Office Tour
9-25-08
Weather Report: High today 11 c (53 f)
Low 0 c (32 f), Wind nil
Partly cloudy (That means some patch of blue sky happened to be observed during the day)
Our office is located a brisk walk from our apartment. We tried to time it today and forgot to look at my watch when we got there. I would guess it was about 7 or 8 minutes; 10 at the outside.
We turn right out of our front door, cross Sacco & Vanzetti street to the other side, walk past the construction, the housing authority office, and turn left at our newly paved street, down past the dry cleaner, the school, and the new apartment building on the left and turn right on our driveway. We then walk the length of our building to the corner where our office door is located.
The outside door is unlocked during business hours, but the interior security door is another electronic door using the magnetic button or someone inside pushes a release. Inside the office you look straight ahead at Brat Pyotr's (brother Peter's) desk behind a counter. Turning to the left you see Sister Olga's desk behind another counter. turning another 90 degrees you see Sister Cindy's desk in her Lost Sheep/Found Sheep corner. turning 180 degrees from Cindy you walk through an archway toward President Mickelsen's office, to the right is my "space", and to the left is the duplication and supply area. If you step next to the copier and turn 90 degrees to the right you look down a long hall to the restrooms and kitchen. That's it.
Well, it's nice having you in the office. Come again sometime. Dasfidonya! Oh, you want a little more in depth tour. Ok, here are some pictures to help with your visualization.
If you came inside the door and did a 360, you'd see the coat rack on your right, Brat Pyotr's desk. Brat Pyotr has been on holidy for the past 10 days and will be out a like time more until October 1. Today, Olga is taking her driving test and we are all praying for her. That is why their desks are empty.
Turning further left you see inside the library where we keep the missionary and branch supplies. This is Sister Gushchina's domain, but she is also gone on holiday to see her sick mother in Germany and then to Utah to visit her daughter, Dasha, and go to Conference.
Above Pyotr's desk you will see 5 clocks. The big one is local time. Each smaller clock is the time in another city. The far right is Ulan-Ude, our most eastern city that is two timezones away. The second in Krasnoyarsk which is one timezone away, the third is Moscow time, three timezones to the west, and the fourth is Utah time, 13 hours west.
My work area is through the archway and right. It is a little snug, but with my loosing weight I am more comfortable than at first. The president's office is as large as the entry room and has a conference table, couch, and the conferencing system that lets us have interactive meetings with other missions through the Moscow Service Center.
Down the hall you can see the pictures of all the missionaries who have served in this mission. There are many empty spaces waiting for the new arrivals, but they will not be American names under those pictures. I had better get busy with my Russian studies.
Two-thirds down the hall is the computer room where the Assistants to the President hold court and our office-elders to the real work of the office. Here, the assistants are getting ready for the east-west soccer game between the zone leaders the morning before Zone Leaders Conference starts at 6pm.
This is also the place where Yulia works.
She is our 20-something bookkeeper who pays the "official" bills and keeps the "real" books of the mission.
Finally our restrooms are at the end of the hall and th
e kitchen is on the far left. We have all the comforts of a home kitchen including refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, dishes, etc. Very comfortable.
The office is warm, with a friendly atmosphere. We greet one another when each one comes in. It is surprising how warm and thoughtful these Russians are compared to those you see on the street. As I have read about Russian culture, I am more convinced that their "mask" is not so much a personal dislike to everyone as it is a protection against unwanted intrusion. I enjoy the people I have met.
What a country
DS
9-25-08
Weather Report: High today 11 c (53 f)
Low 0 c (32 f), Wind nil
Partly cloudy (That means some patch of blue sky happened to be observed during the day)
Our office is located a brisk walk from our apartment. We tried to time it today and forgot to look at my watch when we got there. I would guess it was about 7 or 8 minutes; 10 at the outside.
We turn right out of our front door, cross Sacco & Vanzetti street to the other side, walk past the construction, the housing authority office, and turn left at our newly paved street, down past the dry cleaner, the school, and the new apartment building on the left and turn right on our driveway. We then walk the length of our building to the corner where our office door is located.
The outside door is unlocked during business hours, but the interior security door is another electronic door using the magnetic button or someone inside pushes a release. Inside the office you look straight ahead at Brat Pyotr's (brother Peter's) desk behind a counter. Turning to the left you see Sister Olga's desk behind another counter. turning another 90 degrees you see Sister Cindy's desk in her Lost Sheep/Found Sheep corner. turning 180 degrees from Cindy you walk through an archway toward President Mickelsen's office, to the right is my "space", and to the left is the duplication and supply area. If you step next to the copier and turn 90 degrees to the right you look down a long hall to the restrooms and kitchen. That's it.
Well, it's nice having you in the office. Come again sometime. Dasfidonya! Oh, you want a little more in depth tour. Ok, here are some pictures to help with your visualization.
If you came inside the door and did a 360, you'd see the coat rack on your right, Brat Pyotr's desk. Brat Pyotr has been on holidy for the past 10 days and will be out a like time more until October 1. Today, Olga is taking her driving test and we are all praying for her. That is why their desks are empty.
Turning further left you see inside the library where we keep the missionary and branch supplies. This is Sister Gushchina's domain, but she is also gone on holiday to see her sick mother in Germany and then to Utah to visit her daughter, Dasha, and go to Conference.
Above Pyotr's desk you will see 5 clocks. The big one is local time. Each smaller clock is the time in another city. The far right is Ulan-Ude, our most eastern city that is two timezones away. The second in Krasnoyarsk which is one timezone away, the third is Moscow time, three timezones to the west, and the fourth is Utah time, 13 hours west.
My work area is through the archway and right. It is a little snug, but with my loosing weight I am more comfortable than at first. The president's office is as large as the entry room and has a conference table, couch, and the conferencing system that lets us have interactive meetings with other missions through the Moscow Service Center.
Down the hall you can see the pictures of all the missionaries who have served in this mission. There are many empty spaces waiting for the new arrivals, but they will not be American names under those pictures. I had better get busy with my Russian studies.
Two-thirds down the hall is the computer room where the Assistants to the President hold court and our office-elders to the real work of the office. Here, the assistants are getting ready for the east-west soccer game between the zone leaders the morning before Zone Leaders Conference starts at 6pm.
This is also the place where Yulia works.
She is our 20-something bookkeeper who pays the "official" bills and keeps the "real" books of the mission.Finally our restrooms are at the end of the hall and th
e kitchen is on the far left. We have all the comforts of a home kitchen including refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, dishes, etc. Very comfortable.The office is warm, with a friendly atmosphere. We greet one another when each one comes in. It is surprising how warm and thoughtful these Russians are compared to those you see on the street. As I have read about Russian culture, I am more convinced that their "mask" is not so much a personal dislike to everyone as it is a protection against unwanted intrusion. I enjoy the people I have met.
What a country
DS
1 comment:
Thanks for the insite. I guess close quarters is the order of the day. It is so good that you love each other. Sure miss you guys.
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