The End of 2010...

So this is the end of 2010. I am in Ukraine as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Who would have thought! Finishing my first 8 months in country. Wow. Time flies! It seemed like such a long road when I first arrived and now it is almost 2011. So many things have happened. So many experiences have been had.

I am leaving for a trip to Egypt in 2 days with my cluster mates from training. Amy spent the weekend with me. She came in and we got our hair done and pedicures. We got all ready for a week at the beach! It was nice to do a day at the salon in Ukraine. I haven't done that yet. It isn't much different from salons in the states. But I am pretty sure we spent a few more hours in this one then we would at home. Ukrainians like to take their time with things. They are not in any rush! We ended our weekend with a nice night at the sauna. This was my first polar bear club experience. We actually went outside and rubbed snow on us inbetween sauna visits. It was fantastic. It was the first time I was naked outside in Ukraine...in the cold!

I have been rather busy this week with wrapping things up before the holidays. I have finished a lot of preliminary work for our career development program and I have support from my social center to help me with the blind organization. We won't actually be working again until January 22nd with all the holidays in January but at least we have a plan!

Last night was St. Nicholas Day. In Ukraine that is a holiday and it is when children find presents underneathe their pillows. There is a big gift giving celebration on New Years but on this day they can receive gifts under their pillows. Funny story...my friend Alla was away this weekend and her daughter still believes (she thinks so anyway) that St. Nicholas actually brings her the gifts that she finds under her pillow. So Alla gave her house key to her neighbor and asked her to slip the gift under her daughters pillow. Well her daughter was home alone and the neighbor thought it would be a good idea to try and sneak in the house in the middle of the night. Well her daughter was still awake watching television and heard a key in the door and someone come in and turn the ligth on. She was wondering, as she threw herself under the blanket and pretended to be asleep, if she would have time to run to the kitchen and grab a knife. Well the neighbor left the gift under the pillow and snuck back out of the house without being killed. And her daughter might actually still believe in St. Nicholas!

They aren't turning the lights on the Christmas Tree in the center until December 24th but there is a tree in the center of my town. Christman and New Year's are actually really big holidays in Ukraine as well. Which is nice. They are my favorite holidays, well Christmas anyway, and I didn't want to be in Ukraine and not have any Christmas traditions. Well there are many! Maybe even more here then in the states. They celebrate most of their holidays after us though. Their Christmas is actually the 7th of January. The 6th is kind of like their version of Christmas Eve. They cook 12 dishes on Christmas and eat and eat and eat. I will be back in Ukraine for these meals. I have already been invited to a few celebrations! I can't wait.

Well I am off! I will post in the New Year with pictures of Egypt and New Year's Eve in Lviv!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Random thoughts for week 25

A busy week for me. Finally, a project comes into fruition and it only took 6 months. The Peace Corps told us that might happen. Many volunteers even mentioned it. And thus here it is 6 months at site and I am finally working hard on something that will actually happen. This project has everything to do with career development and women's empowerment. I will be working with my local unemployment center and various other volunteers will help me get things started in other parts of Ukraine. Stay tuned who knows where this will go. We have BIG ideas!

Been home for 2 whole weeks. I am finally relaxed and feeling good about a lot of things. Just in time though since I will be leaving for Egypt in less than 2 weeks. It has been nice not traveling all the time but low and behold this will start all over again in a few weeks. Working groups will start their next round of meetings as the new recruits, trickling in this week and next, will have settled into their sites and will be ready to join some working groups. Each one of my working groups has projects that are also coming into fruition for the new year so that is very exciting. Camps for next summer are being planned, ski trips and marathons, all kinds of fun and exciting projects.

A huge event happening next year for Peace Corps is their 50th Anniversary! So much planning will need to take place amongst the volunteers in each country where PC serves. It is a very exciting time to be a PCV. I am really excited. I am unsure of what we will do as PC Ukraine but I happy to be a part of it. In March when President Kennedy signed the official order for The United States Peace Corps is when everything will begin. There are already several events planned in The United States almost every month next year to celebrate the anniversary of PC. I hope we come up with something fun! Suggestions? Don't be shy.

Also, this week...How to Walk in Ukraine in the Winter! So it has been a few weeks since we have had snow on the ground and I am finding that there is a systematic way to walk in this weather. First of all get yak traks that have prongs and not coils. Coils just make you skate on the ice they don't actually penetrate the ice. Secondly, pay attention to the weather. The snow is not going anywhere. There might be days where there will be more snow than the next or days when there is less but there is always snow. I have come to realize that when it rains it is best not to walk if you don't have to because the rain, in this temperature, only causes the snow to become ice and in a city where plowing happens only on the roads and major sidewalks, walking is a skill that must be learned here. The snow becomes ice and you can begin to train for the icecapades. It takes double the time to get anywhere since you have to walk that much slower to avoid falling on your ass. And trust me you almost fall a thousand times anyway! It is actually kind of like a game. How many times can I almost fall on the way to.............! But when the snow falls again it lays over the ice nicely so that now it is much easier to walk. Like today. It rained all night last night so I figured I wouldnt have to get up and run this morning since there would be nothing but ice on the ground but at some point it snowed and it layered the ice so that you can walk on it without slipping. I enjoyed walking today without sliding around. It was a nice change. And how much more can I say on this topic? Moving on.

After yet another presentation from an Amway representative in my town I am home now and reflecting. Today I was sitting in my favorite coffee shop thinking about my family and how much I love and miss them. I had just been on facebook and noticed that it was my Aunt Lucy's birthday so I sent her a happy birthday message and then I started to cry. I haven't seen my Aunt Lucy, or any of my family, in months and I had an overwhelming feeling of sadness while looking at a picture of her, her husband and all of her grandchildren. Which by the way are all girls! Just thinking about how happy they looked in the picture together! Being so far away from my family has given me such an appreciation for them that I don't think they will ever realize. It pains me that I will not be with them for the holidays this year but they know I will be home soon and that I need to do this now and they are so proud of me. I couldn't imagine my life without them.

A week of firsts

This week was a week of firsts. That is the life of a PCV though for most if not all of his or her service. You are always learning and things are always new. At least that is what has happened so far. It was the first snowfall on Monday, the first of December which is also the first day of winter (which is kind of a holiday here), the first time I got to hear Alex and Peter play the according and the first time I was ever interviewed let alone the first time in Ukraine. This week was about Volunteerism, Disabled People, HIV/AIDS and Anti-Slavery. We had a lot of volunteer projects going on around the world in PC and probably other organizations. It was a big week for some volunteers.

I had a human trafficking project going on at my site. I brought a guest speaker here to provide new information to the psychologists of some of our schools here in Konotop and to the specialist at our Unemployment Center. They were take the information back to their respective schools and conduct their own seminar with this new information on Dec 2nd. Which in the states is anti-slavery day. I attended the seminar at our Unemployment Center and it went great.

For volunteer day one of our other volunteers in Konotop did a presentation at the "Volunteer of the Year" Event. And that is where I was interviewed. Our local Konotop channel asked me a few questions about why I volunteered, what motivated me to do so and a few other questions about how long I have been here and what language I study. Very basic questions. I did it all in Russian but I was pretty nervous and couldn't understand some of the questions so we had to stop a few times. It will air in Konotop on Monday or Wednesday at 815pm.

