Today was really great. Often I feel as though I use ‘great’ and ‘ridiculous’ excessively, but great is just great. I have had the opportunity to meet wonderful people during my time in Ukraine and days spent together remind me of just how awesome my life is. Not perfect by any means, but awesome! These are some of my favorite girls. And I am realizing as I write this that we all live near each other. Yeh!! Great friends and they live close by. A fun random group of people, some I know, and some I don’t know. But very fun! There were 58 PCV’s at language refresher. And here are 15 of them… I went up to my room this afternoon and found this out my window. A lovely and snowy sunset! Mess Hall for lack of a better term and the daily schedule. Anne, Dara and I. I felt like I was always dragging the camera out, but I love having all the people pics now that I can share with all of you. The sun finally came out today and I could not resist some quick pictures. Maybe running outside without a coat in 10F weather was not the best idea, but the pictures are really beautiful! Ukraine does not mess around when it comes to snow and cold. In the states I had to get into the Colorado Rockies to get this kind of snow. It did not just come and find me as it has in Ukraine. Thankfully it will be a short winter. This would be very unfun for months on end, but weeks I can handle. I love that these benches are all cleaned off and waiting for someone come and have a seat. I was afraid to sit thinking that I might actually freeze to the bench in a matter of minutes. But it was a nice gesture for someone to clear them off.

Meet Nathan and Alison. Sara and I ended up staying in the same hostel as them a few days ago in Kyiv and had an awesome time. The four of us cooked together, well I cooked, but we eat together. We laughed together. And had a fabulous time. I am already looking forward to summer camps and more traveling so I can spend more time with one of my favorite foursomes! Peace Corps Volunteers ROCK!!! POP!!! POP!!!

Anne will not love this pic, but it was too hard to resist. Sara and I met up with Anne in Kyiv today and headed for Chernihiv together. The trip took about 130 minutes and was on some fairly icy roads. so not harrowing, but definitely bumpy. So, we all tired to relax and sleep. Anne had some success. And we arrived to snow in Chernihiv. It almost seems as though there is more here than in Kyiv, but both have received about 12-18 inches in the past three days. No matter how you compute the amount of snow, it always seems like a lot. But with the evening light in Chernihiv as we arrived today, it did make for some lovely pictures. This is Ben’s Chicken near my host mom’s apartment. I love the snow and coming back to Chernihiv. This is now my fourth seasonal look at Chernihiv and it amazes me that I have been in Ukraine to enjoy four seasons, winter being my least favorite, but I truly understand the difference between a Ukrainians idea of fall, winter, and spring.

Really…Really…the snow continued for days. I was amazed that the city only seemed to accumulate around 12 inches of the white stuff, because it did not stop falling for 72 hours. But the snow is very beautiful. Independence Square in the center of Kyiv. Snow and Snow and more Snow. I was in Kyiv for about four days and it actually snowed for the first three and a half, it was completely crazy! But I did say several times that I actually thought this is what the weather would be like for six months in Ukraine and it looks like this winter we may get by with only two months of actual hardcore snowy weather. Sara and I where on a mission to find a grocery store and it was so yuckie outside…but this library looked really cool with the snow as a backdrop. Yup, talking on the phone. More specifically talking to Yuri on the phone. This is one of my most favorite and yet completely ridiculous photos. I was in the same place in May and today was such a different look at the entrance to the Dynamo Stadium.

So, I should have known this before tonight arrived, but a really great birthday party can still occur without the birthday girl. Kim got held up in Western Ukraine, but many of us were happy to continue the festivities. Because that is just the kind of friends we are. There was some crazy dancing. And more dancing!!! There were crafts. Animals with beer bottle tops was the craft of choice for the evening. Sara and I, my partner in crime for the weekend. Love this girl! Matt and I, who would be a partner in crime if we didn’t live so far from each other. This guy rocks and it was awesome to see him. We had not seen each other since swearing in, so it was great to catch up. There were lots of snuggles by everyone for everyone. Peace Corps Love!!! There were shots….many, many shots… Morgan dj’d for a bit…. And there were lots of friends. It was awesome to see so many people. And more friends. Yeh!!! We literally took over a small café in the eastern part of Kyiv for the night. The owner Used to live in Miami and is Ukrainian. He and his establishment was a great find for PCV’s out to play and celebrate a birthday. Chris…one of my greatest finds during my Peace Corps service…this guy is AWESOME and I am lucky enough to have him as a friend. You rock, dude!

These pictures are all courtesy of my Peace Corps Regional Manager, Vasyl. He did a bit of a driving photo tour of Kyiv a short time ago and emailed these to some PCV’s. These are really wonderful shots of the holiday lights at night in central Kyiv. This is Kreschadik. The main street through the city. It is always full of life and fun. There are stores like Gap, Tiffany and Marks & Spencer. The center of Kyiv reminds me of most old European cities. It is quite beautiful year round, but with the lights it is just stunning. Here is Independence Square from many angles. I really love all the lights. A closer view of Independence Square.

Whatexactly does ‘predisposition to spontaneous activity’ actually mean?

Several days ago I was walking through freshsnow with Yuri and Andrew, and I kept jumping up and snagging a branch with theidea of raining snow on the two of them. Yuri proceeds to tell me that I have a ‘predispositionto spontaneous activity’. I laughed andthought about it for a minute. Myresponse was ‘absolutely’.

But whatexactly does that mean? Without divinginto the depth of research and understanding that Yuri is a psychiatrist, Ihave contemplated this philosophy for a few days. For me I needed to break itdown. In my opinion, predisposition isthe concept of being innately about me and spontaneous activity means that I donot really think before I act. I also knowthat this philosophy mostly relates to my humorous side now, but years ago itdid not. As a teen I was much quicker totemper.

Accordingto Wikipedia, yup, my source for all things believable and creditable…hehe!!!

pre.dis.po.si.tionNoun: A liability or tendency to suffer from a particular condition, hold aparticular attitude, or act in a particular way.Synonyms: inclination – tendency – propensity – proclivity

spon.ta.ne.ousAdjective: Performed or occurring without premeditation or external stimulus; (ofa person) Having a natural, and uninhibited manner.Synonyms: voluntary – unbidden

ac.tiv.i.tyNoun: The condition in which things are happening or being done; Busy orvigorous action or movement.Synonyms: action – work - operation

Don’task. I have no idea why this philosophy seemsto resonant with me. But is quite fun!

