Lyn's walk - a personal blog of life in moscow 2010

week 32 – August and its hot in moscow

Lyns walk — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:24:58 +0000

After the coldest winter for over 50 years we now are in the hottest summer on record. The temperatures have soured every day and there has been little relief at night. A dense cloud of smoke has blanketed Moscow for weeks now – and the worst days you cannot see across the street. The smell of burning forest invades the homes and the smoke cloud has now entered buildings and shopping centres. At home you cannot open your window and then you suffocate in the heat. The worst have been the fires burning over major parts of rural Russia. Thousands of people have been left homeless , over 50 people have died. It seems that the government have the relief work in hand and so the army has a supporting role where they can be involved. In another part of our territory – between Moldova and Romania is floods. And here to the Corps are involved in supporting grieving people who have lost homes and loved ones to the floods. Our role at thqu is a supporting one – processing paperwork for funding, updating web sites and other reports.

Our little garden on the balcony is hardly surviving the hot weather – even with watering it is just too hot fore th plants to cope. We will gather a few tomoatoes. The rhubarb was harvested yesterday and made a nice apple and rhubarb pie for Ron’s birthday.

Tomorrow we leave on 2 weeks holiday – we head to Prague for 1 week and then into Switzerland for a week in the alps. So that will be a different place to see and experience. It will also be a relief to escape the heat and smoke of Moscow.

week 31 – august

Lyns walk — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:28:40 +0000

Several weeks have passed since last I wrote. Ron & I were in Ukraine for a mission team experience and it has been catch up since then. Ukraine was interesting an interesting experience. The basic idea was for us to be liason between a team of 11 people from UK who had come out to ‘do a program’ in Ukraine. This Corps has been visiting Ukraine every 2 years for about 10 years. The model of come and do a program- build something may worked back then – but today a new approach is needed if their is to be engagement with local community and participation that will have benefit in the long term. But it seems that the team had been given little preparation and really were not interested in the local community beyond the delivery of their program. So it was a good week to test some of Rons ideas of community involvement and seeding some thoughts on how to best use such mission experience. There were a couple older ladies in the group who particularly had difficulty in working through their expectations and the reality of life in a small Ukrainian village. So we had a challenging week working through a number of issues. It was also a reminder that when you are secluded away in a headquarters role you get out of practice with where people are at. I also realised that I am not as young as I used to be. My involvement in some of the games stretched a few muscles that had not been used for years. But the good old stand by games were new to these kids and they enjoyed learning them. All in all it was good to be out of the office and mixing with ‘real people’.

We missed connecting with the kids by skype as nearly 2 weeks without internet so it has been good to catch up with some conversations and games with the boys.

One of the things about being away from home is the way to continue friendships. The truth is that even if someone lived just down the road – the pace of life and busy lifestyle meant you have to be intentional in keeping connections. Over the years we have connected with many people as we have moved through many places. Some of our friendships have lasted beyond the moving and the opportunities to connect when we can are valued. Tonight was one of those opportunities to connect with an old friend via skype, to share stories of what our families are up to. It is good to know people care and are interested.

week 28

Lyns walk — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:34:15 +0000

This week is completing some office work and preparing for a trip to Ukraine. We head out on Thursday to do some supervision with an officer and then spend a week with a mission team. So tonight I have been digging out some resource stuff and finding a football and some other things to take. We do not know what we are in for – but lets go prepared for anything as we head out into a village to work with some very needy kids. Will be so nice to get out of the office.!

July – week 27

Lyns walk — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:31:02 +0000

Well the visitors came and went. We had a great time walking and exploring Moscow. We were on and off the trains and buses , walking through parks, visiting museums and covered a few shops as well. Before we knew it , it was back to work. These last 2 weeks in the office have been dealing with the day to day work that is part of my role. Sitting on boards involves reading, secretary to another involves preparation and follow up. There is some work in preparing a new resource disk for officers. So time has been spent searching files and internet to see what needs to be included.

