Olympics were supposed to be a time when wars temporarily ceased. Alas, that tradition has not been preserved. :( And everyone has their reasons for taking one position or another.</p><p>Next time, I do still plan to try to get some access, in order to create some new Olympics memories.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Do you have special Olympics memories? Do you remember any of the ones I mentioned?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-13916713822159309752022-02-14T19:16:00.001+03:002022-02-14T20:35:48.439+03:00Border trips in the time of Covid<p>We still do border runs every 6 months, which has been complicated by Covid-19! In 2020, foreigners' documents were extended so we were able to skip it once or twice. In 2021 (one year ago), we went to the U.S. for new visas...that's another story.</p><p>In November (2021), we'd been back for 6 months and needed to cross the border again. Sadly no Finland or Estonia this time as the border rules were a bit ambiguous. We really miss being able to easily access neighboring countries by train or bus! Finland was not accepting the Russian vaccine for entry, and Andrei didn't have an Estonian visa so we weren't sure he could get in with just a Finnish one. In non-Covid times, I could go across with the kids by myself. But I really didn't want to get stranded without Andrei.</p><p>Also, Russia requires a fresh PCR for entry. Now, if you are going out and in within 24 hours, how do you get the PCR test for re-entry? Many were simply getting the PCR test in Russia and using the same one to get back into Russia. Sounds easy enough, but logically...you could have picked up Covid during those few hours out of the country. We decided to call border control to confirm, and they said we needed to get a fresh PCR test from outside of Russia. Of course if we hadn't called, we might have just done it no problem.</p><p>So we determined that the safest thing would be for the 4 of us to find a visa-free country and spend a night while waiting for a fresh PCR.</p><p>With time ticking, we started hunting for direct flights to Georgia, Armenia, Serbia, etc. The cheapest direct flights left were for Yerevan (Armenia), so Andrei went ahead and made a booking.</p><p>When we came home from getting PCR tests (making it just as the lab was about to close), we had received a message that the booking had been changed. No big deal...but a short time later, it was canceled. So I took to my computer to redo the booking.</p><p>Upon check-out, my bank card was rejected. I tried again with another card and it worked out.</p><p>The next morning, one of the flights was canceled and the other wasn't. I went ahead and canceled the second one since it was within the 24-hour grace period. Now we were back at square one and needed to leave the next day so that we could be back in time for Andrei to go to work the next day.</p><p>Andrei and I had both lost track of our booking attempts, but our bank accounts were being charged each time. I looked at my balance and saw a PENDING notice even though my purchase had been rejected. Andrei was getting texts about hundreds of thousands of rubles being withdrawn. He transferred the last of our funds onto his card and set out for the airport.</p><p>The airport is pretty far by public transportation, 90 minutes or so. Andrei got there and went to the airline offices to ensure that he was making a legitimate booking. I kept my phone nearby in case he needed to call to verify something.</p><p>At that moment, my ringer stopped working. I have no idea what was going on, but my phone was silent, even though it was not in silent mode. The sounds in other apps were working. By the time I finally picked up my phone to look at it, Andrei had called 10-15 times. Of course we were both upset! But he hadn't given up and was able to book the tickets one-way. </p><p>After that, he went to the other airline (a different one) to book the return ticket. He was successful...and it was cheaper than booking online, though the other charges had not been refunded yet.</p><p>My phone continued to not ring, probably up until the moment when Andrei arrived home, after dark, having spent the entire day at the airport. And we had to be there again the next day for our flight!</p><p><br /></p><p>To be continued....</p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-89366759032006555522022-02-01T11:54:00.001+03:002022-02-01T11:54:52.439+03:00When there's too much on your mind<p> Our conference ended yesterday and I need to catch my flight home. But what time is my flight, and from which airport? I open up my email to check, but search terms like "flight" and "airport" yield no results, which is weird considering not even previous trips show up.</p><p>I know there was something about taking a ferry to another airport that has direct flights. But I can't confirm since I don't have my travel itinerary. Meanwhile, the bus is leaving now.</p><p>I get on the bus and explain the situation to the driver, who answers in broken English (though I'm not sure where I am). He hands me a self-administered Covid test, but I have to decide when to take it. If my flight is today, I have to do it now. If my flight is tomorrow, I'll have to do a repeat. Maybe the driver can give me an extra? The bus is already moving and it's going to be pretty hard sticking this thing in my nose without incident. Maybe if I wait for a red light. Some passengers have already done theirs...</p><p>By now, I'm pretty sure I'm heading in the right direction. Instead of a ferry, I'm taking a bus to the next closest airport, which will get me a direct flight home. I just hope they will have me in the system since I don't have any flight confirmation. The guy next to me says that he can't find his, either!</p><p>The trip coordinator comes over to me, leans down, and hisses "where are my lunch receipts?" He keeps mixing me up with someone else and thinks I'm the one who made purchases for the group. I tell him he's mistaken.</p><p>A door opens and I hear running footsteps. My son is awake and we've all overslept. I'm exhausted from these types of dream segments! </p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-70503805069114028422022-01-30T18:44:00.003+03:002022-01-30T18:44:20.165+03:00Here we go again<p>Last year (2021) we updated Russian visas; now my husband's U.S. visa has expired.</p><p>In the old days he didn't even need an interview in order to renew it. He just mailed it off via a courier there and back. And good for 3 years. </p><p>But 2022. Surprisingly, Covid-19 is not actually the problem. It's diplomacy...or lack thereof. The Consulates and even Embassy in Moscow have ceased issuing visas due to lack of staff due to conflict between the U.S. and Russia. The one in St. Petersburg is completely closed.</p><p>If you've lived abroad, you may have relied on your Embassy or Consulate for help with renewing a passport, issuing birth certificates, notarial services, etc. U.S. expats don't have that available to them in Russia anymore. It's so strange because it's not like we're in a war zone or natural disaster area. Just bad international relations. </p><p>We went to the U.S. last year for several months for new passports. It was a good trip except for Andrei needing to stay in Russia for work.