Hello to all!
Greetings from Kivertsi, Ukraine! I hope this post finds you all happy and healthy. The snow is coming down now, just when I thought it was over. This week we had a day of wonderful sunshine that just made my heart all warm inside. But Ukraine is Ukraine so the snow had to make another appearance. Now we have at least a foot of snow. I enjoy it though, being from southern Oregon and all, I don't get to see much snow on a daily basis so I am learning to appreciate it's beauty more and more. It's nice to look outside and see the snow falling as I sit all warm inside my house. It's relaxing.
This week I taught my first lessons solo. I taught a couple 9th forms, a couple 11th forms, a couple 7th forms, a 5th form and a 6th form. I absolutely loved it. The students are so eager to learn english and I try my best to make it as enjoyable as possible. I feel the students picking up on that aspect and they, in turn, are equally as excited as I am. I had my 5th formers drawing up their own jack-o-lanterns. It was wonderful to see their creativity and to see how much fun they had while doing the activity. I am discovering that I enjoy the younger forms quite a bit, I can't help but smile when they greet me so warmly. They are so curious and have an infinite amount of questions for me everyday about my life, family, friends and the United States. I encourage them all to visit America one day and the more I am there, the more eager they are to visit one day. I love seeing that kind of enthusiasm especially in the younger students.
I ate Holy Supper with my host family and it was delicious. Earlier that day, my host family took a large jug of water to the church to be bless. After Holy Supper and the entire next day, we could only drink from the Holy Water jug. It was the best tasting water I had ever had in Ukraine. I felt privledged to be taking part in such a sacred holiday. I will always be grateful to them for inviting me and considering me to be apart of their family.
On Saturday, I ventured to Lutsk to meet up with other volunteers to participate in a Collaborative meeting. Twenty volunteers, including myself, met for about 2 hours and discussed grant writing opportunities, community project ideas and other options available for us to conduct in our communities. I found it to be extremely helpful and encouraging. I got some great ideas about different projects I can do in my community. I want to get some new books for the 11th form and I was informed about a grant I can write to do just that. I am very excited and anxious to get going on some amazing projects. I have some good ideas brewing.
I hope the States are wonderful and I miss you all dearly!
Much love.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Feeling the Love
Hello to everyone!
This past week has been rather mellow. The school has still been closed due to holidays and let me tell you, there are more holidays in the month of January than I even thought imaginable! It's wonderful being able to celebrate and to given the opportunity to be fully emerged into the traditions set for each holiday. I have been attending school everyday to continue my tutorials with students participating in the regional Olympiads. I am tutoring a 11th form student and a 9th form student. They are both brilliant and I find myself improving my english as I study and break down the language I have spoken all my life. As time progresses in Ukraine, I am finding more and more beauty in language. The more I am challenged and forced to communicate in Ukrainian, I am beginning to find a whole new level of appreciation between the interaction of human beings. Ukrainian is one of the most beautiful languages I have ever heard which also makes me driven to improve. Besides tutoring, I have been progessing in settling in and discovering different parts of Kivertsi I had not been exposed to before. I am loving the town more each day.
My beloved site mate has returned from the states. Her name is Kate Schmidt and she has already been living in Kivertsi for a year now and teaches at a different school in town. She is from Chicago, Illinois and we are always finding ourselves laughing and having a great time whenever we hang out together. I am very fortunate to have a site mate that is very much like me in terms of humor and light heartedness. I am truly blessed, it is a great outlet to have when Ukraine starts to get the better of you. I helped her move her stuff back into her apartment which was quite the adventure. The buses here in Ukraine are always packed and try to imagine two people trying to get onto a packed bus with a 50 lb hiking backpack and a 20 lb school backpack. The Ukrainians on the bus were not even phased by the efforts which made for an even funnier situation, it was a moment in which I wished I had a video camera to capture the process. It was rather comical.
I have recieved some amazing pacakges from home that have only made this transition that much smoother and the battle with homesickness that much easier. Bradleigh Cameron sent me the most amazing backpack and treats. My father sent me a OSU beanie which I find myself wearing everywhere. Oregon is alive and thriving here in Kivertsi. Carli Godard and Hayley Buckbee sent me so many goodies that I found myself teary up at their thoughtfulness. They sent me some chocolate, a book, a couple movies, gloves, warm socks, cheetos!, nutella, candles, tea, very endearing letters and notes, everything was just so thought out, it honestly brought a few tears to my eye. I can't express how much all of those treasures meant to me, I don't think any of them will ever understand just how special recieving those gifts was. Thank you again to all of you who have been so supportive and have shown me so much love while being thousands of miles away from home.
