Team Pirini

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-03T11:11:00.001Z

The demolition process

2011 ended in a rush, and to be quite honest I was quite happy to see the end of it. It has been a good but hard year adjusting to life here in New Zealand again & working through different situations, ideas & thoughts.

New doors from inside lounge

Moving into our own house at the end of September has been good & given us a space to call our own & work on as we get the chance. We have already taken out a wall to make our lounge bigger & put doors in where there was a window to give us access onto the existing deck. It is a huge improvement & makes it great for indoor/outdoor flow & enjoying the summer evenings. We are in the process of discussing the other projects/renovating we will do with the rest of the house.

New doors onto deck

Our last camp in the October holidays went well, (click here for the report) we had a great team of adult helpers & leaders, but not as many children this time. It was awesome to see more people buy into the vision we have & we feel excited as to how God is going to grow this. We are in the middle of preparing for our summer camp, and again it is a roller coaster ride of getting the enough people to help out (still desperately need a cook – any takers?) and other decisions that need to be made, things to be bought etc. Registrations are looking good at the moment & we are hopeful for a full camp. It is amazing the different children who are coming to camp and the positive influence and difference it makes in their lives. It is great to have positive feedback and hear their testimonies.

The rest of the school year & term ended in a blur, with extra work, exams, school Gala’s end of year break-ups, prizegivings, Christmas etc. We were looking forward to the holidays with great expectation, and it has now been nice to potter around our place gardening and settling in properly to our house. We head away tomorrow for a few nights break to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary – the years have flown!

My Dad playing Wii

We have had our follow-up appointment at the Fertility clinic which kick-started our IVF cycle which begins for real at the end of February. It is with some excitement but also anxiousness/trepidation that we look forward to this process. No doubt it will be a trying time, but whatever the outcome we are confident that God is in control and we can trust Him.

New nephew -- Isaac

The rest of the year for us looks similar to last year, although as we have now shifted into town we will not be going to the church in Pukenui that we have been attending, which also means we will no longer be running the youth group & after-school club there. We are not sure which church we will be going to yet, but one that is a bit closer. We aim to make camps our focus this year, and not be involved so much in other church activities. It is our intention to keep volunteering for Girl Guides and St Johns though.

We wish you all the best for 2012 and would love for our paths to cross this year in some way shape or form.

PS And we are pretty thankful NZ won the rugby world cup :-)

Tonga v Canada

September 2011

2011-09-05T22:35:00.001Z

Jon in his St John uniform

Its been awhile since we last sent an update & photos! It has also been a year since we leftUkraine. It seems longer than that &we often think about Ukraine & miss our friends & house there. Things have been plodding away here with nota lot happening except for the normal weekly routines.

Our weeks are pretty much the same consisting of…

Teaching – Jon has 4 daysas a Music teacher, I have 2 permanent days at a couple of schools, but tend topick up at least another day each week.

Youth groups – We have one for 11-12yrs onWednesday afternoons & one for 13yrs onwards on Friday nights.

Church – Jon leads thesinging & I teach Sunday school every 2^nd month.

Lessons – I am stilllearning drums – slowly but getting there. Jon is continuing with his part-time Bible College & enjoyingthat.

Tutoring – I have a fewstudents who I help after-school in their homework or other subjects they arestruggling in. Jon teaches music lessonsto a few people.

A really old Kauri tree & our nephews

Volunteer work – Jon hascompleted all the courses to become a St John ambulance officer & I am aGirl Guides leader which is every Tuesday afternoon.

Sport -- during thewinter this has consisted of us watching our nephews play soccer mostSaturdays. Now the weather has startedto warm we are playing touch every Sunday afternoon & hope to put a youthteam into the local tournament next term.

Camps – we had a greatcamp in April (see www.lonsdalechildren.blogspot.comfor the report) and are in the middle of planning one for these coming holidaysin October. These are definitely what weenjoy doing although a lot of hard work!

Jon's mate Joey

School Holidays -- Last holidays weenjoyed a NZ bush walk with our nephews & saw some mighty Kauri trees. We also flew to Australia for a week orso. It was good to catch up with Jono inSydney & Gaven in Tasmania & see where they live etc.

Family -- Jon’s parents livejust across the road & his sister 10 mins down the road on a diary farm, sowe see each other often. It is reallynice to be a tangible part of our nephews growing up & developing a goodrelationship with them. Our oldestnephew has just left home & joined the army so we miss him. Every Sunday afternoon I help milk the cowson the farm which I really enjoy.

Nickolas with our lamb

Recreation -- We have watcheda few good movies lately (& some dumb ones!) enjoying some good books, (esp.the cookbooks!) keeping the vege garden going, watching the rugby, fishing(&surfing) has been on the back burner since the water went cold, but weshould be looking to get the kayak back into the water very soon & somemore snapper in our freezer!

Pets – Talking aboutthe freezer…we have bought a pet lamb which we are feeding on the bottle. The idea is to fatten her up J

The chickens, cat & dog are yet to come…

IN OTHER NEWS:

We are in the process of purchasing a house in Kaitaia (we are currentlyliving 30 mins north of Kaitaia) which we intend to shift into in about 3 weekstime. It does require quite a lot ofwork, but will be a great project for us. It is a huge house with potentially 4 bedrooms, so lots of room for you tocome & stay & paint a section while you are here! You can see morehouse pics here.

Future plans?

Driving Gaven's tractor in Tasmania

Jon has been offered a permanent job starting next year at the school hehas been working in which we have accepted. IVF starts next March, so we wait & see…

Autumn 2011

2011-03-23T05:31:00.001Z

Jon's office

The mornings & evenings are cooler, the feijoas are ripe, and we are selling Girl Guide biscuits, all of this must mean it is Autumn & nearly Easter!

The school year has started with a roar, and it’s unbelievable to realise that we are already half-way through our term. We have lots of things to keep us more than busy and life is very full.

Here is what a typical week for us looks like.

Monday is school for both of us, then I head over to Kerikeri for drum lessons (getting home about 9pm) and every second week Jon meets with St Johns as he is training to be an ambulance officer.

Tuesday is Jon’s day off which normally consists of playing bowls in the morning, Bible College study in the afternoon & cooking dinner – which is normally Borsch.

I go off to school, and then in the afternoon I am a leader at Girl Guides, then after doing the groceries head home for dinner which Jon has made! In the evening we are both doing (with our nephew) a Te Reo (Maori language) course together.

Wednesday is my day off which consists of catching up with stuff & planning for camps, youth group etc. Jon heads off to school, and then in the afternoon we run a club for Year 7&8 students from our local area. Wednesday night is free J

Thursday we both are off to school, then in the evening Jon is running a community guitar group lesson in the local school.

Friday is also school for both of us, then in the evening we run a youth group for the youth in our community.

Saturday seems full of things like fishing, music, gardening, catching up on things, going to different events or spending time with the family.

Sunday we head off to church – Jon plays in the music team, & I teach Sunday school every other month.

We feel like we have a lot on our plates and are constantly busy, but we are coping well with it at the moment & feel like the time is right to be doing all of these things.

Camps

Youth group game

As we come to realise more & more that this is our vision and passion, we have stepped out in faith and have approached a campsite about an hour away from where we live about running Children’s Holiday camps there. They were very supportive and interested and so we are planning on running 3 this year. There is a lot to think about, including the possibility of starting a charitable trust, so we can jump through some legal hoops & access government funding for both the running of the camps, and so parents can get assistance to send their children.

Our first camp is in April, we have advertised it far & wide, but still waiting for a response. We also still need helpers & leaders, but as we wait our faith is building & we are waiting for God to work, rather than running in our own strength. You can check out our website at www.lonsdalechildren.blogspot.com

Children

Not much news on this front yet, except that we have received a date for our IVF, which is March 2012. We have still not decided if we will be going through with this, but the option is there if we decide to. It is all government funded, hence the long wait. Until then, we continue with our healthy, natural diet & keeping the weight off, and other herbal & natural remedies.

Future Plans

At this stage we don’t have any, we just keep on doing what we are doing, enjoying life & wondering what is around the next corner. We have many, many things to be thankful for and as both Christchurch & Japan struggle to recover we realise again how much we take for granted each day. By the way, for those people overseas, Christchurch is a long way from us, we didn’t feel a thing, but thankfully all of our family & friends from down there are safe & well. My brother-in-law has been working there since last September in an engineering role & will continue to do so, but he & his family were thankfully not there that day in February.

Thanks for your prayers, & keeping in touch

Happy New Year

2010-12-29T04:43:00.002Z

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year! (or should I say Happy Holidays)?

A lot and a little can happen in three months!

We have now been back in NZ for 3 months and it seems as though we have made some progress and in other ways none at all.

Living

We are living in a place called Pukenui (which is 30mins north of Kaitaia) which is were Jon grew up. For the first 2 months we were house-sitting his parents place while they were away in Canada. While they were away our job was to pull out the old kitchen and deisgn & sort out a new one. It was an interesting & at times frustrating project, but one that kept us busy and useful.

Kitchen after

Kitchen before

For the last month or so we have shifted over the road into a small “portacom” which will be our base from now on. Although it is small (1 bedroom) we have managed to un-pack a lot of our boxes and it is beginning to feel like home. We still love to have people come & stay or visit – we have a big outdoor lounge!

Our lounge

Work

Coming back right at the end of a year has been good in some ways. Although we have had opportunity to apply for lots of jobs for next year, we have strongly felt that we dont want to jump straight into a fulltime job each. Instead we have given our CV's to 4-5 school principals which has yeilded quite a bit of day to day relieving in the past few months. Through this we have also been able to secure some permanent partime work for the next year. Jon has 3 days as a music teacher at one school, and maybe another half day at another school. At this stage I have 1 permanent day at 1 school, and maybe 3 mornings at another school. We are happy how this has worked out, although it has been rather a process getting back into 'the system'!

Community

Youth Group

Our office

Jon's parents had started a small youth group which we have been given responsibility for. It has been really good to get to know some of the youth, and see them learn & grow. We have also enjoyed the challenge of preparing studies each week for them. We ended the year with a camp, and hope to start it up again in the new year.

Church

I have really enjoyed teaching the Sunday school especially because it is a chance to give input into my nephews.

Our kitchen

Jon has been involved in the music, and has been asked to lead that next year. He is teaching our oldest nephew some of the songs & getting him involved too.

Outdoor Bowls

We have joined the bowling club and try to make it along every Tuesday. It is mainly retirees and older people, but it is a great chance to enjoy sport & be in amongst the community.

Girl Guides

I have become a Girl Guide leader in what is a very struggling club. It is a great opportunity to be a part of girls lives, teach them & be their friends. I hope to be more involved next year as it starts again.

Future ideas

Jon is thinking about starting evening group music classes for a minimal chrage at the local school, and maybe a recording studio.

I am thinking through the possibilities of maybe offerign cooking lessons to youth or people who are on a tight budget. Yet to see how these things will pan out.

Other interests

Gardening

We have started the learning process of growing our own vegetables. We have already enjoyed some of our own produce, and hope to expand this so we can produce more & give away some too.

Fishing

We have spent a bit of time doing this lately, with mixed results. We also have a net just over the bank (100m from our house) that we check each day.

Milking

At least once a week I go and help out milking 180 cows on my sister-in-law's diary farm. They think I am strange that I enjoy this, but for me it is quite satisfying!

The Future

In the distance it is very hazy, but for now we are here for at least 2011. After seeing a specialist we have placed on a waiting list for IVF which is from 12-20 months long. The differing opinions we have had from our appointments has been confusing and hard to understand. We are unsure of what our next steps are, so just taking it one at a time.

We still have the dream in our hearts of managing a children's camp, whether here or in Ukraine.

We have struggled as we settle back down here, adjusting to many different things, and wondering what is going to happen. It has been hard at times, and we sometimes feel like “displaced” people but we have many things to be thankful for.

We hope you have had a blessed Christmas and wish you all the best for 2011.

Keep in touch & if you are in NZ, we would love for you to come & visit

Love

Ruth Ellen & Jon Pirini

View from our house

Second Spring?

2010-09-29T03:37:00.000Z

Well we have arrived safely with all our baggage to a rather wet, wild & sometimes warm & sunny New Zealand Spring.

We really enjoyed our last few weeks in Ukraine, making the most of the hot summer days, and having people over for dinner to chill-out on our deck.

The 10 days we had with my sister and her family was great fun – going to the Aqua Park, boat trip on the river, the outdoor museum, a test hangi, and generally just spending time together.

The weather then turned very hot as we started to finish off odd jobs on our house, and tie up loose ends before we left.

August 21^st was the day we had planned for our farewell hangi. We counted up who had been invited and figured we would be catering for about 80 or more people. We were very fortunate to have Matt & Andy Dow from the far north in NZ to make it all the way to our house for this weekend. They were on a biking trip around Europe and decided to fit Ukraine into the itinerary. Other friends also arrived and with a full house we managed to pull off a really nice hangi. We also had live music, a rendition of the haka, and taught everyone how to play the “stick game” (see my blog for more details & video). It was a really special night with all our friends, and one that will stay in our memories for a long time to come.

With not many days left we packed our house, bringing only 20kg each with us, said our goodbyes (rather emotional at times) and headed out on the 3^rd September.

First stop was Dubai, then Delhi, Bangalore, Singapore, before touching down in NZ. I have blogged more detail about each stop (click on the city names to read about it) too much to write here – needless to say it was relief, but a sudden blast of cold that hit us, on arrival in NZ!

We stayed with my parents to start with in Pukekohe, Auckland while we sorted out a car, bank issues (we had $4000 stolen out of our account!), visiting the doctor and other bits & pieces. It was also nice to catch up with my sister & her 3 children, who have obviously grown a lot since we were last here.

We are now down in Tauranga, catching up with friends and the church where we used to work. We are going to Taupo for the weekend, then will visit friends in Rotorua & Hamilton. We will head up north to Jon’s family on Thursday, probably with a car-load of boxes!!

We have started the path of medical help in regards to having children and have a few appointments lined up. Should be an interesting & costly process, but we are pretty chilled out about it.

