My First Ukrainian Baby Shower

Baby Showers are a norm in America but they are just recently making appearances here in Ukraine. This shower was an experience that I will not soon forget! My friend and I headed to the party, gifts in tote to find: unusual random Americanized decorations; various individuals wearing pajamas; and NO mother-to-be.

This party was not merely a baby shower. This party was a baby shower - pajama party- surprise party. I understand very little Russian but believe me all three party styles were present. Upon arrival, we placed our gifts on a table and sat down. We were ready for the party to begin. Everyone was sitting and chatting then suddenly people began running toward the door, turning the lights off, and hushing the crowd.

This is when I discovered that it was a surprise party. As the mother-to-be entered the room, mini sparklers/fire works exploded (pictured below). This was only the beginning of the party. There were: games; food; songs; prayer; gifts; and much more.

The best part of the whole time at the shower was my encounter with Olla. I have been praying that God would give me a language partner. I asked God specifically to grant me an individual who had little knowledge of English and would show me the city. I also asked God to have this individual approach me at the party today. God delivered! Olla approached me at the party and indicated in limited English that she was interested in "taking me to the sites" in Kiev. We exchanged numbers and should be meeting sometime in the near future :)

Learning Russian Day # 1.

We are ready and eager to learn Russian!

Slight Possibility of Showers

Today the forecast here in Kiev called for a chance of showers. After our three month stint in Vancouver, Ross and I feel very confident concerning our ability to deal with rain. We grabbed our North Face rain jackets and hit the streets. We were feeling accomplished about our productivity for the day. We had already completed the following: ordered water for the apartment; handled some unfinished business with cell phone set up; and navigated our way through the metro/ downtown area.

As we were making our way to a shoe store it began to sprinkle. We pulled out our jackets and prepared to continue our search for shoes. The sprinkle quickly turned into a downpour. People were standing in telephone booths and under trees. Unfortunately there were not enough coverings in the area so Ross and I ended up walking for about 10 minutes in the rain. We walked to the metro and then headed home. When we made it to our stop people were crowded around the windows inside of the station. We figured that it was probably raining fairly hard. We were already drenched so we decided to brave the elements. What we saw when we exited the metro station was the scene above. Cars were nearly underwater; packs of dogs were on high ground; and people were practically paddling through the water. It was so much fun waddling through that water with all of the nationals! It was an experience that we will not soon forget.