This is the first weekend I am spending in Konotop in a few weeks. I definitely need the relaxing time. Unfortunately, like most weekends I didn't rest much. Another first I forgot to mention is that for the first time I celebrated Hannukah with some friends. I have certainly attended some Jewish holiday gatherings before but I do believe this was my first Hannukah celebration. It was a really good time. The Ktop four got together and some good food and good converation.

Another first for the week...I haven't had much luck at the ATM recently and this time was no different. So I went to the ATM on Saturday all ready to renew my PO Box and go to the bazaar for some food and after I took the money out I was certain I put my wallet in my purse. Several minutes later on the walk to the bazaar I fell down a hill from the snow, which was histarical, but it made me take a peek into my purse to make sure everything was there. That is when I realized I didn't have my wallet and after looking all around the white snow for my white wallet and it was no where to be found I figured I might have dropped it on the ground at the ATM by mistake. I was certain that I put it in my purse. So walking fast back to the ATM sure that someone had picked it up by this point and only hoping that they took it into a store to report it lost I got to the ATM and there was my wallet. Lying safe and sound exactly where I had dropped it and not touched. Maybe it is a good thing the wallet is white. So that is the second time I lost something and it was exactly where I left it when I returned... But I am not planning on making a habbit of that!

From the West to the East...

I need to update you on a few things from the last few weeks. Let's start off by acknowledging the fact that it is winter in Ukraine officially. Today it is snowing really hard. I started my day on an overnight train from Lugansk for the Thanksgiving holiday. As we (John, Arden and I) we entering into the Sumska oblast we notice the snow on the ground. When I arrived into Konotop there wasn't any snow but shortly thereafter it started snowing and now it looks like a blizzard! It is really beautiful actually. I am not a big fan of snow and cold but it is a pretty picture.

It is already getting dark and it is only 330pm. That is the downfall of winter in Ukraine....much shorter days. I was in Lugansk and watching the sunset at 330pm was just a little depressing but such is life. Only 3 more months of this and the sun will start coming up at 330am!

I spent the weekend in Beregova 2 weekends ago in the Karpatski oblast doing some marathon planning. Another volunteer there is putting on their 3rd annual marathon and she requested some assistance. I think it will be a lot of fun. And it is a good thing bringing a marathon to her area because she lives in a very beautiful little town close to the border of Hungary.

Lugansk for Thanksgiving was the next best thing to spending it with my family and friends. We had a lot of laughs and we had so much food. It started in Konotop on Thursday with my English club. Everyone brought in a dish and we had a real thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving day. Then we headed to Lugansk on an overnight train and had another feast. Friday we made some salsa from scratch and some quessadillas and had a little mexican treat followed by delicious spaghetti in red sauce and spaghetti in pesto and then some awesome date and chocolate chip cake for the November birthday gang (Arden and myself). Saturday was our official Thanksgiving dinner feast with Turkey, mashed potatoes, salad, apple, pumpkin walnut concoction, three pies, stuffing, delicious homemade gravy and much much more...it was fantastic. A little tast of home.

And just a little update on my actual volunteer work. I had a break through with the Blind organization last week. It seems that they have now figured out how difficult it is to write a grant and they are requesting more time to write it and they now understand the civic educational component of it and they are willing to do some real research and work with lawyers to help with the legislative part of the project. I think I have time now that we can learn how to manage an NGO together which will be a lot of fun for us.

I have another project idea for our Unemployment Center. For those of you who know about Streetwise Partners in the states I think we can duplicate that program and do it here in Ukraine. Empowering women in and out of the workforce. It is a great idea and my contact at our Unemployment Center loves it!

This and some side projects is enough for me for now. I feel like a real volunteer now..."sigh"

To all my friends and family...I missed you on Thanksgiving Day but I was with you and you were with me in spirit. I love and miss you and I am thankful for each and everyone of you!

This Just In: ATM Eats American's Money...

When you are at the ATM and your money comes out GRAB IT! Don't stand around messing with your wallet. Well I did that and guess what...ATM Ate My Money!!! So I am hanging out for a few days until I can get it back. You would think I would be mad about this thing but after the first 5 minutes I couldn't do anything but laugh. I went to the bank to see how I could handle this situation and they were on break...for another 1/2 hour. GREAT. I needed to grab my counterpart so she could help me with the bank attendant as that conversation was going to be really difficult.

Tonight I went to the Ukrainian version of a home interior party. AMWAY is a big thing over here. I didn't mess with it much in USA because it was too expensive well it isn't cheap here either. It was a good time though. We watched a presentation with food and then we got to eat it and that is always fun. It was all in Russian and I understood some of what was going on.

Things are a little bumpy with the blind project. Just when you think you have all the answers reality comes in. But we had a strong meeting today and I think things have turned around for the better. I knew this would be hard. I have never written a grant nor have I helped an NGO improve their organization and this organization has never written a grant so it is kind of like the blind leading the blind! I really want something to work out. And I know that they are encouraged to do something as well we will just have to keep working at what that something is.

Heading to a town called Ujgorod this weekend. For a little rest and relaxation.

"When the sky is darkest you can see the stars"

I spent a wonderful few days in my new life in Ukraine this past weekend. Friday was birthday and I had an opportunity to see how integrated I am in my town. There are some really amazing people in this town and I have built a nice family around me here. I spent time with Alla, Lena and Posha, Oksana, Luda, Diana, my director and of course my American friends on Friday night for some cake at my apartment. The cake came from one of our Technical School's cooking class. Alla had set up a lunch with them onThursday and they made me a big beautiful cake. It was the perfect way to invite my new Ukrainian friends to my house! We had a small dinner party at work on Friday as well to celebrate me, my director and another colleague that had birthdays this month. Of course vodka was involved and it got way too crazy too early but it was a great time.

I received some great gifts from these amazing people. They gave me a nice plate and sugar bowl that says "My Ukraine", a bag, flowers and a decorative bowl (and a really nice but creepy card - that is for you Rose!). It was way too much and an absolute surprise. I had no idea. All this time I feel disconnected in this experience and on this day I realize that maybe I am touching these people as much as they are touching me.

Thank you to my wonderful friends and family and to my new friends in Ukraine!

Social Workers Day

After Jud's celebration I had a work event on Friday night. It was social worker's day on Wednesday and since I work for the Department of Labor and Social Welfare I went to a party on Friday that was put on by my work. We rented a cafe and had lots of food and of course VODKA. It was a good time. After all the shots of vodka it really didn't matter that I didn't speak the language. The language of drunkiness is universal. We played some games after we ate (for example...paper skiis, pop your opposing teams balloons, make a paper airplane as a couple using only one hand each). It was a good time. After all of that we started dancing and that is all she wrote. Across the way another party was going on and some of us (myself included) went over there to make new friends. I left at 1030pm and the party was still jumping. I have a limitation with my Ukrainian friends especially when I work with them!

