Tim and Beth in Moscow!

Our Turn Now

2011-08-17T01:08:00.001+08:00

Beth and I with Nadya, Anya, and Yulya

Tomorrow, something very exciting will be happening in the city of Atlanta. Three very good friends from Moscow will be visiting. for a little under a week. In between trips to NYC and LA, they will make their stop here where we will show them around town and make the long drive to Indiana for another good friend's wedding.

I may have talked about this a little before, but this is something we've been excited about for a while. For many reasons.

While Beth and I were in Moscow, it would be an understatement to say we were spoiled by all of our friends. One of the reasons we became so comfortable so quickly in such an overwhelming city is because of all the help of our friends. From helping us find places, to helping us with the language, to even helping us get Liam's birth certificate (no easy feat in Moscow, especially if you're language skills are lacking), we were so fortunate to have friends that were there for you whenever you needed.

Now it's our turn.

We're so excited to now be able to share our city with some of our best friends. On the weekend we'll head up to the wedding in Indiana, but between then we'll be showing them all that we can in Atlanta.

Our dear friend Andrea is getting married!

A Year Ago Today

2011-06-09T11:35:00.018+08:00

It's hard to believe it's been a year since Liam's birth.

Months ago Beth posted about her experience, but I decided to also post it here for the occasion. It's long but I hope you enjoy it.

We went in for a check up on Tuesday the 8^th. The doctor said that there were still no signs that the baby was going to come in to the world on his own and she wanted to start the induction process. She sent us to the first floor to check into labor and delivery. As soon as I got there I was surrounded by a troop of Russian nurses, each with a job. They took my blood pressure, felt my stomach, measured me, weighed me, felt my ankles, asked millions of questions, took my clothes, showered me, and dressed me in a gown and robe. I felt like I was in a whirlwind and didn’t understand anything going on. But finally I was ready and they admitted me to the hospital and took me to my room. The induction process my doctor wanted to use was a slow process. She started Tuesday evening with a preparatory procedure…I was then supposed to sleep through the night and then they would start medication in the morning. Tim and my mom stayed with me until about 11 that night and then they had to go home.

I slept like a baby until the nurse woke me up the next morning. About nine o’clock Wednesday morning they gave medication to start labor. Tim and my mom arrived five minutes after this and contractions began soon after. By 11 o’clock they were rolling me to the delivery room. Tim had to go downstairs to get scrubbed in and suited up. I was in the delivery room for about 30 minutes waiting for him…getting a little desperate…I was so glad when he finally arrived. I sent him right out to ask the nurse when I could get my epidural. By noon the anesthesiologist was in my room giving me my epidural and I couldn’t wait! He told me, “five minutes and no more pain.” However, fifteen minutes later one of my legs felt a little tingly…but not quite the pain relief I was expecting. I told the nurse and the anesthesiologist came back and upped my dose. My other leg felt a little tingly…but my pain was increasing by a lot! I told the nurse again that I was still feeling pain. The anesthesiologist returned and after chatting with the nurse for a moment…decided to redo my epidural. He pulled the first one out of my back and put a new one in a few vertebras higher. Then he gave me twice the dose. Five minutes later I was feeling nothing…my lips were even numb. I guess due to the fact I couldn’t feel anything I stopped breathing as well as I should, and the baby’s heart rate started dropping. A small army of nurses came into my room and yelled at me to breathe. I had to really focus and breathe…but his heart rate stabilized. This was about 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

I napped for a while and Tim and I talked. I was thinking that this labor thing wasn’t so bad. We were incredibly surprised when around five o’clock my doctor came in and told us it was time to turn the epidural off. I told her no…and asked why! She told me they must because I had to be able to feel to push. I was confused because I know a lot of women in America who have not felt anything and been perfectly able to push. For about the next two hours…I got the full natural birth experience. I really thought I might die. I also glared at my doctor constantly. Only the fact that I needed her then kept me from telling her exactly how I felt about her. If you have spent any time in Moscow you know that Russians are crazy about their cell phones and answer them whenever they ring. You can always hear stories about teachers answering calls during a lecture, bank tellers in the middle of your transaction, or waiters while you are ordering. This cultural trend is also true for doctors while you are in labor. At least six times during the final part of my labor, my doctor’s phone rang and she would leave the room. One time she told me that the next contraction we would push…however, right as the contraction started she got a call and left. I told Tim I was going to push anyway…but he talked me out of it. Finally at 6:53 William Soren Rhodes was born. They washed him right there and wrapped him up and Tim was able to spend the next hour or so walking with him and talking to him.

I was not so lucky. The doctor needed to fix me up…so they called the anesthesiologist back. He gave me what he called a super epidural…he said I wouldn’t be able to feel my legs at all or be able to walk for at least 2 hours. However, when the doctor came back in a few minutes later I quickly informed her that I could feel everything and wiggled my toes for her. She promptly took a needle and poked me with it. I yelled and told her that it hurt…she asked if it was pain or pressure. I informed her it felt like she just poked me with a needle. The anesthesiologist came back and gave me something else. An hour later I started coming to. Tim kept talking to me…but I couldn’t really understand or respond to him. I could just look at him and our son. It didn’t matter what I was feeling…seeing them together was pure joy. About 2 hours after Liam was born we were able to go to our room. My mom and our friend Andrea joined us in the room and we ate dinner. I couldn’t stop looking at Liam. He was perfect and it started to sink in that I was his mother.

Between a Sacrifice and Vacation

2011-06-03T02:01:00.003+08:00

Upon telling family, friends, and co-workers about our upcoming work in Moscow, we had mostly two basic responses:

WOW! What a sacrifice!

Have fun on your vacation!

In reality, of course, it was neither of those things.

Beth and I could never really think of it as a sacrifice. Because, honestly, we wouldn't have done it if we didn't think we would have enjoyed it. We both fell in love with the city years before, and were elated that we would be living there.

And, although this goes without saying, life in Moscow most certainly wasn't a vacation. Anyone who has been to Moscow for more than a couple weeks will know this. Moscow is definitely more European than most of the rest of the country, and pretty international, but getting around and getting by can be difficult at times.

You see, if you're on a short term trip to possibly anywhere (meaning you're only there for a week or two), there's a strong likelihood you're going to get the special treatment. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just not a good barometer for actually living there. Many times people who host groups in the countries or cities they live in, they tend to go easy on them -- for the most part. They naturally want you to like and enjoy the place. And even if you have difficult work to do, you probably knew what you were getting into.

I digress. Sorry about that. I'm just trying to say that living anywhere that isn't your home culture is probably going to be pretty hard at times. There will be days where it's a blast and you think it couldn't be better, and there will be days where you collapse in the snow and want to give up (there will probably be more of these days, by the way). Either way, as long as you shake off your American sense of entitlement, have an adventurous attitude, and have the long term in mind, every day will be worth it.

Last House Church

2011-05-28T01:40:00.000+08:00

Sunday, January 22, was our last house church before Beth and I left for the states. It was a night of pancakes (both banana and chocolate chip), fellowship, and sadness for Beth and myself.

This group of friends were some of the closest people we know while living in Moscow, so this night only made it all the more apparent what we were going to be losing by moving back to the US.

The evening was a great time to share about the previous 6+ months together, and to also look to the future. To our excitement, several people in the group brought up future meetings and were making plans to meet once we left. It was so great to hear people talking about how they wanted to be involved in the future meetings--those who were ambivalent or uninterested when the group began. There were a few who were downright uncomfortable when we first started. But week after week it was encouraging to see the growth in each person. Our friends felt welcome--safe, even-- to disagree, to share different viewpoints, to pray.

Although Beth and I had a desire to start a group like this, selfishly we needed something like this, for our well-being. We needed this kind of community to keep us sane and to keep us going. And it's something we miss the most about our time in Moscow.

Lots of Love in Istanbul

2011-04-27T11:51:00.000+08:00

Beth and I loved Istanbul. We were very fortunate to have friends there to not only give us a place to stay, but also take time out of their busy schedule to show us around. We were able to see so much.

But as much as we loved Istanbul, it didn't even come close to the love Liam was receiving all the time. ALL THE TIME.

People there love babies. Maybe it was the whole blonde-hair/blue-eyes combination, but he was just adored. I can't even count the times random people would come up to take a picture of him with their cell phones, or ask to hold him, or try to feed him things. In Starbucks, a mother and her teenage daughter played with him, took pictures, video, and held him. And even after all of that, the daughter didn't take her eyes off him until we left the place. I'm not exaggerating. She just stared at him.

Now this wasn't just women or girls. One time after taking the ferry, Beth felt an odd presence behind her while holding Liam. She turned around to see a young 20-something couple and the guy was holding Liam's hand and smiling. And not that creepy smile or sarcastic smile, but one of those infatuated smiles.

It was definitely strange. But as parents who already think our kid is the best thing since sliced bread, we ate it up. As odd as everything was, we never turned anybody down. Frankly, it didn't even seem that odd. Why wouldn't total strangers want to take a picture of our child to have on their phone forever even though they have no clue who this kid is??

Anyways.

Like Rome, Florence, St. Petersburg, and other cities we've visited, Istanbul was another on our list of places to see. But just saying that, the way that sounds, like it's just another city to scratch off our notepad, just doesn't honor it the way a place like this should. I know this goes without saying, but each city we've visited carries an immense depth historically and culturally that we couldn't wait to experience. Istanbul is a truly amazing city.

kcohS erutluC

2011-04-26T08:26:00.000+08:00

Reverse Culture Shock is something you hear about (and almost prepare for) while living overseas. It's the basic idea that the difficulty you had adjusting to a new culture (in our case, Moscow) will be somewhat similar when returning and re-acclimating to your native culture.

Surprisingly, we didn't have as much difficulty as we were worried about. It took less than a day to get used to driving again (we didn't have or drive a car the entire duration of our time in Moscow). In fact, things didn't seem that foreign at all. Most of our reverse culture shock experiences could be summed into one-sentence shouts of exclamation:

"This washing machine is HUGE!"

"Wait, you can get another drink with the same cup -- FOR FREE??"

"There's a whole aisle for cereal at the grocery store?!"

"Wait, I can wash my clothes and wear them again in the same day??"

I could go on.

But there is definitely another side to reverse culture shock. It's this feeling of displacement. Not only have we left this incredible group of friends and colleagues back in Moscow, but we are entering back into life in America as if it were two years ago. People have moved on. It's that tightrope feeling that probably feels the strangest. Not belonging to either world.

I know that sounds pretty pathetic, but I don't mean it that way at all. It's life. It happens. The tension will go away eventually.

Lost in Tra[i]nslation

2011-04-23T06:42:00.001+08:00

About a year ago, Beth had to return to the states to renew her visa. She was gone about three weeks, and during that time I was pretty busy. But for one of those weeks I was able to make a trip to our friends the Friersons and Wilhelms in Izhevsk.