And warningto all: I will engage in a snowballfight at any given moment…

I have had a cold for several days now, but after watching the snow fall for much of the night and day, I was bored and ready to play. So I called Andrew and texted Yuri. It was time for some snowball throwing and tea…and get me out of my house, please. It was the perfect snow day! The first picture is my building and the trees I look at from my window. The second picture is as I walk to the closest grocery store and up to the marshutka stop. Andrew had taken pity on me and I headed to his flat in Yubiliene. About 20 minutes outside of Lugansk. I love the dimensions and the way snow photographs. This is magical. The tree was on the other side of the street. And I have no idea what the difference in tree or snow is in Lugansk, but this tree looks like a flowering white tree only it is full of snow. It was a great find. The light across from my marshutka stop was beautiful. It was approximately 230P and the sun was descending. I wanted more, but the light was fleeting and the location did not offer many options. But it still made for a lovely photograph. This the main street walking path in Yubiliene. It is always beautiful and if I lived here, the place where I would spend evening reading. Why a picture of a tree heavy with snow, because it totally reminds me of Oregon. The snow is heavy here just like at home in the mountains. It is wonderful! More red berries and snow. I love the contrast. This kid is doing all the right things…he is along for the ride. The sleds were out in force today, from kids pulling kids, to adults pulling kids, to babushka’s pulling groceries. It was great fun to see a whole new mode of transportation. Ahh, the light…pure bliss. The snow made for a great specimen to photograph. I had a blast, but wow was I cold when I finally arrived at Andrew’s. However, I was still ready to play. This snowman just makes for fun! And you just can’t help but smile. The playground near Andrew’s was even used this morning, because what kid cannot resist sliding down a slide covered in snow. And here is Andrew’s entrance to his building. I love the arbor of grape vines which are now covered in snow. And lastly, this teeny, tiny car that almost had me squealing with delight. So fun!

Wyoming had a fabulous party tonight for the new Group 42 PCV’s who arrived into the Lugansk Oblast a couple of weeks ago. The crazy part is that I did not actually take any pictures of the new group. Oh well… Dara, Kristin and Cary. Yes, Cary, there is now an awesome pic of you on the blog…and with two hotties!! Nice work!! Wyoming had this awesome tree. It is even real! It put all of us in a great celebratory mood. Thanks Wyo for the pre-NYE. It was great to meet more of the new PCV’s and have many of us together.

Merry Christmas, America! It seems odd to be so far from all the festivities with decorated streets and houses, but I will be back to celebrate with you in a couple of years.

This Christmas I will wake up with Anne at Colette's house in Crimea and spend the day with many other Peace Corps Volunteers. There will be tables full of American Christmas foods, some that have traveled from the United States so that we can all have a bit of home from so far away.

Рождеством всех! Имейте замечательный день!

For some reason, I am finally all over the blog and updates today. And I always enjoy fun and informational blogs. More because they are interesting, but are usually not likely to have profound insight. They are purely for the fun of sharing another culture.

Celebrating birthday's is BIG in Ukraine. Birthday's are a very big deal here and very sacred, so it is not unusual to have a celebration for days. These took a bit of getting used to when I first arrived, but with Kola's birthday today, it was the perfect time to share.

Yep, today is Kola's birthday. His name is actually Nikolai, but Kola is a common nickname for Nikolai in Ukraine. He is our IT guy.

So, the celebration. The birthday person brings in all the treats and drink. Chocolates and candies are very common, as is sliced fruit. Sometimes there is cake, but not usually and sometimes there is pasties, but again, not usually.

The treats are amazing. The little wrapped chocolates in gold and blue ends are my favorite. They are chocolate and soft caramels.

Tanya and Natasha are slicing fruit on the window sill in our little break room. Those wide window sills are highly functional.

Kola, the birthday dude, is opening bottles of wine. Yep, wine is included in this little celebration. Sometimes there is also champagne, but none today. Mind the celebration is at 10A. The first time the wine and champagne came out in the office at 10A to celebrate a birthday was one of the strangest things I have ever experienced. I love it! But wow, we are not in Oregon anymore. The liability alone would put a halt to such celebrations. Martinelli's to the rescue.



The table is complete. And ready for the celebration to begin.

And then we add the people. This is everyone I work with. Most of them not closely, but this is the crew in my building.

Happy Birthday, Kola!!!

Well, the preparation is under way at the office for celebrating the New Year holiday in Ukraine. A couple of weeks ago there was some costume shopping and it seems as through there are multiple areas that hold pieces of costumes around the office. As best I can tell, the office celebration will be on the 29th of December.



This is Kayta and most often she is our librarian, but for the New Years celebrations she will take on the role of Princess. I think the boots make the outfit.



Olga and Kate, and several others in the office had a great time trying on the clothes today. The celebration looks to be interesting and fun!!



This is adorable. Olga seems to be either an Egyptian or American Indian elf. At least she is one of Santa's helpers in some form.

Everyone, meet Olga Taranova. Olga is my saving grace at work. This girl is a dream come true. So many PCV's have issues with translators and communication at work. And I still wish I spoke Russian, but I am lucky to have Olga. She is brilliant! And I could not do what I do without her.

Yup, today was my first actual live and in person seminar. And it was fabulous! Olga, my translator, and I had a great time. We had practice for hours and revamped the seminar so many times that we were overly prepared. The seminar was a Grant Writing and Project Management lecture and practical application class in three parts. It was five hours long and covered all the basic, technical components of both grant writing and project management.





We had fourteen attendees, all female. Most attendees are employed with the Department of Social Services with the Lugansk City and Oblast Administrations. Everyone was very interested in the topic and the feedback was very positive. Yes, they filled out feedback forms at the end of the seminar.

Several hours after the seminar concluded, Olga and I met with the management team and received some feedback for the next seminar and now it seems as through Olga and I will become a road show giving this same seminar/class in rayon centers around the Lugansk Oblast.

Today was a WIN!!!

My Wednesday classes taught about Father Frost and his granddaughter tonight. I really enjoyed their stories and comparative information to Santa Claus. I thought all of you would enjoy the story and some pictures.

ДедМороз, Ded Moroz is a fictional character who in some Slavic cultures plays a role similar to that of Santa Claus. The literal translation of the name is Grandfather Frost, although the nameis often translated as Father Frost.Ded Moroz is said to bring presents to children, however, unlike the secretiveSanta Claus, the gifts are often delivered "in person", at New Year's Eve parties and other New Year celebrations. The"in-person" gifts usually occur at organized celebrations atkindergartens or schools and at circus performances around New Year time wherethe gifts can be standardized. At my office Father Frost will be visiting kidsof employees at the Center during a New Year celebration on December 29th.

Ded Moroz usually accompanied by Снегурочка, Snegurochka,or Snow Maiden, his granddaughter. She is a unique attribute of Ded Moroz, notraditional gift-givers from other cultures are portrayed with a similarcompanion.

The traditional appearance of Ded Moroz resembles that of Santa Claus,with his coat, boots and long white beard. Specifically, Ded Moroz is oftenshown wearing a heel-length fur coat, a semi-round fur hat, and valenki or jackboots on his feet. Unlike Santa Claus, heis often depicted as walking with a long magical staff.

The official residence of Ded Moroz in Russia is considered to be the town of Veliky Ustyug. Ded Moroz is very popular in modern Russia. Between2003 and 2010, the post office in Veliky Ustyug received approximately2,000,000 letters from within Russiaand from all over the world for Ded Moroz.

