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Back on my side of the pond, and my side of the country for a while now, I've had a fun time getting back to the East.

I was glad to go to the airport and greet the folks from the Dominican Republic with a hello, after 5 1/2 months of minimal contact. Got hugged a bit, talked some and everyone went home happy as clams, though I thing the DR team was shell-shocked by temperatures on the negative side of the dial (GUFFAW).

I also received many-a-hug at my first time back in my home church City Heights, and I was asked to come up to the front and talk a little bit, just a few words about Russia and how it all went. Basically everything in this blog condensed into five or so minutes.

Then I got to plat drums for the first time in a LONG time, which was good. So it was fun because I got a chance

On Good Friday, I got to have a party when I got home! My mom spearheaded a little open house/party (and by little, I mean like 50 plus people) in commemoration of my safe return, so our house was full for a good 4-6 hours, though we had guests for 12 hours straight.

So after the initial hubbub of coming home, I was kindly whacked in the face by a lovely little dose of the real world. The realization that a job, a career and a life are waiting to happen. So I've applied for a little job for a few months prior to going to Kingswood camp this summer, and I have also begun applying to NSCC (Nova Scotia Community College) for photography. So there has been a lot of applications flying around for the last little while.

And finally, I'm looking forward to the end of this week for a few reasons. First off, I get to see someone I met in Vancouver! One of the staff at YWAM Vancouver is from Sheubenacadie and will be coming home for Jesus to the Nations, and I'll get to see her there! Plus, I was also asked to share a little bit at the youth conference there, which I also find to be quite awesome. So things will pick up soon.

Arrivederci.

Victory Lap

This last week has been time for my mom to see some of BC with me, because she quite simply could. Mom was really looking forward to this week for a while from what I've heard, so she certainly wanted to do a bunch of stuff here.

Day one I just didn't do anything at all. It was the first time in a long time I could say that and mean it. The only thing I really did was we went out to dinner ironically at a Russian restaurant in the area. It was more of a diluted experience, since the waitresses could speak proper english as opposed to the broken up Russian version I was used to. Also, the portions were westernized as well. A skewer of shashlik in Russia was about 12 inches at the most. Here in Vancouver it was a 20 inch skewer. I got to use the few words of Russian I know to say thank you to the host, who showed me his collection of jerseys given to his establishment by Pavel Bure, because he used to frequent that restaurant when he played for the Canucks.

The next day we took a ferry and went to Victoria, which was pretty small. We had quite an eventful ferry trip, there was a man overboard drill, and we got to see the local soccer team the Vancouver Whitecaps on bard as well. That whole day was spent walking around the town, which is quite small so we got to see most of the places of interest. I also got to say goodbye the the jazz guys as well, which was good.

Then we got to visit the Vancouver aquarium the next day, which was fun. We walked the whole thing and saw most of what was there, and I also got spit on by a beluga whale. Splendid.

Then we had to get everything ready for home. So I grabbed some of my gear I couldn't take, sold my pair of pads for $50 (considering how used they are, it's a small miracle in my opinion), and started to pack to go. We tried to meet my goalie coach as well, but that whole thing crashed and burned. I waited on a bench for about 2 hours without success. Hopefully, he'll meet us at the airport tomorrow.

Well, that's it. I'll be in NS within 36 hours, which is a welcome concept.

Arrivederci.

Back Across the Pond.

Hello,

Back on the lovely little continent of North America after a day of flying around the world, I'll give a quick recap of how that went.

We didn't sleep on the 27th, because it was pointless to sleep for maybe an hour or two before having to pack everything and leave, so we just stayed up.

We got to the airport at around 2 AM, and waited for the chance to get through customs and such. It did, thankfully, go quite smoothly in Russia. We actually had a Lufthansa worker at the baggage check, so that went very well, nobody got dinged for baggage, so that was cool.

So we first flew from Perm to Nizhny Novogorod to Frankfurt, where we were welcomed back to the Western world by a round of MacDonalds. After hanging around the Frankfurt airport a while, we took a 9-hour flight to Toronto, where the real fun began.

A few members of the team thought it would be cool to get knives in Russia, the spring-loaded ones. The kind that they got are OK in the US, but little did they know they are illegal in Canada. So customs was a royal pain, since a bunch of people on our team bought them. I didn't so I was fine. The ones who did however, got stuck up in customs for a long time and actually missed the flight to Vancouver. That flight was OK, though the TVs were broken in the plane. I luckily bought a magazine and crossword book in Frankfurt, so I was sufficiently preoccupied.

