Not in Texas Anymore!!!

We are amazed at how fast our bodies (and our hearts) are adjusting. We walk a mile in the snow every time we get groceries and somehow we can’t imagine not doing that. Already, we can’t think of leaving the friends (both believers and unbelievers) God has given us here. As each day passes, we grow more accustomed to the Khabarovsk way of life. Before we get too adjusted, we wanted to share some of the cultural differences that make us think, “Okay, this is different.” For instance, having coffee, hot tea and sweets is very important when someone comes to your apartment. Sometimes we sit for hours on our short little kitchen stools and visit with a person. When you go to someone’s house as a guest, you bring a box of chocolate candy. We have found that Russians can do something for hours, such as walk on a treadmill and stare at the bare wall, sit on a tiny bench at church through three sermons (plus six songs and 2 poems-the grandmothers write at home and recite), and stand by a hot dog stand on the ice in –10 degree weather for the entire day! I (Holli) cannot even think about whining among these TOUGH women. Another HUGE difference is the view of personal space. When you stand in line at the grocery store, the person behind you leans forward on your back and kind of constantly nudges you forward. Once, we were looking at the mints or gum and someone just put all their groceries in front of ours and was already paying when we looked up! One day our friend Yulya came to pick us up to ride the bus out to the orphanage. Zach and I made lunch and offered her fruit, or a sandwich, but she insisted on only hot tea and chocolate. After we all sat down with our plate, Yulya started eating my lunch! She took my package of crackers and slices of cheese I cut and the pear I cut up! Everyone shares EVERYTHING (this stems from a communist lifestyle background). Most places have coat rooms with a little lady who hangs your coat up and gives you a number tag. In places like restaurants, the movie theatre, or the symphony hall, you are not even allowed to hold your coat! NO ONE wears shoes in the house. Birthdays are very important in Russia. The person who has a birthday cooks a huge meal, makes a cake, and calls people to come over. This person even washes all the dishes and puts up leftovers. What is really interesting is that anyone who knows that it’s your birthday can show up for dinner uninvited! So all relatives, close friends, neighbors just show up without an invitation! Most of you are probably wondering about the food. Most people live on sausage, bread, and cheese (which is cheap). There are 100 kinds of sausage links at the deli counter, and about 50 kinds of hot dog sausages, but NO buns! There are about 10 types of oatmeal-looking stuff that is mixed with butter for dinner. We tried it. One cup made enough for ten people—it just kept growing! There’s a lot of fish. We made a great salmon dish, but we’re holding off on the pizza with whole anchovies on it! Borsch, which a soup with beef, potatoes, cabbage and beets, is pretty much a staple in Russia, and it tastes really good with sour cream. One last thing: the Russian view of work. Work is simply the means of getting enough money to live on. Everything else is life, not work. It is abnormal to ask someone what they “do” or where they work. It is not an important question in getting to know someone, because work doesn’t consume their life. Family and friends come first and then you spend the rest of your energy on work. Relationships always, always, ALWAYS come first. Our friends here will drop everything to have tea or to help us find something in the city. We will probably find a million differences down the road, but it is an amazing thing to feel the similarity of God’s presence in a place so far from Texas. The presence of a God who never changes—a God who will always be our home (Psalm 90:1). God has been speaking to hearts here years before we arrived. What a privilege it is to be included in God’s plan to redeem a lost world through Jesus Christ!