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOlncKUE3YXXXhz4s6POQwHvHs7pzhAtrRBSqbyGmd24C1MpJeSkV1_Z_VJ4wL4N26qpkYigK6Yabfoi-M0X1Llxx5dxgrz4ZdFAekqf-tdgKb84TfpO-7WADaqBJCHLPwMpTpNKIkHUrk28_VhQtGCXSp6lIy-Jyn6l3_K40JwgU1WBZVaH74t142lQ=s2560" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOlncKUE3YXXXhz4s6POQwHvHs7pzhAtrRBSqbyGmd24C1MpJeSkV1_Z_VJ4wL4N26qpkYigK6Yabfoi-M0X1Llxx5dxgrz4ZdFAekqf-tdgKb84TfpO-7WADaqBJCHLPwMpTpNKIkHUrk28_VhQtGCXSp6lIy-Jyn6l3_K40JwgU1WBZVaH74t142lQ=w400-h300" title="2021 family portrait" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2021 Family Portrait</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p>So now we are looking at countries where Andrei could ENTER in order to apply for a U.S. visa and stick around long enough to get his passport/visa back. It's pretty tricky because countries give precedence to their own residents. You might wait 6 months for an appointment...or you might jump on and see that there are a few slots available in one week's time. But first, you have to pick a destination and indicate that on your application form. You can't choose one country and then get an appointment somewhere else.</p><p>And here, coronavirus does play a role, because all countries have different entry/quarantine requirements at the moment AND we can't predict what those requirements will be by the time of the appointment. It could all get cancelled.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhski1He32MqqGsBMRnPB4H56ALgSFP9QwotmvsFkUA9cWIVquUK2X_nbZr10h1Xw6KA44lvM3PbfUOe3DWVWAWf6sdHkUY5tqw3N3D8KiBkV8foKbPVNQKrUd3OOM1PUWRpb8J3SE_XSFV1P4md6esGS6Dy4SSrKrbF38kNjZ98S0kn3zwyem43SuZuQ=s4096" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhski1He32MqqGsBMRnPB4H56ALgSFP9QwotmvsFkUA9cWIVquUK2X_nbZr10h1Xw6KA44lvM3PbfUOe3DWVWAWf6sdHkUY5tqw3N3D8KiBkV8foKbPVNQKrUd3OOM1PUWRpb8J3SE_XSFV1P4md6esGS6Dy4SSrKrbF38kNjZ98S0kn3zwyem43SuZuQ=w300-h400" title="Did someone say "Covid"?" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did someone say "Covid"?<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>P.S. I'm fiddling with the design on my blog, but as you can tell there are some technical difficulties...</p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-44424650088509252472022-01-04T20:27:00.001+03:002022-01-04T20:27:27.627+03:00Still here<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wintry postcard from St. Petersburg during some recent colder temperatures...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZXKCNEbEkTJhI7OzN7gTKnU0cdFGFHjWIgR-CFspseNjpx1lso0uiUd60_dVVUoBSG7Dl_VNsABbemzB2pgB1mTSx7zIVWNbtJuanHymHUUsy3EJdBwcGMfHu11NHj1-qlTCCahLBBWqf5QrC0z-FFa1Up-5b7oBfYLCtukC4hNqz2ld_DKvsHgF79w=s3072" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZXKCNEbEkTJhI7OzN7gTKnU0cdFGFHjWIgR-CFspseNjpx1lso0uiUd60_dVVUoBSG7Dl_VNsABbemzB2pgB1mTSx7zIVWNbtJuanHymHUUsy3EJdBwcGMfHu11NHj1-qlTCCahLBBWqf5QrC0z-FFa1Up-5b7oBfYLCtukC4hNqz2ld_DKvsHgF79w=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br />I don't even remember how to edit on here! I hope to update soon, though...for now, check my updates on Instagram. I have a regular account and a second one for homeschooling thoughts.<p></p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-72915112280470839542020-03-23T01:21:00.003+03:002020-12-29T01:11:36.248+03:00The week that felt like a thousand years<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last Sunday, we went to church. I kind of figured it would be our last for awhile. By the way, we usually get around 15 people...but we do have to travel public transportation to get there. People were making plans and it was awkward feeling like we wouldn't likely follow through on them.<br />
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Anyway, that was a weird day, but not for the reasons you'd think. On the way to church, the tram wasn't working...then on the way home, the escalator broke down when we were halfway up! And I had the beginnings of a migraine. We stopped to eat on the way home...also probably our last time for awhile.<br />
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I was still checking the news every 5 minutes at that point. In the tram on the way home, I heard someone on the phone explaining that they were unable to drop something off at the orphanage because it was under "quarantine." First time I'd heard that word used around here in regards to COVID-19, although it's common to quarantine orphanages during a seasonal epidemic.<br />
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There wasn't much news all weekend, but I got a sense of something brewing under the surface...come Monday, something was going to surface.<br />
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And I was right. <span><a name='more'></a></span><br />Andrei did head off to work on Monday, which made me nervous. I felt like he was going off to war even though there had been only a handful of cases reported in St. Petersburg.<br />
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Mid-day my MIL called to say that there were empty shelves in the stores. My stomach dropped. To be honest, I'm not upset that Russians finally started to panic a bit. But I've never been present for much of a crisis here before. What was I going to experience? Was it going to be Black Friday-level craziness? Nina grabbed us some buckwheat, pasta, and flour.<br />
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My husband came home, and talks about distance-learning had begun. Here we go! He did go to work the next day to settle things, but the students all voted to work from home for the rest of the semester.<br />
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The rest of the week passed very slowly. I made a trip to the store myself to check it out...most things were in stock. People don't have pantries here, maybe 1 shelf for dried goods, although those in the older generation tend to hoard a little bit more. I'm hoping that even if the quarantine gets stricter (which would be good to slow the spread), people will continue to remain calm and not panic-buy.<br />
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It's eerie outside because people read different news sources and some are just living their lives as if everything was normal. I'm getting phone calls inviting me to birthday parties and baby showers in April. "We'll see." May we still have a celebratory spirit even if we're on lockdown at that point.<br />
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And it's only been ONE WEEK....Andrei has only been working from home since like Wednesday! It feels like an eternity, doesn't it? And it feels like there is still a long road ahead of us. But at the same time, China made it through a lengthy quarantine, and many of us already have a week or two down. May the efforts to save lives not be in vain.<br />
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May God grant us all patience, wisdom, and hope for the days ahead.<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-17792708398501489992020-03-19T01:14:00.002+03:002020-12-29T01:12:24.158+03:00Coronavirus in Russia Q&A (personal observations from a resident)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello from St. Petersburg! This isn't supposed to be a strictly factual OR deeply philosophical post... just a little journal entry during this strange life episode.<br />
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How many cases are there in Russia?<br />
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-Officially around 150, but it's unclear if there are enough tests available and at what point people are seeking medical attention. Pneumonia wards are pretty full, though.<br />
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Is there panic?<br />