Over the weekend I just chilled out. I have been moving and shaking for several weeks so I needed it. I went to the bazaar on Saturday morning and did some shopping. There is something really nice about perusing the bazaar and buying food and products out in the open and from people who know you by your first name. I even got a carrot for free this time. And there was a presentation going on with a vegetable peeler. I was even standing there in amazement because I haven't used a vegetable peeler in 7 months. So I bought one because he started using it on cabbage and I hate cutting cabage but peeling cabbage...well there you go. So I buy it for 15 UAH not at all bad. I get home and what do I find? I find the vegetable peeler that I brought from the USA. Oy!

Unfortunately, my weekend of relaxation was at the cost of not spending the weekend with some good friends I have met here. Group 35 PCV is going home this week and we had a party for them in a nearby town. Two people are leaving and even though I just saw them I felt bad for not going and hanging out. I will see one of them in Kiev on Wednesday but I still missed out. What I have learned here is that entirely too much goes on that takes you away from site. I literally could spend every weekend somewhere else! I don't think that is what PC wants.

I was productive this weekend. I finished up the lesson plans for the next three English classes and then I am done teaching English...YAY! Not for me!

Happy Birthday Jud!

There once was a man who came to Ukraine

America he did depart

He opened up his mind and his heart

There once was a man who came to Ukraine

So many lives he did touch
All about America, he knows so much

There once was a man who came to Ukraine

to so many he taught English

for him to stay in Ukraine they do wish

There once was a man who came to Ukraine

A man so patient and so kind

Thinks of all else, himself left behind

There once was a man who came to Ukraine

A great, great man

I could be his biggest fan

There once was a man who came to Ukraine

And Konotop he did live

Everything he had, he did give...

November 1st was Jud's birthday and his friends in Konotop threw him a nice party tonight and they invited me. It was a very nice celebration. They said so many wonderful things about him. Jud is a great man and I am delighted to have met him.

Happy Birthday Jud!

Your friend always,

Kim

Happy Halloween...

Just when I thougth nothing else exciting would happen this week... Tonight was our advanced English Club - Hooked on English for Success! - and we carved pumpkins in honor of Halloween. I almost totally forgot I had English Club tonight. I have too much on my plate I don't know what is going on from one minute to the next. Anyway English Club was so much fun. We had some new people come that were in Dan's English Club last year but hadn't come to this one yet so that is always fun meeting new people. Everyone was totally into the carving of the pumpkins. They are super creative too. You would think they have been doing this all their lives. But this was most of their first times even knowing what this tradition is from the United States let alone carving a pumpkin. We got some great shots of the whole process and a group photo with our pumpkins.

The best is the American trying to put the candle in the pumpkin! The top was too small for this huge candle that we were trying to maneuver into the pumpkin. Then someone decided to cut the candle up...great idea! The candle, unfortunately, dissipated to almost nothing with a wick so that was difficult. Then trying to light it from inside the pumpkin. We starting using paper as if we were out in the woods somewhere. We probably could have burned the school down. We are pretty sure these buildings aren't equipped with fire alarms in the ol USSR. However, after much determination we got it lit!

What a great day!

Just chillin....

I don't have much to report this week. Things are starting to slow down a little. Which is nice! I have been moving so much I feel disconnected. I am still traveling the next few weekends but then I should be here for... well...hmmm one weekend! Oy. Thinking about Thanksgiving in Lugansk. All of my cluster mates and several of my fellow volunteers from my group will be there. It seems silly not to go. It is a long trip but I miss my East Side friends and there might not be many opportunities to visit them.

This weekend is Halloween in Kharkiv. Many PCVs will be there. I just hope it doesn't get too out of hand. I need to have a little fun considering I haven't acted up since Odessa but I am not interested in "too" crazy. I am excited to see Kharkiv! I hear it is a gorgeous city. And I love the East because its like Russian Language Heaven for me. I can understand people! There are 10 of use heading to Kharkiv from Konotop so the train ride will be a good time. Let's just hope we get some sleep. It is only a 6 hour trip and we are going over night to get there at the ripe ol time of 5am! Oy!

I taught English class this week for the first time by myself. Jud had been helping me to date. I think I sucked but my students (only 8 this week) said I did fine. I am not a teacher that is for sure. I will try to step it up a bit in the future. Planning lessons is a lot of work!

This week has been filled with three days of tutoring, three days of English class/club and a meeting at the blind center. Just that and I am exhausted! Next week I will visit Internaut, which is a school system for orphan children and children with special needs. I am working on a human trafficking project with the schools in my town, I am trying to do this project with the Blind. I am still trying to figure out where I fit in in this town! And trying to figure out this "PC Volunteer" thing. WE will see how it all works out!

Well I should have something to tell you next week. Enjoy your weekends.

Dirty Dancing in Donetsk

I had a really good time this weekend traveling to Donetsk. I haven't stayed much in Konotop on the weekends and I am bummed about that but my trips have been for work and have been unavoidable. I just have to work extra hard during the week on my relationships which is proving to work out just fine. Which is good because I have a few more trips planned before the end of the year. I have become quite the train/travel expert but there have been one too many lonely nights on the train.

Speaking of trains and lonely nights my first train ride on my way to Donetsk I met a nice young man traveling home from Kiev to see his mother. He is young around 20 and studying at Kiev National University. We both had a top bunk and he speaks English so we started talking. He told me about himself and his family and a lot of history about Ukraine. He has traveled to many places near Ukraine and is a really smart young man. He had a lot of information for me for Crimea which I plan to spend a lot of time in next summer. We traded emails and in the morning when we arrived in Donetsk at the ripe ol hour of 7am he was already gone. He had gotten off at an earlier stop so I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. But to my surprise on the table that sits between the beds was two candles in two mugs with a note from my new friend Revaz. He had left me a gift. These are the things that really make you smile and help you remember why you joined the PC. It was very sweet of him to leave me such a nice gift.

When I got to Donetsk I got on the trolleybus and I heard RUSSIAN! I was so happy. Everything is in Russian here. EVERYTHING! When I heard the trolleybus digital speaker talk in Russian instead of Ukrainian I thought I had died and gone to Russian heaven. It is so refreshing being around the language that you are learning and being able to understand!!!!!!! You have no idea. People usually speak Russian or some type of Russian/Ukrainian/Curjik mixture in my town but nothing is in Russian and no one speaks pure Russian so sometimes I understand and then I don't know if I am learning new Russian words or Ukrainian ones. It is annoying!

I wasn't meeting Larrissa for a while so I found myself a nice little cafe and had some breakfast. I ordered all the good stuff off the menu and then rolled out of the cafe to meet my hostess. Larrissa is a woman that runs the Typhloid Center in Donetsk which is a center for the visually impaired. She is doing what I want to do in Konotop and I went there to meet her and see how everything works so I can do it in Konotop. The center was great. She has 9 students, most pensioners and half are completely blind. She teaches them English for the first two hours and then the second two hours they have computer training with a program called JAWS that helps them by reading the entire screen contents to them. It is pretty amazing. Watching these people and their willingness to learn especially at their age was just something you have to see with your own eyes and it was truly amazing.

