One Year Older
I'm officially one year older. Any wiser? I'm not really sure about that. My Russian has improved slightly, I know more intimately the amazing work that is transpiring here in the St. Petersburg Jewish community, but more than I've learned about the (new) world around me, I've learned about myself.
I've learned what it feels to be an outsider. I'm learning how to adapt and change to fit unusual and often uncomfortable surroundings. I'm learning how to create a community and support network for myself from scratch. I'm not accustomed to relying on the generosity of others -- I am so much more comfortable giving rather than receiving. Matt and I are so much at the core of our community back home that we are the ones to provide for others, but at the same time our community in DC is so strong that it nutures us in return. Here, we must struggle to provide for others while seeking out support for ourself as well. It's a high-wire trapeze balancing act that draws on an inner strength that sometimes I forget that I have.
In an effort to create a small circle of friends, Matt and I are actively pursuing any social outlets we can. Yesterday afternoon, I attended a weekly Peter's Tea run by the local International Women's Club to meet other English-speaking expat women. Last night, the couple that we met our first week here over soccer invited us to their home for dinner. Tonight, we are going to the Reform synagogue for Kabbalat Shabbat to hopefully meet more new people. And on Sunday night, we are organizing a small gathering at an Italian restaurant to celebrate my birthday.
Every year on my birthday, I am reminded of my life goal of keeping the number of countries I've visited above my age in years. Just two months ago, I had only been to 29 countries -- fortunately, over the last two months, we've been to two new countries, China and Russia. So now my country count is set for at least another two years! Hopefully, though, this year will add even more countries to my list.
Today, Matt and I celebrated a few more small successes. We gave our first two tours of YESOD (the Jewish community home where we work) this morning -- one to a journalist from the Forward and one to an American couple who came to St. Petersburg on vacation. These are small steps towards creating a full-fledged YESOD visitor's center as a way to attact foreigners to better understand the richness of Jewish life here. This is just one wish I have for the next year. May this year -- the last of my 20s -- be a year of trial and wisdom, of fulfillment and growth.
I've learned what it feels to be an outsider. I'm learning how to adapt and change to fit unusual and often uncomfortable surroundings. I'm learning how to create a community and support network for myself from scratch. I'm not accustomed to relying on the generosity of others -- I am so much more comfortable giving rather than receiving. Matt and I are so much at the core of our community back home that we are the ones to provide for others, but at the same time our community in DC is so strong that it nutures us in return. Here, we must struggle to provide for others while seeking out support for ourself as well. It's a high-wire trapeze balancing act that draws on an inner strength that sometimes I forget that I have.
In an effort to create a small circle of friends, Matt and I are actively pursuing any social outlets we can. Yesterday afternoon, I attended a weekly Peter's Tea run by the local International Women's Club to meet other English-speaking expat women. Last night, the couple that we met our first week here over soccer invited us to their home for dinner. Tonight, we are going to the Reform synagogue for Kabbalat Shabbat to hopefully meet more new people. And on Sunday night, we are organizing a small gathering at an Italian restaurant to celebrate my birthday.
Every year on my birthday, I am reminded of my life goal of keeping the number of countries I've visited above my age in years. Just two months ago, I had only been to 29 countries -- fortunately, over the last two months, we've been to two new countries, China and Russia. So now my country count is set for at least another two years! Hopefully, though, this year will add even more countries to my list.
Today, Matt and I celebrated a few more small successes. We gave our first two tours of YESOD (the Jewish community home where we work) this morning -- one to a journalist from the Forward and one to an American couple who came to St. Petersburg on vacation. These are small steps towards creating a full-fledged YESOD visitor's center as a way to attact foreigners to better understand the richness of Jewish life here. This is just one wish I have for the next year. May this year -- the last of my 20s -- be a year of trial and wisdom, of fulfillment and growth.
posted by Alyson Fieldman at 11:47 AM
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