Nastya and I met six years ago, not even a week after I arrived in Ukraine. I was thrilled to meet her because a) she spoke English and b) she lived across the street from my apartment building. I had no idea that she was going to become one of my dearest friends. At the time, she was a university student studying international business at one of the schools that I was working at, and she became a helper at the English clubs I facilitated at church. She also became my tour guide, transportation instructor, cultural interpreter, and general buddy. We spent a LOT of time together over the two years that I lived in Poltava, and I am so thankful for those years. I was able to watch her make some big steps as a believer, including baptism, which were beyond encouraging to me.
As long as I've known her, she has been an avid student of English and has translated for countless (countless, I tell you) groups of and individual Americans who visited (or lived in) Ukraine and has wanted to visit the States for years. She has friends in so many states and has learned so much about American culture that it has been a dream of hers to see it in person. The struggle for so many Ukrainians in her bracket of life (young, educated, professional, speaks good English) is acquiring a visa. The embassy just doesn't give very many visas to that demographic, knowing that many want to emigrate. So, when Nastya told me that she had received her visa, my jaw hit the floor. I kind of thought she was joking (mean joking). She wasn't, and thankfully, we were able to finagle a visit to North Carolina.
She arrived late on a Monday night and headed out on a Thursday afternoon, so we did our best to cram in as much hanging out as we could. We visited the Duke chapel and garden, Target/Ross/Old Navy, Chick-Fil-A, the Q Shack, watched Duck Dynasty for some culture (followed by Downton Abbey for some more culture), played with Claire, took walks around the neighborhood, and talked for hours. It was a wonderful and encouraging visit.
Headed out!
At Duke. I believe her comment was, "This looks like Harry Potter!" She's right, by the way.
Claire, wondering why she isn't the main subject of the photo shoot. That's a new feeling for her.
BBQ, fried okra, hushpuppies, and macaroni and cheese. Baptism by Southern food fire.
Playing with Fifi (the wolf). Fifi can speak Ukrainian, apparently.
Very first CFA experience.
Culture. All kinds.
Cow hats.
Claire's trying to figure out if she likes the hats or not.
Goodbye kisses.
I just love her to pieces and am so thankful that we were able to make it happen. Люблю тебя, Настя!
No comments:
Post a Comment