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-Something shifted over the weekend and people started panic-buying, and some new quarantine measures were introduced at the beginning of the week. At this point people seem more skeptical and annoyed by it than scared. But a few people are nervous, especially if they have older relatives.<br />
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What are local people stocking up on?<br />
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-Mostly toilet paper and buckwheat. Other popular dried goods are oatmeal, flour and pasta. I found it interesting to see empty bread shelves in pictures of U.S. stores. What do you do with extra bread, put it in the freezer?<br />
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What protective measures are in place?<br />
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-You can read about it online, but the borders are closed and schools/universities are mostly switching to distance education. Behind the scenes there are vaccines and testing kits being worked on. Stores, restaurants, and other businesses are still open.<br />
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How are you keeping busy?<span><a name='more'></a></span><br />
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-We have enough homeschool materials until the end of the school year...did actually have a math book on order, not sure when we'll get it...oh well! Although I want to finish up this school year, I think kids that are home from school have a chance to relax a little bit from the high demands of an academic setting! Spring is coming and nature study is about to get more interesting, as long as we can all get outside.<br />
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-Watching: Frozen 2...even my son LOVES it and has been enjoying repeat viewings.<br />
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-Listening to: 1) Little Big...disclaimer, most of their hits are not family-friendly. They are a local group and have a really fun beat, so I'll have to look for something similar with safer lyrics. But they've been on the news lately because they were headed to Eurovision. 2) Family-friendly option: Simon Khorolskiy on YouTube. Has a few hymns in English and the rest are in Russian. Many of them are Baptist hymns, some translated from English so you would recognize the tunes. My daughter LOVES them.<br />
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Are you working from home?<br />
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-My husband is working on getting his lessons for his college students online. Going to be an interesting experiment! I do understand that it's a stressful time for people learning how to work from home AND have their kids underfoot at the same time.<br />
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How are you staying calm?<br />
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-I think it helps to pinpoint what your EXACT fears are, and give those to God. Right now my husband still has work and our daily activities haven't changed too much. And we have plenty of food and supplies! We just want our loved ones and fellow citizens of the world to be safe.<br />
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That's about all I have time for, feel free to ask more questions or answer them for your own country/community.<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-72233668625433476352020-03-13T01:06:00.001+03:002020-03-13T01:07:23.698+03:00And so it begins (Lent and Lethargy)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A week or two ago I felt like I was coming down with something. It was a weird combination of symptoms: fatigue, sore throat, but also a bit of a GI bug.<br />
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It wasn't really progressing, but it was the middle of the week and I figured I had picked up something at church on Sunday. I just couldn't get my energy back, though! And suddenly I recognized the feeling. In the spring every year I usually have a period where I'm totally dragging all the time. Not the same as winter malaise, a special springtime variation where the sun is out, everything is good, and yet I just want to sleep all the time. I've been attempting late afternoon couch time, but that also happens to be Sophia's neediest time, go figure...maybe it makes her nervous when I lie down.<br />
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I have a few old posts on "avitaminosis"...I just checked them and they were written in May, BUT with the mild winter, maybe things are just happening a bit out of order this year?<br />
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To get some energy back, I determined to get more sleep. Sometimes I think it's ridiculous that I don't get enough sleep, since I don't get up early for work, but...it's always something.<br />
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Of course as soon as I decided I was going to sleep more, there were obstacles...kids needing a cuddle, or the bedroom being too hot because it was warmer outside and the heat was still going full-blast. Etc. And then finally one night Andrei took over with Sophia, and when David got up early he quietly went about his business...a miracle! And I got some sleep. And then a few more nights after that I got probably 7 hours.<br />
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I also got back onto the vitamin regimen. I still feel sleepy, but no longer on the verge of getting sick!<br />
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I know it's not a very interesting story, but following the seasonal patterns is always comforting to me.<br />
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Speaking of seasons, Lent is here. It's always interesting to see which holidays end up close to each other. This year we had Men's Day (Feb 23), followed by Butter Week and then the start of Lent. A week after that we had International Women's Day, and then Purim. Speaking of Purim, we didn't actually have time to have a celebration, but the words "for such a time as this" have been bouncing around my head and showing up everywhere...maybe because of the holiday, maybe just something that God is showing me.<br />
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I don't have any plans for this period before Easter. In my son's Bible readings for homeschool we JUST started the NT (and read Esther not too long ago), so it's perfect that we can read about Christ's life during this time of year. That is really my favorite way to observe Lent...not to only talk about the Cross the whole time, but to meditate on Christ's life, before getting to the death and resurrection... though of course there's always a connection.<br />
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How about you?<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-68462946970839845162020-03-02T17:17:00.000+03:002020-03-02T17:17:58.283+03:00The month of change<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I keep trying and failing (timewise) to type up Finland notes, but meanwhile a month has passed since our trip, so it's time for an update. (Side note: Been having terrible trouble with Chrome, had to download Opera before I could get images to show up on here. Anyone else?)<br />
