Since our last email update it seems as though we have spent a lot of time waiting for things to happen or work out. Some of these things have fallen into place & for others we are still waiting!Well firstly our good friend from here, Sveta, has made it to NZ & is currently studying at EXCEL School of Performing Arts in Auckland. In the end it was no small miracle that she arrived safe & sound. The last few weeks were rather harrowing with late night phone calls to NZ or Moscow where her visa was being issued. And then finding out less than 24 hours before she was to fly that she needed a transit visa for Sydney (although she was going to be there for less than a hour) – good one Australia!! But she is there now & loving it so we are praying for a great year for her.
We have a new director at school who was taken some good steps forward in managing our school which is really positive (after our last director did a runner!). We have had our job-share proposal (to teach 2 & half days a week each with the same class) turned down so that is a bit disappointing. So the plan for the next academic year (starting September 09) is that Jon will work fulltime at the school & bring home the bacon & I have enrolled in Waikato University to upgrade my Diploma to a Degree & then move on to get a Graduate Diploma in Sport & Leisure. I will also work 2 days in a voluntary role for my brother’s English language business as the Curriculum & Resource Development Officer. That’s right I will be developing resources & curriculum!Spring & warm temperatures have finally come to Ukraine – it hasn’t rained for over a month! Our backyard is beginning to bloom and to make the most of it we are in the process of building a deck on the back of our house. This term is full of long weekends so we are making the most of these back at our house doing odd jobs & relaxing.
We have even managed to get to the ballet & theatre for some great evenings out with friends!
My brother who is currently living in London came over for the long Easter weekend. It was good to catch up with him & show him a little bit of Ukraine.
We celebrated ANZAC Day in style with a game of cricket (NZ v AUS), some ANZAC biscuits & our Aussie friends even made lamingtons, pavlova & meat pies!! My brother played the Last Post on his bugle & it was good to hang out & remember our ANZAC’s.
We are counting down the days to the end of school (38 school days left) and looking forward to 2 months of summer. We have booked tickets to Italy for just over a week, also hope to visit Crimea again & also get some work completed around our house.
We are still waiting and wondering what to do in regards to children. According to the tests we had done in NZ I am not ovulating, so we are wondering about the best course of action from here. Not sure I really want to approach the medical system here in another language!!
Well that’s about all the news for now. We have been talking a lot about our future and where we are headed. We are conscious of making the most of now & using our time wisely to achieve all we can where we are. We have put a tentative “18 months” (thanks to some wise advice from Donny!) on the table as to the time when we head back to NZ – and are open to what God wants us to do.
Until next time…
Jon & Ruth
