Central Eurasian Mission - Week 29 - October 2-8, 2017

I got my hair cut again this week.  I go to this place, "Salon La Fleur"



It is almost exactly 275 feet from the door of our apartment building.  It is the far one on the left with protruding burgundy colored balconies.



Here is the menu (no! that would be food)...here's the list of services and the prices.
Classic Manicure                    $3.30
Gel Manicure - 200 shades     $5.70
Classic Pedicure                     $6.60
Gel Pedicure                           $9.60
Eyelash Extensions      up to  $9.00
Trim Bangs                             $0.90 
Hair Cut                                  $5.40
Split Ends Trimmed                $5.40     



I had to go twice because the first time I went, I was told "not today"  I assume the hairdresser was off that day.  I went two days later full of hope.  Yes, there was a hairdresser..........but.......not the same one as before.  I took a leap of faith and sat down in the shampoo chair.  You always hear that faith precedes the miracle, and today's miracle was the shortest hair cut I have ever received.  Ivan used to have hair (from his Lewis and Clark College days) longer than mine is now.  I can only bear to show the back of my hair as my bare ears will startle you.  The interesting thing is that I have a blonde spot that goes clear to my scalp right in the same place that Travis has his blond spot....I always knew that Travis and I were kindred spirits (or maybe because we already are.....)



Last week, if you remember, was when we had the YV Sisters over for dinner and to watch the Women's Conference.  The mission wide plan was for everyone to be watching simultaneously.  This week was the YV Elders turn.  They came over on Tuesday for lunch (my famous spaghetti..yes that is a joke) and to watch the Priesthood Session at 1:00.  We are kneeling only so we'd all fit in front of the tv.



We "remodeled" our kitchen a tiny bit.  Someone (probably an ex-pat) left the country and also left this, an old particle board computer desk.  It had been sitting in the kitchen at the church for ages - no one had any recollection of its source).  We were in the process of cleaning up and clearing out our church rooms prior to the visit the President Russell M. Nelson next week, and a lot of stuff had to go.  Some people saw this as a useless computer desk, but I saw a new counter top.  On the left is my crock pot with Cuban Black Beans (but I think it is just going to be black beans with onions and green peppers with shashleek spices).  On the right is bread rising.  And underneath is the beginning of a 1-2 week's worth of food storage.  Next week week we are doing apartment checks at the YVs, and one of requirements is a week's worth of food storage.  We figured that we needed to begin by setting an example.  With the front door of the grocery store only about 300 feet away from our building's door, it is hard to want to buy food before you really need it.



It started to snow this week.  The first day left just a dusting on the trees.  But the next two days I could make footprints when I walked on the track.  Today, however, all the ground is clear, and temperatures are supposed to be in the 50's next week.  When I walk in the morning the temperature is in the upper 20's, but with no wind and no moisture, there is no problem keeping warm.  I'm sure I'll have deeper snow pictures as time passes!





One morning as I was walking I could hear a loud, kinda rumbling in the sky.  Upon listening I could tell it was from birds and looking up, I could see thousands (maybe 800s) of birds swirling and swooping in the sky.  Here is my best picture.  So I can add these birds to my wildlife list.



So - -you know that President Nelson is coming next week.  Wanting to present ourselves in the best possible manner, everyone is cleaning.  Dad washed windows, repaired some chairs, I scraped off dirt from floors.  When our Mission President came the first time, he declared that, "the bathroom needs a redo!!!"  So, a Facilities Manager came here from somewhere in Russia, did a review of the premises and wrote a long list of tasks that were officially prescribed.  So now we have a bathroom with a new mirror, two new ceiling lights with WHITE light bulbs and an EXHAUST FAN.  We feel so good now - you can actually see in the bathroom, and it doesn't smell!  Next Saturday there is a Branch wide cleanup up activity.  Here is our "new bathroom"




We went to eat again at the Doner shop - the one that is located under the ouside stairway.  This time we wanted pizza.





This was "Assorted" for $6.00.  Pretty good, actually.



While we waited, we sat on the little stools placed under the stairs.  There was this guy at the table eating, and he started chatting with us - oh....it stretched my conversation skills to the max - - 3 sons, 2 daughters and they live all over, here have some of these dates, what are you doing in Kazakhstan, really cold isn't it, where do you live, my son has been in Oregon, here have some more dates, and so forth.  We gave him our business card which he carefully tucked into his wallet. Then he asked to borrow a pen and carefully folded a piece of napkin and made his own card, gave it to us, and Dad put carefully put in his pocket.

It is written in Kazakh rather than in Russian, and the center name is his 'given name'.  And he wrote a note to us (in case I hadn't understood him) saying, "My son Oregon.  2015 tourism.  My name Daulet!"  It really was a fun experience for us.  People here, when not in an anonymous crowd, are really very kind and friendly.





He was a really nice guy.  It was a perfect example of how great it would be to be fluent in the language and learn "his story."



I made pumpkin raisin muffins using my sacred brown sugar.  It was kinda a bust.  The brown sugar  is brown sugar, but it is made with the large sugar crystals and it simply doesn't cook the 'right' way. The muffins taste good but they look like there was a mistake.  I was going to take them to a dinner invitation Sunday night but now think we'll take some kind of melon instead.  We'll just eat these.



Here we are dressed up for the cold weather.  I have on my down jacket and my rain jacket with the Columbia Sportswear magic silver lining, hat, the jacket's  hood, and gloves. This is my beginning level of cold weather gear.  I still have in my arsenal - long underwear, a down vest, my knee length down coat, and winter insulated boots.  Also ski gloves that, so far, have been too warm to wear, and a polar fleece pull over hood and neck covering which I've never been able to wear in Oregon because it always made me too hot.

I have taken President Uchtdorf's talk to heart.  Regarding the terrible cold and awful weather that is approaching, I will not be sad about it, or mad about it.  Instead I will be glad that I can experience a really cold winter - one that I have never before experienced.  I will revel in the challenge of not slipping on the icy sidewalk.  I will enjoy the ice sculptures in the park.  I will have a memorable cold weather experience that, even though I learned a lot from it, I will be happy not to repeat.

If you want to listen to President Ucthdor's talk, here is the link

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/10/three-sisters?lang=eng

We love you all!!