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.
No comments:
Post a Comment