After she loaded me up with information she took me to the gym! Oh yeah that is right there is an Equinox in Donetsk. Donetsk is a big city so I am not surprised that they have these things but I am certainly not used to the luxury of using them anymore. We did some swimming training for an hour and then we went to do some SAMBA! Now before I get to that it must be said that this gym ain't cheap. Oh no to go to this fine venue you must pay 600 UAH per month!! That is more expensive than my gym in NYC. So back to Johnny Castle. So we were doing moves right from Dirty Dancing and it was awesome. We had so much fun with this. They guy (Victor) was so fantasticly gay and so much fun. And of course he loved the American that couldn't really speak Russian and looked like a silly ass trying to do these moves. Now I wasn't completely bad. There isn't anyone in this world who has seen Dirty Dancing more than I have, well except my cousin who liked it just a little bit more than me, so I know those moves and I am quite certain I tried them when the movie first came out in my living room but doing them in a dance studio was a whole other thing. It was great. I wish I had taken pictures! I have Victor's number and apparently his fellow school mate that studied dancing with him in Kiev lives in Konotop...uh oh! "No one puts Baby in the corner." There might be a "last dance of the season" in Konotop in June 2012 stay tuned!

That night I stayed with a friend of Larrissa's. Her name is Nadia and she and her granddaughter Alia put me up and fed me. We talked for a while over some chai and then we went to sleep to the Ukrainian version of "You think you can dance". It was a good day and I was exhausted.

Up bright and early the next day we have some good breakfast and more lovely chats over some chai and off to site seeing we go. We didn't have much time because Larrissa wanted to take me to English club at 1pm so we rode around the city in the car. I got to see the Ukrainian version of WalMart or Costco and then we went to the new KICK ASS STADIUM FOR EURO 2012. Apparently the richest man in Ukraine built this stadium for Donetsk and it is the most modern stadium in all of Europe and the best one in Ukraine. It was pretty sick. I have some pics of it on facebook. I didn't get to go inside but we checked out the museum and the cafe and I took several pics of it.

After the site seeing we went to English club and discussed the political system in Ukraine. I can't talk politics so I didn't say much but they asked me all kinds of things even about our pound and SPCA. Stray dogs is a real problem here so I hope I helped give them some ideas on how to correct it. That's how we did it anyway. The two days were so cramped with stuff it was difficult to stop and smell the roses but I stayed after the club to talk to some of the people. Everyone spoke great English and it was nice to be there amoung so many people who wanted to practice. I wish we had that kind of following in Konotop!

I met up with Conor and Amy afterwards and we got a beer at a local pub. Then we went to this really delicious Turkish restaurant and stuffed our faces with good cheap food. It was a great weekend! I am tired now so to bed I go. I will update this post with pics. Good night.

From the West to the East...

Not much to report this week. I spent the first part of it sick as a dog with a high temperature. That was joyous. I got my butt up and out of bed at 430 am on Thurs though to go to Kiev...my favorite place in the whole world. This week was my first VAC meeting which was very important. Basically what that is is a meeting of the minds... It is a meeting with PC Staff and selected PCVs and they discuss issues and concerns of other PCVs. The meeting was 2 days in Kiev but it was very successful.

I was supposed to head to Lugansk or Brody or Sumy this weekend after the meeting but for the first time in 4 weeks I stayed home for the weekend and it was really nice. But for the next 3 weekends I will be back on the train gang! Off to Donetsk this weekend.

The trains are a cool place though. For all my travels last weekend was the first time I had been alone on an overnighter. I slept on the top bunk of platzcartni which I explained in my last post and no one really bothered me but on my way back from Kiev this time I had to buy a train ticket instead of an elektrichka and I also had to buy kupe which is a cabin oriented situation. There are 4 bunks still but you are in a room with a door as opposed to an open space. There was a nice gentleman in the car when I came in and we both had the bottom bunk. He started talking to me in Russian and I responded that I couldn't speak well so he asked me if I spoke English in English which was fantastic!

The train was headed to Moscow and he was from a city called Kazan which is about 800 km east of Moscow. He is a scientist and works in the field of sports medicine. Very interesting man. He learned English in a peculiar way. When he was a young boy they had an experiment at his school where they brought English teachers to teach math, science and biology to children who had no prior knowledge of English so not only did they need to learn the subject but English too. As a scientist he has to write papers in English so even though he never practices English his English was excellent. He gave me a magnet from his city when I got off the train in Ktop. What a nice man!

So last week was Ivano in the West and this week and next it is Donetsk and Kharkiv in the East. I am just making my way around the country.

Until next time.

Special Needs Fun Days!

Last week I met with the volunteers of Konotop. I have been working with the director of one of our youth organizations on developing a better volunteer organization and I would like to mold them into a leadership group as well. I had the opportunity to meet a handful of them and share my stories of volunteering with them and describe to them what the Peace Corps is all about. It was really great to see so many people interested in volunteering but I really want to get them out and doing more work.

So the special needs working group which I am a member of has implemented a series of "special needs fun days" where volunteers at their sites organize lesson plans about children with disabilities to advise other kids that there are "different" people in the world and how to deal with them that they are people too and then we have a "fun day" where the kids play games.

I headed to Ivano-Frankivsk where I took a marshrutka to Tlumach to meet a few fellow PCVs and help them out with this exciting day. I came late unfortunately because of the train times so I missed all of the lessons but I was there for some of it and the lesson plans they put together to inform children about people with disabilities was really good. They made it very easy for children to understand and they made it fun!

We had a great group of children show up. There were mainly children from the orphanage so not too many kids had a "disability" but we did have one child come in a wheelchair. We were able to include him in the games as some of them weren't necessarily equiped for disabilities. We had such a fun day. We had six different fun stations and we started with younger children and then we played with the older kids. At the end one of the PCVs played his guitar for the kids and they loved it!! It was super fun and the kids really enjoyed themselves.

It was my first overnighter on the train by myself and it was a 13 hour train ride but I did great. I slept on the top bunk going to Ivano and the bottom coming back. They both have their plus' and minus'. If you are on the top you have to get up there and your only option is to ly down or you have to sit down on someone else's bed if you stay on the bottom and maybe they want to sleep! You don't know. If you are on the bottom you have to worry that the person on top doesn't want to go to sleep yet and he/she will sit on your bed until they are ready to get up there which means you can't lay down untli thy move. You also have to figure out where everyone's luggage is going to go. If you put it in the compartment under the bed at the bottom you might have to wake someone up to get it out when your stop comes and risk not getting it or you have to lift up above the top bunk or sleep with it on your bed. You can view it either way. It is an experience all the time. You just have to love the traveling situation in Ukraine. I actually do love it. It is pretty damn convenient and "knock on wood" reliable too! There usually aren't late trains and if there are they make up time somewhere along the ride but you sure enough show up on your track on time and so far my train has always been sitting there when it is time to get on. Of course I still have to ask people which track the train is on. Most cities haven't caught on, like Kiev, about putting up a digital board and putting the track number there when the train arrives so people know where to go. They just announce it on a sometimes awful loud speaker and if you don't know Ukrainian you can't understand it anyway so you always have to ask somebody!!

Ivano was a great little city. Not much to do there. You can get around it in a few hours and pretty much see everything which we did! Although I didn't find out until I got back to my site that they have a waffle house...DAMNIT! Now I have to go back just for that!

Rememberance...

