Swearing in....and all that it comes with

So its been over a month since I've updated, but after the last post I've been slapped with some responsibility.
Here's a summary of my last month at our training Village Staryi Bilous....
We taught our regular classes.  I was teaching the 7th graders at the school, and then Jacque and I started teaching the 4th form and the 8th form.  That was fun and challenging....especially when we were hardly using any Russian in the lesson, and the students probably had a hard time understanding.  It was fun tho!  We also rotated back to our original Russian teacher, Zhenya.  Thus began the whirl wind of Russian language learning.  Nothing new tho...except more and more practice.  Also, we had a couple of interviews about Site placement and langauge proficiency.  Also, it was dawning to me and my host family that we only had a couple more weeks together.  Everything was crazy leading up to swearing it.  Finishing out commmunity project, learninig Russian, teaching English, and cross cultural learning also, it seems like one would not have time to think or feel.  Well you're wrong because believe me everyday brought every emotion in the book. 
But beside the work, we had some time to play also...like Danny's birthday

The good ol SB crew hol'n it down

We also had a thanksgiving dinner for the Americans...that was great...and the same overeating fest occurred all the way in Ukraine.

Then coming to a close, we had a goodbye party with our host families.  One last ooorah for all of us together.

The nicer of the 10 million takes we took of this

The cooler of the 10 million that we took.

And finally a few photos on becoming a volunteer....our swearing in ceremony....

Don't keep the gangsters out in the cold for two hours, or we start mean mugging....just kidding!

Getting some Ukrainian love...from some of my favs

Keeping the diversity of USA alive! 

I have a bunch of pictures that I'd like to share, also a bunch of stories, but thats for later....

I'm now in Kirovograd, Ukraine....its been a blast since I've arrived here this past week.  And I'm so gamed to be living here for two years and discovering what this city and its people behold! WISH ME LUCK!

Miss you all too!  Happy Holidays!

Kyiv

Hey so thought I'd update you folks with more pictures.  We've been so busy with teaching, learning Russian, and trying to get some community projects started.  But we've had a couple of events for the school.  We even threw the children a Halloween event.  They had fun carving pumpkins, and some games that we made for them.

What our Staryi Bilous cluster has been up to is just a trip to Ukraine's capital - Kyiv

Just some fun sites that we got to see.  

Here is the Dacha (Summer house)...one of our supposed field trips.  It was quite an experience....

Yeah we work hard.  I figure its better to put pictures so that you guys can see what I see.  Pictures say a 1000 words.  And I've posted about 20 pictures.  You do the math.  

Anyways, we have about a month till we leave for our permanent site.  Keep you posted.

One Month...

I can't believe that its already been about a month since I left the states.  I guess I can update with some pictures.  But first off, let me update with what we've been doing.  Nothing is very new on my end.  I've been doing four hours of Russian language and lesson planning, teaching children from the 7th form.  Its been very rewarding, strenuous, long days, ups and downs.  But its been a quite interesting experience so far! 

My host sisters like to have barbeques on the weekend.  I've been lucky to get acquainted to many of their friends.  And they are fun to listen to speaking Russian.  Olya and Christina (the two on the left side are my host sisters).

One of the great things about being a different country is getting to taste the food here.  Sometimes I feel like I 'm Anthony Bourdain.  But this is the family having dinner at our LCF Zhenya's (Language teacher) apartment.  We are having a dish called "Galupsee" - or cabbage rolls.  It was so bomb!  But this is the cluster and  our LCF Zhenya, and TCF Yana.

One of the clustermates Danny who likes to kill the flies.  Here he is with a kill. 

Next, we do some touring of the nearby chity of Chernihiv.  Here was last week when we went to the museum and walked around.

This is me on the rampart on Shevchenko monument.  Messing around...on our free day.

Here are some pictures of our village...the good ol' Staryi Bilous.  Its name translates to the old white mustache.  I love it.  

This one of the two shops we have in our village.  The Harchi is one of main spots we like to get our juice boxes and bread from...also cookies!

Best believe that faimlies walk their animals DAILY, just like America!  I even went on a goat walk with Jackie and her Babushka.  No pictures tho...maybe next time.

Big kids need their juice boxes too!

This is from last night.  We had a family dinner for Zhenya's goodbye...We are getting a new LCF for three weeks.  Its sad, but not goodbye.  

Yeah, don't worry this is suppose to feed 7 people.  But this is only about half the amount of food that was for dinner.

The last to pictures were from our little jokes that we have accumulated over the month.  I swear we were laughing for a good 20 minutes straight.  Anyways....

Enjoy..... Update will prolly be in a couple weeks because I want to start spittin Russian.  Dos Vidanya homies!