We are now staying at a church here called 'Glad Tidings'. We were originally going to stay in the base at Napier street, but a disgruntled neighbor decided to kindly greet us with a can of worms.

The building before it can be used for housing must be 're-zoned' for the purpose of housing. We did that, but an apartment complex decided to appeal the rezoning and for some reason or another called the press and told them to keep an eye on the building or something like that. We weren't explained too much about it, so that's all I know. So to be safe, YWAM vdidn't want us to be there in case TV stations/ newspapers decide to come over.

So anyway, we're here for the week, and we'll be busy for most of it.

Arrivederci.

Pulling the Curtains.

The last few days have been a bit of a recap/ reflection of the past two months and everything contained therein. I'm sure writing about writing journals is exactly something exciting or useful. But that does not mean nothing is happening.

Our team was invited back to Zakamsk, our first place to visit for dinner. It was a pleasure to see all of our friends once more before preparing to leave tomorrow. So we all had a great meal, and we also stayed around and played games and just talked with people there, and we even had gifts given to us. We each received a picture of the team from Zakamsk two months before and we also received bracelets weaved in the Russian colours, white, blue and red. So for some, it was a difficult time, because, to put it plainly, was the beginning of the end (at least, of this particular outreach). So we said our goodbyes, and took a bus back to the base in Perm.

Tomorrow we finish up debrief, go out to an Uzbek restaurant, and we also do not sleep, because we leave at abour 2 in the morning. One point of prayer is that the workers at the airport are, in a word, corrupt. They will in most likelihood charge obscene fees for baggage and without the aid of a translator, we will probably have to simply nod and agree regardless of the obscenity. So if the staff there maybe decide to practice some honesty, that would be awesome.

Бока

Пермь (Perm)

Just a quick recap of our week here in Perm.

Although it was full of many things, it was certainly not as hectic of a schedule as we've seen in other places. We are not actually working with a church this week, but we are with the YWAM base doing things.

We've gone to a couple of schools. One is an agricultural college of sorts, where I actually had to speak French for a few people who either didn't know English or at least, knew very little. The other group was an 'American club' that meets in a library downtown, and were certainly very welcome to some native speakers of English, a rarity in Russia.

Contrary to expectations, we didn't do a practice with the team here. We only played a game (indoors, the first time in a long time) and we also had our own little ice time on a rink just outside the main rink in Perm. It was to be honest a bit disappointing, but any invitation to play there is a welcome concept.

We also got to go to the ballet as well. For a lot of the guys, it didn't seem like the ideal way to spend an evening, but I, being the patron of the arts that I am, was very much intrigued by the idea. We got to see two dances, one was the classic Verdi 'The Four Seasons', and the second was the more modern American 'The Concert'. Each one paralelled the other in enjoyability, due to their own distinct merits.

Out team is also going to have a relatively active weekend, as we are going to the circus, a hockey game, and possibly, the opera. Regardless it should be an active few days before our departure.

Бока!

кунгур (Kungur)

Our last week outside of the base in Perm was spent in the town of Kungur, a little town about 100 KM south of Perm.

The most glaring (and enjoyable) variant on this trip was we stayed in a hotel as opposed to on a church floor. It was also very central in location so our team had relatively easy access to anything in Kungur.

We didn't spend as much time at the rink as we have in past weeks, we only had 2 0r 3 practices all week. Also there was no goalie for said practices, so I was underworked and overdressed for them. A lot of the practice featured standing around, but I don't mind that too much.

We did however have a few games. Our first was with the young kids, we mixed up with them and so it wasn't really YWAM vs. Russia. The other three games were, and they were pretty good games. We won two of them and tied one. I had to do a fair bit for a couple of the games, and not much in the last one.

We also visited a few schools and like the last time we did, we ended up thrusted into a game of basketball. The result this time around was more of whay we expected, losing by a relatively large margin.

So this was a fun week, we did quite a bit and had plenty o' fun. We stay in Perm for the remainder of our time in Russia for a week of outreach and a quick stint of debriefing as well.

бока!

цернчшка (Chernushka)

This week we went to the town of Chernushka. It's not too far away from where we are, just a few hours by bus.

The situation in Churnushka regarding hockey is a bit odd. The first time YWAM went there, it was good and organized. But, in the two year gap between visits, the head coach left Churnishka, so it is a lot less organized. So I think the team there was very appreciative of some coaching, since they haven't seen any in a long time it seems.

This week there was only one goalie to work with, so I liked getting to work one-on-one, though I only had a translator half the time. His name was Paul, and he only played hockey for 2 years.

