That fall season when Grandma first moved in with us I was eighteen and at home when most of my friends were leaving for college or making plans to go to college in the next year. Planning for my future was intimidating. Mom and Dad weren't interested in sending me to college because they wanted me to wait for opportunities to work or travel with the program I was studying under. So I waited. I was busy but also frustrated and stuck. But that's life I guess. Learning the ropes of care-giving was important too, for the long haul, as much as I disliked it. There was also the aspect of support that was important during those months. Being together with my family and experiencing what they were dealing with made an invisible investment in the bank account of support and sharing the load of caring for Grandma that only years later I would be aware of.
In November I got an invitation to go to Russia. WOW! Despite not really having any interest in Moscow I used up my savings and got on a plane filled with other young people and flew the heck across the world to get a break from life. At the airport in Moscow our baggage was loaded onto several buses that we rode to the Moscow River where we would be staying aboard three cruise type river boats. It was cold and snowy and there I stood wearing a beige trench coat wondering how I was going to carry a large suitcase, a medium sized bag and my carry on down the gangplank to the boat. I envisioned myself slipping into the icy river while my luggage sank to the bottom. Then all of a sudden I spotted my friend's cousin,who visited our town every other summer, among the crowd of young people gathering bags. He was my hero, helping me carry my stuff, locate my boat, get my key, and then find my room. I made it! On the narrow door there was a cute little 'Welcome Sarah' sign. I pulled out my key, unlocked the door, and walked in. The little room had two skinny beds and a tiny bathroom that reminded me of the one inside my grandparents' motor home. Here I was across the world by myself in a room wondering what to do next but at the same time happy with the autonomy I felt. Eventually my roommate arrived and introduced herself. She apologized for not being there to greet me when I came to the door. I felt at ease with her genuine spirit and smile and before long we were sharing our stories of how we came to be in Russia. For the past six months or so she had been living there and working in various schools and orphanages. I loved all of the beautiful souvenirs she had acquired including an unusual silver tea urn that was the size of the Stanley Cup. Soon she would be heading home and was looking forward to eating peanut butter again. During the week long stay I got to visit Moscow schools and hand out Bibles with my new friends, see St. Basil's Cathedral, visit a sort of tiny village of churches over a hundred years old, watch a play put on my talented school children, go shopping for souvenirs, and eat at a five-star restaurant where they served a six course dinner that included a serving of escargot. On our school tours we were treated like celebrities and one of the guys in our team attracted groups of excited girls who were anxious to get his autograph for some reason. One of the teachers chatted with me for a while and anxiously asked me over and over to write to her. She gave me her contact information which I later realized was probably her attempt at finding a sponsor to help her leave the newly opened land of the Iron Curtain. The trip soon came to an end and I headed back home with stories and gifts to share. I was thankful for the time away but it was even that more obvious to me upon my return that I really had no other plans for the year ahead. God was going to have to open some doors for me and until then I would have to hang in there and do my part to help out with Grandma and save up for the next big adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment