tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64724959205656038992024-03-06T00:11:07.265-08:00Bob's Ukrainian AdventureThe contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps. With any response, please be respectful to anyone who may read this website and your responses.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-83223772221236919972010-07-29T13:29:00.000-07:002010-07-30T05:41:08.679-07:00Summer: 2 of ?Hopefully I gave it enough time between part 1 and 2 to gain some anticipation of what I did next this summer. So anyways I left off on me heading to the Western part of Ukraine. From there I headed farther West into Budapest, Hungary. I ended up venturing off on my own since my favorite travel buddies were busy here at camps or back in America finding a new job and city. So anyways I got to Budapest and headed to what ended up being my favorite spot in the city, Castle Hill. The hill on the Buda side of the city overlooked all of Pest and the Danube River. The Hill also had a ton of statues, churches, and the National Museum.<p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNdzVMGeidCzCnR-8fPFN3LgwCqSHA_67VDTpQLWTaW0cCRN9dMImGf0ba3eFtTtWwKDymZhV16yqTG5QGy7Cec4pMyvuzaVaPrIUOv9j0TvolXtcWUyiaZq_sOC9UNz8uvMeD3ezIwyj/s320/DSC00862.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499663081245484546" /></p><p>After a long day of walking I met up with Taylor, a Illinoisan that I met through Couchsurfing, she was nice enough to let me stay at her apartment the two nights I was in Budapest. The next day I went for another long walk, seeing most of Budapest. The Parliament, Hungarian Bath, the Island I napped on, and watching the Spain vs Portugal game in the center Park with my new friends Chris and Taylor were the highlights of the day. Bad for me but good for the people of Hungary I was unable to go inside the Parliament since the government was in session, I was however able to enjoy a long afternoon inside the Hungarian Bath located inside of city park. Inside the bathe there are saunas, steam rooms, whirl pools, and normal pools. Outside there are 3 large pools, each of different temperatures, you go from one pool to the next slowly allowing the different water temperatures to loosen and relax your boday. After the Bathe I headed to the island on the River and watched the large fountain show and took a well deserved nap. After that I met up with Chris, an Australian, and Taylor. The 3 of us went to the central park where there was a big screen to watch the world cup game won by eventual champion Spain. The next morning Chris and I walked more of the city and then I took off and headed to Vienna.</p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DSMqNsvP4KBBeVhxP88NS9qjN6NqqcxONJhWvK5OFcbGq-XQ64czqHadv8aaye73oMJB_JMkNYSC7ZK7oSX_Vwg1A8HABF8NoJQoQRvzsotBRFNfACeRM3SMCcQzQW2YjlGCbW0fGLEt/s320/DSC00885.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499665018216526082" /></p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCoKhJZHFvnVGuwXQdR4J0XA045TWLKfSpFuTupO5c6JOwFOShjeUOcdzzHfZyhUe2Ajm0N3mWQ7pSh2-grMqeqLktZg_vUsXC4ej59fE0aHb-kmdQvZ_G9UkUcfnqw_mtPXbhXocfEnE/s320/DSC00924.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499665030350476722" /></p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvasWF_0mXWrk-qQc5N9jrstxK2mGSmOSS8KcLDW2AQgy3QjJALS6qeXq9t5Hy31V86JJjl445vKLT7sYbEBtMZPc-jm2NG9_8798WfrFx2KRBuBuV26VCsMejAvCvhH6_mv2mWNq89Jtr/s320/DSC00933.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499665032273351842" /></p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_M5bzF71VsWvUxSjCft4-yygdSiJI3Fe51nTisJMqp6ZRpdBAmK31dSBTxiAd8E7pT1jdf7HZCNV0B4dNETRJbhVewP1wRYbplWtf9-bvI9znJX19UznL98nMHQwxhSdYUjbBc2boX-j/s320/DSC00937.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499665042117167490" /></p><p align="left">While Budapest wasn't my favorite city I visited this summer it was well worth the visit and a nice place to visit for a few days. </p><p align="left">From Budapest I headed by train to my favorite destination of the summer so far- Vienna, Austria. Part of the reason I liked the city so much was that I acted in a movie while I was there. While on the train ride to Vienna, I met Jim and his wife and their daughter. Jim is a film professor in North Dakota and needed someone to play the part of a hired assign in his independent film move based around two C.I.A. agents. After assuring Jim that I was a horrible actor, he convinced me to shoot one scene on the train and several more the next few days. I ended up shooting about 6 scenes with Jim, I will let you guys know when the film can be viewed to see my acting debut (if I didn't get cut out, which I told Jim was perfectly okay). A fun and random experience that helped boost Vienna to the top of my ratings.</p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXla7FFRdLl7SQYX1ahvg7LU-uoH6o_2FBwWdkJ58aXd1tC9Qw86cRBP2QMRab7-q2TaAA4ls8LqJBPf2ypEba3PvzeXTmgyHDtI8VL9BFkLuXnQoArQD7gbqP7OOc68wrSJL8wSZuQWC6/s320/DSC01036.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499667122071928962" /></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">Me and my French co-star</span></p><p align="left">Taking a step back, Vienna itself, it was amazing. Having been to the Western part of Austria I figured all of Austria was similar, every city surrounded with Mountains. Quickly realizing my ignorance and not seeing any mountains I found the description of Vienna as the Paris of the East to be pretty accurate. You could really feel the life and culture of the city just from walking around. The city was full of history and old architecture but at the same had so much life and energy from its people and style. The stay was great as well because I was able to stay with friends of a friend the whole time I was there. The first night I stayed with Manuel. Manuel and his friends took me out the first night I was there, down to the beach along the river and then to a University Party in the center courtyard of an old hospital.</p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7YhTGKUzM5LKU4HQyCcqoAwH9fpKzKo_zFFX2eNcdM59pplKsSGqMC66aHJuXqux4uqN4HSixlrv7Jp-DjWSO8WoBBSkXg-O8t6J27eHnzqiioDeiZh5oI4mzedtyMFRctCV0N6sm5WI/s320/DSC00964.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499669585170244450" /></p><p align="left">The next day couple of days I walked around the whole city. Around and about parks, squares, and old buildings. I first went to the Kunsthistorisches Museum which was located in the Museum Quarters of Vienna. An area with a ton of huge Museum's located inside gorgeous buildings. </p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIdhee8j7AzPy8nzo0RMffxwEk3GG0-PeCi8DNIyjgh7UYzCSqNMbeJAzVOUnJE0qCIKJgvTzWuX_fbBacvSunWPeJ9nxXSL9qM8hFjwxG-UvS_ToGza4BV6GTOYql2hZdYIFKa2f83sV/s320/DSC00977.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499669580716371362" /></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">The other museum I went to was the Albertina, which ended up being one of my favorites I have ever been to. The Albertina had 4 floors, each with different exhibits and one permanent wing of impressionist art. The exhibits that were really cool and worth checking out are works by American artists Walton Ford and Alex Katz and the photography of Heinrich Kuhn.</p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETtqgIAq_Zd-38dfTDPKHZwmyQjeumJqovurHckONDZXPa-uoPcgAWmyU8I6-7_zLuSLnw1yHpsSeqb_71przTLGfpcn02QA9eBPvMUk4P_zQYM5Nz3UG1r1Gr1O2ZcaaTQUNyFTYq7jB/s320/DSC01034.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499669593542323858" /></p><p align="left"> I also made it to the Belvedere Palace and the Imperial Palace, which was gorgeous and on the same grounds as the Vienna Zoo. Each had great gardens, the one at the Imperial Palace was impeccable. From the top hill in the distance of the picture you can see all of Vienna. </p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzNd0-bYH9jXtFLdOpUbSKQqzwrFw8CePZZVYY8cQ9PFm46jT7qIxBBuNf0-uAtEGbYSmXBX17ixpVB5bGSutEa94NuF_UIiZGuiqlmoXq-NtEM-CAwFu64TR2y-aSgSytQ8rukQ92DqC/s320/DSC01047.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499669598526578498" /></p><p align="left">The other two nights I was in Vienna I stayed with Victoria, an American working and studying in Vienna. Her flat was right in the heart of Vienna, I couldn't have asked for a better location to have a free place to stay for two nights. Right in the center of Vienna there were a ton of churches, parliament, museums, street performers, concerts, and parks. It was amazing just to wander around the small little area and be amazed at how much was going on. The life and feel of it was great.</p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcA9eUg2QrYL_LWoJBM_uA6ZZJbRCMpiCON6EHRw5vVWLEU4w2-NerSlC9q-tIL-8CEKonxWsJtg7E4qjEzDD9NntnpkMD0lBlPFCPD2fKZix7oE3fU0DxaBRSPEd8A9TZno3g1Hha4Kv/s320/DSC01021.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499669608869029314" /></p><p align="left">The two nights I stayed with Tori, she took me out to a fun bar with her boyfriend Tom and her friend Mattia. I finally got to play darts and after not playing for a long time, the four of us quickly realized none of us were dart players but had a great time being awful together. We hung out at an Irish Pub most of the night and met a ton of locals, which was a great way to get a feel for what the city is about. I could not have asked for a better way to experience the night life.</p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ANUQVLQQsf9qBXeUZdK9L1-M7KbLXoJlNX3TuXZnLWWPIjtvY5XZ28YIxXRvQGECRLxekdYxFjGuvmPZ5_y5GXUHyY_Wm1ceTviT_aN0sbfnIWKKPgcU3Tk4tafe5pIj7KjSPNgYGhJR/s320/DSC01024.