We have definitely have experienced some reverse culture shock – why is everyone so polite & helpful? It will take us awhile to get settled but now we realise that there is a lot to not take for granted.

Our summer update

2010-07-22T15:59:00.002Z

To view the original click here

Spring 2010

2010-04-09T08:11:00.014Z

Click here to view as a PDF

SPRING

How much hope does that little word bring? We have had a loooong, white winter with the last of the snow melting about 10 days ago. It’s amazing how our spirits lift when we can get outdoors and be active again. We have had our first BBQ (in jackets), our yard has been cleaned up, grass seeded, and the all-important vege garden competition is underway.

So what else have we been up to?

I have started my study again with my last 3 papers. I have found it enjoyable and stretches my mind. It is good to be busy again. I have continued with my 2 students each week and have been seriously considering turning this kind of tutoring/teaching into an online business venture. I have started blogging again (see www.roofellin.blogspot.com) and enjoying reading other people’s blogs and exercising my intellect this way.

My friend Cheryl and I have spent some serious hours upstairs finishing off the lining, gib and painting. We laid carpet and then managed to get our couch up the stairs before Jon built the interior walls. We have just had the electricity put in, and with just paint, and few other small jobs to go it is almost finished. It has been a long process, but we are already enjoying the benefits of an extra lounge space/guest bedroom. It also has a fantastic view. This is the last major project we will complete on our house, and we although enjoyable we will be glad it is over, and we can just enjoy having people here. (Photo story at end)

Jon is still travelling every day about 3-4 hours and it is really beginning to take its toll. He is looking forward to finishing up at the school, and having a well-deserved break. He is still music teaching 4-5 people (bass/guitar) each Saturday morn and leading the music at church. His studio is working out really well for this. He also enjoys playing squash each week with my brother. (I have had an injury break for the past 3 months!)

This summer is looking fun & busy for us. We are happy to have my parents visit in June for about 3 weeks, and then my sister and her family will also visit at the end of July for 10 days. We think we also might put on a hangi at our place for our friends and neighbours near the end of August.

About a month ago my brother borrowed our car, and through no fault of his own had a major accident and wrote it off! (Full story here) So we are very thankful to God that he walked out alive, but we no longer have a car. We have decided to rent a car for the next 5 months, BECAUSE in 5 months time we will be travelling back to NZ. We have booked our tickets and leave here on the 3rd September, spending time in Abu Dhabi, Delhi, Bangalore, & Singapore, before arriving in NZ on the 14th September. We have bought one-way tickets, but still with the idea of returning here at some stage. We hope to rent our house while we are gone.

We seem to be at a crossroads in regards to making a decision about the future. We have come to a place
here now where we are setup with house and language skills (well Jon at least) and now do we take
the plunge and commit long-term, or is it time to move on. We really want something specific to return to here. At this point it seems as though we are the batsman ready to run (somewhere) and are getting
the call “WAITING” and are yet to see whether it is
waiting no, or waiting yes.We do know that God holds the future, and we can trust in Him.

Looking forward to seeing a lot of you later on in the year – be great to catch up when we are back in NZ
with a lot of friends and family.
Keep in touch,
Ruth & Jon

Upstairs progress…

Happy New Year

2010-01-12T18:41:00.011Z

Autumn and winter here in

Ukraine

has not bought about a lot of activity. The normal everyday plodding along with school and study has been interrupted in a number of interesting ways…

My study (online through Waikato NZ)

I enjoyed my 3 papers on Language & Cognition, ICT and Assessment and managed to finish and pass them near the end of October.

For me it was then a short week’s trip to London to renew my visa. I stayed with my brother and enjoyed being in an English speaking country for awhile, and of course bringing back a lot of goodies from the supermarket that we can’t get here!

Since then I have started Russian lessons once a week (about all my brain can handle) and continued with my 2 students and working around the house.

My friend and I also spent 2 days at another friends house ripping out her old kitchen bench & sink (which was leaking & rotten) and then replacing it with our own workmanship. Not completely mistake-free, but sturdy, workable & safe. It was a fun project.

I was also involved in organizing a café night which we invited women from around our town too. It was a fun night even though it snowed solid the whole night & day beforehand which made it more of an adventure for people to come!

I do feel rather lazy though, and will look forward to enrolling again for what should be my last 3 papers in February.

Jon’s work

By the end of October Jon was ready for midterm break! We calculated that he had driven the road to Kiev over 40 times in the past 2 months! Well little did he know that the break was going to turn into a whole month off work. The Ukrainian government freaked out over the swine flu virus and declared a 3 week quarantine on all schools & public gatherings. The only disadvantage is that he has to make up the time now teaching on Saturdays! Anyway he made the most of the time off, completing his studio downstairs, preparing 2 talks for a youth conference and other bits & pieces.

Then it was back to work for a 6 day week (thankfully only for 4 weeks) until the Christmas holidays. We have really enjoyed our Christmas holidays spending a lot of it working on the lining of the upstairs area, having a wonderful Christmas dinner & day here, a 2 day mini break on our 8^th wedding anniversary, buying some musical equipment for Jon’s studio, playing settlers online & generally relaxing INSIDE! We are defiantly having a white winter here…up until mid December it was strangely warm, and then we were hit with cold & white. With a huge amazing dump of snow we spent about 36 hours without power. No big deal really except our water and heating all run of electricity so we were rather happy when it came back on. Dealing with the snow & driving in it has proved some concern at times, but we are thankful for a light, reliable car and always conscious of God’s protection on the roads (while holding tight to the seat at times!! LOL)

Looking forward

We have much to be thankful for and looking forward to 2010 with anticipation. We know that it will bring some changes…

Jon will finish his contract at school at the end of June. We then hope to spend the summer here and then travel back to NZ (maybe via South Africa & India) arriving near the end of September. We plan to be in NZ for 6-12 months but it maybe longer or shorter – who knows what will happen!

We are still hoping and praying for children and want to set aside a day to fast & pray about this matter. If you want to join us on Jan 23^rd to pray for a miracle that would be great. We have also started to talk about going down the road of adoption.

Other cool stuff

We now have 2 cats – Rocky (Rockstar) & Dumpy (Dumpster)

We should be getting fast internet tonight! (YAY – we can watch NZ sport & TV online)

Our fire should be hooked up today & working tomorrow (ready for the power to go off again!)

Jon got his first police fine here –although he has been pulled up many times they normally can’t be bothered filling out the paper work and just want a quick bribe!

The single girls in our church are asking for all single guys to come here for a visit or to work (plumbers, electricians, mechanics, builders etc wanted!)

We hope that 2010 will be a year to remember and filled with many good memories and times of happiness and a good mood. (In typical Ukrainian tradition)

Autumn 2009

2009-09-26T17:18:00.016Z

Summer is slowly fading away as the days get shorter and there is a bit of a nip in the air!

We are still getting some very lovely days and like the wise ant we are trying to get our place in order to hunker down for winter.

This summer has been productive in a different number of ways. Here’s what we have been up to…

House

We have started to clean up the front of our house and Tom & Jon built a really nice stone wall. Based on an idea we got in Italy we have put fake terracotta planters on the top of this with a box hedge in them. We really like the look of this & hope it will last the winter or someone stealing them!! Sasha then made us the very lovely iron gates complete with the lights on the top of the pillars. We are hoping to concrete this area in the next week or so, and tile the steps up to our house to finish it all off.

We have also started 2 other projects – downstairs & upstairs. Downstairs is just a small room we will gib and carpet – it will become Jon’s studio. Upstairs is a bit more of a major project. Tom & Igor have knocked out the front side and rebuilt a straight wall, made stairs & sorted out the floor. We are hoping to have 2 bedrooms and a toilet up there. This will really extend the usefulness of our house and having people to stay.

It is great to be living in our own house, enjoying the view and working with our hands to improve it.

Rest/Relaxation/Reading

We had a week in Crimea making the most of the beach and beautiful scenery, exploring a Genoese Fortress, going up a 1300m cable car, playing cards & generally having fun. We have also spent this summer reading (see my blog for a list & reviews) and chilling out with BBQ’s and friends. It has been good.

Music

Jon has started working with a few people from our church, helping them out with learning guitar etc. They are coming over every second Saturday night for a practice and a jam. We are hoping this will be a good time for growth and community building.

School & Study

Jon is back to school & driving 2-3 hours a day, which is tiring, but he is enjoying living at home, rather than in an apartment. He has moved down to teach Year 5 this year (stealing all my plans from last year) and enjoying his new class. I am still studying (have been since July – second Semester in NZ) and I will finish in 3 weeks time. I am not sure what I will do during the NZ summer holidays (Nov – Feb) but probably will include some painting upstairs etc & maybe some language lessons. I will also continue with the 2 students that I have started to teach 2 afternoons a week. They are the 2 oldest in a missionary family that home school, so I am taking them for Science & Social Studies. I am really enjoying this and it keeps my teaching fresh.

Animals

We took the plunge and got a dog that had been rescued off the streets in Kiev. He was a very quiet dog that loved to sleep – named him Dozer. Unfortunately he didn’t last even a week before he went “walkies”. I think someone liked the look of him. As a consolation prize though, I was given a kitten called Dumpy (affectionately known as Dumpster) for my birthday. She has survived so far!

Looking ahead

We are praying about and want to start actively working toward becoming part of Christian camping here in Ukraine. This is one idea that initially drew us to this country, and we would like to pursue it. We are trying to find out what is currently here in this country, but would like to manage a camp where we would run outreach holiday camps for children, school camps with team building and problem solving the main focus, and have a great facility for other organizations/churches to hire. Will keep you posted as we forge ahead in this area.

Just a simple glimpse into what we are up to.

Hope this finds you well.

God Bless,

Ruth-Ellen & Jon Pirini

July 2009

2009-07-22T11:02:00.012Z

Looking back at our last update it seems most definitely time for a new one. Snow is a distant memory as we are now enjoying heat in the 30’s and loving being on summer holidays!

School

Well it felt like it took forever for school to finish but it did at last on the 26^th June after some very hot days in the classroom. Our new director has made some good improvements, so it was a little sad for me to leave, even so sometimes all we can say to some of the random stuff that happens at school is “this is Ukraine!”

Next Academic Year

Jon will carry on teaching there next year, starting September. He will be moving to teach a Year 5 class. The last 2 years we have had an apartment in Kiev, and traveled down to Rzhyshchiv most weekends, but this year we will live here in Rzhyshchiv and Jon will travel everyday to Kiev. It is just over an hours drive, but he says he won’t notice it because of the bonus of living in our own house and not in the city!

Car

Talking about driving, just before school ended we purchased a car, which was going to be a necessity for Jon to be able to do this. It is so good to be able to drive again and have the independence of just jumping in the car & going where & when you need to. We have bought it from Avis a lease company, it is only 2 years old, with very few kms and regular services, so here’s hoping it will last us a good while without having to try & get stuff fixed on it. It is a dark blue Ford Fiesta and runs very nicely, it was a very good deal and we feel very blessed.

Holidays

3 days after school finished we went to Italy (via Poland) for a week. We hired a car while we were there & did quite a lot of driving & sight seeing. We went to Venice & Rome and also spent 3 nights in a small medieval village in a lovely villa that my Aunty owns. It wasn’t really a relaxing time, but it was great to see the history of the country and just have a change of scenery. We especially enjoyed the Collesuem in Rome and marveled at the amazing lengths they went to build stuff!! My view of Italy is on my blog.

We are also heading off to Crimea (the Black Sea) at the beginning of August, so that should be a nice relaxing time for us before summer begins to slide away.

House

It is now great to be completely in our own house and slowly making it feel like home. I have started building some little things for around the house, like a towel shelf in the bathroom & bedside tables etc. I enjoy doing this and it keeps me busy. Our deck is mostly complete and we have a custom made BBQ that will keep us fed most summer nights. It has been great to have people over for a BBQ & just enjoy sitting on our deck, taking in the view & sipping wine!! I love summer!

My Study

I have officially started my study online with Waikato University. I will first upgrade my teaching diploma to a degree, and then continue on to get a Diploma of Sport & Leisure with the hope of becoming a PE teacher or something similar. So far I have found it stimulating and interesting. Apparently it should keep me busy for about 30 hours a week!!

We are still praying about heading home to NZ in Oct 2010 for at least a year if not longer. We are not really sure what lies ahead, but learning just to enjoy where we are for now.

Thank you for your prayers & friendship, we feel it & it is appreciated.

We were both feeling the heat the other day, so took a bit of weight off by shaving each other’s hair. This is the result!!

Waiting...

2009-05-05T15:17:00.014Z

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

1 Year & 3 months on...

2009-03-06T15:41:00.003Z

I’m sure it is true that good things take time…because although it has taken time, it has been very good to move into our own house!

Coming back

Well we arrived back from NZ with our luggage safe & sound 3 weeks ago and it almost seems like we never even went there!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time there catching up with friends and family. It was with mixed emotions that we headed back to Ukraine and after 40 hours of travel arrived to a snowy but not too cold Kiev.

We began school again the next day and although it was a shock to the system it was good to get back into a work routine again.

School

We have contracts up until Sept 2010 but have asked that next year we only take one position/class and share the job. This proposal doesn’t seem too popular at the moment, but we are just praying about this as it would give us more time down at our house and being involved with people there.

The economic crisis has hit people in Ukraine hard & we feel the effects at the school which sometimes makes for strange decisions and interesting situations. The students & staff still remain fun to work with, so that keeps us going.

Housing

3 days after arriving back we signed up a new apartment which is about 10 mins walk from our school. In the last few months rent prices in Kiev have almost halved so we were able to get a very nice, big 4 room apartment for not much more than what we were paying last year for a 2 room apartment. We are living here during the week and although we have moved most of our stuff into our house in Rzhyshchiv we are only staying there for the weekends at this stage.

But it is good to see our project to come to some sort of completion…and we are very thankful to God for this beautiful place to relax in & entertain people. It’s a never ending job owning property, but we can now comfortably (very) live there.

