....as many of you know in the last year and a half I have gone through so many interviews, that i can't even count them all. Most of them were the interviews at the different countries embassies in order for me to get a visa to travel to a civilized world ))) Well, I am not quite done with the interview process yet. In January I will have 2 more interview to go through. They are both VERY important to me, most important of all, I would say. First of all, one of them is for Germany, and although I have been to Germany before, this one is more important though because this interview is for me to get a visa to go visit my sister for her wedding in Germany...
Another interview that I have in January is going to be held with a US embassy. Matt and I have been waiting for this one for over a year!!! I can't believe that finally I have a date set, it's great :) And needless to say that it's probably the most important interview in my life, because that is where they will decide if I can finally be united with my husband :)
Anyway, I bet altogether in the last year and a half I have had well over 20 interviews :) But I am hoping that in the next year I won't have as many, and if I do, then they will be job interview mostly :) I am super excited for my last few interviews for this year!!! That will the end of one chapter in my life :)
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Pounds are a pain...
...and here I am not just talking about the ones that I seem to gain rather easily. I hate that kind, since for some stupid reason I have no problem gaining them, but to get rid of them is painful and hard. However, when I am in Russia I usually shed a couple of pounds off my weight, although I am not sure why it works that way. However, this post is more about the British currency which is a pound sterling. Well, that kind of a pound is pretty hard to get rid of in Russia unless you are in Moscow or St. Petersburg. The reason I have English currency is because I came from England and my hubby gave me English pounds for spending money, but it's not much good for spending if it is in pounds, I will tell you that.
Anyway, after calling around all the banks in Taganrog I found out that I could not exchange pounds for rubles in this city of 300,000 people where I grew up and where my parents live. Apparently I had to go to a nearby city, Rostov on Don, that has a population of 1,000,000 million and about an hour and a half away in order to even have a shot at finding a bank that would help me out. My sister's best friend met me in Rostov today and we walked to 2 banks that were supposed to exchange pounds :) One of them was closed, as a result of the economic crisis in Russia. The other one, well, we did not find it, so either it was closed as well or it was under construction and we passed it. So, finally, my sister's friend offered me to buy the pounds from me and give me roubles for them. It seemed to me like a good idea, so we got to his house, looked up the exchange rates and completed the deal :) He will be traveling to Moscow soon, so he did not mind holding on to pounds :) And I needed cash, so it's all good. Plus if he holds on to pounds he might be able to exchange them at a better rate :) Since pounds is somewhat climbing, actually the rouble is falling is more like it :)
A word of advice....if you are traveling to Russia, bring only Euros or Dollars!!! Anything else and you just might be out of luck if you travel beyond Moscow or St. Petersburg. But I guess most people would not want to travel anywhere else in Russia anyway. See, Russia is one exciting country full of adventures!!!
Anyway, after calling around all the banks in Taganrog I found out that I could not exchange pounds for rubles in this city of 300,000 people where I grew up and where my parents live. Apparently I had to go to a nearby city, Rostov on Don, that has a population of 1,000,000 million and about an hour and a half away in order to even have a shot at finding a bank that would help me out. My sister's best friend met me in Rostov today and we walked to 2 banks that were supposed to exchange pounds :) One of them was closed, as a result of the economic crisis in Russia. The other one, well, we did not find it, so either it was closed as well or it was under construction and we passed it. So, finally, my sister's friend offered me to buy the pounds from me and give me roubles for them. It seemed to me like a good idea, so we got to his house, looked up the exchange rates and completed the deal :) He will be traveling to Moscow soon, so he did not mind holding on to pounds :) And I needed cash, so it's all good. Plus if he holds on to pounds he might be able to exchange them at a better rate :) Since pounds is somewhat climbing, actually the rouble is falling is more like it :)
A word of advice....if you are traveling to Russia, bring only Euros or Dollars!!! Anything else and you just might be out of luck if you travel beyond Moscow or St. Petersburg. But I guess most people would not want to travel anywhere else in Russia anyway. See, Russia is one exciting country full of adventures!!!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
I must be getting old....
