Last week Ukraine threw out a teaser- all the snow melted. Rejoice! Rejoice! I was so happy and excited for 4 days! The temperature was in the 40s, the birds were singing, the children were riding bikes- and it seemed like spring might have come out of it's coma early.

Then I awoke Friday morning- and it had snowed in the night. Oh boo.

One of the few lessons of living in a foreign country- learning how to be patient. I want spring to come. So badly. Winter means less fresh food and no sun, cold. It means spending more time in my house- under unnatural light, and having to heat my house with my tiny heater. It means that it is harder to travel- more so just because walking or standing at the train/bus station is miserable when it is freezing outside. But with all these things- you learn to live through. Learn to hunker down and that you can survive anything. Find hobbies, read more books. And then- when spring comes- you appreciate it so much more. Just seeing the old women selling the little white flowers- the national ukrainian flower that is the first sign that spring is coming. Your heart lifts- and you know that you have survived another Ukrainian winter.

The beauty is so much more beautiful after the winter freeze. It is important to have the downs to appreciate the ups. If life was perfect- we would not appreciate anything.

So these are my short musings- trying to keep up a blog is more difficult than I thought- I really wish at this point that I had been more vigilant with it. I am inspired by the more mature volunteers who have AMAZING blogs, and update them all the time.

In the last few months- I went home to America for the holiday season- it was really nice to be home- but I definatly felt a little bit of the readjustment pressure. Everything was so big, and fast and shiny. We have so many things in America- it is incredible. Walking into a grocery store- or Costco!- it is mind blowing how many options we have for everything. I was talking to someone yesterday who said that people are less happy in countries where there are more options. It is kind of nice to go to the store and only have a few products to choose from. If I need something (like lasagna noodles! to make lasagna with my students) i have the option to go to the big city an hour away and find them at the big store. But my every day life is simple. Slow. And during the summer I have tons of options of fresh fruits and veggies to choose from.

But seeing my family and friends did remind me of all the things that I left behind. I just know that going back to America is going to be hard. Wonderful, but hard.

I got back to Ukraine the second week of January- and went back to school. It was nice to see my students again- reminded me why I came back to this incredibly cold place! Then at the end of January I went to Budapest with two friends. We drove over the border to Hungary and then took a train to the city. It was a great trip. I love finding cities with free walking tours- and I love Budapest because I really think that it is a place that Ukraine could be in a few years. While maintaining history- there is also a place for hip, young, new culture. It is a great mix of old and new, and I really think that if Ukraine continues on this path of development- it could eventually be a lot like Hungary.

February was a cold month. I felt like every weekend I was traveling somewhere for some meeting or work or something. At the end of the month I had my Closure of Service conference in the West of the country, at a really nice ski resort- well- nice for my expectations. The roup that I came to Ukraine with all gathered back together and PC had sessions on after PC life- health care, readjustment, employment. And it was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with some group members that I have not seen in, well, about 2 years. Also got to see some of my best friends. My 25th birthday was the last day of the conference- I wore a Ukrainian sequined dress and we all sang kareoki. After this conference I went to Krakow, Poland with my friend Margaret. I had been for a very short time, however I felt the need to visit Auschwitz. So we stayed in a hostel, did city tours, went to the Jewish district, and took a day tour to Auschwitz. It was a very emotional trip- but I am very glad that I did it.

I have been back fro about two weeks- and planning to stick around for a while. I also have decided to extend my time in Ukraine for a month- so I will be leaving in JUly(18th) instead of June. When it was time to decide the date that I wanted to leave- I realized that I would never see some of these kids again, and I really wanted to give my kids a few last projects before I left. The special needs children that I work with here are definately the reason life brought me to this point- and I want to have one last day camp for them this summer. They have changed my life and I want to give them everything that I have.

I can not believe that I am almost done with Peace Corps. I can not believe that 2 years could fly by so quickly without me noticing. All of the struggles and triumphs, experiences that i have had- I can not imagine this time in my life without it. I do not think that I would be this person right now without everything that Ukraine has given me. And although I know that I will be happy to be in America- i know that I will also be a little heartbroken to say goodbye to Ukraine. Somehow, someway- it has become my home, a little piece of my heart

At the moment I am sitting in my office- located in the small town of Horodok, Ukraine. The nearest big city is KHmelnytski, the capital of our "oblast" which can be described as a state. This city is located halfway between the capital of Ukraine- Kyiv- and a famous western city- Lyviv- but a little south. I work at a gymnasia here- meaning a school from 5th grade to 11th grade (there is no 12th grade) where kids have tested into this school. Although I am not a teacher, I do things like help teach healthy lifestyles classes, hold teacher's seminars, have English clubs, and am involved in after school activities. It is not exactly what I imagined when I left America- but I do enjoy my school.

