One Month

Hey there!

So exactly one month ago I arrived in Ukraine.  I'd been traveling for over 24 hours, and was so excited to finally get here! So much has happened since then...I don't even know where to start. :P

This month has been full of adventures, and new experiences.  I figured out how to handle it if I miss a flight. I learned how to ride the metro and busses by myself.  Even though I was nervous about teaching at first, I think I've slowly gotten better, though it's still hard to keep the kids attention for 30 minutes. And yesterday, I faced my fear of fire and both lit a candle and then carried it in my hand for about fifteen minutes as we walked through the catacombs in the Lavra (a super cool cathedral.).

I can't believe I've been here one month already.  In just two short weeks we'll leave Kiev and go teach at a summer camp in Boyarka for the rest of our time here. Even on my mission, I don't think time has ever gone so fast. :) We've done so much...we've gone to Poland, to Lviv...seen several cathedrals...next week we go to Odessa, and then the week after, Boyarka.

I hope the rest of my time here doesn't go by so fast...I want to enjoy my time in Europe as much as I can.  This month has been one of the best of my life -- I love all the girls I volunteer with; the kids are amazing, Luda's amazing, and Ukraine is better than I ever could've imagined. I love the people in our branch too! Today we all had lunch at Sister Murri's house -- her husband is in the branch presidency, and works at the US embassy...or something to do with the government. :P She made us all spaghetti and jello and chocolate chip cookies. So good!!! I think we were all ready for a little taste of America.

Anyway -- time for pictures now. :P The lavra was amazing!  We went up to the bell tower and I got some amazing pics. :) There's a whole bunch of like little churches too, and a cemetery... and several lookouts that let you get an amazing view of Kiev. :)

Hope you all liked the pictures! I promise I'll update things faster in the future.

Thanks for reading!

Weeks 2 and 3

Hey there!!

I know it's been a couple of weeks since I last updated -- the last two weeks have been crazy!!! Jessi and the other girls from last semester left a little less than two weeks ago; it's been weird living with Luda by myself.  It's been fun though!  Luda and I have the best conversations! She's told me about her family, about her friends, about some of her life philosophies, etc.  It's been super great. :) 

Me and Luda. :) 

Luda speaks really good English, but there's still a bit of a language barrier.  Sometimes she'll say a wrong word, realize it, and then just start to laugh. She has the most adorable laugh. :P 

Teaching the kids has also been super fun!  They can be a handful some times, but they're so adorable!! I teach three age groups -- PL (preschool), KG (kindergarten), and FUP 1/3 (Follow Up).  I haven't gotten a picture with all of them, but I'll post pics as I get them.

Diana. :)

Diana and Lera #2

Darina

The girls are adorable!  There are also a couple of boys...they range from super quiet (Lev and Roma)  to bouncing off the walls (Misha).  The KG girls can also get kinda crazy, especially Darina, but I love them to death. :)