The was found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

-this version is credited to Mother Teresa

The Sea

He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; 

he puts the deep into storehouses. 

Let all the earth fear the LORD; 

let all the people of the world revere him.

Psalms 33:7-8

Perfection! 

Hello! 

This past week has been wonderful! It's so GOOD to keep in touch with family and friends through skype... Thank you for that!!! Here are a few pictures from this week! 

Coming home from church on Sunday.

Sunset on Sunday night. The picture turned out very dark and much more dramatic than the actual sunset. (This was taken by the library.)

                                                                     

Fruit that I got on Monday!

Guava

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guava

On Tuesday my morning class was let out earlier. Since I had some time, I asked a friend to go the the beach and she agreed! :) So, Tuesday, August 30, 2011 was my first time swimming in the Caribbean Sea! We stayed at the beach for about an hour and then took the bus back to campus. 

Mary and I.

Very exciting!

On Wednesday, I jumped off a cliff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( A little, very safe cliff...I would not jump off anything unsafe! :) I have great love and respect for water - it is amazing, yet very dangerous.  I almost want to give a lecture about water and cliff jumping safely right now, but I will not. ;)

The next two pictures are just to prove that I do study and go to class :) 

Hope everyone is doing well! 

Love, 

Yuliya

Bible Study

God knows exactly what we need and when we need it! God is good!

Today I had the joy of praying with fellow believers in a small group bible study. We will be studying the book of James on Friday evenings. ( I will think of my favorite ppl back home having their Bible study at the same time! :)

The goal and purpose of our group is summed up in Ephesians 4 where Paul is writing about unity in the body of Christ.

"...I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with each other in love. ...until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4: 1-2, 13

                                                                           ***
Being active and bold in sharing our faith.  Easier said than done. The enemy does trick me into believing that the people around me don't really wants to hear about Jesus. Everyone seems set and oh so very happy in their ways and me talking to them about Jesus or questioning something they believe/do would be an unwelcome intrusion (especially to "educated" graduate/med students).

Please pray for opportunities for good conversations about life/faith. I'm praying that I am a good witness through my deeds.  Also praying for more friendliness and love to flow out of me for all the students I meet.
Please message or email me about ways that I can pray for you. (Or comment on the blog.) Ukraine team... you guys and gals are on my mind! Sundays school teachers!!! I'll pray for you as you prep!

                                                                           ***
Usually at this time of year I would say something like, "Wow, I can't believe that it's almost the end of August!" Right now though, I'm SO happy that I'm in school! So, I am very happy that it's August/September!!!) Yay! :)

Good night!

  

Going to the Market

Hello!

My classes are going well! I am very glad in the decision to do the MPH program. Most topics that fall under public health have always interested me; however, it was not until junior year at the UofM that I recognized those things that I enjoyed as public health issues and not just as "medicine" in general. If I were to do just an MD degree, I think I would have missed a big part of why I want to go into medicine and what I want to do with it.

I think at this school I will also get more of international education, which is important for Public Health and Medicine.  Most of this world is similar to Grenada (Ukraine,...) in terms of health indicators and health care, so by studying/working here I will be prepared to work "anywhere" in the world! :) ( Which is an exciting thought!)

Here are two pictures that have nothing to do with this post. 

The hallway to my room. It looks much better on this pic than in real life. Usually it's the opposite in pictures ...lol

The building where I live.

Today, I went to the local market! Here are some pictures. 

First encounter with plantain bananas. I did not buy any b/c I had no idea of what to do with them. Maybe I should be more adventurous? :) 

http://grabemsnacks.com/what-is-a-plantain.html

Maybe I'll buy them some other time instead of potatoes.

Drinking Coconut Water 

This is an avocado! I've never seen such huge avocados.

Preparing my market-bought lunch! 

The avocado was very smooth - almost like butter (in consistency, not in taste). I put it in a salad instead of salad dressing/oil.  Also because I don't have any salad dressing! haha. 

Well, one week in Grenada has passed by! I know and already feel that this semester will fly by. That thought reminds me to work hard and be excited for each and every day! 

