OMG! I'm here! I'm really struggling to type and I only have a little bit of time, but I'll try to get everything in I can!
I just saw a nasty dog on the street gnawing it's foot off... totally off topic.
I just had the most GHETTO experience of my life... well, I'm IN RUSSIA! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! It's the best EVER! but I'm getting away from the topic. I'm riding on a Hogwarts train right now bound for Pskov, which is 5 hours south of St. Petersburg. At the moment, I'm looking out the window at the miles and miles of forest area, and every once in a while passing a platform like the one in the Narnia movie. EVERYTHING here has been like a movie!
But back he the ghetto experience. - So I'm on the train and was totally going to wet my pants. My Ukrainian companion is asleep and I couldn't find anyone to ask where the bathroom was... as if i could have. ;) So i found it myself. it was a horror scene, but after a good amount of time covering the hole I had to levitate over with TP, I used it... But couldn't find a handle to flush.. that's because one didn't exist. And it finally occurred to me why there was a random wooden stick and water bottle with the top cut off sitting so purposely upon the floor. There was a sink with water barely dripping out of it, but you should get the gist of what I had to do... pour water down the hole and prod at the tp until it had sufficiently disappeared... GHETTO! WHERE AM I!? Now I'm just terrified at what kind of diseases I have on my hands.
K, where to REALLY start? How about at the LONG plane ride... Or else I could tell you about the tanks and military men with machine guns I'm passing right now. Welcome to russia.
My girl is named Cectpa Sosyak. I write that down mostly for me cuz I can't remember for the life of me and happen to have a good view of her tag right now... I've been sitting here listening to them and have no clue what they're talking about... wow.
So we finally got off the plane and had to wait for our migration cards, got our luggage and walked out the door where Prez and Sister S. were waiting with other missionaries. The two girls jumped on me immediately and gave me hugs. Phew, they aren't all awkward and stiff, I love that! We quickly shuffled all of our stuff over to a van and they asked for all of our valuables, and sent us off to proselyte. And yes, my nightmare came true. The sisters were both Ukrainian AND I had to go proselyting immediately. And when I say immediately, I mean they gave me a whole two seconds by saying in broken english, "Contact this man," shoved a flier into my hand for English class and pushed me towards a MOVING car with its window down. Needless to say, I blinked and stuttered out "besplatno prakteeka engleeskova?" What the heck does that even mean?! The guy shook his head and sped up and the girls told me not to lose heart, that I had done well. Oddly, it didn't hurt at all to be denied... yet. (written Jul 26, 2007)
