Go, Go, Go!

Karen (NCC college friend), Me (of course), & Sarah (Karen's sister)

As the title of my blog suggest, the last couple of weeks has been nonstop, which is why this week I’ll have to cover for the past two weeks. The past two weeks were filled with birthdays, snow, cold and warm weather, slush, friends, sickness, trains, laughs and friends.

First Week of March

Happy Birthdays go out to Theran and my mom. Theran turned 24 on the 2nd and my momma turned 51 on the 5th. Normally my letters make it through the Ukrainian post service and to people’s mailboxes at home in eight days. There has been a slow down for whatever reason. So apologize for the belated well wishes, but know I was thinking about both of them on their days.

On Tuesday, I woke up with a sore throat and no voice. I texted my counterpart (I try to avoid awkward conversations on the phone) to tell her that I was sick and wouldn’t be coming in. No sooner than I pressed the send button, she was calling me to say she would come to me in the afternoon. Since I felt like poop and didn’t care to interact with her around noon I assured her I was feeling much better from an ample amount of tea with honey (in Ukrainian this can fix about any illness). She apparently believed me, because I was left to myself.

Feeling a little bit better than the day before, I woke up at my normal 6:30, enjoyed a warm bucket bath, grabbed toast for breakfast and then I was off to school. I arrived to school, when two of my fellow English teachers heard my voice and just saw what I looked like they couldn’t believe I came to school. After 10 minutes of being hassled that I was crazy for coming to school, I accepted their offer to allow me to go home. I took the day as an opportunity to hydrate and relax. I did get a lot of things done around my flat in preparation for my friends arrive the next week too.


Illegal photo of Water Lily.

Despite not feeling the best, I still hosted my Friends English club that has slowly transformed into UNO and girl talk club at my flat. I have anywhere from 2 to 6 girls 10th- university students come with cookies to chat and hangout. I provide the tea and entertainment. That English club I explained the mullet. How such an awesome haircut in Ukraine can be seen as not so desirable in America even if it is business in the front and party in the back. We also hit on how guys should take care of the uni-brow issue. Oh, the things I teach.

Thursday was my second and last day of school. It was a normal Thursday which includes classes in 10th, 6thA, 5thA, and 5thB. I have to say that 6thA and 5thA are probably two of my favorite classes. Their English is alright, but they listen better and are just goofy in their own way. They have a nice balance of personalities throughout the classes. 3 quiet kids + 4 studious kids + 7 enthusiastic kids + a sprinkle of 3 trouble makers = a perfect Ukrainian class.

Friday was our official “Meet Your Neighbor,” which translates into the 12 volunteers of Volynska Oblast getting together with our Regional Manager to talk business as well as to be social. We swapped ideas for how to run English Clubs, what to do with trouble makers in class, travel policies, and many more topics. It is helpful as well as fun to get a Friday off of school.


Karen and I at Lutsk Castle.

After the meeting, we all enjoyed the best pizza in Lutsk before people took off back to their sites. A group of us went out to another restaurant for beers. I hung out until around 7:30pm so I could have enough time to catch my overnight train to Kiev. Jay, who is a community development in a small town in the very north of our oblast, was headed into Kiev for a meeting and was able to get ticket next to me on the train. It was nice to have a travel companion and not have to worry about my stuff when I’m going to the bathroom at three in the morning.

I arrived to Kiev promptly at 6:05am. Jay and I headed up to the Peace Corps office which is only like a 10-15 minute walk from the bus station. I chatted up some other volunteers until it was time to go find my hostel to drop my stuff before Karen and her sister arrived at 1:50pm. (Random side note: I saw one of the crazy Charlie Sheen interviews on Youtube; I found it more disturbing than funny) I found the hostel without too much confusion. Then hopped the metro back to the train station where I then caught a shuttle out to the airport. The girls arrived with no major problems that afternoon. We walked Independence Square, caught up over dinner and eventually got to bed at a decent hour.

