Life has its irregularities here. At times I struggle to maintain an equilibrium, especially coming into the depths of winter. I remember at around this time last year I had a case of the Winter Blues. As I look back over the years I think it has hit me a few times. Being an Aussie boy I am just so used to having a certain amount of sunlight every day of the year. These days the sun is getting up at 10am and it is so low in the sky, for the whole day. I can only imagine how dismal it would be to live in the Arctic. I love my life here, but am not sure I am cut out for life (way up further north) in complete darkness for months of the year.
Some may find it hard to believe, but I truly do love my life here, even if it could be more full than what it is at the moment. We have a good mix of friends, many of them from indigenous backgrounds, some of them Slavic Russians too. We enjoy all of our friendships and are starting to get to know people more deeply. I do lament at times that we have so few Christian friends though. Most of them are just so caught up in their church lifestyles that they don't have time for us. And we really don't have time for the church lifestyle, because it is so all consuming and drags us away from the very people we are here to work with, live with and bless with God's love. I can honestly say that we have more friends who do not go to church than do, for the first time in my life. But so many of our friends are open to God's love, and as we share it with them our relationships deepen.
But, the Winter Blues have hit me again and I am finding it hard to keep my head above water. I need to take some vitamin D pills. I don't think I will buy a "happy lamp" though. I don't even know if I could find one here, but since they start at around $200 in Canada, I can only imagine they would be more expensive here. Spending more then $300 on a lamp would not make me very happy.
A regular week at this time of year includes teaching English for about 6 hours; two hours of Russian classes; Russian homework, English prep work; swimming or skiing exercise; guests at our home between 2-4 times; some Evenki language work- if I am having a good week. (It's hard when there's no deadline- and frankly I am so much better motivated by interacting with people than by books.) Then there is of course Abigail's busy schedule of kinder; Russian prep classes; art school and home school. PJ is due to start children's centre himself, so he can begin learning Russian. This all becomes a lot to juggle. Melody is feeling like her life is consisting of maintaing other people's schedules and she needs to add something of her own to the mix.
I enjoy teaching a lot, but there is a draw back to this, it's in English! I am realising that I need some sort of regular day time activity in the Russian language. When I do have some solid stretches of Russian language, I notice quickly how much better my language is, and that I begin using words that I rarely ever use.
Earlier this week I was lamenting a quiet day, with little to do. I sat at my desk and worked my way through a Tolstoy story (in Russian of course) called The Caucasus Prisoner. I was wishing I had some more action in my life. Famous last words....
Some may find it hard to believe, but I truly do love my life here, even if it could be more full than what it is at the moment. We have a good mix of friends, many of them from indigenous backgrounds, some of them Slavic Russians too. We enjoy all of our friendships and are starting to get to know people more deeply. I do lament at times that we have so few Christian friends though. Most of them are just so caught up in their church lifestyles that they don't have time for us. And we really don't have time for the church lifestyle, because it is so all consuming and drags us away from the very people we are here to work with, live with and bless with God's love. I can honestly say that we have more friends who do not go to church than do, for the first time in my life. But so many of our friends are open to God's love, and as we share it with them our relationships deepen.
But, the Winter Blues have hit me again and I am finding it hard to keep my head above water. I need to take some vitamin D pills. I don't think I will buy a "happy lamp" though. I don't even know if I could find one here, but since they start at around $200 in Canada, I can only imagine they would be more expensive here. Spending more then $300 on a lamp would not make me very happy.
A regular week at this time of year includes teaching English for about 6 hours; two hours of Russian classes; Russian homework, English prep work; swimming or skiing exercise; guests at our home between 2-4 times; some Evenki language work- if I am having a good week. (It's hard when there's no deadline- and frankly I am so much better motivated by interacting with people than by books.) Then there is of course Abigail's busy schedule of kinder; Russian prep classes; art school and home school. PJ is due to start children's centre himself, so he can begin learning Russian. This all becomes a lot to juggle. Melody is feeling like her life is consisting of maintaing other people's schedules and she needs to add something of her own to the mix.
I enjoy teaching a lot, but there is a draw back to this, it's in English! I am realising that I need some sort of regular day time activity in the Russian language. When I do have some solid stretches of Russian language, I notice quickly how much better my language is, and that I begin using words that I rarely ever use.
Earlier this week I was lamenting a quiet day, with little to do. I sat at my desk and worked my way through a Tolstoy story (in Russian of course) called The Caucasus Prisoner. I was wishing I had some more action in my life. Famous last words....
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