Straight Hair

Well, I know why all Ukranian women have straight hair.  It is because they have a stocking cap on their head all the time.  There is no reason to spend time curling and such.  At least we all kind of look the same.

Yesterday we had to take Sasha to the hospital.  They go to the hospital for all Doctor appointments.  We were 10 minutes late so they would not see him.  If we were only 6-7 minutes late it would be okay, but not 10, so he had to reschedule the appointment.  Their hospitals are not like ours.  They are very cold and uninviting.  Sasha told us the smell of the hospital, especially the stairway, makes him want to throw up.

Since Sasha was with us we had him take us to the bazaar because I wanted to get a full length fur coat.  A lot of women wear them here, and they look so warm.  It was an interesting experience going to the bazaar and having a boy that did not speak english help us.  Sasha taught us how to say left, right and straight in Russian so we would understand where he wanted us to drive.  He said he was teaching us Russian like we teach them English.  At one point I was driving and Sasha made the speeding sound, then the police siren sound, and then he started to laugh. It really was pretty comical.

We got to the bazaar and Sasha knew exactly what we wanted.  He talked to a couple of the shop owners and then took us right to the area that they have women's clothing.  It was so cold to take off my nice warm coat and try on a cold, cold coat.  Bill asked me if it was warm and I told him I was not sure because the inside of it was so cold.  I hesitated to buy it, so we looked around for a bit.  I could see Sasha shaking his head, in my mind he was thinking "What a Crazy Woman".  We went back and bought the first coat I had tried on.  Later Sasha kept giving me the thumbs up for the way I looked in the coat.

I think I look like a big mama bear, but it is oh so warm.  I wore the coat to church that night and the only thing cold on me was my nose and toes.  My hands were warm and I did not have gloves on.  Bill was so jealous.  I have to tell you they do not heat the area where we go to church.  Everyone keeps their coat, hat, mittens, scarfs, etc.... on and you are still cold.

Today Alona took Bill and me, plus two boys (Dima & Egor) to Oskars to do some grocery shopping.  It is important for us to see the items that she buys on a regular basis so we can stay in budget.  Bill really, really tapped into his inner child at the store.  He was teaching Dima and Egor how to run then ride on the carts, and how to spin the cart (these carts go forward and sideways).  Alona kept rolling her eyes.  I kept getting on Bill, but did any of the boys listen?  No!  They had so much fun.  Dima kept watching Alona and trying to do the same thing as Bill without getting caught.

Alona and I have gotten into a routine of cooking every other day.  So far the boys, Alona, and Andre all like my cooking.  Everyone is supposed to eat soup everyday, so I have been creative.  I take a basic recipe that I know and add things that I never would at home.  It has been a little challenging, but a great experience.

Tonight is a Bible study here, then tomorrow is our day off.  We are going to try and find Bill a fur coat with American Andrey, then take the rest of the day for ourselves.  Even though we are with each other everyday, we are never alone.

It seems that every day we are looking for something that can't be found here in Kherson.  We thought we'd share this list with you each day, just for fun.  It may also make you realize just how good we have things "back home".

Pam Spray                     Bagels
Artichokes                     Cheddar Cheese
Celery                            Boxed Dinners (Mac & Cheese)
Ice Cream sauces           Microwave Dinners (We found microwave popcorn, yummy)
Plain Potato Chips         Chalk Board (we found chalk - no board)
Corn Chips                    Maple Syrup
Shortening (Crisco)       Baking Powder
Brown Sugar                 Cake Mixes

God Bless,
Karen