We had the trip into the Ukraine embassy last week to pick up new visas. This allows us to travel in and out of Ukraine for the next 12 months. A little different to Moldova – same process but has to be done every 3 months. A costly process keeping up with visas. First you need to organise an invitation to the country – money. You take this to the embassy and apply – more money. To leave russia you have to de register, to return to the country you have to register – more money. And a whole lot more money and worry if you do not follow all the process. To get a working visa is all this and more – including medical checks – chest x-ray, aids test, skin test, drug tests, wee test, mass paperwork and every steps costs something. In the end you get a plastic card that lasts a year and allows you to earn an income. When you dropped our visitors at the airport recently, for the first time we saw the officials checking registration papers. They were targeting the chinese plane and managed to catch a few people who had not followed the registration process – easy money – pay the fine now or you do not get your passport!

So we live in this country learning the intricate formalities of paperwork and in constant fear of the various forms of officialdom that surrounds us – be it militia, police, military, – uniforms with big sticks and guns. We have not been stopped on the road yet – a constant threat when driving. At any time you can be flagged down by a policeman waving his big stick – with an invitation to go to his office (his car) to negotiate a fee! But we look western and so do not live under the same duress as the people from the ‘zakistan’ regions – they must be so intimidated as the officials try and seek out people without papers. Fortunately we are legal and have all the papers to prove it!

end of June

Lyns walk — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:26:33 +0000

Tomorrow is the last saturday of june which must make this half way through the year…..26 weeks….tax time…..middle of summer …..half way to winter again. It seems in my countdown I have lost a couple of weeks – although 2 weeks has passed since last I wrote. We have had visitors and holidays. Kingsley & margaret have been with us and so we took 2 weeks to travel around Moscow with them. We have walked, talked and laughed our way around the city. We have had a great time investigating parks, museums and shops. we have been improved in our culture with a night at the ballet and laughed through a night at the circus. We have manged all either on foot or public transport. It seems Cochrane feet cant take the pace – both Ron & Kingsley suffering from blistered toes – but they struggled on not wanting to miss anything.

We each had a camera and managed to take over 8 gig of photos between us – some interesting snaps from all directions. Each evening Kingsley short listed and updated Margaret’s facebook page to give a good record of our expeditions.

I have recovered from recent experience on the metro – and whilst I am now a little wiser I am also more careful where and how I position myself on the metro. We took K & M to the airport by car – bumper traffic – but getting much more used to the driving so not the same effort as when I first started the driving here.

So we have returned to work – with plenty to keep us busy. A trip to Ukraine in July and then the next leg of our holidays in Prague and beyond in August.

week 21 22 – Mugged in Moscow

Lyns walk — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 04:07:12 +0000

What a week!

Visitors from home, holidays, bad dose of the flue and then robbed on the the train. That somes up these last days.

Work was slow as most people go on June holidays so it lightens the load. I finished off a few things and started holidays last week. Kinglsey & Margaret arrived safely and replenished the milo supplies as well as a few other goodies. We have enjoyed our first week with them travelling around to see some sights, walk in the park and just enjoy company.

The hot water is now off for 2 weeks. The city clean the pipes and so we will need t boil water each day and sponge bath etc. Just adds alittle extra to your planning for the day – or you just do it cold!

I have a serious cold, yucky nose and coughing up junk – so bit miserable on that front – but trying to keep up with the others.

Then yesterday I was on the train out to catch a plane to a meeting in Sochi when I was surrounded by 4 men in suits and had my purse and passport wallet lifted!!!!!! It was a horrible experience. Peak hour any day you can be crushed in with people. Yesterday was different there was extra jostling , a sense of being shoved, and I ended up with a man with a book under my nose so I could not see down at my handbag. I had not been able to lift my bag up the pressure was so great and I was also trying to hold my suitcase which contained a laptop and projector. I was reassuring myself these men are in suits – business men on their way to work. They got off at the next stop – I looked down and noticed the zip undone – got off the train to discover purse gone. Ring dad – cancel the cards and then start the journey home to discover that my passport wallet is also gone. that is is everything – every card – work card, drivers licence, international licence, so you can imagine my state. I retrace my steps to return home – get on the wrong train , get off get on the right train, only to be standing next to 2 men in suits! So with the adrenaline still rushing I pat down both their pockets and ask them did they rob me? Where is my passport and purse. They look at me ….plead no understand shrug me off – but I get the feeling they are happy to not draw attention – and then I realise how stupid that was and move to the door to get off at the next station. I walk off the train a short distance when an old man comes up and hands me my passport - inside my licences and every card which had been removed from the purse and placed inside the folder. He points to the ground and says he found it. Purse and money gone. Cannot work it all out- just know God has kept me safe and my papers are returned. So for now all the cards are cancelled and I do have a passport – don’t know if my identity is stolen – but surely they had no time to do anything with the cards. Don’t know how the stuff came back – the timing of the old man and how he found me right then and on that train. Why no one else picked up the folder – so many questions – all unkown and impossible to answer. Just to know I am safe and I have the important papers will get us through the next days. But also some valuable lessons learned!!!!

