Kate’s First Ukrainian Date…

Monday's gift to the American who now hates winter.


Centre in Lutsk.


Statue of I don't know who near the Opera House.


One of the many churches in Lutsk (sorry for the wire couldn't find a good angle).

This week was another week at school. Pretty much the same highs and lows as the average week. One embarrassing moment was when I was giving a talk about religion in one of my 10th grade classes. I can’t remember what I was saying but at the same time I made a hand gesture that means sex. Let’s just say the laughing lasted a while.

Monday of this week there was 4 inches of snow. The rest of the week it slowly thawed. Right now the roads of town are super wet and muddy. I’m hoping this week I have seen the last snow until next winter but who knows. All winter I needed a pair of ice skates to get to school and know I’m thinking that I might need a swim suit and a pair of goggles. When summer comes, I don’t think I’ll ever appreciate warm and dry weather as much as any other time in my life.

Someone wrote me and asked me about the Ukrainian men. Mom don’t worry I haven’t seen many men taller than me. But I did make myself laugh yesterday when I was on the bus. A man got on and he had to tilt his head while standing in the bus. Instinctually, I looked at his wedding finger. Damn, he is already taken. I’ve had to adjust because Ukrainians are mostly Orthodox which means their rings on the right hands instead of the left. I would like to think I have adapted, but haven’t found any suitors yet.

I often like to think of my life as an interesting movie or HBO mini-series. After deciding that a hybrid Kate Winslet and Julia Roberts actress would play me, I often try to figure out what songs would be appropriate for my daily actions and experiences. I still have a lot of work to do but I know that for my daily 30 min walk to school would have to be shown with One Republic’s “Stop & Stare” playing in the background. I really think I get more stares here than I did being a white person in Africa. Some people will literally stop on the side walk and turn to stare at me while I walk by them. At first you think oh, I’m sort of interesting. Then you get to the paranoid state where you think oh my god do I have toilet paper coming out of the bottom of my pants. Eventually you moved on to a little annoyed stage. Like yeah people this act will be here for a whole two years so there is no need to gawk.

Yesterday, I had one of the most enjoyable afternoons I have had in a long time. I treated myself to an afternoon with myself: Great Kate Date. I took the 30 minute marsuka ride into Lutsk, the nearby city. I went to a swanky restaurant that is the only place I known that has Wi-Fi. It was a very nice restaurant but not very busy because it’s expensive compared to the average. I sat for the afternoon nursing three beers (I would drink coffee but I don’t want to have a vice, haha). It was strange to drink alone especially as a woman in Ukraine but I say screw norms. I’m a 6’2, earmuff wearing, non-high heeled, anti-makeup American girl with a nappy, curly high bun. I never really had much of a chance of blending in anyways.

I just need to survive this week and then it is SPRING BREAK 2010!! Miss you and love you all at home.

Cultural Questions I have:
Can weather effect blood pressure?
What does liver pain feel like?
Why do some Ukrainians say “good day” at 7:45 in the morning?