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499669956492437570" /><br /></p><p align="left">After our second night out together I grabbed a quick night of sleep and sadly with not enough time in Vienna I grabbed a morning train to Prague, a fourth full day in the city could have been used for sure. I will let the excitement and anticipation grow again and I will post part 3 soon. Hope everyone has been doing well, would love to about whats new with you as well.</p><p align="center"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-46416698045344720402010-07-21T03:38:00.000-07:002010-07-21T04:08:56.485-07:00Summer: Part 1 of ?I guess 50 days into the summer its about time that I blog a little. I have had a super busy summer thus far so I will break the blog down into parts so I don't bore anyone with a long rant. I started my summer with a two week camp that I put on at my school. It was pretty laid back but I got to teach the kids more about America and our traditions and they got to teach me more about Ukraine. My favorite activity of the week was def. teaching the girls how to play American Football. I was a little nervous how it would go over, but every day the girls couldn't wait to play. I was even proud the I was able to teach the girls how to run pass patterns, send a receiver in motion, "juke", and the importance of a touchdown dance. <p>After my camp I headed up near the capital to work at my friend Mike's little kid summer camp. I only spent a few days there but it was a lot of fun. The camp was well organized and I was able to contribute by entertaining kids via kicking a ball high up in the air for about 30 minutes each day. Never have I been so loved for doing something so simple, but I will take it.</p><p>Next I headed down to the city Cherkasy for the 11-12 yr old Ukrainian Little League Baseball Championships. It was great getting back to my favorite summer pastime- Umpiring Baseball. The tournament had 6 teams and was played in a local park. Basil Tarasko runs Little League Ukraine, he lives in N.Y.C. but comes back to Ukraine 3 times a year to hold clinics and organize these tournaments. It is amazing to see his dedication as well as the coaches and the communities who support this entirely run volunteer program for the kids. The games went great and at night we got to enjoy the nice beach along the Dnipro River.</p><p><br /></p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG4Y4BpLox_-85aJeBYrLGYj0L6OsShKGhTHpMVZV7JJWDvkDMpjIHSdBHw1ZuopCKOnTIvK6uWZgNmSbuVmXznVIb17JpB7gF26ivEl76WYOM7ZBhnEoVOvqKKJGVLgivvrvXcKZuwkmz/s320/DSC00757.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496312125619301778" /></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">Score keeper Whitney, myself, PC Country Director Doug, Head of</span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">Ukraine Little League Basil, Umpire Matt, and PC Youth Specialist Anatoliy<br /></span></p><p>After the 11-12 yr old tournament we had the 13-14 year old tournament in a city just to the south, Kirovograd. The stadium the games were held at was really nice, it had huge dugouts and an inner office system connected to it. The coach of the Kirovograd team is also the Ukrainian National Team and was really interesting to talk to. This 13-14 yrs old tournament was also won by the boys from Kirovograd. Last week they actually won the European Tournament and get to fly to America and play in the 12 team tournament for the World Championship. </p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NsZDTqYE0F0uzKOYxZ0ybvO63htPiBRqUS8i8V5t5KrwChINbjo65v5P6qxP3gdhuCOR7h2vUQqFrGoZ9Yg4yVwO-h0KrHSRLYx4J2uWhP9qRNMEAmgYvMu2K3HQ328E4AKMMa9uzRVB/s320/DSC00802.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496308565984512370" /></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">The 3 teams in the tournament at the field in Kirovograd</span></p><p align="left">After a few days of games there I headed to the West of Ukraine. Budapest, Vienna, Prague, and Krakow up next.<span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-23820429760957154982010-05-31T07:28:00.000-07:002010-06-01T01:37:32.522-07:00Congradulation<p> <p class="MsoNormal"> First and foremost I need to welcome Tucker James Schlehuber into the world.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Tiffany had her baby a couple of weeks ago !<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So congrats to Tiffany and Tom.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Adding to the list of things that I have missed since being here in Ukraine; 4 weddings and a baby.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> The rest of my blog I want to devote it to the 11<sup>th</sup> grade graduation and the end of school.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Seems super weird but I am done with my first year of school here.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Pretty much at the half way point!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> The question that I got asked the most the last few days was “is this similar to the graduation ceremony that you had in America.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My general response was no.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>While I can only speak for what I know in America I will boldly say that what I saw the last few days here doesn’t repeat itself many places in the States.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On Friday we had our “last bell” ceremony.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All the kids came together for the handing out of special rewards, celebrating the last day of school, saying goodbye to the 11<sup>th</sup> formers, and welcoming in the new school leaders.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The ceremony was quick and quickly followed by an afternoon retreat of the teachers in the woods to celebrate the end of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sadly I had to miss this due to food poisoning.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Even worst I am the only one who has cooked for myself over the last week so pretty sure I gave it to myself.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Anyways if you were wondering what happens at a teachers retreat in Ukraine, pretty much summed up by drinking heavily and eating food.</p><p align="center"> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0H1hRxs1jpL3WNWj8yKMQItopGVtDk_OqvEU5IQrzwj2Qd3TD2ZeELUzUperk3b8IebMWI_fe2L6FG83bm14oXoJ87qxaY79jNzc8UpIo5l12OJWoaCDgQiNDHuc3L1MY9Ar_E7JeNQAt/s200/DSC00462.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477446543819923746" /> </p><p align="center"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Our first formers ending their first year of school</span></em></p><p align="left"> <p class="MsoNormal"> Saturday, was the real fun anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Managed to suck it up and attend the day’s festivities.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Around 6 pm I headed off to school to print copies of our special newspaper edition entirely devoted to the 11<sup>th</sup> formers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was really cool to see how quickly we were able to put together a newspaper staff that produced quality work.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This being our 5<sup>th</sup> and last edition of the year was quite remarkable in the time frame that we had.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After that the students from the 11<sup>th</sup> grade all got together at school with their parents for one last run through of the upcoming ceremony and a few final speeches.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After that we headed to the center square of town for the graduation ceremony.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A large majority of the city came to watch dancing, singing, the handing out of diplomas and speeches.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Another large majority of the<span style="font-size:100%;"> city was also at the center square Saturday night, however they were there for the circus and the zoopark. </span> <em><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></em></p><p align="center"> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-PpGlMyrO1xFccwm8fRdGn5X5QOfQ1Rd9W74CUfQJ6GFW23WufHYyOdr6G9l_sY52hPZynVyzI3os9VYsjk4SX0dEmhHrOUreq7aSQv-1lcGN5tvvs4CQs8sDqhxxZziFrD2J2S2AxQz/s200/DSC00516.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477446553896097442" /> </p><p align="center"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Students, Parents, teachers, and </span></em><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Lenin watch the </span></em><em><span style="font-size:85%;">ceremony </span></em></p><p align="center"><br /></p><p align="center"> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1R3jvDSxklh2ssCkUGSV60zaMtz-wJyrc5JvKiRp96ppRjHDtuuOf45YmO8rC0xOz4-jMg0Ss8L0a1eR_h1wjjAahn8VbCcA4qPq-KYhWBicTTIftwROjJTGcAbEy1JV0whMEZ3NQhTMl/s200/DSC00538.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477446555784765874" /> </p><p align="center"><em><span style="font-size:85%;"> First formers put on their dance routine</span></em><em><span style="font-size:85%;"> dancing to Mambo #5</span></em></p><p align="left"><em><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></em></p><p align="center"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="left">Zoopark and Circus- yes, this weekend also happened to be the same weekend the town administration invited the circus and their animals to Pryvillya.