Today we will travel the metro again – I know I have to go back out there or maybe I will never go alone again. I am a little worried – up until now we have always felt safe, never had a fear of being alone on the trains, I have caught planes alone before, but it just was one of those days yesterday.

So it is on with the holiday – one more week to explore and enjoy a rest.

week 20 may is ended and june has come

Lyns walk — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:04:39 +0000

Summer has arrived. There have been some warm days and some rainy days – bit like home really. But the warmer days are fast approaching. It is a little cloudy and smoggy and we are looking forward to 2 weeks holiday to enjoy the summer and go exploring. Perhaps the most different is the length of daylight. The darkness not come until near to midnight and then by 4am the day light begins. You need good drapes if the light bothers you. it is good for late night walks – no worries about coming home in the dark.

It has been an interesting experience of music in these last weeks. The Oratorio concert was a music extravaganza – Russian symphony orchestra playing Gounod with a 100 voice choir backing. Music was classical and then some Pirates of penzance and Mikado. Then last weekend I was invited to a private performance of a relative of an officer. Violin, Cello, Piano and soprano singer in a museum room for about 40 people. Delightful music in a unique setting. The museum room was lined with ornate plaster carvings on ceilings and architrave walls – all gold leafed. The chandalier hung to imitate candles , probably about 30 of them. The pale olive green drapes were decorated with tassles and the grand piano taking up a good part of one corner. The modern lcd television in the other corner seemed so out of place. But the small crowd of mostly elderly ladies ( I fitted right in) sat enthralled with this high quality music performance for just over an hour. Music is such a big mart of the culture here. I guess in the soviet days it was the outlet for many.

I have been reading plenty -my current book is a story from an american newspaper reporter who took a year out to travel and she tells of her experience – travelling into europe, england and beyond. The people she met, the places she visited and reflections of her life during the time. Interesting book – probably challenging me to be a bit more reflective of this current experience rather than ‘just doing my time’ . But maybe that is for another day!

week 19 but who is counting

Lyns walk — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:04:53 +0000

Another week down – one less to go.

It is May the weather is improved and so life is a bit easier not having to rug up. In fact some days we can get out without a jumper on so that is nice.

As I look back on the week I am trying to work out what work I really did – what difference did I really make this week. A bit of a struggle to think any great achievements. I went to work every day – kept up with the mail – finished some reports, sent some emails – but I would put it down to a fairly ordinary week. Calls for Jez to hear all about his new house. Calls from Amey who has been sick and so far away and I can’t wrap her in my arms and say it will be alright. Peta getting fat and I cannot be there for her. And today in skype games with the boys I cut them off because they were not playing properly- so I guess I would not call it my best week.

I have been to the choir to sell their tickets for them and even that has not run smoothly. The next door lady normally does this – but she is on holidays so I said I would cover this for her. But the music has been good to listen to. The practice on wednesday was with full orchestra – so it will be a pretty good concert on Monday night.

We are now finally completely out of Milo – so I am waiting for kinglsey and Margaret to arrive to replenish the supplies. We did score on packet of Tim Tams but they were shared in the office – so we got a couple each.

Moscow is a very dirty city to live in. And the room we work in is on the top floor. Over 100 years of dust filters through the eaves and ceiling cracks into our room. So Thursday we had a clean up day. The office was progressively stripped and swept, mopped and sorted. Hard working day – but the result was rewarding to free up space from piles of stuff and to see out clean windows once again.