Finally, I made it to Svatovo in the northern part of the Lugansk Oblast to visit Sara. You have heard many things about Sara Cooper on this blog in the past nine months. She is a close friend and has been an awesome support during my service. We could not have done this without each other. The girl is simply AMAZING!!!

So, Peace Corps Volunteers are an odd bunch by nature. And all of us don't arrive that way, but for some reason when you add a foreign culture and a Peace Corps Volunteer, you get an odd result. The above picture would be that result. With a bit of a nudge from Sara's Mom, she and I ventured into the rain today to take a black background with white sign and red letters for the Cooper family Christmas Card. It turned into quite the adventure, and really quite fun!!! Thanks, Sara's Mom!!!

Svatovo is seriously like stepping back in time and living in Russia, 30 years ago. It is incredible. You can see the sunflower mill in the distance in the above picture.

The sunflower oil mill up close. It was not running while we were walking by, but Sara assures me that when the mill is operating is smells of sunflower seeds. A welcome odor to the coal country near the city of Lugansk.

No city would be complete without a city center and memorial to the Great Patriotic War, aka. World War II. The one thing Svatovo has that I have yet to see is the memorial in pink.



Yep, I took this photo, but with a little playing on Photo Shop it is interesting in Black and White. I love that it seems so timeless. It was incredible to stand over the tracks and process the historic value of such a place.



A pretty cool house. I love the colors and blend. The leaves from autumn are almost gone and the rain made the colors even richer in tone. Simply beautiful!

I do not have streets like this in Lugansk. It was great to see wide empty streets, of course it was raining, but the quietness made for an interesting perspective.



The train tracks headed toward Russia and the gate keepers house. Every major and often minor road with a train track through it has a gate keepers house, especially closer to the cities and villages.

Many of Svatovo's roads are unpaved and quickly turn to mud with the rain.

I had a great time in Svatovo and will be back soon for a visit. I had a great time and always love spending time with Sara.

I had thecraziest trip to Sara today. Sara livesin Svatovo, which is normally an uneventful three hour bus ride north ofme. I was supposed to be assistinganother PCV this afternoon, but that was cancelled after I was already homefrom work, so after a quick shower and packing, I headed for the bus station totake the first available seat to Svatovo. Originally, I had planned to leave on Saturday AM at 630A, but thanrealized that I could get the 425P on Friday afternoon. And suddenly, with a rapidly changingschedule, I was able to leave at 220P.

As the buspulled out of the station at 223P, I was really excited that I would be to Saraby 530P. Yeh! The bus made what seemed like a thousandstops while trying to get out of Lugansk, but finally we were actually out ofthe city limits and I was fast asleep. MyiPod had a dead battery, but the hum of the bus put me right to sleep.

And thenthe BUMP!!!

The bumpwoke me out of a hard sleep. And it was irritating,but I quickly went back to a closed eye position. And then we were slowing down. I just figured we were in a village, which wewere. But then we proceeded to stop andthe driver made his way up the aisle. Now mind you, there are people and bags in the aisle. (In Ukraine, youcan board the bus without a ticket and just pay the driver for the amountneeded to cover for whatever village you will be dropped at between departureand final destination. And if there areno seats, you stand. So, this bus had 30seats and there were 36 people.)

The driverproceeds to find the correct size the screwdriver needed and adjust his headlamp.

Text Message333POMG, I so want to take a picture of the busdriver who just unscrewed the floor board in the aisle and is proceeding toclimb under the bus with a headlamp on … Awesome!

And this isall happening while the bus is still running. There is no weird noise, so we can not figure out what is going on. But, I have lived in Ukraine fornine months now and nothing phases me anymore. Odd things to an American happen every day in Ukraine!

Text Message350POh, now we are backed into an auto repair place.. With a really full bus .. Hilarious!

The drivercannot figure what is wrong, so we pull into the first auto repair place on theoutskirts of a village. Mind you, we arein a huge bus. The driver then backsinto a repair bay between two buildings with about six inches to spare oneither side. It was incredible towatch. And suddenly 36 of us are just chillin’in a bus on a repair bay. A Ukrainianfriend texts and asks if I need language assistance, I say no, because althoughpeople are calling family and friends, no one has the faintest idea what isgoing on. Even if I had great Russianskills I still would have no idea what was going on. HUH!!!

Text Message420PAlmost had freedom .. But alas our bus is backinto the dark repair bay .. So far no one is jumping ship!

At thispoint I was amazed that everyone was still on the bus, but really where arepeople going to go. Besides a few takinga bathroom break, we are all still here. It was crazy!!!

Text Message444POh, we seem to be welding under the bus now ..This just gets better and better! Needcards and vodka about now!

Yup, thisis where I started thinking ‘Papa Sergei would not be happy about thissituation’. Papa Sergei is the head ofSafety and Security for all PCV’s in Ukraine. He is the one guy who never wants to knowyour name when you are done with service, because that means you never had tocall him and are going home safe and sound.

See, thebus had just filled up with gas as we were leaving Lugansk. Yup, we all stayed on the bus for the fill upand now there is welding going on under the bus with a full gas tank.

For manyyears I had an office right next to the facilities department of asemiconductor company. They had somegreat pictures on the cubicle walls. Butthe one of a guy in the middle of a pool full of water on a metal ladderchanging a light blub is the one I still remember to this day. Ukrainian or American, it does not matter,men do some crazy things without really processing the result if things go verybad, very quickly.

A bus with36 people on it and a full gas tank while welding underneath it still makes mejust shake my head a bit and chuckle.

Text Message455PThey just lifted the back end .. And we are nowsitting at a major tilt .. And ALL of us are still on the bus!

Suddenly Iwas looking down the bus (I was in the back row) and we were now hanging out ata fairly substantial tilt. Being in the last row means I was sitting a bithigher, so it took me minute to see the tilt. And then I just chuckled to myself. By now I had my Kindle out and was reading, so I didn’t even the feelthe bus go up. So funny!!!

Text Message524PAnd half the bus just unloaded .. A quick callto Yuri for translation help and turns out we have a new bus coming .. and Yuritells me I am 20km from Lugansk with no marshutka .. so I am just hanging out.. And will eventually get to Sara .. Really excited I took an earlier businstead of the 425P, so I could get started on my weekend! LOL!

This wasinteresting! But Yuri assured me that Ishould just stay on the bus. I had aticket and the driver was arranging to get another bus.

Shortlyafter I hung up with Yuri, the driver came back on the bus, made someannouncements and suddenly the entire bus unloaded. Now I was starting to have a bit ofanxiety. Not really panicked yet,because Yuri had already offered to come and get me, but really wondering whatwas going on.

So anothercall to Yuri and some translation help. Then I just held the phone up, so Yuri could hear the conversationaround me, now things are just plain hysterical, and Yuri is starting to laughat me. Yuri tells me it is just my luckand he knew something like this would happen. See, I have enough Russian to shop and live, but not enough to followfast conversations or understand what is going on around me.

But Yuriassures me that if I just stick close to the broken bus another bus will becoming. I have now found a group of fourcollege age girls who are also going to Svatovo and I keep close to them.

