This is what I look like in case you forgot.
Jon being the "man" at the Chinese place.
The university in Lutsk at night.
Coco munchies in Ukraine!!! I might be able to survive after all.
Making Jiffy Popcorn in the new kitchen.
How's that sugar/burnt popcorn, Allison?
Funny moment of the week: I was walking from the gate to the front door of my house after a long day just sort of spaced out talking to God (I do it a lot here). Then I heard a voice from above “Katrine” (it’s that or Katya here). It is said soft but loud enough to catch my attention. I look around and see no one. I’m like did God just call out to me with a Ukrainian accent? I looking around confused and then I hear it again. I look up and my 50 something year old host mother is on the roof cleaning out the gutters.
This past week marks me being 10% through my service. The time has really started to pick. I feel like the warmer the weather the fast each day passes. So Mom it will be no time until you see my bright shining face.
For the first time since coming to Ukraine, I got to work out. I am allowed to work out at a nice new gym in exchange for tutoring the owner’s daughter. The gym has very nice lifting machines as well as a treadmill. Got a little over 6 miles in. Felt pretty good. Now the roads just need to dry out so I can get even more miles in outside. But patience is a virtue, right?
My first workout I started with running 2 miles on the treadmill followed by a weightlifting circuit. It’s not that I’m lifting heavy weights but the fact it is a quick pace from one machine to the next. Toward the end of the workout, I really thought I was going to pass out which would have been horrifying because they would have thought they killed the chubby American on the first day. I was praying please God don’t let me and guess what I survived. Thank you Jesus!
On Wednesday, I was told that the Medical College in my town invited me to come speak to students so they could hear a native English speaker. I was under the impression that I was going to be speaking in a class room with 20-30 students. I worked out right after school, came home for a quick shower and changed before walking over to the college. I didn’t think it was anything too fancy so I just threw a fleece on over my button up shirt and wore my hair in my signature nappy bun. I’m mortified when I get to the school and they walk me to the auditorium. It is a huge room with over 100 chairs with a stage complete with speakers and a microphone. Students filled the room to watch their classmates present in English a PowerPoint about Ukraine and also perform some songs in English. February was their English month and this was like the big wrap up event.
So with having prepared nothing, I took the stage to introduce myself. I gave the “hi my name is Kate, I’m from Chillicothe, IL, I went to university near Chicago, and I am a PC volunteer” in Ukrainian before taking questions from the student. I must say that the funniest question was “Do you like Ukrainian men?” I turned it into a joke saying that I am very tall and my mother doesn’t allow me to pursue short men. So for the time being, it looks like I’m out of luck because I haven’t seen a Ukrainian man taller than me that isn’t married. I was on the stage for around 20mins, and I now feel like if I struggle finding a job when I get home I would be interested in standup comedy. You know you are good when you can deliver jokes to people from another culture and still get a pretty good laugh out of them.
I’m starting to get recognized more and more around town. One day this week on my walk to school, I crossed paths with three people who stopped and said hello to me. Kivertsi is slowly starting to feel like home which is nice. I’m also pretty good friends with the people in the post office. The last package that was sent to me they hadn’t yet put a slip in my PO Box, saw me and then just went to the back. So I guess it has perks to being so recognizable. I wonder if it is the earmuffs or the fact I’m 6’2 and I’m not even wearing heels?
Classes this week were alright. Some really don’t listen or behave if there is not a Ukrainian teacher in the room which is starting to really wear on me. So by Friday morning classes, my normal chippy-self was a little exhausted. My vice principle says “Why is your mood no good.” I tried to explain I’m just tired from a long week. She then tells me that I should not come in Monday that I should just take the day off. Since I covered many extra classes when my counterpart was out for a month and after the rough week, I wasn’t going to argue with that.
So knowing that I have Monday off, I was able to fully enjoy Allison’s visit to my town and not be worring about getting lesson planning done and what not. She came Friday. We met up with Jon for dinner and drinks in Lutsk. Saturday, we slept in for awhile and were a little slow moving before heading back into Lutsk to do some shopping at Tam-tam (Ukraine’s closest thing to a Wal-Mart). We literally walked ever isle and had a pretty good time doing it.
In the store, there is a like a food court where you can select what you want and they serve it cafeteria style. I had a chicken sandwich and salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, onions and black olives. It tasted so amazing after such a long time without those veggies. Another thing that was surprising while shopping was how foreign it felt to push a shopping cart. Normally, my shopping includes going to the small store to buy oatmeal, hitting up the bread store for a fresh loaf and buying apples or mandarins off the street. The idea of walking around a store and throwing items into a cart hasn’t been familiar for awhile.
After our shopping spree, Allison and I met up with Jon (cluster mate), Melissa (PCV in Lutsk who is in our group 37) and Katie (PCV who will COS in Nov.) for dinner. It is strange to spend a week or 2 without contact with another American and then be surrounded by real English speakers. It is a fresh breath of air where I can realize that I’m not a mute and can actually express myself.
From chitchatting with Katie, I have decided to take part in the half marathon near the Carpathian Mountains in April. She said she doesn’t know how ready she will be because her working out depends on the weather since she lives in a village. She reassured me that she can’t finish but it is more about going and experiencing it all. So I’m going to run as far as I can before walking then probably walk for a little and start to run again. Hopefully, I can talk Allison into it and if we have to cheat and jump on a marsuka to finish I’ll have a buddy to be embarrassed with.
So yeah, this is what is going on with my life. Still waiting, well I’m content with life at the moment but for those of you who are still wondering I’m leaving with the host family currently with no sign of my own place yet. Hope everyone is all well.
Miss you, love you.
Kate
PS If God gives you lemons make lemonade, maybe you didn’t realize you were thirsty.
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