....because now once I am worked up about something, I can't fall asleep. When I was younger, nothing would rattle my ground, I could be in pretty stressed out situation, but I would still not lose sleep over it. Now though, once something comes up and it stresses me out, I would either spend 2-3 hours at night trying to fall asleep but ending up thinking about whatever it is that is stressing me out (that being the best case scenario) or I just can't fall asleep altogether (being not that good of a scenario). Unfortunately, when I don't get enough sleep, the next day I always have a headache and I get very cranky, two things that I can't stand. Tonight will be one of those nights when I just can't seem to be able to fall asleep, it's 3:30 am right now and I am so worked up that as soon as I just put my head on my pillow I just can't lie still, I feel like I need to get up and do some push-ups or something, I can feel my heart beating and I have too many thoughts racing through my head. Now, the fact that it's 3:30 am probably does not help, I have been up for a while, and naturally physically, mentally and emotionally I am tired, so I really am not thinking straight any more....but why is it that I just can't lay down and go to sleep. I think it would be fascinating to see what my body is doing....hmm, I wish I was hooked up to some medical machine to see if my body is acting any different, because I sure do feel like I just can't sit still, let alone lay down and try to go to sleep. Oh, and I get hearburns everytime I get nervous, that is the weirdest part, why of all the things I would get heartburn, the only explanation is that my body is getting older and starting to act up... I wish I could just reboot it and that would fix the glitches.
Well, tomorrow will be interesting, seeing as I have to get up in about 5 hours and I have a full day tomorrow without dealing with a family feud, so add that on top of everything, and I am just going to be a toast by tomorrow evening. And my day is all booked with errands tomorrow, so I can't even take a nap...Oh, well, I guess I will have plenty of rest once I die, so I shouldn't complain that I am living :)
Well, tomorrow will be interesting, seeing as I have to get up in about 5 hours and I have a full day tomorrow without dealing with a family feud, so add that on top of everything, and I am just going to be a toast by tomorrow evening. And my day is all booked with errands tomorrow, so I can't even take a nap...Oh, well, I guess I will have plenty of rest once I die, so I shouldn't complain that I am living :)
My Family.....
....is as close to my heart as you can get. Sure, sometimes I complain about my parents, sometimes I don't understand their behavior, I disagree with them on many topics (just today Dad and I have argued about the conflict in Georgia and Russian political situation), I can sometimes be judgemental towards my family, that is all true. But you know what, regardless what I say, the right to critize my parents or sister will always remain my right and MY right ONLY.
Yes, I have an uncle and an aunt, and yes they are directly related to my dad, but I will stand for my parents till the end of times, and I will never put anybody other than my sister before them. NEVER. If I hear than anybody is judging my parents or my sister, if I hear or come to know that anybody is insulting them or just plain hurting their feelings, God help those people, because I don't care if they are related to me, but they will NEVER have the same respect or trust from me EVER AGAIN, they will never be able to rely on my help, they will never be treated the same by me. Maybe it's the wrong way to live, maybe God would want me to behave otherwise, but if God wants to punish me for feeling pain for my parents and sister, for having a backbone and standing up for them, for taking it personal and acting upon it so nothing would harm them again, then I guess I will deal with God's punishment when the time is for me to stand before Him. But here, on Earth God gave me a family, who loves me, who will never betray me, my parents and my sister. And I will NEVER let anybody do harm to them and walk away like nothing has happened. No, I won't do anything illegal, but I will not be forgiving, and I am not willing to give people second chances. I am sorry, but most of us have one chance at living this life....The harm that is done by harsh, unfair, insulting words can never be taken back.....
I don't like family feuds, but seeing as I am in the midst of one, I will stand by my parents' side and will put every bit of strength that I have to defend them and protect them. My family is all that I have on this Earth, it's people who will never betray me, I trust my parents and my sister completely, I would trust them with my life, I can't say that about anybody else, not even the closest friends!!! And I think some people can't even say that about their own parents or siblings, so I am blessed and I know it!!! I love my family to death and how I wish that nobody and nothing would ever caused them pain.
Yes, I have an uncle and an aunt, and yes they are directly related to my dad, but I will stand for my parents till the end of times, and I will never put anybody other than my sister before them. NEVER. If I hear than anybody is judging my parents or my sister, if I hear or come to know that anybody is insulting them or just plain hurting their feelings, God help those people, because I don't care if they are related to me, but they will NEVER have the same respect or trust from me EVER AGAIN, they will never be able to rely on my help, they will never be treated the same by me. Maybe it's the wrong way to live, maybe God would want me to behave otherwise, but if God wants to punish me for feeling pain for my parents and sister, for having a backbone and standing up for them, for taking it personal and acting upon it so nothing would harm them again, then I guess I will deal with God's punishment when the time is for me to stand before Him. But here, on Earth God gave me a family, who loves me, who will never betray me, my parents and my sister. And I will NEVER let anybody do harm to them and walk away like nothing has happened. No, I won't do anything illegal, but I will not be forgiving, and I am not willing to give people second chances. I am sorry, but most of us have one chance at living this life....The harm that is done by harsh, unfair, insulting words can never be taken back.....
