Europe…Siberia…Can they really both be in one country?!

I had a 4 day weekend, so what better to do than catch a flight to St Petersburg and spend "International Women's Day" with colleagues and friends, Thomas, Cristy and Isaiah! This weekend was my second visit ever to Europe (if you count my 24 hour layover in Amsterdam back in 2005). After living in and traveling to Siberian cities like Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Abakan and Kyzyl it was hard to feel like I was still in Russia as I roamed the streets of St Pete. Sure there are lots of similarities – under one government, similar history, Russian is the predominate language, traditions coincide etc. – BUT as I looked around, the differences were insane!

First off, I ate at a REAL Carl's Jr and had an American hamburger with fries. Also, many people walked around with cameras and I heard a handful of languages being spoken on the streets. People in St Pete don't look at you funny if they hear you speak in English. Lots of signs are written in English and Russian. One lady commented that my Russian was really good "for an American".

It was great viewing this beautiful European city – that really seemed to give me a break from what I know of as "Russia"! Perhaps that "break" was brought on by the awesome fellowship of the Slawson family. It was SO refreshing to be around some fellow InterActers and share lots of laughs together. This family truly lives to glorify our Savior and radiates with joy and grace from Him. I can't wait until I get to go and hang out with them again…and see some more sights of this beautiful city :)

Random photo update

It's been a while… hopefully these random photos will give a bit of an update to my life over the past 2 months and make up for lost time.

It's been a little cold the last 2 months. I took this pic the other day in -30 C weather. This little guy was waiting outside the grocery store for his master.

Did I mention that it's been cold here the last couple months? I think we're averaging around -22 F for the past 10 weeks

No, this is not some strange Olympic sport…

This is the "Day of the Lord's Baptism" on Jan 19^th in -40 F weather. Apparently, if you take a dip in this cross-shaped hole chiseled out of the lake you will wash away your sins. One of the most "ironic" things I learned, was that in order to "keep themselves warm" many drink a bunch of vodka before the plunge.

My teacher (who took us students on this "field trip") said "They are doing just what Jesus did." I responded, "But Jesus didn't live in Siberia". I doubt there was a need for an ambulance at Jesus' baptism.

Others wanting to receive a blessing come and bottle water from the lake to sprinkle in their apartment to bless it. (The water is "holy" because the Russian Orthodox priest blessed the water in the lake.)

I've been enjoying having more company over the last couple months. I just fold up my day bed set up a card table and I have a dinning room :)

Note: the Oreo's and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups where NOT bought in Russia. Thank you mom and church ladies for the goodies!

Breakfast on Super Bowl MONDAY. Sad that my Colts didn't come out on top, but I was thankful for the ability to watch the game live online (even if I did have to get up at 5am to do so). Thanks to the mystery giver who made watching the game possible!

Does Tuva Need to be Changed?

It is my firm belief that Tuvan culture does NOT need to be changed.

Tuva (or Tyva – if you are going by the modern pronunciation; though, most Tuvan's I know still use the old pronunciation) is a beautiful place with beautiful people and a beautiful culture. I feel that part of the beauty of the culture is its uniqueness, which is protected by its isolation - having no railroads and being sheltered by the Sayan Mountains. It is amazing that these people have hung on to their native language when so many other native languages are dying. And it is inspiring to see their deep pride in their culture.

Unfortunately their culture has been under attack for most of their nation's history - especially during the time of the Soviet Union. During the USSR many ethnically Russian people moved to the republic – flooding the cities and institutions with their language, philosophies, way of life, etc. In modern day, the number of ethnic Russians in the Republic has significantly declined (and continues to do so). Even though the ratio of Russians to Tuvans is decreasing, the percentage of funds from Moscow keeping the Republic afloat is increasing.

From my observation the biggest threat to the Tuvan culture is not Russians, westerners, or promotion of any other culture – but rather the problems that are causing the people themselves to suffer; a poor economy, unemployment, alcoholism, murder and other violent crimes.

Poor economy and unemployment are first on my list because of the number of families I know suffering from it. There are people that simply cannot afford to feed their families and heat their homes. People in the villages and towns throughout the republic continue to move to Tuva's capital, Kyzyl, looking for work. On top of this, youth and other "people of promise" are quick to leave the Republic all together to pursue higher education and better work opportunities, often returning to Tuva just to visit relatives'.

As far as alcoholism is concerned, its effects can be seen throughout the Republic. While some might argue alcohol as being a part of Tuvan culture, I think it's fair to say that at one point in history it was foreign. Most Tuvans (especially wives and children) I have talked to don't look at alcoholism in a positive light. Alcoholism plagues the region, especially in villages. I think it's safe to say that alcoholism is the main cause of other threats to society; crime, violence and even murder. Off the top of my head I can't tell you any statistics, but I have heard from a number of sources that the Republic of Tuva has the highest crime rate in Russia. During conversations with people who live or have lived in Tuva I have been amazed to hear that they personally knew at least one person who was murdered.

So, does Tuva need to be changed?

For the preservation of Tuvan culture and the sake of the Tuvan people, I hope that there is change – change that will diminish the threats to Tuvan culture and society, while supporting and preserving their beautiful culture.

I pray that I can help promote solutions to threats on Tuvan society without changing Tuvan culture. I want to live in the culture, learn the culture, adopt the culture and promote the culture.

Mayday! Internet down!

Well, I see that it's been a month since I wrote...

My December was busy preparing for a "Russian Language Celebration" and once that was over I was working my tail off trying to get my family's Christmas present put together - a 35 min video of my life here. After many long nights I got the video done and then headed off to Tuva. When I got back from Tuva I was ready to get caught up ... WRONG! The internet in my apartment building stopped working and just in time for all the internet tech people to take a long 6 day New Year's vacation. I finally got through to the tech support dude 2 days ago and he told me that it was too cold to fix the problem. I wanted to respond, "And just how warm does it need to be for you? We live in SIBERIA, buddy! I can't wait until May!!"
I refrained and am now sitting here using the free hi-speed at a cafe that could easy be mistaken for a bowling alley with it's fragrance of cigarette smoke. I downed my cappuccino an hour ago but still have much work to catch up on. Hopefully the waitress won't be so mad once I give her a nice tip (a practice not too common in these parts).

...So that's my excuse. I hope to write more "ventures" soon. (And just so you know, "soon" means anything from 1-30 days).