People

We are in the process of applying for a visa for our friend Sveta to come & study in NZ. Most other details have fallen into place, and we are just awaiting this. We hope that she will be on the plane at the beginning of March ready for a huge year at EXCEL!

We are making inquires and would like to be involved in some sort of way with street kids/orphanage work here in Kiev. Not sure what form this will take, but are looking into this.

Future

We are unsure as we look into the hazy distance, but just enjoying what life throws us at the moment.

While in NZ we had tests done regarding having children, and are still trying to figure out the best path for us to take. We are not 100% sure what needs to happen, but this may result in us coming back to NZ for medical help within the next 12-18 months.

Our half-term ends next week, so we are taking a short break to Norway, Oslo were we also hope to get Jon’s computer fixed and have a relaxing break.

Thanks for your friendship & prayers

Until next time

Ruth & Jon

Countdown & Decisions

2008-11-09T16:27:00.015Z

Well summer has gone…and the first half of our term this year completed. We have just got back from a week’s mid-term break and it is 37 days until we leave for NZ!

House

Since our building team have left the house progress has continued, but much more slowly. We have been back down to Rzhyshchiv every weekend this term and spent most of our time with paintbrushes in hand. It has been satisfying to see things to start to look like home. All the plumbing and electricity has been completed and most of the paint. Our kitchen has been ordered and we are getting excited about being able to live in our own house (even if it is just for the weekends at this stage – while we have jobs in Kiev). We feel really blessed with the workers God has provided for us, and the quality and attitude with which it has been achieved. It was only a year ago we bought this house…and at times it felt like we would never get it finished!

School

We have enjoyed starting the new school year with new classes. I am still teaching Year 5, and Jon teaching Year 6. As usual it has been interesting with new students and staff to adjust too, but seems like a very positive feel this year. We have applied for 10 weeks leave (3 weeks xmas holidays ++ 7 weeks extra) for our trip to New Zealand, and although we didn’t think we would be successful the school has been very accommodating and offered us 5 weeks paid leave…which we are seriously considering although we will have to cut our planned time a little shorter. The only other option would be to find 2 teachers to cover our time away (anyone want a 5-6 week stint in Ukraine?)

Opportunities

We have a very close friend here who has an amazing musical gift and a beautiful voice. We have encouraged her to get some training in this area, and she is in the midst of applying for a 1 year course at Excel Performing Arts Centre in Auckland, New Zealand. As you can imagine this is a huge step and big financial undertaking, but an absolute dream-come true. Check her audition out to see for yourself the ability she has. With an average wage here being about $7,000US per year this type of dream is basically unreachable. We are looking for sponsorship in this area, and we would love to see her dream come true and give her an opportunity of a lifetime.

Future

We have been considering our future here and different decisions we have to make. We are now in a different phase of understanding the culture and language, and makes for some good discussions and soul-searching! This is by no means the promised land, but we have made some very good friends, and generally enjoy living here – although we do miss our friends and family in NZ! We are in the midst of applying for permanent residency which should make official documentation much easier for us in the future. The economic situation is looking rather interesting, as all American dollars seemed to have disappeared completely from the country. We are not sure what the future holds, but want to remain positive and just take each step as it comes. Our trip back to NZ will give us another perspective and maybe clarify some things.

Holidays

During mid-term break we took the train to Budapest, Hungary. We went with my brother Jono, and enjoyed a couple of days in Budapest, and also hired a car for 3 days and enjoyed driving the countryside on great roads, soaking in thermal baths and generally relaxing. We also got new visas for Ukraine while we were there, which was the main reason for the trip. It is great just to be able to pop across the border to check out another European country.

Obviously we are looking forward to our trip home…we leave here on Dec 13^th and arrive Auckland, New Zealand 7:35 am on Dec 15^th. We will leave NZ on either 18^th Jan or Feb… yet to decide. We are looking forward to catching up with everyone…let us know when it suits you best!

Until we meet again…

Ruth & Jon

Summer 2008

2008-09-10T18:14:00.036Z

Wow! What a busy summer we have had, and very little time to send out any photos or update. So here goes…

The last day of school (27^th June) saw us on the overnight train to Lviv where we caught up with friends before we caught the very slow overnight bus across the border to Poland. There we met our friends from New Zealand (Mark & Jacqui) and it was great to see them again. We spent a few days in Poland enjoying Krakow while we waited for necessary visas to travel back into Ukraine.

Once back in Ukraine it was straight into work on the house plus preparation for a camp we were running. I suppose it was then that Mark realised what kind of building project he had agreed to! We knocked down more walls, got sick of the sight of bricks and made a general start on some of the big jobs. In the meantime my brother Jono arrived back from a year in Australia and we then shifted into his house for the rest of the summer.

With our backyard looking more respectable and the grass growing, we hosted a “downunder” summer Christmas, complete with backyard cricket, touch ruby, a BBQ & pavlova. It was a good time to enjoy the fruit of our labours and relax in our backyard.

Camp 120 was the next event. My brother usually runs this but as he was away most of the year, we agreed to take on this responsibility this year. We had about 100 young people on an island for a week, and had a great time. It was interesting to run something like this (which we had done many times in NZ) in a culture that was not our own. I think it went well.

It was then back to the house, with getting the windows put in, bricking in some old windows, starting the gib, and other numerous jobs that kept popping up. Eventually we were starting to see progress and getting excited about what it would be like.

Near the beginning of August we took a week off and with a group of 7 people went to the Crimea (Black Sea). It was a very beautiful place and was great to swim in the sea again (as opposed to the less than ideal river here). It was a nice hot relaxing summer holiday and a place we would love to go back to.

With about a month left of summer the house work started to gain momentum with insulation, vapour barrier and gib all happening at once. Cheryl came and worked hard giving us expert advice on the gib stopping and Jacqui became a professional at that in no time.

Near the end of August, with Jon & I having to go back to Kiev to start school, we left the house in Mark, Jacqui & Cheryl’s capable hands and it was great to go back and see the progress.

September 6^th was the date set for an end of summer party/celebration of

the house being mainly completed and coinciding with my 30^th birthday. With cold rainy weather the weekend before we thought that summer had finished, but it warmed back up again and we had a wonderful night with friends enjoying our backyard, and big shashlik (bbq meat on a stick). Huge thanks to our awesome building crew who worked extreme hours the week before that to get the house mostly completed. It looks amazing!

We are really stoked with the progress of the house, and it is now starting to feel like our home. For the house before & after photos click here…

The 7^th September saw us sadly say goodbye to Mark & Jacqui as they continue on their travels, and with the weather cooling down it seems we have definitely completed a busy, eventful but fantastic summer.

“Cherez tre tezhni rozlabon kozhen den!”

2008-06-10T16:03:00.027Z

This is the new phrase I have been saying lately…it means, “In 3 weeks relaxing everyday!” We are counting down the weeks now until school finishes as the weather heats up and the summer feel is really kicking in.

House:
Since we last wrote we have seen some great progress on our house.
Firstly our friends Mark & Jacqui from NZ are heading this way in 3 weeks to spend the summer with us and do some hard work! (Mark is a builder) We are really looking forward to having them here.
Also one of our friends here Sasha has asked his Dad to work on our house and in the past 2 weeks has completed the first stages of the electricity and is now beginning on the plumbing. He is a very nice, experienced, honest guy who is good with his hands and is doing a great job. This is a great answer to prayer and it is good to see something happening at last.
We have also spent lots of time in the backyard and really enjoying seeing it take shape. We were even crazy enough to lay a cricket pitch using bricks! (We wondered if our neighbour would think we wanted them to grow!) Mowing the lawns is now a weekly Saturday job, and makes us feel ‘normal’!
We did have an unfortunate weekend a couple of weeks ago when our house was broken into (doesn’t help when we are only back there sometimes on weekends) and most of our tools, stereo & CD’s were taken. Not very nice, but they left everything else for which we are thankful.

Language:
The big piece of news here is that I have managed to learn the Ukrainian alphabet, and I can read most words, just don’t know what I am saying! Jon is continuing to do well and practice what he knows, and I have more desire now to learn. I am hoping to get some lessons during summer.

Sport:
We have continued with cricket about once a month which has been enjoyable. Just doesn’t seem the same though without the grass!!

Monday nights:
Our dinners have moved outdoors with the lovely weather we have been having lately. It has been great to spend time around the fire/bbq.

SUMMER PLANS:
Trips:
As soon as school finishes (June 27^th) we are on the train to Lviv, and then across the border to Poland. This serves 2 purposes, firstly Jon will renew his visa for the next year, and secondly we will meet Mark & Jacqui there before we bring them back into Ukraine a few days later.
We also plan to visit Crimea the first week of August. There is a group of us that have booked cheap flights ($40NZ return) so that should be a heap of fun and be good to explore that part of Ukraine.
Camp:
We have agreed to direct/run the camp my brother Jono has been running the past 3 summers on an island in the middle of the Dnepr River. We are busy sorting out details for this at the moment, organising tents, water, a speaker & getting Jono’s boat working etc. We pray that this will really be a great encouraging & safe time. It will be from July 14-19^th, Jono arrives back just in time on the 9^th July.

Xmas:
We know it’s not really the right time of year, but it is definitely the right time of weather for us, so we have decided to have a ‘mid-summer’ downunder Christmas ! We have taken the date 6 months on from Ukrainian Christmas and decided to reclaim 7^th July as our traditional Christmas day while living here in Ukraine. We have invited our other ‘downunder’ friends, so looking forward to a game of cricket & BBQ together.

A year on…
We have had a good year mostly. It is interesting to be in a culture/country that is undergoing some huge economic changes which is also affecting cultural and social changes. We are learning and growing and feel this is where we should be – at least for now.

Until next time…

Rufus & Jay

Spring 2008 Ukraine

2008-04-13T19:13:00.011Z

Hope & Growth – these 2 words sum up and describe what spring is like in a climate that has long cold winters. It is also exactly the feelings we have now as we head into the last term of school with the summer holidays in the near future.

House:
This is consuming a lot our time and thoughts at the moment. The progress is a lot slower than we would like which at times is very frustrating, but we have come up with an action plan that should see most of the big stuff completed before the end of June when school ends and we need to shift out of our apartment in Kiev. This does rely though on finding good workers, so we are praying & waiting for this. We have done a lot of work inside getting rid of the old walls, bathroom, radiator pipes etc. It is looking very bare! We have also spent a few weekends outside clearing the backyard, sowing grass & generally cleaning up. Although we have struck a few snags along the way, we are enjoying having our own place and know it is a good investment and project to work on.

School:
Things seemed to have settled down a lot at school, and we are definitely into “last term mentality.” We finish at the end of June & are looking forward to 2 months of summer holidays. We have been offered jobs there next year which we have both accepted (including a pay-rise & bonus)!

Music:
Jon’s band is in the process of recording a single which will be the last thing for them as they take a break while the leader has a baby.
Jon is enjoying working at home though recording some of his own work and figuring out how recording all works.

Sport:
The cricket season started this weekend and our bodies are feeling a little sorry for it. Cricket is a little different here though – I am the only female player (probably in the whole of Ukraine) and we play on a dirt football field that has a traditional authentic Indian cricket mat in the middle as the pitch. You can see photos & a short video clip of the ground & players at http://www.kcc.com.ua We play/practice every Sat with 2 big tournaments in August with teams from all over Ukraine which should be fun.
This will be the first summer we haven’t played touch rugby!

Out & About:
Winter definitely seems to be a hibernating time here, but we have managed a few trips. The Easter weekend we went north-east by train to Konotop for a wedding of some friends from school. Our receptionist (who is Ukrainian) married one of the teachers (who is from Wales) It was a traditional Ukrainian wedding & a good weekend away.

Growth & Hope:
We are still enjoying living here although it does have its moments, and at times is very confusing and the culture is just plain strange! But we feel like we are growing and learning more about ourselves, and life in another context. We want to enjoy our time here, make the most of the experiences and look back with no regrets.
We are planning & looking forward to a trip back to NZ at the end of this year, it will be great to be back & catch up with everyone.

Until next time…

Happy 2008

2008-02-07T17:11:00.000Z

Well…it has been awhile since we updated you on what we have been doing, which hasn’t really been much, so here’s all the meagre news!

House
Last time we wrote, the house had just been finalised. Since then, we have had a sewerage pit dug, and water piped from the well into our house. We have also started the job of knocking out the inside walls, and old fireplaces/stove. See our plans for more detail.
We have nearly finished that now, and electrical & plumbing work comes next and also replacing the windows, the building of the new internal walls, and gib-rock all inside.This should make it mostly liveable – we attempted 10 days over the Christmas break of living there, but it was rather depressing! We aim to build an extension in summer which will include the kitchen. Also in the next couple of months we aim to spend some time on the outside, planting stuff, taking down a few trees & hopefully planting some lawn (maybe even a cricket pitch).
We do look forward to making it our home, and having people coming & going like we are used to. My 30^th birthday party in September is a great incentive to have it all finished by then.

School
Hmmm….school! We both love our jobs and our classes, but the management of the school is creating a few headaches for us. We are not really sure of why – maybe it’s a cultural or personality clash, but it has made it stressful at times. We are trying to choose to be positive and not complain or gossip about stuff, but that is easier said than done at times. The school is run as a money-making business which is rather frustrating at times, but we just need to look at this year in the light of what we can learn & who we can become!

Music
The band Jon is in continues to get asked to play at different places, which is good. We had a trip to the top of the Crimea peninsula in Dec for a weekend youth conference where they played. This was a great time – more info on my spiritual journal about this trip. We will also be traveling east in early March for another concert. The traveling we have done has been on overnight trains which are an experience in themselves & great fun. The band is a cool bunch of people and we both enjoy hanging out with them.

Weather
We are still really waiting for this awfully cold winter to hit us! We have had a few snowfalls, about a week of temperatures hovering at about minus 15 & the river frozen in Rzhyshchiv, but apart from that it has been rather mild. All buildings are well heated, if not overheated, and you learn to dress warmly when you have to
step outside.

