Blog of the month November 2008
From Russia with Love
Eileen Emch, originally an Ohio Buckeye, transplanted to Dallas in 1982 - back in the heyday of Dallas, the TV serial. I live and work here in Rostov-on-Don, Russia - the biggest city in southwest Russia, 2 million.. In January, I'll celebrate 10 years of being here - arrived January 29, 1999. I hope to stay as long as the door is open.
Have you ever lived abroad before ?
Fresh out of college, I taught in Sydney, Australia for 2 years, including the Bicentennial Year. (remember that?) The New South Wales Dept of Education hired 350-some of us and gave us round-trip airfare as part of the package. In the end, rather than flying straight back to Cleveland, I took six months getting home - church camps and youth retreats for a month in Brisbane area, doing medical missions in Papua New Guinea for a month, crying in Fiji for 3 days (having left a heart-throb in Australia), then Hawaii for a month. So in my early 20's, got a transfusion of gypsy blood, you might say. =)
After that, I stayed put (teaching home economics at high school level, university level) for 20 years. I figured my 2-year stint "down under" was just simply a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Actually that helped prepare me for working in Russia.
I visited Rostov in June, 1996 and then moved here in January 1999. Since then I've gotten to visit part of the former USSR (Belarus, Estonia, Ukraine and recently - Crimea) countries of central and eastern Europe (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia,) and other places in Europe (Germany, Austria, Finland, Greece, Turkey). Hands-down, Berlin interests me the most with its stories of the Cold War. Most of these travels have been part of visa renewal (places I've gone to renew my Russian visa) or sites of Christian conferences that I've been able to attend.
Travel plans: Hoping to do part of the Trans-Siberian Railway in January. Hoping to meet a friend Tatyana who's studying in Barnaul, Siberia and accompany her back to Rostov on the train, a three-day trip.
Dream of: visiting Alaska and learning more about the Russia-Alaska connection.
When did you decide to go and live abroad ?
After 2 years in Sydney, in 1978 - 1998 I taught in the US - Ohio and Texas. Home economics (family and consumer sciences) - at the high school, middle school and university levels.
Actually, I was nudged into coming to Russia. In a nutshell, my dream job folded in 1993 when I was teaching Family and Consumer Sciences at my alma mater (Abilene Christian University; Texas) and then faculty was trimmed back. The next day another faculty member and friend asked if I'd consider going to Russia as a missionary. That was in the early days of perestroika when Russia was just opening. My home congregation in Dallas, Prestoncrest Church of Christ, had a major interest in Rostov-on-Don and was looking for someone to send long-term. It was a match.
How would you describe Rostov-on-Don ?
I live in the very center of Rostov-on-Don, with a population of 2 million, it's the biggest city in southwest Russia, a hub of transportation, education and culture. Wish Rostov were part of the tourist track as are Moscow and St Petersburg, but we're 600 and 1000 miles south of those cities, respectively.
I serve as a missionary although here rarely use that word. I work with women and children, teaching Bible lessons and help out at an orphanage for abandoned babies. Our congregation, Rostov Church of Christ is a totally Russian congregation and now I'm the only foreigner. In fact, I don't personally know another American in the city at this time.
Besides all that, I like to think that I'm a writer and a photographer. I'm writing a book about of heroes of faith in the former USSR and have a blog, From Russia with Love (oh that's right - you already KNOW that!) That blog is my baby.
Also I post photos at Webshots.com. Amazingly, my Russia albums (especially my albums about Russian orphans) there have done very well (In the top 10 out of 3,500 albums about Russia at that site). (http://community.webshots.com/user/eileena110).
Do you miss anything from the US ?
Sure. At first it was peanut butter. Now that's available in a nearby supermarket (imported from Kentucky at 3-times the price). Now I miss: manila file folders, lined index cards and books in English. Also I miss having easy access to my favorite sources for clothes (Lands' End) shoes (Zappos, Nordstrom) - I bring most of that from the US. It's hard for me to find size 42 shoes here. =) (size 10 1/2)
Your blog: when did you start it, and for what reasons ?
