SPU: Sightseeing and learning!

Hello, everyone! (And Happy 4^th!)

Kalie, here. It’s been an eventful first few days in St. Petersburg! While the team has been adjusting to the time change, we have also been roaming around the city and familiarizing ourselves with our new home for the next month. In the mornings we go through training, learning about the Russian history and the language, then sightseeing in the afternoon.

Yesterday, we toured the Peter and Paul Fortress and stood along the Neva River, watching the boats float along in the rain. Within the fortress, we sat in modern architectural chairs that reminded us of Alice in Wonderland. (Personally, I felt like the Queen of Hearts!) The team also took a photo with the military tanks and next to Peter the Great.

On our way home, we stopped at the grocery store close by, as Tanya bought tea and bananas. The four of us planned on walking out the door to wait while she paid, instead, the guard stopped us and was trying to explain that we had to go through the detectors before leaving. Thankfully, Thaddaeus spoke a little Russian to him and smiled, which helped him to realize we had no idea what was going on. Within the first few days, we have seen how the language barrier plays a role in the simplest of situations.

Today, Tanya sent us on our market assignments, where we saw St. Andrew’s Cathedral and St. Vladimir’s Cathedral and visited separate market places. Krista and I bought 1 kilogram of pears and Thaddaeus and McKenzie bought 1 kilogram of oranges. I had a great conversation in Russian with the lady who sold us the pears! When I told her we were from America, she proceeded to say, “Ah! America! Obama! Obama!” We couldn’t help but laugh; that’s not usually the first thing you hear when you tell someone you’re from the USA. Thaddaeus and McKenzie used their educated guessing skills to read about the history of St. Andrew’s! It was an overall successful first few days in Russia! Tonight, we are practicing skits and preparing for the days ahead at the orphanage.

It’s hard to believe that after six months of training, we are actually here. We are so thankful to SunErgos and SPU for giving us the opportunity to serve in such a beautiful city! As Monday approaches, we are preparing ourselves for what God has planned for our time with the kids, both at the orphanage and at the disability camp. Thank you for reading our updates! We are so excited to share this incredible journey with everyone. God is moving, friends! And we are ready for what lies ahead.

God Bless!

PS. Please leave your comments; we would love to hear from you!