Other
We have a group of friends in Kiev that are over
here from time to time, so we have decided to make Mondays ‘dinner night’ at our place. We have about 10 people here each Monday, and every 2^nd week we have a Bible study. This has been really good, we have been missing having people in our home, and being part of a community.
Another thing that Jon is enjoying at the moment is playing around with his new technology (Macbook & Protools – for those who care!) he has bought for recording purposes. He hopes to start getting good at this & start some recording of one of our good friends who has some original work & an amazing voice!

So that’s really all from us. Until next time…

Hello from the Homeowners

2007-11-07T16:29:00.001Z

Well I suppose that’s the big news for us this month.
We have just bought a house here!

Although we thought the process would be a long one, in the end it was rather painless. There were a few hiccups along the way, but then everything came through in the end & it kinda doesn’t yet seem real. We are excited that is a clear direction we are now heading in & plan to be here now for 3-5 (or longer) years.

The house has been well built (brick) with a level underneath. It has 3 bedrooms, and bathroom & kitchen of sorts. It also has a garage with a ‘summer kitchen’ on the back of it. There is plenty of land at the back with fruit trees & plenty of space for a big lawn & garden. It overlooks the river & with another storey on top it would be a fantastic view!

It is in the town Rzhyshchiv (hour south of Kiev) and just up the road from my brother’s house. Our plan is to go back most weekends, and maybe get the garden etc. under control, while waiting for warmer weather to do any major alterations. We think it would make sense to stay here for our summer holidays (July & Aug) to work on the house. So anyone up for a real summer holiday (up to 40 degrees with a beach down the road) you would be most welcome to join us? We would then try to travel to NZ for the southern hemisphere summer later on next year.

Although we will carry on here in Kiev teaching for the next year or so, our plans are to shift out there in a couple of years & maybe start an internet café & takeaway business.

It was an interesting if not a bit scary process in paying for the house. We withdrew $60,000 US dollars from the bank & gave it to the guy. First time I have ever (& probably last) seen that kind of money! So with our savings from London & a little help from the bank of Mum & Dad we have entered the booming Ukrainian real estate industry!

School
Is still keeping us busy. It can get interesting at times with the mix of so many cultures, and languages, but on the whole we are enjoying our jobs. We have made some good friends with some of the staff, and we always have things to do & places to go. Life seems rather busy!

Music
Jon has been invited to join a band here called “Kroke’. They have already produced 2 albums & play a pop/country style of music. They had a concert here in Kiev a couple of weeks ago & then we travelled (overnight by train – heaps of fun) to Lviv the next weekend for another concert. It is great music & a really cool group of people. You can get a small glimpse of it on our website. (Or order a CD from us!)

Weather
We had our first snow yesterday…rather cool setting off fireworks (for Guy Fawkes) wearing hat & gloves! I’m not so sure our excitement & fascination will still be around in a month or so when it becomes rather normal! We plan to make the most of the snow & have planned a week in the Carpathian mountains over Christmas relaxing & also a couple of days skiing.

Health System
Our friend Masha broke her leg a few weeks ago, which required a rather major operation. It was an interesting experience for us to witness first-hand the health system. For the 2 weeks she was in hospital most nights we visited her after work with dinner. There is little or no help (unless friends or relatives provide it) with food, eating & other things like that. She is on the way to recovery but it will be a slow process.

Language
Jon is doing quite well in this area & manages to make himself understood in most situations. I am just realising how much effort I need to put in to get there. I am going to give it a good shot though.

We are enjoying living over here (although there are times we get homesick) and really loving making friends with some great people. So if you have itchy feet & want to see a bit of the world, there’s a spare bed here & a great country to explore & people to meet.

Hello from Ukraine

2007-09-12T18:21:00.000Z

Sorry about the long update silence. Yes we have arrived in Ukraine safely with all our gear, but we have had sporadic email/internet in the past 5 weeks hence the long wait.

Summer Holiday

Well we arrived 5 weeks ago to a wall of heat (especially compared to rainy London) and have enjoyed a summer holiday before we started work last week.

We stayed at my brother’s place (1 hour south of Kiev) in a lovely sleepy village. We spent our time sleeping, reading, helping around the place & spending time with the locals. We also took a 10 day road trip through the western part of Ukraine.

We stayed in 4 different spots & explored many different places. It is lovely countryside & still very ‘old fashioned’ looking. The Carpathian Mountain area is absolutely beautiful, as was the very old castle in Kamyanets Podil’ski (which we camped right next too) and the old quaint city of Lviv. There were 6 of us that went & we had a great time -- although it did rain a couple of days & turned a little bit cool.

Once we got back from the trip, the temp just got progressively higher everyday until the day we shifted into Kiev it was almost unbearable in our apartment at about 38 (or maybe higher) degrees. It has dropped back down though & is lovely autumn weather, gotta make the most of it!

We have also spent a bit of time checking out the property market. We have put an offer on a house, (near my brother’s one) but at this stage just waiting to see what happens. We realise that nothing will happen in a hurry here. It is the land of documentation & official stamps, which I am sure is the source of half the countries jobs!

International School

Last week we had 3 teachers’ only days to prepare our classes etc. We were delighted to find that our classes had 12 (Jon) and 18 (Ruth) students in them, and as they are Bi-Lingual classes (the core subjects are taught in both Ukrainian & English) we only teach about half the periods each week. I am teaching a Year 5 class, & Jon has Year 6.

The school year here always starts on Sept 1^st with a first bell ceremony. Unfortunately it fell on a Saturday this year, so although we had no classes we had to attend the first bell ceremony. It is a big thing for the Year 1 students as this is there first day of school. They get really dressed up, say little poems, sing songs, & dance. There were a few speeches also & of course the bell was rung. The students also bring bouquets of flowers to their teachers. The house looked a bit like a funeral parlour after that!

So we started lessons this week, both our classes are really nice, no behavioural problems at all, they love to learn & are very eager, although at times they don’t completely understand! It is actually fun teaching here & we are looking forward to a great year. The Year 4 teacher didn’t show, so if anyone is interested…come have the best teaching year in your life!

Language & Culture

Couldn’t finish this letter without a word about Jon’s no-shame language skills! He is actually doing really well with Ukrainian (although it is a bit disappointing to find that they mainly speak Russian in Kiev) & tries to learn 5 new words every day. So awhile ago one of his words for the day was ‘service’ & we were in the markets buying him some shorts, so he tries his new word out & says to the lady, “Thanks for your service.” He found out later that the version of ‘service’ that he had been learning actually meant ‘church service’ which explained the weird look the lady gave him!

There are times when we feel a bit homesick or frustrated that we are not understood, but with our great jobs & some good friends (that speak English) it helps to even it out.

Our Flat

We have moved into a 1 bedroom flat (it was a bit of a mission to find anything good both price-wise & condition) that is close to school. We have had to buy quite a few things to get going, but now it is beginning to feel like home. We want to be able to have people over often & feel maybe that we can feed & care for some of the students we know that have come to Kiev to study from the villages.

Well that about wraps it up for us this time…rather longer than usual. Although I will just have to end by saying “GO THE ALL BLACKS”! With staff from England, Wales, SAF, AUS, Ireland, & Canada I’m sure the rugby will make for some great conversations!!

P.S. Here is a photo we received the other day of a bus that is travelling around Tauranga…gave us a good laugh!

Farewell UK

2007-07-15T16:09:00.000Z

With one more week to go, we have been reflecting on our year here, & feel as though this has been a bonus/detour stage of our lives. It has given us some experience, savings & training but it was never meant to be for a long time. We feel like we are now heading off into the second stage/level of our lives together. We are excited & nervous at the same time.

Plans

We leave London on Tuesday 24^th July. We will spend a month or so staying with my brother, having a bit of a holiday and trying to find a place to live etc.

Our jobs start on 29^th Aug with few orientation & teacher only days before the children start in September.

As our jobs are based in Kiev (British International School) we will be finding a flat/house to rent in the city, but aim to head south (about an hour) most weekends to spend time in Rzhyshchiv where my brother lives.

It is also our intention to buy a house out that way & spend our weekends working on it.

Church

We had our last day at church toady. We have really enjoyed being apart of this church family, and will miss the encouragement & challenge from these guys – they have restored our faith in modern church gatherings.

Sport

I am continuing with cricket, with my last game this coming Sunday before we leave. I have learnt heaps & loved being part of the team. You can check out my statistics on our club's website.
We hope to keep up some kind of sport in Ukraine – I think we might have to start with squash & the gym and wait & see what other sports are available.

Trips

We haven’t been anywhere lately, just spent a lot of time enduring the rainy season they call summer over here & in between trying to play cricket & enjoy the BBQ & backyard!

Future

Our contract with the school in Kiev is initially for a year but we think we would like to be in Ukraine longer than this. At this stage we are thinking more like a stay of 3-5 years, but who knows what will happen & where God will lead. We will take one year at a time, but we do feel as though this is a ‘niche’ we could live in for a long while.

Long time...no hear!

2007-06-18T20:44:00.000Z

May & June 2007

We have been rather busy & our computer has decided to pass away, so it has been a rather long time since we have updated you on what we have been doing etc.

Work

I started fulltime 6 weeks ago & have really enjoyed having my own class. It is great to go to work now & I am glad to be back in the classroom properly. We have 5 weeks to go until school finishes for the summer & we are counting down the days, especially Jon who is finding this job not the most fulfilling, but has definitely been a learning curve.

Church

We haven’t been a lot lately, although Jon has joined the worship team & is enjoying playing another guy’s brand new Strat. Each time we do get there, we are challenged & stimulated, which is great.

Home

We are really enjoying the company of our flatmates & have some great times together. It was Matt’s 30^th birthday last weekend, so we had a great party & we all chipped in to buy him a Wii, so we have been having fun playing with that. Our backyard is looking fantastic & we feel our home is a great place to chill out & unwind.

Sport

With the cricket wickets in the backyard I have been practising & I had my first game a couple of weeks ago. I did alright with 34 not out (with 6 fours) and a catch & run-out. I had another game today, but didn’t get a bat. I train every Tuesday, and play mostly on Sunday, Jon plays often on a Saturday. He has played well too, with his highest score at this stage being 11. We are also playing touch every Wednesday & I am back running, so it feels like we are back on top of our game fitness-wise.

Trips

2 weeks ago we had a week off for mid-term, so we travelled down to Cornwall & stayed in our relatives bach in a place called Praa Sands, (picture below) which is near Penzance. It was great to get out of the city & walk along the beach. We visited the Eden Project, Lands End (southern most point of England), Cape Cornwall (western most point) and Newquay. We went with our flatmates & another couple. It was a great long weekend & lovely countryside.

Future

Well we fly out to Kiev on 24^th July & have about a month to have a holiday & sort out accommodation etc before we start work on 29^th August.

We plan on buying a house there as soon as we can which we aim to renovate during the year. We see this as a trial project & investment and may keep doing this if it works out well. Jon has started learning the language & is doing really well. We are looking forward to our time there, and excited about the next step in our adventures.

PS. We have found this new phone service called JustVOIP which we are now using instead of SKYPE. It gives you free calls to landlines in NZ, UK & heaps of other places.

Cornwall Trip Photos

2007-06-18T19:59:00.000Z

View from the lounge

Cape Cornwall

Rugged Coastline

Southern most point

St. Michael's Mount

14th century low-tide path to
Michael's Mount

April for us

2007-05-02T21:25:00.000Z

Change is good! Our backyard has changed, our jobs & location will be changing in July & we know that our lives are changing. Although we haven’t found change all that easy…we know that without change we become boring & predictable and are in danger of ‘just cranking it out one more time!’

Work

Well it is official… we have 88 days until we finish with school here in the UK, which is about 12 weeks of teaching. We have accepted jobs at the British International School in Kiev, Ukraine for the new academic year starting in September. We are really looking forward to it, but also conscious of doing good here & finishing well. I start fulltime at school next week & am looking forward to being with the same class each day!

Church

We are still enjoying our time at Watford Community Church, and the input we get there. We have also been reading & exploring lately some sermons & articles on the web about the emerging church. We enjoyed & were challenged by Michael Frost’s series (http://www.christianityworks.com/pages/teachers.asp?pid=150) about worldview…where the quote at the top comes from.

Home

We have been transforming our backyard so it will be useable for summer. It is already looking heaps better (it was rather neglected) & we have planted some herbs, tomatoes, lettuce & sunflowers! We have also bought a BBQ & outside fire. It hasn’t rained for 3 weeks & we have had beautiful weather, so we are enjoying the long evenings outside.

Sport

Alongside tidying our backyard, Jon & Matt have made a putting green, & have a net they chip the golf ball into as well. They seem to enjoy themselves most evenings out there. Our touch season starts next week, & also my cricket training starts for real now every Tuesday. We were also cheering on the Black Caps!

Trips

Well we had a 2 week holiday over Easter, & for 1 week of that we hired a car & explored Chester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Hadrian’s Wall, then into Scotland & Edinburgh, then west to Wigtown (where an ancestor of mine was martyred) & then back into England & to the Lake District where we stayed at Lake Windermere for a couple of days, then the last night we visited Blackpool. It was a great trip & we enjoyed meeting some of my relatives & experiencing real English culture. We even spent a day at a traditional English point to point horse race! It was also good to get behind the wheel of a car again, & with the good English roads, it hardly seemed like we traveled 1200 miles!

Future

We have lots of dreams & thoughts about what this will look like. We know this past year that as we have traveled we have learnt things about ourselves & how we function that inside our culture & comfort zone we wouldn’t have noticed. We have learnt that working with passion & where we are gifted brings fulfillment. It has been good to understand more where our strengths lie & that we have missed having an open home. Where this next year will lead we don’t know…but we do know that this story is still being written.

We do plan to use this coming year in Kiev to also learn the language & see what happens after that. A holiday back to NZ maybe on the cards near the end of 2008…but who knows!

Spring is in the air!

2007-03-24T11:08:00.000Z

The weather has started to warm, the days are getting longer & the trees have buds & blossoms on them. Although in saying that, we had a light dusting of snow last night. Rather strange!

