Barefoot in Snow

Everyone celebrates Christmas just on different days.

The title of this blog was inspired by a man that lives near my school. Today after 5th lesson, I was walking home and noticed a man walking to his mail box BAREFOOT in the snow!!!!! With how Ukrainians won’t open a window on a boiling summer day, because wind will make people sick,this scene has boggled my mind. The only thing I can come up with to explain it is that there must have been vodka involved in his early afternoon routine.

Hmmm…what to share about the last week? Throughout the whole week, I’ve had Ukrainians in and out of my flat working on my flat. It was a five day process to get it fixed properly. First guy couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t work. The next guy fixed it and it was super warm in my flat. Third guy said that he could fix it, but didn’t have the right part. It wasn’t until Friday that it was fixed and set at a normal level. It is still a little chilly in my flat. I’m writing you while wearing the following: tank top, long sleeve shirt, turtle neck sweater, vest, long johns, sweat pants, and wool socks. Oh, I can’t wait to be wearing a normal amount of clothes and feeling warm, 8 days.

Last week at school, I was barely hanging on. Classes that are normally pretty good were on my last nerve; chatty, lazy and disrespectful. At one point, I quietly sat down and stopped teaching. Eventually, they could see that I was pissed. Eventually when they finally stopped talking, I went over to the board and wrote 4,000km (not quite sure if that is the right distance). Then I asked them if they loved their families. They were like yes. I followed it with do you think I love my family. They again replied yes. I went on to explain that I’m far from my family, volunteering, not getting paid to teach them. I think they were surprised to hear that I don’t make money for teaching them, but it didn’t really hit home because 5 minutes later they were up to the same antics. That is pretty much a good summary of how my week at school went.

On Friday, Lutsk received a volunteer from TEFL group 39. Dominic will be teaching at gymnasium in the city. He is from Indiana, has a good sense of humor, well read, and seems like he will fit right in with the Volynska Peace Corps crew. We went to dinner on Friday night to welcome him to the area. Then on Sunday, he joined us at the Windows on America community English Club for a presentation and discussion about Christmas. The highlight or maybe I should call it the lowlight was the five American volunteers singing the 12 days of Christmas while slowly remembering the correct lines. The Ukrainians who attended were nice enough to applaud after we finished.

After going to diner with the crew, I headed over to the local internet café. This is where boys from the age of 8 to 30+ congregate to play “Counter Strike” probably one of the most popular and violent of video games in Ukraine. The battled each other online while taunting each other from each little computer stations. I go to use the faster connection to Skype. This week I got to chat with my sister, brother in law and nephew. At one point, I was distracted when I thought two junior higher were going to fist fight. Oh, good times. Any who, I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with them for over an hour. Leo is growing so fast. I can’t wait to be properly introduced to him. I’m so excited!

But as for right now, I’m just trying to take it day by day until this week is over (4 more if you were wondering). Just have to survive the 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, and 11th forms and I will be home bound. Here is to this week flying by. Miss you, love you and see you all real soon!!

Kate

Funny moment of the week: I was talking to my linkmate Shannon, who lives four oblasts away from me, on the phone. She was walking back to her flat in the evening (pitch black after 4pm you know) after working out at a gym in her town. She was telling me how shady the area that she was walking through looked and saying that she had never been that way. She then stated “this is like straight out of one of the safety videos Peace Corps shows us. Then they ask the group ‘What were the three things Shannon did wrong?’” Oh, how Shannon makes me laugh even if she is KMs away.



Jon, Ashley and Melissa looking super excited for Christmas carols that we had never heard of.