I calledSara to let her know what is going on and I see the bus driver hop in a car andleave. It is 533P, so I am hoping thathe will be back in 90 minutes. Then Icall Andrew, who has been on my email list and let him know the latest. He repeats that this is just my luck (LOL!!)and tells me that the driver is more likely to take two hours to return.

While I am on the phone and trying to stay warm by wandering around the parking lot, I take a walk around the bus. I suddenly realize that the rear bumper is almost sitting on top of the rear tire, which means that something happened to the rear suspension. I knew that the BUMP was trouble!!!

Mind you, by now it is dark and coldoutside. Eventually many of us head backonto the old bus to try and stay just a little bit warmer.

Yuri callsat 710P and says he is coming to get me. He is bribing me with hot food and tea, and I was cold, so this made melaugh. I am so lucky to have Yuri,Andrew and Vlad (well, Vlad when he is actually in the same country I am) whoworry about me and make sure I am ok.

So, Yuri isnow on his way to get me. But I reallywant to see Sara, so I am not sure if I really want him to come. But he is worried and insistent.

Text Message736PAnd the journey continues .. New bus that seats 15 and has 22 of us ..Cozy, but warming up .. where are those shots of vodka you love so much, ukraine .. I amso ready! Svatovo and Sara, here I come!

Wahoo! Two minutes after I get off the phone withYuri, the new bus arrives. I quicklycalled him back and told him I was headed to Svatovo. The driver quickly loads us all and we are onthe road again. Yeh!!!

Text Message936PMade it! First up Pelmeni … and then Mulled Wine!

The day began a bit earlier than I would have preferred with the late night that just occurred, but there was cooking to do. I arrived at Caroline’s this morning ready to follow instructions. I have learned so much from spending time with Caroline in her kitchen and love cooking with her. We started with making the stuffing for both birds and quickly moved to making four mushroom casseroles. Mushroom Casserole: butter, mushrooms, sour cream, parsley, bread crumbs and red pepper…what is not to love! Caroline ordered the birds from her local meat vendor in a nearby bazaar. They were about 10 kilograms a piece or about 25 lbs. For those who are curious they were 40UAH per kilogram which is about $1.75USD a pound. Which is actually fairly expensive for poultry in Ukraine. There is a reason I eat more chicken. Time to stuff the bird. Just like at home. Thanks for all those lessons, Mom. I can actually brine, stuff and truss a turkey. Although the trussing in Ukraine without the materials I am used to was interesting. Kurt was in charge of the mashed potatoes. He used an old family recipe and they were amazing! No Turkey Day is complete without some good old American football. And Turkey Day in Lugansk was no exception. I had to leave before the game really got started (there was a turkey that needed to spend some time in my oven), but I did manage to catch some of the fun!!! Cary, a PCV from Lugansk, arranged for the Americans to play a group of Ukrainians who have an American football team. Cary was really nervous that there would not be enough Americans to have a game or that if we did all show, we would lose. And of course, as we are in Ukraine, the snow arrived just in time for our Turkey Bowl game. It was cold, but everyone seemed have a fabulous time. Pre-game stretching. And no that is not an ambulance in the background, but it probably would have been a good idea. The Americans Won!!!! Thanks Cary for setting this up! It was a blast! And here is the bird. T2, aka. Turkey Two, was stuffed and baked at my flat. As you can see I barely had a pan big enough and the lid concept was interesting. I took two oven cooking bags and tucked it around T2. The other concept that was interesting was trussing this bird. Turkey are slippery so you cannot just stick shish kebob sticks in and think it will hold. So I got a bit creative with my weaving of turkey skin and sticks. It worked like a charm. And once cooked, it was now time to think about how to transport this fabulous smelling bird a couple of miles to Caroline’s. HUH!!! But one IKEA bag and a couple of towels, and we were ready for transport via marshutka. T2 all unwrapped and ready to be sliced. Love the trussing! So about using whatever you have available. T2 and T1 side by side. There was a lot of turkey and 20 something Americans had no problem eating it all. Rachael and Kristin. They both made treks to get to Lugansk for the festivities and it was awesome to have them around. Our fearless leader, Caroline. She is the brains behind this entire operation and we could not have done this without her. Already there is talk about a Thanksgiving at her house in San Diego in a couple of years where fitting 20 some odd people is not so stressful. And we were crowded, but I don’t think anyone even noticed. We were so excited to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and celebrate with so many old and new friends that nobody even cared that there were so many of us. Many, many thanks to Caroline for such a fantastic job. We love you and truly appreciate everything you do for all of us. You have saved many of us from meltdowns and terrible bouts of homesickness. You are amazing!!! So much fun!!! At one point I believe there was a challenge of how many PCV’s can we fit into Caroline’s kitchen. Because the above picture is nine or ten in a 6x9 space that also includes all the kitchen appliances and cabinets. Yup, that is how we roll!! I feel like I should have an opinion poll about right here…The Best Turkey Day Tush! These guys always make me laugh and this picture is no exception. Thanks for the laugh, boys!! Quite a spread for Turkey Dinner, even 6000 miles from home. Wahoo!!! Amy and Rebecca. I love that even the full plates look like a turkey dinner. So yummy!!! Lots of people and lots of food….the perfect combination!!! And it was another Thanksgiving celebration for the record books. Thanks everyone for the traveling, cooking, hosting and making the 2011 Thanksgiving holiday so fabulous!!!

I have many great memories from the goings on for the Friday after Thanksgiving and this year was no exception. Well, besides the fact that we celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday. Today was filled with wonderful Thanksgiving and Peace Corps activities. Be forewarned there are a lot of pictures of Pete Isaac in this post. Pete is an old friend from my Peace Corps Community Development training group and came to play for a few days over the holiday. It was like having a partner in crime for five days. We had an awesome weekend and LIVED!!! Yup, Pete and I have the perfect love/hate relationship, and luckily more love than hate. We started the day helping Caroline with her Friday English class. Caroline’s organization works with Special Needs Youth and Adults, so this class is challenging and fun at the same time. The kids are all fabulous and want to learn, so they try and after a while things stick. It is incredible to watch people work hard to learn a second or third language when they likely struggled to learn their first language. It was a fantastic opportunity to help Caroline. Amy, Pete and myself had a great time. Caroline is amazing with these kids. So patient and willing to teach the same thing a hundred different ways. It is incredible to watch her in her element. And then the cooking began. If one thing can be said about Pete it is that he is a ton of fun. However, he has never made a pie, so this Thanksgiving it was time for the guy to learn. First up…Pumpkin Pie… And then there is Apple, Cherry, and Apple-Cherry. Caroline saved the cherries over the summer, because we live in a seasonal country this is a must. Although I do believe you could find frozen cherries at Metro. Huh, might need to look. And this is for my dad. Dad and Beth have been sending canned smoked salmon in my care packages. So I broke open a can. Caroline added some mayonnaise, lemon juice and parsley…and I made little sandwiches. It was awesome! Thanks Dad and Beth for the added treats from home. They are amazing!!! Cooking can take a lot out of a guy! And finally there was food. There were 12 PCV’s and Andrew (Wyoming’s translator and our lone Ukrainian) for a pasta feast. Nothing like a carbo load before Thanksgiving! Yeh, food. And a ton of friends!! This was a great Friday!