Work

We have been plodding away at work, which has started to become less fulfilling. We have both realized that we love youth/children & teaching, but the classroom setting is more about management & less about relationship. I will start fulltime at school next term which will help the money saving, but we are really counting the days until the end of year (July 20^th) & will most probably be leaving then.

Church

Been really enjoying church lately, making a few friends & feel encouraged each time we go. Jon has started playing with the band and we feel at home there. We are doing a series at the moment entitled cross/words leading up to Easter, which have been really good. You can check out the sermons at http://www.watfordcommunitychurch.org

Home

Our house has seen some changes with new flatmates (Matt & Tess). Matt is a teacher at school & we get on with them really well. We spend time together eating, discussing & doing stuff, so our house now feels more like a shared home rather than just a place we sleep & eat.

Sport

We started back at playing squash each week, Jon plays badminton with the teachers each week too, & I have started cricket training with a teacher from school. We have also joined a touch team for the coming season. It has been good to get back into sport & socialize at the same time. With Matt moving in, we no longer need to walk to his place each morning, so the sport provides another form of exercise. Plus we have had our fair share of couch sport with the cricket & rugby!

Trips

While my brother was here we lived life at a hectic pace, one weekend we were in Guildford visiting relatives, Brighton another weekend, a monopoly board crawl with photos at each street, & then in the mid-term break we headed off to Ireland for 4 days. We stayed in Dublin, but explored out to the west to Galway, & south to Kilkenny. It was beautiful scenery & really friendly people. We were also there while the Irish vs. English 6 nations rugby game was being played. We watched it in a packed pub & really enjoyed the atmosphere, especially as the English were given a hiding!

My friend from Ukraine who was going to come & visit these coming holidays was denied a visa, so instead for the Easter break we are planning a 7 day road trip through Wales, northern England, a bit of Scotland & the Lake District. Really looking forward to it, as we explore & see more of God’s beautiful creation.

Future

We have had many plans, offers & thoughts about what we should do at the end of our time here. It has been confusing at times & often we felt torn in two (or three or four). But we have waited for God to open doors & at this time we are preparing to go & live in Ukraine. We have been in contact with the British International School in Kiev & it seems highly likely that we will both be offered jobs there, so we are now in the process of dealing with the logistics of shifting & starting there in September.

Little anecdotes & other thoughts & stories can be found on either of these blogsites…

www.roofellin.blogspot.com & www.ruthpastor.blogspot.com

Let it Snow

2007-02-20T01:35:00.000Z

Hello everyone,

Well although it has been strange spending January in school, we have had a busy month! School has been going well, and now that I have 2 permanent days, I am finding I have work at least 4 days most weeks. Next term I will be replacing a current teacher as she has maternity leave so I will be fulltime until the end of the academic year (July) and the possibility of the same in September if we decide to stay. This has worked out really well as we both like the school and staff & enjoy working in the same workplace.

A big piece of excitement (not just for the foreigners but also the locals) this month has been the arrival of snow. We had a small snowfall 2 weeks ago of about 2.5cm which was really lovely, and then this last week we had quite a big amount of about 10cm. A lot of schools were closed (although ours wasn’t!) and this time there was enough to make a snowman!

Church this year has been really encouraging & ‘re-hydrating’ for us. We have really enjoyed going & hope to get a little more involved as the year wears on.

My brother & his friend Gaven have been with us for a few weeks, and will be for a couple more. It has been good to show them around a little bit & spend time together. Jono has also been doing some supply teaching while he has been here.

During some of my spare time when I haven’t been at work, I have made a new website (www.jrpirini.blogspot.com) and also practiced some of my skills using photoshop to make some of the graphics.

Out & about we have been quite busy…we have been up the London Eye which was really cool to see the city from above (at night), we went to our first football (soccer) game last Tuesday to watch Australia play Denmark, we hired a car yesterday & drove down to Brighton where we showed my brother around, we have also visited Westminster Abbey last Sunday for the evening service…it is a amazing, awesome place.

In regards to Ukraine, we had a couple stay with us a few nights & it was great to talk to them, and also Gaven about possibilities of work over there. It seems as though the dairy farming idea is not that feasible at this stage, but we have been in contact with an international school in Kiev in regards to jobs September 07. They have asked us to send our CV’s and we are waiting to hear back from them.

Our housemates are moving out this week (shifting back to Australia) so at the end of the month a teacher from school (who is from Rotorua, NZ) & his partner will be shifting in. We were wondering who our new housemates would be, and are glad that is someone we know & who we get on well with.

So that’s what’s happening with us… hope you are all well & enjoyed your summer,

God Bless,

February Slideshow Photos

2007-02-19T19:19:00.000Z

Happy New Year -- 7th January 2007

2007-01-07T11:07:00.000Z

It has definately been a memorable & life-changing year for us. There have been many new things that we have experienced & lots of thoughts & ideals challenged. We have learnt more about ourselves, the world that God has placed us in & the people that live in this world. I think the most fascinating part of our travels has been the introductions to different cultures & understanding how diverse & fascinating this world is.

December has been busy for us in regards to work, as Jon completed the organization of a Christmas production at school, which in the end went really well. I have carried on with supply work at the same school and was very pleased on the last day of term to be offered a permanent 2 days a week. There is also a possibility to cover maternity leave next term which will be 5 days a week. We enjoy the school’s atmosphere & staff, and it is a good place to work. We had our end of year/xmas staff dinner on the last day of school (the night before we flew to Ukraine) and although it was an expensive meal (especially if you convert it to NZ dollars) it was good evening.

Thursday 21st December saw us making our way back to the airport for some long queues and a slight delay (other flights where delayed quite a few hours due to the heavy fog) before we set off to Ukraine. It was great to catch up with my brother (Jono) & good friends. We spent most of our time in the little village Rzhyshiv where my brother lives, relaxing, playing settlers, catching up with people etc. The weather was pretty mild while we were there, and although we were hoping for a white xmas it didn’t look very likely. Early Xmas morning though, the temperature dropped quite quickly and although it wasn’t much, we did get a dusting of snow & the ground & landscape were definitely white! We were rather excited, although the locals weren’t quite sure why! We spent Christmas with some of the other foreigners living in the town, and had a good day. I took with us a NZ leg of lamb & kumara, so the next day we had a NZ Christmas meal at my brothers complete with pudding & custard. Jon & Jono spent there pocket money on a whole lot of fireworks (the good ones you cant buy anywhere else!) and so New Years Eve was rather loud & exciting as we watched the firework spectacle. Jon managed to get the greeting wrong in Ukrainian and was actually saying “happy new hand!” We really enjoyed our time back there, and feel like it is home for us. We spent time there talking, & thinking about the possibility of going back there to live, and what kind of job/business opportunities there would be there for us. At the moment we are exploring the idea of maybe buying some land/cows & entering the world of dairy farming! We are not yet decided, but we are thinking at this stage that in July (when school finishes here) we head back to Ukraine for the summer & will look after my brothers house while he is away for about a year, then plan to head back to NZ nearer the end of 2008 & decide then whether we head back for a longer period of time.

Other things out & about…we attended the famous Jazz Café in Camden early in December to hear “James Taylor quartet”. We thought it was the original James Taylor, and although it wasn’t we weren’t disappointed. The jazz was excellent & we had a great night out. Friday 5th Jan saw us celebrating 5 years of marriage, and as we had only got back from Ukraine 2 days earlier we just headed out for dinner & a movie to celebrate.

My brother & his friend, Gaven, will be heading over this way at the end of the month for 4 weeks, Jono will be trying out the supply teaching for about 3 weeks, and we have booked tickets to Ireland for our mid-term break at the end of February.

My friend Masha (from Ukraine) is hoping to come & visit here too in March for 2 weeks. She is applying for a visa at the moment, so we are praying that this will work out.

We feel as though we are settling in here a lot better now, and feel more on top of things. The winter has been pretty mild so far (except the horrible cold fog just before Christmas) and it is starting to get lighter, but we are told it will also get colder!

Until next time,

November News 2006 -- 28th November 2006

2006-11-28T11:03:00.000Z

What we used to call the ‘crazy season’ in NZ…hasn’t seemed quite the same this year. It is getting cold (we have had to buy lots of winter woolys!) & dark here…and instead of the long nights, BBQs & end of year breakups we are finding ourselves watching rugby, staying inside where it is warm & celebrating when we see the sun! Yes, things are definitely different over here, more than we had thought & we are trying to understand & adjust. We have found ourselves at times unaware culturally, and although the language we speak is the same, often the meanings are very very different!! We have found it at times very difficult, and lately have been quite homesick for NZ & things that are ‘normal’, but I think we are learning, that everywhere we go we will always take the weather with us, and we can determine what we look at & focus on.

In regards to work…the class Jon has been struggling with has definitely settled down, and he feels as though he is making some small steps with them. He is busy at the moment in the middle of organizing the Christmas production, which is on Dec 11th & 12th. I didn’t get the job I applied for at the school…& although initially I was quite disappointed, I think now, it wasn’t really what I was looking for, and God had it all in control. I am still getting consistently 3-4 days supply at this school anyway, & we have decided that I wont take any other supply at other schools, so at least I have some normality & routine about where I will be working. I have talked to the Principal about giving me a definite 2-3 days a week & I think this is in the pipeline. I am learning to trust God in the certainty of work.

Out & about…we have watched all the All Black games, which included the French games in the pub, with French commentary – quite an experience. The other weekend we hired a car, and together with George & Mahala (school friend I have know since I was 12-13) we visited Stonehenge & Bath. Stonehenge was amazing to see first hand & so mysterious, an awesome site of history. In Bath we explored the Roman baths, which are also an amazing piece of history & then we had scones & tea in the old dining hall with live music. It was a really good day & experience. Jon has also joined a local chess club, so he enjoys playing each Thurs nights, plus some tournaments. My hobby at the moment is playing settlers online & I am trying to get a top 50 rating!

We have found a church in Watford (about 20 mins north of where we are) that we have enjoyed attending, and think we will keep going back to. It is also meeting in a school hall, and although a bit smaller is similar in some ways to the church we used to attend in Tauranga.Check it out online if you are interested… http://www.watfordcommunitychurch.org

It is about 3 weeks until the end of the school year, and our trip back to Ukraine. (We fly out on Dec 21st & will be back on Jan 3rd) We are counting down the days & really looking forward to it. I am assuming for us this year will be a white Christmas. We will definitely miss you all at this time, and wish you a great time with family & friends, an awesome holiday time, and all the best for 2007. We aim to be back in NZ next year sometime after July hopefully. Thanks for your prayers & friendship over our year of travels. We have enjoyed & grown seeing more of God’s world, creation & people.

God Bless,

October UK -- 26th October 2006

2006-10-26T10:55:00.000Z

Well it seems as tho October is nearing an end… and we can tick off another month in London!

At the moment we are on half-term break (a week) so it is halfway to Christmas! It will seem quite strange for us to build up to Christmas with the weather getting colder & colder!

I have had only 2 days off in the last 6 weeks of work, so the initial 3 weeks extended quite far. I really enjoyed my time there, and don’t want to go back to supply teaching, so I am applying for a fulltime job there working as an “inclusion support assistant”. This basically is a person who works with children who have behavioral problems etc. I have been interested in this area for awhile, so would enjoy the experience, plus the stability of a fulltime job!

Jon is enjoying his job as the music teacher (although it’s not that challenging) but not at all enjoying the other part of his job which is to release the deputy head’s class for about 4 periods a week. They are a really problem-filled class, and not at all fun! I have been in there for an afternoon, and if I had to do that on a consistent basis, it would drive you insane. It is hard to separate it out from you as a person, and thinking you are not a good a teacher, whereas in fact it’s that there are some issues beyond the actual teaching that need resolving. Jon had a positive meeting with the principal about it, so we are praying for a good resolution after the break and as the term wears on.

We took the opportunity last weekend to travel to Brighton (which for some reason reminds me of a mixture of Wellington & Dunedin!). We went down on Friday night on the bus, (£4 each, each way!) spent Saturday exploring the beach, pier & town area, (very windy & massive waves!) then stayed Saturday night in a 200 year old house that was built for the Mayor way back then. It was an interesting experience, now owned by a strange man, and I had a very strange shower!! We then spent Sunday (in the pouring rain) exploring the different places where my Dad grew up, his house etc. Was good to see, and hard to imagine what it would have been like 58 years ago when my Dad left there to come to NZ. The rest of this week we are spending at home catching up on things and also taking the time to visit some London attractions.

We went and watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, saw Big Ben, Westminster Abbey & then explored the Tower of London, and saw the crown jewels. We were going to have a trip on the London Eye too, but the queues where just horrendous, so we will go back at another time. Also looked around locally & took a walk up to Harrow on the Hill, and went into the church at the top of the hill that has been there for 900 years. Very impressive!

We are struggling at the moment to enjoy our time here, but have to keep reminding ourselves that it is just for a reason & a season. Organising travel and seeing different sights & countries will help us to pass the time. We are realising that where ever else we have lived doing things with people & having people around has been a huge part of our lives… and now we feel very lonely & isolated.(But getting very good at playing settlers online!) We are praying for some people to be able to spend time with, and also a church where we will feel comfortable to attend. We will try a few more out… but that gets tedious after awhile!

On a positive note, having to walk everywhere has been good for us, we have both lost quite a bit of weight and enjoy the forced exercise of about 30 mins walk each day. Jon has also joined a chess club, and enjoys extending his brain this way. The staff from school are also very friendly, but we feel if these were our only friends, we wouldn’t have any spiritual encouragement. We know God is teaching us, and growing us through our experiences here. At times we want to just pack up and go home (or back to Ukraine), but we know that pushing through to the end of the year is what we need to do, and that precious jewels are found on the hard road.

That’s about all from us I think… o wait… Jon has a cell phone now too (surprise!) and the number is on the email signature.