Today, I taught a couple 9th forms and a couple 5th forms. I taught one 5th form class the "itsy, bitsy spider" song, hand motions included. It was the cutest thing trying to watch them manuver their hands like so. They eventually caught on and I couldn't get them to stop singing it! I taught the other 5th form class "mary had a little lamb" and they loved that as well. I found myself signing autographs after class and being given a bountyful amount of stickers that I eventually had to start sticking on my hands and on my sweater. They were so sweet. I had a couple 7th form students make me bracelets! They asked me one day what my favorite color was and sure enough, today they came and surprised me with a couple beautifully, threaded bracelets. It was amazing but frustrating that I couldn't express my gratitude as much as I would have like to. I hope my smile said it all because it was huge and full of true gratitude. I have felt so welcome at the school and the students have begun to take me in as their own. The teachers only continue to be supportive and appreciative of my efforts. I have bonded with more than just the english teachers. There is a french teacher named Tammara, it was her 55th birthday party that Ben and I attended, who never fails to give me a hug and a huge smile everyday she sees me at school. She is wonderful and I hope that as my Ukrainian improves, or my French, we can converse on a deeper level and create a lasting friendship. I always look forward to seeing her at school.
Tomorrow is another big holiday here in Ukraine. It is the day of "epiphany". I am not quite sure about the details yet but there will be a large celebration at school as well as in my home. My host family has been wonderful by including me in their festivities and my host mom, Tonia, is a delicious cook. She is also rather healthy compared to most other food I have eaten. She is the first Ukrainian I have met that uses olive oil instead of sunflower oil. What a rare find that is indeed.
I miss you all dearly, I'll keep you posted.
Much love.
This past week has been rather mellow. The school has still been closed due to holidays and let me tell you, there are more holidays in the month of January than I even thought imaginable! It's wonderful being able to celebrate and to given the opportunity to be fully emerged into the traditions set for each holiday. I have been attending school everyday to continue my tutorials with students participating in the regional Olympiads. I am tutoring a 11th form student and a 9th form student. They are both brilliant and I find myself improving my english as I study and break down the language I have spoken all my life. As time progresses in Ukraine, I am finding more and more beauty in language. The more I am challenged and forced to communicate in Ukrainian, I am beginning to find a whole new level of appreciation between the interaction of human beings. Ukrainian is one of the most beautiful languages I have ever heard which also makes me driven to improve. Besides tutoring, I have been progessing in settling in and discovering different parts of Kivertsi I had not been exposed to before. I am loving the town more each day.
My beloved site mate has returned from the states. Her name is Kate Schmidt and she has already been living in Kivertsi for a year now and teaches at a different school in town. She is from Chicago, Illinois and we are always finding ourselves laughing and having a great time whenever we hang out together. I am very fortunate to have a site mate that is very much like me in terms of humor and light heartedness. I am truly blessed, it is a great outlet to have when Ukraine starts to get the better of you. I helped her move her stuff back into her apartment which was quite the adventure. The buses here in Ukraine are always packed and try to imagine two people trying to get onto a packed bus with a 50 lb hiking backpack and a 20 lb school backpack. The Ukrainians on the bus were not even phased by the efforts which made for an even funnier situation, it was a moment in which I wished I had a video camera to capture the process. It was rather comical.
I have recieved some amazing pacakges from home that have only made this transition that much smoother and the battle with homesickness that much easier. Bradleigh Cameron sent me the most amazing backpack and treats. My father sent me a OSU beanie which I find myself wearing everywhere. Oregon is alive and thriving here in Kivertsi. Carli Godard and Hayley Buckbee sent me so many goodies that I found myself teary up at their thoughtfulness. They sent me some chocolate, a book, a couple movies, gloves, warm socks, cheetos!, nutella, candles, tea, very endearing letters and notes, everything was just so thought out, it honestly brought a few tears to my eye. I can't express how much all of those treasures meant to me, I don't think any of them will ever understand just how special recieving those gifts was. Thank you again to all of you who have been so supportive and have shown me so much love while being thousands of miles away from home.
Today, I taught a couple 9th forms and a couple 5th forms. I taught one 5th form class the "itsy, bitsy spider" song, hand motions included. It was the cutest thing trying to watch them manuver their hands like so. They eventually caught on and I couldn't get them to stop singing it! I taught the other 5th form class "mary had a little lamb" and they loved that as well. I found myself signing autographs after class and being given a bountyful amount of stickers that I eventually had to start sticking on my hands and on my sweater. They were so sweet. I had a couple 7th form students make me bracelets! They asked me one day what my favorite color was and sure enough, today they came and surprised me with a couple beautifully, threaded bracelets. It was amazing but frustrating that I couldn't express my gratitude as much as I would have like to. I hope my smile said it all because it was huge and full of true gratitude. I have felt so welcome at the school and the students have begun to take me in as their own. The teachers only continue to be supportive and appreciative of my efforts. I have bonded with more than just the english teachers. There is a french teacher named Tammara, it was her 55th birthday party that Ben and I attended, who never fails to give me a hug and a huge smile everyday she sees me at school. She is wonderful and I hope that as my Ukrainian improves, or my French, we can converse on a deeper level and create a lasting friendship. I always look forward to seeing her at school.