You probably remember posts previously about trips to visit them-- it's a lengthy 18-hour train ride from Moscow. And this particular time I was a little nervous. Not only would I be riding alone, but I purchased the cheapest tickets available, the плацкарт (platskart) -- in which the rooms are open and beds are everywhere.

Here's an image as an example:

I'm not so nervous because of the space issue-- Russia helped me get over my personal bubble a long time ago. I was simply nervous about the language aspect of it and not really having anyone else with me to chat with that I knew.

At the same time I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to really put my language to the test-- we had been living in Moscow for right at a year. Although my skills were far from where I wanted them to be, I figured this would help give me a better picture as to how I was doing.

I'm sure I've mentioned on previous blogs before, but I have this desire-- maybe it's normal, maybe odd-- whenever I'm in another country (in this case of course, living in Moscow), I want to blend in as much as possible. I don't want to appear foreign or American. I don't want anybody to notice me. I am still not sure why I have this strange aspiration.

Finally the day comes. I arrive at the train station and find my bunk. I find myself in a little compartment with a kind elderly couple and a larger man in his 30s. We all greet each other, prepare our beds and change as needed, and the train takes off. It's the moment of no return.

The first 2 hours seemed to go perfect. I was getting pretty impressed with myself. Like most conversations between complete strangers, everything began small. My strong suit. We talked about where we were going, the train, the weather, and so on. Everything appeared completely normal. I could not believe how well things were going.

Finally the elderly lady asked if she lay down on the bed she and I were sitting on. I graciously moved over and crammed on the other side with the man and younger guy. He begins to talk to me, one on one. We were close, and everything was very deliberate. Slowly but surely I was unable to understand a word here, a phrase there. Finally he asked me something, and I have no idea what he said. At all.

I had finally hit that point. I wasn't looking forward to it, but I knew I had to admit to him my true identity. I told him in Russian "I'm sorry, I didn't understand you. I don't speak Russian very well [and then I always say this even though it's completely and utterly unnecessary except to make me seem better] but I am studying the language in Moscow."

The man looked at me as if something had finally clicked in his brain.

He said to me, in Russian and laughing, "It all makes sense now! This whole time I thought you were just stupid!"

And those thoughts of self-satisfaction and success were all gone. This entire time I thought I was mastering the Russian language, I just sounded mentally ill to those that actually spoke it.

Liam Around the World

2011-03-11T21:15:00.000+07:00

A couple days ago, Liam turned 9 months old. It got me thinking about previous months, and it dawned on me that he's been in completely different places for most of his month birthdays.

Nine months - Snellville, GA

Eight months - West Palm Shores, Florida

Seven months - Istanbul, Turkey

Six months - Florence and Pisa, Italy

Five months - Izhevsk, Russia

Four months - Moscow, Russia

Three months - Moscow, Russia

Two months - St. Petersburg, Russia

One month - Moscow, Russia

I wonder where we'll be in a month!

Winter Camp

2011-02-26T22:06:00.000+07:00

Right after our New Year celebration, Beth and I spent the next week out at a Winter Camp hosted by the English Exchange.

The Winter Camps have a totally different feel from the Summer Camps (temperature and weather aside)-- the pace is much more relaxed, and although it was a few weeks since Christmas had come and gone, the time was spent singing Christmas carols, decorating gingerbread houses, and other festivities as if Christmas was right around the corner.

We all played several holiday-themed games.

Vasya and Zhenya reenacting pouting and crying (from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town). But I think they are also a little disappointed they lost their respective games.

We decorated gingerbread cookies and houses.

One very special aspect of this camp was the theme-- it was a going away camp for Beth and Liam and I. One of the evening was spent with each team performing a Christmas themed skit (Home Alone, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and a Christmas Carol) but adding in the three of us somehow. The performances were hilarious and moving.

Here is a video of one of the skits (there's one moment that's my favorite. If you see it you'll know it):

Later that evening we all had coffee and our gingerbread cookies together.

Hook and Vika (or their band name: Hook and Snow White) performed together.

Life in Moscow was difficult at times. But there were many more times of incredible joy and value. Times where we never want to leave. This week was one of those times.

Back in the States!

2011-02-09T06:07:00.000+07:00

On January 27th, Beth, Liam, and myself boarded a plane to Atlanta. Our time in Moscow has ended.

Although our term is complete, but of course we were very bittersweet in leaving the city we've called home for the past two years. At the moment we're searching for jobs, possibly applying for graduate schools, and looking at the possibilities of returning to the capital of Russia.

Since being back we've been overwhelmed by the welcome of our friends and family.

While we're back in the states, we do plan to continue posting to this blog (we still have most of January that I haven't written about yet). Stay tuned!

30 Things I'm Going to Miss About Moscow

2011-01-21T05:30:00.001+07:00

Public transportation
Phones and phone plans (NO CONTRACTS!!).
Being able to buy fruits/vegetables and flowers on our walk home.
Fast and cheap internet.
Being able to feel a sense of community in a city of 15 million people.
Tea - lots and lots of hot tea.
Shashlik - delicious shishkabobs but better.
A lengthy and intensely interesting history.
Unexpected parades and demonstrations.
Dachas - those cottages outside of the city.
The banya - a Russian variation of the sauna. Heat and humidity followed by extreme cold. And repeat
White nights - in the summer the sun doesn't set until around midnight.
Going out to places like Burger King or Starbucks is a special occasion.
Honey is taken very seriously.
Unlimited hot water (save for about two weeks during the summer)
Balcony can double as a freezer for nearly half of the year
Snow. Lots and lots of snow (however, after three months or so this can also turn into a bad thing).
The cultural tradition of taking off your shoes at the door. It just makes so much sense!
Juice boxes are not relegated only to toddlers.
With milk, refrigeration is optional (most of the time at least).
Marshrutkas (this could theoretically be relegated to public transportation, but they're just so cool and convenient-- like min-buses that get there faster and charge you less. It's just a little bit cramped, but a small sacrifice to pay)
Gypsy cabs (again, this could be relegated to public transportation I guess, but there's just something unique about being able to hail down anyone willing to give someone a ride. The whole "never get in a stranger's car" stigma in the states is overrated.)
Getting laughed at for not having a shoehorn every time we have people over.
REALLY celebrating New Years, and the gorgeous and serious recognition of Easter.
Not owning a car. Even though there are occasions where we really want one (Russia just seems like the best country for a road trip), we've saved a ton of money and have actually enjoyed not having one.
Banya scented shower gel.
Feeling like we're in a spy movie.
Being just minutes away from Red Square.
Every day feels like a new adventure.
Our friends. I know this is a somewhat serious note that I'm ending on, but Beth and I are fortunate and beyond grateful for the friendships here in Moscow. I don't know where we'd be without them.

30 Things I'm looking Forward to in the States

2011-01-20T14:25:00.000+07:00

With our departure being only 1 week away, I was thinking about things we're excited about that we can't really have or get here. It's a totally vain list (sadly mostly food items are on it), but I hope it shows just some of the small differences between Russia and the US. And don't worry-- next up will be 30 things I'm going to miss about Moscow.

So here it goes-- some things I can't wait to get back to in the US:

Chick-Fil-A (this one is probably a no-brainer)
Pumpkin Spice Lattes
Free Refills
Pedestrians having the right-of-way
Free condiments at fast food joints
Being able to hold random conversations with people in lines at grocery stores
Cheez-its
Being able to eavesdrop
Mellow Mushroom
Driving
Reese's Pieces
Coupons and bargain shopping
Root Beer
Ginger Ale
Dr. Pepper (Although you can buy this here, it's just much much more expensive and rare)
Peanut Butter (You can also buy this here, but it is also more expensive)
Free plastic bags at grocery stores
Cashiers not getting frustrated if you don't have the correct amount of change
Zaxby's
Being able to smile in public
Thrift stores
Air conditioning
Triscuits
Barbeque sauce (more specifically: Sweet Baby Ray's Barbeque Sauce)
Hulu
Netflix
Ordering things online
Traffic laws (or the relative obedience of them)
Urinating in public is frowned upon
A lengthy Autumn (at least as far as Georgia is concerned)

Ringing in the New Year

2011-01-13T01:10:00.000+07:00

There is nothing quite like New Years celebrations in Russia. It's probably the biggest holiday here-- it's a good week or so before you finally stop hearing fireworks. It's a blast to be a part of, and a very special time of the year.

This time around we decided to take it easy and spend time at home with good friends. Andrew and Ira (I'm sure you've seen on this blog before) came over to celebrate with us and brought more food than we could possibly imagine. They prepared a plethora of traditional Russian dishes that are commonly eaten on New Year's Eve. The idea of New Years here is how you celebrate it will reflect the coming year. So naturally we had lots of food and were surrounded by incredible friends.

Just a small portion of the amazing spread.

Butter, dill, and caviar on white bread.

Hiding behind Liam is Ira.

Liam is a fan of Andrew!

Дед Мороз (Ded Moroz) -- or "Father Frost" greeted us with gifts. He's Russia's Santa Claus.

He gave Liam a toy train.

I received a great sign that on one sign says "break" (or перерыв - pereriv), and the other side says "Boss, I am here" (or шеф, здес я! - Shef, zdyes ya!).

(Western) Christmas in Moscow

2011-01-03T14:40:00.000+07:00

Christmas was busy this year for us. It began early in the morning with a Christmas party for our English Kids Club.

I, naturally, played Santa Claus-- as you can tell by my festive Santa hat in the above picture. For an hour and a half we played games, learned new words, and shared the customs that we practice in the United States.

In the evening we met with our house church group and celebrated Christmas together with an incredible dinner and fellowship. Sadly, we got probably 4 pictures from this. We just set our camera on a table and left it there.

The next day we celebrated with the English Exchange and Open World. We decorated ginger bread cookies and made houses, sang Christmas carols, and talked about the gift of giving:

On Our Way Home

2010-12-22T04:48:00.000+07:00

**this should have been posted yesterday. sorry about that.**

Today we received Liam's visa! Fed-Ex finally made it to us, and just in the nick of time.

Last week when we had to change our plane tickets (for a hefty fee I sadly must add), we didn't know when to change them TO. Because the issuance and arrival of Liam's visa was unpredictable at best, we wanted to change the ticket to a date where we knew we wouldn't have to change it all over again. It was tricky-- we needed it further in the future to allow as much time as possible for it to get here (and not to have to change it again, for yet another crazy fee), but soon enough to not use up all of our vacation days.

Tomorrow is that magical day. The day we set a week ago in hopes to have it by then. Fortunately we were able to receive it today-- although we weren't really nervous at this point, we found out on Friday it had arrived in Rome.

It's been a good extra week though. We've had opportunities to visit other cities around Rome (seriously, visiting Italian cities could NEVER get old. Seriously.) and eating more pizza, pasta and gelatos (in that order and repeat).

As amazing as Rome and Italy is we are looking forward to our time back in the sub-zero temperatures and snowy terrain of Moscow. We couldn't be more excited about all of our upcoming Christmas festivities.

Hopefully in the near future we'll be able to share a little of our experiences here in Italy. I hope your holiday this year is a great one.