Today was fairly low key after a big party last night and some Thanksgiving pre-game fun, but it did include a trip to the train station to see Nazgol Zand off. Her last day as a Peace Corps Volunteer is on Tuesday and she is off to enjoy a non Peace Corps life in NYC. She has been a huge influence on many people and will be missed greatly.

Even as I write this I am shocked that it is time to say goodbye to PCV’s. Every six months a new group of PCV’s come in to Ukraine, which also means that every six months a group closes their service. In the next several weeks I will say goodbye to Nazgol and Susan. Nazgol leaves on close to Thanksgiving and Susan leaves on my six month anniversary at site. We all move to our new cities and homes, and make great friends. We enjoy seeing each other throughout the week and on the weekends, and then suddenly it is time for another group to COS. The time just flies by!!! So, many of us met in Lutugino about 30 minutes south of Lugansk, to bid Nazgol farewell. It was fun to have so many PCV’s and Ukrainian friends together. We all had a great time! We will all miss having Nazgol around and it was great to celebrate her service together! On the way to Nazgol’s flat we walked thru a large square and there was this adorable boy trying to play with the pigeons. He would lay down and hope that they come to him. When that did not work he would jump up and chase them. It was adorable! Some of us arrived just into to help prep. It was quite fun to have so many people doing so many things and chatting away. Katerina and I talking face to face. She and I seem to find each other regularly late at night on Facebook and catch up. This girl is a ton of fun! And when my feet start to freeze here, because even though I love my boots, my toes are never going to survive, this girl and I are going shopping. Cheers to Nazgol!!! Eleven PCV’s and three Ukrainians, well four when you include Andrew who took the picture. Thanks Andrew!! Andrew and Nazgol!! Love!! No,they are not dating, but this is just a thing they do… PCV’s Nazgol, Kristen, Hailey and I… Me with Nazgol and Kristen… We had a great time together and will miss Nazgol, but we are already for the new group. So excited!!

A few months ago I heard a circulating rumor about a collaborative project idea that Cary had. Cary is a PCV in Lugansk. He then recruited fellow PCV’s Kurt and Caroline for help. And the result is a fabulous Scavenger Hunt through Lugansk. After weeks of planning and organizing, it was time for the first test run. Cary, Caroline and Kurt recruited PCV’s from the Lugansk Oblast to test the scavenger hunt. Wow, such a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. It was an absolute blast!!! For future hunters I can revel too much, but enjoy the photos. The planners waiting on the PCV’s to roll in. We all seem to run on Ukrainian time on the weekends. PCV Dara is obviously having a great time. The baba was awesome!!! Huh!!! The fun continues…. Caroline giving my team our last clue. And we are first to visit Lenin….WE WIN!!!! So, off to Beer Hof we go to celebrate and write an evaluation. This mug was too good to not photograph!! I had never seem such a thing, but here is a beer tower. Obviously, such a thing is not wasted on a group of PCV’s. Thanks for the beer tower Caroline…. These shots were too hard to pass up. They are so PCV Ukraine. Ahh, the marshutka. After a quick bit of Indian food, so good, we headed to our differing destinations. It was a great day! Thanks again to Cary, Kurt and Caroline for the fun times!!

Today was the one year anniversary of the Cooking Club in Lugansk. It was started with Caroline, a Peace Corps Volunteer and several Ukrainians. The idea is that it is a share of culture, food and language. Most Cooking Club activities include a little of all. And today was no exception. There are were twelve of us today, some for the first time and some who have been around since the beginning. There is no better way to spend a Sunday evening then with great friends and wonderful food!!! Galoupsie and Borscht were the main entrees and they were amazing. Nina, a Ukrainian, was brilliant in the kitchen for today’s activities and we could not have survived without her. I even learned how to make Easy Galoupsie and it was so GOOD!! I am ready to make it again in the coming weeks. It has become my Ukrainian version of Lasagna. Delicious!!! Yup, we all sure know how to eat around here. And the people! So awesome!! Thanks to Sasha and Caroline for the candles. They were so fun!!! And perfect for such a grand celebration!! And obviously there were no leftovers. Even Mr.Pumpkin had a great time keeping watch with the window. Thanks again to all for the help and planning. Cooking Club is so fun and I am looking forward to many more to come!

This will go down as one of my most fun and interesting Halloween’s ever. Having never lived outside of the USA for a full year before, or ever, it is amazing to share traditions and holidays with another culture. It was incredible how something as simple as carving pumpkins can become as fun and endearing as it was when I was ten years old. The pumpkin carving was amazing and so fun!! Ahhh, the classic picking up paper cutouts with a straw for points. This was a hoot!!! Besides learning to dance Thriller, I believe this was the most favorite activity of the day. Passing The Apple!!! We did it twice with two teams of 12ish and it was a blast!! We could have done this ten times over and people would have loved it. No English Club is complete without a fun quiz and today was no exception!! Even I learned something new today!! Potter Prince was Harry Potter, kinda cute with the name and all. Susan was a Cat Bulgur and Nazgol was Fall. People are so creative. I love it!!! I was very uncreative this year. But I already have a plan for next year and I am really excited about it. And my plan does not include Katerina’s blinking pink horns, but I wish it did. I love the horns!!! Today was so fun…exhausting just as it was when I was a kid, but so worth the entertainment and opportunity to share.

Today was a day for the record books. Several weeks a non profit in Lugansk, East Ukraine Civic Iniatives (EUCCI), asked the Peace Corps Volunteers in the area if someone and a few of us were available to make a couple of presentations. One to adults about how NGO’s, youth and the internet interact. And the other was who youth and schools utilize the internet, together. I did the first one and Kurt took the second one. It was great. I did eight slides and talked about how students help communities and how communities help students. My translator was awesome and with no practice we quickly found a great rhythm. The audience was reactive and interactive, which made for a very fun 45 minutes. Things could not have been better for my first presentation in Ukraine all by myself. The group that we were working with is a service orientated group for youth in Ukraine called LUGARI. Service orientated groups for youth and adults are hard to find in Ukraine, so it was great to see 40 youth learning about how to help and give back. And of course, they all practiced their English with me. Here are the kids working in small groups and collaborating on webpage design. Very fun!!! Kurt is a PCV near me who helped with the translation of the initial grant for the funding of this project. He and Alyona have worked together quite a bit on this project and it was great to see it come full circle for them.

Sometimes photos are really fantastic!! They express so many interesting things with just one glance.

This says that I had a really great time at the Dnipro Game last Saturday night.

I have been wanting to take pictures of the signs around me for several months now. And I ran across some great ones in Donetsk this weekend, so here is an interesting assortment. Name: Ukraine Bistro I love this picture. A cossack guy tossing varenky. Shaktar signage and a very small coffee shop! I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. Especially the Quick Sandwish! Awesome!!!