I joined the blogosphere thanks to another nudge. This one from the computer-tech fellow at my sponsoring church, Prestoncrest. I have a hunch that my beloved missions committee and elders wanted to find an alternative way for me to express myself - other than sending back my 6-page newsletters.
A good blog does take time. I find that working on it 20 minutes here, 15 minutes there is calming and relaxing and a source of comfort, even better than eating cookies. My blog gives me writing exercise. Blogging has helped me loosen up my writing style from academic writing - which was my background - to a more casual voice. Mercy me, I'm even using contractions, first person voice, dashes and ellipses. The thing is, as good and useful as blogging is, it can become a distraction to that which is more important for me to do here.
Have you made new friends with your blog ?
Yes, I have. Thanks to Tammy Swailes in Ukraine for initiating contact, she found me through Blogspot.com. I met Tammy earlier this fall when I was in Kiev and caught a bus 2 hours west to Zhitomer, where she works. Tammy was a great tour guide and she has been a useful source of information. (Her address: http://tswailes.blogspot.com/ "INSTE News from Europe" ).
When did you register on expat-blog.com ?
As I recall, I learned about Expat-blog through Alida's blog (http://blackpurlsknitpickings.blogspot.com/"Blackpurls Knitpicking"). Alida is down south toward the Black Sea in Krasnodar, Russia.
Any 'memories of an expat' you would like to share with other bloggers ?
I've had some interesting experiences at the border and could write at length about adventures at airports and on trains. . . However. . .
Interesting experiences often involve language - when we think we're saying one thing but, in fact, are saying something quite different.
1) Once a store manager asked what I did for a living. I meant to say "I work in a church." But then she asked if I were a trapeze artist there. Soon realized that I claimed to work at the circus.
2) Several years back, a couple of preteen girls from the orphanage came to spend the weekend with me. The day before, I had attended their New Year's drama at the orphanage in which each of them had a starring role, one as the Ice Princess (Father Frost's helper) and the other was a fairy. The next day, walking together through downtown Rostov I was overcome with sentiment, realizing what a precious moment in time it was. And I said, I'm the luckiest person in the whole world. Look, I get to walk down the street with a princess and with a fairy. And in a sweeping grand bow, I thought I said And I, I am The Queen! But they began screaming with laughter, not the reaction I was expecting, because instead of saying queen (kor-o-LYEV-a) I used the word "kor-OV-a", and said, And I, I am the Cow.
Souvenirs:
Having given away dozens of matroshka dolls, now I load up on matroshka doll magnets (they pack well and are less expensive). Once I took home several jars of caviar - what was I thinking? I had problems giving that away until I met Galina, a 12-year-old who had been adopted from Russia the year before. She quickly solved my caviar dilemma. Postcards are a great souvenir - inexpensive, a view of the city. The absolute best souvenir for men I get from a big department store, the military clothing department: These are shoulder patches for the FSB, Federal Safety Bureau, the new KGB. Very inexpensive and I've never been questioned. (First time I've mentioned this in public - might be foolish to do so!)
A major challenge:
Russia's new visa laws, enacted Jan 2008 are a major challenge for me. This applies not to all visas but does include the one-year religious activity visas and business visas. According to the new law, every 180 days (think 6 months) I may be in Russia a maximum of 90 days. In other words, in Russia only 50% of the time. For example, I'm leaving this evening for a month in Kiev. A missionary family there is heading to the US for November and asked me to come and help out. The nice thing is that US citizens no longer need visas to enter Ukraine. Also there are many Church of Christ in Ukraine. So, there are lots of ways in which I can serve there. And there are many adventures to be had. In other words, I'm being forced to travel. Imagine that!
Being an expat is a mixed bag and it's certainly not for everyone. But I'm glad it's my life. Overall, it would be much, much too difficult to do on my own. But when I arrive in a new place and I meet with my church family, having that spiritual family that makes all the difference, absolutely ALL the difference. And so I have Christian brothers and sisters all over the world. I like to think that through visiting congregations all over the world, I've enjoyed a taste of heaven in advance. And the neat thing - no visa required for that trip.