Still in Italy

2010-12-15T04:54:00.000+07:00

We were supposed to be back in Moscow today.

We've been touring Italy for just about two weeks now. It's been a fantastic vacation, and it's not ending as soon as we thought. We can't complain-- I mean, it's Italy. But our departure date is being pushed back a little.

One of the things we had to do while on vacation, ironically, was apply for and receive a visa for Liam to get back into Russia. Although we sent in the application immediately when we got here (and hoped it'd arrive by now), it's taking more time than we had imagined. Surprise surprise.

But like I said, we can't complain. We are running a little low on our vacation funds, the trip has been incredible. We've been able to cover Rome, visit Florence, take a quick trip to see Pisa, and spend some time in Naples (where my mother's parents lived before immigrating back in the day). We'll try to post pictures and stories soon!

Thanks

2010-11-29T02:16:00.000+07:00

Every moment is a feast of grace.

In no particular order, here are some things (trivial and all--and in no particular order) that I'm thankful for this year:

Skype - I really don't know how people lived overseas before this. Total game changer.
Public Transportation - I couldn't speak more highly of Moscow's public transit. We are completely content not owning a car here.
My Wife - On a year that's been particularly tough for her, she was tough right back. I am so insanely proud of her for all that she's been through. During those days where she had to walk on icy streets in below freezing weather to get to her doctor appointment, she didn't complain about all the stuff she would have been perfectly justified in complaining about. She just did it. She's an incredible woman, wife, and mother.
Liam - Becoming a parent is the scariest thing I've ever done, probably. It still is pretty terrifying. But there's just something so amazing and exciting about it that I can't imagine life without him now.
Strawberry Pretzel Salad - No explanation needed
Family and Friends (in the States) - Thank you so much for keeping up with us. It's been so meaningful to us. I can't begin to say how much we have needed it.
Friends (in Moscow) - We have been so incredibly fortunate to have amazing friends in this large and overwhelming city. We are thankful for them all.
Florence and the Machine, Arcade Fire, The National, Janelle Monae, Shad, and etc. - I don't know how Liam would get to sleep without these songs --- OH NO..... Liam's already turning into a hipster!!!
Living in Moscow - Living in and experiencing another culture, while difficult at times, has been an absolute excitement and joy. Anything I say about this will only sound hokey and cliche, so I'm afraid to say anything more. But it's been amazing.
YOU

Not From Around Here

2010-11-22T21:33:00.000+07:00

There's always this moment when interacting with locals in Moscow when you can tell they've got you figured out. It's a moment that you are trying your hardest for them to never figure out. That moment when they realize that you're not from around these parts.

The Look - For most encounters, there's always this look they give you when they realize you aren't Russian. It is difficult to explain. There's just a flash. Suddenly something happens in their eyes when they realize there's a reason behind your odd accent. Or a reason you don't understand their question. You can just tell.
The Switch - This doesn't happen that often, but when we're at restaurants or stores that are exports from the States (Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, etc.), most of the employees have a larger knowledge of English. These places are more tricky when it comes to getting away with Russian. They're more eager to use the English (or other) language that they've learned. I can imagine-- I'm definitely going to have the same reaction if I'm in the U.S. and a Russian is trying to speak with me. But as someone trying to learn the language and trying so hard to get away with what Russian I do know.... I feel so defeated. I was at Starbucks one day, ordering things and getting everything right. I was so proud of myself until the cashier asked me, in English, "Is this for here or to go?"
The Point - This one sneaks up on you. This is when you're at a store or fast food place, and instead of telling you how much you owe, they just point at the amount on their cash register. At some time during the transaction, you did or said something that completely gave you away, so the person doesn't even bother trying to speak to you. [So my pride isn't completely shattered, sometimes I'll speak the number back to the cashier, as a question-- but really just to prove to her that I can in fact understand. Yes, I'm that pathetic.]
The Repeat and Smirk - This is probably completely harmless and nothing personal, but sometimes the person we're interacting with us will notice a glaring mistake in our language. Instead of letting it go, they will look at us with this sarcastic grin and repeat exactly what we said, kind of chuckling to themselves. Like I said, I know they aren't trying to insult us, but it's always disappointing.

Of course, even though these do happen, I speak only in jest. On nearly every occasion people are incredibly patient and courteous with our mistakes and stupidity. Most people we interact with go out of their way to be helpful-- it's been such an aid for Beth and I. We have been thankful for assistance nearly every time we have needed it. As I have said before, we try in every way possible to avoid being "found out" that we're not Russian, but when it inevitably happens, it's almost always cordial.

Ode to Stardogs

2010-11-19T02:36:00.000+07:00

I'm not really a fan of hot dogs. I know you're kind of supposed to say that if you want people to think you generally value your health, but I really don't eat them often.

But here in Moscow, I've fallen in love with Stardogs. I'm pretty sure it's only because of the fact that I can just get them on the side of the road while I'm rushing around the city, and the allure of the city-life aspect of it all, but I love them. They HAVE to be pretty bad for you-- and what's worse-- I always get the one wrapped in freakin' bacon. BACON!

Just imagine this bad boy with bacon all around it.

But sadly, over the past two weeks, all sorts of kiosks lining the sidewalks and streets have been taken down. Moscow's new mayor Sergei Sobyanin decided that over 500 kiosks all around the city should be taken down. Although his attempts may seem noble--his main concern is cleaning up the city and reducing traffic--they really get in the way of my (admittedly infrequent) eating habits. While I don't eat these often enough for it to put a dent in my waistband, there are several stands that have provided the very sustenance needed to get me on to my next errand. The one nearest my metro stop? Gone. The one nearest a school I teach? Gone.

Of course this is saddening on other levels. While ultimately mayor Sobyanin's decision is only removing 15% of total kiosks (and not only Stardog kiosks, we're talking flower shops, Shorma shops, produce stands, and so on), it is affecting numerous migrant workers. According to the article, 7,000 people are out of a job because of the decision and they were given almost no notice. Beth and I do not live close enough firsthand, but we have heard friends talk about the speed and severity that these stands were taken out during the middle of the night. They were literally torn apart where they stood. I'm sure this didn't happen to all of them, but still.

I don't know enough to make judgements on what was right or wrong to do, or what should happen. But my gut's telling me something's just not right.

To Izhevsk

2010-11-11T06:16:00.000+07:00

Beth and I were able to take a trip last week to Izhevsk to visit friends. As I've posted before, Izhevsk is about a 16 hour train ride east of Moscow-- but a one and a half hour flight. We felt that it would be a good idea also to try out flying with Liam when the flight time was pretty minimal, and he did very well. We found cheap one-way tickets and flew to a city about 3 hours away from Izhevsk, where our friends the Friersons and Wilhelms graciously met us.

Liam is so excited to see his Aunt D!

I couldn't pick a favorite, honestly.

Little pepper jack o'lanterns for our Halloween party.

Visiting Izhevsk gave us a glimpse of life in Russia that is not very noticeable or even apparent at times in Moscow. It also gave us such an appreciation for our friends who live there. While we were on cloud nine the entire time we visited, Izhevsk is probably like any other city in the sense that if you're not there long enough you don't notice the blemishes. We were there a week, so every experience was something new and exciting. I'm sure our friends love the city-- but we did not experience any of the difficulties that come with living in a secluded and limited city that they probably see often. We are so thankful for our friends. They've endured hardships I'll never even think about. It gives me perspective when I get stressed over situations here in Moscow.

One of the most insane mullets I've ever witnessed.

Our boy band album cover.

On Friday, we traveled outside of Izhevsk to a village where we met with several friends and shared a meal and devotional together. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

On our return home, we took the train with Ross and Ricky. Unfortunately we had waited to long to purchase a platskart ticket with them, so we were in kupe with Andre (middle-aged large man) and Olya (older but incredibly kind woman). The train is always exciting and fun to take, but I am absolutely certain I can say that only because we don't use it often. Things are definitely a little more nerve-wracking with Liam. Most of our evening and night was spent walking him up and down the hallway of our wagon. Olya really took to Liam, and talked to him nearly the entire time she was awake. Right when she first walked into our room and waved goodbye to her friends out the window, she told us, "Give him to me," and proceeded to wave Liam in front of the window to her friends.

Without a doubt, from the beginning to the very end this trip was quite an adventure. Beth and I are more than grateful that we were able to spend a week with some very special people.

Take You to the Barbershop

2010-11-05T04:39:00.000+07:00

Getting a haircut is, oddly enough, one of the scariest things I do here in Moscow. I haven't gotten it quite figured out, but it just is. I just get nervous every time I force myself to get one. Really, really nervous.

But for the most part things are really great. The particular place I go (in the basement of an apartment building) only charges 150 rubles (about 4-5 bucks), and things are always moving quickly. You wait in line outside the room (if there ever is a line--it's only happened once for me) and when there's a free barber you nod and shake his hand.

With absolute certainty I know that one of the reasons I'm nervous is just the language. I actually have most of the words down that I need for getting a haircut, but I think I'm just scared that I could say something wrong that would make my request the opposite of what I would like (for instance, instead of saying "I just want a little cut all around," I'm worried I might ask for everything to be cut except for a little). It's really silly, it's just hair, but I just get nervous. I also think that has to do with the innate desire of being understood. Or at least that's my excuse.

I also think I'm nervous because of the first time I had ever gone. My Russian was atrocious, and I just felt like I was being made fun of the entire time (which I probably wasn't). But when you can't really understand you have this strange feeling that everything is about you. That group over there is saying something about how silly you look, or that security guard is laughing at you, and so on. In reality none of that is true, but during those months where I understood practically nothing, I (selfishly and rather narcissistic-ally) assumed it was all about me.

Anyways, so the first time I just felt like a fool. And I knew the price for a haircut was 150 rubles, but in some strange attempt at congeniality, I asked how much the price was. The man looked at me and up at my hair and said, "For *your* hair....... 200 rubles." I just handed him the bills and walked away, defeated and with no recourse. No snappy thing to say.

And ever since then I've been nervous I'll have a similar experience. The only thing is I never do. Every other person who I've sat with to let slice and dice at my hair has been beyond kind, and I've been able to share about myself and ask about them. They've only charged the correct amount, and they usually comment on the amount of hair that has ended up on the floor.

I'm sorry-- after reading over this post again, I just feel so ridiculous. I get stressed out about some of the dumbest things. Please know that if you are thinking about how silly I am while reading this, I agree with you completely.

Anyone Listening?

2010-10-25T05:04:00.000+08:00

Living in Moscow for over a year and a half, we've gotten used to the idea that most people around us don't understand us. We absolutely don't accept this as a universal rule and are pretty careful, but we're not as concerned as we probably would be in the States.

This past weekend Beth and I were meeting someone for lunch and sightseeing. Because Liam was up most of the night before, we were running on very little sleep, and had no time to grab breakfast before the meeting. So naturally we were more argumentative (honestly, I get upset when my anger is blamed on "being hungry" for being too simplistic. But it's usually always true. Am I that predictable??). It all led to the silent treatment as we took the metro to meet our friend.

