This week was a week of firsts. I went to the river on Sunday with Luda my Ukrainian friend who speaks good English. We hung out there for a few hours to get cool from the heat. Next week I want to try to get there by train. The marshrutka only takes you to the part of the river that is like a lake but if you drive or take the electrichka then you can get to the really good part of the river where everyone goes and it has a stream. It is much more fun there. I could walk it but I am not sure where it is.

On Tuesday I visited the WWII memorial that they have here. I had found it last week when I was walking home with Alla. I went there with Rose and her two American friends that came to visit her. It was interesting. There is a wall with a list of names of those who were in the war and from Konotop. It is really amazing living around all this history. Her Amerian friends were really cool and I found out they live in Brooklyn. What a small world! They came here to visit Rose and they went to Budapest, Hungary. Rose said it was really amazing there. I am supposed to go in September but I am not sure we are all still planning to do that. But at some point I will definitely go there.

I finally got my haircut in Ukraine. Luda's friend works at the salon by my house so she hooked me up with Sveta who is 35. She has a son and a husband and she seems really nice. She was telling me about things that she does in Konotop which is going to the river and haning out with her family. She would like to see some things change here. She was really nice and an excellent hairdresser. I forgot that I was in Ukraine. It was like being somewhere in NY. Their salon is really cute inside. I also got my eyebrows done. They don't wax at too many places in Ukraine. I think I could probably get it done in Kiev or some big city but in the little places they just use old fashioned tweezers. However, she did a great job and it looks as if they were waxed. For only 10 UAH she will see me A LOT. Her name was Ina. Also, really sweet.

Wednesday night I went over to my counterparts home and we made dinner. I hadn't hung out with her in a while and I was feeling bummed about that so I asked her what was going on and she invited me over. I wasn't around for a while so that might have been it. We made beef with vegetables and put it into a clay pot with some sour cream and baked it for 2 hours. It was really good. The meat here is a little fatty though and I can't eat that part but it adds flavor to the food. It was me, Toleg (her husband) and me. It was nice to have a little family dinner.

After that I picked up Andrea. She is another volunteer living in Bilopillia. She is only two hours away. She stayed for two days to visit the ladies at the Jewish Center with me. I need some material when I go in there so I can practice my Russian instead of staring at them while they talk having almost no idea what they are talking about.

I will go to the river today by electrichka with Lana. Her English is excellen but she will leave in September for University. Which is excellent for her. She is going to the University she really wants to go to and it is apparently the best one in Kiev. Good for her!

Tomorrow I am headed to the fair! I am going with my counterpart to Mirolpillia. We have to leave at some crazy hour in the morning though and it will be an all day event but it sounds super fun!

Then Sunday I am off to Nedryhaliv to visit Christi and several other volunteers. I will stay until Monday and then I am off to Kiev for IST. A lot of my fellow group 38ers will be there and it will be cool to see everyone. Some of us are hanging in Kiev for the weekend too.

Well it is beyond HOT here. The rain just keeps passing by Konotop. It starts to get cloudy and we are all thinking "Yes it si going to rain...." but it doesn't. The clouds just blow over us and it is HOT and sunny again. I am sure I will appreciate this when it is cold and gloomy outside in a few months but it is just so HOT right now.

Stay cool.