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Setting up in the center of town the circus had rides, game, bears, lions, tigers, and other animals.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A classic double booking, (I will avoid getting into the conspiracy stories over the double booking background) a graduation and a mini zoo all in one small town square in a village in Eastern Ukraine.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After a fair amount of complaining the circus moved over and gave up half of the square.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Side by side the ceremony went on, all was fine minus the inability to hear who was talking occasionally when the bear or lion or tiger gave out a loud roar. Hilarious.<br /><br /></p><div align="center"> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwPEpsxnOJsHpjT5055gzNAtVp9WDUgj9uPujuXYcjD3pTEo8n1SOoh70R6aZWomLpWBzzHiKRWRAAv7TZ5_n8jr3vGpvXT-1A6kuPDJfKwmrlFqc5inznP6nPL81wB4YcLPBSbdOEy8Q/s200/DSC00561.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477447817878876242" /><em><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></em></div><p align="center"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Students release balloons in the sky for good luck (on the far right you can see the Circus trucks)</span></em></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size:100%;">The ceremony was a lot of fun.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was cool to see my students graduate, while I only had one year with them they were great friends and super nice to me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was really interesting to see all the people there, and was extra cool because the class mom was my good friend and English teacher Marina.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After the graduation ceremony was completed, pictures were taken, and congrats were given we all headed to a café down the street.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span><em><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></em></p><div align="center"> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPveRsEy5alUZHJ1e3V-RdWk1uaPNTp2iyoYGJHLIXwlzLLHYI12soIEmTNNtyJUspBPaXled_iLnpKyv7eX8UCZ_TSFCNPKAigRoZIjlHn35hWtHvsmMdi8Otm9YqscNdsVlZqozcuyY/s1600/DSC00574.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPveRsEy5alUZHJ1e3V-RdWk1uaPNTp2iyoYGJHLIXwlzLLHYI12soIEmTNNtyJUspBPaXled_iLnpKyv7eX8UCZ_TSFCNPKAigRoZIjlHn35hWtHvsmMdi8Otm9YqscNdsVlZqozcuyY/s200/DSC00574.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477447828265905650" /></a><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Left to right: Mayor, 11th form students, me, Marina</em></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><br /></em></span></div><div align="left"> <p class="MsoNormal">This is the part that I am not accustomed to in America.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A café was rented out by the parents of the 11<sup>th</sup> formers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So 17, 17 year olds, parents, and maybe 10 teachers were invited for a night of dancing, eating and drinking.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Every table was loaded with wine, vodka, and champagne.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yes even the 17 year olds table was loaded with champagne.<span style="font-size:85%;"><em><br /></em></span></p></div><p align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sDYUK01AkATdiB5lrszJIWXlzEa6AU5G9ebJpUA1SN601Up-fDkdChD4zsS-3AdWy2avZWZTd_IASqviBokMDtEIxydEFjtzAan2ySVaSrpoc-WaaN3bsH9ePm7W23fpt2LeKv6VDNVX/s1600/DSC00582.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sDYUK01AkATdiB5lrszJIWXlzEa6AU5G9ebJpUA1SN601Up-fDkdChD4zsS-3AdWy2avZWZTd_IASqviBokMDtEIxydEFjtzAan2ySVaSrpoc-WaaN3bsH9ePm7W23fpt2LeKv6VDNVX/s200/DSC00582.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477447832981702818" /></a></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>The teachers table at the dinner celebration</em></span></p><p align="left"> <p class="MsoNormal"> I briefly want to touch on the drinking culture here in Ukraine.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They drink a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The traditional way of drinking here in Ukraine is pretty much to sit around a table with a ton of food and vodka.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Try to mix that vodka with juice or soda and you’re a crazy person.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There is only one way to drink vodka, straight shots.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Shots followed by food food and more food.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Seriously I dare anyone out there to try to drink vodka in this country any other way and double dare you to try to drink any alcohol without chasing it with an insane amount of food.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This way of drinking actually makes way more sense, and while it takes some getting use to isn’t as painful as it sounds.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Nervously I gave my toast to the 11<sup>th</sup> formers and the parents (which may have been my first large dinner toast), and yes cheers-ing with 17 year olds legally drinking was rather strange and a lot of fun.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span><br /></p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAkxblYwzm16-rUQwWnNqXaFxuz8_wGLXs_669ZpbKXvbE-Gs01GfFVZ7ISbg72Tb960k7YDMzvYAGr1no2JSzhQY1z1bdnBbhiimePpiIhlK0CiErDlHA6gmQtYhyphenhyphenkdIGAMZIuuePaKV/s200/DSC00600.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477448927461278962" /><br /></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Me and the 11th formers</em></span></p><p align="left"> <p class="MsoNormal">The dancing, music, and games were a ton of fun too.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With the parents and students having every intent to see the sun rise that morning (a graduating tradition), still fighting off the stomach flu I headed home at 2 am.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was definitely a memorable 24 hour period full of traditions, cultural exchanges, and of course lions and bears.<span style="font-size:85%;"><em><br /></em></span></p><p align="center"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSMpH3WR88R9RumdxGprpz3lYobeogwLrmvMJnV-F6K4VJ7khRMtlQFrHieANSQMwDWakMOScTa7HpSyZ5-7z8OvpIYzGZrYOsgupANDXQWlHRJlM1aXEkR8J1g-8zJWwnOK-erscA0xz/s200/DSC00612.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477448935652889314" /></p><p align="center"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">End of the night, I was apparently a traveling gypsy that could read palms and pretend to dance and look good wearing what ever it was that I was wearing </span></em></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size:100%;">Thats all I got, miss all of you. Love to hear from you. Especially from those who I haven't heard from in a while. Write when you are ready and have some time. Good luck to all.</span><em><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></em></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">Bob<br /></span></p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-59028723656906650242010-05-15T02:32:00.001-07:002010-05-15T02:48:16.103-07:00The people of UkraineAnother blog post and this time under 6 months.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Part of the Peace Corps mission is to learn about the culture that you live in.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After realizing that over the last 5 weeks I haven’t left my site or seen any other Americans, I realized how lucky I am to be a part of this town, country, and culture.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So I want to tell you about some of the people I have met here and how lucky I am to have all of these people.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>2 years ago I would have never thought there were so many people in Ukraine let alone a tiny little village that would take me in, be good friends, and watch out for me. So thank you to the following. <p class="MsoNormal">First and always, my family here in Ukraine.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am so lucky to have a second family here.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My super talented and smart Brother Bohdon, my caring Mama and Papa, and my beautiful and hilarious little sister Rita.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sadly I live some 14 hours away by train from them and don’t get to see them nearly enough I am lucky enough to write to them and always know if I need anything I always have them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Bohdon recently finished in the Top 3 in a music competition and will head to Lithuania in mid June!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Next, the people that I work with here have allowed me to fit in at school; this has been beyond wonderful considering it is where I spend the majority of my time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Marina Ivanava has been an angel to me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I have needed plenty of help here with so many random things and she has always been there.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Natalia Olexavana, our schools’ vice principal, has also been wonderful- helping me plan projects, co teaching with me, and giving me things to do when I run out of ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Nickola Nickolivch, our director has also been a great boss.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I hear stories from other volunteers that they never talk to their directors and feel awkward around them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am lucky to have a director that plays basketball with me, invites me to his parent’s sauna, and frequently checks up on me to make sure all is well.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Vika Vicktorivna has helped me with running and organizing my sports club.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>While I only mentioned 4 people at my school the entire staff, the cooks, and cleaning ladies have all been super nice and helpful.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I am also lucky to have some really good friends here.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sona, Roma, Dema, Mischa, Anton, Sasha, Andre, and Vitalik have been a ton of fun and keep me entertained.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We tend to see each other every day at night at school playing basketball or lifting weights, a couple of them have even started taking English classes with me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOozi3VmUHEqelElIhN8FX_YRaBLpgv9y6gPZ7hbyU7-lIg7QItTR6b-V4waihgEQqRUYF-x_riY39AthQLJ19wVcd1EEcibxCQmMG1snTEPcy_p4rVQOgt-1p1X9Idb20rveKG2aY6PgH/s200/DSC00444.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471428165388154258" /> <em>Anton, Roma, Dema, Sona</em><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the town next to mine I am lucky enough to have Marina and her husband Maxim and their kids.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am invited there often to be their guests and just hang out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> I love visiting them and try to head there as much as possible. </span>They will be running a small organization that will receive a Peace Corps volunteer next month.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Finally I want to briefly how awesome my students are at school.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For who knows why my kids are always super excited to talk to me and see me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Special thanks for those who come to my clubs and are quiet when I am stumbling through a lesson in Russian.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5ZJAeC9n16DgPPhmsyr7DtF9ncfKXNTMnzxVNiGmfO7y288GjwjeNJCA5kOnVlPGJb6JGCG_r9yTpLpSd4jwEOorD4iagp1lhdMj6jjWe_NlJPoItEqlqJPDxG2zSe19XZg5CZHA_QON/s200/DSC00398.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471430784582728178" /> <em>Me and my kids outside of our school</em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So those are some of the people that I have been lucky enough to meet here.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I only mentioned some of the people but I think it proves my theory that if you go anywhere in this world you will find people just like you, people that will take care of you and offer their friendship.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As for past and future talk, last weekend was a huge holiday here, Victory Day, celebrating the end of WWII.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Last Sunday our town celebrated the completion of a brand new monument in memory of the victory, it is named “future hope.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our town was home to 2 battles between the USSR and Germany.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When they built the monument and dug into the earth a few months ago they actually found 36 bodies from the battles.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Pretty crazy to think about that.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On Sunday Sona, Dema, Anton, Roma and I went camping along the river.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a great time, I even introduced them to baseball.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Plenty of laughs watching them figure out how to put on the gloves and get the ball back and forth between themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWr8lqLJa7moXUcmt24oOJBjNB_R6COO4-J6GSMSpJRvctsJVNPWpp-DnTHS5U96dwZeMg-2Fs9Z7JNrANEJ5kvlrU2FW0tpxAOcfDhTc84KXVDQtWVG5JwwBd4ywDm5e39UQ_FIyfZmQk/s200/DSC00423.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471430779849450002" /> <em>Me, Roma, and a solider at the monument ceremony</em><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4WmB9f5NAxYYI2HHIuUyM3I3PZb4mFaEs2CjRrPF3-4Z8Yh57lMKS1Eh0Ek84ZkGeDE_X2I5oj9H1NMMqkQvg3VLFhm6hAfNGJMh6r1QI0MYhK7KIrqEdp53MXJAqyQTRsOt0Kkv4Fvkv/s200/DSC00406.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471430771113511426" /> <em>Our new WWII monument</em><em><br /></em></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As for the future I just got done planning a 10 day camp that I will be putting on at my site.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Nothing to major just a few lessons a day and American games.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am still working on the Ecology camp that I will be running.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I also signed up to work at an English camp where I will be doing art projects with the kids, I will be working with my friend Sean who I have not informed yet that I have no artistic skills.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That’s about all, 2 more weeks of school and then the summer I guess.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tiffany is due any day now with my nephew Tucker.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Looking forward to getting the good news, wish I could be there and really wish Tom could be there as well!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Wish everyone the best, love hearing from anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Hope all is well.</p> <div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext .75pt;padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext .75pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">Bob</p> </div>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-11975952369174941552010-04-30T06:33:00.001-07:002010-04-30T07:24:13.088-07:00Photos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaK4dUjazvatGj5WfJjYujcn6GWbLrJ6DkT7aLUcYAa8Yj64kf88STHA571N2ZqMed6sL4C1uug7cEBN9us1LKSzoGesfzZofmcarqoEgToUGcDUqVqLGakSnt018T_vbqj1UM-RQSRiZK/s1600/IMG_3703.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaK4dUjazvatGj5WfJjYujcn6GWbLrJ6DkT7aLUcYAa8Yj64kf88STHA571N2ZqMed6sL4C1uug7cEBN9us1LKSzoGesfzZofmcarqoEgToUGcDUqVqLGakSnt018T_vbqj1UM-RQSRiZK/s200/IMG_3703.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465935349998549666" /></a> My students and I at our Ecology Festival April 23 <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFvCARsrq8wL-7FCOCE7WL5bOC-S51DblP1bDb2GEusQ9WzNxdHXQ9GRat3D27e1LUSm-g_7QC2zmuYMEVKdEGUuZicusOPdsnU9SkiD4T_Zyt8djCQdqqSqb37wdjbxmsgC1_hiaopn1/s1600/P1020151.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFvCARsrq8wL-7FCOCE7WL5bOC-S51DblP1bDb2GEusQ9WzNxdHXQ9GRat3D27e1LUSm-g_7QC2zmuYMEVKdEGUuZicusOPdsnU9SkiD4T_Zyt8djCQdqqSqb37wdjbxmsgC1_hiaopn1/s200/P1020151.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465935342699851074" /></a> Our school staff at a winery last Christmas <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikfDi3HNUuziDoAW8Q8kwYs6R6mvgfxbc4abxhz-fQyutPqVA11HsBghahD1-uxBvJyzgAsMMU1tBjKg_LHQTVx4JZWiduHT-i4CSB1a12gAETY2IuIQqPCTcNYzEr8SR6V2nEi_RVtnPy/s1600/P1010485.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikfDi3HNUuziDoAW8Q8kwYs6R6mvgfxbc4abxhz-fQyutPqVA11HsBghahD1-uxBvJyzgAsMMU1tBjKg_LHQTVx4JZWiduHT-i4CSB1a12gAETY2IuIQqPCTcNYzEr8SR6V2nEi_RVtnPy/s200/P1010485.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465935335279594466" /></a> Animals made by my students out of fruit and vegetables <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtza-2dkdeguF8vKkHm8EjOpQ19B7kdUJmZe8tQBvvDbiBYcTQw-xyir04_vnnuxW4yC18Xz_VoVP3sPAbITTlQ13jBhBEamQU7rhyq9GZwrNVGxQOOa9I64JrEwZj2rupxE9-IffJ_zFk/s1600/P1020189.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtza-2dkdeguF8vKkHm8EjOpQ19B7kdUJmZe8tQBvvDbiBYcTQw-xyir04_vnnuxW4yC18Xz_VoVP3sPAbITTlQ13jBhBEamQU7rhyq9GZwrNVGxQOOa9I64JrEwZj2rupxE9-IffJ_zFk/s200/P1020189.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465935327036099298" /></a> 2nd formers at our schools New Years Party <br /><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLj4O20Qa6ynXAi6S9xxe1jbbfxDjpxOARoqjmV2tdEuR4e6KvkX65qYNhYITKmLBHSdXbtrk1j9poqdaHiw52Rg8mwZC4yONctMX06j6YYVnryXCWCHPXoAnGIgG1ZwNW32oNNAMVcjvw/s1600/IMG_3707.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLj4O20Qa6ynXAi6S9xxe1jbbfxDjpxOARoqjmV2tdEuR4e6KvkX65qYNhYITKmLBHSdXbtrk1j9poqdaHiw52Rg8mwZC4yONctMX06j6YYVnryXCWCHPXoAnGIgG1ZwNW32oNNAMVcjvw/s200/IMG_3707.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465935356319096066" /></a> More from our Ecology festival, recycling relays</p><p> <br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQKYLWv6wCyNpUQqiW3MGM-ixcJnPQvBMqbOXfL_wEfwnGqXaztfY7HYolQEbs6_AHoCsaHZTY1BPv6yGlAUeesl6kQi4R-x3hT0y4AA2w2n1m6nMF9D8qO96pjtjNH5yorKNlJTANphB/s1600/Istanbul+112.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQKYLWv6wCyNpUQqiW3MGM-ixcJnPQvBMqbOXfL_wEfwnGqXaztfY7HYolQEbs6_AHoCsaHZTY1BPv6yGlAUeesl6kQi4R-x3hT0y4AA2w2n1m6nMF9D8qO96pjtjNH5yorKNlJTANphB/s200/Istanbul+112.