Today I, other PCVs, my city, his family and so many other people lost a great man! Gregory, whom I've talked about many times and blogged about a few weeks ago passed away today. He was one of the first people I met in this city and he was so welcoming and helpful and knew everyone and everything about this city and so many other things. I loved hearing about history and war from him as he was a survivor. He always had so much to tell. He introduced me to the Jewish Center here in Konotop and the lovely ladies that I used to visit on Thursday's. A part of Konotop will be missing from now on. I only knew the man a short time and for the last few weeks he has been in the hospital and I haven't been able to talk to him or see him around and I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. I know his grandson well too and I feel as though I lost a grandfather today.

I will pray for his family. His wife, his daughter and his grandson you are in my thoughts and prayers always. Gregory was a great friend and will truly be missed!

Random adventures

I left off with the Village of Popivka. I returned to the village on Friday for "Old People Day". Friday was a big day there were lots of celebrations going on. You had "Old People Day" and "Teacher's Day". Teacher's Day is actually Sunday but they were celebrating it on Friday. So I raced to Popivka to have a wonderful lunch with the village and the village Mayor. I sat next to him. There was lots of food and singing. They presented all the babushkas with little cards of congratulations. Some of them were teachers in their past lives and others were just special! I even got a gift! They presented me with a coffee mug. A really nice one! Me and the Mayor got the same one. It was awesome. I told them not to do that but they did it anyway! They are such wonderful people.

After shoveling the food in my mouth and rushing out the door we took a few more photos of all of us together and then they rushed me in the car and off we went to the House of Culture for more singing and dancing from the students of Konotop for teacher's day.

So back to Kiev on Saturday. I should get an apartment there for the next 2 years considering I am there all the time! I went to Kiev for the HIV/AIDS working group. I was excited for this to come. I am on a few different working groups but each one of them is very interesting to me and I am excited to get some project ideas as well besides meeting great new PCVs and learning a thing or two. I am extremely exhausted from all the traveling but it is fun and part of my job here is to see Ukraine so I will do that. I am off to Ivano-Frankivsk this weekend for a project with my special needs working group. I can't wait to see Ivano and learn how to start a fun day in my town for children with special needs.

I got to meet this new person in PC that I have been hearing lots about. I left from Kiev and went to a town called Kovalivka. It was really cute. It was like a mini disney land. Apparently, there is a woman there that paid for the brand new school, brand new restaurant that looks like wedding hall, the brand new church and the brand new hotel. She was in politics or something which is where she got her money from. She has done some amazing things there hopefully all for good things.

A strange turn of events the HIV/AIDS working group got tickets to see Bill Clinton in Kiev. He is giving a speech on the subject and the things he has done to prevent HIV. They had a big concert and a bunch of cool Ukrainian singers came and put on a show. There were so many people and there was a lot of shoving and crazy moshness going on but it was super awesome. We got to see Bill and his 15 minutes of fame in Ukraine. We tried to shake his hand at the end. We were even yelling "We are Americans"..."We are Peace Corps Volunteers"! But he wasnt hearing us!

Good times and back to site for 3 days and then we do it all again...

The Village People...

Today was a pretty awesome day. I apologize for not writing often this week but I have made myself so busy that my only spare time is spent sleeping! I have been continuously meeting new organizations in and, now, around Konotop. Each day brings another organization and a whole new set of challenges. I am now looking at a bunch of puzzle pieces, enough for a picture, but I can't figure out how they fit together.

So I am working on about 4 different projects and one of my new responsibilities was to get a list of organizations in Konotop that deal with special needs people. Which I did. And with that I contacted the only NGO listed and I met with them. Well I ended up at a meeting with two other organizations as well and then I am in a car and off to an Elderly Center in a village called Popivka. You've gotta love Ukraine and the Peace Corps because everyday is just different and exciting! How will I go back to the states and work at a desk? Anway, so I am visiting a "village center" if you will which is a place where the elderly and disabled congregate and wash their clothes, get their hair cut or just sit around and sing and trade recipes. There are many centers like this in Ukraine. Well this one is in a village of about 5000 people. It was about the distance that Stari Bilous was from Chernihiv.

So I meet the director Tatiana and she is a big, lovely woman just so full of life and happiness. She couldn't have been happier to see me and talk to me. I don't know all of what she was saying at times but I never took my eyes off of her. She even spoke some English words to me. They showed me their washing machines and the DRYER! I had no idea dryers existed in Ukraine. I would have thought they would use too much energy. Well they exist and this little village center GOT ONE! So I check out the place and then we go to the "meeting room" where everything happens. The babushkas sing to me in Ukrainian which is sweet and then we go check out the mini museum. There we've got all kinds of Ukrainian costumes and art and many things embroidered. AND...this is the fun part. So they have some wedding stuff and they put a head piece on my head...the kind that brides wear and they want to take a picture...ok! Then they get Victor to put his head piece on and take a picture with me...ok. Now it is Luda's turn. It is just too much fun dressing up like a bride. Too bad we didn't have any dresses. Tatiana got such a kick out of it!

After a few more songs and an encore from the singing group we took to the nurse's room for some afternoon chai and cookies. We had some great convo in Rushlish and they invited me to come back tomorrow for some more food because I am too skinny and some alcohol! Apparently it is "the day of old people"! So of course I agree. And then after I return to the city center I am invited to more festivities because it is "teacher's day" tomorrow. Can't wait for tomorrow another day of getting absolutley none of my work DONE but I will have lots of FUN!!

Then we are ready to leave and we take it outside where more conversation happens. Well just before that....can't leave this out... I meet Maria who is an English teacher at the school in the village. She is an older lady probably late 30s and she is just as happy as a peach too. She loves to talk to me in English. And I didn't realize it until now but while the babushkas were singing to me she was sewing me a little something. She presented it to me right before I left. And she even embroidered it to me... "To Kim M". How sweet is that? M is for Maria by the way! I couldn't believe it. I was there only an hour and I got such a wonderful, unexpected gift! That is Maria by the way in the picture holding up the alphabet that she sewed. Wonderful!!

So now back to the front yard. So we are hanging out and rearing to go when all of a sudden where am I? I am on a bike. I am on a bike that is probably as old as the people I am with. I was asked if I could ride a bike and suddenly I am on this thing riding around the front lawn. I know that I had to look ridiculous because I felt ridiculous but it was super fun at the same time. My only regret is that I don't have a picture of this ridiculousness! Luda (my partner at this point) doesn't use a camera well. We will have to have a meeting about that. When things like this happen I need to teach her that it is imperative that you GRAB THE CAMERA ASAP!

That is all I have time for today!

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Английский клуб

So Tuesday was my first English club. I am partnering with Jud because I am no English teacher. So I asked him for help and he is helping me. I am not interesting in multiple English clubs especially beginner English. This was Jud's English club anyway so I am unsure why it was so important to change it to me. Although I did get a better showing. 22 people came to the club. If all it takes is to change the volunteer to get people motivated than I am game but I would prefer Jud to continue teaching. There are so many project ideas I now have for my city and none of them involve English clubs.