There we found a seat next to a pleasant-looking girl and waited. It took a couple minutes, but we began talking. We apologized to each other, but also explained what got us so irritated in the first place (I will always defy the fact that it's just mere hunger). We were going on and on in a "This is what you said and this is how it made me feel" therapy session/venting for about 5 minutes or so until the girl beside us turns around and says "Excuse me, where are you from?"

She spoke English.

For a split second Beth and I froze. This girl, right beside us, speaks English. And she probably heard everything we were talking about.

Fortunately for us, she acted like she didn't. It turns out she (her name is Anna) is a Muscovite and visited Los Angeles and New York during the summer. She studies English in the Moscow State University of Linguistics. We had a good conversation and actually exchanged contact information.

All I know is that now I'm cursed to be extra doting to Beth whenever Anna's around.

It Was Just a Routine Traffic Stop in Russia

2010-10-16T14:32:00.002+08:00

Until.....

(wait for it)

Our (very brief) Autumn

2010-10-16T04:22:00.000+08:00

This year we have really tried to treasure the Fall season.

In Moscow, it doesn't last very long. A month. If that.

This past weekend we grabbed our friend Andrea and hurried to the center of Moscow as fast as we could. We made it in time to get some pictures at a nearby garden and Red Square.

It's already begun snowing in Moscow (although only in brief moments, here and there and then gone), and the temperature has been hovering in the 30s and 40s. There are many things I'm going to miss about the Summer (other than the insane heat and smoke). I'm going to miss the walks through overcrowded parks, with nearly every Muscovite trying to take advantage of the incredible weather. I'm going to miss the produce stands on every street corner and in every neighborhood (I think for the entire Summer our dessert was simply strawberries and vanilla ice cream).

Not to sound pathetic, but I'm going to miss the sun. I'm going to miss the get-togethers that involve simply walking around the city for hours.

While I am actually looking forward to snow and Winter, there is nothing like a Summer in Moscow.

Learning How to Make Borsch

2010-10-06T16:33:00.000+08:00

On Saturday, Beth and I were picked up by our friends Andrew and Ira, and taken to Andrew's childhood home to meet his mother. There his mother taught us how to make delicious Russian food.

Andrew drove us outside of Moscow to his hometown of 60,000 residents. It was close to Moscow, but just far enough away that everything felt so much more calm and peaceful. When we arrived, we only expected Andrew's mother to teach us how to make borsch-- but she had prepared an entire feast!

Olivie Salad (Mayo, carrots, peas, ham, boiled eggs, cucumbers, etc.)

Fish and beet salad

All of the food was incredible, and we look forward to making some of these dishes soon.

What an Ugly Baby-- continued...

2010-09-25T18:03:00.000+08:00

Last Monday, Beth and I attended a discussion group held by our friend Andrea. Before the group met we all had dinner together and was joined by Andrea's roommate, Lena.

Somehow we got to the subject of our recent blog post detailing various Russian superstitions when it came to infants, and Lena had a personal example. She has a niece who is a few years old now. Years ago when her niece was born and Lena was finally able to see her in person, she was beyond excited. The whole time Lena was with the child she was complimenting her -- "She's so beautiful, she's adorable!"

A couple days later she met again with her family to see her niece, but Lena's relatives told her that she would not be able to see her niece for at least another year. After seeing Lena, the child could not sleep that night, and according to the family it was because Lena complimented her so much.

Needless to say Lena was heartbroken.

What an Ugly Baby

2010-09-25T17:42:00.002+08:00

Russia is a land of many traditions and superstitions. Living here we hear about different superstitions on a regular basis. There are many, many superstitions about being pregnant and having a baby. These are just a few of the superstitions we have been warned about or that friends have informed us about.

-Things bought for a newborn baby (such as clothes, toys, furniture, etc.) should only be purchased after the baby is born. To buy them before the baby's birth many believe is very bad luck...like counting your chickens before they are hatched. Baby showers are unheard of. People also don't really mention a pregnancy or give congratulations. We did have a baby shower here in Moscow and many of our Russian friends came...they were very curious about it. While talking to them about this tradition, many recognized the practicality of baby showers and had a lot of fun...but when I asked if they wanted one they said no...they don't want to tempt fate.

-Mothers typically do not show their baby to anyone except the father of that child and the midwife for 40 days after the baby is born. There is some fear of germs and disease...but they also believe it is just bad luck. Many mothers will not allow photographs of their baby's face until after the first 40 days. One of our friend's sisters had a baby a few weeks ago...but she has not been allowed to see the baby up close, or see any pictures. So she doesn't even know what her niece looks like.

-A stranger should not look at a newborn baby before it is a certain age (between two months and one year). If one looks at the baby it is considered bad luck to compliment it. Instead, one could say, "Oh, what an ugly child!". Thankfully, many people do not still hold to this...Liam has not been called ugly yet!

-Russians also believe that babies are always cold and must be kept warm at all times. You will see infants in snowsuits in warm weather...and when it gets cold...you can't even see the baby! We get scolded on a regular basis for not putting a hat/gloves/boots or anything else someone thinks Liam might need on him.

The Return of English Movie Night

2010-09-19T05:36:00.000+08:00

One of our favorite parts of the Fall and Spring semester last year was being able to meet with friends once a week for English Movie Night. As you probably know, every Friday we invite friends over, have snacks, watch a movie, and practice English. As well, it was (selfishly) an opportunity to keep up with old friends and meet new ones.

This inaugural night was a blast. Between the movies Wall-E, Slumdog Millionaire, and Casablanca, the winning vote went with Casablanca.

Our friends Andrew and Ira (you've met them before)

Newcomers to movie night, Sophia, Zhenya, and Ksenya

Vika, Nadya, and Vasya (Vika always manages to turn and strike a pose at the perfect time)

Liam also enjoyed Casablanca, but not nearly as much as he enjoyed sucking on his fist.

Natasha and Gleb; this conversation was much more civil than it looks!

Viktor! He was able to visit the U.S. during the summer. I think he saw more of America than I have.

The friend with the infectious laughter, Vasya

Our friend Olga

Dacha Days

2010-09-15T04:24:00.000+08:00

Just this past week Beth and I were invited to join friends of ours at their family's dacha. Andrew and Ira is a couple that we have known for a long time now (especially Andrew), and we were more than excited to join them for a little break from city life. Although Beth and I were very excited to be leaving Moscow with great friends, we still had a twinge of nervousness-- mostly of just the unknown. We had never met Ira's parents, we didn't know anything about where we were going, or if Liam would be a disturbance to the family and so on. But at the same time we knew we couldn't pass up on this adventure. But we were still nervous.

Their dacha's village.

Dacha sweet dacha!

Cooking mushroom soup!

Breakfast

The best shashlik I've ever eaten.

Their dacha is located outside of Dmitrov, a city near Sergev Posad. Typically like most dachas they had a banya, and land with several fruit trees and vegetable gardens. Most available space is used in some way-- the fences in the backyard were also used for different berry vines.

At the dacha we met Ira's parents, her mother Valentina and her step-father Oleg. Both were incredibly warm and gracious hosts. Valentina was always offering to hold Liam during meals or when he would cry. Oleg was incredibly smart and opinionated, always asking us random questions (like if the Panama Canal is freshwater or seawater). We'd always be wrong. He'd look down and start shaking his head every time. Even softball questions, like "Who's your favorite president." We thought that was a pretty easy question, he'd always inform us that we are incorrect.

Part of the time at the dacha was spent walking-- to villages nearby, to Orthodox churches in the area, and so on. Because Ira spent most of her summers here has a child, she would take us to particular areas that she was fond of as a child-- maybe a lake where they swam, or a silage where they would play in hay. Every place she took us carried so many memories for her, and that made things all the more special.

Ira looking over a nearby swamp.

Friends in a neighboring house were digging a new well.

We took a shortcut through this field to get to a church on the other side.

Cemetery near the church.

Day two-- more hiking.

The Saturday before leaving, Oleg offered to drive us around to different sights that we might be interested in. He took us by a lake as well as other Orthodox churches near their village.

The awesome Andrew and Ira.

Return of English Cafe

2010-09-07T03:56:00.000+08:00

This past Saturday marked the beginning of the English Cafe for the Fall 2010 semester! Hosted by teachers and staff from Hinkson Christian Academy, this informal and fun series of lessons are meant to help Russian students improve their conversational English. The topics vary each night. This night, because it was our first night back from the Summer, revolved around introductions.

After mingling, Tim Hange led us in a couple songs - "Shake a Friend's Hand" as well as the Happy Birthday song for Moscow's 863rd birthday.

Further introductions included "Speed Friendship" where we moved in circles-- spending three minutes getting to know a person, then moving on to the next Cafe-goer.

Playing a popular Russian game "Who? What? When? Where? Why?"

After a tea, coffee, and snack break we all ended the night with line dancing.

Not only were we able to meet and make new friends, but we also saw friends that had been either busy or out of the country during the Summer. We look forward to this upcoming fall semester and seeing them much more often!

It Takes a Village

2010-08-27T05:32:00.001+08:00

During our retreat to Saint Petersburg, Beth's brother Brandon came for a week or so to visit. While we only had a few days in St. Pete, we still tried to show him as many sights as possible before making our way back to Moscow.

One of those places was the beautiful Saint Isaac's Cathedral. Because there was a significant admission fee and Beth and I had already visited the church a few times, I decided to stay outside with Liam. Beth had fed him recently, and he had slept a while, so we felt like it was a perfect opportunity to leave him with me. He was in a good mood, and we figured Beth and Brandon would only be about 30 minutes. Everything would be fine.

We were wrong.

I walked Liam across the street to a park, and everything seemed very normal. Liam was in a content mood, and I decided to sit on a bench and park the stroller beside me. For some unknown reason (or a probably very easily known reason; babies are relatively simple to figure out), the instant I sat down, everything changed. Liam began crying-- one of his exceptionally loud, yelling cries. I proceeded to go through my Stop-Liam-From-Crying toolbox. I picked him up. Nothing. I turned him around to have him face in front of me. Nothing. I turned on music. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

Literally nothing I did calmed him down. I didn't know what to do. I was (and am) still in that self-conscious stage where I fear everyone around me is judging me for having a crying baby.

After about a minute, I was bombarded. An Orthodox woman sitting on a nearby bench ran over and kept crossing herself and saying a little prayer for Liam. Then the nearby porta-potty attendant (only those who live in Russia will understand this amazing profession) ran over to try to help. At the same time, another woman selling souvenirs quickly put out her cigarette and ran over as well. Another woman just remained on the bench nearby, but did manage to shout a command here and there.

All these women tried their hardest to help quiet Liam. To my surprise and relief, not one woman approached me in harsh or judgmental way, and all wanted to help and support me in my mission to get Liam to stop crying. The questions came at me:

Do you have a pacifier?
Is he hungry?
Is he cold?
Does he need to eat?
Does he have a stomachache?
Does he have a hat?
Where is his mother?
Do you need to call her?