God Bless,

UK September -- 30th September 2006

2006-09-30T10:54:00.000Z

Hi there everyone…

Time flies when you’re working!! It didn’t seem that long ago I was beginning the 3 weeks supply work at Weald Middle School (same school as Jon’s permanent job) but I have now completed that. I have really enjoyed it, and although at times I wondered what I was doing, it has been good for me to refresh my teacher skills! I have been given another couple of weeks there doing more relieving, and after that… I don’t know but praying I can get some type of permanent arrangement there too. Jon is enjoying his job there too, although there is one very difficult class he has quite a few times that is very challenging & can be quite depressing. We would appreciate prayers for wisdom & keys to handle this. The staff there are a really cool bunch. We went to the pub for drinks last night with some of them. It was a fun night, they are a laugh a minute kind of people. There is a good mix of NZers, Australians & English people.

Other than work, we haven’t really done much so far. We aim to head to Brighton, (where my Dad was born) the south coast of England for a weekend really soon, and then during midterm break in the middle of October we aim to head to Ireland for 4-5 days. In regards to travel we have also booked tickets to travel back to Ukraine for the xmas holidays, (21^st Dec-3^rd Jan) so we will get to experience Ukraine in the winter.

Our future ideas at this stage are to head back to NZ after we finish up here in July 07 for about a month to visit everyone, and then head back to Ukraine for a year to start with. But it is a while away, so we’ll see what happens and how God leads us.

It is not too cold here yet, but definitely autumn. We have enjoyed a few days where we have headed to the park with a rug to read a book, or a picnic. One of those occasions was to catch up with one of Jon’s school mates which was really cool.

It has been interesting for us to observe the culture here, and although we speak the same language, it is easy to assume we are the same, but we have found that is not the case. Food & clothes etc are really cheap here, people are buying stuff (and lots of it) all the time. There is people everywhere & heaps & heaps of smokers. Customer service is really useless because there are so many people it doesn’t really matter! We have started our own tradition of having a roast every Saturday night and our first couple have been NZ legs of lamb!! Cheaper than we can get in NZ, and taste very nice. This country is a very rich, prosperous place, but almost void of any kind of identity, direction or common beliefs. Everything goes, and religious tolerance is absolutely huge. We are getting a chance to learn firsthand about many different religions. It is very interesting.

Anyway… that is probably enough for this time.

Until next time,

News from the Motherland -- 8th September 2006

2006-09-08T10:53:00.000Z

Well how are you all?

We are doing well here and settling in ok. The good news is that I (Ruth) have a job starting Monday for 3 weeks at the same school as Jon, and it may lead to more work, so although a bit nervous it will be good to be back at work. (No more sleep-ins!) Jon is enjoying his job (had 1 week now) and I think he will really enjoy the challenge & enjoyment of teaching music.

The flat we have shifted into is working out well. (see attached photos) As you can see from the pics, we have the flags on the wall of all the countries we have been to so far. I was thinking a mighty all blacks flag or NZ silver fern flag would look great at the top of them all. If anyone would be so kind as to send one.... well, I will love you forever! Our other flatmates are a couple from NZ (Southland to be precise) & Aus. They are cruisy and easy to get on with which is cool. We went to watch the All Blacks with them last Sat, so some fellow supporters. The house is in a quiet street -- hardly any traffic noise (heaps better than Tauranga) just the sound of the sirens at night! and our landlord is really friendly and helpful.

We went back to Hillsong Church on Sunday and enjoyed it. We think we will make that our church for the year. It will be good to make some friends and maybe get into some sport so we wont have to recluse ourselves in our own house all the time!

We see this year as a good time to earn pounds and just spend time together as a couple, hopefully stress free. Jon also hopes to get music tuition with the aim to get the official music grades -- the piece of paper! We also aim to make the most of being near Europe & visiting some other countries of interest.

Our thoughts at this time in regards to our future is to go back to Ukraine in the Christmas holidays to experience it in the winter, and get a different feel for the country, with the aim in mind of maybe shifting back there in July for an indefinite period of time. We are still praying about this, and really seeking God as to where He wants us, as we realize that that is the only place where we will have peace in our hearts.

Not much else more to report...

Until next time

Europe Trip -- 26th August 2006

2006-08-26T10:51:00.000Z

Well here we are safe and sound back in England.

It has been an interesting trip and we often asked ourselves why are we doing this! We dragged all our luggage through 4-5 countries and on 2 trains and 3 bus rides. As you can imagine we have lots of things to remember and took many photos, but we are only able to share a small part of this with you.

Leaving Ukraine

We found this very hard to do as we have made some really good friends here but we left anyway to Lviv (west actually) and spent one day there. It is a very old city and quaint. (See photos for streets being made). We then took an overnight bus to Poland, with a 3-4 hour stop at the border!

Poland

We enjoyed Poland, esp.. the city we stayed in -- Krakow. We spent one day visiting Auschwitz (hard to comprehend and really believe) and we also visited Schindler's factory (from Schindler's List -- the movie), and Wawel castle. It too is an old city and has an awesome town centre and atmosphere.

Germany

We then took another overnight train to Berlin, hoping to get in early enough to catch the All Blacks in a pub, but again the we were late and we managed to get the last 30 mins or so in an internet cafe -- Go the All Blacks. We camped in Berlin in "Tent City" which is an urban camping ground in the middle of the city the set up for the world cup. It was an awesome place to stay, we had great tent neighbors and really enjoyed it there. We hired bikes one day (and became a menace to the general public -- esp.. because they had bells on them!) and took a look at the Brandenburg gates, parts of the Berlin wall and other parts of the city. After this, Jono left us to go back to Ukraine and we headed off for Holland.

Holland

It's hard to know what to write about this place... we caught an overnight bus to Amsterdam, and this time arrived early (4:30am) with nothing really organized we started wandering the streets with all our stuff. It then started to rain and before we knew it we were in the red light district!!! I believe that God sent us an angel tho as a guy offered to find us a hostel. He was a really nice guy and helped us get rid of some other unpleasant characters! Without too much detail (the full story is at www.roofellin.blogspot.com) we were pretty shocked with Amsterdam, and decided to stay only 1 night. We did manage to visit while we were there the Van Gogh museum (again hired bikes!) and also Corrie Ten Boom's house in Haarlem, known as 'the Hiding Place' as her family helped Jews during the war. I had read the book as a child and it was almost surreal to be in the house where it all happened.

London

From there we caught another bus overnight to London, crossing the English Channel by ferry and landing at Dover. We arrived in London at 6am in the pouring rain and had a terrible day (see www.roofellin.blogspot.com for the story). The short story is that we now have a flat which we shifted into today (address at bottom of email) and we are thankful to God for good friends, and his provision.

Jon will go into the school next week to sort things out, and I will start supply (sigh) teaching again when school resumes on 4th Sept.

Our updates will become more scarce, but we do aim to keep you informed with how we are and what we are doing. Please let us know if you would rather not receive these anymore.

Until next time...

Goodbye from Ukraine -- 13th August 2006

2006-08-13T10:49:00.000Z

Well...

The time has come again to say goodbye to another set of friends we have made and another country! We leave tomorrow morning and head into Kiev, where we will catch a bus late at night and travel overnight to Liviv (city in the east close to the border of Poland). We will spend the day there and then catch a train that night (again overnight) over the border into Poland. We aim to spend 3 days in Poland, one of which will be a trip to Auschwitz. We then aim to travel to Germany and spend 3 days there, and then onto Holland with 3 days there before we head back to London. We want to get to London about the 25th or 26th August. School starts about a week after that. My brother Jono will come with us most of the way and then head back to Ukraine as we head to London.

It has been a great time here, and been mind-blowing to again experience another culture and how they respond to life and God. The people here are passionate and real about their belief in God. It is there first love and much more authentic than what I have seen in the 'western' world. We would love to come back next summer if it is possible.

We also really enjoyed our trip to Odessa, where we parked up and camped wherever we pleased, swum in the Black Sea, and had a good holiday with 3 Ukraine young people with us. It was a long road trip with about 8 hours in the van. The wheat and sunflower fields on either side of the road where very impressive though, as they went for miles.

On our last morning as we were packing up, Jon went for a wash in the sea, checked carefully to see if it was deep etc. then dived in but hit a rock. He came back up to me with the towel on his head and warned me he had hurt himself before he showed me!! Just as well, because I couldn't help clean up the gashes as I started to feel queasy. So Jono cleaned him up. He had a deeper gash on his forehead, and on the bridge of his nose, with scrapes up his stomach, arms and cuts on his feet. As we traveled back that day, and stopped for lunch, he got a few stares, as he looked like a war victim out of a cheesy movie with a big bandage on his head!It has healed really well though, and almost gone now. We are thankful that it was no worse!

Last weekend Jon attempted to busk again on the main street in Kiev, and got a good response. It was really interesting to watch a crowd gather, and then come up and ask for songs. This week we have spent time around the house fixing the pump, concreting steps, making a BBQ/hosting area, and other odd jobs. Playing a bit of Settlers and spending time with people before we go.

Last night we went to a traditional Ukrainian wedding of a couple from the church here. It was interesting to see the many many traditions they have. One which is to steal the bride's shoe and then they have to do strange things to get it back. Also another one is that the groom washes the bride's mums feet with watered-down vodka and leaves and then once they are washed he gives her a new pair of shoes and then dances with her in the new shoes. There where so many more as well-- about 800 years worth of accumulated traditions! Interesting to watch, but made the day very long!

Well that's the news from our end

Until next time...

Ukraine Update 3 -- 30th July 2006

2006-07-30T10:46:00.000Z

Hi there again

Thanks for your prayers. We have made a decision as to the next year's location. We have decided to shift back to London. Jon has accepted a job in a school in Weald, north London teaching music to primary-aged students for the next year finishing July 2007. We have booked train tickets which leave Ukraine on the 14th Aug heading to Poland. We aim to spend some time in Poland, Germany and Holland before we get back to England around about the 20 -25th August.

So with about 3 weeks left here we have made a few plans to get some jobs around Jono's house completed and we will also travel next week to the Black Sea for a 3-4 day camping and explore trip. We will take about 2-3 other young people from here with us. This week we have spent a lot of time tidying and relaxing, got Jono's new curtains up etc. Once we are back from our road trip we aim to get stuck into a few big jobs including building a BBQ, making some steps, reinforcing a wall, and maybe helping to fix the pump and other stuff. Well those are on the list at least, we may find time to complete a few of them in between Settlers games!

Last Saturday (after watching the rugby) Jon and Ben attempted to busk in Kiev, but with the amp cutting out and the mayor making new rules so the police had to move them on, it wasn't entirely successful. They shifted to another spot and managed to draw a crowd of about 5 drummers, so by the time we left it was a drum fiesta -- sounding lovely as you can imagine! We aim to head into Kiev this Saturday too for the next All Black test.

We also visited a nearby town last Sunday and went to church there. It was a really a thought-provoking day as the pastor there showed us through the massive building the church has bought -- an old sewing factory and told us about the different ideas and visions he has for each room etc. We then went and saw the bio diesel/gas and mushroom factory that they have started. There is heaps of opportunities here for business-minded people to help get the economy back on its feet and provide good jobs for people. The pastor in the town we are in too has started a strawberry farm and is also making jam. Its a really great way to bring Christian principles into the workplace. One of the girls who works on the strawberry farm earns the equivalent of $1NZ an hour, which is double what another girl earns who works here in town. Its strange to find out and understand how unfair the way money works in this world. The thought of saving enough money to travel is way beyond most people's minds here.

We have had plenty to think about while we have been here, and enjoying conversations with many different people. Although we have chosen to head back to London it hasn't been without thought of the great people we have made friends with that we will leave behind here.

Well until next time,

Ukraine Update 2 -- 9th July 2006

2006-07-09T10:45:00.000Z

Hi there again...

We are still alive and survived the week marooned on the island! It was definitely a different type of camping than what we are used to in New Zealand, but none the less enjoyable and in such a beautiful spot! The pit toilets were a challenge; I still haven't yet mastered 'the squat'! The food also was an interesting experience, and I think we were all glad to get back to a big lasagna I made the first night back. We meet heaps of very cool people there, and the hunger for God is something completely unmatched in the western world. Most, if not all, of these Christians are first generation believers and often the only one in there family. There have been lots of things that we are much more thankful for now that we used to take for granted, and some things we didn't even realize we took for granted, but were just a part of our lives.

Since the camp we have spent 2 days in Kiev, the first day was a tour of the city and souvenir shopping, and yesterday we went to some clothes markets. This has all been with a mission team from Pacific Hills Christian School in Sydney who have been here for the past 2 and a half weeks. We saw them off at the airport yesterday, and as Jono had been leading the team here it has been a busy past 3 weeks! We will slow down a bit for awhile and get a few things sorted, and then hope to travel maybe next week to Poland or somewhere.

You can pray for us as we feel we have come to a crossroads in our travels, Jon has been offered a job in England that is primary school music teaching, we haven't heard back from the Kiev school, and we could also come home. So with these 3 options and many others we could consider we feel a bit confused and need prayer for direction and guidance.

So hope this keeps you up to date....

Jon’s corner...

Language learning again is awesome but much more difficult than Spanish, although it is said once you have learned a second language it is much easier to learn a third. And though I would not claim to have 'learned' Spanish in its entirety I certainly feel like it has opened my mind to some different dynamics within language. I guess more than all this though in seeing many different ways of existing on this earth from the obscene amounts of money that circulate in England to the very miniscule dirty pieces of paper that are exchanged between paupers in the main streets, we are left a little confused as to where God wants us in this picture. On one hand there is the freedom from the rat-race and the promise of discovering deep relationships but on the other hand there is the reality of earning the elusive but necessary dollar to maintain this standard of living we call 'normal'. I really do wonder about the possibility of having the best of both worlds but highly doubt my ability to live consistently with what I believe whilst being part of the rat-race. As for the concept of financial independence, I don't buy it mainly because all the people I know who are trying to achieve this goal seem to have lost sight of the important things in life. Anyway, please pray that God would give us a conviction about our next moves.

Until next time

Ukraine Life -- 7th July 2006

2006-07-07T10:44:00.000Z

Hi there everyone...

