Sunday, January 11, 2009

Newsy news

In November my family purchased a surprise last minute ticket home for Christmas, so I have just returned from 2 weeks doing nothing except sleeping, resting, sitting, eating, replenishing, playing, soaking, touching, hugging, listening, talking, being home with family.

I finished the last of my coursework for Azusa Pacific University just before Christmas, so January is the first month in 19.5 years that I haven't been officially enrolled in any kind of school, and I feel wonderfully wonderfully free. Get this- with all my free time I plan on TEACHING English, STUDYING Slovak, LEARNING how to play my lovely new guitar and READING and WRITING whatever I darn well please. Let the education begin!

January 1st also marks Slovakia's adoption of Euro currency in the final stage of EU participation. I am a bit sad to see the old money(since 1993)go, but I kind of like paying for a meal with "just change."

In other news, Russia was withholding natural gas from Ukrainian pipelines which supply 100% of Slovakia and much of Europe. Some countries farther south were already completely in the cold, Slovaks had shut down a few major factories and schools to conserve, and electric heaters were sold out all over town. Solutions ranged from firing up a recently retired nuclear power plant in central Slovakia, to borrowing from our Czech neighbors, to closing schools and businesses all together and finding a cabin in the country where we could build a fire. I was kind of hoping for the last option, fondly remembering the good old days of blizzards in North Dakota holed up with family, painting all the walls, and eating hot from-scratch vanilla pudding from our propane camping stove. But, our friend the EU marched right over to the Russians and Ukrainians and said, now you boys better start sharing, and why don't you pick on someone your own size, and don't make us come over there...So we haven't lost heat yet and the future is looking...warmer...which is good because it looks like this outside today:



Actually just kidding. My roommate just came in to report that Russia said the deal was off. So we shall see. Maybe more of this to come:

The future is coming. By March, I need to submit my decision whether to stay at my current position at this school, or in Slovakia, or not next year. And if not, what should I do with myself? I think about it every day. Please pray with me that my heart and ears would be open to hear what God has to say about all this.

No comments: