"Die Mitteilungen aus dem Leben des Bundes der Evangeliumschristen, aus den einzelnen Gemeinden fügen sich in den Rahmen dessen ein, was über die Entwicklung der anderen christlichen Kirchen seit dem Erlaß des Dekrets der Russischen Föderativen Sozialistischen Sovetrepublik <Über religiöse Vereinegungen> vom April 1929 bekannt geworden ist. Dazu gehören die schnell voranschreitende Auflösung der kirchlichen Organisation, die Behinderung des Zusammentretens, übergreifender kirchlicher Konferenzen, die Behinderungen auf örtlicher Ebene, die Zweckentfremdung kirchlicher Gebäude, die Pressionen, denen***durch Meldepflicht, Reisebeschränkungen und Entzug der Lebensmittelkarten ausgesetzt wurden. Diese Entwicklung hat die evangeliumschristlichen Gemeinden zwar nicht unerwarted, aber doch überraschend getroffen... ßland und der Sovetunion: Ivan Stepanovič Prochanov (1869-1935) und der Weg der Evangeliumschristen und Baptisten. Wuppertal: Oncken Verlag, p. 260, 261.
Die notvolle Entwicklung der Gemeinden nahm ihren Fortgäng. Nicht überall in der gesamten Union wurden die das kirchliche Leben beeinträchtigenden Maßnahmen mit gleicher Schärfe und gleichzeitig durchgefürt. Während in einzelnen Regionen die Gemeinden frühzeitig zusammenbrachen, Presbyter und Prediger verhaftet wurden, war andernorts noch eine Arbeit möglich."
Kahle, Wilhelm. (1978). Evangelische Christen in Ru
My calendar is blank from July 1 to July 10, 1987, so I'm not sure what social engagement or other commitments I might have had. On July 1 I apparently began to write something, because it says "dinner w/." So I don't know who I had dinner with, if I did have dinner with someone that day.
I think I must have received my shipped belongings around the end of June/beginning of July, however, because I think I had planned it so that everything would arrive one or two weeks after I did and I know that I was unpacked by July 23 when I had guests come. So I suspect that the first one to two weeks in July I was unpacking everything and trying to get things set up.
When my things came I was notified of this and we arranged a delivery date and time when several of the men on staff could help carry my things up to my apartment. Since the delivery truck could only drive about halfway up the hill to my apartment (because after that there was only stairs and a foot path), there was a fair amount of carrying things. But with all the help I don't think it took much more that two or three hours. This was probably during work hours though.
***
Also, I'd been told that there was an Ikea on the other side of town (I don't think I'd ever heard of Ikea before then), and my apartment lacked a desk of any sort and also a garderobe for the entryway, and I know I got them from Ikea. I measured everything meticulously and got myself there with no problems. I ordered a ready-made garderobe, but because of the small space in my studio apartment and the organization of things, I had to order a specially made desk, which I worked with a salesperson to get what I needed.
My apartment was set up such that you walked in a little entry way and then there was another door into the main room. The wall facing you as you walked in consisted mainly of a built in bed and a closet. To the left of you as you walked into the main room there was a square dining table that could fold out to fit 4. Practically the entire wall on the far left from the entry way door was a large expansive window overlooking the wooded cemetery on the hill opposite the hill my apartment was on. Between the dining table and the windowed wall was a doorway to a small kitchen which also had a fold-down table which was nice to eat breakfast at.
Well, the point is that the only place to put a desk was behind the entryway door. So I had the desk go more horizontal than vertical - sort of like why there are skyscrapers in large cities. It was wide enough to comfortably fit a typewriter, but not much more. Then I could fit a few books above the desk and the shelves that went up the wall. If my landlady still has that apartment, I suspect that desk is most likely still there and the garderobe maybe too.
So the thing is, though, that I got myself clear across town and managed this ordering, including planning the delivery as well as the dimensional specifications - and I did it all by myself. Note: Language barrier and feeling of inadequacy in the new culture was not a problem at all, not one iota.
Here's the route plan:
| Time | Stop/Station | Overview map | | Line / direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:56 08:58 | from Wien Hameaustraße 34 to Salmannsdorf | PDF |  | Walk about 2 minutes about 0,1 km |
| 08:58 09:21 | from Salmannsdorf to Spittelau S+U |  | Autobus 35A Spittelau S+U | |
| | | |   | walking distance/escalator down about 4 minutes |
| 09:27 09:32 | from Spittelau to Schwedenplatz |  | U-Bahn U4 Hütteldorf | |
| | | | | escalator down/escalator down about 2 minutes |
| 09:36 09:47 | from Schwedenplatz to Kagraner Platz | | U-Bahn U1 Leopoldau |
So I had to make several changes and it didn't even phase me at all.
Anyway, I'm telling you about this now, because I know I did this that first summer and since my calendar is blank I needed to have something to tell you about my time in Vienna.
***
The other thing I need to keep in the front of your thoughts is that I was still working during all this, although I was maybe occasionally needing time to get this or that set up, like for the delivery of my belongings, for example.
And just what was I doing at work? Reading software manuals, of course, and occasionally typing a letter. Occasionally my boss would call me into his office to talk about something or the other, such as a letter or the like. But mostly I just sat and read software manuals, and I suppose I tried out the various things on the computer to practice what I was reading. We didn't have Internet connection, except that the reception position had something like an early version of Internet connection, but no one else did. So it was just data processing types of things.
***
The other thing was that I had been given a sort of policy manual, much as most businesses have for their employees, although I remember this one as being rather thin, that is not very many pages - maybe 20 or so.
One of the things in the manual stated that all new employees were to be given time off after arrival for language learning. We were supposed to be given one month off for language learning for every year of our term. Since I'd committed to 2 years, that meant I should be eligible to have 2 months off for language learning. But when I asked about this, I was told that they don't usually actually do that because there was too much work to do. That seemed reasonable enough at the time, but it was early enough on that I hadn't yet spent 2 months reading software manuals to know that that answer was a bunch of bunk.
I can't remember if I asked my boss about the language learning first, but I know it was the human resources director that had given me the answer about too much work to do. So there I was, not being allowed to have time off to learn German because there was too much work to do, my boss let on that he didn't know how to work with a secretary, and I was stuck with software manuals instead of regular work or German language learning.
I hope you can see that this is not starting off on the right foot. If you've been following along at all you're aware of the socialization, cult induction, and espionage recruitment literature, which is more than I had at that time. All I knew was that there was lying going on and it made me distrustful of the mission, although it didn't hit all of a sudden but grew gradually as I had more of these kinds of experiences.
The thing was, of course, that the most important thing for me there was the work. The work was the reason I came there, it was the reason I went on deputation and it was the reason I'd spent 8 years of my life in preparation. So no matter how friendly or helpful or whatever else they might be, if the work stunk, then there was no way I was going to be happy with them.
But I didn't let on any of this, what I was thinking, I mean, and, like I said it grew with time and there was enough going on that I didn't understand that I felt I needed to just sort of watch and try to figure things out. So I was very cheerful and compliant and sociable and I did what I was told. So if they wanted me to read software manuals, I did it cheerfully, without complaining, without raising a fuss.
Well, eventually this "go along with everything they throw at you cheerfully" approach to things eventually got me into hot water. I didn't know what or how much they were willing to throw at me. So eventually I got a shocker in that department, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
***
So the "take-away" from today's post is that I got along just fine in the Austrian context, but not so well in the mission context. Remember that, because you'll need it. Not that it won't come up again, though, so if you do happen to forget I'll remind you of this, and will probably do so many times before this is over.