Tomorrow is another big holiday here in Ukraine. It is the day of "epiphany". I am not quite sure about the details yet but there will be a large celebration at school as well as in my home. My host family has been wonderful by including me in their festivities and my host mom, Tonia, is a delicious cook. She is also rather healthy compared to most other food I have eaten. She is the first Ukrainian I have met that uses olive oil instead of sunflower oil. What a rare find that is indeed.
I miss you all dearly, I'll keep you posted.
Much love.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Oh the Holidays...
Hello dearest family and friends,
I am sorry about the delay in posts, I have been without internet for a while but now I am back in action with the cyber world. I appreciate anyone that reads these! Thanks for your support.
After christmas, I returned to Kivertsi to do some individual tutoring with some students whom will be participating the region Olympiad. The Olympiad is an academic competition regarding all subjects in school, of course, I was tutoring those students who were moving on in English. I loved getting some one-on-one time with students, allowing me to get to know them better.
For New Years, I returned to Kolky to hang out with Ben and some other friends he had already developed in the community. We attended a rather large gathering of Ukrainians meaning we were the only ones who spoke english. It was a great experience! We ate so much food for hours on end while dancing the night away. We left 'early' which in Ukraine means 2:30 a.m. It was wonderful to be apart of such a celebration in a country that knows how to celebrate!
A couple days after New Years, Ben and I were invited to join six other volunteers in the beautiful city of Lyviv. Lyviv is suppose to be only 5 hours away but Ben and I found ourselves venturing for nearly 8 hours to get to Lyviv but it was so worth it. Lyviv is the most beautiful city I have visited in Ukraine especially around the holidays. The city was lit up with colors and tress decorated everywhere and it was snowing! Lyviv is suppose to be considered "the heart of Ukrainian tradition" and it lived up to that indeed. The architecture was original and classic. It was all I imagined eastern Europe to be. The volunteers and I climbed to the top of "Castle Mountain" which gave us a 360 degree view of Lyviv. I can describe how amazing the view was, my pictures do not do the view much justice either. When people come to visit, I will be taking them to that very spot, for sure.
I have been attending other random parties for teachers and their families which has been a pleasure. Ukraine celebrates christmas on the 6-7th of January so for Christmas day I gathered at my counter parts Ivanna Ivanivna's home to meet with her family and some of her close family friends. I probably ate my weight in food and before I knew it, guitars were brought out playing some of my favorite classic rock music artists like Pink Floyd and Led Zepplin. It was such a treat and an experience I won't ever forget.
Today school started back up again and I have yet to recieve my final schedule regarding classes. I have a rough idea but the school is trying to figure out its' own schedule as well. I will let you know I figure out what forms I will be teaching.
I hope you all enjoyed your holidays! Much love to everyone.
I am sorry about the delay in posts, I have been without internet for a while but now I am back in action with the cyber world. I appreciate anyone that reads these! Thanks for your support.
After christmas, I returned to Kivertsi to do some individual tutoring with some students whom will be participating the region Olympiad. The Olympiad is an academic competition regarding all subjects in school, of course, I was tutoring those students who were moving on in English. I loved getting some one-on-one time with students, allowing me to get to know them better.
For New Years, I returned to Kolky to hang out with Ben and some other friends he had already developed in the community. We attended a rather large gathering of Ukrainians meaning we were the only ones who spoke english. It was a great experience! We ate so much food for hours on end while dancing the night away. We left 'early' which in Ukraine means 2:30 a.m. It was wonderful to be apart of such a celebration in a country that knows how to celebrate!
A couple days after New Years, Ben and I were invited to join six other volunteers in the beautiful city of Lyviv. Lyviv is suppose to be only 5 hours away but Ben and I found ourselves venturing for nearly 8 hours to get to Lyviv but it was so worth it. Lyviv is the most beautiful city I have visited in Ukraine especially around the holidays. The city was lit up with colors and tress decorated everywhere and it was snowing! Lyviv is suppose to be considered "the heart of Ukrainian tradition" and it lived up to that indeed. The architecture was original and classic. It was all I imagined eastern Europe to be. The volunteers and I climbed to the top of "Castle Mountain" which gave us a 360 degree view of Lyviv. I can describe how amazing the view was, my pictures do not do the view much justice either. When people come to visit, I will be taking them to that very spot, for sure.
I have been attending other random parties for teachers and their families which has been a pleasure. Ukraine celebrates christmas on the 6-7th of January so for Christmas day I gathered at my counter parts Ivanna Ivanivna's home to meet with her family and some of her close family friends. I probably ate my weight in food and before I knew it, guitars were brought out playing some of my favorite classic rock music artists like Pink Floyd and Led Zepplin. It was such a treat and an experience I won't ever forget.
Today school started back up again and I have yet to recieve my final schedule regarding classes. I have a rough idea but the school is trying to figure out its' own schedule as well. I will let you know I figure out what forms I will be teaching.
I hope you all enjoyed your holidays! Much love to everyone.
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