The Big H + Russian stuff

This Sunday afternoon, Tapley and Matt are hosting a Missionary Care Workshop and we're doing a Ukrainian Tea. So, off we went to one of the Russian stores here in Houston to find some treats for the tea. I was sooo excited. Well, there really weren't many Ukrainian things there(Crimean wine, a magazine, Kvas Taras), but plenty of Russian things. We bought some candy, some waffle cookies, some Vareniki- 2 kinds(cherry/ricotta&raisin dumplings), chocolate, and Kvas!! Kvas is a non-alcoholic fermented beverage made from black or rye bread. It's funny, because I really despised it when I first tried it in Russia, and somewhere along the way, I grew to love it. I absolutely loved my twice weekly trips to the market in Odessa on hot summer days, because I knew that I would walk back with a large plastic cup filled with super cold, refreshing Kvas. Bottled Kvas is nothing like the real thing, but it made me happy, nonetheless. I also bought a magazine and brought back several newspapers with me, which I was really excited about. I felt emotional about the experience and could have happily hung out there for a good while longer. But I was also thankful to see how far I've come emotionally in the last six months, because I was able to thoroughly enjoy the little visit and come away from it like I'd been to visit a good friend, rather than teary eyed.

With my issue of "Russian America"...and Caden

Kvas Taras!