Going to the chapel...

Fun Times in America...

Me and Gina- in her office... anything to keep from working; oh, and Superior was SO GOOD that day!A few moments before she walked down the aisle... just hanging out!

The blushing bride (in the middle) with the girls from 520! Arent we cute?
We know whats important... getting up early to get our hair done!

Christi and I, after our joyous reunion. After she got lost a few times, we finally found each other in the parking lot! Oh- and then it started raining cats and dogs, so thats why we look like yard dogs! Who doesnt want to be steamin and fryin? I mean, seriously... It was so much fun to be back home.

New Food, New Hats, New City

aren't they cute? These are some little guys who I got to be friends with because I was a good soccer player! Isn't it funny how Dad uses things that we love to build relationships with people that He loves?
This is my language teacher B. She was teaching me to make Baursok, a fried bread that is amazing. It tastes like a funnel cake that you would buy at an amusement park, except it doesn't have powdered sugar. I thought I would miss the sugar, but this break is stinkin amazing! The other head in the pic is Jon, my teammate. He tends to make appearances at my house when there is food.
This is my stylish new hat! Guess how much it cost? $300 So needless to say, I didn't buy this one! I probably should have though. It gets cold on my head during the day! But something about wearing an entire animal on my head is not OK. (It had a tail that ran all the way down my back!)

I put this picture on here because we both look retarded.

I'm gonna PUMP you UP

Well, I've been here long enough to feel settled and I have found a gym. Today was my second day there, and I have some interesting trends to report. Sit back and enjoy, and be glad that gyms in America are the way they are, even if a little intimidating.
First, to set the stage, imagine 1976. Now, I wasn't alive at this time, but if I would have been, I'm pretty sure this is what it would have looked like. I paid my money and walked into the "training facility" (THat is what they call it). Yes, I pay every time that I go. I could buy the 10 visit pass, but it actually costs more to buy that than it does to pay each time. Anyway, I walk into the gym with my American workout buddy thinking that it was a normal gym. Well, before I even get to the first machine, I realize that there must be horns shooting out of my head, or I must have purple skin, because everyone in the room (About 35 men) is starring intently at our saunter. After getting over this, I make my way to the part of the weight room I want to work out in.
WHen I get there, I begin my mad search for a pin for the weights. If you can find one, you hold on to it with your life. But usually you cant find one, so you have to fashion other things to hold the weights up. I must admit, I have gotten quite creative at this art. But today was my lucky day and I found a pin after only about ten minutes of searching. I then started the dance to find a machine.
Here is how it goes: you eye the machine that you want and move very close to it. If someone is on the machine, you stand right in front of them and stare them down. Sometimes, it helps if you sigh loudly and tap your foot or our hand. After tapping for awhile, if the man still hasn't gotten up, you start to speak very loudly. There seems to be an art to this. I think you are supposed to speak loudly; and for some reason, that helps with the process. I was not adequately prepared for this and therefore was quite confused the first few times it happened. I am still not very confident with this process, but maybe with work I can get better at it.
I did my workout with many eyes watching. I didn't quite know why they were watching, but then I looked around the room, and realized that there was only one other female in the room, and she was my friend. In fact, no other women came in the room while we were there.
We were confused by this at first, but as we were leaving, we realized where the women were. There is a track around the indoor soccer field downstairs, and this is apparently where the women are supposed to hang out. It was funny though: we fit in better with the men than we did the women.
They had some interesting takes on workout apparel. Here are a few of my favorites:
1. Saran Wrap- woman after woman had wrapped this cooking device around their entire body; I think it induced sweating, but for these ladies it only added some interesting noises to the room.
2. High Heels- worn everywhere else; I guess I should have assumed they would have been worn here too. Oh yes, and the women DID run in them!
3. Short shorts (like those reminiscent of early basketball uniforms) on the men. Wasn't there a reason why the NBA changed the uniform?
4. Changing rooms exist there, but they aren't used for changing. Instead, the preferred changing area is out in the open. There is no shame in this game!

Anyway, it was a good workout day; and I was laughing at every turn. Just another day.

its cold

Well, winter has officially arrived. The past few days have brought temperatures right around 30 degrees F. ( I mean that has been the high) I have started to understand what it means to have the cold take your breath away. In America, one would simply turn on their heating system in order to stay warm, but here, the heat is controlled by the government, and they dont believe that it is cold enough for heat until the magic day of October 15th. Until then, its every apartment for itself, with people huddling, starting fires, or buying heaters to keep warm. I sleep with a space heater as close to my bed as it will go and pile on the clothes like I am getting ready for a walk in Antartica, but so far, it is working. I havent gotten cold in the middle of the night.
Local people have very strong opinions about keeping me warm, and they are always willing to volunteer information. My favorite came from my language teacher. She comes over each morning to teach me Russian, and usually her knock at the door wakes me up. The other day, I was already up, and happened to be pouring a glass of juice when she came in. She instantly started yelling at me... "Dont drink anything that is cold!" Only hot things in cold weather! I insisted that I didnt want anything hot, but she wouldnt have it. We argued about the merits of hot versus cold and then I finally gave up. Her reasons were simple. If my insides werent warm, then of course they would freeze. And if they freeze early in the winter, then for the entire winter I will be frozen. Makes sense right?
Later in the day, I went out to buy some salt for something that we were cooking. I started to pile on the clothes, and as I did, she looked at me as though I was crazy. I ignored her stares for awhile, but pretty soon her stares were accompanied by interesting thoughts on my choice of attire for the day. My theory is this... MORE IS BETTER. If I get hot, I can take a layer off, but if I am cold, there is no helping the situation. So before I go outside, I pile on the clothes. When I say pile, I mean 4-5 layers plus my heaviest jacket. I'm piling things on, and she is making fun of me! I thought that after her comments about not freezing my insides that she would be proud of me for bundling up, but that was not the case. Instead, she chastized my choices... only one coat is needed. But I would still be cold, I insisted. No you wont- she insisted.
Well, I won this battle. She kept saying that I would stick out to everyone that saw me, and that they would instantly know I wasnt from here. At that point I didnt care- I just wanted warmth! I think I'll just continue to stick with being warm, even if I stick out! I'll write more later!
Em