I have been meeting a lot of contacts in Ukraine and I am very excited about it that might be able to help me with some project ideas I now have! I tracked down this woman who lives and works in Donetsk at a library and she is visually impaired. Another volunteer helped her with a project to bring new computers with visually impaired software to Donetsk and this is something I would really like to bring to Konotop. I will be traveling the east side of Ukraine in the month of October if everything goes well. I still have many contacts that I was introduced to in Kiev. Things might be working out!! Atleast I have some direction now at my site. I have a bunch of ideas! Yey!!

Off to Kiev again this weekend. It is the special needs working group. I am looking forward to it because we will meet with Ella again from East Europe Foundation. It will hopefully be another successful trip to Kiev! Networking!!

Network much?

I just returned from a very productive weekend in Kiev. I headed down there on Friday morning. I took the 5am train from Ktop to Kiev so I could get there by 730amish to meet up with some fellow volunteers. We had to show up at the conference by 930am. I walked to the train station from my apartment at 445am in the morning. I wasn't sure at the time if that was a good idea. It was pitch black outside but surprisingly warm. Fortunately, there were other people out. Not many but enough. Someone was actually walking behind me the whole time to the train station. It is about a 25 min walk to the train from me. It just doesn't make sense to pay 20 UAH to go to the train station when it is so close but this is one of the cardinal rules in Peace Corps safety...DON'T WALK ALONE IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING! I don't think it is put that way exactly but something like it. Either way I broke the rules. I will break them again on Saturday when I walk to the train station again to go to Kiev. I will be in Kiev just about every weekend for the next few weekends. I am in a bunch of working groups. I am trying to be involved in a lot of things. I want to work on projects and be involved in everything I can. I can bring a lot of things here I think.

So the conference took place at the Hotel Kiev Rus in Kiev. Very nice hotel. We met some people from different organizations in the Lugansk and Lviv oblasts. I met some people from EEF as well. The conference was very beneficial. The project that they did was very successful and right up my ally. It is all the things that I want to do here in my city. (for example, community centers, education for the blind, traffic signals for the blind, training people on how to work with people with specials needs, etc) And the woman who got me in touch with the people that put this conference on her director invited us to come to her organization and talk more about our needs in our communities. FANTASTIC! This could mean that we have an "IN" into these organizations in Ukraine or close by that can help us put together a project for our communities. Or atleast be a contact so we know someone in the organization. Anyway all in all it was a great conference.

On Saturday I attended the GAD meeting. This is a working group put on by other Peace Corps volunteers. In this group we discuss things like gender and development, counter trafficking, LGBT issues, Womens rights, etc. It is a great group of people who are excited about what they are doing and they are very motivated to do it. I joined mainly for the counter trafficking subcommittee. One of the reasons for joining Peace Corps was to do something with human trafficking and being in Ukraine is a sign that I should do something. Even more so that they have a working group geared towards this issue. We got to meet a woman from IOM who works in the counter trafficking department. So it was a great weekend for networking! It is very important to have contacts in this country.

Back to KTOP! Had my first real English lesson and I realized that I was right. It is really difficult to teach English to someone who knows nothing and I couldn't imagine doing it with more than one person at a time! So I am ixnaying (sp?) the beginner English clubs. Only advanced welcome!! Maybe next year...right now too much!

Resume writing anyone?

Today was a pretty exciting day. I wasn't sure how it was all going to turn out which is always the case. So I had a Resume Workshop planned for today that I worked out with the Unemployment Center here in my town. We have had it on the schedule for something like 3 weeks or so maybe longer. Yesterday she calls me to tell me that there will be at least 47 people coming. WHAT?!?!! Wow I was expecting maybe 25! So apparently at the Unemployment Center they don't mess around. And if you say you are going to come and you don't you have to deal with the consequences. I am not sure what that is but considering that 52 people came to my seminar today I am thinking the consequences are pretty hefty!

So I tried to maintain my cool after she told me the happy news! I wasn't prepared for such a big group. Let's be honest I am not prepared for any group! But I stuck to my plan of making this an interactive resume workshop and I went in there and did what I planned to do and fortunately for me all went incredibly well! I also had the other volunteers come from my city. So all in all there were 58 people in the room including myself. Thankfully we had a BIG room. With a nice projector no less! AND THANK YOU LUDA! My translator is AWESOME! Couldn't do all of this without her.

So one notch on my belt! I have successfully completed one project in Konotop. Now the cobwebs are clear and I can begin to do some real work hopefully. I plan to continue my resume/career development seminars as this one was a big hit and try to elaborate a little bit on them. Should you have any suggestions for me please don't hesitate.

I think the other Americans enjoyed it as well. They got a chance to meet Alla, the woman I work with at the center, to see that she doesn't mess around. She knows just about everyone and everything and she knows how to make it happen! Kind of like me only she knows the language really well!!

Goodnight!

Especially for him...

I have heard some awful news this weekend. A very dear friend here in Konotop may have cancer. He is 70 years old and he knows everyone and everything in this city and he really cares about his people here. He was very much an active person when I first arrived and over the last few weeks he has gotten weaker and weaker. I barely see him in town. Last week I found out that he was in the hospital and over the weekend I stumbled upon him there sitting outside enjoying the sunlight. I talked to him for quite a while and he told me some of the things that were going on. I was so sad I almost started to cry. I have only known him a short time but he is a very important person in my life here. I will pray for him that he can recover but I certainly do not want him to suffer in any way. I will be truly sad. Keep him in your thoughts for me.

Under the Blue Sky

This is a Russian song that was sung to me this evening amongst many songs by a lovely couple I have just become friends with. This woman and her husband (Iryna and Igor) are English teachers at one of the schools in my town. I met them on the first day of school at the first bell. They invited me into their home that day and they were just such interesting people. They both went to America for several months many years ago with a program for teachers. When I was there the first time I noticed that they had a piano and a guitar and they said they would play for me some day. So I got the phone call Thursday night that they wanted to invite me over today so I went. I was very happy to hear from them. They speak excellent English and they are just very nice people.

So I went to their home and she had baked apple/pineapple cake. It was delicious! We had some cake and some fruit while we drank chai. We finished the cake it was so delicious. They mentioned how they don't eat meat, fish or eggs anymore and that their health has improved because of it. They also mention how they are always in bed by 10pm. Their daughter lives this lifestyle as well in Kiev where she works so they started doing it a few months ago and they are very happy. I explained to them that when I was living in the states I didn't eat meat. That I mainly ate fish and vegetables. So I understand about a healthier life.

After our cake and chai we went out to the living room where they sang songs and played the guitar and the piano. They sang many songs and then they even had me singing some English songs with them. We sung "Yesterday" and another Russian/Spanish/English song that means "Kiss Me A Lot" in English. Many of the songs were about love and romance. Very lovely songs.

It was interesting while they were playing for me I thought about how we just don't do things like this in America. Something so simple and so fun. We don't really do a lot of things anymore in the states where we are together and just happy being together. It is almost hard for me to enjoy these things because I am used to the states where we watch TV or we are drinking or just doing and not being. It was so nice to sit there and listen to the sound of the piano and the guitar and their soft voices. It was very sweet and they were so happy to sing for me.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner....

