10 Facts About My Life in Russia You Might Not Know

Here are some 10 random facts about my life in Russia that most people don't know about:

1) Yes, it's very cold outside in the winter with temperatures right now as low as -25 to 35F. But my apartment is like a sauna!! I'm not actually sure what the temperature is inside my apartment but it's hot. I pull out my summer clothes in November to wear when I'm at home and sometimes (like right now) open a window until it cools down.

2) My life consists of a lot of public transportation, mainly trolleybuses and little taxi vans called "marshrutkas." I actually like public transportation, which most people think is kind of strange. The only time I don't like the trolleybus is when I'm in a hurry or when it's really cold out (it's heated but the constant opening of the doors makes it cold).

3) I actually really like the fact that I can blend in here. I guess at my core I still don't like drawing attention. However, as soon as I speak there's no more blending in. People hear my accent and because there's not many foreigners here from the west, I get a lot of stares and glances. And if I speak English in public, this only increases. I guess if I heard someone speaking a very foreign language in an unexpected place in Ohio, I might be interested to look too!

4) It may seem like Siberia is isolated (well because it really is) but because I live in a city I'm used to there being some kind of store on every corner to quickly buy bread, milk and snacks etc. Where I live in America, I  have to at least get in a car to go to any store. Of course, there are tons of things that are one hundred times easier for me to do in America: like go to the post office, library, hair salon etc.

5) My name gets translated into a few different names here: Katrina with a rolled r, Katherine, Katarina and Katya is the Russian equivalent. I answer to them all and like them all. There are a few people who call me "Trina" (after I told them that's what my family calls me) which makes me feel like I'm really with family back home and I like that too!

With Ayoona, one of the girls who calls me Trina. :)

6) There is always a layer of ice covering the ground here in the winter. My first winter I fell on the ice at least ten times. The second winter about five. And so far, I haven't fallen this winter (but there have been some close calls). Maybe that's progress but I think I've been more conscious of the shoes I buy too. And I know the winter's not over yet.

7) The food isn't that different in Russia but I eat A LOT more bread, potatoes, mayonnaise and soup and a lot less fast food. And I drink a lot more tea. Actually I probably only drank tea a couple of times a year in America and now it's a couple of times a day if I go to visit someone. I still think coffee is better though.

At a birthday party drinking tea (and Coca Cola).

8) I play a lot of Uno. With children, at English class and anywhere else that it might encourage interaction.

9) My church's name translates into "Cornerstone." One of their main visions is outreach to people with drug and alcohol addictions through a rehabilitation center. A large percentage of the people in the church came through the rehabilitation center. There are so many powerful testimonies. My church also has a vision for missions and sending people out on missions to other parts of Russia. I really do love my church here. They've become my Russian family.

10) Lastly, I'll just say that it actually is possible to adapt to life in a different country and culture. The first year wasn't very pretty and I definitely still have my days but despite the difficulties, adaptation does get easier. I think a big part of that is due to being around a group of Christians. When you're with other Christians, you realize that God crosses cultural boundaries and we have our own "culture" as part of the body of Christ.

What's Been Happening Lately

So what has been going on lately? One of the things that I have been doing again is teaching English, along with Lucya. We have two groups, one for beginners and one for people who can speak a little bit of English already. It would be easy to make teaching English a full-time job here so I have found myself setting boundaries and mainly being led by God in knowing when to help someone with English and when to say no so that I have time to do other things too. The two English groups we have started are mainly for teenagers in the church and their friends or teens we already know who we'd like to strengthen a relationship with. We have fun and it's fun to see some of the teens outside of English and they immediately say "Hello, how are you? What is your favorite color? My favorite color is blue." etc.

I was so adamant before coming to Russia that I am not a teacher and that I don't enjoy speaking in front of people. However, I have found that teaching English in a small group is not the same as standing in front of a big crowd. It's fun to see people progress in their English and to me the most important thing is being able to build relationships with these teens.

Our English group:

And speaking of talking in front of people, I had to read a report in Russian at a conference for my university. I was one of the opening speakers! Just to set the record straight, I'm not the best student. I don't ever volunteer for things like this (maybe I should but I don't). However, I am an American and being an American in Siberia draws attention. I get along well with my professors and studying Russian has actually helped me a lot in my daily life here, so I agreed to do it. I practiced reading the report over and over (two and a half pages of hard Russian) in front of my friends and I realized I actually normally mispronounce a lot of words. I was pretty nervous about speaking but when it actually came down to it I was so focused on reading the words and saying them correctly that I didn't have time to think about the people watching. Somedays I really have to laugh at what my life has become and the situations I find myself in!

Letting Go

I'm letting go..of my plans and the way I think it should all work out. I can't say it's easy but I have to remember God's faithfulness and where He has brought me from.