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I'm liking our schedule right now, and usually there is much more daylight by the end of February, so there is a different feeling in the air as the seasons change.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZ9jprMieLrHYvTkpBrqZh-C8hlo9gsK3j1LQRTBsZLrIx0v7lZEW86tTteWKDDedCEsfBg4LvRqrjKg0va6zEG3rj22Cwomc8-DgC9CqYBRn8wR8TwFTLu_K299xN_6_XmDxnU44Apqc/s1600/P_20200229_150914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZ9jprMieLrHYvTkpBrqZh-C8hlo9gsK3j1LQRTBsZLrIx0v7lZEW86tTteWKDDedCEsfBg4LvRqrjKg0va6zEG3rj22Cwomc8-DgC9CqYBRn8wR8TwFTLu_K299xN_6_XmDxnU44Apqc/s320/P_20200229_150914.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring sunshine/ The "clean" version of the living room...<br /></td></tr>
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Andrei has fewer class hours this semester, or at least they're scheduled differently. He's home most days by 6 instead of 8 pm. He teaches at 2 universities and even has a few foreign students that need instruction in English, which is great practice for him.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<i>Homeschooling</i><br />
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Currently we spread a 4-day curriculum over 6 days of the week (minus Sunday).<br />
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-Monday is a school/work day<br />
-Tuesday is school and Russian homework, so we skip the English copywork.<br />
-On Wednesdays we go to the Russian tutor/speech therapist and then crash...it's a long walk there and back and we do errands, too. I'm tentatively calling this "Music Appreciation" Day, but we don't do anything very formal yet. There are some nice materials out there, but I find there are plenty of recordings and composer biographies on YouTube. St. Petersburg, of course, has many wonderful concert halls, which we will explore more eventually.<br />
-Thursdays are a regular school/work day<br />
-Fridays are for school, BUT Andrei is usually home, so we might do a field trip or have guests or something.<br />
-Saturdays are the alternate to Friday...if we have an outing one day, the other is for the 4th school day. I personally would rather do field trips on Fridays when other kids are in school (and admission is cheaper), but sometimes Saturdays are a better day to get together with friends.<br />
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Technically we should be doing Science experiments at the end of the week, and we have an Art curriculum that I've only really used twice...I guess it will roll over into next year!<br />
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I'm getting ready to order school materials for next year (think a year's worth of textbooks, readers, and read-alouds). Thankfully we don't have to get the huge math manipulatives kit again, but we'll probably add a spelling kit...so regardless, our suitcases will be full, if our U.S. trip goes as planned.<br />
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<i>Health</i><br />
<br />
After the family cold that was around in December/early January, we've been fairly healthy and weren't affected by the flu season or anything. Not sure what is going to happen in the next few months with coronavirus. In general we are cautious even with colds, since you never know what complications another person will develop. So we try not to spread germs to my husband's parents. We would certainly be concerned for them in an epidemic.<br />
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<i>Holidays</i><br />
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<strike>This</strike> Last month we also celebrated Sophia's half birthday (3 1/2), and Russian "Men's Day" which is really for people who have served in the army or something similar, but we usually just celebrate the men since there is Women's Day in March.<br />
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On the day after "Men's Day," we went into butter/pancake week which precedes Lent in the Orthodox church. The fast starts this week. And then next week we will have Women's Day, and it's also Purim.<br />
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Onward and upward! What signs of spring are you enjoying?<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-18736830653789128172020-02-05T01:12:00.002+03:002020-12-29T01:15:54.697+03:00Bureaucracy Update: Roadblocks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
My children are 7 1/2 and 3 1/2 and have lived in Russia all their lives on guest visas! They were born in the U.S. and only have U.S. citizenship.<br />
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Last fall, the government passed some new laws allowing foreign minors to apply directly for permanent residency on the basis of one parent already having permanent residency. That's us!<br />
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As soon as the law came into effect, we began to make preparations to start the application process. From my last few posts about this, you can see how the individual documents can be difficult to get.<br />
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One of the things we were advised to do was to switch the kids' registration to our flat instead of Andrei's parents.' Everyone living in the Russian Federation has to have an official address where they're registered, which might not be the place where they actually live...it's confusing. Currently I'm the only one registered in our flat.<br />
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We were going to switch the registration to my name, but that was going to be a complicated process via immigration authorities...whereas Andrei could supposedly do it in a different place, since he's a citizen.<br />
<br />
Anyway, Andrei went back to the Main Center for more info, and what they told him was that the kids' applications could get rejected completely. Since the kids have one parent who is a Russian citizen, the government could deny them residency and force them to get Russian citizenship.<br />
<br />
I guess I don't know many countries where someone might pass up the chance for citizenship, but the thing with citizenship is that it's a lot harder to cancel than a residence permit.<br />
<br />
But the other downside is that David could get drafted into the Russian army...and who is to say that they couldn't change the law in a few years to include females, too? The length of the mandatory service can always get changed, too. Right now it stands at 12 months. Putin promised to reduce or eliminate conscription...but when my husband was serving, the term was increased to 2 years, effective immediately; he had to serve an extra year. With many Russian youth looking to emigrate, is it likely that there is enough interest in a professional army in order to end the draft?<span><a name='more'></a></span><br />
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I talked to a few other families with mixed citizenship, and they all had good things to say about dual citizenship. One couple's son is 15 or so-yeah, the army could call him up when he turns 18...no, they don't have a plan for that.<br />
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Everyone that I talked to admitted that the army factor worried them, but that they weren't really thinking about it.<br />
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If David were enrolled in university he would be "safe," but with a summer birthday there is always the chance they could catch him in between, as occurred in my husband's case.<br />
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At any rate, we were going to go ahead and apply for residency, but Andrei went back for one more consultation, and they're still not sure how to enforce the new laws...by-laws might be debated until March at least.<br />