Week 2

Its about the ending of week 2 here in Ukraine.  Its starting to get cold.  I'm doing well though.  Its still difficult to communicate to the whole world except the other PCVs.  I'm currently in the city of Chernihiv, northern Ukraine.  We are in McDonalds hitting up the WiFi.  Its been quite an interesting experience.  Getting a lot more busy, but I'm glad that I have some people that I can just laugh it off with.  The Ukrainian culture has been quite hospitable, and I only wish I can retaliate with help, and gratitude.  The only thing wearing on me is that I can't communicate effectively like I could in the states.  I feel that once I get get my language in check, I'll get my personality back as well.
Our cluster will begin English teaching tomorrow.  This is our first lesson, so it'll be fun, and we'll see how much we need to improve.  Hahaha....
One thing I'm definitely keeping in mind these days, with the challenges I face, is that you have to revel in the small accomplishments.  I just keep telling myself that I'm not doing to learn Russian in two weeks...I've still got a lot more to go, but be happy that I can at least understand more than I did last week.  I'm starting to understand some of the things my host family is saying to me, and I'm sure they are happy that I understand that.

Untill next time....Dos Vidaniya!

Hello and Goodbye DC

Today, I met and moved in with my host family.  Here is a break down of what happened since I left home.

Staging - I had a red eye flight from Hawaii to Washington DC.  Total flight time was approx. 11 hours.  Arrived in the morning, and met up with about 5 other volunteers at the airport.  They were all arriving around the same time as I was.   Its pretty easy to spot volunteers because we have like two large suitcases that looks like we're going to living abroad for about 27 months.  We headed to the hotel were staging was taking place, and there were many other volunteers arriving also with large bags.

            Staging started around 11:30am, we did the usual intros abd breifing about our service.  There is a total of 83 people that are in Group 39 going to Ukraine.  All TEFL volunteers.  It was nice, refreshing, reassuring to know that everyone was feeling the same way as I did about joining the Peace Corps.  We had a long staging day, which ended around 5pm.  Katie, a girl whom I met up with at the airport, was my roommate at the hotel, so that was cool.  We gathered up a group and went to dinner. 

            Some of our group wasn't able to depart to Ukraine with the bulk of the group, due to logistical reasons.  We were lucky enough to stay in DC/America for one more weekend.  This is were we did a lot of walking and touring of the nation's capitol, monuments, Smithsonians.  Being that I have never been to DC, t'was great to go sight seeing.  There's something in the air in DC that makes me feel very patriotic.

           

Arriving in Ukraine - On Monday, Sept. 20, a group of those left over, headed to Ukraine.  Thus began the overnight flight to Kyiv, Ukraine.  We arrived in Kyiv at 4:00pm Sept 21.  (It's a 6 hour difference from DC to Kyiv, 12 hour difference from Hawaii to Kyiv.)  We had a overnight retreat in Desna, Chernihiv Oblast, where we got to meet the training staff in Ukraine.  We also found out who was in our cluster groups, and what language we'll be learning.  It was also the first place I experienced Ukrainian food.  It was a interesting experience!  But I know nothing about Ukraine, and the Ukrainian culture that my whole time here is going to be quite an interesting experience.  I think the whole novelty of being here has not worn off yet.  I keep telling myself that I am going to be here for 27 months, so I better get used to the air, the food, the water, the douche (bathtubs), the tualets (toilets), and the language.

            In our cluster, there is Me, Jackie, Nick, Danny, and Gina.  I think we got a good group going that will be fun to work with.  We're also learning Russian, which is very difficult with the Cyrillic characters, as well as pronunciation.  The syntax will be a whole different story.  I also met my host family.  Menia Mama, Svitlana, live in a modest home, with her husband and two daughters.  They are around my age, which makes relating sort of easier, except for the fact that they don't speak English, and I don't speak Russian.  Daa's and Nieyt's (Yes and No's) are basically what I can say along with gesturing.  One of my host sisters can speak some English, which she does very well.  So she's like our translator.  We've got a couple conversations going.  Again, it's been a very interestin experience.  I can't wait till I can get a conversation going on for myself.  Tomorrow will be my first language training, so I'll try to soak up the language.  HERE GOES NOTHING people!!!!!!!

Chex-mix

If I were to identify how I've been feeling every since I found out I'm leaving on September 17....a perfect food metaphor would be...I FEEL LIKE CHEX-MIX!!!

Like chex-mix, I'm just a bag of mixed emotions: Elation, nervousness, excitement, scared, vulnerability, stress, anticipation, etc.  The list goes on...and I just can't seem to sort it out.  Ever since graduation, I've never had time to sit back and unwined.  I'm always here, there, everywhere, omnipresent, but never really present wherever I was present.  Not sure if you're following my train of thought, but then again, here I am just babbling my feelings.  Just a little insight on how I've been feeling.  Its been a heck a rollercoaster, and my back hurts.  I need a vacation from my brain....

untill next time.  Ciao.