We have now been in Ukraine for almost 2 weeks. Things have been non-stop since we arrived with a mission's team from Australia arriving 4 days after us and also one of Jono's (my brother) friends (Ben) from Australia arriving a day after us. Ben and Jono are in charge of the mission team while they are here and they are also running a camp together.

We have been involved with both of these things and managed to keep ourselves busy. Although the projects (running a camp and youth work) are very similar to what we used to do in New Zealand it is great to be a part of it in another culture and also as a helper rather than an organizer.

The village we are staying in is built next to a big river and the beach and water is a big part of the community's life now as it is summer. The camp we are having starts this Monday until Friday and is on an island in the river. It is an absolutely beautiful spot and an amazing piece of God's paradise here on the other side of the world. We have spent the last 2 days setting the camp up, taking dozens of boatloads (Jon) of people, firewood, tents etc. over there. We are looking forward to a great time.

The people here are very friendly and we have made friends easily within the group of young people and the church here. We have spent time on the beach with them, watching the world cup, going to the circus and also a traditional festival. The town was celebrating its 855th year -- there is so much history here its really amazing. Going to the war memorial where battles actually happened was also quite sobering to think about.

We are enjoying our time... still not sure yet as to where to after this- I think we will think about that when it happens!!

Until next time

3rd (and final?) update from London -- 25th June 2006

2006-06-25T10:43:00.000Z

Well hello again...

Tomorrow we leave for the Ukraine so this maybe our last time with a good internet connection for awhile. I am not sure what it will be like in the Ukraine, but don't let that stop you from writing to us!! We will still continue to keep you up to date with what is happening as much as we can.

Well this last week has been very busy for us. Jon has worked every day and I have had 3 days teaching. It has been good for us both work wise and also for the wallet. Supply teaching over here gives us about 125 pounds (before tax) a day.

The latest on the job front is that Jon has been offered a few jobs so far, but none of them have seemed right (not according to the agencies who have pressurized us to take them). So as it stands at the moment is that we have applied for jobs at an international school in Kiev (Ukraine) and we will find out more about these this week. We have meet with the initial lady contact and she seemed quite positive and it looks promising. I'm sure we will have a good chance in the next few weeks to experience the culture and also hopefully visit the school to give us a taste of whether this kind of job would be good for us. Otherwise if this line of thinking brings us to a dead end, then it will be back to England in about the middle of August for more supply teaching and hopefully and more permanent job not too far down the track. The job in the Ukraine would be for a year's contract.

This last weekend, we discovered 'Covent Garden' where there are buskers every 5-10 meters. Lots of musicians, live statues and other entertainers. A really great atmosphere, heaps of people and things to look at and do. We went back there today too (Sunday) to meet our friend Bex and get a few photos. We walked from there down to Trafalgar Square where we peacefully sitting and enjoying the day when we noticed a strong police presence and then almost from nowhere the square started to fill with English supporters who were leaving the pubs they had been watching England play Ecuador and started celebrating in the square. It was a bizarre set of circumstances as they sung and chanted climbed the fountain, kicked soccer balls around and waved the English flag everywhere. Was awesome to be apart of, but kinda strange too as I'm sure it wont be long until we see the national day of mourning when they lose!

Saturday night, Mahala & George invited us to Sean Young's (guy I knew vaguely in Nelson -- Steve's brother) birthday where we had a BBQ, game of touch (yay) and spent the night with about 20 or so other Kiwis and Australians that are over here for a time. Was really great to hang out with other people our own age and culture!

We have enjoyed our time here in England, although it has been hard to get our head around things, as the cultural differences are more subtle.

Until next time,

2nd Update from England -- 18th June 2006

2006-06-18T10:36:00.000Z

Hi there everyone again,

This update has taken me quite a lot longer, as you can imagine we are no longer living in Paraguay tranquillo time! We have been trying our best to sort out the job market, which as yet has been quite disappointing. It seems as though things are more complicated than we thought. Some agencies give us the twice over, whereas others try to rip us off. We have found one agency so far that is aussie-run and is really good. Last week we had 5 days between us of supply (relieving) teaching which is good for the wallet, but insane for the brain!! We really can’t believe the standard of behavior here, it is absolutely shocking and makes you want to walk out and let them do what they want!

It has been good to work though, and we have had to leave home about 6:50am and we get back home anywhere between 5-7pm. That is mainly because we are living north of London and have to spend quite a lot of time & money on the train system, although the system is very good.

We have had time to do a few other things though, such as paint some windows and varnish some doors here where we are staying. We visited the British museum, (Jon enjoyed this, I couldn't wait to get out) Big Ben, and other sights around London. (see photos). We also had a trip further north into the country last weekend, and watched England unfortunately beat Paraguay in the world cup. The football (soccer) here is quite big, we have been watching a few matches.

We have had some awesome weather since we have been here, and it has actually got hot. IT really intrigued us the other day when we were wandering around London about 5-6pm that on every corner (literally) there was a pub, but instead of the patrons drinking inside, they were out on the street (see photos) enjoying the weather, standing on the footpath in groups. Was quite interesting and strange for us. The pub scene here is actually really nice, it is open to everyone, (has family areas) and serves great food. It’s great to watch sports games in too!

Last night we went into London to catch up with Mahala a friend I went to school with. We walked down 'Brick Lane' a street famous for Indian curries, where at every shop an Indian came out and tried to offer us a good deal -- reminded us a bit of South America. My Argentinean shirt and the Italian one Jon was wearing created a bit of attention!

Been good to hear about the All Blacks winning, and so weird to hear about the snow in Christchurch! It’s been good to keep 'in the loop'. It seems as though these 3 weeks have been the hardest in regards to homesickness etc. but I'm sure things will start to get better!

Anyway that's all from us this time round, one more week before we head to the Ukraine.

Be good to hear from ya,

Love,

London1 -- 5th June 2006

2006-06-05T22:12:00.000Z

'ello everyone 'ows it going?

We have made it safe and sound to London with all our bags, so praise the Lord for that. After traveling for about 30 hours altogether it was a relief to have a shower and hit the sack! The flights and trip was uneventful but long and tiring. We had about a 5 hour stop in Argentina, and about an hour stop in Madrid, so that at least broke the journey. It was great though to get through the last customs and see our baggage waiting for us on the carousel, as we hadn't seen it since Paraguay!

We are staying here at a relatives place just north of London in a place called Watford. At the moment we are looking for jobs -- desperately as you will know everything is expensive here until you start earning the pounds. Jon reckons the currency is called pounds because you almost need to cut of a pound or two of your own flesh to pay for stuff!!! I am surprise at the amount of street names I know. It is amazing really how good a teacher Monopoly is!!

WE have explored the main centre of Watford a few times, helped in the garden, watched NZ play Brazil in football (I think they did ok, at least I wasn't embarrassed) and spent time online looking for jobs. We have wireless broadband where we are staying so that is great. World Cup Fever is well and truly underway here and next Saturday England's first game is against Paraguay!! I think I might wear my Paraguay shirt!!!

Yesterday (Sunday) we got the train into central London and meet one of our friends (Bex Souter who I flatted with in Kaitaia) and went with her to Hillsong London church. We really enjoyed it, it was in the Dominion Theatre, which is really lovely but we were not permitted to take any photos! Started off with "Salvation is here" so we at least knew that song. It was really cool as partway through the service they had a time of prayer for requests & praise points that were anonymously written on cards, I thought that was a great way for corporate yet meaningful prayer!

We haven't really done too much else yet. Have booked tickets to fly to the Ukraine on 26th June, so we have about 3 weeks here until then.

Jon is trying to sort out a permit so he can busk on the London Underground!

Until next time,

Update 12 -- 26th May 2006

2006-05-26T21:54:00.000Z

Well folks...

This is the last one from the land of extremes -- Paraguay!

We head off tomorrow morning on the bus to Asuncion and then on Wednesday morning we leave for a very long 24 hours of travel. We leave Paraguay at midday, then we leave Argentina at 9pm, arriving in London 4pm the next day. I’m sure it will be good, but tiring. Please pray that our baggage makes it through all the stops (we also have a short stop in Madrid, Spain) and arrives in London with us.

We will update you from London as to our plans from there on in.

We have enjoyed our time here in Paraguay, and seemed to have accomplished a few things...

* Rest & relaxation

* Read heaps of books

* Helped out with MEGA (painted, varnished & sanded windows, doors, tables, chairs, made a soccer & volleyball court, started the playground etc)

* Managed to break a few things (including a bent bike tire (see photos) and cut the skill saw cord in half!)

* Sightseeing around Paraguay

* Learnt some Spanish (Jon learnt enough to have a decent conversation)

* Grew a beard (Jon)

* Experienced a different cultures traditions (food, music, way of life etc)

* Received multiple mosquito & ant bites

* Got stopped by police who were looking for an American named "Ruth" (kinda scary!)

* Got sick!

* Saw God at work in 2 different cultures (Ache & Paraguayan)

* Spent time with God & discussing future plans and philosophies

* Spent time with the family

* Finished "Farcry" (a new computer game we bought before leaving NZ)

* Wrote a few songs

Just to name a few!

All in all it has been good, and we feel that out horizons have been broadened, hopefully our understanding deepened and learnt heaps.

We hope to indulge ourselves tomorrow with the Super 14 final on TV once we arrive in Asuncion. Man I do love NZ and have missed some things especially rugby. Its funny how you have to leave to really appreciate some things you take for granted.

Oh well, that's all from us now,

Signing out from Paraguay,

Update 11 -- 19th May 2006

2006-05-19T21:53:00.000Z

Well hello!

Yes we still are alive & kicking, although not entirely well! We have been out of email contact for the past week or so, hence this late update. I also have not been able to keep any food in for the past 5 or so days, and now also have a sore throat, so at the moment trying to keep my head above water!

We have been up to quite a bit, but I will still try to keep this short, so if you want extra details on anything, just ask for in a separate email!

About last week sometime we left General Aquino with the family (the van is at last fixed & working well) and headed for the East City (Cuidad del Este) which is on the border of Brazil, Paraguay and also very close to the Argentinean border too. We stayed there 4 nights and visited a few things. Firstly we had a look around a Christian school there for rich upper class kids -- really interesting and a great place. They are looking for native speaking English people to teach there on 1 year contracts if anyone is interested. We really enjoyed the company of the director and we organized to go out for dinner with her the next night. This ended up being in Brazil, because we headed over to Brazil to have a look at the Iguaçu Falls. They were pretty amazing and we also enjoyed the Brazilian food!

The next day we had a tour around the Itaipu Dam (I think the biggest in the world) and then also there zoo of animals they rescued when they flooded the area above the dam. Very cool animals and some very cute, and some very scary!

We headed off the next day to visit one of the Ache people tribes and spend some time with the family who have been helping them to cope within the 21st century. The people have really been brought forward 500 years in technology and learning modern techniques of farming and agriculture instead of trying to live off the hunter-gatherer type of scenario. They are a really lovely people with lots of love & hugs for everyone. Jon especially enjoyed our time there (I spent most of it in bed unfortunately) and they even organized a concert for him to play at, although he just thought it was going to be a jam with a couple of guys. The village really loved it and it was a great night. It is a really special place and so awesome to see these guys so happy and full of life. In some ways these people are primitive but their ability and desire to work as a community is advanced. We were excited to see an expression of God through another culture where they are taking what they want from the western world and remaining Achè in the process.

We are now back in Asuncion for a couple of days... not long now till we actually fly out for England!

Lots of traveling, lots to see & lots of photos taken, too much to write here in this one email.

Hope that gives you the basics though.

Until next time,

Update 10 -- 3rd May 2006

2006-05-03T21:52:00.000Z

Hi there everyone again,

Well since last week... we were suppose to be away for a trip around the countryside. We set off okay, but got only about an hour away, when the car decided to have a bit of a spazz again!! (see photos) So the safest option was to turn around and get back. We got back okay, and now the car is at the mechanics awaiting a new engine! So far they have had 3 different engines sent up from the capital, each time the wrong one, so sent back again!! We are yet to see if they will get the right one.

If this doesn't work out, then maybe in about 2 weeks time, we will bus ourselves into Asuncion and try to do some of those things ourselves. Wait & see.

So in the meantime, we have got back into the swing of things here, and since all the doors have been hung in MEGA we have just completed the last coat of varnish on them. We have also enjoyed the extra time to read heaps of books, and relax and have spent a bit of time in song writing.

This last Monday was a public holiday, so we spent a bit of time with the local boys, even taught them how to play touch rugby. Not too many forward passes, although some attempts at American Football styles! They seem to enjoy it, although as young boys go, they really want Jon to teach them 'hard' rugby! This weekend we may try to see if any want to be converted to a 'Settlers fan'!

We have had a cold spell here -- down to 19 degrees in the day, and about 10 at night. With a cold southerly the wind, the locals are really complaining -- kinda funny to watch them layer on the clothes!! We have a fire inside the last few nights too (see photos) which takes the chill off the air, and also fills the house with smoke!

You will also notice in the photos, Jon's new growth, kinda like the face stuff, but on his back -- that's disturbing!!

We have heard there is a Tsunami warning today for Fiji & New Zealand, we hope & pray you will all be safe, and that there won’t be too much of a disaster. We will keep our eyes on the internet news, but let us know what is happening if you can!

Until next time,

God Bless,

Update 9 -- 26th April 2006

2006-04-26T21:50:00.000Z

Week 7
Hey there everyone,
We are doing well here and just coping with the very hot weather we have at the moment!
Yesterday it was 38 degrees in the sun, and 33 in the shade!!
We have completely finished the soccer field although it still needs leveling, and also
finished painting the windows. The doors have been hung, so I suppose the next job
(apart from the playground and volleyball net & poles) will be to put the last coat of varnish
on them. There is lots here to keep us busy.
We are off tomorrow on a bit of a sightseeing trip, which will include the largest falls in the
world and also the largest hydro-electric dam in the world, plus a night or two with the
Ache Indians and also a look at some Jesuit ruins. We aim to be on the road about 2 weeks in
total. We will take our laptop, but the email maybe sporadic.
Last weekend we took a trip out to the country to visit Frank's great uncles, who live in a
small cottage (see photos). We also got to see firsthand the making of a thatch roof -- very
interesting!
Other than that, not much to report, we are keeping well, attempting to make plans for our
trip to England. Once we get back from this trip around, it will only be about 2 more weeks
before we leave.
Thanks for all the news we get from home, it is really good to hear how everyone is going.
Until next time,
Hasta la vista

Update 8 -- 20th April 2006

2006-04-20T21:49:00.000Z

Week 6

Hey there everyone,

Hope you all had a good Easter. Over here the Easter break is quite a big thing, religiously and family wise. A lot of families get together for this time.

