in the summer

I do have another entry for July, however it contains lots of pictures and I have not figured out how to make my pictures show up on other computers...Anyways I thought I’d write something. July started off busy but after a big festival, everything got very quiet.  I’ve spent a few days on a local green tourism farm, getting to know the people, but mostly just enjoying nature and their “master classes.” I also have spent a lot of time with my neighbor and her family.  She helps with my Russian by having me recite poems and memorize new words, but mostly we just talk in English and Russian sprinkled with some Ukrainian. Uber sergick. Her father-in-law is constantly trying to convince me that I will make a good Ukrainian wife and tells everyone that is introduced to me that I am an American volunteer from Florida and that I need a good boyfriend.  Even his son tells me that he admires the work I do with people, but life is not just work and that two years is too much time  to go without a boyfriend, but not to worry, they’ll help. Yea, fun…One time I was talking to a friend on Skype at their house and they saw him and immediately afterward, as if none of our previous conversation had happened, began to praise me on what a good boyfriend he must be. I told them no, just friends and then they argued with me again about how I’m such a good girl and so on. I looked at my neighbor and told her maybe I just should have said yes and she laughed with me and agreed.

Days have been hot, like 107 degrees, seriously. My land lady, proud 60 something-er, walks around in short shorts and with her tank top tied like a bikini top. She has guests over and works with the construction men, and is not bothered at all. Sometimes she even insists that I do the same because it is so hot, and tells me that I can wear my bathing suit around to feel cooler. Luckily my neighbors lent me a fan for the summer, and that seems to have pleased her so that she lets me wear my conservative “hot” clothes. She is also very interested in what I cook, (not very much) and is on me when I enter the kitchen to stare at me, but she’s just concerned and I try to remember this as I make my grilled cheese. She’s very sweet, but I am still excited about living on my own in the fall.

So over all, life is slow, but I am happy to be making good relationships at the green farms and with my neighbors. Next weekend I am going to visit my LCF down in Crimea and hopefully see a close friend! And then the following weekend I leave for a summer camp on the sea for most of August. Tan lines here I come.

Welcome to Naked Harbor

 

The past couple of weeks have been such a whirl wind of experiences that I thought it time to update a bit about what is going on.

On June 13^th I left Oster and said my goodbyes to my host family. My host mom had me leave my winter coats so that I’d have more room for all my PC books and papers and so that I would have to visit to come pick them up before winter sets in. They were so good to me, loving, and they fed me (very important). My host mom is worried that I might lose weight and become small Cassi because I don’t know how to cook for myself. I told her that I agree; weight loss plan here I come.

My Luggage to site, plus one more big blue bag with my emergency kit in it.

My host sisters saying goodbye =(

As soon as we got to our dormitories in Kyiv, we received our language test results…I got intermediate-mid, which means I am at where the PC wants me at, so YAY! I didn’t fail. After that we checked in, had lunch and then to site placement announcements. I am in region 2 (only means something to PC) and in the south in the Kherson oblast in a smallish city called Hola Prystan, which translated means Naked Harbor =) The YD coordinator came up to me and told me that I will love my new site because of the marine life and nature, so I guess the site placement interviews do actually mean something cause that’s kinda what I requested. L’andrea is in my same region, so yay I’m not alone (even if she is 7 hours away by train)! None of my group members are near me, but it’s ok.

The next day we met our counterparts. Mine is a 25yr old single woman who is very bubbly and excited to speak English with me. She is an English teacher at the Gymnasium (same thing as a school, all grades) and she just wants to do everything with me.  The rest of the day and the next were full of meetings and seminars and spending some quality time with other volunteers.

Swearing in day, we had to make it to a theater in the center of kyiv, luckily I had my counterpart. It was hot outside and inside, but still full of excitement. We had some great guest speakers and speeches by some fellow PCVs. When we swore it, everyone was silent and smiling.

Me and my ginge after swearing in.

The next step was an overnight train ride to Kherson, the biggest city near my site and the capitol of my oblast. It was 13 hours long and a lot of it was spent sleeping and the rest was my counterpart asking me things in English and then practicing some small Russian phrases with me. It was kinda strange, one because it was my first time on a train, two because we had a plutscart which is four seats (PC bought them all 5 suitcases) kinda bunk bed style that is open to the rest of the train car. It was new, but all was ok, didn’t bother me enough not to sleep. As soon as we got into Kherson, some current PCVs met us with maps and toilet paper and I was whisked away a car in which we crammed my luggage into. I think it took like 30-40min to get to Hola Prystan, but not really sure, a lot happened that day, or at least I experienced a lot of emotions. We went to the Gymnasium first, said hi to the director and them was driven to my house I’m at now with a land lady. I had like 6 people talking at me and not sure what anyone said, but I paid rent, remembered to get my land lady to sign a form that I paid, was told to sit and rest 6 times, and then told to shower, sleep and then to unpack. I slept for about an hour, and then took a wonderful outside shower. My neighbor invited me over for tea and to meet her family. She’s an English teacher too, but she’s on maternity leave with a 5 month. She also has a 7 yr old who I spend a lot of time with playing games and legos. We’re besties. She also has a large extended family who has brought me in as one of their own, they regularly force feed me borsch and tea and I love every minute of it.

Welcome to Hola Prystan

My room

My outdoor shower=)

My bestie!

Me and some of my neighbor’s family members

From there, the last week has been full of meetings, tours, and getting acquainted with the town. I’ve gotten to see some of Naked Harbor’s beautiful nature and have fallen in love with the city. The symbol of the city is a lily and I got to see why on a boat tour in one of the delta rivers, the Chika. Lily pads were everywhere with blossoms and frogs, it was magical looking. We also have a small beach area; it’s small, but with brackish water and sand. Makes me feel at home.  I meet with directors of green tourism locations and they want me to help them write grants and to help translate some information into English to improve their areas. I’m nervous about this, but excited to make a difference, hopefully I can.