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Now we're in a time-crunch because the kids' visas are only active until the end of the year and we have to renew everyone's passports, which will mean new visas, too. So finding a more long-term solution is the goal, but we haven't gotten any reliable information yet on how to proceed.<br />
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Since we have no information, we're pressing pause on this bureaucracy chapter. Hopefully in another month we will know more.<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-30573120135943697572020-01-26T16:51:00.006+03:002020-12-29T01:36:11.750+03:00Bureaucracy Update: Tuberculosis Tangent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
Last month I had my <a href="https://lizinstpete.blogspot.com/2019/12/bureaucracy-update-part-3.html#more">meltdown over the kids' medicals</a>. Maybe it's good that I didn't know another month would go by without getting them done!<br />
<br />
We were sick until early January, then everything in the country was closed until January 9th. As soon as offices opened back up, we were at the clinic with the kids.<br />
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We went to the kids' section of a fancy private clinic down the street (not the same one that failed to diagnose my appendicitis in a timely fashion). We consulted with a pediatrician first ($$$) per the rules, then got the kids their Mantoux skin test which rules out tuberculosis. That's what is required by immigration authorities, and it has to be entered into a vaccine booklet, which we didn't have yet.<br />
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Speaking of tuberculosis, one of Andrei's students got sick with TB this year, and he (Andrei) had to go to the infectious diseases hospital and get all the tests done to prove he wasn't infected! The student likely had had a latent form anyway, though.<br />
<br />
Since we got the skin probe, we were thinking about going ahead and getting the kids a TB vaccine (BCG). It's given at birth or shortly thereafter in Russia and some other countries. Our kids were born in the U.S. and we hadn't gotten around to getting them one. The BCG is not given to adults because 1) it hasn't been shown to be effective beyond a certain age and 2) it doesn't prevent the form of TB that affects the lungs. (some new research is currently coming out, though!)<br />
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There are some pros and cons to getting the BCG vaccine...<span><a name='more'></a></span><br />
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Pros: immunity, easier acceptance into work/school with the vaccine record<br />
Cons: exposure to live virus, lifetime positive TB test, no guarantee of effectiveness<br />
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It turns out that you have to get the vaccine within 2 weeks of having the skin test, to ensure you haven't been exposed in the meantime. Double exposure is not recommended.<br />
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While we needed to continue with our other paperwork, we had to stop and try to find out where to get the BCG done, since there was a time limit on that. We called around to lots of private and government-owned clinics, but it seemed that no one had a supply of the vaccine. Since it's a live vaccine, they only do it one day a week during limited hours, and the private clinic we tried first did it on a day when we weren't available. Other clinics didn't have any of the vaccine in stock, even maternity wards where babies are supposedly given one immediately. Meanwhile, the government clinic near us wouldn't give the vaccine as a paid service.<br />
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This begs the question: If TB is such a concern in Russia that they give it to newborns, why don't they make the vaccine more readily available to foreigners or kids that haven't gotten it yet? Surely prevention is a priority?<br />
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Spoiler alert: we didn't get the vaccine. If the kids do gain access to free government medical care, we'll check again.<br />
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The good news is that the private clinic was happy to transfer the kids' vaccine records into an official Russian immunization booklet. A nice nurse sat down with me and we puzzled over the American print-out together, and then she entered it all into the medical card with all the necessary stamps. So now we can just consult with that whenever we need to recall the kids' vaccine info for Russian purposes.<br />
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And when we go to get the kids' bloodwork done, we'll just show the vaccine booklet with proof of a negative Mantoux result (good for 3 months). Easy peasy.<br />
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Yeah, we still haven't done the bloodwork and it's already the end of January.<br />
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Whenever we're doing paperwork, I hint to God that it would be nice if we got a break just once and got things done faster than usual, with no unexpected obstacles. But God has other plans for us, again. So, we're hanging out in limbo at the moment and have decided to take our trip to Finland instead, get the new border/registration stamp, and go from there.<br />
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To be continued...<br />
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<br /></div>
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-46399059381139354842020-01-26T01:54:00.000+03:002020-01-26T01:54:07.167+03:00Blurting things out<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Are there any topics that you find yourself arguing about and then regret it later? (mine are down in the second half of the post)<br />
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I find that with social media especially, I am always sticking my foot in my mouth.<br />
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Before there were faster methods of communication, reticence tended to save me from saying anything stupid, except around people in whose company I felt totally relaxed. Yeah, I got into ridiculous arguments with siblings, but nothing out of the ordinary. A friend and I had this game called the "random game" where we would just say the first thing that came into our heads. Innocent life before Internet...<br />
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Then came chatting via instant messenger, where it was just silly banter.<br />
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For emails and blogging, I would always take the time to choose my words carefully. In some ways I still prefer those forms of communication, and that's why I hang on to my blog here. Since I type on my laptop, the effort of powering it up and finding a quiet moment to sit down and write acts as a buffer for some of the crazy thoughts that are coming out.<br />
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But really, before social media, I didn't weigh in on heavy topics in a public way. And now I'll hit send without giving it a day to mull it over. Discussions move fast, and I wouldn't want to deprive anyone of reading my opinion on it...ha!<br />
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Seriously, though...there are times when I cringe seeing that notification that someone has replied to one of my previous arguments. Why did I write that? What was I thinking? What must people think of me now? And then I sit down and write another rebuttal...ugh! I'm sure I'm not the only one who does this...it seems like a new sort of addiction these days.<br />
