Oh Russia how I love thee (and hate your internet connections)

Well well. The title explains most of it! I've been hoping to send e-mails, receive e-mails, and catch up but apparently it is not in the Plan. Beth and Aaron (two missionaries in the city) just got DSL and boy was I excited. They are awesome; they invite me over for dinner and we eat good American food and wallow in our cross-cultural sorrows. Anyway, DSL. Well, here in good old Mother Russia, your computer has to be registered with the internet company! Which means my laptop (unregistered) cannot use their internet (registered). Oh frustrations.

All that to say, many apologies, and I wish I could be e-mailing each one of you. By the way, thanks for all the wonderful e-mails in the last week. I can't explain how exciting it is to check my e-mail and have lots of mail! It's like Christmas. I get very giddy and excited.

Life here is basically great. I am learning to adapt, sleep on a creaky bed, and speak Chinese/Korean/Japanese/Russian. I'm starting to cook (very adventurous), and keep a straight face every time I open the fridge I share with my roommates (the two ziplock bags full of tiny dead fish are a bit overpowering). I have drunk about seventy-two different kinds of tea in the last three weeks, had my first experience with borscht (excellent), and become brave enough to start taking public transportation. I have been to a church in an auditorium, a church in an apartment, and a church in a ballet studio (with a mariachi band). I really like it here!

Through conversations in the dorm, I've learned that most of my fellow students would describe themselves as Christians, but I wouldn't have guessed if they hadn't said something. One guy told me the other day, "I am a Christian, but I drink and I smoke ... I believe God has given me these thins to enjoy." Hmm. You can pray for wisdom for me, when it comes to answering statements like that. It has been very frustrating trying to get to know the people on my hall. Since I don't speak Korean and they don't speak English, the only chance of communicating is Russian, which is a second language for all parties involved. Things can get a bit confusing!

Today, I spent part of the afternoon in an English class, talking with a group of twelve Russian girls, all 18-20. For all but one, it was their first time ever meeting an American! They were very shy at first, but really warmed up after I did all the talking for twenty minutes. The first thing I said was, "How many of you have seen American movies?" They all raised their hands. "Well, what you see in those movies - that is not what life in America is like." They seemed quite relieved. I've been invited back in two weeks, and promised that the girls will cook and we'll have high tea, since I am 'far too skinny and probably eating too many noodles for dinner' (this from the head of the English department).

Tomorrow, I'm giving a presentation on 'The Problems of Youth in Culture Today' for the Asian Studies department. I had a difficult time not laughing when they asked me to speak. But, I'm very excited; a captive audience, as much time as I'd like, and the most ambiguous topic ever given!

Well, it's 9:15 here, and I've got some homework to finish up before I hit the sack. I've found myself enjoying sleep like never before! Life in another culture is pretty exhausting, even if you're just sitting around in class all day. My brain is on overdrive pretty constantly, and my English is deteriorating rapidly. Some mornings I talk to myself while getting ready for class, just to make sure I can still make a sentence properly.

Thanks for all the prayers! Hopefully I'll have some pictures for next time!
Much love!