Another day in Donetsk today. It was COLD today and windy. The interviews ended quickly and we headed to breakfast. I even had a omelet. OK, so not an American style omelet, but it was fun to try the Ukraine version. Adam and I at breakfast. The orange Challenger popped out at us. And then when I was taking the picture I realized the New Jersey plates. Seemed to good to not include with this blog post. So fun!! Sometimes it makes life interesting to stand in the middle of a bridge and take pictures of an empty road. They were during construction, so thus the empty road. Donetsk River How is it that every thing looks so much more colorful in the fall. I kept stopping for more pictures. Around every corner seemed to be a new church and more colors. It was incredible!! My first witness of recycling in Ukraine. Wahoo!!! Now lets hope it catches on…quickly!!! A little mini reunion… Brenton, Richard, Andrea and I. And the craziness continues. Sometimes big kids just cannot resist playing like little kids. The construction is occurring all over the city. Donetsk is hosting a few of the games for the Euro2012 events. And it seems that Donetsk is busily into the swing of repairs and upgrades. And the train station is no exception to the construction. Right now the Donetsk Train Station is a place to avoid, but it will be fantastic when it is complete. And here is my train back to Lugansk. And then arrived to this adorable note on my fridge.

Well not completely Girls Weekend, but close enough. Andrea and Sara had interviews to volunteer during the Euro2012 and since they were going to be only three hours away by train from me, I invited myself along. And we had a blast. Andrea arranged for us to crash at Adam’s apartment, which is huge. Adam spent the weekend showing us around and the four of us seemed practically in separable for nearly 48 hours. I miss my girls. Andrea lives in Sevastopol and what seems like a million miles away. And Sara is only three hours away by bus, but I never see the girl. It was great to spend some time together and just hang out. A game…how many Peace Corps Volunteers can you fit into a telephone booth. And Lenin Square, of course. Who can resist playing in a park? Not these two… We had a lovely day today. A sunny fall day. Perfect for some great pictures and long walks. Everyone, meet Adam. Our host in Donetsk for the weekend. Love these two. We had a blast. Yup, Peace Corps Volunteers are a bit crazy. Sara is riding a lion and Brenton is practicing his blowing with a beer bottle talent. Thanks everyone for such a great weekend. And to Adam for providing the housing.

Tonight started out as a random Friday night. Sara was in town before she and I headed for Donetsk early in the AM. Kristen came up to hang out and have some friend time. Yuri came over for a bit. And as always, thankfully, Vlad was here. For half the night we hung out at my flat. Not really doing much. Eating great food…drinking some excellent beverages…and just spending time together. When Vlad walked in the door he told me that he had heard from his new job and he was leaving on Monday for Abu Dhabi, which means he is leaving on Sunday from Lugansk. The timing was a surprise as was the 48 hour notice, but he has been waiting to hear about travel plans to begin his one year internship at the St Regis Saadiyat Island for about four weeks. So, our evening of just spending time together, became one last time together before Vlad left us for a year. Yep, the three of us will all still be here when he comes back. And as per the norm when the four of us are together, we decided to head to a discothèque at 1230A. This time came with some great stories. Sara and Kristen were turned away at the door for their shoes, no UGG like boots allowed. So we decided to head back to me apartment for shoes and a change of shirts. Vlad talked to the bouncer and he advised a wardrobe change. This was especially funny due to the fact that Sara is from Vegas and Kristen is from LA. In their natural habitat these girls do it right, but this is Ukraine. Turns out not everything goes here. Finally we were in the door and ready to play. It had to be close to 130A by now, but we were having a fabulous time. We ended up home at around 430A. The party started to wind down and two of us had a 630A train to catch. Well once we got back to my flat, Vlad wanted to take pictures. This guy is going to miss his Peace Corps Volunteer friends terribly and wanted pics. See below. By 540A I had a shower, packed and Sara, Vlad, and I headed for the train station. We said good-bye for the last time, and Sara and I were off to Donetsk on no sleep. I suddenly realized I had not pulled an all nighter like that in more years than I could remember. Great friends for always… Ahhh, Sara. This girl is always up for the crazy pics. And you will notice that the snuggly boots are back on. She ditched my one size too big 3 inch heels as soon as we walked in the door. We will all miss this guy. But in a year he will be back…there will be more than a few peeps at the train station to welcome him home…and we will party for a week… MISS YOU, VLAD!!! But have a blast in Adu Dhabi!!! Vlad and his girls… Such a fabulous night!!! No comment…there are just no words!!! LMAO!!!

A PCV, Pete Isaac, asked for some input regarding a project he is currently working on. As I wrote my responses to his questions I realized that this would make a great blog post. Some things have been omitted to protect the innocent.

What I am looking for is a smallreflection on your experience so far. Not necessarily a summary of what you aredoing, but what things you really feel you were really prepared for, things youview as a complete waste of time, and most importantly (in my opinion) whatimprovements you would make on the transition process (trainee to volunteer)?The reflection piece focusing more on your first seven months in Ukraine:

What are the things you feel youhave been able to accomplish? Why? How?Sometimes I feel as though my community integration was extra ordinaryfor the norm with PCV’s. I meet threeguys ‘my boys’ who would become my closest Ukrainian friends on my first dayhere. I have ten volunteerswithin a 45 minutes bus ride from me. Ihave at least five translators on speed dial if I need them. I have 24 Host Country National’s (HCN) fromLugansk on my email contacts list. I have both HCN and PCV girls to do a girlsnight with. I host a large gathering atmy house at least once a month, as many as 23 and as small as 5, always a mixof PCV’s and HCN’s. Next goal: a hundredpeople on my vKontakte account (Facebook for Russians and Ukrainians),currently at fifty-seven.And I honestly have no idea how this happened. It could be a perfect combination of mypersonality and the same of others. Itcould be that I was in desperate need of help due to a crashed hard drive when Iarrived and ‘my boys’ happily stepped up. My life would be so different without my boys, a well establishedEnglish Club and all the PCV’s around me.

What are the things you arecompletely lost on?I am completely lost in regards to water cooler talk. The good side is that I am not reallyincluded in the gossip. The bad side isthat I usually have no idea what is going on. It has become quite comical. I amstraight up 8A-5P, M-F volunteer, which causes me some interesting moments atthis. It has been difficult for me towrap my head around ‘volunteer’ and a ‘40 hour work week’.I am completely lost on Russian/Ukrainian/Soviet businesspractices. I should have read a book ortwo regarding the subject before I came, so I could better understand themindset. Even the cross-cultural bookthat is given to PCV’s by the Peace Corps, although very helpful for life, doesnot do much for Community Development Volunteers who face many Russian/Ukrainian/Sovietbusiness practices every day and are in a constant struggle against aninvisible wall.I am completely lost on the differences in varenky and pelmeni, andkotleta in the bulk foods frozen section of the grocery store. There are so many choices. And half the time they are posted inUkrainian and half the time in Russian. It is pretty funny.Why the tiny dried and slated fish? Enough said. I just don’t get it.