When I took my first major trip outside the country to Romania in college, I couldn't believe I was going to be away for a month. I remember thinking "this is the longest I could ever be away from home." Fast forward to after college when I signed up with Mercy Ships to live and volunteer on a hospital ship in Ghana for five months. I had thoughts and prayers like "Ok God but this is really the longest trip I can do."

Now, as I've started my third year in Russia, I guess I should know not to tell God what to do or think I have it all figured out. I look around and despite all the positive things that have happened and are happening there's a part of me that sometimes thinks, "this is not really going the way I expected." In many ways the last two years have been filled with brokenness and reconstruction. Anything that happens for the Kingdom is 100% by God's power because many days there has been no strength in me.

At the beginning of this third year, theres a lot of unknown. It would be easy for me to say, "Ok but really God, this is the most I can do." It might really be. However in God's power, there is still more. Even if ____ and _____happens or doesn't happen, God still has to be my plan A, plan B and every other back up plan. Whatever He says has to go. I sense God saying "Let go of your plan. Let go of your expectations." And as I let go, I remember. I remember how far He has brought me and that His plan is always so much better than mine.

Weekend Away

A few weeks ago, when it still looked like fall here in Chita and before it turned into winter, our church spent a weekend at a lake about an hour away. It was kind of like a mini retreat. There was no real agenda, other than a few prayer times and meals. People were free to play sports, fish, read a book, sleep, hang out and spend time with God. In one word: REST. Even though I did rest, I somehow got talked into playing endless games of volleyball with the teens! It was fun though and it was just a different kind of rest: time away from the city, to reflect and pray and just renew. At the lake, I felt so far away from the smog and bustle of Chita. The retreat area reminded me of the place my family used to vacation at in Canada. Beautiful and peaceful. 

Unfortunately my camera died early on in the weekend, but I did get a few pictures.

With Tonya. The only negative part of the weekend was when Tonya fell and broke her arm a few hours before we left to come home. She ended up having to go to the trauma point in Chita (kind of like the ER ) and get a cast. Three weeks later, her cast is already off but it was definitely an unexpected turn of events!

 

 

Picnic in the Woods

The weather is still fairly warm here and everyone is trying to spend time outdoors before it gets too cold to enjoy being outside. Chita is actually surrounded by small mountains, forests and beautiful nature. I don't get the chance to see it as much as I'd like to because I've always been home in the summer. However, last week one of the teenage girls Ayoona mentioned that we should go on a hike and have a picnic in the woods. I LOVE hiking so I was super excited about this. I was really impressed how quickly and nonchalantly a few teenage girls planned the picnic. I was a little skeptical if they really knew how to build a campfire but I should not have doubted them. These girls would be Girl Scouts in America ha ha!

Our group was a mixture of mainly teenagers from church and/or who've graduated from the orphanage. They were a really fun group!

We roasted hot dogs and potatoes. We also had chips and brownies (an American touch I guess).

After we ate, the girls played some creative games. I was happy to be the photographer.


 



with Sasha


 

Tonya taking a break.


 



It was a beautiful day for a picnic!

The Mall

I have been back in Chita for a week, even though it already seems much longer than that. There is one mall, "Maxi" in Chita. It is small but feels more like America than any other place in Chita. I don't think I've ever bought anything besides food at the mall because it's way over-priced but sometimes Lucya and I like to go and walk around for a bit. For probably almost a year there was a sign in the food court that there was something like McDonald's coming. The words "Coming Soon" were on the sign and it became a joke because nothing ever came. Well over the summer "Master Burger" finally arrived! Now, only being gone from the states for a week I'm not missing American food yet. And I highly doubt that I'll be visiting "Master Burger" all that often. However, a few days ago Lucya, Anton and I decided to try it out. I didn't think it was quite like McDonald's but pretty close. Just a reminder that some parts of Chita are becoming more westernized while other parts still remain very poor and "non-western."

Of course I just really loved hanging out with Lucya and Antosha (Anton). I just love this little guy so much!

 

 

 

 

"Master Burger"

 

The mall has a Baskin Robbins (and a Subway too). These are pretty much the only fast food places in Chita. I don't think I've ever actually had Baskin Robbins in the states so I was surprised it was here.

 

 

These pics were too cute not to include. Anton just hanging out at home.

 

 

 

Home in America

So I've uh taken some time off from blogging this summer. Not really intentionally, I've just been busy! When I was leaving Russia for the summer, several people made comments like "Have a nice rest" or implied that I'd be laying around by the pool all summer. Ha ha, not really! At the same time, I really can't complain because everything I've been doing has been a lot of fun. Honestly, I'm just really enjoying being an American in America again for a little while. I haven't taken a ton of pictures but I wanted to post some that I do have so far.


Fishing with two of my favorite boys ever, my nephews Drew and Alex. They are so much fun!!



Alex wasn't as excited about having his picture taken.

The three nephews at Alex's birthday party and one very giant dinosaur.



with my best friend from high school Nicole

hanging out with good friends from college Alison and Jen