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465932170106107922" /></a> Went to Turkey with Mike (center) and Craig (right) <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ulGvSksZMx3gtlJMM1Gx7Fft6kUpSfEgYn4gmOHLZvUrT9PZS4G1jSlJZw1r0VBdxiXzcMXDlXHd4wRg7lxbN5XhJmFgpgGAQ3uu6p6AKG-cz-DD7VLg4pMmKAVdVVL7HQLxpl_FM44A/s1600/IMG_3989.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ulGvSksZMx3gtlJMM1Gx7Fft6kUpSfEgYn4gmOHLZvUrT9PZS4G1jSlJZw1r0VBdxiXzcMXDlXHd4wRg7lxbN5XhJmFgpgGAQ3uu6p6AKG-cz-DD7VLg4pMmKAVdVVL7HQLxpl_FM44A/s200/IMG_3989.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465932158147696050" /></a> Me and Mike and a Turkish guy after an amazing Turkish Bath <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYOQobLm7y7KGO6vf0A4FW6UlgPRtmBZPs83NJBKeIWXoupMXtTxU74ic6JqgvSlcpJYq3L8eXkhww3bRhO8VqMYerlDvVt1Weon8WSsjUtCFRczbL4OwxrFXjFCxMjMeCQ5c3Z1F_8-Q/s1600/Istanbul+235.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYOQobLm7y7KGO6vf0A4FW6UlgPRtmBZPs83NJBKeIWXoupMXtTxU74ic6JqgvSlcpJYq3L8eXkhww3bRhO8VqMYerlDvVt1Weon8WSsjUtCFRczbL4OwxrFXjFCxMjMeCQ5c3Z1F_8-Q/s200/Istanbul+235.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465932154266731474" /></a> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLr8rBRZpnkiREFFuKeJonVLt426DaRyp3DXbkDFo38Tvdix7d4pqj_5etH1hZNZvFqCWhvIAhHaYx3vQifN1wEri8GM9jESzF74IddMrIRIu93Bff7GMs9EWIW9-ezXlFbqYtvUxKMYXM/s1600/IMG_3912.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLr8rBRZpnkiREFFuKeJonVLt426DaRyp3DXbkDFo38Tvdix7d4pqj_5etH1hZNZvFqCWhvIAhHaYx3vQifN1wEri8GM9jESzF74IddMrIRIu93Bff7GMs9EWIW9-ezXlFbqYtvUxKMYXM/s200/IMG_3912.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465932151090114690" /></a> In front of Sofia, once a Church, once a Mosque, Now a Museum <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuOAgrm-95DL-W17IQlODwPQOigXCrpzPjnH1GHAlA0vBkrQMQWhPeczgc3pn_mQUtJx6_TtEScO7lxKIr9-twiezUBkLvvPzHdHMTnzc6e9y1JbvqbAFURTtj_InnXDVsK8ZSEbPM6cm/s1600/P1020258.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuOAgrm-95DL-W17IQlODwPQOigXCrpzPjnH1GHAlA0vBkrQMQWhPeczgc3pn_mQUtJx6_TtEScO7lxKIr9-twiezUBkLvvPzHdHMTnzc6e9y1JbvqbAFURTtj_InnXDVsK8ZSEbPM6cm/s200/P1020258.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465932181861680210" /></a> My kids and I at our schools New Years Celebration<br /><p>Sorry these aren't in order and are all over the place, a year without fast or constant internet, my technological skills are slipping. Hope everyone is doing well.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Bob</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-13694826611036120012010-04-28T04:35:00.000-07:002010-04-28T04:37:03.841-07:006 months later<p class="MsoNormal">It has been about 6 months since I last wrote, sounds quite crazy to think that much time has gone by in general.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thought I would write real quick and give an update about my work, myself, Ukraine, and I guess life overall.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As for work everything continues to go well.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>While at times I have been frustrated with the lack of things to do or the lack of speed, things continue to come together.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The last few weeks I have really been able to focus a lot of my energy on work, I really feel like I am starting to accomplish some things, of course at a small level in a small town in Eastern Ukraine but its where I am.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I continued to have my clubs on a regular basis, my sports clubs get the largest turnouts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is nice to have around 20 kids come twice a week to exercise, play basketball, and play ping pong.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My English clubs don’t get a whole lot of kids but the ones that do come are very motivated and great to work with.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The last time I wrote we had started the first steps to a school newspaper, we now have completed 4 editions, the latest of which being a double edition entirely written by our students.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s amazing how much students can do when they are given the basic resources.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We have also started an exchange program with students here and students in the Black/Latino Achievers Program at the local YMCA in Rockford.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I love working with my Mom, and program directors Antonio and Louis on this project, we are really able to cross cultures and kids through this work.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At night after my sports clubs I have started an adult English class, helping young professionals learn Basic English.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>During school hours I have put in a lot of time helping with English classes, usually taking small groups and working with them during their English class.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I also have been lucky enough to find a great teacher to co-teach healthy lifestyles and ecology with.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Last week was Earth Day, we taught ecology classes all week and on Friday helped host an Ecology Festival in a nearby forest.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Away from my site I continue to work with the Small Projects Assistance grant review committee.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We met 3 weeks ago where we funded around 25 projects, allocating $60,000 dollars to different volunteers who will then implement civic projects in their communities.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I also am a part of the Environmental Working group, a collection of volunteers that focus on environmental issues within Ukraine.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My friend Rachel and I will be co-directors of a summer ecology camp that is put on through the working group.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I have a few other projects that are about to take off, but for now I will not jinx them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Speaking of summer, I have quite a few plans as of now.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I will be planning and directing a camp at my school for the first week or two of summer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I then am going to Umpire for the Ukrainian Little League tournament. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am beyond excited to umpire again and get to spend a few weeks helping out and watching baseball.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After that I am not exactly sure, I will most likely work at my town’s local camp (same place I lived last year for the summer).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Toward the end of July I will take students to two Ecology camps and a few students to an English Camp.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When those camps are finished I will head to the capital to meet my mom.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am beyond excited that she is able to visit.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So far we have planned to visit Kiev, Fastiv (where I trained and have the best Ukrainian family), the Black Sea, and then to my home here in Pryvillya for the first day of school.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ukrainian’s weather is finally coming around.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It has warmed up a lot but the cold breeze is still hanging on with all of its mite.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However the change of weather and the longer days have been a godsend.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The difference 4 more hours of light a day does for a person is amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So yea, I have been enjoying the weather greatly. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I also was able to travel to Istanbul about a month ago with my good friends Mike and Craig.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The trip there was great.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The city has 15 million people and tons of history to it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The night life was a ton of fun and the people were great.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Istanbul was also where I got to watch the health care bill finally pass (nothing like staying up til 5 am with Mike and a bottle of wine watching CSPAN online)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I will post pictures next time I have real internet.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not much else going on in my life, I am happy to say that I have quit smoking (yes the culture sucked me into its non healthy ways) but now that I can breathe again and am finally exercising again everyday, there is no going back.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I have also started to spend my free time much more productively, studying Russian again and reading just about anything I can get my hands on.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I recently finished two great books “Shock Doctrine” and “Game Change.