Are you spending more time onprimary or secondary projects? Primary. When the Peace Corpstell you that every experience is different, they are not kidding. I have a very different situation and havebeen placed in the type of organization (state level) that has never had avolunteer in the past. I am a test caseaccording to the Peace Corps, so my situation is both closely monitored andsomewhat less flexible. I think working for the Lugansk Oblast (State)administration has cured my of government work in the future.I have taken on one secondary project, two 45 minutes presentations fora NGO. Otherwise, besides English Cluband assisting other PCV’s my secondary projects, it seems, will be few and farbetween.

Are there some significant issuesyou are having that you feel could have been/could not have been avoided?My organization had less training with regards to Peace Corps than Idid. This made for some huge growingpains in my first 45 days at site.For the most part, I over packed and came to Ukraine very well prepared. I realized last night that I packed about280lbs of ‘stuff’. I carried 140lbshere. I shipped myself (thanks to mom)pre-packed boxes after arriving at site, 80lbs. And my mom brought over about60lbs of more ‘stuff’ during a visit a few weeks ago. This has really helped with ‘issues’. My flat is a home and 100% comfortable forme, so I have been able to relax more and more, therefore dealing with ‘issues’with a positive mindset. Another reason my issues seem to affect me less is that I have a greatsupport system in Ukraine. If I have a question, need translation help,or just need to talk I have great people to call.Otherwise, I just wish I had more shoes. Ukraine’sterrain is a killer on the shoes.

What would you tell a Group 43 CDtrainee if you were to go to one of the Thursday Tech Training sessions (at thelyceum or over beers)? I started using the statement ‘turn off the American brain’. I literally, at many moments during the day,have to remind myself that what makes sense in the states will not happen here. It is not that one or the other is right orwrong, it is just that it is completely different than what the American statusquo usually is.· Loveevery minute. · Youlive in Eastern Europe in a beautiful countrythat is on the brink of greatness…embrace it!! All of it!!! · PCV’sare awesome, don’t be afraid to use and abuse the network of PCV’s, all arehappy to help.· Getready to live outside your comfort zone for the next 27 months…embrace it!!!· Findyour closest EpiCenter and Metro…they will make you happy when nothing elseworks.· Changeyour Life phone plan to the 40texts/400min per day for one UAH plan…you willlove it once you are at site…· Buya new bed if need be. Great sleep willbe your saving grace. There is no betterplace when you get your first cold.· Coveryour ass!! Journal, write it down, callyour RM, call your PCMO…whatever it takes.· Vodka+ Vanilla Bean = vanilla extract (after three weeks in a jar)· Thelanguage is brutal…oh well!!

The questions are broad and generalon purpose. I am not going to get more specific than that because thisparticipation is all voluntary and I want you to express what you feel isimportant. Once I receive everyone's information, I will compile it anddistribute for you all to see.

If you are up for a laugh today...this is hilarious and will keep you giggling...

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don’t work there, you live in Oregon.If you’ve worn shorts, sandals and a parka at the same time, you live in Oregon.If you’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Oregon.If you measure distance in hours, you live in Oregon.If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Oregon.If you have switched from ‘heat’ to ‘A/C’ and back again in the same day, you live in Oregon.If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both doors unlocked, you live in Oregon.If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Central, Southern or Eastern Oregon.If you design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a 2 layers of clothes or under a raincoat, you live in Oregon.If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow and ice, you live in Oregon.If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Oregon.If you feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash, you live in Oregon.If you know more than 10 ways to order coffee, you live in Oregon.If you know more people who own boats than air conditioners, you live in Oregon.If you stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the “Walk” signal, you live in Oregon.If you consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain, you live in Oregon.If you can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and Dutch Bros, you live in Oregon.If you know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon, you live in Oregon.If you know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Clatskanie, Issaquah, Oregon, Umpqua, Yakima and Willamette, you live in Oregon.If you consider swimming an indoor sport, you live in Oregon.If you know that Boring is a city and not just a feeling, you live in Oregon.If you can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food, you live in Oregon.If you never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho, you live in Oregon.If you have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain, you live in Oregon.If you think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists, you live in Oregon.If you buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time, you live in Oregon.If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your OREGON friends, you live or have lived in Oregon.

The leaves are beginning to turn and fall has arrived quickly. There is a defined chill in the air and the layering of clothes is a part of my daily staple. I have been drinking more tea to warm the bones and made my first pot of chicken soup a few days ago. It is amazing to me how quickly the cold has arrived, but I am quickly adjusting. I even spent a couple of hours today changing out the summer wardrobe for the winter wardrobe.

And to think I could have missed this. I was supposed to go Kyiv and stayed home due to the end of a nasty cold. Rebecca, a Peace Corps Volunteer in a small town about 45 minutes from me, turned 23 today. The theme was Indian and there was even Indian food ordered from a great restaurant in Lugansk. Nazgol and Vlad picked up the food and the three of us hopped a bus. Sometimes there are interesting things that show up in pictures. Here are Rebecca and Nazgol having an awesome time dancing, and Kurt and Kip seem so indifferent. This makes me laugh!!! For some of the girls the outfits did not last long. Hailey was the first to move into her UCLA sweats, but the dancing continued. Nazgol was a dancing machine. The boys on the balcony. They missed the dancing craziness, but I found them chatting away. Vitaly and Anya were awesome. They are friends of Rebecca, Kurt, Kip and Hailey. Vitaly is everyone’s tutor and from what I hear Anya is a fabulous hair dresser. Which means I may have found someone to cut my hair. Yeh!!! They are so fun! What was the deal with everyone and the shocked look. And really…a garbage bag on Hailey’s head. LOL!!! Nazgol, Kurt, Kip and myself…such fun!!! And the decorations were so creative. The guys…looking…I have no idea. But it sure makes for a fun picture! And the dancing continued. Yup, there was fun had by all!!! The girls really got into the dancing and singing grove…and we somehow have the pictures to prove it. And then we all thought it was a good idea to get Kurt involved….which it was!!! Rebecca’s birthday was a perfect way to spend a Saturday night. We all had a fabulous time!!! This makes me look forward to my birthday…ALMOST!!!

I had a long and disheartening day today, so it seemed like the perfect time to bake my first batch of chocolate chip cookies. I invited a few friends over and the evening turned into a great mix of friends who love me, smoked salmon from Dad and beer. Yup, sometimes the greatest fix for a disheartening day is great friends and my favorite foods.

The chocolate chips and brown sugar are thanks to my sisters. I could probably live for two years without chocolate chip cookies, but it was awesome to turn to my normal and very American comfort food. Chocolate Chip Cookies and Smoked Salmon…

I have been sick since last Wednesday, which makes a week today. It started with a vicious headache that lasted two days. The sore throat started on Friday afternoon. And the symptoms just kept coming…AWESOME!!! So this has been my little pharmacy on my fridge for the past four days. My body does not take colds well, so I brought a bunch of meds with me from home. Thank Goodness!!!