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I don't necessarily regret the things I write. I own those words. But, I have to constantly remind myself that satisfaction in life doesn't come from knowing you're right and are able to enlighten other people. ;) Time and time again I'm reminded that the delivery of a message is important, and sometimes that means just not saying it. And also, I don't have to worry that someone will be lacking wisdom if I don't give them my superior point of view...we have the Holy Spirit to lead and instruct, and we have to trust that other people will get the message at the right time, too.<br />
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This evening I'm writing this blog post instead of delving into other corners of the Internet. By the way, I'm not on Twitter...it sounds stressful!<br />
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Here are a few of the topics I have commented on in the past without thinking...<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<i>-Abortion:</i> That's a topic that can get pretty ugly. A few times I have seen quotes or statistics that I thought were convincing, and chose to repost. Pretty much got jumped on by everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike. I think it's pretty noble to publicly defend unborn babies, considering the current political climate in the U.S. But at the same time it is an emotional topic which deserves more consideration than a link to an article. And I wouldn't want anyone to feel condemned by anything I wrote. So, I do tend to hold back.<br />
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<i>-Politics in general:</i> Thankfully I can usually avoid commenting. I'm not that knowledgeable about politics. I honestly think people speak from the heart, but the arguments sometimes just don't make sense to me. So thankfully I don't speak up too much here.<br />
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<i>-Parenting topics:</i> Discipline, sleep training, feeding, etc. Parenting my two individual children is turning out way different than I thought! And I always feel the need to defend various parenting choices. For example, I'm always getting ads for "how to make your child eat healthy foods" telling me all about how with the right approach, your child will eat whatever is placed in front of him. Needless to say, with a child with sensory issues (and knowing that this is genetic), I don't appreciate reading about other parents' perfect success rates. And instead of just scrolling past, I leave a rant or two in my wake.<br />
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<i>-Christian lifestyle:</i> There are some interesting things going on in the post-modernist church scene. My husband and I have definitely relaxed about certain things as we realize we can't control them. Our previous church has already split up anyway and we're not as concerned with keeping people in or out of church, more trying to grow in faith with those who are in our midst. However, inevitably we'll encounter (in real life or a forum) someone who isn't there yet (if it's necessary to arrive somewhere)...or who is way more lax with doctrine than I feel comfortable with. I just don't write a lot of preachy stuff these days, because...it's preachy. The latest argument I got into was about whether or not Christians should consume alcohol. It's a big topic, especially to Slavic people! And yeah, I could share my personal thoughts, but I honestly think that the Holy Spirit leads people to their convictions about it. So, does it help to lecture someone in a forum? Probably not. And my role, of course, is to lecture people about lecturing. Right? Sounds legit.<br />
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<i>-Other lifestyle bashing:</i> Did you know my generation is doing a horrible job raising our kids? And other common criticism. So many posts about how we're on our phones all the time and not giving our kids enough attention. How many parents do you think slap their forehead thinking "you're right, I'll change what I'm doing right now!" No, usually there is more to the story, and motivation to change comes from personal conversations with our kids and other people, not from someone on the Internet pointing fingers.<br />
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<i>-Grammar/literacy:</i> I get nit-picky (how do you spell that?) about grammar. I know it's the Internet and no one cares, but it's like all I see is the mistake and I can't read the rest of the post. The other day a professional organizer on Instagram was talking about how all you need to have a cleaner house is to own LESS toys. LESS things, blah blah blah. I typed out "it's fewer" and was hovering over the Send button...and then I deleted it. Whew! Meanwhile, I've written several negative book reviews lately on Amazon, including one by a Christian woman with a great message. The book just wasn't well-written. I really did try to be gracious, because I would love her to try again or find her niche with writing. But, I had to be honest. And then our homeschool curriculum has some issues sometimes too and I feel like...if I'm paying for it, I think it's reasonable to expect good quality.<br />
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So that was my confessional for today. It kind of feels good to have that out there. It doesn't make me feel like a good person, because reading over what I just wrote, I realize again that I can be pretty judgmental. I pray the the Lord would help me find ways to debate topics that are constructive and don't tear anyone down.<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-78876354450341138852020-01-24T00:45:00.000+03:002020-01-24T00:45:16.804+03:00January term oddities <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of these days I'm going to do a photo dump and give these posts some visual appeal! Today is not that day...<br />
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I was going to write about how weird our schedule is in January, but then I realized it sounds like a normal family's schedule: work in the morning-afternoon, then errands.<br />
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It's different for us since Andrei leaves so early. David has been getting up and listening to audiobooks while Sophia and I sleep a little more.<br />
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Okay, that doesn't sound so weird, but how about this: since Andrei is teaching an intensive course that fits in all the credits in short sessions a few times a year, he has been teaching for stretches of like 8-10 days, including Saturday and Sunday. It was really confusing at the beginning of the month because there were the holidays, and then Andrei jumped into teaching, so he went from being home every single day (for like 2 weeks) to being not home every single day. So it's very disorienting not dividing up the days according to a work "week."<br />
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On Sunday he was supposed to teach all day and then go straight to church, but then he got out early and was able to come get us and go to church together. That definitely helped restore my sanity a little!<br />