Reflections and Events from the First Weekend Part II

News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. -Matthew 4:24

"How powerful the Physician was; he healed all that were brought to him, though ever so many. Nor was it some particular disease, that Christ set up for the cure of, but he healed that that were sick of diverse diseases, for His word was a panpharmacon - a solve for every sore." - Matthew Henry

What can Jesus not do? He can do absolutely everything. Human doctors can only know so much and can only heal so much. They have limited knowledge and limited resources. But we can come to Jesus with every kind of human pain and he will know what to do. He gives us a brand new heart for free. That's the best deal in town...guaranteed! :) I hope to learn Medicine from Jesus...He is the best Teacher also. I want to resemble Him in my future career. My prayer is to be the kind of doctor who not only heals physical ailments but also be the vessel through whom God will heal spiritual sickness.

***

Today I went to a church service. The student group is called Student Christian Association (SCA). This was bittersweet. It was good to be in fellowship of other believers, but at the same time, I wanted to be home with my home church. The service was mostly an introduction to SCA plus some worship through music. The president of the club is a 5th term med student. There are two local visiting pastors that come and preach once in a while, otherwise, all the teaching, serving, music,... is done by students.

The students leading the worship through song.

No one person was alike. Every person in that room was a unique as people get, still there is unity between us all as brothers and sisters. I think this is a little piece of heaven to be worshiping God with people from all over the world. As much as I want to be worshiping God at home with all the people I know, I hope and pray to find good fellowship here. 

The guy leading talked about using our gifts here in Grenada to serve God. He urged us to get involved in a Bible study, the music team, the children's ministy etc...

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.- 1 Peter 4: 10-11

And then he talked about one of my favorite verses in the Bible:

 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters... Colossians 3:23

He encouraged us to always be willing to serve God using the resources that God gave us. At this time in our lives...the greatest resource we have is our energy.

A little quote of the day :) "God does not need your ability, he needs your availability. "


PS.  I met a guy, Stas, who is Ukrainian. He moved to the US when he was 11 years old. His wife, who is possibly Indian???, is studying Medicine. They are both Christians and are about to have a baby! They both lead bible studies.

***

I found something that really made me smile...

Some people really know how to make their "mark" in this world. :) 

Thank you! Hello to you too! :) 

:) nice! I found this sat morning. Then sat evening and today I met 3 people who speak Russian/Ukrainian. 

***

Tonight, there was a BAZAAR..where we could buy food and other things. The school gave first term students 35 dollars EC to spend in coupons that had to used at the bazaar. That is about 14 dollars US. So I bought 5 bananas, 5 mangoes, a mango smoothie, a sandwich for lunch tomorrow, and a piece pizza for dinner tomorrow. :) 

Students in line for mangoes and bananas. 

A little video of the bazaar. Please check facebook for a better video.

Good night! 

Reflections and Events from the First Weekend Part I

Saturday morning was very relaxing after the few days of walking, running, exploring and listening hard during the Orientation. My roommate was at church most of the morning/afternoon and I organized all my things in the room. So...this is my room.

Click on the pictures in order to enlarge them.

My side of the room. There is no drawer space...but that shelf is wonderful! And it is perfect for me because I LOVE when I can see where everything is. Hiding things in drawers in really not my thing. My mom and sister know what I'm talking about. :) 

Saturday evening the first term students were invited to a BBQ. I would like to introduce you to my roommate, Chrysell.

Yes, I am VERY pale and yes, Chrysell is VERY beautiful :) 

It was raining hard for about the first hour of the BBQ which made the rest of the evening very refreshing. The days are short in Grenada, although it does not feel like that to me since they are busy. The sun sets at about 6:30pm everyday and by 7pm it's dark. The sunrises at about 5:30am. So the day is about 12 hours and 30 min. In Minnesota, right now, the days are about 14 hours. 

The Beauty of Grenada

Today, in the morning,  there was a tour of the surrounding neighborhoods, the stores, bus routes,.. I did not take pictures really because they did not turn out nice from the bus. But I will take pictures when I will go into town in order to do some shopping. 

Making lunch in my kitchen :) 

In the afternoon, there was a tour of a national forest, (a rain forest)! 

These flowers were cool - they were very glossy..almost plastic looking.

It is usually very muddy because of the constant rain. Today it did not rain in the morning so the path was pretty dry (expect in some places). But right when we got on the the bus, it rained pretty hard for 10 min and then we got got off the bus for our next activity the sun was shining! :) 

A path to the top of a scenic overlook.

With a girl in my program ( from Texas). I've met people from all over the US. I'm the only one from Minnesota so far. 

This forest is known for its monkeys. 

