Boxing Out

Val's English teacher party at her doma (home). For being a vegetarian meal, it wasn't too shabby at all.

Howdy, howdy all. It is another Monday morning which means a later start at school for me. I slept in…woo 7:45am is really late. I do appreciate being able to slowly get ready. Ample time to read NPR (I’m not too happy about New York Times limiting online reading), make a hot breakfast, wash my hair, and most important morning ‘to do’ layering appropriately for school.

You are probably thinking why layers. Well last friday was the last day of heat in my school. Not like it the school was ever too toasting, but it took the chill off. Now, I’m back to long sleeve t-shirts under my sweaters, but no three pairs of pants are needed so that is something to be happy about. The weather has been all over the place the last week and half. Some afternoons it broke into the low 50s and after a cold winter I don’t feel like I even need a jacket. Then the next day it rained with a strong wind and I played with the idea of getting my winter coat back out. I’ll look forward to a constant sunshine and warmth of the summer months.


Along with dribbling, we should probably teach boxing out.

Nothing too incredibly exciting in the last couple of weeks, I’m really waiting for summer to get here and in the mean time trying to survive school. The warmer it gets the more rowdy the students are. I keep telling myself just a little over a month and I’ll be free. I have full blown summeritis.

Lately, I have been reading a lot which is great. Nothing like losing yourself in a book to pass the time. Something that makes this even more enjoyable is that I finally cleaned off my balcony (taking all the glass jars and junk and shifting it to the fair end of the balcony). Now, I have a lovely place to sit on a stool and read while people watching. Oh, I’ve seen some interesting things.


I've seen goal tending. Ukrainians take it to a whole nother level.

I saw three older woman who I’m guessing late 50s/early 60s walking arm and arm just laughing. The type when someone can’t even get out a full sentence without starting to burst into laughter. It made me miss my friends especially Bre. The other interesting thing was a drunken bicycler. Drunken strolling around town isn’t super dangerous, but to drunk cycling. It is one thing to take a NCC red bike on a tipsy cruise down to your friend’s dorm (I never did this), but potentially playing chicken with marsukas on their route to the next village…no thank you.

Most frustrating moment of the week: getting cussed at and rocks thrown at me by a 10 year old as his little gang laughed. All I wanted to do was to get a run in at the track. Next time, I’m taking my own ammo. I was decent softball player back in the day. He better watch out.


So that is where the bathroom sink is.

Most fun thing of the week: hooping it up with a group of kids in the park next to my house. Val and I split the kids and tried to match them up to guard each other. It would work for all of one possession before all hell would break loose. There was mass amounts of traveling, double dribble, fouling and goal tending (please see photo). Val and I might purchase another ball so we can do little group activities like a layup line and some dribbling exercises. Organized basketball doesn’t really exist here.

Well that about it. I hope everyone is well. Know that I will be very excited when the time comes that I see you all on a normal basis or at least have an unlimited nights and weekend plan we were can chat without the use of Skype or international phone cards. Miss and love you all.

Kate