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Lately I've just really wanted to be alone. I can't really say it's a stressful season with the kids, despite occasional bickering. We definitely have <strike>screentime</strike> quiet times during the day, but I still get to this point where I just don't want anyone to talk to me or need me! The kids are getting older and more independent, so I can't figure out what's bothering me. Maybe I'm in dialogue with them more than before? What if it just gets worse?<br />
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As far as homeschool, we still haven't really started up a full day again yet. But since Andrei is still giving exams (along with the intensive course) for the first semester, we're pretty much just in sync with him. We actually have 2 weeks before we're "halfway" done. David has been asking about some of his subjects, but we've been just doing Language Arts and Math.<br />
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Meanwhile, the errands we've been needing to do are related to bureaucracy! I'll do a more detailed post with an update on that. Andrei gets home from work, then we go adventuring in search of the latest form. It's actually kind of fun having an excuse to go and do something as a family. We were going to go to the movies as a reward for getting some medical tests done, but that's been delayed, so we still have that to "look forward to" in February.<br />
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Long story short, we're probably going to Finland next week.<br />
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<br /></div>
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-55752979418131619032020-01-03T01:39:00.003+03:002020-01-03T01:39:33.713+03:00New Year's Eve in the suburbs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Okay, we don't really live in the suburbs, just a residential area, kind of on the outskirts of town. We've got lots of stores and banks and public transportation. But, that's about it.<br />
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Meanwhile, we were sick on Christmas...then New Year's Eve rolled around, and we were STILL sick and STILL didn't want to pass it on to the grandparents. And hadn't gotten to the store to buy groceries, let alone presents.<br />
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Some good friends of ours (Russian) just emigrated to Canada. Like, in November-just over a month ago. I've been keeping up with their teenage daughter on social media, and she wrote this heartbreaking post about not being able to find the holiday spirit. Now...this was after Christmas. So, most people had done their celebrating already, in North America. But when I read that, I realized that she was sitting there, still waiting for the holiday like we Americans wait for Christmas. In Russia, that holiday is New Year's Eve. And if you've ever been in Russia for New Year's Eve, you know that American New Year's celebrations are pretty <strike>lame</strike> low-key. AND these friends are out there in rural Canada, where everyone is likely hibernating until school starts up again (probably this week, whereas Russian schools are off until January 9th). And she's still waiting for the holiday magic.<br />
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I know I wrote a post recently comparing Thanksgiving to Russian New Year's, because it has that overall non-religious/political open table warm fuzzy feeling. But, the holiday magic, and the tree, and decorations, and gift exchange-those, of course, belong to American Christmas/Russian New Year's.<br />
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By the way, I'm looking out the window right now late at night, and the Lakhta Tower (you can <a href="https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/lakhta-center/12575">read about it</a>) is lit up like a <strike>Christmas</strike> New Year's tree: Green with little glowing yellow lights.<br />
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One of our local shopping malls has a big open foyer where there is usually a fun holiday display. A few days before Christmas, I dragged the kids there, even though we were all sick, to see the holiday decorations. Silly me, it was almost Christmas but still more than a week until New Year's, so the holiday decorations were under construction. We got our gingerbread ingredients and I pretty much died carrying it all home.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
A week later, stir-crazy again, we canceled New Year's guests, since we were still sniffling a bit. But we were also out of food. So as everyone else sat in their buildings wrapping presents and entertaining guests and cooking all the New Year's Eve dishes, we made our way to the shopping mall. Yep, I made us go. Andrei wasn't feeling great. But we really needed some fresh air...on the walk there, I mean. I forget what happened while getting ready, but there were tears. So finally we made it out the door...<br />
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We got some fast food for a late lunch and then took turns doing secret errands while the kids played in the play area. We were sitting at the table and I remembered my friends over in Canada missing Russian New Year's Eve. The shopping center, by the way, had not come through for us...no interesting decorations. So we didn't find that holiday spirit close to home, either. It was kind of peaceful though to be the last ones shopping. All the crowds were gone and no one was in a rush. Several families keeping kids entertained, maybe while others cooked at home.<br />
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Suddenly I thought: What if my husband is missing his childhood New Year's Eve, and here we are eating burgers? What if he is feeling terribly depressed at my failure to make all the typical dishes and shower everyone with presents? Even the children in the play area, though clearly not ethnically Russian, were dressed in their best party clothes. I hadn't even thought to dress up! I blurted out an apology for being so neglectful of the holiday. But my husband confirmed that he doesn't care much for New Year's Eve...I knew that, of course. And my son said "New Year's Eve is when you get to be yourself!"<br />
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The fireworks were slightly quieter this year. They didn't really start up until 1 a.m., and then were sporadic for several more hours. The kids didn't even care! They only watched for a little bit, and then noticed that Father Frost had left some presents under the tree, and played with their new toys. They were up with us until about 2 a.m.<br />
<br />
So it was pretty low-key. After 15 years in Russia, I still don't really care about New Year's Eve! I have to kind of make myself do it, with no childhood nostalgia to drive me. However, watching the kids' excitement is the highlight. And of course, we were quite sad not to all be together. We look forward to Andrei's parents coming over and having a delayed Christmas/ New Year party.<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2949422246633548404.post-89327241554184143782019-12-28T16:09:00.000+03:002019-12-28T16:13:09.787+03:00Trying to wake up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy Solstice! Although I have been focused on celebrating Advent and the Birth of Christ, I breathe a sigh of relief when we are on the other side and the days are starting to get longer again. We did a little Hanukkah dinner, too, meditating on the wonder of the Light that stayed.<br />
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(I came in to write about being tired....and discovered my computer was drained of energy, how ironic! Trying not to be mad at The Person who goes around plugging and unplugging things.)<br />