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am currently reading “The World is Flat;” a somewhat dated account of globalization by N.Y. Times contributor Thomas Friedman. So personally that is what is going on, I have slowed my life way down which is somewhat boring but way better, learning and teaching on as much as possible.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As for Ukraine, the country continues to transition from its recent Presidential election.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The country recently elected a Yanukovich, a Pro Russia candidate who is from the Eastern Part of the country.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a big decision for Ukraine, to basically elect a President that wanted to rebuild relations with Russia, as opposed to the opposition who were strong pro West.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It will be interesting to see what all takes place over the next year, already the new ruling party extended Russia’s naval base lease on the Black Sea in exchange for a 30 percent discount on gas.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This ruling lead to egg throwing and fist fights in the Parliament yesterday (check NY Times front page for details.)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The country also is trying to work through budget reformatting, in order to get the rest of a 16.4 billion dollar IMF loan.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Handcuffed by huge economic problems they are being forced to borrow money, however this may lead to the privatization of the water system and telecommunications, as well as a decrease in the minimum wage for Ukrainian workers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Needless to say big decisions ahead for the young country.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">That is about all I have, not sure if that is 6 months worth but it will have to do.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On a last and most important note my mother ruined the surprise of what sex my sister’s baby will be the other day, so I am proud to say I will be an Uncle to the future Tucker James.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am super excited for Tiffany and Tom, however I am not overly excited that Tom is a Packer fan and that I am going to have to battle for Tucker’s support.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Hope everyone is well, I will post pictures as soon as I can.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bob</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-39005693938369520042009-10-01T11:41:00.000-07:002009-10-01T11:57:24.780-07:00Update<p>Okay so in case any one is still reading, I apologize for only posting once a month, well less than that at this point. Anyways I will catch you up with whats new at school first. School started ha, so far so good. The kids are great. My school has 300 kids and a weight room and an office for me. I feel kinda ridic having my own office when the teachers all share one big one. I have it made. The office is at a busy part of school so I have kids coming in to say hi and ramble on in Russian, its enjoyable. I have had 3 weeks of clubs now. I have a chess/checkers club that meets twice a week, I have two English clubs (one for younger kids, one for older). I also have a sports club for boys one day and girls the other. And we have set up our newspaper group, 13 students will be developing a monthly newsletter and running a website to go along with it. I am pretty excited for the project, if all goes well we will recieve grant funding for a printer, computer, and camera. My uncle came through big helping us get a great computer program to help us with the design and layout of it all. Besides that I am continuing to work on developing my exchange program with my mom and am in the inital steps of trying to find a sister city for Pryvillya.</p><p> Outside of school, I was in Kyiv a few weeks ago for a grant writing conference and an Environmental working group. The Environmental working group is a bunch of PC volunteers that run summer camps, provide resources for other volunteers, and get the ball rolling on big environmental projects done by Peace Corps here in Ukraine. It will be great to work with them. I will do that and work with the Small Project Assistance Grant Review Committee. USAID gives Peace Corps grant money to help fund projects run by volunteers. The SPA committee goes over the grants, offers feedback, and helps prepare them to be sent to Washington to be read by USAID. I will be apart of that team, it will be great to get grant writing and editing experience.</p><p> Outside of work now... all is going well here. Went for a run today and not often do I really feel like I am outside of what I know and feel like I am in Ukraine or abroad, but I ran past a flock of chickens (flock?) then 4 goats and a cow and when I looked to my left I saw endless trees with 3 cities spread amongst them. One of which is Ceverdontsk , which has huge smoke stacks (the bread and butter of the old Soviet Industrail complex) and to my right there was the giant prymaid created by mine debris. Did a double check of it all and quickly found myself back in reality having to walk before the stray dog near by, who didn't appreciate my need for running, got to me. Love it. The best for last, I will be heading to Paris in 3 weeks to spend time with Liz over my school's fall break. I am beyond excited to see her! She continues to enjoy France and started French lessons this week. So yea can't wait to go there and visit! Hopefully this satisfied whoever may read. Hope all is well hope to hear from you soon. </p><p></p><p>Bob</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-37673290593547834792009-08-25T22:00:00.000-07:002009-08-25T22:02:07.203-07:00Home<p>I haven’t wrote for my blog for some time now, but I felt tonight would be a good chance to catch up. Tonight is my first night in my apartment in Pryvillya. This is the apartment that I will live in for the next 22 months. Living at camp was great, was able to make some really good friends and meet a lot of the kids in my town as well as the surrounding area. Since the last time I wrote quite a bit has happened. Liz came and visited which was amazing. We went to L’viv in the East of Ukraine which was so beautiful, so far my favorite city in Ukraine. The next weekend we were in Kiev, the capital. It was great just hanging out and exploring. During the week we stayed with my host family in Fastiv, which is near Kiev. I got to take Liz to the sauna, to the forest and spend time with my amazing Ukrainian family. Was hard to say goodbye to her again, but now she is living and working near Paris, so it is great to have her closer, as well as only one time zone away opposed to the 8 hour difference we were dealing with. </p><p> Last week I was in Kiev again for a volunteer conference in Kiev. I attended the conference with my counterpart, Marinna. She is the English teacher at school 7 where I will be working. She has been nothing but amazing! We plan on starting a city newspaper through the school. Our goal is to have it be completely run by volunteers in the school as well as the community. With the revenue from the paper and its ads we will donate the money to community projects. Right now Pryvillya does not have a paper, and there is a void for it. So that will be my big project over the next years. Tomorrow I will meet with the school directors to figure out what else I will be doing. I really want to have a chess club, English club, and a sports club. Not sure if it is possible to do all of these but that’s what I am going for. I also would love to teach a few lessons during the week either on environmental issues or healthy lifestyles, the rest of the time I will be hanging out with Marinna during her English lessons. <br /></p> Besides that I have slowly been trying to piece together my apartment, slowly is key to that sentence. The workers remolded the whole place which was great, now I must buy all those random things that bring the apartment together. I live in a 6 unit building just off the main street of my town. I just went outside and it was crazy to see the surrounding area at night, so cool to see the age of the buildings, the street and the area near my apartment! <br /><p> </p><p> Also I must mention that my sister was married a few weeks ago, I can’t believe I was unable to attend. While in Kiev I was finally able to see pictures from the wedding, she looked absolutely beautiful! Pretty crazy I have a brother-in-law now, which I am super excited about, as well as a c ute little niece. <br /></p> So yea during the next week I will get my apartment all set up, meet with the school directors to figure out what my work will be, and then in a week school will start. Kind of nervous to meet all the students at school, but at the same time super excited to do so. It should be interesting to say the least. Russian is coming along, try to stay focused on it but its hard sometimes not to get burnt out on it. <br /><p> </p><p> </p><p>I will end here, love to hear from any of you! Take care. Side note, love to get some mail my address is<br /></p>ВУЛ. ПАВЛИКА МОРОЗОВА 9 КВ 2<br />ПРИВiЛЛЯ, ЛИСИЧАНСЬКИЙ РН.<br />ЛУГАНСЬКА ОБЛ.<br /> Ukraine 93191<br />(Ukraine in English will get it to the country, the Ukrainian address will get it to my apartment here)<br />The street I live on is named after a young boy who during the creation of the Soviet Union ratted out his dad for hiding land and money from the Soviet government. The boy was a popular figure during the cold war, communism before family. Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-51783723624188557342009-07-24T02:00:00.000-07:002009-07-24T02:11:31.241-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnFYsJ-7EgjN1AYJHo6VIMN9MXGAgO8Kmfs9AdVPlUmVroXSh_fKwVQHDuw_1xtgslhMowvAiopan-Dk1VUGTcCYVu7K8nVXiTmVOCLFqcaeBN2B42uA1Hg5cvXUYhrKn4xivLWjqiG7O/s1600-h/New+Pic+149.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnFYsJ-7EgjN1AYJHo6VIMN9MXGAgO8Kmfs9AdVPlUmVroXSh_fKwVQHDuw_1xtgslhMowvAiopan-Dk1VUGTcCYVu7K8nVXiTmVOCLFqcaeBN2B42uA1Hg5cvXUYhrKn4xivLWjqiG7O/s200/New+Pic+149.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361951776450906978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOz05p9HP2ob7nyn2F2fgYbafxwF8NgZXioFcvU2cuLubjfED7QuzK_S05jE359e2vtcmDj3XgIbWczFHZ-VhyphenhyphenapWaqAnHPIQpq_i3DWuv-0wlWK5XSbR3GYkEOsb1QL74gy9uWu7TsBzp/s1600-h/New+Pic+152.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOz05p9HP2ob7nyn2F2fgYbafxwF8NgZXioFcvU2cuLubjfED7QuzK_S05jE359e2vtcmDj3XgIbWczFHZ-VhyphenhyphenapWaqAnHPIQpq_i3DWuv-0wlWK5XSbR3GYkEOsb1QL74gy9uWu7TsBzp/s200/New+Pic+152.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361951292474882722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDep_zNPzPxYNkpVwL8PeZYf_DwgPN6u59a8T-jdgCvA7VD4tWBjsYmff8yvDFPyzAXxBEKj2oX2MKg0j7CRlfjXZvFENZ_uRQ_0MUndQBKF5GycLTK8CuQ6QM1C_ONQ-mMjdxFRxRD6eE/s1600-h/nEW+009.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDep_zNPzPxYNkpVwL8PeZYf_DwgPN6u59a8T-jdgCvA7VD4tWBjsYmff8yvDFPyzAXxBEKj2oX2MKg0j7CRlfjXZvFENZ_uRQ_0MUndQBKF5GycLTK8CuQ6QM1C_ONQ-mMjdxFRxRD6eE/s200/nEW+009.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361950566891823522" /></a><br /><p>all is well here still, get to see Liz today!!!! We will be hanging out at my host familys place for the week since its the only place I am allowed to travel to away from my actual site. </p><p>All is well at my site, i am still living and kinda working at the summer camp. The second group of kids (160) have been there the last few weeks and when I return there will be the third and final group. I get a lot of time to talk with kids, read, and study. Its been a great place to hang out at, I would be super bored if I was living in my apartment. Speaking of which my apartment has a ton of work to be done in it so it is probably best I am not living there.</p><p> Looking forward to September when I actually start working. I plan on having a sports club/fitness club/healthy lifestyles club, an english club, and a chess club. Not exactually sure what I will be doing during the school day itself but I will find that out soon. People here continue to be great and helpful!</p><p> Miss my second wedding last weekend, my cousin got married. Can't wait to miss my sisters and another cousins as well. Def is hard being away from home and missing these big family get togethers. Attached is my favorite three pictures from my summer camp. A lot of people say that Eastern Ukraine is not beautiful but I have enjoyed it.</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-30288088894835143642009-07-01T00:53:00.000-07:002009-07-01T01:09:10.632-07:00<p>Hello Everyone, </p><p>Sure maybe a few of you are wondering where I have been. I have moved (kinda) to my perminent site and today is the first time I have been able to get internet. I will be living in the East of Ukraine, a 15 hour train ride from Kiev in a city called Pryvilla. Well a small village would be more accurate, a town of 9,000 people. People knock the East for being the industrial part of the country and not as beautiful but I love my area, there is a river at the edge of town and trees as far as you can see in every direction. If you look for it on a map it is on the southern border of Harkiev and Lugansk Oblasts. I am in the Eastern most oblast, I can see Russia from my house. (stole that joke from an 80 year old lady, but I find it funny). I mentioned kinda above because until August 25th I will be living in a summer camp on the outside of my town. Its been a town of fun so far! I basically just hang out all day and do whatever I want. I get to eat with the kids at the camp and have my own big room. The camp is huge, right now there are 160 kids, and they stay for 3 weeks. They will be followed by 2 more groups for 3 weeks each. Most of my stuff is in an apartment in Pryvilla so its been kinda frustrating trying to get back and forth when I need stuff, but considering that I get to practice Russian with people a lot, don't have to cook, don't really have to do anything but play all day- I will take it.</p><p> Russian language is coming along, I tested at an intermidate high level when I was in Fastiv 2 weeks ago, which was really excited about. However that apparently doesn't mean much because I feel like I don't understand anything now. I keep studying everyday, but its hard battling with accents, fast talkers, unfamiliar topics, and the stress of wanting to understand. The people at the camp have been great but I really wish I could be more of a help, its amazing how big of a language plays in culture.</p><p> Pryvilla seems pretty nice so far, only having been here a little bit. I got to spend time with the mayor which was fun, and my co workers and director at my school all seem wonderful. </p><p> Liz is coming to visit in 3 weeks which I am beyond excited about. We will head back to Kiev and to Fastiv for a few days to spend time with my host family there. I am slowly making a list of things that will be requested from America, top of my list is 2 baseball gloves and a baseballs. If there is anything else that you want me to have please contact Liz ha.</p><p> I got a second phone with a new number if you need to get a hold of me +380 99 2618604.</p><p>Well I think thats all I got now, its been pretty interesting being unconnected from the internet for several weeks. I never understood how people could go with out the news everyday but once you go cold turkey you quickly realize how none of it really matters. Well I miss you all, hope all is well.</p><p>Peace</p><p>Bob</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-4681075590484157342009-06-14T22:11:00.000-07:002009-06-14T22:13:06.892-07:00One 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 wellBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-9613980574299323652009-06-11T06:25:00.001-07:002009-06-11T06:26:43.829-07:00Baby ChloeJust 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 waitBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-73142520644976059262009-06-10T09:09:00.000-07:002009-06-10T09:16:41.873-07:00My Political SideMy favorite quote from the past few months<br />"...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"<br />-Cornell West<br /><br />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.<br /><br />I swan across a river in Ukraine yesterday. It was awesome. Then I made Palmeni.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-26083383329409308902009-06-08T03:05:00.000-07:002009-06-08T03:17:00.694-07:00Last week<p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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)</p><p>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.</p><p>Hope everyone is doing well!</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-19613609477813012002009-05-24T09:31:00.000-07:002009-05-24T09:46:20.483-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROiKbcZYpuZ0Qps5rSZOOfssqHNcqNrQDjUkmrrBxxWBSTg6HcNM1i_6Cxs07VvTVFJCaC_bIxLYD0YSRRjrevGWQgnaSaZ49GI6K2aft8Xt0g_l9V9J-nJ8OrxJ5_MVFIJ75Wi_c0IYz/s1600-h/Kovalivka+5_23+011.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROiKbcZYpuZ0Qps5rSZOOfssqHNcqNrQDjUkmrrBxxWBSTg6HcNM1i_6Cxs07VvTVFJCaC_bIxLYD0YSRRjrevGWQgnaSaZ49GI6K2aft8Xt0g_l9V9J-nJ8OrxJ5_MVFIJ75Wi_c0IYz/s320/Kovalivka+5_23+011.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339432682859839794" /></a><br /><p>Man having this blog thing is exhusting. I would like to apologize to all of those who check my blog every day in hope of some new exciting Ukrainian stories. Those people probably do not exist but in case they do. Like always all is well here still. Been to Kiev twice since I last wrote. A lot to see in the city, huge city, population around 4 million people. Also went to a village near by, really cool to see black swans as well as what a small rich village looks like. </p><p>Besides that training has gone by so fast, another 3 weeks and I will be on my own. Not looking forward to leaving my beautiful apartment, my family, and 9 other American volunteers that I have been training with. To answer all of you who have asked if I am fluent in Russian, simply no. Therefore, living on my own in 3 weeks in a small village should be interesting. Nervous for the move of course but excited (I think). </p><p> So yea next few weeks consist of more language classes as well as planning our summer camp. We will be running a 4 day summer camp for 7th graders. Should be fun if we manage to get through the whole language barrier. Thats about all, and then of course packing and heading to Kiev for 4 days where we will be sworn in and finally get our site placements. Kind of annoying not knowing where we will be going, especially since the Peace Corps will know next Friday. </p><p>Been reading a lot lately as well, I am going to start a list somewhere on my blog of the books that I have read, maybe the ones I plan on reading as well. If you have read one please let me know, I always love hearing what others have to say or think about things. Well thats all I got for now, please continue shooting me emails, love to hear from all of you. Hope you have a great day!