Well, the last two days were spent in the Russian countryside in a little village of Ahktyrskiy, to the west of Krasnodar. A friend of Steve's named Tim came over from Maine along with a friend of his named Albert. Caleb and I met them in Krasnodar and they are a pretty cool couple of guys. So he told us he was headed out to the countryside to help a good friend of his (Tim used to be a missionary over here) who runs a drug and alcohol rehab center in the middle of EastNOwhere, Russia. He invited us to come along, and we accepted!
Well, the trip was about 2 1/2 hours of beautiful countryside. Beautiful and bountiful fields of wheat, corn, rice, all bursting at the seams. Then we hit this patch of bare ground.... it was bare for a couple of square miles. When I asked Tim about it, he said, "Oh, this is where the Soviet government back in the 50's spread nuclear waste on the ground in an experiment to see what would survive a nuclear blast." Oh. Btw, the answer is NOTHING, for those of you who are wondering....
So we get to Ahktyrskiy and we met Sasha, once an oil businessman who was converted to Christianity and was deeply burdened with the glaring need of rampant alcoholism in Russia. So he began a ministry, taking in addicts and letting them work on his vegetable farm, which he has recently expanded to include 350 head of sheep and dozen cattle, along with pigs, chickens, and ducks. The house the guys are living in is a cheap home-made brick covered with plaster and roofed with solid asbestos (oh, you think i'm kidding?). So what we did while we were down there is help expand the living quarters of the house by roofing an extra room that they had already built (there is about 12-15 guys living there at the moment). While some of us (Caleb and Alby) got busy on the roof, the rest of us (namely me and Tim) headed out to the fields to bring in the hay. Oh boy!
The hay was round bales about 5 1/2 feet tall and weighing anywhere from 300-500lbs apiece. Mode of transport: 3 guys roll them up a ramp onto a trailer by hand. The tractor used to pull the trailer is a 1977 Soviet collective model that has been taken apart and rebuilt so many times that I (noted mechanic that i am...not) can't even recognize the different parts of the engine. It was jerry-rigged by the mechanic at the shelter to PULL start: imagine starting your lawnmower or weedeater... now blow that up to the size of a tractor.... yeah, you got the idea... So we load these things, and the guy turns to me and asks (through Tim, my russian is still horrible), "Have you ever done this sort of thing before?"
So I sat back and thought, "Well, I'm working out in the middle of the countryside, in 90 degree weather, loading hay onto a trailer with a cooler of water in the nearby jeep."
Welcome to Texas, buddy. I felt right at home.
For those of you who know me, I have never been that much of a tea drinker, but in the past two days, I have consumed about 3 gallons of hot tea that for some reason Russians find a good idea to serve on hot days as a refreshment... I was tempted to ask them to put it in a cup of ice just to see their reaction...
The food has also been an adventure. We were introduced to the Russian plate of borscht, a dish that is basically meat and potatoes and vegetables in soup base. Rabbit kidney I think was a classic. I loved it, but others in our group were kinda weirded out... (I would mention names, but Caleb would be embarrassed).
So we are back in Krasnodar now meeting up with Steve, who has just returned from the US of A. The past few days have been an adventure and it looks like the next few days won't disappoint...
Do Svidanya, my friends.
Well, the trip was about 2 1/2 hours of beautiful countryside. Beautiful and bountiful fields of wheat, corn, rice, all bursting at the seams. Then we hit this patch of bare ground.... it was bare for a couple of square miles. When I asked Tim about it, he said, "Oh, this is where the Soviet government back in the 50's spread nuclear waste on the ground in an experiment to see what would survive a nuclear blast." Oh. Btw, the answer is NOTHING, for those of you who are wondering....
So we get to Ahktyrskiy and we met Sasha, once an oil businessman who was converted to Christianity and was deeply burdened with the glaring need of rampant alcoholism in Russia. So he began a ministry, taking in addicts and letting them work on his vegetable farm, which he has recently expanded to include 350 head of sheep and dozen cattle, along with pigs, chickens, and ducks. The house the guys are living in is a cheap home-made brick covered with plaster and roofed with solid asbestos (oh, you think i'm kidding?). So what we did while we were down there is help expand the living quarters of the house by roofing an extra room that they had already built (there is about 12-15 guys living there at the moment). While some of us (Caleb and Alby) got busy on the roof, the rest of us (namely me and Tim) headed out to the fields to bring in the hay. Oh boy!
The hay was round bales about 5 1/2 feet tall and weighing anywhere from 300-500lbs apiece. Mode of transport: 3 guys roll them up a ramp onto a trailer by hand. The tractor used to pull the trailer is a 1977 Soviet collective model that has been taken apart and rebuilt so many times that I (noted mechanic that i am...not) can't even recognize the different parts of the engine. It was jerry-rigged by the mechanic at the shelter to PULL start: imagine starting your lawnmower or weedeater... now blow that up to the size of a tractor.... yeah, you got the idea... So we load these things, and the guy turns to me and asks (through Tim, my russian is still horrible), "Have you ever done this sort of thing before?"
So I sat back and thought, "Well, I'm working out in the middle of the countryside, in 90 degree weather, loading hay onto a trailer with a cooler of water in the nearby jeep."
Welcome to Texas, buddy. I felt right at home.
For those of you who know me, I have never been that much of a tea drinker, but in the past two days, I have consumed about 3 gallons of hot tea that for some reason Russians find a good idea to serve on hot days as a refreshment... I was tempted to ask them to put it in a cup of ice just to see their reaction...
The food has also been an adventure. We were introduced to the Russian plate of borscht, a dish that is basically meat and potatoes and vegetables in soup base. Rabbit kidney I think was a classic. I loved it, but others in our group were kinda weirded out... (I would mention names, but Caleb would be embarrassed).
So we are back in Krasnodar now meeting up with Steve, who has just returned from the US of A. The past few days have been an adventure and it looks like the next few days won't disappoint...
Do Svidanya, my friends.
Looking for the LIKE button and can't find it on here! Totally enjoy your descriptions of life in Asia. . .beautiful country and pics remind me of Fiddler on the Roof! Three of ours just returned from Moldova/Romania and found the people reserved but beautiful and hardworking. . .unbelievable gardens and fields! And oh, so open to friendship/relationship and that's Good News! love, hugs, & prayers- mrs. b
ReplyDeleteWe're lovin this blog. Describes Russia with the addition of your wonderful humor. :) Very entertaining.
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