Another big part of my service is the work that I do with the school for children with special needs in my town. Two times a week I visit the school where I have art projects, teach songs, and just play with the children. I had a summer camp for these kids, and also conducted a "field day" or a day of sports- with the help of student volunteers from my school.

A year and a half ago- April 1st, 2009- I arrived in Ukraine. After three days of an entrance conference- I was put in a small town near Kyiv called Nosivka- where two and a half months I lived with a host family. During this time I had four other volunteers with me- all living with host families. The purpose of this training was to learn Ukrianian language, cross cultural lessons, and learn how to teach in the classroom and conduct community activities. And I learned A LOT!!! It was so long ago that is hard to even remember training- even though I know that I had a blast. I lived with a 23 year old young woman- Ira- my host "sister" and a host father in an apartment above their pharmacy. Every day I would walk to my language teachers house with another volunteer and learn Ukrainian for 3-4 hours. Then after class we had classes in cross cultural understandings, taught lessons in a local school, or worked on our community project. At the end of training we left our town- after many tears from us and our host families, and went to Kyiv to have our swearing in ceremony.

At swearing in volunteers meet their counterparts- or the Ukrainians who live in their new towns who will help them and be their partners for the next two years. MY counterpart's name is Antonina Ivanivna- and she is the vice principle of my school. She also does not speak any English! Swearing in is two days where we learn where we will live for the next two years, learn about our jobs in Peace Corps more in depth, and meet our Regional Managers- or our PC bosses. the whole process is somewhat overwhelming- all of the new people, and knowing finally where we will live and work!

The swearing in ceremony consists of some speeches and an oath that we will uphold the constitution and try to share peace in our towns. After this ceremony I had to get all of my stuff and take a 6 hour marshutka (a long distance van) to my new home. It was- scary, and exciting. When I got to my new apartment I was met by so many people- English teachers, a German teacher named Alona, and my landlady. It was so overwhelming!!! finally, by 1:30 AM I was alone in the house I would live for two years.

Sometimes I still think about that. I was looking at some pictures yesterday of me and my group during training. It is so hard to believe that that time was so long ago. I feel like I am such a different person now, and it is funny to remember when I was new to Ukraine. When I did not know how to buy a ticket, or when the bazaar was. I still do not know EVERYTHING that there is to know- but I am learning and learning every day.

So tune in next time for more- memories with Megan- my first summer!

love- me

Apparently I am a big fail- aka- my blog has fallen to the wayside of my adventures int he frozen tundra of the former Soviet Union. I started this blog to keep up with the people back home- and maybe teach some things about this lovely country- and then I lost that motivation in the tornado of arriving, learning Ukrainian, moving to my site, and just having all kinds of adventures.

But now- I am back- and ready to update everyone on what I have been up to for the last year and a half

Yesterday I celebrated my one year and five months at site anniversary- meaning in total I have been living in Ukraine for... 21 months- with no trips back to America. I really can not even remember what it is to live in America. What driving on a California freeway is like, walking into a Costco, hearing English all around me- it is wild. I am scheduled to travel home for Christmas on December 19 until the 5th of January- and after that I will have about 5 months left here. Which wil be insane. This is my last winter! Super weird...

So- I apologize for my absence. And I will try to be better now. I swear!

Hello All!

My name is Megan Carroll, and I am about to spend the next 27 months living, working, playing and breathing in the country of Ukraine.  Ukraine is a country that once was part of the Soviet Union, and is still feeling some of that influence today.  Although it is not considered a third world country, some of it is impoverished, and that is why the Peace Corps is sending people (like me!) to help!  My job is going to be in Youth Development- developing programs to help young Ukrainian people achieve their goals, and better lives for themselves and their families.  Ukraine is located just below Russia, and along the Black Sea, right next to the very small country of Moldova.  For my assignment, I am going to be learning how to speak Ukrainian, however I will probably have to speak Russian as well.  To be sent to Ukraine is a tremendous honor, and I can not wait to get started! However, I still have almost a month to wait until I have to fly to Philadelphia, PA, to attend staging, and I will be in the capital of Ukraine, Kiev (kyiv) by April 1st! Wish me luck, and I will write soon!