Mom and I happened into this very cool bazaar last week in Kyiv. At the time I did not have my camera, but I went back and took some pictures. I have yet to see such amazing displays in Ukraine and although the bazaar was relatively small, it was fascinating. Mom and I shopped there everyday. For those of you in Ukraine or visiting Kyiv, it is called Bessarabska Rynok on the south end of Khreshchatyk Boulevard and behind the Bille supermarket. There were many, many things I wanted to take home with me to Lugansk.

83 days ... one ocean ... one boat ... many countries ... many trucks ... 80lbs ... 87USD ... and my two pre-packed boxes have arrived ... WAHOO!!!

Now I just have to figure out where to put everything in my small apartment. Yickes!!

What it takes to make vanilla extract? Yeh, I never did either until I moved to a country that doesn’t have vanilla extract. And thanks to Caroline, I now know the answer to that question… Vanilla Bean…Vodka…a jar….and about three weeks of time…and suddenly you will have vanilla extract. HUH!!!

Sometimes a night is meant to be great and then it is just that great. Tonight was that night!! Caroline and Wyoming helped me put together a “Come and Meet Amy’s Mom” gathering of Peace Corps Volunteers and Ukrainians…and we have a blast. A shared beer among friends… These are two of the coolest cats I know… More peeps… Peace Corps Volunteers… Eleven… And considering that there are only 43 volunteers in my region and this party had eleven is awesome. And we represented two complete years of Peace Corps Volunteers…wahoo!!! The boys….and most importantly, the girls… Kurt is once again explaining the fine art of ‘Hello Governor” to Vlad. Ahh, Vlad and his short term memory is something for the record books… Me and my boys!!! I asked my mom to bring three UOregon tshirts over and this is the perfect way to represent in Ukraine… GO DUCKS!!! These two crazy guys make me happy. I will greatly miss the way they have to be together when they are both in Lugansk. This little bromance is adorable and so fun! I can say I introduced them. LOL!!!

Many, many thanks to Yuriy for getting the second shelf in my kitchen up tonight. I love them. I feel so much more organized...and we all know that an organized Amy is a happy Amy. LOL!!!

Wyoming, a volunteer in Lugansk, did some research today and found some great information. This country house was built by a commander. He sold the house shortly after completion. It was since changed hands many times and changed names. The Germans had possession of the estate during World War I and until 2006 it was a hospital for TB patients. When the hospital was closed and cleaned out, the plaster on the walls were scraped off due to possible contamination of TB into the walls. You will notice even the ceiling was scraped. You can see some of the stages of restoration. Amazing!!!

So I talk a lot about English Club in Lugansk with friends and family. I finally took some pictures today of the crew. Today we had 33 people attend, which is A LOT and we will be looking for a new room to meet in if we get much bigger. Summer is ending and all the university students are back. it is wonderful to meet new people and have such a large group. Many PCV’s have English Clubs that is more about teaching English, this group is not like that. This group of people are exceptional English speakers. The topic today was Aviation History, which I love, so it was a great subject to teach and facilitate. I even discovered there is a Multi Media Projector for the English Clubs use. Wahoo!!! With a packed room it made for much easier viewing…

Yup, that is right, today is Ukraine’s birthday. Twenty years of independence from the Soviet Union. So many people. It was amazing! An hour before it had been raining, so we were thrilled with clear skies. I loved the energy and everyone was in a party mood. It was fabulous!!! Ukraine does it right for Independence Day!!! Ah, the fireworks. Need I say more… I love fireworks. And tonight I was with some great people, both Americans and Ukrainians. It was a really great time. Happy Birthday, Ukraine!!! I am so excited that I was able to share such a great day with you!! Here is to the next 20 years!!!

I know, I know… I am finally moving toward some more interesting blog topics instead of just my activities. And here are two food pictures for all of you. A train picnic for Sara. As all of you know by now, train travel in Ukraine is LONG, really LONG. So, train picnics are a must. Sara came thru Lugansk the other day on her was to Dniproetrovsk and I asked while she was on the bus from her town if she needed dinner. She said that would be awesome. So here is what I came up with. Luckily I usually have food in my house with regular PCV and friends coming by, so this was pretty easy to put together and very fun! Train Picnic includes: a sandwich bag of chips, two small sandwiches with mayo, mustard, cheese and salami, a bag of lettuce and sliced tomato to add to the sandwich, four waver bars, two peaches AND an empty Nutella jar filled with white wine (her favorite part) Many thanks to my sisters for the Ziploc bags for making this possible. And here is what making Blinchiki looks like in my kitchen. Much like crepes, but so much better. There is even homemade Apricot Pineapple Jam. I have more time here on the weekends for sleeping and lazy cooking mornings, so I often make Blinchiki on Saturday or Sunday. Yummy!!! And so far I have always had friends staying the weekend to share it with, which makes it even better.

By now all of you know Sara. Sara was a cluster mate in training and lives only a short distance away, three hours by bus. She is headed to Dnipropetrovsk or what I call DP, because I can pronounce it. She will be at camp for a week and I am headed to the same place next Thursday to meet up with her and some other friends. It was awesome to see her and I am thrilled that I live in her transfer city from bus to train with a three hour layover. So fun!!! And here are ‘my boys’. Well, of course, they are not mine, but they have been with me every step of the way since Day One in Lugansk. They are AWESOME!! And words cannot even express how grateful I am to have them. Friends and Family far and wide meet Yuri, Vlad and Andrew. I have them to thank for my seamless integration and my many days of happiness. Truly I am deeply grateful for them and for the next two years these three will keep me safe and loving life in Lugansk.

Why such a big draw for an Oregonian? I have lived my entire life in 4-6 months a year of rain.

Well in Oregon we have places for the water to go, in Ukraine those places are few and far between, so the water has nowhere to go except DOWN. Wherever down may be. It is amazing!

I was happy to be comfy and warm and DRY in my flat. Vlad and I are in agreement that the sound, smell and look of the rain is comforting. I love it!! I miss the sound on the roof, but living on the first floor of a five story apartment building means I just listen to the rain outside.

When I was touring my new apartment for the first time with my landlord I asked if I could put up shelves in the kitchen. My kitchen greatly lacks storage space. And she was fine with it, but only two or three. So I have two going up. And here is the first one.

Hi Yuri... He is thrilled (not) that I was taking a picture of him all hot and sweaty in my little kitchen. But I could not have done this without him. He had to get through plaster, brick, and cement to get this one shelf up. And it took a while.

TADA!!! One shelf up. The second one will go up on Saturday. And the internet is supposed to get hooked up on Saturday. I almost feel like a whole person. Now when

prepacked boxes arrive I will be almost ready for a house warming party.

Vlad ordered this today and I could not resist a picture. And you will never guess what is in it!!

Coffee, Orange Juice and Caramel Flavoring...yup that is right, orange juice and coffee. I never tried it, but Wyoming was brave enough and commented that it wasn't too bad. It was just too weird for me.