A tender mercy: microwave popcorn!

I just wrote you a really long email and i got cut off. i think i'm going to cry, i wrote a lot...and i can't get it back. i cant write it all again. basically, i love my district. this sucks. I'm sorry, i don't know what to do. i can't get more time, my comp said i could just have 5 more minutes. I'm so sorry. i'm so sad. I love you so much. (written May 24, 2008)

(On May 25, 2008 mishgirl hand wrote a letter home and sent it by snail mail):
I’m writing this because of the huge email disaster this week. I’ll try to remember everything, because I told you a lot.

Let me name my district to start with:
S—obviously I love him! He is such a fun district leader, such a rad missionary, all around amazing. PS: he’s got a bunch of hot brothers too! Haha!
M—Salisbury’s comp; from California; super nice, and really good at the language for being so new!
H—super funny! He’s like a hyperactive little boy bouncing off the walls. He’s a really good leader, which is good cuz he’s the new Branch prez. AMAZING at Russian, and he loves everyone—literally!
F—definitely on my list of faves! Hilarious; TOTALLY Josh Hartnett clone; really in touch with nature…haha! I love him!
Baikalova—my comp. She’s super nice, but we’ve said a total of 10 words to each other the whole transfer. She’s not shy, just uncommunicative….with me. I talk to myself a lot…I say “ok,” “just kidding…” and “never mind” a lot. But I don’t know, I LIKE her a lot! It’s just a really quiet relationship. I’m trying--I even attempted to talk about Sponge Bob…her favorite…whom I HATE. That got 3 words out of her, so, progress!

We got a new apartment and I am so happy! It’s an old commie one, but 50 thousand times better than our other one. Moving was a little bit devilish, but soooo worth it! On Monday, moving day, my comp and I took a load to our new apt then went and met the elders at S’s apt, cuz they were moving too. OMG, their new place is freaking RAD! I felt like I was in America! It was even cool for American standards! The shower is my fave, it’s like pimped out futuristic style and even has a built in radio and cool lights and faucets and stuff. Sooo jealous! And did I mention their dishwasher? Who knew THOSE could be imported?! I didn’t want to leave their place. We had District Meeting there and then made lunch together which was so good. I haven’t had meat in awhile. PS: remember my phobia of touching raw meat? I promised S to give him credit for having me do that for our lunch.

Then my comp and I went to move more stuff of ours. Sadly, I pulverized my suitcase! It’s only a mile or two from our old apt to the new one, but every trip I felt like I was literally dragging dead bodies. Well, I finally looked down at my wheels... and they were shredded! So all that time I basically WAS dragging my suitcase back and forth with loads of stuff…nice. Explained my blistered hands. I thought I was just a wanny. And it didn’t help that absolutely NOTHING in Russia is handicap accessible! So, lots of stairs, curbs, dirt, and potholed streets.

The next day M and S went and got our mattresses for us…OMG, S was super entertaining swinging the mattress around to carry it in every different way possible. He would balance it on his head and march down the street greeting people. Our elders are way cool for taking care of us here. We live a two-minute walk from the elders’ new place now, so that’s fun.

Have I mentioned that I love Pskov? I mean, I know it’s the pit of the mission and all, but I love being back. It’s nice having people who want our invitations we hand out and actually say ‘thank you.” Weird!! I like already knowing where to go and who people are. It’s nice. I know Russian a LITTLE better now, so I’ve gotten some nice comments about that too, haha!

We’re back to doing Pskov service, if you remember how that was. I remember how traumatizing it used to be, I do. But physically, the memories just don’t click till you’re in it again, ya know. It’s so sad and crazy how some people have to live. This week, we went to help a really cute, fun, blind and crippled babushka. The whole apartment smelled like cat urine cuz she has three cats that just do whatever, wherever. The smell was so bad we got dizzy. Gross. I’ll keep these details to a minimum.

During the first hour of cleaning, my comp was talking to the bab and I was in the hall when one of her nasty, mangy cats waddled in and collapsed. It proceeded to writhe and seize in a way I’ve NEVER seen or imagined a cat could do! The cat had a hairlip and it was suffocating or something and it peed all over. I didn’t know what to do! Um, excuse me, your cat is dying?

Would you believe it though, it’s still alive! It bit my comp twice after that. So then we gave this adorable babushka a shower, cuz she literally had not had one for SEVEN months! It was kind of an ordeal, but SO worth it! She loved it so much, she loves US so much! She insisted that we take her (spoiled) sausage meat to eat, which we fed to all the cats on the street. I hope we can go back and help her again!

I’m already booked up for the next week with haircuts. I’ve done a couple super cute ones, and I did Gala’s (a girl from our branch) hair (which is past her rear) for her sister’s wedding.

Did I mention something HUGE that came with our new apt.? Well, while negotiating with the owner and realtor (for some reason the decision to get it or not was left up to me), I said we would take the place if they hooked us up with a microwave. Total joke, but they did it! So for the first time in a year I got to eat popcorn! Oh the little things that make me happy! But at this point I’m so used to NOT having one, I’m at a loss of what to make! So today I purposely made soup to put in the fridge just so I could reheat it this evening! Fun!

OMG, the other day I witnessed the girl in front of me in line at the store have some kind of seizure and pass out, taking out the candy shelf (made of metal!) with her face, then hitting the ground with it too! Nobody did ANYTHING! I was like, “Um..HELP!” But after a second she got up, face bleeding and all, paid and got her stuff. And the weird thing was, nobody SAID anything! Nobody cared! Nobody was even fazed! What the heck!?!

I love you all madly and miss you like crazy and am dreaming of the day I will see you again!