30 Days of Blogging. Day 30, The End.

It's been a fun 30 days of blogging.  Some days I had no idea what to write about.  Other times I knew a day or two in advance.  I think I covered a lot of ground and painted a pretty good picture of my life here in Ukraine right now.

If you've kept up with all the blogs then you shared my birthday with me and you got a ground-floor view of the launching of a new ministry.  You got to peep in on a Bat Mitzvah, and you got to hear me sing on more than one occasion.   You might have laughed along with me as I study the language, or laughed at me when I went for a haircut.  You may have visited one of our weekly youth group meetings or traveled with me when I taught a church about youth ministry.

Maybe you shared in my frustration of trying to get things done back home from 5000 miles away, or maybe you were offended by my attempt to reminisce about my love for MSU.

Or maybe you haven't taken the time to look at any of those blogs.  That's ok.

I like writing blogs.  I generally have no idea if it's worth the effort, though.  As far as I know, there are 3 regular readers.  The offensive MSU blog was apparently discovered by some of those friendly Ole Miss types who generously made it available to a more diverse group of people than I could have ever reached on my own resulting in some positive, encouraging feedback from them.

Maybe I could learn a few things from one of my favorite bloggers, Jamie the Very Worst Missionary. Whether it's her content or her "presentation" of her content, she seems to quite often stir stuff up which in turn I'm sure leads to higher readership and a LOT of interaction.  The price she pays though is that she gets slammed by people.  A lot.  I could probably learn something about being thick-skinned from her as well as how to make the blog something people want to read.

But in the end- it's not entirely about making it something people will want to read.  It's a great glimpse into what I'm doing and at times, what I get to see God doing around me, in me, and through me.  But mostly I'm writing for me.

30 Days of Blogging. Day 29, Chopsticks

This Sunday the youth group from the Messianic Church is coming over for a fellowship time, to practice some English, maybe watch a movie and... I'm cooking Chinese for them.

Last time they were here I made Taco's and Fajitas for them.  Pretty sure it was their first Mexican food.

This time, I'm feeling Chinese. I've been shopping on and off through the week for ingredients and I'm looking forward to some Sweet & Sour Pork for the sweet tooth's and some Kung Pao Chicken for the adventurous ones.

The kicker for making Chinese food for a bunch of kids is to find Chopsticks!

Ukraine is a funny place.

More times than not I can't find what I'm looking for.  That's probably more a reflection of me not wholly grasping the language and not knowing where to find stuff.  I mean, in America, I either know where to find whatever I need or at least I know where I can find it.

Sometimes not being able to find what I'm looking for is a function of non-existent customer service here in Ukraine.

For example: Three summers ago I worked at a camp.  We had a lawn mower that had been bought locally at a Home Depot knock-off and it's cheap plastic wheels were literally disintegrating and falling off.  I went to the store to get new wheels but they didn't sell replacement parts so they gave me the name of a Service Center.  The first couple times I went to the Service Center they were closed.  Middle of the day.  Not a holiday.  Closed, just because they guy wasn't there.  No apparent office hours.  When I did finally luck-up and catch him at the store he didn't have the spare parts.  I guess there was some semblance of good customer service though because he ended up taking the wheels off another mower.  I'd love to know if he ever sold that mower without the wheels!!

But I digress.  My friends Beth and Inga told me where they saw Chopsticks and lo and behold I found them.  Today was a win.  It doesn't take much to make my day!

30 Days of Blogging. Day 28, Countdown....

Two weeks from today (I think) I'll begin the trip back to Mississippi for Christmas.  I don't feel especially burned-out or anything.  I'm in a pretty good place emotionally and physically and as spiritually good as a plank eyed saint with dirty hands and heart divided (and who really can't understand 90% of any given sermon) can be.

I think it's just knowing I'm headed back in a couple weeks has my brain in "shut-down" mode on this end and in "start-up" mode for the familiar of home.

