Hey. So I realize that I haven't posted on here in a very long time. Also, my best friend asked me the other day to update her on my life. So here is the update, as best as I can give right now.
(1) I'm waiting
I'm waiting on a bunch of things right now (namely visa/finding out when I can legally enter Ukraine and financial support numbers) so in the meantime I am trying to get ahead on anything and everything and trying to enjoy some needed rest without being too much of a slacker. It's just so crazy to have all this time- this is probably the most unscheduled time I've had since I was a kid.
And in some moments, not having a schedule freaks me out a little more than it should. It's like someone who's been under house arrest his entire life all of a sudden being allowed to leave and go anywhere in the world- and all of the possibilities are paralyzing, so he goes nowhere. That's a pretty dramatic view of things, but sometimes that's what it feels like. Waiting is not my ideal (or anyone's i guess... if waiting is what you live for, you probably have some problems), so I've been learning to cope with waiting and being a good steward of my time while I'm waiting.
I'm waiting on a bunch of things right now (namely visa/finding out when I can legally enter Ukraine and financial support numbers) so in the meantime I am trying to get ahead on anything and everything and trying to enjoy some needed rest without being too much of a slacker. It's just so crazy to have all this time- this is probably the most unscheduled time I've had since I was a kid.
And in some moments, not having a schedule freaks me out a little more than it should. It's like someone who's been under house arrest his entire life all of a sudden being allowed to leave and go anywhere in the world- and all of the possibilities are paralyzing, so he goes nowhere. That's a pretty dramatic view of things, but sometimes that's what it feels like. Waiting is not my ideal (or anyone's i guess... if waiting is what you live for, you probably have some problems), so I've been learning to cope with waiting and being a good steward of my time while I'm waiting.
(2) I'm preparing
Preparation is the name of the game for me right now. As I said before, I'm trying to get ahead on all that I can, which is impossible to do for everything, but very possible for some things. For instance, I'm working on lesson planning for my EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classes- I have 3 weeks completely planned solid with handouts and everything. I am now working on the 4th week so that I can have a month of lessons completely planned before I go, mainly so when I am jet-lagged out of my mind and hating life because of culture shock I can hit the ground running and not worry about what I'm going to teach each day.
I'm also learning more Russian. I'm reviewing stupid genitive and instrumental cases (if you learn Russian, you will understand my pain) so I can talk about possession and negation and such, and express the concept of tea with milk and sugar- all important things for successful life and ministry in a Russian-speaking context. I'm also trying to grow my vocabulary and speaking abilities by making myself learn 5-6 new words a day (if you want to be a real friend, ask me what the words for today are- friends keep friends accountable) and speaking with Russian-speaking friends on Skype.
Preparation is the name of the game for me right now. As I said before, I'm trying to get ahead on all that I can, which is impossible to do for everything, but very possible for some things. For instance, I'm working on lesson planning for my EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classes- I have 3 weeks completely planned solid with handouts and everything. I am now working on the 4th week so that I can have a month of lessons completely planned before I go, mainly so when I am jet-lagged out of my mind and hating life because of culture shock I can hit the ground running and not worry about what I'm going to teach each day.
I'm also learning more Russian. I'm reviewing stupid genitive and instrumental cases (if you learn Russian, you will understand my pain) so I can talk about possession and negation and such, and express the concept of tea with milk and sugar- all important things for successful life and ministry in a Russian-speaking context. I'm also trying to grow my vocabulary and speaking abilities by making myself learn 5-6 new words a day (if you want to be a real friend, ask me what the words for today are- friends keep friends accountable) and speaking with Russian-speaking friends on Skype.
This doesn't fall under preparation, but it's something I'm doing- I'm practicing piano again. I've played piano since 3rd grade and it's something that has fallen by the wayside in recent years, mostly because of my tight schedule in college. Throughout my life, music has been a way to cope with stress and difficulty, and also a way to let out my control freak tendencies. While I can't control much of anything in life, it is good to have something I can exert control of, i.e. a piece of music that's ridiculously hard. I can play it until my hands are numb and eventually make it mine- I can control how much I practice, the tempo, the dynamics, the style, each note- it's one thing in which my need to control can be harnessed to create a beautiful result. So I've been doing that with a Rachmaninoff piece (yes, he's Russian... don't judge me!) and will hopefully end up with a beautiful result that I can share (once I can make my hands move faster...).
(3) I'm praying
This time spent waiting could easily be wasted, but God has known about this waiting time since before I was born, so I have a feeling that there's a reason for this time, even if sometimes I don't see it. I've been given time to spend with Him without distractions, and I pray each day that I use it wisely. I'm praying for my students, many of whom I haven't met. I'm praying for their lives and their families' lives. I'm also praying for my coworkers in the school, that I would be a friend to them and represent Christ well to them.
I'm also praying for you- my friends and family. I'm praying that the Lord would continue to make Himself real to you each day and that He would use you to do ridiculously awesome things wherever in the world He's placed you, all for His glory. Some of you have told me ways that I can pray for you, while others haven't- please seriously let me know how I can be praying for you. I would love to use this waiting time to lift your needs up to the Father. If you're in or around the good 'ol 610, text/call/FB me about meeting up for lunch or coffee- I would love to talk with you. Or if prayer's not your thing, we can just hang out. That's way okay too- I just want to spend time with people (namely, you!). So yeah, HMU.
This has been a really long update. Hope you've enjoyed it, Colleenie. This one was for you.
This time spent waiting could easily be wasted, but God has known about this waiting time since before I was born, so I have a feeling that there's a reason for this time, even if sometimes I don't see it. I've been given time to spend with Him without distractions, and I pray each day that I use it wisely. I'm praying for my students, many of whom I haven't met. I'm praying for their lives and their families' lives. I'm also praying for my coworkers in the school, that I would be a friend to them and represent Christ well to them.
I'm also praying for you- my friends and family. I'm praying that the Lord would continue to make Himself real to you each day and that He would use you to do ridiculously awesome things wherever in the world He's placed you, all for His glory. Some of you have told me ways that I can pray for you, while others haven't- please seriously let me know how I can be praying for you. I would love to use this waiting time to lift your needs up to the Father. If you're in or around the good 'ol 610, text/call/FB me about meeting up for lunch or coffee- I would love to talk with you. Or if prayer's not your thing, we can just hang out. That's way okay too- I just want to spend time with people (namely, you!). So yeah, HMU.
This has been a really long update. Hope you've enjoyed it, Colleenie. This one was for you.