Today was just an ordinary day. There was absolutely nothing going on today. I used the morning to relax a bit and run. Took my time going to work today. I've been working pretty hard all week so I wanted to take it easy. I was supposed to have a meeting early in the afternoon but that fell through. I got dressed and went to the center of town anyway. My friends recently sent me a package from the states with a few jars of yummy peanut butter so I needed to pick that up from my office anyway. I stopped to chat with Jud for a while then I went to my favorite cafe and had a cup of coffee. I just sat and chatted with the man who owns the cafe...Venitzia. After that I went to work got my package and headed home.

I ran into a few of my neighbor friends on my walk home. We were chatting it up in Russian. I was telling Tanya what I was going to make for dinner and I wanted to invite her to my house for dinner. We have been saying hello for weeks now so I wanted to move our relationship along. So Tanya came over with her daughter and Yula brought her two sons. I made baked chicken, salad, grechka (buckwheat), apples and honey, kalbaca and cheese and of course bread. They brought over some rice with mushrooms. Everything was really good! They also brought some beer mix. Beer mix is pretty good if you get the right flavor. We had some chai after dinner and then they left. We had a good time.

You know I haven't mentioned this in any of my blogs and I can't believe it but I have a friend in Konotop named Lyda. She is my translator for everything. I wouldn't be able to do what I do in Konotop if it wasn't for her. She doesn't expect anything from me except to speak English and the other volunteers here in Konotop know her and they say her English is definitely better from her and I working together. That makes me very happy. This means that I am helping someone. I don't have to do some major project to help people. Sometimes its the little things that make the biggest impact.

Good night!

Rosh Hashanah

Today is a Jewish holiday and I take part in the festivities in my town. I love the Jewish center and the Jewish ladies but they don't come tonight. We had a service at 630pm and then we went to eat lots of food and drink vodka (of course). We played some games and just had a great time. There are some pics of the festivities. Dan was trying to get out of the pic but I got him. I didn't take any pictures during the service even though I wanted to. There is another Jewish holiday coming up and we get to build tents. I am so excited for that!

On my way home me, Dan and Rose are speaking in our native tongue and they leave me as I enter the bus. When I get on the bus this young man sits down next to me and asks me in English if I speak English. He is so excited that I speak English. He wants to practice but he doesn't have anyone to practice with. I explain to him that there are actually 4 volunteers in this town and he doesn't know anything about it. Usually everyone at least knows Dan...Dan the Man! We had a great conversation. He lives a few buildings down from me so he walked me home. He has skype too which is unusual. He is very excited about our English Club! It was so awesome to see him get so excited about English.

Earlier today I met with the soccer coach. He is always around at sporting events and I introduced myself to him last week and we had our first meeting today. What is interesting is he is not only a soccer coach (other sports too) but his mother was deaf and didn't speak so he knows sign language. While we were having tea at our meeting an old woman was walking by who was deaf and he called her over and they had a conversaton via sign language. It was pretty amazing. I also saw some other people walking around - younger people - and they were signing as well. There is apparently a factory there where these people work and so most of them live in this one area next to this factory. The conversation was mainly about what all conversations are about which is the small amount of money that Pensioners receive here and how expensive things will be this winter, food and utilities, etc. He also told me about how much he likes America because America is free and we don't have a mafia to get through or have to pay people off to get things done.

The other really amazing thing that happened this week was when I went to the Blind Center. I went there on Wednesday to follow up with them on some questions they had about blind people in America and I met a few more people. I met 4 people who are completely blind 2 of which speak English. I was fascinated. Not only do these people have to overcome their disability but they speak English as well. It is truly amazing. I spoke with Alex for a little while after our meeting. He was so excited to speak to me but he wants to talk more so he can understand my accent. He has a short wave radio at his house and he talks to people in America. He was so nervous to talk to me I could actually feel him shaking as he held onto my arm to talk to me so he knew where I was. I was so touched. He is a very nice man and I can't wait to talk with him more.

It truly is amazing the things that happen as a PCV. Just when you think nothing is happening you meet all this wonderful people and you fall into all these wonderful experiences. I had to laugh today when I left my tutors house I was waiting for the marshrutka and it just took so long to come and I was unusually impatient only because I had a meeting that I had to get to. So when one didn't come I started walking and then sure enough while I am inbetween two bus stops the marshrutka comes and I just know I can't get to the next stop or back to the previous one so maybe if I wave him down he will pick me up. I've seen people do that. Well not this time. He drove right past me. It was just fantastic. I would be so mad if that happened in America and here I just had to laugh. In fact I am laughing about it now. Picture the American standing on the side of the road waving down a bus and the bus doesn't stop. Awesome. Eto jizin.

I heart Ukraine.

День города!

Yesterday was a rocking good time. I spent the entire day in the city for "City Day". I think it is a national holiday but different cities seem to celebrate it at different times. Sumi had theres on Saturday and Konotop celebrated it yesterday. It was kind of neat that it takes place the same day as Labor Day in the states so I still get this Monday off even in Ukraine.

I started off at 730am. Just like any other day in Ukraine I don't know what to expect. Too bad too because I found out later that the whole program was in one of the local newspapers and that Alla had one for me on Friday. Oh well! So I wasn't dressed appropriately but that is no surprise. I arrived at work at 8am and everyone was dressed in black. I thought maybe we were going to a funeral. I was in jeans and sneakers...no points for me! So after a lot of running around by my counterpart and the other people in my organization I find myself in the street in the middle of the Konotop parade right behind the band. I love being a volunteer sometimes! My organizaton works directly with the Mayor's office so events like this are planned by my director so we always get the good seats. So we start walking behind the band and the men of the armed forces...old and new and make our way down the streets to the WWII memorial. There we celebrate the veterans for all the things they have done for Ukraine. It is a great celebration. They receive the traditional bread and flowers and then we make our way over to the other side of the park where they begin to dance and put on a show.

Konotop was born in 1637. They tell us all the different things that have happened here since that time. It was a great story and I actually understood some of it and it was all in Ukrainian!! I hope to be trilingual when I leave here. Everone dances and the band plays it was great fun.

After the 3 hour ceremony and parade we head back to the center for festivities, arts/crafts tables, food (lots and lots of food), petting zoos, big bouncy tents (that unfortunately adults can't take part in...boo) beer and vodka and just about whatever else you would picture as part of the birthday of our town. Speaking of vodka I just happened by a babushkas table and there were about 6 of them all singing around their table and I noticed as I was taking a photo of them that they had a bottle of vodka and they were doing shots. That is not the surprising part. What happened next was more interesting. This woman, who I could possibly know, comes running over to me, Rose and Dan and I just know she wants us to do a shot. So I mentally prepare for this and when she comes over she has only one cup and she comes straight for me...crap! This is why I think I know her although I can't place her. I take the shot of course.

We walk around a little more I buy the Lord's prayer in Ukrainian and a Ukrainian weapon (looks like a spiked numchuck with out the numchuck) a little container for my salt because that is so popular here and a little button that says "My favorite friend" that I plan to give to my best friend when I see her.

We eat a lot of food some oily plov, some interesting home made sausage that wasn't very tasty, something that resembled a cinnabon, some popcorn and a хот дог yes that is "hot dog" in Russian.

