Boods da Rovia Capa

Boods da Rovia (this is the english phonetic spelling of the phrase) is what the people here in Artemovsk say when you sneeze (like god bless you, salud, salut, gezhunteit (sp?)). It is a fitting title because people have been saying it to me all day because I have withered into a sneezy, queasy mess! Say some prayers for me...so glad I have the weekend to rest and recover and avoid being around kiddlets to pass my germs to.

It is insane how slowly time seems to pass here...I think it is just because my mind is going a mile a minute trying to take in and cataloge each new interaction and experience. Already the craziest things are seeming familiar to me...for example, it is regular practice here for cars to just hop the curb and drive on the sidewalk...they also hop the curb to park in the middle of the sidewalk too when drivers want to go to a shop. Now when I am walking I just have a sense about when to step aside to avoid getting squished.

Next week I will spend most of my days at the infant orphanage just getting the lay of the land and then on March 3 I will start splitting my time between the orphanage and a special boarding school for children with disabilities and/or parents who can't/won't take care of them on their own. This is the only place I have seen (or heard of) in the city that serves children with mental disabilities. I had a long meeting this morning with the school's director and near the end she explained the school's name (pronounced solnitchka) is a term that describes the sun in a loving, nickname sort of way (in Ukraine you will often hear parents/grandparents say children's names with an -itchka sound tacked on to the end of it and it is an endearing sentiment). I then drew a picture for her of the logo for the hospital I worked for in St. Louis (and loved) which is a sun as well. I didn't need the interpreter to understand her response that the connection was more than a mere coincidence. I felt very much at home there, almost as if myself and all the women that worked there had been cut from the same whole. I feel very fortunate that they are going to allow me to spend time with them while I am in Artemovsk.

I beg forgiveness!

Yikes, I beg forgiveness for the silly typos I've made (e.g. where instead of wear, oops!) My -lame- excuses include having a spell checker only meant to check russian spelling/grammar and feeling the need to rush to write these postings on my host's office computer while she tried to keep herself busy doing other things. I especially beg forgiveness from my mother -the grammar queen-
Mom, at least you can take solace in knowing that I am aware of my errors and lack of proof-reading. SORRY!

Regression to Infancy

Again, I apologize for the delay in posting....for those of you getting disappointed with my meager showing thus far, I beg you to stay patient with me until I have regular access to internet and thus to you all :)

My inability to do things such as find a suitable apartment and get internet hooked up for myself within a week here is a lovely example of the topic of this post which is....my figurative regression to infancy.

In so many ways I feel like an infant here in Ukraine...in my understanding of about 1/8th of the conversations going on around me, in my need for constant supervision when exploring the city, in my relationship with the family who has opened their home to me temporarily (they tenderly fawn over me telling me when I need a nap, when to where slippers to avoid catching cold, and what to eat to keep me healthy-doctors who are reading this...is there ANY truth to the explanation that drinking cold water can actually make you sick??)

Premonition about this inevitable regression still has not quite prepared me for living it. I find myself daydreaming about the day when I will be allowed (yes, when I will be allowed haha) to cross the street without the gentle guiding hand of a native Ukrainian at the small of my back -side note, often this guiding hand is attached to the body of an 8 year old boy...the son of Sasha, a man who is two years younger than me and who was my host-brother when I visited 4 years ago...yes, he has an 8 year old son whom everyone considers is more safe to cross the street alone than I am haha!!!

Laughter is the best way I have found to cope with the inevitable low moments. Yesterday I had a really low moment after spending the day touring a children's hospital and struggling to make myself and my goals here understood in my VERY-broken russian conversational skills. I got home early and yet felt unbelievable exhausted both physically and mentally. I had myself a good quick cry then told myself the problems I was having were good ones to have...at least people here are interested in helping me find what I am looking for even if it is overwhelming me. Anyways, the healing power of laughter popped up out of nowhere in a two hour exchange of russian and english lessons that took place between myself and Irina (my host) that can only be described as a beautiful cross-cultural moment of clarity.
To an observer we may have seemed to be speaking completely different languages and yet we were making jokes and giggling like school girls and somehow making ourselves perfectly clear to each other.
It was an evening I will not soon forget.