I don't like family feuds, but seeing as I am in the midst of one, I will stand by my parents' side and will put every bit of strength that I have to defend them and protect them. My family is all that I have on this Earth, it's people who will never betray me, I trust my parents and my sister completely, I would trust them with my life, I can't say that about anybody else, not even the closest friends!!! And I think some people can't even say that about their own parents or siblings, so I am blessed and I know it!!! I love my family to death and how I wish that nobody and nothing would ever caused them pain.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Russia and Credit Cards
Oi, this has been my headache for the last couple of days. I found out that my parents have more credit cards that I have ever had and that their credit card loans are bigger than both of my credit cards' limits. Granted, my credit cards don't have very high limits, but still. It's been pretty hard to wrap my mind about how much they owe and trying to figure out a plan of action. The last 2 days I have been doing nothing but talking to my folks, going to what seemed like a dozen of banks, working with Excel trying to figure all the stuff out, and then talking to my folks again. My head hurts, but I am thankful that I am here to help them, I am thankful that they opened up to me regarding their debt, and I am thankful that I have a sister and my husband by my side who are giving me strength and support to deal with this. For those who don't know, I have a very soft spot for my parents, I am the worst person to tell them 'no' and the last couple of days have been tough for me as I have to be pretty hard on my parents. But it also felt good to sit down with my parents, explain to them what the interest rate is...how much money they are just throwing away by paying interest, what minimum payment is and what happens when you pay less than it or even just minimum payment, what happens when you are late paying the credit card bill. Don't take me wrong, they are not stupid, they just grew up during communism and the whole idea of credit cards is very foreign to them, they simply did not know what questions to even begin to ask the banks when they applied for credit cards, and the banks don't volunteer much information. I had to read the contracts with the banks and the fine print to figure out what are the terms, something not all people do even in the states, let alone Russia.
But here is something that just struck me, my parents are far from being the only people who are in the same position. My parents' neighbor just came in to see my mom, they chat quite often during the week, and she started asking my mom all kinds of questions about the credit card that she (the neighbor) has, and my mom just sent the gal into my room. That is when it struck me that the questions she is asking are the same that my parents did not understand: "why is it that I am paying my payments and it never seems to go away" "what is this 28% mean" (annual interest rate), "how can i pay it off" "i think they charge me for something else, but i don't understand what" I mean even the neighbor, who is a woman in her early 40's and owns her own small business did not understand that you can go to the bank and ask them to provide for a detailed list of all the transaction. She did not know that she is paying 28% annually for her debt, she does not understand that she has minimum payment and that she is being charged most likely some ridiculous amount for paying less than minimum payment.
I feel rather sorry for people in Russia, older people in Russia, who grew up during communism, who watch TV and believe everything they hear, because they are vulnerable and are taken advantage of by the banks. They think that credit cards are just an easy money that all of a sudden is available to them, but they don't realize all the hidden agendas of the banks, that aren't all that hidden if you know how to ask the questions and what questions to ask. But I must admit, the situation in Russia reminds me of the situation in the states a few years back, when people were allowed to go into debt beyond their ears. I love my parents, they there is no way they should qualify for any credit above 15,000 and what they have is well beyond that. I wish they only had 15,000 rubles of debt in credit cards.
It makes me feel like I should set up an advisory firm here and advise people on their credit card debt and how to get out of it, because most people are just clueless and really have no clue what to do and how to get out of all the mess they got themselves into. I feel like banks should be punished, they clearly prey on people, the banks don't give full information to people when the latter come to get a loan.
Anyway, it breaks my heart to see my parents in the situation they are in, and it really breaks my hear to be tough with them and tell them what needs to be done and that it's not going to be pretty. I hope that they will understand that I do this because I love them! But I feel for so many other people in this country, who don't have daughters to help them, to dig deep into the debts people got themselves into, to explain what they did, to work on the plan of action, to help them financially to a point to get themselves out of the rut.
My return home has been a blessing! Really!!! Truly!!! I am glad I found out now what is going on with my parents' financial situation, and I am glad that I am here for them, and it's nice to have dinner together with them every night! I missed them more than I thought I had, although they still drive me nuts sometimes. But this visit home has been very different from what I have expected it to be. Please say a prayer for me to be strong and tough with them and that God will give me enough brain power to figure out how to fix this whole situation.
But here is something that just struck me, my parents are far from being the only people who are in the same position. My parents' neighbor just came in to see my mom, they chat quite often during the week, and she started asking my mom all kinds of questions about the credit card that she (the neighbor) has, and my mom just sent the gal into my room. That is when it struck me that the questions she is asking are the same that my parents did not understand: "why is it that I am paying my payments and it never seems to go away" "what is this 28% mean" (annual interest rate), "how can i pay it off" "i think they charge me for something else, but i don't understand what" I mean even the neighbor, who is a woman in her early 40's and owns her own small business did not understand that you can go to the bank and ask them to provide for a detailed list of all the transaction. She did not know that she is paying 28% annually for her debt, she does not understand that she has minimum payment and that she is being charged most likely some ridiculous amount for paying less than minimum payment.
