The Lord Giveth and The Lord Taketh Away

I know what you are thinking. It’s been more than a month since my last post. But remember that time when I had two posts in one day? It’s that time again.  What a crazy month it has been.  Encouraging fact: I’ve started to think and dream in Ukrainian.  Discouraging fact: I teach English.

While in any given classroom I’m still the expert on the British-born babble, I can’t help but notice how my own English skills have regressed. (10 point word).  When I started teaching in October, I received feedback like, “Use smaller words and simpler sentence structures.” As a recent Baylor grad, my vocabulary was slightly beyond the grasp of a 10-year-old Ukrainian. Although this particular problem no longer plagues me, I’m more concerned by the fact that I spent a good ten minutes the other day trying to remember the name for thin, green onions (scallions). As a writer, the idea of my vocabulary decreasing is a potentially life-threatening one.

Despite my shrinking lexicon, (maybe I still have it after all), my lack of posts have not been for a lack of words. It is a simple lack of technology. My MacBook Air, which worked perfectly inside the confines of the motherland for a solid six months, decided to reveal a hardware defect once I changed hemispheres–safely outside the reach of any Apple Store.  iTunes, Microsoft Office, and Quicktime programs all mysteriously crashed, something that is apparently related to faulty memory. Oh brother.

This crushing blow coincided with the single-greatest event of my life to-date: Riley proposed! He flew halfway around the world with a ring in his pocket and popped the question. It was pretty much amazing. I couldn’t ask for a more thoughtful, supportive, hilarious, and all-together wonderful fiancé. I’m sure he’ll be embarrassed by my public praise of him, but his modesty is equally as endearing.

In addition to diagnosing my computer troubles, he fixed my sink, and helped me pick out a couch for the living room. I seriously underestimated how sad it would be to watch his plane disappear over the horizon at the end of the week. Not only did I say goodbye to my fiancé, I said goodbye to my fiancé and my computer in one swift motion of isolation.

However, there is quite the silver lining on both accounts. Most importantly, saying goodbye to your fiancé is a lot more reassuring than chunking the deuce to your mere boyfriend. Knowing I have the rest of my life with Riley takes the sting out of his absence—a little bit anyway.  Secondly, in a terrific turn of events, my college roommate, Mary, is traveling through Europe in celebration of her master’s degree (way to go, champ!) and had already planned to make a weekend stop in Tysmenystya, Ukraine. Through the magic of Apple, Fed-Ex, and Riley’s lightening-fast Mustang, my MacBook was repaired just in time to make it on the plane with Mary and thus on its way to me. By the time it is in my hands, it will have logged more than 10,000 miles and a handful of countries, states, and time zones. Oh the wonders of the modern world.

So now you know just how much effort has been expended to ensure that this and future posts will be at your fingertips on a somewhat regular basis. My sincere appreciation to all involved!

**A personal note on the title, I quote the King James Version of the Bible out of context whenever possible. I mean no disrespect for thee or He.