While doing other things I'm gradually sorting through the various things I've collected through the years to help me relate my story here. One problem is that I have a lot of correspondence on old floppy disks, and I can't afford to get an external floppy drive right now. Those disks would contain information from later on than we are now (just after graduating from undergraduate studies).
I'm also reading through the human rights report I wrote while living in Russia and this is reminding me of some things that are going to be pretty hard to believe, and as such are scary and risky for me to relate.
Of course, I don't have to tell my story at all, or I could really doctor it up and leave off the unusual parts, but that doesn't seem right and it might not then be believable why I might have had so many problems.
***
One thing I decided might be helpful is to give you a sort of broad framework to understand my life. Some of the things might become a little more believable just by that alone.
1960-1978: Birth through high school
1978-1982: Undergraduate studies
1980: Summer ministry with Soviet emigres
1981: 4 months in Europe
1982-1985: Bible school
1983: 6 months in Europe
1986-1987: Application to full-time mission and deputation (getting pledges of
financial and prayer support)
1987-1989: Mission work in Vienna
1989-1991: Recovering from Vienna b Beginning Master's studies
1991-1997: Living in Russia (with occasional extended visits to U.S.); finish
Master's from Russia; operate own teaching and translation business and also
teach in other institutions; try to find work in Europe but get no or strange
responses; feel work there is at dead-end
1997-2001: Living in USA, trouble finding full-time work
2002: Work full-time in South Korea, leave because of sexual harassment (molested
twice on subway)
2003-present: Living in USA; trouble finding full-time work; change professions
again, obtaining 2nd Master's degree; work contract job in new profession, then
lose 2 permanent jobs due to health, go on SSDI (Social Security Disability
Income)
***
I had problems with both the Russians and the USA, and they were not the same problems. I think that to better understand my situation, you need to know a bit more about my dad's work, but I was hoping to take a break from reviewing articles, and it's articles I have that might shed some light on that aspect of my situation.
I'm hoping I can at least get through 1985 and then do that set of reviews. But I hope you can see just by the chronology that there is potential for problems a good chunk of my adult life.
I will also drop one more piece of information to hopefully clinch that sense: After Vienna I was determined to pick myself up, dust myself and get back on track with my goal to do ministry in the USSR (it was still USSR then), so when I got a call in January 1991 to teach English in the USSR, I had some hesitation because I wanted to finish my degree first, but after a fair amount of deliberation I accepted the position... It was a 4 month position but things went such that I ended out staying. That group who first contacted me presented themselves as the [name of city] Youth Initiative. Students there started telling me they were the Komsomols (Young Communist League). When I confronted both the director and assistant director individually on this they both adamantly denied it, but they were. And they gave every indication that their main objective for me coming was NOT to teach English. I had good times there and some pretty bad ones too.
And I have health complaints against both the USA and USSR that I think are political. Enough said... for now.
I hope I can trust you. Somehow I feel driven to tell my story; it's terrible to not be understood, and I feel like no one really understands me. But beyond that it would be nice if someone somewhere was able to gain something through my life that might help them. And maybe some of the people in my story, if they recognize who they are, might learn something too.
~ Meg
