Only 2 Weeks Left of Training!

It is crazy to think that in two weeks we all will be boarding a bus and heading back to Kiev for the swearing in conference and ceremony!  At the conference, we will be finding out where we will be living for the next two years and the organization that we will be working with.  I am very excited and  of course - a little nervous. Training has been great! Living and working with people who understand my mixed-up, rudimentary Russian have really made the transition to life here easy...but, now I guess it is time to face the real world!

These past few weeks have gone so fast it does not seem like I have been living in Ukraine for 10 weeks! One reason time passes quickly is because Ukraine celebrates a lot of holidays. There were three weeks in a row where there was at least one national holiday.  For Veterans' Day our cluster went into the city to watch the parade and give tulips to veterans.  It was an amazing experience and it seemed like everyone in the town participated.

The following weekend my host family's old PC volunteer came back to visit.  Together, we cooked an American dinner of macaroni and cheese and salad.  My host family loved it after they got over the shock of realizing that soup would not be served. (I have not been served a dinner that has not started with a bowl of soup or borsch).

I also spent an afternoon walking around Chernigov with Amy, who is another volunteer from Portland, OR.  We were able to meet a few times before coming to Ukraine, and it has been great to have her close! Here are a few pictures of St. Catherine's Church in Chernigov and part of the Dnepr river from a foot bridge.

Last Friday our cluster went to the closing bell ceremony at the local school.  It is customary for the graduating girls to wear brown dresses with aprons and the boys to dress in suits.  The graduating students prepare a dance and sing a song.  Then all of the teachers are given flowers from their students. The following day was the school's formal graduation, but we did not attend that event and opted instead to watch the Champions League championship soccer game together in the city.