I feel rather sorry for people in Russia, older people in Russia, who grew up during communism, who watch TV and believe everything they hear, because they are vulnerable and are taken advantage of by the banks. They think that credit cards are just an easy money that all of a sudden is available to them, but they don't realize all the hidden agendas of the banks, that aren't all that hidden if you know how to ask the questions and what questions to ask. But I must admit, the situation in Russia reminds me of the situation in the states a few years back, when people were allowed to go into debt beyond their ears. I love my parents, they there is no way they should qualify for any credit above 15,000 and what they have is well beyond that. I wish they only had 15,000 rubles of debt in credit cards.
It makes me feel like I should set up an advisory firm here and advise people on their credit card debt and how to get out of it, because most people are just clueless and really have no clue what to do and how to get out of all the mess they got themselves into. I feel like banks should be punished, they clearly prey on people, the banks don't give full information to people when the latter come to get a loan.
Anyway, it breaks my heart to see my parents in the situation they are in, and it really breaks my hear to be tough with them and tell them what needs to be done and that it's not going to be pretty. I hope that they will understand that I do this because I love them! But I feel for so many other people in this country, who don't have daughters to help them, to dig deep into the debts people got themselves into, to explain what they did, to work on the plan of action, to help them financially to a point to get themselves out of the rut.
My return home has been a blessing! Really!!! Truly!!! I am glad I found out now what is going on with my parents' financial situation, and I am glad that I am here for them, and it's nice to have dinner together with them every night! I missed them more than I thought I had, although they still drive me nuts sometimes. But this visit home has been very different from what I have expected it to be. Please say a prayer for me to be strong and tough with them and that God will give me enough brain power to figure out how to fix this whole situation.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Shadowing
That is what people do when they get to a new job...they follow people around and learn new skills, well some jobs that is, not all jobs have shadowing obviously. But even though I am not working, I feel like I am being shadowed.
My mom follows me everywhere, if I go outside, she will come with me, if I get a text, she wants to know who is writing to me and what. If I am online, she will come into the room and sit behind me on the couch and just watch me. Sometimes, she can just follow me without saying anything, other times she likes to let her opinion be known.
I know she really missed me over the last few years, and for awhile what she does is quite amusing, but after about 2 days of that it gets more annoying than anything. I sometimes go into my room and close the door, but don't worry, my mom knows how to open doors, she marches in and starts either talking to me about nothing or just watching me without saying a word. Now, I do get a break from my mom. She does work, but her work schedule actually does not let me have much breathing room, she gets to work at 7 am, but she is back home around 11 am. I spend most of that time sleeping :) But when my mom is cooking or washing dishes I get some time alone, although there is no guarantee that my dad won't come in to socialize with me then.
I am not really complaining, I think it's funny that they do that, and they clearly don't get enough time with me, it's just that I feel like I am being followed everywhere, all my moves are noticed. My mom knows exactly when Matt is online, when my sister is online, she usually knows who I chat with, or who I call. I find it easier just to answer her, and she seems to be pretty happy that I do answer, then she feels involved. But I do hope that they will get fed up with me soon and leave me alone more often ))))
My mom follows me everywhere, if I go outside, she will come with me, if I get a text, she wants to know who is writing to me and what. If I am online, she will come into the room and sit behind me on the couch and just watch me. Sometimes, she can just follow me without saying anything, other times she likes to let her opinion be known.
I know she really missed me over the last few years, and for awhile what she does is quite amusing, but after about 2 days of that it gets more annoying than anything. I sometimes go into my room and close the door, but don't worry, my mom knows how to open doors, she marches in and starts either talking to me about nothing or just watching me without saying a word. Now, I do get a break from my mom. She does work, but her work schedule actually does not let me have much breathing room, she gets to work at 7 am, but she is back home around 11 am. I spend most of that time sleeping :) But when my mom is cooking or washing dishes I get some time alone, although there is no guarantee that my dad won't come in to socialize with me then.
I am not really complaining, I think it's funny that they do that, and they clearly don't get enough time with me, it's just that I feel like I am being followed everywhere, all my moves are noticed. My mom knows exactly when Matt is online, when my sister is online, she usually knows who I chat with, or who I call. I find it easier just to answer her, and she seems to be pretty happy that I do answer, then she feels involved. But I do hope that they will get fed up with me soon and leave me alone more often ))))
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