Over the river and through the woods, to the town of Artemovsk I go....

Okay how many of you did I just catch singing that title out loud?!?!?! Be honest!! ;) hehe

In the spirit of Mother Ukraine and her daughter 'the song' I gave today's post a musical title. In all the history books you read about Ukraine you will learn about the may folk songs and nursery rhymes that the people lovingly memorize and pass down from generation to generation.

-side note, the rhymes and songs have also been a good way for me to learn the language since they use simple words, merely adding to my feeling that I am somewhat like an infant here needing constant supervision and attention-

Today is monday and the first day I have had access to a computer and internet for longer than 10 minutes so I am sorry for the delay in this posting. Again in reference to my musical title, the past few days have been a journey in both the figurative and literal sense. I left St. Louis on wed. afternoon to fly first to Chicago (where I had my first experience of having to run to my connection gate to catch it since our flight was delayed by weather and the O'Hare airport is bigger than I remember). I then flew on a huge plane (another first, this one actually had two levels and a staircase separating the levels....the only thing downstairs was the row of bathrooms but I had to stifle a giggle as I walked down them and remembered the scene from The Wedding Singer where Sting and Adam Sandler and the whole plane serenade Drew Barrymore...ha!
I didn't get much sleep on that plane ride or any of the others but I did get to watch a whole bunch of movies!! Thank you Lufthansa for having blockbuster films....anyone not see All About Steve (Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper) because it looked silly and crazy? I thought it would be but it was actually smart, witty, sad, heartwarming and very well made....that is my cinematic recommendation from the other side of the world :)
After arriving in Germany I had a short layover and then headed for Kyiv...On this flight I had my first taste of Ukrainian hospitality and chivalry as men were literally lined up to help me lift my bag into the overhead compartment (I was happy to oblige since my muscles were screaming after lugging around two huge bags).

This is far from the end of the story but I will have to postpone the rest until another day...my internet time has run out ceechas (new russian word...it means 'now' pronounced see-chaas).

until then, all my love!

Grab your пальто, we're goin' to Eastern Europe!

Okay all of you readers, here is your first russian language lesson...пальто (pronounced 'pal-toe' is russian for coat, an article of clothing I sure don't want to forget when I finish packing my 4 suitcases this week.
What has Sarah been up to for the last two weeks….packing

Lately, walking into the front guest room in our cozy bungalow is akin to walking into, if you could imagine, an FAO Schwartz toy store that exploded inside an REI sporting goods emporium. Try this sometime, just for kicks….try packing for a 10 month trip to a country whose weather patterns you don’t entirely understand, where you’ll be expected to bring gifts signifying American culture (this in and of itself is an enlightening exercise…what exactly is American Culture??), and where you’ll be conducting research at a yet undisclosed location and a yet undisclosed time….haha! Needless to say it hasn’t exactly been like packing for a weekend trip to Omaha.

Strangely, the chaos in my impromptu staging room seems to be indirectly related to the level of anxiousness I’ve been feeling about this trip. As I have been creating calm in the storm when it came to my luggage, it seems the chaos has morphed and multiplied into butterflies in my stomach.

However, the big One upstairs once again has intervened in a big way in my life today in the form of many loved ones and well wishes. I am suddenly very popular lately getting phone calls, emails and reminders of prayer petitions that I am now included in. Each breath of communication with all of you has gently but firmly swatted away a few of those butterflies that seemed to be multiplying in alarming number of late. I am reminded of my role in this journey as a vehicle for all of our talents, hopes, dreams and ambitions. I once heard a wonderful quote although the author’s name escapes me right now, it went something like this, “nervousness is a selfish emotion, the things we do that make us nervous are bigger than ourselves.” For me, this sentiment reminds me at this moment that I only have myself to stand in the way of the incredible things that this opportunity could create in so many lives. Many thanks to all of you who helped remind me today how connected we all are.