As the women passed Liam amongst themselves, I managed to quickly text Beth: "Hurry."

As I waited for Beth, and as Liam wailed at the top of his lungs, I tried to explain myself. I would say things like:

"He was happy just a few minutes ago."

or,

"This is my first child."

Anything to make it seem like I'm not actually a horrible parent and Liam is either crying because of something that is out of my control or something I don't know about.

Finally Beth came. And the women rejoiced.

After Beth finished feeding Liam, we left the park. But not before going by every woman that helped us to show off a happy child. Our way of saying, "Look, he doesn't cry like that all the time. He really can be quite pleasant."

English Camp - August 2010

2010-08-25T18:43:00.000+08:00

**I apologize in advance-- this is going to be a pretty picture heavy blog post (77 pics to be exact).

Inbetween all the craziness in Moscow and the retreat to St. Petersburg, Beth and I helped with an English Exchange Camp. Although this year the numbers were down and the students were much younger, we had another unforgettable week and will cherish the friendships that were made during our time at Fateeva.

Settled in St. Pete

2010-08-14T16:09:00.000+08:00

Pictures of smog in and around Moscow. Beth took these before we left the city.

Beth and I made it to St. Petersburg early Sunday morning.

Because we bought tickets last-minute, we had a slightly uncomfortable overnight ride there (probably more uncomfortable for Beth than myself). Most trains were sold out, except for one leaving at 1:30 in the morning and arriving around 10 in the morning. Beth and I had a four person compartment (called a "купе" -- it sounds like "koo-pay") with two bottom bunks and two top bunks. When we arrived two men were already asleep on the bottom bunks, so that left us with the two extremely narrow top bunks. Beth and Liam had to share a bunk together, which made for an interesting night. That, and we were nervous about Liam being a disturbance. But somehow, some way, Liam was quiet the entire trip (other than his laughs or attempts to talk to us). It was incredible. We couldn't believe it.

Upon arriving we were overwhelmed by the hospitality of those with our company here in the city. We were picked up and taken to where we were staying at a university in the city. Once we were settled in and thoroughly sanitized and de-smoked, we met up with fellow teammates for an early dinner.

Since Sunday most of our time here has been sightseeing and walking around downtown St. Petersburg.

Leaving Town

2010-08-08T04:15:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the brevity. We just wanted to give you guys a little update on this past week.

Beth and I have been away at an English Camp this week, giving us little ability to be in touch with anyone (phone, e-mail, Facebook, etc.). Just a couple days ago we did start receiving texts and phone calls (when we actually had reception) about the conditions in Moscow worsening, and people recommending that we leave the city for the time being. The heat wave has continued, but the smoke from forest fires around Moscow are just worsening. The last few days have been particularly bad.

So for the last day or so we began thinking about what to do once we returned to Moscow. Today was the last day of camp, and on our way into Moscow we decided to try to find train tickets to somewhere else in the country (because of Liam's lack of documents, we cannot leave Russia). We have found tickets tonight for St. Petersburg, and will stay there for at least a few days until the smoke (and hopefully heat) subsides.

While we are unsure of what we would do were it just Beth and I, we are too afraid to leave Liam in this smoke any longer. It's mostly for his health that we are leaving. It has become incredibly difficult to breathe while outside, and in our apartment has remained incredibly hot.

Here are a couple news articles that we've seen giving some of the best info on the problem in Moscow to date (thanks Andrea!).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10890557

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/08/06/russia.smog/index.html?hpt=T2#fbid=DknQ0aelK_W&wom=false

Once we have internet access in St. Pete we will try to keep you updated. We had an incredible week out at camp and can't wait to share all that has happened in August so far.

The Bevens' Last Day

2010-07-27T05:00:00.000+08:00

This past Tuesday our friends Eddie and Lisa Bevens returned to the U.S. after nearly two weeks of non-stop sightseeing all around Moscow. Over the span of 12 days we wore them out and got them sunburned (who would have thought that could happen in Russia??), but we had a blast while doing it. Most days comprised of heading out around lunchtime to visit different spots around Moscow, getting home around dinnertime and collapsing with a bowl of ice-cream and strawberries (we REALLY take advantage of the fruit produce during the Summer.... you'll find strawberries or raspberries in our refrigerator at ALL times).

I may try to post pictures of the entire week, but I wanted to at least touch on one of the days we spent out on the town. On their last day we took them to Новодевичий Монастырь (Novodevichy Monastery) -- the third most popular tourist spot in Moscow, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and ironically, a place I had never heard of. How sad is that??

Beautiful domed cathedrals.

A wall where prayers are written. I noticed one large inscription in particular, praying for an apartment in Moscow.

View from across the pond.

After our trip to the convent, we met up with Vasya and Masha and we went to a new (and first authentic) Mexican restaurant in Moscow, "Amigo Miguel." Vasya's girlfriend Vika is a personal assistant/translator for the head chef Alfredo. The food was INCREDIBLE.

How's the Weather?

2010-07-22T23:04:00.000+08:00

One of the questions we get often is the usual "How's the weather?"

It makes sense why we would be asked that. Russia usually is described as a cold, snowy terrain with little greenery. But the country is much more bucolic than many suppose. While Winters here are long and harsh, the Spring and Summers are just about perfect. Mostly clear skies, thunderstorms here and there, warm tempuratures, and so on.

But for the last month or so, most of Russia has been hit by a drought and heatwave. Temperatures have hovered around 90, and rain has been extremely rare. I know 90 doesn't sound so bad, but not only do we not have A/C in our apartment, but we do not have a car to get us where we need to go. We feel at times like there's no escaping the heat. And prices of fans and A/C units have now skyrocketed-- the smaller desk fans are selling for around $90!

And according to the above article, this is one of the worst droughts/heatwaves since Russia began recording the weather over 130 years ago!

Sadly the heat has been more than just a problem of comfort. In a recent AP news article, hundreds of people have drowned since the heatwave began. The basic gist of the problem is that people seek relief in the countryside during free time, and while trying to stay cool by lake-swimming they also stay pretty inebriated. The results have been over 400 drownings just since the beginning of July.

We promise we're not trying to complain or garner sympathy. It's just been a really strange and hot period. We've never drank more water. We've never scoped out where to go based on whether or not they have air conditioning (the Dunkin Donuts on Novy Arbat, I must say, has the most astounding A/C we've encountered) until now.

So far there has been no sign of relief. It looks like temperatures may slowly drop by next weekend, but until then most of Moscow will remain perpetually sweaty.

House Church

2010-07-16T14:45:00.000+08:00

This past Sunday Beth and I had our first house church/bible study in our apartment. Organized and led by Jon Barr, this is the first of hopefully many weeks where we are able to gather with friends to worship and fellowship. We hope to continue these throughout the Summer and into the Fall.

This week we talked about charity.

Grandmothers' in Town

2010-07-02T02:22:00.000+08:00

For nearly a month now Beth and I have welcomed our mothers as guests. Beth's mother, Barbara, arrived June 3rd and returned home June 24th. My mother, Adele, flew over on June 18th and will be leaving July 3rd.

Barbara with Liam.

Adele with Liam.

Barbara was here for the delivery! Unfortunately she was not able to be up in the delivery room, but we were so glad that she could be here for the before and after. She walked with me every day to and from the hospital (she was so willing to do anything and everything!), and was always there to help in any way possible.

Since this is my mother's first time out of the country, I've tried to balance the time between Liam and sightseeing. We've spent time out around the town, but also made sure that most of the allotted time is spent with Liam. It's been so great to show her special places all around Moscow.

They have been such an incredible help at this particular time. More than they can possibly know.

Another Montage -- Liam's First Few Weeks

2010-07-01T15:57:00.001+08:00

Failure at ZAGS

2010-06-30T17:17:00.000+08:00

Well, we were not able to get Liam's birth certificate yesterday.

It turns out that we need our marriage certificate to be "apostilled." Basically that means we need an original copy with an internationally recognized notary. In order to get this Beth's mother will have to go to the same courthouse that we received the certificate in Georiga, and not only get another certificate but have it apostilled and rushed to Moscow.

We hope to have all of this finished and his birth certificate in hand by July 9. If it's a month after his birth there will be slight fine, but it's good to know that there is no major rush.

Liam Doesn't Exist Yet -- Legally Speaking

2010-06-29T03:22:00.000+08:00

Yep. As of right now, Liam does not exist in any sort of legal status. The only current information about Liam is a sheet of paper stating that Beth Rhodes gave birth to him on June 9. He has no name, and I'm not mentioned in anything.

But tomorrow, everything will change.

In order to get Liam's birth certificate, tomorrow we will have to go to the записи актов
гражданского состояния, or ЗАГС (ZAGS), the civil registry of Russia. We most not only bring our passports but also our marriage certificate, and the previously mentioned paper we received from the hospital. We still are not sure yet if we need to bring Liam, but we hope to find out tomorrow before leaving. Our best guess is it's going to be a long day.

And we do all this to receive Liam's Russian birth certificate-- only then can we go to the American Embassy and get his American citizenship worked out. Right now we're looking into dual citizenship. We've heard both that he will and won't be able to, so we'll hopefully find out a definite answer tomorrow. But how cool would it be if he could have a dual?

We'll let you know how things go!

A First Video

2010-06-28T20:49:00.001+08:00

I just realized I hadn't posted this.

Here's just a little montage of some footage taken over Liam's first few days.

I should have another up shortly!

Two Weeks Later

2010-06-25T01:58:00.001+08:00

Sorry it's been so long. Things have been hectic here, but thankfully we haven't been missing much work-wise. Things have kind of been at a lull, and the first week of Liam's life our entire team was outside of Moscow at a conference.

Liam turned two weeks old yesterday.

Beth recently started a blog about Liam and her pregnancy here in Moscow. You can find the blog at http://iambabyliam.blogspot.com. Please go and follow. It's very exciting to see Beth writing. I will contribute from time to time, but probably through only adding picture or video.

Here is a recent post about the day of delivery. It's long but I hope you enjoy it.

We went in for a check up on Tuesday the 8^th. The doctor said that there were still no signs that the baby was going to come in to the world on his own and she wanted to start the induction process. She sent us to the first floor to check into labor and delivery. As soon as I got there I was surrounded by a troop of Russian nurses, each with a job. They took my blood pressure, felt my stomach, measured me, weighed me, felt my ankles, asked millions of questions, took my clothes, showered me, and dressed me in a gown and robe. I felt like I was in a whirlwind and didn’t understand anything going on. But finally I was ready and they admitted me to the hospital and took me to my room.

The induction process my doctor wanted to use was a slow process. She started Tuesday evening with a preparatory procedure…I was then supposed to sleep through the night and then they would start medication in the morning. Tim and my mom stayed with me until about 11 that night and then they had to go home. I slept like a baby until the nurse woke me up the next morning.