So for next week – I am not sure that my work will get any more exciting – Ron goes to Moldova on Monday for the week but i guess I am hanging out because I know holidays is just around the corner. We are trying to walk each day and return some fitness and I am going through some books – mostly story books but helps pass the time.

Until next week………….pucka

week 17/18

Lyns walk — Tue, 18 May 2010 10:00:52 +0000

It is May, the summer sun is beginning to shine. The tulips have come and almost gone. They are soon replaced with other flowering shrubs. It is a colorful place to be.

We have been doing a lot of walking, instead of the 3 minutes to work we now detour to the roundabout and turn it into a 30 minute walk. We have been feeling the effects from lack of exercise and both have been the heaviest of our lives (other than when I was pregnant) So it will be a slow road back to some level of fitness and less fatness.

We have also taken the opportunity to explore more parks. 2 weeks ago we went to victory Park – this is the main war memorial site – with museums fountains and parklands. It was a good outing and we enjoyed exploring the area. The next weekend we were back at Kolomoskaya – church was in the park as we had been evicted from our place of worship. So we sat under the apple blossom trees and enjoyed worship in the great outdoors. We have had 2 long weekends in a row and so extra time to get out and about. We ventured back into the city centre to have a go at taking some night pictures around the big cathedral and red square. The one hour walk home was exhausting – but fun. I have taken heaps of flower pictures and need to think about getting them on flikr to share.

Work remains unexciting – but a mixture of tasks that need to be done. I have a few projects on the horizon that should add interest to the year – for now I am just hanging out for holidays in June, visitors from home and then maybe I can focus on some of these tasks. Everything seems to be in a limbo here – the new TCs out of the country again for a month this time – they have probably had 2 weeks in the office in 3 months – so decision making is stalled. The business guy is on furlough for 10 weeks – so it seems no financial issues will be resolved till he returns. June is holiday month and so most things go quiet anyway – so this is be patient month.

Our balcony garden has really taken off in the last week. The first round of tomatoes died as I put the out to soon, but the new batch are now taking off. We have beans, rhubarb, lettuce and pepper in boxes. we have some flowers as well so it is looking pretty good out there.

Visitors for dinner last week so we stoked up the shaslick barby and enjoyed fresh cooked meat with sald – mazing what you can do in such a small space.

Well thats enough of a catch up. Love to you all.

Week 16

Lyns walk — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:13:02 +0000

so we come to the end of April. 4 months gone – 8 to go to Christmas. Soon we will be saying 2 years gone – one to go. But who is counting. This week has been a hard week. Work wise there were a few hiccups – thought the computer files had been lost- years of work gone because IT had not done backups of the server. Mad at myself for failing to pick it up and do something. But after a frustrating week it appears the back up is now done with most files recovered. Other work is slow. I am between projects that have any interest or sense to them. I am stuck at my desk updating files and processing paperwork. Highlight of the week was the Australian Embassy ANZAC service. We were up at the crack of dawn for the service -in full uniform with the band on duty. We played a hymn and the 3 national anthems – aussie, NZ & Russian. I also got to play the last post – which was quite a nice thing to be able to do. There were probably 70 or so people at the service and then we got to have a cooked breakfast together. The embassy then delivered a donation this week for about $1,000 for our work – so that was impressive. We raise very few dollars from local donations so that is a start. I am trying to foster some enthusiasm for this work – but being behind a desk is not me. Working without people is not really me either. So I will explore some options and find every excuse to do some trips out of the office.

The tulips are starting to blossom this week after a very long and cold winter. they do not last long but are soon replaced with spring flowers so it is a nice time of the year. We have a long week-end to enjoy so we will go out and find some flowers and parks to explore.

I have caught up with the boys a bit this week and played some games on skype. Family footy tips is keeping me busy updating the blog and keeping track of matches and what everyone is doing. Amey & Jez had birthdays this week and so we are reminded that the years are flying by. It seems not so long ago they were teenagers ! This week I am missing being home…missing birthdays….missing cuddles from boys….missing watching peta get fat!!!!! time to end this and find something positive to do.