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.