We watched some dancing and singing and walked around some more. I didn't stick around for the fireworks. I had been out all day and getting home on public transportation after a big event is never easy. I learned that living in NY. If a marshrutka comes that isn't crowded you should play the lottery because it is your lucky day! I didn't want to be squooshed up on my neighbors or pinned to the glass for the ride home. Maybe next year!

(pictures to be posted soon)

Chernihiv: The Return

So this weekend I went back to Chernihiv to visit my host family. Now this is where it really started. It is cold now which is not how it felt when I left but it was certainly cold when we arrived. I rolled into the train station around 1pm on Saturday. I took the electrichka into Chernihiv because it was the cheapest and fastest option. Not bad either it only took 4 hours to get there and I didn't have to change trains. Score!

So I roll into the Vokzal (train station) and take a picture of the Chernihiv sign because I have never been to this train station. I didn't visit it while I lived here. Not sure why really. I am certain that was one of our assignments. I remember passing it all the time when I rolled by it on bus number 1 on the way to the city but I never went there.

I met Polina at the train station, bought my ticket for my return to Konotop and then we waited down the street for bus number 1 to take me back to Stari Bilous! Oh Stari! Polina is my mom's friend and co-worker. Funny thing she lives here but doesn't know where the bus stop is or which bus to take to Stari nor does she know where to get off the bus and where Ira's house is (Ira is my host mother). So I lead us on which is fine because I like to do that. It is so fun being in Chernihiv. It is nice knowing my way around and it is even nicer that nothin has changed in the three (almost) months since I left. The trees and the grass are overgrown but all in all it is still the same Chernihiv. It is kind of weird being alone in Chernihiv without the group but it was so nice to see my mom!

I arrive in her korridor and she is so happy to see me and I am so happy to see her! Katia and Yana are there too. It is like I never left. My Russian is definitely better now though. I can understand her better too. I ask where Kolia is (yana's boyfriend) and he is working and then he has a soccer game. I am not here long enough to go see his game and spend time with my mom but I will be back soon.

So the first thing we do is EAT. She is mad at me that I am so skinny. She doesn't think that I am eating. I am eating but not like she feeds me. I can't believe all the food that woman makes me. I eat it too. We had a lot of tea, olivie (an egg salad with mayonaise - the only thing I like mayonaise on), blinchiki (crepes), baked chicken, grechka (buckwheat), mashed potatoes, and I think that was it for yesterday. Of course today is all the leftovers. She has pigs now...as you can see in the picture above.

Everyone is doing real good. Yana started at technical school. She is studying hotel management. She is taking English and German language class as well and she was talking to me with her new words. Finally, she speaks to me in English! She had a bad English teacher in high school. I met this teacher and she is horrible. It's too bad because her town is only 2500 and they only have 2 English teachers.

I definitely appreciated my experience more so this time around. Something about leaving and coming back. I know my mom really cares for me and she is concerned about me which is really nice to have. I certainly appreciated her at the time but now it is even more. They are definitely my Ukrainian family! They will be in my life forever.

Tomorrow is "City Day" in my town. I need to be at work early tomorrow morning. There will be festivities to participate in. I will write soon about them.

On another note...as my emotions continue to spiral around and all over the place someone told me recently that..."You are writing a story right now and you can write a positive one or you can write a negative one". This is something I think about all the time and when I am down and out in Beverly Hills I think about how I want to write a positive one.

The First Bell and other Random updates from Ukraine!

So today was quite a typical day for a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine and I need to share my experience. This is the first time this happened which is the surprising thing. So I woke up this morning not particularly interested in going to work and it was raining cats and dogs so I really don't want to go to work now. I wait for the rain to stop and I set off to walk to work. It is still warm out so I want to walk to work while I still can. It also saves me 3 UAH a day on marshrutkas. So I get to work and well they are painting my office so I can't work in the office and the only reason to be there is to work on the computer. So since I can't do that I guess I go home...

Later in the day I am supposed to see the kids at the disabled center like I do every Tuesday and Thursday. So I head out and walk to the center to get there by 2pm. I get to the center and no one is there. I talk to Ira the doctor and she tells me that everyone is out cleaning the park today for the holiday on Monday. Oh...I say, well I would have helped do that if I had known. Not sure how that didn't come through I just saw them on Tuesday and no one mentioned it. So I guess there isn't anything for me to do here so I will leave. I am supposed to meet my tutor at 5pm so no sense in going home.

At 430pm I set off on the bus to head to my tutor's house and when I almost get there she calls me and says she can't meet with me today. Oy!!! Well I am 0 for 3! This hasn't happened yet but I am not surprised that it did. All you can do is laugh about it.

Now...this week started off very interesting. Last week at the blind center I spoke with a woman named Valya who wanted me to come to her home this week so I could see how the disabled people in Konotop lived. I went to her home on Monday morning. She lives in a hostel or dormitory. It is the equivelent of a room and everyone shares a kitchen and a bathroom on each floor of the building. Her room is not very big and she has to share it with her husband and her daughter. This is not adequate housing for anyone. Granted the room was nice and they seem to have what they need but they have to take baths in their kitchen and they sleep on the same bed. Their is a waiting list for apartments in this city and if you are disabled it takes even longer for you to be approved for housing. And once you get housing it is very possible you can afford the rent or the utilities. This is a major problem in my town. Valya and her daughter Nadia are just the sweetest people too. I hope I can figure out a way to help them out. There is picture of me and them in their home with their cat.

I met with Alla on Monday to do our English/Russian tutoring. I made some roasted vegetables to take over there for dinner and she was impressed. This is good that I was successful in transfering some skills. It is one of the goals of PC. I also was able to bring a little bit of America into her home. Which is yet another goal of the PC. We looked at some more pictures of her time at the bazaar near Poltava. It is a big craft bazaar where you can buy a lot of souvenirs. It is a big market and it was very interesting she said. There is a picture of Alla, Bogdana (her daughter), Lyda (my translator) and of course Britany the cat.

Tuesday I went to see the kids in the afternoon instead of the morning. More kids come in the afternoon. I think I mentioned a while back that my center has a karaoke program on their TV. So I find myself singing The Beatles and a few other American favorites. I just love it when I am the center of attention...singing...not really! The only time karaoke is fun is after a few drinks! But it is good to know that I am not good at singing...I can cross that one off the list.

Wednesday was September 1st and the first day of school. The first and last days of school are quite important in Ukraine. The first bell, the last bell, you get it. Well yesterday was the first bell and all the schools in town (I think we have 15) have a ceremony in the morning and they ring bells. They get dressed up and there is music...it is really a good time. I couldn't find the school I was supposed to go to so I ended up there a little late but again such is life! I still got to see the kids ring the bell. And then of course after the ceremony all the kids go to their classrooms and the American (who should know by now she will be thrown into an awkward speech) has to stand up in front of the class and tell something about herself. By now I don't really need time to prepare that would just be too easy. I just get up there and say a few words. They are happy with anything...thank goodness.

I have also included some pictures of the place where I work and the office in which I sit in and the computer that I use....sometimes. It has been a while since I posted this info so for those of you just joining my blog this is where I go most days.

I am headed to Chernihiv this weekend to see my host family. More stories to come. Stay tuned.