Whoa, life in Ukraine!

I’m not even sure how to begin catching everyone up on what’s gone on in my life over the past however long it’s been. So much has happened; it’s been like a whirlwind, and I’m not sure that I still have my head on straight.

Short version: Moved to Poltava. Moved into apartment #1. It’ was an experience that words cannot even describe. I’ll put up pictures, but they don’t even convey full meaning. Spent the first night. Next morning, began having pipe/water/plumbing issues, as well as refrigerator drama. Spent the day having those problems worked on. Returned to the apartment that night to find an unexpected person crashing for the night. Packed overnight bag and stayed at the church. Got up next morning and began apartment search. God worked a miracle and allowed us to find the most perfect apartment AND get the paperwork process finished in one day. Whew.

If you want the more detailed descriptions, see below. If not, then just remember to look for pictures in the near future.

Long version: We drove to Poltava on Thursday, October 30th. I was able to meet two of the church ladies, and they are wonderful. They both have kids my age, so they automatically moved into mom mode. Precious precious friends. The Rays and I had lunch at the church (Ukrainian food, of course. It’s really quite good for any skeptics out there.), and then set off with Oksana to move into my apartment. None of us had seen it in person because someone else had been in charge of the wheeling and dealing on the apartment.

Let’s just say that I’ve never seen anything quite like it. A few keywords: 32984729834 different decorating patterns, 3 mounted sets of antlers, turquoise toilet seat, immobile shower head designed for someone 3 ft. tall. Pictures will come soon, but unfortunately, we discovered that pictures do not capture the full effect. It’s a two-bedroom, but the landlord’s family stored a lot of their stuff in the bigger bedroom and locked the door.

I spent the first night in the apartment and was exhausted the next morning. The mattress was approximately .5 inch thick and strange noises abounded. The strangest noise, however, began very soon after I finished my shower. I wondered why workmen would be in the building, drilling at 8:15 in the morning. That seemed a little unnecessary. After about 10 minutes of the drilling, I began wondering if perhaps that noise was coming from my apartment. I moved into stealth sleuth mode and began sneaking around the apartment to find the mystery noise. Found it. The refrigerator had morphed into a live, shaking, noisy creature. Yikes!

The day that was supposed to be spent seeing Poltava turned into a day spent inspecting the refrigerator and gutting the kitchen because of a pipe problem that I didn’t know about.
That night, we had dinner with Oksana’s family, which was wonderful. So much fun. I returned to my apartment that night (Mike and Linda came back with me to ensure I made it safely) and realized that I was not alone in my apartment. That is a very unnerving feeling. I went into my bedroom, shut the door (thought about piling luggage and furniture in front of it), and called the Rays. Mike was back in a flash, and we soon discovered that the landlord (think 60-year-old) was spending the night in the locked room. He didn't see the problem.

The next day, the Great Apartment Search began. In a miraculous turn of events, we had another apartment signed, sealed, and delivered by that evening. That kind of thing doesn't happen here; nothing is fast. Not kidding. Apartment #2 is phenomenal. Much too good for me. Pictures of that to come, too.

I'll be updating as often as possible now, because I finally have internet! Thank you for your prayers!