Experiments and Adjustments

So much has transpired since I got here and blogged last. Laundry, for instance. I did my laundry in Masha's washing machine for the first time, which, as you'll see in the video, is slightly different process than what I've done before. But it worked well, and I'm happy with the outcome.

Ok. No video. it's too big to load, I think. Let's just say I had fun doing my laundry. I'm really bummed. I was thinking of doing a video each week and posting it, but maybe not. Maybe just a shorter one.

There was so much to blog and now I don't know where it has gone. I got my luggage back. It arrived on Monday evening, pretty much in one piece (or two pieces, as it was supposed to.) It hadn't even been a week since I'd packed those bags, but opening them was like Christmas because I'd forgotten what I'd put in them. Oh, my boots! That shirt! Frying pan! Peanut butter! Mint Chocolate! Bobby pins! Clean underwear! (You know, all that stuff you can pretty much live without, but is nice to have, nontheless.)

Life is much easier with good boots. The ground is snowy (and icy, now, because it's been melting the past few days.) The day I did laundry, I also went to the store and bought some things to try cooking again. I can cook American food in an American kitchen alright, but I can't seem to cook Ukrainian food, or American food in a Ukrainian kitchen with limited ingredients. Plus, I'm cooking for two people instead of a big family. Poor Masha. I made chicken and biscuits, one of my childhood favorites. The broth was great, but the biscuits...

Masha said she didn't have any baking powder and didn't know if they had it in Rz., but that sometimes people make stuff with kefir, and that helps it rise. I thought I'd give it a try. Well, I tried. The biscuits were rather short and stout, in more ways than one. Very kefiry. Masha was polite, but even I had trouble eating them. So they went to Nasok, the Dog Who Eats Anything.

I even tried cooking for us at the Crowes' today, but the results weren't too stunning.

"The key," I told Deb, spoon in hand, feeling woeful, "is to not lose hope. There's always hope." She agreed. I told her about the verse I like from Psalms that says, "I will always have hope." But then I said, "I don't think God was talking about my cooking." But she said maybe He was. I hope He was. I hope He was talking about lots of things. Hope is very useful in this life.

If homesickness was physical, I would have been in the hospital getting an IV and blood transfusions a few days ago. It just washed over me in surging waves, salty, bitter, over-my head ones. When I went to bed, when I got up, all through the day. Waves. But then, when I was walking home from the Crowes' one night, Jesus reached out a hand to me and said, "Come on out of the water and we'll sit on the beach together." So we sat there watching the ocean, and that wasn't so bad.

I've been noticing some funny things. Like the fact that my makeup smells like pumpkin spice bread when it's not supposed to smell like anything but makeup. It smells heavenly, and in the morning I just want to stand there sniffing it It's probably making me high and that's why I'm noticing those funny things.

Oh, and when I'm in bed at night, my blanket makes sparks when I move. It's very entertaining. I've heard of that before but never seen it.

Nasok and I are becoming friends. I think this is another testimony to my loopiness. I've never like dogs, but I like this one. I don't like to pet him, because he stinks, but I enjoy his company. I like yelling at him to "come here" when he goes to the store with me :) And I like it that he whined at the door while I did my shopping, and then followed me home. So I think, Nasok + Clean= Great Dog.

I think school starts at the Crowes' this coming week. It's been nice having this week to adjust. Until today, I haven't used an alarm clock, and I've slept in more than I have in all the rest of my life put together...12:30, 10:00. 10:30...this morning I set my alarm for 9:00, and I'm feeling it. I guess there really is something to be said for sleep, because I've been feeling great. I've never actually tried getting as much as I needed before, and it sort of...works. I'm following the "no naps" rule for recovering from jetlag, but nobody said I couldn't sleep in all day!