It seems I have very little to reflect about because right now we are still in the survival mode. We are just trying to get a few things "done" everyday so that we can live here. Yesterday, for example, we had our car inspected because the Texas government doesn't trust Tennessee cars. We had to have the inspection to transfer the title to Texas, to get new tags, to get a registration, so Lena can apply for her driver's license. That went off mostly without problems. We first, though, had to get the car in shape to pass inspection. So, we went to this garage on some old, dusty Abilene road and found a Russian guy who has opened a garage here with his Turkish-Russian assistant. So there we stood in the Texas sun chatting with this Russian-speaking Turkish (or something, I am not exactly sure where he is from) refugee turned mechanic. He fixed our blinker problem without charging anything. Today we are taking the car back for some work on the air conditioner. I also managed to get some extra keys made for the apartment, and we went to Minter Lane for supper and the evening devotional. Students were reporting on their summer mission trips. During supper, we met Oksana who arrived from Ternopil about a week ago and is working on an MA in English at ACU. We also saw Emily and Vadim there. Yes, occasionally we even talk to Americans :).
Today Lena had some kind of job interview even though there weren't any open positions. One of those "it's good to meet you. If something opens up, we will let you know." At least she had her first pseudo interview and now has some interviewing experience in an American context. We had a slim hope that there might be a position, so we are back to figuring out how to look for a job here and what's best to do about all that. It's daunting and a little frightening. Right now, it's all so overwhelming I am glad she doesn't have a job yet. It would be incredibly maddening. But then, it would be nice to know that there is a job to go to in a few weeks. So we wait in faith.
I have met all my classes once. Since I had studied some Greek earlier, I think I will be OK in there. I don't feel completely lost yet and the teacher is very nice. The Old Testament teacher is also very nice and the class will be challenging but not impossible. The Jeremiah and Ezekiel class is another story--I don't know what to make of it yet. I wish could finish the OT class before this one but basically it was the only other class I could take that counts toward my degree. This class has mostly people who have been studying two years or so, so I am the novice in there, it seems. The teacher did bring cookies to class so I hope he is understanding in that now all of us are Old Testament experts.
I will meet all the new students on Friday for some kind of orientation.
So far one of our favorite Abilene things to do is swim in the apartment's pool. We also have enjoyed a Mexican restaurant just down down the street that offers a lot of food on Tuesday nights for $3.33 per person. I guess we will be there every Tuesday night. We were surprised by how many run-down and abandoned buildings there are in the city. Maybe it's because of the areas we have visited, but it appears that since there is so much space, instead of renovating an older building, they just build a new right beside and let the older building just fall apart. So the city is littered with old, decaying buildings that need to be torn down and plant a few trees there. We also have found the roads and road system a bit odd. I guess there are so many roads in Texas it's hard to keep them all in great shape. Or maybe we were spoiled on Tennessee's incredible road system. Tennesseans, be thankful.
I am also trying to wear my new/old glasses again.
As I was waiting for Lena at ACU, I went to the bathroom. As I was going around the corner near the toilet, I said hello to a lady (it's just about mandatory to say hello or greet anyone you pass on ACU's campus. You also should say excuse me if you get within a half meter of them.). She stopped, looked at me, and said, "You're Chris Lovingood." As I picked my mouth off the floor, I responded affirmatively and inquired as to how she knew me and who she is. She had been in Kyiv many moons ago and her husband taught at ICU a long, long time ago. And she remembered my name. Incredible.
People are very nice, here, by the way. It's almost scary. I realized in class this week how entirely Slavic/Ukrainian I have become. There is definitely going to be a long period of adjustment.
Today Lena had some kind of job interview even though there weren't any open positions. One of those "it's good to meet you. If something opens up, we will let you know." At least she had her first pseudo interview and now has some interviewing experience in an American context. We had a slim hope that there might be a position, so we are back to figuring out how to look for a job here and what's best to do about all that. It's daunting and a little frightening. Right now, it's all so overwhelming I am glad she doesn't have a job yet. It would be incredibly maddening. But then, it would be nice to know that there is a job to go to in a few weeks. So we wait in faith.
I have met all my classes once. Since I had studied some Greek earlier, I think I will be OK in there. I don't feel completely lost yet and the teacher is very nice. The Old Testament teacher is also very nice and the class will be challenging but not impossible. The Jeremiah and Ezekiel class is another story--I don't know what to make of it yet. I wish could finish the OT class before this one but basically it was the only other class I could take that counts toward my degree. This class has mostly people who have been studying two years or so, so I am the novice in there, it seems. The teacher did bring cookies to class so I hope he is understanding in that now all of us are Old Testament experts.
I will meet all the new students on Friday for some kind of orientation.
So far one of our favorite Abilene things to do is swim in the apartment's pool. We also have enjoyed a Mexican restaurant just down down the street that offers a lot of food on Tuesday nights for $3.33 per person. I guess we will be there every Tuesday night. We were surprised by how many run-down and abandoned buildings there are in the city. Maybe it's because of the areas we have visited, but it appears that since there is so much space, instead of renovating an older building, they just build a new right beside and let the older building just fall apart. So the city is littered with old, decaying buildings that need to be torn down and plant a few trees there. We also have found the roads and road system a bit odd. I guess there are so many roads in Texas it's hard to keep them all in great shape. Or maybe we were spoiled on Tennessee's incredible road system. Tennesseans, be thankful.
I am also trying to wear my new/old glasses again.
As I was waiting for Lena at ACU, I went to the bathroom. As I was going around the corner near the toilet, I said hello to a lady (it's just about mandatory to say hello or greet anyone you pass on ACU's campus. You also should say excuse me if you get within a half meter of them.). She stopped, looked at me, and said, "You're Chris Lovingood." As I picked my mouth off the floor, I responded affirmatively and inquired as to how she knew me and who she is. She had been in Kyiv many moons ago and her husband taught at ICU a long, long time ago. And she remembered my name. Incredible.
People are very nice, here, by the way. It's almost scary. I realized in class this week how entirely Slavic/Ukrainian I have become. There is definitely going to be a long period of adjustment.
posted by Kyivmission at 7:34 PM
1 Comments:
Quote from your past:
"People don't seem to smile very much here."
"Don't smile."
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