About nine o’clock Wednesday morning they gave medication to start labor. Tim and my mom arrived five minutes after this and contractions began soon after. By 11 o’clock they were rolling me to the delivery room. Tim had to go downstairs to get scrubbed in and suited up. I was in the delivery room for about 30 minutes waiting for him…getting a little desperate…I was so glad when he finally arrived. I sent him right out to ask the nurse when I could get my epidural. By noon the anesthesiologist was in my room giving me my epidural and I couldn’t wait! He told me, “five minutes and no more pain.” However, fifteen minutes later one of my legs felt a little tingly…but not quite the pain relief I was expecting. I told the nurse and the anesthesiologist came back and upped my dose. My other leg felt a little tingly…but my pain was increasing by a lot! I told the nurse again that I was still feeling pain. The anesthesiologist returned and after chatting with the nurse for a moment…decided to redo my epidural. He pulled the first one out of my back and put a new one in a few vertebras higher. Then he gave me twice the dose. Five minutes later I was feeling nothing…my lips were even numb. I guess due to the fact I couldn’t feel anything I stopped breathing as well as I should, and the baby’s heart rate started dropping. A small army of nurses came into my room and yelled at me to breathe. I had to really focus and breathe…but his heart rate stabilized. This was about 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

I napped for a while and Tim and I talked. I was thinking that this labor thing wasn’t so bad. We were incredibly surprised when around five o’clock my doctor came in and told us it was time to turn the epidural off. I told her no…and asked why! She told me they must because I had to be able to feel to push. I was confused because I know a lot of women in America who have not felt anything and been perfectly able to push. For about the next two hours…I got the full natural birth experience. I really thought I might die. I also glared at my doctor constantly. Only the fact that I needed her then kept me from telling her exactly how I felt about her. If you have spent any time in Moscow you know that Russians are crazy about their cell phones and answer them whenever they ring. You can always hear stories about teachers answering calls during a lecture, bank tellers in the middle of your transaction, or waiters while you are ordering. This cultural trend is also true for doctors while you are in labor. At least six times during the final part of my labor, my doctor’s phone rang and she would leave the room. One time she told me that the next contraction we would push…however, right as the contraction started she got a call and left. I told Tim I was going to push anyway…but he talked me out of it. Finally at 6:53 William Soren Rhodes was born. They washed him right there and wrapped him up and Tim was able to spend the next hour or so walking with him and talking to him. I was not so lucky. The doctor needed to fix me up…so they called the anesthesiologist back. He gave me what he called a super epidural…he said I wouldn’t be able to feel my legs at all or be able to walk for at least 2 hours. However, when the doctor came back in a few minutes later I quickly informed her that I could feel everything and wiggled my toes for her. She promptly took a needle and poked me with it. I yelled and told her that it hurt…she asked if it was pain or pressure. I informed her it felt like she just poked me with a needle. The anesthesiologist came back and gave me something else. An hour later I started coming to. Tim kept talking to me…but I couldn’t really understand or respond to him. I could just look at him and our son. It didn’t matter what I was feeling…seeing them together was pure joy. About 2 hours after Liam was born we were able to go to our room. My mom and our friend Andrea joined us in the room and we ate dinner. I couldn’t stop looking at Liam. He was perfect and it started to sink in that I was his mother.

It's Liam!

2010-06-11T04:19:00.000+08:00

On June 9, 2010, at 6:53 p.m. Moscow time, William Soren Rhodes was born.

He weighed in at 3.8 kilos (8.3 pounds), and was 55 centimeters (22 inches) long.

No Baby Yet

2010-06-02T19:36:00.001+08:00

Well yesterday was Beth's official (kind of) due date, and it's come and gone and our child isn't here yet. We're definitely not fans of waiting--mostly because of the unpredictable part of it, but we're trying to be patient.

While we're waiting, here are some recent baby-related pictures!

We did the obligatory photo shoot before the baby:

Here's the baby's part of the room-- we went with the outer space/cosmonaut theme:

Here are some scans of an ultrasound taken a couple months ago:

Found in Translation

2010-06-01T16:19:00.000+08:00

Most of our time here in Moscow has involved language mistakes. It's just life. The Russian language has been a blast to learn, but is insanely difficult. So part of the learning of course is just screwing up. All the time.

And it's bothersome for me especially, because I don't want people to know that I'm "not from around here." And occasionally I get away with it. But I almost always don't. There's always this point when something clicks in the other persons head that you can visibly see them realize "oh, he's not Russian."

But here are a couple instances lately where I've had good interactions.

A week or so ago I took a couple passports to be registered, and when I dropped them off, the man told me in English that they would be available on Tuesday. Then, for some reason, he looks at me and then says it in Russian. With my natural desire to try to fool people by any means, I go with Russian and continue our conversation. It felt so good. As dumb as it sounds, it gets frustrating when people revert to English automatically. Just because it show's how obviously not Russian I am.
I went to a fruit and vegetable stand near our apartment, and of course butchered the endings on some of my words (when you address a direct object, for instance if you say "I want strawberries," whatever the direct object is, in this case the strawberries, you have to change the ending of the word. And there's a different ending if it's plural. Am I putting you to sleep already?). I'm sure I messed it up, but the woman apologized to me! She said "excuse me, I'm sorry I don't understand so well, I'm not from here." Even though it was me who messed the language up, something felt so good about not being the one apologizing.
I stopped by another fruit stand a few days ago to pick up strawberries (yet again). This was the first time this spring I had stopped by this particular stand, but the woman there asked about Beth. She said she knows that she is pregnant and was wondering if we had the baby yet. I told her not yet, but any time now. She was warm and very well-wishing. I know this really isn't that big of a deal, but I cherish interactions like these. You can believe we will be frequenting this stand often.

These are just three of my good experiences, but for every one good experience I could share probably 20 mistakes. But it's all part of language acquisition. And it keeps you humble to say the least. :-)

Spring in Moscow

2010-05-29T02:31:00.000+08:00

It's hard to describe the feeling here in Moscow after a long and rough Winter. As much as I love snow, even I was tired of slipping and sliding after the third month of it.

But around the end of April-- everything changes. Temperatures rise, the snow melts, and there's much more daylight.

When Spring comes, Moscow turns into a completely different city. Parks are full, flowers are planted everywhere, and everybody just wants to be outside. We are even planning on changing our English Movie Nights to just meeting at parks and walking.

This video can't do it justice, but it's a little slice of what's been happening and the excitement of the new season. If you cannot see the video, click HERE. Or try the Youtube version HERE.

Spring in Moscow from Tim Rhodes on Vimeo.

Last Kids Club

2010-05-26T12:32:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, May 25, was Последний звонок (Last Bell) in Russia-- the last day of school.

Last Wednesday was our last Kids Club for the semester. Because of this we spent the entire time reviewing songs we had practiced and sang over the semester. Every Wednesday we would spend an hour each afternoon teaching 10-18 six and seven year old's simple English words and phrases-- colors, foods, animals, and so on. We would teach songs or games, anything that was fun and would help children remember the vocabulary.

We will miss seeing and teaching these children!

Reviewing the motions of "Hokey Pokey"

I don't remember what she was asking me--

Trying to get everyone organized for the songs

This looks completely posed but I promise I didn't know she was taking a picture. Timofei was leading us in a song.

Singing the Hokey Pokey

Friday Night at the Park

2010-05-22T13:56:00.001+08:00

A couple weeks ago we had a pretty unanimous idea to move our usual Friday English Movie Night outside. Winter has been gone for over a month now, and the weather is incredible here in Moscow. Because our friends the Friersons and Wilhelms were here visiting on their way to Prague, we decided to hang out at Парк Победы (Victory Park). It's one of my favorite parks, and has a place where you can sit, relax, and eat sashlik!

Thanksgiving in Estonia!

2010-05-20T13:29:00.000+08:00

Man.... so I'm finaly getting around to posting the video footage I took from Tallinn, Estonia. Beth and I went to Tallinn around Thanksgiving to visit friends. We hope you like the video! If you are receiving this post through e-mail and cannot see the video, click HERE.

Weekend with Friends

2010-05-17T03:23:00.000+08:00

It's always a great time win the Friersons and Wilhelms come to Moscow for a visit. This weekend they were on their way to Prague for a visa run and school, but they spend a couple days taking in the sights and (mostly) foods of Moscow. Because they live in Izhevsk, and don't have the culinary varieties that we have here in Moscow, we like to spoil them just a little (Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Starlite Diner, etc.). It's also a good excuse for us to hit up the good places. :-)

Victory Day in Moscow - Video Highlights

2010-05-12T23:42:00.001+08:00

If you can't see the video, click HERE.

Victory Day 2010

2010-05-11T21:32:00.000+08:00

One of the biggest holidays in Russia is May 9th - Victory Day. Last year Beth and I managed to make it out to see the parade, and this year we wanted to try to see it again. We met up with Andrea and Chris, and although we didn't make it to see the parade on the road (the crowds were immense), we were able to see the air show:

Alpha Course Weekend Away - Spring '10

2010-05-11T03:25:00.000+08:00

A few weeks ago we took our Alpha Course out to the dacha for a weekend! Other Gail, Andrea, Thomas, Mary-Louise, and Bob all came for three days of relaxation and worship. Friends of Gail graciously allowed us to stay at their dacha for the weekend--only around 60 kilometers south of Moscow.

Thomas marveling the fireplace and fire he created.

We spent a lot of our time reading during the weekend.

We also spent some time walking through the woods.

We also got a little lost.... but Thomas is a master tracker.

The dacha we stayed (it was incredible!)

Thomas!

Andrea!

Mary Louise!

Speaking of Mary Louise, she led worship for the weekend.

Bob! He was the guest speaker for the weekend.

The neighborhood

Trying to hitch a ride back to Moscow!

Beth is Back

2010-05-03T22:18:00.001+08:00

Beth arrived back here in Moscow Thursday evening, following a rather lengthy trip from Atlanta to Rome to home. There was a slight delay in Atlanta which resulted in her being late for her flight to Rome, but she was bumped to the next flight and made it back to Moscow by the evening.

Unfortunately her luggage didn't quite make it, but it arrived by the next day and we made a special trip back to the airport to get it. We were so excited to go through things we decided to go at the last minute Friday night, and didn't get back home with her suitcases until almost midnight.

Beth was able to bring back not only valued food items (barecue sauce, girl scout cookies, to name a couple), but also different baby clothes and items.

Beth also managed to bring back CHICK-FIL-A!

Now that she's back we're slowly making preparations for the arrival of our son in about a month. Tomorrow we go to her doctor to get a referral to a hospital where Beth will give birth. We are still trying to figure things out, but are sure things will come together and the pieces will fall into place.

Trip to Izhevsk!

2010-04-29T19:19:00.000+08:00

Last week I decided to visit some great friends who live in Izhevsk, the capital of the Republic of Udmurtia here in Russia. I had some free time Monday through Thursday, so I decided to hop a 17 hour train Monday afternoon, and arrived Tuesday morning.