We had a few trips away during the long weekend. We drove out to the port (river, not the sea!) and went for a ride on a boat. I was desperately trying to see a crocodile or piranha but I had no luck. We also visited a few people plus a trip to Friesland for groceries. My sister also had her birthday on the Friday, plus one of the next door neighbors had his on the same day, so we were invited over there for a Paraguayan style BBQ to celebrate (see photos) with all the extended family. Jon especially enjoyed the interaction with the people, and spent a bit of the weekend with the boys over there playing chess and volleyball. We were also going to go and visit Frank’s uncle, but on the Friday night (just as we were running back from the BBQ as fast as we could) it started to pour with rain & we had a massive electrical storm -- the best lightening & loudest thunder I have ever heard & seen! Because of this the roads were really bad, so we didn’t go out the next day, although Jon & Frank went and put a tarp on the roof (see photos) of a guy who is paralyzed and his roof was leaking because of the storm. It actually got quite cold after that, and we had to put on a jumper & long pants!

Work wise we have finished the varnishing of the doors, and this week we have measured, mown, & marked both a volleyball court & soccer field (see photos), and we have enjoyed using the soccer field, yet to get the net sorted for the volleyball court. We have also painted the table tennis table its last coat, and been painting the louver windows in MEGA.

MEGA is coming along quite well, (see photos) and is not far off being ready for the pre-school to start. We have enjoyed the physical work, and learning things as we go.

Next week we are off to visit I think the biggest dam in the world in Brazil, Iguacu Falls, and the Ache Indians. Should be really good.

When we get back our project is to start the building the playground!

We are well, although suffering from insect bites, and I dropped a glass jar on my foot last night & got a few small cuts! But otherwise we are good and enjoying the change, lots of good books and time to talk and chill.

GRINGO CORNER

Well it has been another week of learning Spanish- and making mistakes. This week’s funny was when I was trying to say that “this is my brother-in-law”, instead I managed to say “el es mi hermano epeleptico” meaning this is my epileptic brother which brought a bit of a laugh.

Hasta luego,

Jon & Ruth Ellen Pirini

Update 7 -- 12th April 2006

2006-04-12T21:48:00.000Z

Week 5

Hey there everyone,

Another week, and another dollar, or is it in our case another week, another few dollars spent!! Actually here there is very little to spend our money on, so that is good. We are just enjoying doing and being here with not much stress!

I have finished sanding, painting, sanding again & then varnishing the tables & chairs (see photos) and now both Jon & I have started oiling & varnishing the 10 doors for MEGA. Jon had sanded them all by hand before this! (I will include photos of MEGA and its progress next week.)

We have been playing soccer a bit (no-one really wants us on their side tho, cos we are useless & it comes so naturally to them!) and Frank has just completed the legs for the table-tennis table, so I'm sure that will become a fierce competition soon!

We had a little visitor to our bedroom the other night (lucky Jon found it before we went to sleep) in the form of a little frog (see photos) that could jump a mile high! We attempted to catch it with a container and Jon thought he had it when it jumped on his arm & he screamed (I did as well just for effect), then Joanna managed to get it & put it outside. Phew, glad it didn't do that during the night! Although these little ones are quite harmless, not like the big toads.

Every morning & night me & my little nephew (he's 2 and a half) go "og" (his name for frog, but he actually means toad) hunting. There are 3 that we know where they live, so we have named them Fred, Mack & Wooster and check on them everyday. He is quite good at spotting them and gets very excited when we find them. I pick him up so as not to get too close tho, because if they feel under attack they will shoot stuff at your eyes that if it gets in them will make you go blind. So although it keeps him (& me) occupied I make sure it's at a distance! There name in Spanish sounds like "Gestapo" so that's what I have named them!

We have met a few people around the town, and it seems that the conversation seems to go something like this: Hola! Then if I'm not with Jon, the next question is, "Are you married to which I answer yes, then the next question is do you have any children, to which I answer no. Then they ask why!! So I tell that we are still practicing! They then carry on to tell me some story about how they never had the chance to do that, or that they were pregnant 1 month after getting married, and all this other stuff. It's quite amusing really.

GRINGOS (foreigner learning Spanish) CORNER:

Today I (Jon) tried the traditional "sopa". It is a bread type dish made in that outdoor oven in the photos. Anyway when I left I said "gracias por el sapo" which mean thanks for the toad! LOL.

Anyway, that's enough for this week, we are well, the Easter break here started today (Wed) and is until Sunday, so we may do a few different things. Let you know about it next week!

Until next time,

Jon & Ruth Ellen Pirini

Update 6 -- 4th April 2006

2006-04-04T21:47:00.000Z

Hey there everyone,

We have had one week here now, and have enjoyed getting into routine and settling a bit into "everyday" life.

After the initial shock of hard physical work to Jon's body of machete-ing a field of grass (in the heat) he has adjusted, is feeling better and enjoying helping out with the building & cleaning up of MEGA (Multi Education for General Aquino) & it's grounds.

I have finished sanding & painting the tables & chairs, and will be varnishing them in the next week.

We have meet some of the locals, had an exciting trip to the Mennonite colony (called Friesland) on a very muddy road, and been introduced to more of the bug life (see photos).

We are gradually getting more understanding in our Spanish, and keeping well. It's not too hot here, nothing we can't handle.

It has also been good to have a break and take a step back from our lives in NZ and re-assess what is important to us, and dream about our future.

The field that Jon spent some time cutting (& taking the hay away) is now been able to be used for soccer, so tonight was the first game. Apparently it's a daily occurrence after work is over for the day, so that should keep us fit.

Hope you enjoy the photos, and that it gives you a bit of a visual idea of what it is like here,

Until next time,

Jon & Ruth Ellen Pirini

Update 5 -- 27th March 2006

2006-03-27T21:46:00.000Z

Hey there everyone,

Well I am writing this time from General Aquino, but there was a lot of distance in between.

We ended up spending a week in Asuncion, because after getting the car fixed, there was another day & half of hold ups, plus we had to do a months worth of groceries, and you don’t travel here in the dark, so we needed to leave in the morning.

We made the most of our time in Asuncion, although it was hard to find things to do without a vehicle, but we endured a bus ride, went to the markets (see photos) and sampled quite a few restaurants/cafes. Spent a lot of time reading and killing time.

The last day we were in Asuncion (Friday) we had a huge downpour of rain and the streets became rivers!! Then the thunder & lightning started which resulted in the power off for a few hours. We decided to walk down to a café on the corner for tea, which happened to be a main intersection & watched the cops standing in the “river” which was the road, trying to direct the traffic because the lights were out! After a while they got sick of it and left, and it was quite humorous to watch the intersection get clogged up and stuck and cars, buses & trucks went everywhere!!!

We left the next morning and traveled 2 hours on a sealed road, and then about 2 & half hours on a dirt road. The dirt road was only 45kms long, but was also contained lots of puddles, holes & other interesting objects. We also had to stop a few times because the car was again overheating.

We arrived here at about 4pm or after and unpacked everything from the very muddy car & trailer.

We encountered for the first time that night the huge range of bugs and beetles this land has to offer including big moths (I really don’t like these!) fireflies, huge toads, spiders and other creepy crawlies!!

Sunday we went to church, and spent the day relaxing, and today Monday was our first real day of work. The girls had school; Jon slashed long grass with a machete, & other jobs with the boys. My project is to sand, varnish & paint 16 little chairs & 4 tables for the pre-school. This kept us busy today and we are enjoying a bit of routine & work.

Jon is quite sun burnt & has a sore throat so we hope that gets better overtime.

I also had my first Spanish lesson today when Joanna & I went “down town” to buy an alarm clock.

My description & the photos will only give you a small snapshot of what it is like here, it really needs to be seen to be believed!!

Until next time,

Jon & Ruth Ellen Pirini

Update 4 -- 21st March 2006

2006-03-21T21:03:00.000Z

Hey there everyone,

Thought I would send some photos this time, so they are attached.

We are enjoying Paraguay and think we have lost the jetlag problem so that is great.

Yesterday Frank spent at the mechanics workshop while the car is getting fixed. It looks as though it is the head gasket so it will be a big job!! He has to stay and watch them the whole time, as they may do something dodgy otherwise. We are just hanging at the guest house and killing time, as we have no vehicle, but it's been good just to relax, do some reading and hang out with my nieces and nephews.

I went to the hairdressers yesterday and got blond streaks in my hair. Cost me $10 NZ!! We are heading to the markets this afternoon on the bus, so that should be an experience!

Hopefully next time I write from General Aquino (the village Joanna lives in) if the car is fixed in time!

Laters,

Jon & Ruth Ellen Pirini

Update 3 -- 19th March 2006

2006-03-19T20:59:00.000Z

Hi there everyone again,

This time I am writing from Asuncion Paraguay! We arrived in Friday here about tea time, with no worries at all. After leaving the hostel we went out to Buenos Aires airport via taxi and basically spent the day there trying to kill the time before we boarded the plane. It is a very boring airport, and we managed to embarrass ourselves a few times, and make a few mistakes in Spanish. I think the funniest thing for us was going through the customs area where they scan your bags, and watching a women in a booth trying to play solitaire on her computer (she was obviously very bored) but it didn’t look like she actually knew how to play (I don’t think she knew we could see her) and kept moving the same card backwards and forwards!! Rather amusing.

Once we arrived in Paraguay we were pestered by people wanting to push our trolley, and although we opened our bags to declare some honey I had bought they were not interested at all and we got through without a hitch.

It was great to see Joanna and her family and also great to again speak in English. There car has a mechanical problem, so we will be in Asuncion to either Tuesday or Wednesday until it is fixed. It is much hotter here than in Argentina, and averages around 34 degrees, but it is not unbearable, although at times I feel quite lightheaded. We are pretty much over our jetlag, so sleeping and feeling much better.

Yesterday we went down town, and had a look around, and also saw a show being put on in the street. We came home for the cooked meal of the day and a rest, and then later on went out for a later light tea and a look around a mall.

Today we went to a church, which was great, friendly but I had no idea what was being said. We sang 3 songs, 2 of which I knew the tune of because they were English ones that had been translated. Quite an interesting experience.

I am enjoying Paraguay and really looking forward to getting up to Jo’s house so we can settle and be in one place for awhile. Our basic plan at this stage is once we leave here and head to London is to stay there for about 2 years, and then look to come back to New Zealand.

Hope you are all well, and we are enjoying getting the news from home, keep it up,

Until next time...

Update 2 -- 17th March 2006

2006-03-17T20:56:00.000Z

Well we have almost finished out first leg of the journey here in Argentina. We leave our hostel this morning and head off to the airport to await our flight to Paraguay.

It has been an interesting time here, it’s definitely not a city that would be on my visit again list! The hostel has been good, and we have had free internet so that has been great, but not sure how well we will go with internet in Paraguay.

We haven’t really had a good impression of Argentina, because we have only been in Buenos Aires, which is a huge city of a population of 13million. It is dirty, old and quite poor. The streets have to be believed, the traffic is insane and the soccer is everything. There was a party all night long last night, as i think there team won.

Getting Jon's visa for Paraguay was a complete breeze, the hardest part was finding the consulate! But once we got there, we waited about 30 mins then had to come back in about 2-3 hours and we had it.

We tried out a restaurant for steak (photos on my blog) and did a bit of shopping, but other than that haven’t really been too adventurous. Trying to get over the jetlag, and learn a bit more Spanish!

Thanks to those who have emailed us, it’s been really good to hear what is happening at home,

Keep in contact

Laters

Jon & Ruth Pirini

Prayers Answered -- 14th March 2006

2006-03-14T20:47:00.000Z

As I type we are winging our way to Argentina on Airbus 340. So obviously we got the required documents in time!

It was midday today we had to make the call to either postpone our flights or take the chance of missing them since we still hadn’t received our passports and Jon’s visa. 12:10 the phone rang to say they had arrived from where we needed to pick them up! Praise the Lord, and thanks to those who prayed, we felt very relieved and were happy to make our way to the airport knowing we were leaving today!

It was great to have Jon’s sister Geordie and her family surprise us by coming down from Kaitaia to see us off. Our parents were also there and Jon’s aunty. Although it was a bit sad, we were joking about having our names over the loud speaker to make our flight, and just our luck as we were boarding we heard our names!! I don’t know where time went!

We are about to have dinner on the plane, and we will arrive in about 9 hours time, which will be 1pm local time. We aim to head to our hostel and then the embassy for the last visa we need!! Will update you more then! Bye for now and thanks for your prayers

Um yip, so we are here, it is random, and I feel I think culture shock!! The plane flight was bearable, but I think I might have got about 2 hours sleep!!! We arrived in the rain, the customs was loose as, and very easy to get through, without even scanning one bag. No problems getting a transfer to the YHA hostel we are staying in, although Jon tried to hop in the front of the car, and almost got in the drivers side, as it is left-hand drive here!! The lanes on the motorway are just guidelines I think because they seem to drive more on them, than in them. All the apartment buildings look like lego houses, and things here are quite old, but so far the people are very friendly although they talk very fast and are very expressive.

Jon has just left to walk 10 blocks to the Paraguayan consulate, and as it is muggy I will have a shower, and maybe a bit of a rest, after all it is still today! (March 14^th)

We plan to have these email updates with just what has been happening etc. my own thoughts/feelings and other info will be on my blog, the address for that is at the bottom of this email.

That’s all from us now,

Love

Rufus & Jay