We also went to a few different schools, something that YWAM hasn't done in Chernushka. So we got to meet with classes from a higher class elementary/jr. high school and a cadet school. At these meetings we also got invited to blay basketball and soccer. Little did we know that both games were actually publicized in the school, playing against the school teams. By some miracle, we WON the basketball game, 43-39. So that was a bit crazy, and most difinately unexpected. Then right after we went outside in about -15 weather to play soccer. The team had all their equipment, cleats, shin guards etc. while we played in winter boots. Needless to say we failed miserably and lost 9-4.

We also played a few games, and we had a little reception in our church for the hockey kids and school kids after our last practice.

So it was a good fun week, and we go to Kungur next after a weekend.

Arrivederci.

соликамск (Solikamsk)

Our week was in a medium sized town called Solikamsk, famous for salt, churches and prisons. We came up in a bus and spent most of our time in the local rink or a church.

We started by touring some of the places near the rink. There were 3 Russian Orthodox churches and there were also some ice sculptures in the town as well, like big slides or ice and thrones and other interesting things there.

We coached three or four different teams, one of really little kids, two groups around 10-13 years old, and one older group of teenagers. We also had one game later on in the week.

We stayed in a few different places, me and 3 others stayed in a flat with a young couple named Andrey and Dasha. Andrey is a teacher of firearms for the department of internal affairs and his wife is going to school to be an english teacher. They were really great hosts and we really enjoyed staying with them.

Then throughout the week we went to different schools, one was a college for translators, and an elementry/junior high. One other teammate and I also went to another elementry/jr. High, while the rest of the team went to a different college.

I also got to run into a man named Dema, who drove me and my teammate to the school. He invited me out to Solikamsk in the summer and he might also be coming to Halifax as well.

So it was a very good week, we got a lot done, and had a lot of fun.

Arrivederci.

кушва, нижний тагил (Kushva, Nizhni Tagil)

A wild and crazy week with just a hint of nutty.

We started off in a tiny mining town called Kushva, and we stayed in a sport hotel. It was a bit dodgy at first (there was a mouse sighting on day 1) but we got used to it. We did practices with the local kids teams and also had games with the men's teams there. We spent lots of time with the director of sports in Kushva named Alexi, who is a great story. We had an interview for the local paper where he made an extra effort to say he did not want to be involved with the Christian part of our operation, and by the end of our time with him he had really softened, realizing he was a sinner (according to Glen and Lorrain) so that was very cool. I worked with about five or so different goalies thourghout the week in Kushva. But the craziest part of the week was that since the town of Kushva never seen a foreigner in the town, we were celebrities for the week. We would get mobbed for autographs and photos on a regular basis after games and practices.

Nizhni Tagil was a much larger city, so the reception wasn't as wild. we spent most of our time either at the local outdoor rink or in the church sleeping on the floor. It got quite difficult there because we had something like 7 games in 9 days and 3 hours worth of practices with kids. I also had a ton of goalies to work with in Nizhni Tagil. There were five again, but most would stay out for each hour.

So it was quite a busy week, but it was a fun one.

Arrivederci.

Урал Грейт (Ural Great)

Days off are nice. This one was relatively busy, but a good busy.

We only really started the day off at 10:00 with breakfast, then a group of people decided to go to downtown Perm to shop and see what was there.

First off we found a few malls, and went in to see what was there. They were relatively boring to be honest, mostly filled with stores with coats and stuff, no interesting sports stores or anything.

Then we went to a square filled with ice sculptures. A lot of them were slides ranging from one 10-15 feet high to little ones for the kids. There were also a few other things like a tiny set of swings, a stage, a throne and gates for all of the enterances/exits.

Then we walked up to a giant sports store to see what was there, though we didn't have much time there. Then we took a but to the 'Молот' (pronounced like 'mullet') to see the local professional basketball team play. The team is called 'Ural Great' and they were playing Dynamo Moscow. It was a great game, and a close one. It went into overtime, there was a buzzer beater in the 3rd quarter, and the home team won, that's about as much as you can ask for in a game.

Now it's late, and things are winding down to a pleasant conclusion.

до свидания

закамск (Zakamsk)

We had a good week in Zakamsk, it's not too far from the base in Oerm, so no incredibly long train ride.

We stayed in a lottle house where a few people live, there was a family upstairs and a couple, the man was a pastor and the woman (who is known as 'Mama Luba') stayed at home. But for the week everyone was home, because it was the holiday season in Russia. Their Christmas is on January the 7th as opposed to our 25th of December, so two Christmases for me.