After an eventful ride on the train (I happened to be sleeping by a rather inebriated man), I was met at the station by Ross Frierson and Ricky and Brandy Wilhelm (Ross's awesome wife, Dena, was at home working on a delicious lunch). They pulled out all the stops.

The first evening of my stay we went out to learn some traditional Udmurt dances. It was a blast!

Throughout the few days, they also took me to visit different monuments in the city.

We also visited the local zoo!

We also visited the Klashnikov museum (yes, THAT Klashnikov!)

I think the only downside of the entire trip was its brevity. It all went by too quickly, but it was a great opportunity to visit awesome friends and see more of the vast expanse that is known as Russia.

Moscow Metro Dance

2010-04-26T22:35:00.001+08:00

This video is pretty great.

OW/EE Business Seminar - Spring 2010

2010-04-26T00:31:00.000+08:00

Here are some more photos of the exciting April 9-11 weekend:

Sorry for the extreme delay; life has been hectic lately. But more on that soon!

First Year in Moscow!

2010-04-19T05:22:00.000+08:00

Wow, it's so hard to believe. Today is the one year anniversary of Beth and my arrival to the incredible city of Moscow.

Sadly Beth and I were not able to celebrate today, as she is relaxing in the good ole U.S.A. In fact, she has been so kind to call me from time to time, usually between trips to Chick-Fil-A.

I don't really know how to express the emotions and experiences of this past year, but Beth and I consider ourselves to be very grateful to be in such a place.

Thank you so much for your continued support and encouragement. We are far more fortunate than we deserve.

Business Seminar Weekend! Pt. 1

2010-04-15T03:02:00.000+08:00

This past weekend I was able to attend a business seminar hosted by Open World and the English Exchange. It was a very busy but exciting weekend. I was able to hang out with old friends and meet new ones, both Russian and American. My primary job was to capture the weekend for a future promotional video. I did some photography too.

Here are a few for now:

Busy Week!

2010-04-09T19:53:00.000+08:00

Well, it's been a hectic week. Many of you may know this already, but Beth left for America yesterday to receive a new visa. She'll be in Atlanta for nearly two weeks. Try to see her if you're able to!

I'm headed out for a business seminar for the weekend. I'll try to post something substantial when I return!

Христос Воскрес!

2010-04-05T03:51:00.000+08:00

Воистину Воскрес!

Forgive me, I stole this from Michial Farmer and the Christian Humanist blog. But it is incredible.

Make no mistake: if He rose at all
it was as His body;
if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fall.

It was not as the flowers,
each soft Spring recurrent;
it was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled eyes of the eleven apostles;
it was His flesh: ours.

The same hinged thumbs and toes,
the same valved heart
that–pierced–died, withered, paused, and then regathered out of enduring Might
new strength to enclose.

Let us not mock God with metaphor,
analogy, sidestepping, transcendence;
making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the faded credulity of earlier ages:
let us walk through the door.

The stone is rolled back, not papier-mache,
not a stone in a story,
but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow grinding of time will eclipse for each of us
the wide light of day.

And if we will have an angel at the tomb,
make it a real angel,
weighty with Max Planck’s quanta, vivid with hair, opaque in the dawn light, robed in real linen
spun on a definite loom.

Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,
for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty,
lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are embarrassed by the miracle,
and crushed by remonstrance.
- John Updike

Events of Today

2010-03-30T04:56:00.001+08:00

Sorry for the continuous posts.

As you all know, two bombings occurred today in the Moscow metro -- one at "Лубянка" (Lubyanka) station and one at "Парк Культури" (Park Culturi). Both happened within 30 minutes of each other--one around 8:00 a.m. and one around 8:30-8:45 a.m. 38 are dead, around 65 are injured

While trying not to co-op on other people's pain, Beth and I have never been closer to an attack like this than today. We have come to regard this city as our home, and we share the pain of the citizens of Moscow. We grieve with our friends here. We fear with them. These are just random places, these are places that we know and travel to often.

Our new language teacher, Irina, who has tutored for our company for years, her husband was injured in an explosion. He is out of surgery and still has not regained consciousness as far as we know. Please keep their family in your prayers.

As you probably noticed in an earlier post, Beth and I love the metro. We don't give taking it a second thought. It's just something that we do to get around Moscow. But now there is this intense fear and apprehension with going near a station. In reality, we are probably just as safe as we were the day before the attacks, but our emotions tell us otherwise. Although we have to just live life normally, internally we feel at a stand still.

Please keep the families of the victims and injured in your prayers. People are shaken all over Moscow-- a cashier I spoke through at the grocery store said it was "как кошмар" -- "like a nightmare." If nothing else, we hope this time will be a reflection in all of our lives about what really matters-- and a reminder of how fleeting life is. May we make every breath count.

We're Okay

2010-03-29T18:32:00.001+08:00

Hey guys,

Sorry I didn't mention earlier that Beth and I are fine. Actually, I had just gotten up to head out when I heard the news. Needless to say my meeting was cancelled.

Here's a message from the Russian Cluster Leader, Ed Tarleton:

This is just a brief message to let you know that all of our folks in Moscow are safe and sound. News reports continue to develop as to the full extent of the damages and loss of life caused by the explosions in the Moscow Metro System this morning. Please lift up the people of Moscow to the Father.

Please keep those involved in your prayers, we have not heard from all of our friends here, so keep their safety in your prayers too.

Women suicide bombers kill dozens in Moscow Metro attacks - Times Online

2010-03-29T15:19:00.000+08:00

Women suicide bombers kill dozens in Moscow Metro attacks - Times Online

At least 34 people were killed and dozens more injured when female suicide bombers attacked two Moscow metro stations at the height of rush hour this morning.

The first blast came at the Lubyanka station in central Moscow at 0756 (0356 GMT) killing 22 people.

The headquarters of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), successor to the Soviet-era KGB, is located above the station which is just yards away the Kremlin.

Around 45 minutes later at 0838 (0438 GMT) the second explosion happened at Park Kultury station, killing at least 12 more people. "There are killed and injured," a security source said.

The blasts were caused by two women wearing belts packed with explosives, Moscow's chief prosecutor Yuri Syomin told reporters.

Surveillance camera footage posted on the Interbet showed motionless bodies lying in Lubyanka station lobby and emergency workers treating victims.

Passengers, many of them in tears, streamed out of the station, one man exclaiming over and over "This is how we live!"

No group immediately took responsibility for the blasts, but suspicion is likely to fall on Chechen militants and other groups from Russia's North Caucasus, where Russia is fighting a growing Islamist insurgency.

Russian emergencies ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova said the first explosion happened as a metro train stopped at the Lubyanka station that was packed with peak hour commuters.

"The blast hit the second carriage of a metro train that stopped at Lubyanka," she said. Commuters were killed both on the platform and in the carriage and at least 10 people were wounded, she said.

The second blast also took place in a train carriage while it was stationary at the platform, she added.

The twin attacks practically paralysed movement on the city's main roads, as emergency vehicles sped to the stations. Helicopters hovered over the Park Kultury station area, which is next to the city's renowned Gorky Park.

Security sources told the state Interfax news agency the blast could have been caused by a suicide bomber. Authorities have opened a criminal investigation into terrorism, a spokesman of the investigative committee of prosecutors said.

Over the last decade the Russian capital has been hit by a string of deadly explosions claimed by Chechen militants.

The last fatal attack on the Moscow underground was in 2004. That attack, which killed 39 people and wounded another 150, was claimed by Chechen terrorists

The Moscow subway system is one of the world's busiest, carrying around 7 million passengers on an average workday, and is a key element in running the sprawling city.

Recent attacks in Russia

1994-1996 - Tens of thousands of people are killed in the first Chechen war.

June 1995 - Chechen rebels seize hundreds of hostages in a hospital in the southern Russian town of Budennovsk. More than 100 people are killed during the rebel assault and a botched Russian commando raid.

Jan 1996 - Chechen fighters take hundreds hostage in a hospital at Kizlyar in Dagestan, then move them by bus to Pervomaiskoye on the Chechen border. Most rebels escape but many hostages are killed when Russian forces attempt a rescue.

Sept 1999 - Bombs destroy apartment blocks in Moscow, Buynaksk and Volgodonsk. More than 200 people are killed. Moscow blames Chechens who in turn blame Russian secret services.

Aug-Sept 1999 - Hundreds of Russian soldiers killed battling Chechen militants in the mountains of Dagestan. The second Chechen war begins and Russia bombs Chechnya. Tens of thousands are killed in the war. Russia re-establishes direct rule in 2000.

Oct 23-26, 2002 - 129 hostages and 41 Chechen guerrillas are killed when Russian troops storm a Moscow theatre where rebels had taken 700 people captive three days earlier. Most of the hostages are killed by gas used to knock out the Chechens.

July 5, 2003 - Two women suicide bombers kill 15 other people when they blow themselves up at an open-air rock festival at Moscow's Tushino airfield. Sixty are injured.

Aug 1, 2003 - A suicide bomber driving a truck packed with explosives blows up a military hospital at Mozdok in North Ossetia bordering Chechnya. The blast kills at least 50.

Dec 5, 2003 - An explosion tears through a morning commuter train just outside Yessentuki station in Russia's southern fringe. Forty-six people are killed and 160 injured.

Dec 9, 2003 - A suicide bomber kills five other people near the Kremlin. At least 13 people are wounded.

Feb 6, 2004 - A suicide bombing kills at least 39 people and wounds more than 100 on an underground train in Moscow.

May 9, 2004 - Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov is killed in a bomb blast in Grozny.

June 22, 2004 - Rebels seize an interior ministry building in Ingushetia, near Chechnya, and attack other points in lightning attacks. At least 92 people are killed including the acting regional interior minister, Abukar Kostoyev.

Aug 24, 2004 - Two Russian passenger planes are blown up almost simultaneously, killing 90 people. One Tu-134, flying to Volgograd, goes down south of Moscow. Moments later a Tu-154 bound for Sochi crashes near Rostov-on-Don.

Aug 31, 2004 - A suicide bomb attack in central Moscow kills 10 people and injures 51.

Sept 1-3, 2004 - 331 hostages - half of them children - die in a chaotic storming of School No.1 in Beslan, after it is seized by rebels demanding Chechen independence.

Oct 13, 2005 - Up to 100 rebels attack key security points in Nalchik, main city of the Muslim Kabardino-Balkaria region. Twelve local residents are killed as well as 12 police. Twenty fighters are killed and 12 are seized by security forces.

Feb 10, 2006 - Seven Russian policemen and 12 gunmen are killed when special forces storm houses to fight rebels holed up in a village in the Stavropol region of southern Russia.

Aug 21, 2006 - A bomb kills 10 people in a Moscow suburban market.

April 27, 2007 - A Russian helicopter is shot down in Chechnya, killing 18 people.

Aug 13, 2007 - A bomb derails the Nevsky Express between Moscow and St Petersburg, injuring 60 people.

Aug 31, 2007 - A bomb on a bus in the Southern Russian city of Togliatti kills eight and injures 50 during the rush hour.