Karen and I were founding members of what we called the North Central Breakfast Club, which means we probably had at least 4 Kman breakfasts a week for the last three years of college together with Cora, BJ and others. She is currently at UNC- Chapel Hill and thought there was no better way to spend her spring break than coming to visit me in Ukraine. Her sister, Sarah, is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Uganda who is currently working in Haiti and thought why not experience Ukraine with her sister and some another Peace Corps person.

Last Week

Over the long weekend we had an exhaustive tour of Kiev. We did a free walking tour that was interesting, but we were pretty cold throughout it from the low temperature and the steady breeze. We saw many of the must see churches as well as the caves where ancient priests are buried. Ate a lot of traditional Ukrainian food as well as hit up the craft market on the artsy street behind one of the main churches.


One of the many churches of Kyiv.

We got back to Kivertsi in time to celebrate Women’s Day (the 8th of March) with my local Peace Corps Volunteers. Val (my site mate) had just moved into her new little house so we took the opportunity to make it a house warming party as well. The next couple of days were full of teaching for me. One of the days the girls came to school with me. The kids were pretty well behaved and by that I mean they weren’t as crazy as normal, but still all over the place.

Friday, we rode a 3 hour bus to get to Lviv. We went to the Lvivske Beer Museum, cemetery, “Water Lily” ballet performance, dinner at the underground password restaurant, and of course some vodka indulging at the hostel. The next morning, we got up relatively early considering we didn’t really go to bed until early morning. Karen and Sarah went up in the tower in the center of town while Kelsey (linkmate) and I cruised through a souvenir shop. We looked around at the bizarre (market), craft/antique market, and a handmade chocolate café. By 12:30, we had said our goodbyes and the Ocwieja sisters were on their way back to America. Kelsey and I grabbed some street food, sat and talked a little bit before heading back to our own sites.

From the center of Lviv out to the farthest bus station to Lutsk bus station then marsuka back to Kivertsi it takes me almost 5 hours. I was super worn out from being the tour guide and really couldn’t wait to get back home to just crash which is why I think the journey back to Kivertsi seemed unusually long. Eventually, I got back to what seemed like a very empty flat after having both of the girls here and crashed before 9pm.


Forgot the story behind the hedgehog, but made for a great photo shoot.

Yesterday, I woke up pretty earlier and got motivated to clean my flat, bucket bath, and respond to a week of emails and face book messages that had built up. At 12:45, I hopped a marsuka into Lutsk for the weekly community English club. This week’s topic was music. We discussed different types of genres, what makes certain music popular and listened to different kinds of music thanks to DJ Jonny Kidd (Jon). We had good attendance as well as participation from our Ukrainian friends. Woot woot for English club. After, Melissa and I headed to Tam Tam (pronounced Tom Tom) so I could buy moose to try to keep my curls under control. I got home around 7pm and was asleep by 9:30pm just super worn out from the busy past two weeks (Mom that is my excuse for only posting photos).

I’m looking forward to a normal school week and for surviving this week I get next week off. Got to love Spring Break 2011!!! I’m hoping to do a lot of sitting outside and reading. Right now the weather is fabulous, but I’m still a little weary that I could wake up to a foot of snow. I won’t put away my winter boots and long johns until April. Well that is about it for now. Hope everyone in America is great. Miss and love you all.

Kate


Globe monument that has all the capitals of every country. Woot Woot for Washington that sounds like Vashington.

5 Interesting Things You Should Know

1.From touring Karen and Sarah around I realized I’m more in love with this crazy, but oh so interesting country than I realized. Ya loublue Ukraina!

2.I witnessed my first bribe. The marsuka driver got out walked to the back of the bus with his wallet in his hand with the police officer that flagged us down. Three seconds later he was back in the bus and we were off.


Shrek or Obama? Hard decision.

3.I told a drunken Ukrainian man at the train station that I was Canadian and married as well as some other made up stuff. I have fun in interesting circumstances.

4.In the absence of vodka and beer, I have recently gotten addicted to hot chocolate. Think of melting a Hershey candy bar and putting it into a coffee cup. Delicious!

5.I’m so warm or not freezing that I’m writing this blog to you barefoot and shorts.


One of my favorite fellow PCV Kelsey (linkmate) and myself in front of the Opera House.