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!

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.  

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).

 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.  

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!

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)

Another Holiday!!

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.   

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!