June 22, 2009 - Ingush President Yunus-Bek Yevkurov is seriously injured when a suicide bomber detonates explosives beside his car. He later recovers and returns to work.

Aug 17, 2009 - A suicide bomber drives a truck into the gates of the main police station in Nazran, the largest city in Ingushetia, killing 20 people and wounding 138 others.

Nov 27, 2009 - A bomb blast derails the Nevsky Express with about 700 people on board. At least 26 people are killed and 100 injured.

Jan 6, 2010 - At least seven policemen are killed and 20 more injured in Dagestan when a suicide bomber detonates a car packed with explosives at a traffic police depot.

March 29, 2010 - At least two blasts strike Moscow metro stations during rush hour, killing 34 people and wounding 18.

At least 25 dead in Moscow metro explosion - Times Online

2010-03-29T13:21:00.000+08:00

At least 25 dead in Moscow metro explosion - Times Online

At least 43 people have been killed and scores more injured as two explosions ripped through the Moscow metro at the height of rush hour this morning.

The first blast at the Lubyanka station in central Moscow happened at 0756 (0356 GMT) as thousands of passengers were packed onto trains.

The headquarters of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), successor to the Soviet-era KGB, is located just above the station.

"The blast hit the second carriage of a metro train that stopped at Lubyanka," Russian emergencies ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova said.

"Fourteen people died in the wagon of the train and 11 on the platform," said Ms Andrianova. At least 10 people were wounded, she said.

The second explosion happened at Park Kultury at 0838 (0438 GMT), killing at least 18 more people. "There are killed and injured," a security source said.

Security sources told the state Interfax news agency the blast could have been caused by a suicide bomber

The Russian capital over the last decade was hit by a string of deadly explosions claimed by Chechen militants.

The last fatal attack on the Moscow underground was 2004, killing 39 people and wounded another 150. That attack was claimed by Chechen terrorists

more to come

BKAR -- Eastern Orthodxy: An Overview

2010-03-28T05:54:00.003+08:00

After posting the introduction I started realizing how daunting of a task this is. After much thought, I've decided to separate this "Better Know a Religion: Eastern Orthodoxy" in to the following sections:

An Overview (this post)
Orthodox Beliefs (Similarities and Differences)
The Day-To-Day (What Orthodoxy Looks Like)
and etc.

In this overview we decided to give basic facts and statistics and a little history about Orthodoxy. Granted, you can probably go to Wikipedia and read practically the same thing, but pretend you don't know that.

The Orthodox Church around the world is estimated to have between 225 - 300 million members (varying sites give varying numbers). Although these members are found all over the world, a majority are found in the former Soviet countries (Russia, namely, as well as Belarus, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, and so on), Greece, and Ethopia.

In Russia, 80% of the population claim to be Orthodox (a number I was surprised at--I actually thought it would be higher). 10% of this group attend church regularly, while 43% only go on holidays (sound familiar westerners??).

Although the split between the West (Catholic) and East (Orthodox) occurred in 1054 (known as the Great Schism), thus forming both churches, the tension between regions had been growing for centuries.

In the beginning, however, there was a sort of "unity despite diversity" between the churches of the Latin West and the Greek East. There was this understanding that because of the varied cultures and ways of thinking and approaches to living, the church would have to find ways to make the gospel meaningful to their present culture. The West had a more pragmatic, logical, and legal view of the Gospel (as America tends to even today), talking about laws and justice. According to Dr. James R. Payton, Jr., the distinctly Roman approach was the practical application of the gospel.

Despite the similarities of reason and democracy, the East took a different approach. Because of the philosophical background of the ancient Greeks, the East had a more abstract and mystical approach to the Gospel. An old saying goes, "the Greeks built metaphysical systems; the Romans built roads." While the West relied on reason to help in understanding Christianity, the east put limitations on what reason could attain. The Eastern mindset was not on justice, guilt, and laws, but light and darkness, spirit and matter, life and death, good and evil.

It is important to note here that both viewpoints are not a contradiction, nor is one better than the other-- they are complimentary. Dr. Payton writes:

As the Christian message spread into these divergent cultures, it came to people whose attitudes and concerns had been shaped by those cultures. These people had the same longings, needs, and ultimate concerns as any human would, but the particular ways in which they thought, acted, and lived, and the questions with which the wrestled, were inevitably shaped y and inextricably bound up with the cultures in which they had grown up.

Thus, contextualization was not a merely theoretical issue but the need of the hour for the fledgling church. Without departing from the teaching of Christ and the apostles, the church nevertheless, in bringing the gospel relevantly to each of these great cultures, spoke it into those cultures in ways that their people could understand. Those who heard the gospel and responded in faith also incorporated it in terms of the concerns they already knew and the questions with which they traditionally wrestled. Because of this, from early in the church's existence, different emphases and stresses in teaching and preaching emerged in the two halves of the Roman Empire. These distinguishable emphases did not contradict each other, but they were nevertheless different. Each was a relevant response to the distinct culture into which the gospel had come.

As I mentioned earlier, in the beginning these differences between Western and Eastern Christianity did not split the church; there was in fact surprising unity. However, by the 5th century, relations began to change and become strained. That, along with differences of beliefs in icons, when Easter should be celebrated, and so on, caused wider rifts. Finally, because of differing beliefs on whether the Holy Sprit proceeded from God (patrioque), or God and Jesus (filioque), the Great Schism occurred in 1054, splitting the church into Catholic and Orthodox.

This is definitely not a comprehensive history. But I wanted to give an idea as to the background of the branches of Christianity that led to Orthodoxy. I feel this will help with the next post in understanding the beliefs and traditions, and why they might be similar in some cases and different in others to Protestantism and Catholicism.

For much more detail than I could give here, I recommend these great books on the matter:

Light From the Christian East: An Introduction to the Orthodox Tradition by James R. Payton, Jr.

Eastern Orthodox Christianity: A Western Perspective by Daniel Clendenin

This upcoming week Beth and I will also be observing the daily traditions from Palm Sunday tomorrow leading up to Resurrection Sunday. I know "tradition" is a word that many Protestants hiss at, but there can be great purpose in tradition, and must not be mistaken with traditionalism (Jaroslav Pelikan, in The Vindication of Tradition, writes "Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living"). More on that later.

Baby Shower в Москве!

2010-03-27T22:46:00.000+07:00

Beth and I are much more blessed than we deserve. Our amazing friends gave us a baby shower last night (hosted by Andrea with assistance from Charlotte, Mary Louise, and Lori). It was a wonderful evening!

The Incredible Moscow Metro

2010-03-24T23:30:00.000+07:00

One of our favorite aspects of Moscow is its public transportation. Yes it can be kind of crazy at times, but you can get nearly anywhere you like in all of Moscow. The metro system is one of the best in the world, and is the second busiest after Tokyo's twin subway. 7+ million passengers ride the metro DAILY.

The Moscow Metro is something that everyone should experience.

If you cannot see this video, click HERE.

If you cannot see this video, click HERE.

Better Know a Religion: Eastern Orthodoxy

2010-03-23T03:46:00.003+07:00

A popular saying in Russia goes, "To be Russian is to be Orthodox." And from the vast customs and traditions to the very language itself, it is obvious that Eastern Orthodoxy is deeply embedded in the culture in Russia.

The sad fact of the matter is that many westerners have very little knowledge and understanding of such an old and unique religion, but it's somewhat understandable. For many reasons, possibly the biggest being the Cold War during '50s the through late '80s/ early '90s (and Communism's attempt to squelch religion in the Soviet Union), there has been this fear of all things Eastern Europe, where a majority of Orthodoxy is practiced. Also, us westerners tend to lump Orthodoxy in with Catholicism--and although there are similarities, there are many differences as well (in fact, most Orthodox believers think Protestants and Catholics are more similar).

Leading up to Easter, Beth and I would like to share more about Orthodoxy--after all, it's the state religion here in Russia. Through living in Russia-- and individual study and attending a class on Orthodoxy in college, we have come to greatly appreciate this unique and beautiful branch of Christianity.

2010 Winter Vacation!

2010-03-22T17:12:00.003+07:00

Movie Night!

2010-03-20T20:31:00.000+07:00

As usual, Friday night was once again English Movie Night. This time around we watched The Hurt Locker -- being the Oscar winner for Best Picture we felt it was timely.

Here are some pictures from the night!

And finally, here's a picture of Beth! At week 30!

Trip to the Винзавод!

2010-03-05T16:38:00.000+07:00

Over the weekend Beth and I met up with Mary Louise and a friend of hers to visit an art gallery called "Винзавод." The name actually means "wine factory" in Russian, and that's exactly what the location was in the past. Recently the buildings were renovated and are now different art galleries showcasing all sorts of paintings, photographs, gifts, and so on. It's an interesting place to visit, and like most truly interesting places here in Moscow, they're a little difficult to find.

Tim and Beth in Moscow!

Our Turn Now

A Year Ago Today

Between a Sacrifice and Vacation

Last House Church

Lots of Love in Istanbul

kcohS erutluC

Lost in Tra[i]nslation

Liam Around the World

Winter Camp

Back in the States!

30 Things I'm Going to Miss About Moscow

30 Things I'm looking Forward to in the States

Ringing in the New Year

(Western) Christmas in Moscow

On Our Way Home

Still in Italy

Thanks

Not From Around Here

Ode to Stardogs

To Izhevsk

Take You to the Barbershop

Anyone Listening?

It Was Just a Routine Traffic Stop in Russia

Our (very brief) Autumn

Learning How to Make Borsch

What an Ugly Baby-- continued...

What an Ugly Baby

The Return of English Movie Night

Dacha Days

Return of English Cafe

It Takes a Village

English Camp - August 2010

Settled in St. Pete

Leaving Town

The Bevens' Last Day

How's the Weather?

House Church

Grandmothers' in Town

Another Montage -- Liam's First Few Weeks

Failure at ZAGS

Liam Doesn't Exist Yet -- Legally Speaking

A First Video

Two Weeks Later

It's Liam!

No Baby Yet

Found in Translation

Spring in Moscow

Last Kids Club

Friday Night at the Park

Thanksgiving in Estonia!

Weekend with Friends

Victory Day in Moscow - Video Highlights

Victory Day 2010

Alpha Course Weekend Away - Spring '10

Beth is Back

Trip to Izhevsk!

Moscow Metro Dance

OW/EE Business Seminar - Spring 2010

First Year in Moscow!

Business Seminar Weekend! Pt. 1

Busy Week!

Христос Воскрес!

Events of Today

We're Okay

Women suicide bombers kill dozens in Moscow Metro attacks - Times Online

RELATED LINKS

RELATED LINKS

RELATED LINKS

At least 25 dead in Moscow metro explosion - Times Online

RELATED LINKS

BKAR -- Eastern Orthodxy: An Overview

Baby Shower в Москве!

The Incredible Moscow Metro

Better Know a Religion: Eastern Orthodoxy

2010 Winter Vacation!

Movie Night!

Trip to the Винзавод!