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(The Internet is being slow, too...but at least I can write!)<br />
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A few years ago, I read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Blues-Fourth-Everything-Affective-ebook/dp/B009M63VH2/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1577479395&sr=8-1">a book about Winter Blues</a> or Seasonal Affective Disorder. Then last winter (earlier this year, apparently) I wrote a post here about my findings. <a href="https://lizinstpete.blogspot.com/2019/02/sleep-and-sad-can-you-ignore-weather.html">https://lizinstpete.blogspot.com/2019/02/sleep-and-sad-can-you-ignore-weather.html</a><br />
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Side note: Winter Blues (Norman E. Rosenthal) is worth reading for the case studies alone. Many of us will recognize ourselves in those mentioned...<br />
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<i>"The physical difficulties start first: eating more, sleeping more, and the slowing down of brain functioning. Initially, I'm not sad. I can still sit down and laugh with friends and enjoy my favorite TV shows. As it becomes obvious that I'm less able to function at work or with friends, mental depression starts taking over. I have trouble writing Christmas cards, which adds to my depression, since I am unable to communicate with people I really care about..." (Case study of Peggy, page 29 Kindle Version)</i><br />
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<i>"In his work as a sales representative, he found his productivity declined markedly in the winter months. He would sleep late, cancel appointments, and spend much of the day at home, depressed. When he was able to get to work, he came home exhausted and would collapse on the couch for the rest of the evening." (Neal, case study and president of the SunBox Company, page 26 Kindle Version)</i><br />
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<i>"More bothersome to Herb than his social isolation was his decreased creativity during his depressed periods. He would procrastinate at work because "everything seemed like a mountain" to him, and his productivity decreased markedly. It was only by grim perseverance that he was able to write up his research from the previous spring and summer. His sleep was disrupted, and his characteristic enthusiasm for life evaporated." (Case study of Herb, page 12 Kindle Version)</i><br />
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..and there are more, but you get the idea. Physical lack of energy leading to lack of productivity leading to depression leading to even less motivation and productivity. In these cases, directly corresponding to the decreased daylight hours.<br />
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Back to my observations: Turns out my findings this year are <a href="https://lizinstpete.blogspot.com/2019/02/sleep-and-sad-can-you-ignore-weather.html">similar to last year's</a> even though I didn't remember my observations from last winter until I went back and read about it.<br />
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Last Fall/Winter:<br />
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-daily walks didn't help<br />
-hospital lighting DID help<br />
-the holidays messed up our sleep schedule (uh oh, here we come)<br />
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This Fall/Winter:<br />
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-daily walks don't give more energy, but might help distinguish day from night<br />
-Hygge is helpful, but there are limits<br />
-light therapy might work<br />
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Over the last week while we had colds, we did a lot of watching movies under blankets. I signed us up for Disney+, and pulled up a "flickering fireplace" video on the other laptop. Our Christmas tree was up too, so it was looking cozy.<br />
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I guess you could say we were able to achieve "Hygge" at home. However, it was so dreary outside that it was very hard to keep track of time. I started up with the "What time is it? What day is it?" and knew I had to do something.<br />
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Turns out candlelight isn't always the best way to be productive. And I remember now that the SAD book talks about different types of lighting for different purposes. So while the Christmas tree and soft music are good for relaxing, it wasn't helping me be more alert at all. I've always had trouble winding down in the evening, so in the past have focused on creating a calm atmosphere, rather than energizing.<br />
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I remember back in college swearing off fluorescent lighting. I walked into my dorm room, cringed, got myself a little lamp with a soft glow and a string of Christmas lights (those pretty warm lights before LED), and my roommate and I never used the overhead again all year (or the next year, when we roomed together again).<br />
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But as I'm rereading "Winter Blues" and trying to find a way to be more alert, I'm realizing that bright white light is okay sometimes. It's okay to not be cozy all the time. I haven't quite figured out how to switch back and forth, but I'm bringing back some bright lights.<br />
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I went and got out the Happy Lamp that I bought a few years ago. I had bought it in the U.S., so it had the wrong voltage. My father-in-law rigged up a converter (transformer? adapter?), which seems to work, but the unit gets pretty hot, so I don't leave it unattended. It does seem to help! I just turn it on whenever I start feeling like I'm dragging, usually mid-afternoon.<br />
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Along the same lines, "Winter Blues" also discusses the idea of having one room of the house designated to be a "Light Room," with all-white furnishings and lighting and white robes for people to wear to reflect the lighting. It sounds weird but supposedly is pretty effective and even used in some corporate settings in Scandinavia.<br />
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That idea might be a little hard to pull off in a home where rooms have to be multi-purpose. I have some areas of the apartment where I want to add some white furniture or light wallpaper, but it definitely isn't going to be monochromatic.<br />
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So, I'm changing my mind about bright white lights and revisiting some SAD strategies.<br />
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I wrote this post over a few weeks, so things have fluctuated a bit. For one thing, it turned out I really was coming down with a cold. So it's a relief that there's an actual reason I felt bad physically. Also, having the solstice behind us helps. And, a little of the holiday pressure is gone, although we still have some holidays to go this season.<br />
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We'll see how we do with New Year's Eve!<br />
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P.S. This post alllmost didn't happen...Blogger wouldn't save it, but I was on top of it this time and copied it into another window first...whew!<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15283395756742923658noreply@blogger.com1