</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-21024029884995261762009-05-08T02:59:00.001-07:002009-05-08T03:07:03.079-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwygAovnBCuaY2qMlUQYaUKHrA70zjL8xWUWOyqiogKBjiSJLj7kiZd21Fjt-HDpYIq_b51M6rNp9Eq96tWMMkWC7SthS6G2BSEAv_2v1MQrEFzl8tXdZYwDqlzsyOByfJ_mDgniwfEWqb/s1600-h/248.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwygAovnBCuaY2qMlUQYaUKHrA70zjL8xWUWOyqiogKBjiSJLj7kiZd21Fjt-HDpYIq_b51M6rNp9Eq96tWMMkWC7SthS6G2BSEAv_2v1MQrEFzl8tXdZYwDqlzsyOByfJ_mDgniwfEWqb/s200/248.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333392224517780466" /></a><br /><p>Time is flying by here! Been long and busy days which really help pass the time. Last weekend we went to Kiev, it was a lot of fun! The city is very beautiful, was nice to travel a little bit and see a big city. Sunday we are heading back to Kiev to meet up with some other volunteers, right now there is about 20 of us going, so it should be a lot of fun. Things in Fastiv have been great as well. Taught again on Tuesday, and have been busy with Russian all week. At times its super tiring and hard to learn the language but the little times when I understand my family makes it so worth it. I even answered the telephone at home yesterday! First 75 percent of the call was great haha. A few current peace corps volunteers came yesterday and are spending the weekend with us, which is great to hear about there experiences. And they are awesome at Russian which is very encouraging, give it a year and I will be slightly better! All is well, love to hear from all of you. Take care! (love the picture, makes me feel very funny since Rita is laughing at me- its slightly like a Charlie Chaplin film between the two of us, very funny interactions but a very little amount of talking)</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-13672783465400351182009-04-27T06:28:00.000-07:002009-04-27T06:40:00.118-07:00Another Holiday!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6d7mge0TCItyzcrHoNhJKlWBGk5Fa4_iviTsNpQ82v3M0ACsYVh_05jjJuGbp24DGgBtcIQDf35aLDD8IK4uR1qw5YLVWwVi0xXPUK68C5ogcTpBZc8hKsDE_1vBttBybdCuCcRjTAXn/s1600-h/Fastiv+Grave+Day+014.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6d7mge0TCItyzcrHoNhJKlWBGk5Fa4_iviTsNpQ82v3M0ACsYVh_05jjJuGbp24DGgBtcIQDf35aLDD8IK4uR1qw5YLVWwVi0xXPUK68C5ogcTpBZc8hKsDE_1vBttBybdCuCcRjTAXn/s320/Fastiv+Grave+Day+014.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329365362742755986" /></a><br /><p>These weekend was another holiday. They have a tradition of going to the graves of loved ones and eating food and leaving candy and bread at the gravesight. The cemetary was way different then any American one that I have seen. Each person has a small fenced in area, some have little benches or tables inside of the fenced area. The tombstones also had a picture of what the person looked like. So we went to the cemetary for a few hours and then came back here and ate a lot of food! Katie, Vanessa, and Alicia joined my family for the festivites. </p><p>Another long week ahead of me, teaching my second class tomorrow. Plenty of Russian practice ahead of me tonight. Wednesday I am going to Kiev with my group and Katya, our language instructor. I can't wait to see the city, plus after this we are allowed to travel there alone, which will serve as a nice meeting place with our scattered peace corps volunteers. Thursday we assist the english teachers in the schools and Friday and Saturday more training! Hope all is well with everyone at home, love hearing from you all. Have a great day!</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-83658896945959053712009-04-24T06:29:00.000-07:002009-04-24T06:32:27.475-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhOaXMypoRFY0TQJpAVfbgQUVAaL-G_ssATONrlmN9pJgccz4TXEOc7d3kukjQRBXDt2YVMWhPuqEHdiw4d9OQR68zYYirOK2Exd3uMPTzl8fk1fYNMjuRsj3zDnxpxtCD1m8IXqdVusm/s1600-h/Американці.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhOaXMypoRFY0TQJpAVfbgQUVAaL-G_ssATONrlmN9pJgccz4TXEOc7d3kukjQRBXDt2YVMWhPuqEHdiw4d9OQR68zYYirOK2Exd3uMPTzl8fk1fYNMjuRsj3zDnxpxtCD1m8IXqdVusm/s320/Американці.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328250021218652018" />My Peace Corps Group in Fastiv with Mayor</a>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-22634927956688970252009-04-24T06:13:00.000-07:002009-04-24T06:24:25.371-07:00All is well<p>All remains well here in Fastiv Ukraine. Last Sunday was Easter, easily a day I will never forget. Worth giving you the time stamps on this one </p><p>12am-1am followed the cubs and bulls online</p><p>1am-2 am Sleep</p><p>2 am- 4am Walked to Church where our bread was blessed with water, along with thousands of others, (around 25,000 people go to the church to have food blessed between midnight and 7am)</p><p>4 am- 6 am- Eat recently blessed food and take traditonal 3 shots of Vodka, which apparently turns into 5 if american is present</p><p>6am-12pm sleep</p><p>12 pm- 5 pm Picnic in the Forest along River with traditional easter food and Ukrainian Vodka</p><p>5 pm- 10 pm More food and drink with my family, Katie, and 6 of their friends</p><p>10 pm- midnight- classic rock music and sleep</p><p>Was a new way for me to do Easter, but I have every intention of returning here next year for it. Taught my first classes this week- 6th and 7th graders on the dangers of smoking. Continue to learn Russian and job training. Sunday there is another holiday where we go and visit the graves of deased family members. Teach again next week and will hopefully visit Kiev. Thats all I got for now, all is well. Love hearing from all of you. Tiffany got engaged yesterday which is super exciting! Hopefully Tom and her do not mind getting married in Ukraine. </p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-38289328458697398172009-04-12T04:48:00.000-07:002009-04-12T04:56:16.773-07:00<p>All is well here still, I have it so lucky, my host family is great and I have a great support here in the city with the family, my fellow peace corps people, and our trainers. Its super busy but so far really good. I want to the Orthodox church this morning which was very interesting to see.. The church is 300 years old, built of all wood with no nails. This week was pretty busy with the Russian training and the technical training. Everyweek we have about 20 hours of Russian lessons and another 15 hours of technical training. I am really enjoying it. Okay my 8 year old sister is not allowing me to type anymore so I just wanted to let all know that I am doing well. Love to hear from you</p><p></p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-88867637455310578852009-04-05T01:08:00.001-07:002009-04-05T01:12:33.544-07:00Went to babushka's house last night for dinner, it was such good food. Not a bad meal yet! Today Bogden, Vanessa, and I are going to walk around Fastiv and map the city. Should be pretty exciting. Russian is slowly coming along, I am trying not to use Bogden's awesome English as too much of a crutch but for the mean time its making it easy! Mentality all of this is a little tiring, plus with missing my friends and family, and especially liz its a little wearing, but I am living with a wonderful family and have great support via Peace Corps staff. Hope everything is well in the states. Orlando Pace and Cutler to the bears. Cubs opening day on Tuesday! MSU vs. UNC in the National Championship game, hopefully the big ten can get some revenge, even though I have ill feelings towards MSU (sorry dan). Well please all keep in contact. Enjoy your SundayBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-20719374331834464492009-04-04T06:17:00.001-07:002009-04-04T06:17:42.630-07:00Scratch the one cents a minute thing. Not that cheap ha. Stick to emails or posts on here. Email is bobschlehuber@gmail.comBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-10436181018918940172009-04-04T05:52:00.001-07:002009-05-11T21:40:54.352-07:00<p>Hello All,</p><p>I made it safely to Ukraine. I arrived yesterday to my 3 month home of Fastiv. My host family is amazing. I am living with a mom, a dad, their 15 year old son, and 8 year old daughter. The food has been great and the apartment is very nice. I will be learning Russian while I am here, which is scary but exciting at the same time. . All incoming calls are free, feel free to call me. Anyways, I am safe, excited, motivated, nervous, tired, and everything else inbetween. Hope all is well with everyone!</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-73355535788480979902009-03-31T11:38:00.001-07:002009-03-31T11:43:03.852-07:00Hey Guys,<br /><br />Hope this is working alright for you guys. If you guys want to skype me just search my name. Also I will be getting a cell phone in the next weeks that you can call me via a calling card. I am at JFK waiting to leave for Frankfurt. 5 hour lay over there and the to Kiev. After that a 3 hour bus ride to our hotel. Mix of emotions obviously, but I am with a great group of people. Miss you allBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472495920565603899.post-62619878315932917782009-03-27T09:31:00.000-07:002009-03-27T09:34:28.047-07:00WelcomeWelcome to my blog. Hopefully this will be simple for everyone to look at and use. Not sure how the internet will be in Ukraine but hopefully I can keep everyone updated on my trip. I am pretty excited and nervous to leave, thank you all so much for your thoughts, and of course please stay in touch with me as well.Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12699532338644685772noreply@blogger.com1