One more quick message before I leave for Kiev for the week.  Just want to let everyone know how great the experience has been so far.  Thanks for everyones wishes!  Plus I must also plug peace corps or any experience abroad.  We must interact with the world and let them know about what type of people they are, and learn about their people. I was so  lucky to live with the best family in Ukraine but they probably got the best American so it was a win win situation.  Thank you so much to them for having me! Hope all is well

Baby Chloe

Just wanted to let everyone know that Danielle gave birth to her and Andrew's kid, Chloe! She is 9lbs 2oz and 22in.  Sounds big to me! Much love and congrats to them.  Next week I will begin talking to baby chloe on Skype twice a week teaching her Russian.  I can't wait

My Political Side

My favorite quote from the past few months
"...The dangerous dogma of free market fundamentalism turns our attention away from schools to prisons, from workers conditions to profit margins, from health clinics to high tech facial surgeries, from civic associations to pornographic Internet sites, and from childrens care to strip clubs. The fundamentalism of the market put a premium on the activites of buying and selling, cosuming and taking, prmoting and advertising, and devalues community, compassionate charity, and imporvement of the gerneral quality of life,. How ironic that in America we've moved so quickly from Martin Luther King Jr's "Let Freedom Ring!" to "Bling! Bling!" as if freedom were reducible to simply having material toys as dictated by free market fundamentalism"
-Cornell West

My mom is traveling in Africa right now, super jealous. Feel so lucky to be here in Ukraine, to know that I have a cousin living Africa and a cousin living in Asia. Its so cool to see the we are all able to travel to so many different places in the world. Turns out that citizens in all these places find ways to be happy with out large amounts of money. My mom told me that she met a family that had 14 people living in a two bedroom house and they are still happy. So basically my point is that we can share some of our wealth to help the poorest in the world get basic shelther, food and health. Maybe a little more than the 0.2% of our GDP that goes to non military international aid (33% goes to Israel) than we give now. Despite what society and large corportations tell us we can still be happy without all the money that we think need, plus we can help others live with much better conditions.

I swan across a river in Ukraine yesterday. It was awesome. Then I made Palmeni.

Last week

My last week in Fastiv started today, freaking out a little bit about going to my new site.  Next monday we go to Kiev for 3 days of meetings and then swearing in, then I will be assigned my 2 year site!  Just me, no other Americans in the city.  Lots of random emotions going through me, but overall its going to happen next week and I have accepted that.  Last week here in Fastiv is going to fly by.  Pretty easy week, language lessons, training wrap up, and then our language interviews on Friday.  

Last week was great, after teaching at School 4 in Fastiv for 3 days we took all of our kids to Club Nadia (Club Hope).  An organization that holds events for local kids with disablities. So 20 kids from School 4, 10 kids from the other School in Fastiv where the other PC group works, and about 20 kids from Club Nadia.   The kids painted together, planted flowers, had their faces painted and presented the countries that they had made over the week at school.  Ton of fun seeing it all come together.  

As for me I am still doing good.  Been great to continue to read and have conversations with people about social and economic issues here and in America.  Also studying the recent economic crisis has been fascinating.  My impressions of America have changed a little, its been nice moving away and taking a whole new prespective on it all.  Super frustrating to see how spoiled we are in America, tons of money and oppurtunity, and see how we waste our great resources.  Still trying to figure out where it all went wrong socially and economically, oh and if anyone could explain why anyone is a Republican that would be great as well.  (If Glenn Beck or Rush are reading love to hear directly from you, David Brooks as well)

As for everything else, its pretty awesome.  Russian is coming along okay, kinda nervous to rely on just myself but I am at a point now that I can learn a lot studying on my own.  Plus I made Borsch yesterday so I think I am good to go.

Hope everyone is doing well!