We spent most of our time in thee different places: The house for meals (which were a great way to ease into the Russian food), the outdoor rink for (drum roll please...) hockey and the community centre down the road for church meetings.

The rink was pretty good, it is built just outside a soccer field/running track, so they flooded part of the track to the rink. We mostly played shinny with kids there, but we did have a game there the last night with a team made up of people in the local boxing club. The temperature there ranged anywhere from -15 to -25, so it was important to move around a bit, or at least put a lot of clothes on.

The cultural centre is a pretty big building, it's got at least two floors. The church meets on the second floor in a lottle room just otside the lobby. We normally had a bit of worship, someone on the team shared their testimony, more music, and some games since there were mostly kids at the meeting.

We also went to an orphanage for a day, playing floor hockey and sharing a testimony for the kids. A bunch of them ended up with a bible, so that was cool. We also went to a school and did the same thing, though there ween't many kids there because it was the holidays and we weren't allowed to share the gospel directly, being a school and all.

So it was a good week. We're in the base for the weekend then we go to Nizhni Tagil and we'll be there for about 10-12 days.

до свидания

A YWAM Signature...

...The 'change in plans'.

We woke up this morning to find out that we in fact weren't going to Zakamsk today in fact, but tomorrow instead. So we did some stuff around here today.

First we had a run, since we hadn't done anything active for a few days. It also unofficially let everyone know there's a group of foreigners in the neighborhood, because a) there normally isn't a giant group of people running around and b) local people run in the evenings, therefore we must be foreigners. So because of that a group of kids stopped by the base a few times to find out why we were there.

After we came in it was about lunch time so we ate, took a few minutes break, and took a trip to the local outdoor rink to play shinny (Pick-up hockey) with some people from around there. I couldn't put on my gear so in my opinion, I was pretty much useless for the time. But it was still fun despite my out-of-placeness.

Then we came back to the base, had stuff to eat, and will be involved in a prayer meeting later on tonight.

До свидания!

Outreach Just Got a Lot More Luscious.

ooooh, did it ever. You'll see why later.

Well since I last updated, we had a nice day in a local tourist market near our hotel. It's got mostly what every other European market would have, knock-off brand name things like Gucci bags and Nike shoes, stuff like that. It also had the standard Russian souvenirs like the little Russian dolls and furry hats with the hammer/sickle crest on the front. For myself I bought a bunch of 'CSKA Moscow' gear (a scarf, a toque and a jersey') all for a little over $20 Canadian. I also got a few things for my family, which they'll have to wait to find out what they are.

After a romp through the market, we got a ride to the train station in Moscow where we took a 22-hour train ride in a relatively stuffy and... cozy train. We hung out with some of the Russians there and there was even one person there who spoke French, so she and I both got a good chance to practice.

Finally once we got to Perm, we quickly packed all of our gear into the bases van to take there. The building is something like an old community centre or something like that, it's two floors, it's kind of under construction I think.

Then tonight, outreach got very, VERY luscious. One of the base leaders walked us over to a local store, where I was greeted by a lovely 2 litre bottle of vanilla coke. Now I love vanilla coke, and my heart was shattered when they stopped making it in Canada, so to see it there was a complete shock. Since we will be spending weekends at this base, I will be able to get more as well. I am happy. So I don't think there will be any updates for a few days, as the team will be going to the city of Zakamsk, and I'm not sure of the internet situation there, but I know for sure there's internet here.

До свидания! <---- 'Arrivederci' in Russian.

Another Fine Day

Just giving a quick summary of yesterday.


Our team did the touristy thing in the Kremlin, going through a bunch of cathedrals and a museum filled with old Russian artifacts from the clothes of the tsars/tsarinas and weapons and such. We also went to red square again.

I would elaborate, but I'm out of time.

Arrivederci

From Russia with Love

Hello,

finally got to a computer, but I'm on a time limit so I'll make it quick.

Our flights went fine, except one hockey bag didn't show up in Moscow, so that was the only real hitch.

Since we got here new years eve, it would be a sin not to do something interesting, so we went to the most interesting place around: Red Square.

For the new year they had a concert which was quite cultural, it had some singing and dancing from different Russian people groups and at the stroke of midnight was capped off by Vladimir Putin's yearly address to the country.

Today we went out into the kremlin and checked out what was there. It is made up of a bunch of different cathedrals and there was a museum with various artifacts from ancient Russia ranging from royal garb to weaponry. We went through the red square again, and went home. Tomorrow we leave for Perm on train, and we'll go check out a local market as well.

That's my Russian experience in a nutshell (россня) <- Russia in Russian....

Arrivederci.