This tree is very old and very big. Legend has it that when children misbehave, parents walk with their kids past this tree and something or someone jumps out of the tree and takes the child into the tree and the child disappears  for forever. Or something like that. Our tour guy was laughing and saying that his parents never used that to scare him....they just spanked him when he misbehaved and then spanked him some more when he cried about it. LOL.

This is a nutmeg tree. Grenada is the second largest producer of nutmeg in the world. I don't know much about nutmeg :) 

This is a nutmeg :) All parts of the nutmeg (there are four parts) are used for something.  

Swimming under a waterfall. This is one of those things I've dreamt of doing "someday". How amazing that I had an opportunity to do this. I am very thankful!!! The girl next to me is also in the MPH program.

 On our way back, we drove past a fish market...and it was recommended that students go to it. I will try to go next Friday. They catch fish and sell it the same day. It sounds like they cook it and then sell it or maybe there is fresh fish too. :) I don't know yet.

Good night!

Welcome to Grenada.

My church sent me off so well last Sunday. I am very thankful for a church family that truly loves and cares. I was very touched. I don't think it truly hit me that I was leaving till my dad was praying for me in the evening on Monday and Tuesday nights. There is nothing like a prayer of a parent. My parents have given me everything and I am very thankful. My pastor blessed me/my education at Grenada thought his prayers! So I was leaving with full peace in my heart.

I flew Minneapolis,MN - Miami,FL - Grenada

The coast line of Miami! MN is green..Miami..not so much.

I saw God's hand in absolutely everything related to my travels to Grenada. Fist, my church and my families support and help. The night before, my mom and Alina suggested I take two bags instead of one, even though it was going to cost money to check another bag. But at the airport, the man who registered me said two free bags were allowed. I was very confused and told him a few times about # of bags restriction and every time he told me to give him the bags and that everything was fine. So, that was a nice surprise. Some students who flew in on Monday did not get their bags till today. The students that flew in on Tuesday, had to stay behind (about 15 of them) because the flight was overbooked. The Wednesday flight was perfect. In Miami, I met a Med student in the airport and got to ask questions. He explained how customs would work, shared him first term experience, and gave good advice.

The plane landed in Grenada and right away you can tell it is not America :) There were very few people working and they did not care at all about being fast. The people at Customs (well, there was only one lady doing the RED line customs, which was the longest line) really took their time, talked to each other, did everything nice and slow. In the US, there are usually 10 lines, and they do everything really fast and say "NEXT". When i was flying into US from Ukraine last year, the customs took about 5 min total and the guy asked me 100 questions at the speed of light. So, very different. :)

A taxi took the new student to our dooms. They drive on the left side of the road here and the driver sits on the right side of the car. My brain kept getting confused about the fact that this was OK.

After getting to our dorms, my RA (the person who oversees the dorm) told me that I probably will not get to meet my roommate because many people from my floor went to the bar that night. That was a little bit of a disappointing moment. First of all, by this time i've been up for more than 20 hours, so I was kind of getting tired. So, I was thinking of how hard it would be to live with someone who would drink all the time and possibly be loud and immature. My friends at the U have had horrible experiences and three vet students I've talked to also said that they did not get along with their 1st term roommates. Then I was thinking that maybe it would be ok, cause I could be an example for them and that I should not complain and just be happy with whoever I room with. Then I remembered that my prayer was for a good, stable, healthy living situation and that I was still sure that God will provide a perfect answer for that prayer. I prayed one more time that God give me a good roommate and was peaceful again. I got my key (i live on the ground floor of St. Andrew's btw, come and visit ;) and right after I opened the door, the first thing I noticed was a Bible on a desk!!!! That was so amazing! Thank you Lord. My roommate is a VERY nice, Christian girl from a nearly island. YAY!!!

Thursday 8/11
The campus is beautiful!

View from the front door of my building. :)

-The library

-The was a lunch for the MPH students. :) It was very good!

There are some funny things about the campus and my room. There is only one plug-in under the desk :) for each student. (In my room at least.) So today, I boiled some water under my desk. :) The lights are in funny places so it always takes a while to find them and my brain still "tells" my hand to turn on/off lights in places where it thinks the lights are. Things here remind me of Ukraine! The way the buildings are, the way rooms are build...little things here and there. So I like it "extra much". The will miss the UofM, but i'm excited and privileged to have this different experience.

Ok :) I hope everyone is doing well. :) Thank you!!!