alright first thing is first! my missionary.org email does not work here in Russia! :) so either email emma.cummings.volunteer@gmail.com or emma.cummings@latter-daysaints.ru (this one works best, but also it will get sent to spam unless you add it to your inbox)
I am so excited to finally be here. My companion's name is Sister Richter. She is from Germany and is the sweetest person ever!
My area is.... (take a guess from the picture I sent!) if you can guess it lmk and you'll be a winner
hint 1) A "C" in Russian, is a "S" in english.
hint 2) A "P" in Russian, is a "R" in english.
hint 3) A "B" in Russian, is a "V" in english.
hint 4) A "O" in Russian, is a "A" in english (sometimes lol)
hint 5) there is a movie made about where my area is
It has been a little scary here, but nothing out of the ordinary.
ok legit i am the worst flyer. ever. ever. i knew something bad would happen to me flying alone. and 100% everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong. So I left monday morning at like 5 am. I traveled on the bus with other missionaries going to California. We got to the airport together than split up. Then I was on the flight from SLC to NYC with some missionaries going to Scotland/Ireland mission (speaking chinese!!) But I had to go through security by myself because they were a little bit ahead of me. Then in NYC i had a super tight layover. From here on out, I was by myself. So I legit didn't know how to get to the next terminal, was asking and trying to figure out how, finally found out how. Made it. Then I had to be escorted through security and stuff because I still had to check in, pay for my bags, and go through security again. So that was a little stressful. And I had to carry so many things in my hands because my suitcase was exactly 50 pounds lol. Then It was nice because on the plane ride over here, I had the window seat in a row of three seats. And then... my other two seatmates didn't show up!! So legit I got the row of 3 all to myself for my 10 hour flight! Best. Flight. Ever. Legit slept the entire time. So nice. Then in Moscow. Moscow, Moscow, Moscow... I had instructions to pick up my luggage in moscow, then put it on the next plane, but then that wasn't working, and I was so confused where to go because every sign was so confusing and passport control had taken me SO LONG to get through and my flight was a little bit delayed, so by the time I was arriving at the place to check in for my next flight, they told me I was going to miss it and would need to get a new flight. It was only like 1.5 hour layover and it just wasn't working. So I had to go get that sorted out and pay for a new flight.
Anyways, after that I had to now call the mission president and tell him I was going to be two hours later. And I was searching and searching for a phone to use. Also keep in mind I had so much stuff I was carrying. My violin case, a coat, a cardingan, a scarf, my packed-to-the-rim backpack, my passport/ticket, my water bottle, and my scriptures. So I looked so weird going everywhere with all my stuff. Finally I just sat down because there were no pay phones. So I sat down and just hoped for the best. Eventually someone came and sat by me and THANK GOODNESS she spoke english and was from america and she let me use her phone like 4 seperate times times to call so many different numbers (that for some reason weren't working love russia) but the VERY last time I tried to call, and the VERY last number I was calling finally worked. And so I told president I would be late. Finally got to Rostov. But suprise suprise, no luggage. Grrrr. That was a whole different fiasco. Everyone got involved. Thank goodness for the people at the mtc who hemmed my dress got it wrong the first time, and had to redo it, so I couldn't pack it in my suitcase and had to pack it in my violin case. So I did have one set of clean clothes. They we went to the Mission President's house. They fed me an awesome homecooked meal (sooo much better than the MTC). And that is my airport story. Oh, and then I didn't get my luggage until a few days later. I was flying from Rostov, to Moscow, to my new area. And I had a three hour layover in Moscow and was running through the airport trying to find my luggage and get it with me in time to get on the plane and check in. It was crazy. On the way to the Rostov airport, the APs were dropping me off and giving me step by step instructions from their "airport connection guy" lolololol. Airports are ROUGH.
So because I lost my luggage in the Moscow airport, I lived off the same pair of clothes for like three days :))))) Thank goodness for the help/instructions of the APs and the Mission President's wife before I left Rostov, otherwise I still may be wearing that same outfit ;)
After a crazy first few days of contacting with the Rostov sisters, eating at a local Russian resturant, and watching Kung Fu Panda in Russian for a memeber activity, getting caught in a rainstorm that SOAKED me, I flew to meet my companion and get situated for my 12 weeks of training.
I had to wait about an hour for my comp and other sisters to come pick me up at the airport. It is some rinky-dinky Russian airport in the middle of nowhere. It only had one plane (the one I arrived on). One baggage claim/pickup thing. It was so small. Loved it.
So because the laws in Russia here are so strict, we cannot go proselyting or normal contacting. We have to ask questions to people, and just have conversations with them. We become their friends and invite them to different activities we have at the church with other volunteers (known as missionaries in other countries) and members.
This week we met a member at church who is like 70. He is from Alaska. Met his wife online. Moved here. Got married to here. She doesn't speak English. He doesn't speak Russian. It is interesting...
We are trying to move out of our apartment because the landlady comes whenever she wants. And she stays for like two hours watering her plants. In our apartment. Why she has SO MANY plants? I will never know. But somehow she is always there, and nothing in our apartment works. Hot water is sparse, working lights aren't really happening, and we might die everytime we use the elevator to get to the 10th floor. But all is good!
Also some grandma kissed us and crossed us this week so that was fun I guess. Also the food here doesn't really have flavor so that's cool too I guess.
BUT IT IS AWESOME here! I am so excited to serve here!
Some things I have noticed:
- all the baboshkas (grandmas) here have mullets. love it.
-the sidewalks haven't been repaved or taken care of since the 1600s (lol jk probs the 1700s)
-russians LOVE to mumble so you can't hear or understand what they are saying.
-everyone here lives in an apartment.
-walking. walking. walking. everyone here LOVES to walk. for fun. all the time. if you ask someone their interests, 9/10 times they will say they love to walk.
CecTpa Cummings
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