Home.  Now there's a funny word.  If it's a building, a domicile....then I don't have one.  Here or there.  I'm hard pressed to identify a hometown even.  I don't really feel like I have any place to "go back to".

I guess home is more like family and friends, and well, familiarity.  I am looking forward to all of that.

My parents aren't getting younger.  That's in the back of my mind every time I board a plane.  My great-nephews and nieces are getting older.  I don't like missing that.

I learned while on The World Race a few years ago that for my friends back home...life goes on.  Without me.  It's difficult to remain connected to them and my nature is to remain connected.  Regardless of how it happens, when those bonds are broken, it sometimes feels like abandonment on this end.

So being back in Mississippi, even for just a couple weeks, is needed.

And bacon, is needed.
And biscuits.
And fried catfish.  And BBQ.  And a Steak.  And Taco's.  And bacon.

30 Days of Blogging. Day 27, Haircuts

This post definitely deserves before and after pics but I didn't think that far ahead.

Haircuts are interesting here.  The first 3 times I went to a "salon" I just pulled up a picture on my IPad and played charades with the stylist.  Um...it didn't work.

I remember the first time- she cut and cut and cut.  Then spun my chair around so I could see in the mirror, I nodded and said "ok", then she spun me back around and kept right on cutting.  Obviously something was lost in translation.

More recently I worked with my language helper to learn the particular phrases I need to get a haircut: Short on the side and back, please, not too short on the top and front.

There, that's not too much to ask is it?

I learned today that I need to learn some new words and phrases.  She spun me around and I thought she was asking if the front was ok...I said yes, then she put the clippers to my eyebrows.  I panicked but it was too late.  Fortunately, she had a guard on the clipper and was just trimming the stray Gandalf's.  For a moment I thought I'd be painting-on eyebrows for the next 3 months.

Also I think I might need to learn the phrase for "can you do something about the grey, please?".

30 Days of Blogging. Day 26, Lazy Day.

Typically my Monday's are relatively hopping.  Well, not terribly busy, but any day that requires two trips downtown is a big day for me.  So, typically I have language study late morning and then band practice late afternoon and that usually makes for a pretty full day.  I usually wake up in time to go over my language stuff for an hour or so before making my way into town.  Then in the afternoon, I like to practice our music and songs before going to band practice.  It's usually after 8:30 at night before I get home.

But today my language lesson was moved, and we cancelled band practice today.  And this weekend I stayed up all stinkin' night Saturday watching that excuse of an Egg Bowl.  After church yesterday I crashed. Hard.  I think I took about a 5 hour nap!  Naturally, I was up all night again.  At least I was productive; I got into cleaning/organizing mode for several hours!

So, what with staying up all night and not having any responsibilities today...I slept till after 1.  And I've spent a good bit of time since then horizontal on the couch.

I'm not in the least bit upset by any of this.  Sometimes it's just nice to be lazy.

30 Days of Blogging. Day 25, Sunday

One of these days I'll have a good camera.

30 Days of Blogging. Day 24, Late Thanksgiving

I've been looking at Thanksgiving meal pictures and reading statuses (stati?) on facebook about leftovers for 2 days now and I have to say it was good to finally get around a table for a sit-down dinner tonight.

There were 6 of us, 3 Americans, 1 Canadian, and 2 Ukrainians.  You can get Turkey here, no problem, but we opted for a couple of whole rotisserie chickens.  We had cranberry sauce, cornbread, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, dressing, and I made deviled eggs and green bean casserole.

And speaking of Green Bean Casserole.  I found a recipe I liked but it called for a can of Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup and a can of Fried Onion Rings.  Neither of which you can get here.  So I found a recipe for homemade soup and did that last night.  Then I thinly sliced some onion rings and deep fried them to perfection.  PER FEC TION.  It was pretty good if I do say so myself.

Oh, and Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie, too!

We played cards and laughed and just generally had a good time.