Dobre Dien! I know some of you might have been worried about me making it to Ukraine, but you can rest easy. I made it in one piece! The past week has been one of the busiest, and most exciting weeks that I have ever had. If I were to tell you guys every detail, I would have to write a novel. So, I'll give you a detailed Cliff's Notes version.
Last Sunday I had to say goodbye to my family in Birmingham. It was by far the toughest and scariest thing I've ever had to do. I knew that it was going to be hard, so I didn't want a lot of people to come to the airport. After the hard and tearful goodbyes, I headed to my gate to wait for my first plane ride since I was a baby. I was suppose to leave for D.C. at 5:00 p.m., but because of some problems with the plane, we were delayed. We finally got off the ground (in a different plane) around 7. The experience was everything I hoped it would be! I was like a kid at 6 Flags. I honestly had to resist raising my hands in the air. We then landed in Charlotte, N.C. where I had about 35 minutes to catch my next plane. It wasn't a pretty sight to see me and my carry on's running through that huge airport trying to make it to the gate. But I made it :)
I made it to D.C. around 11 p.m. and it turns out my friend Lydia, another PCV, had plane troubles as well so we were able to meet up and take a taxi together. I think it's important to note that I immediately fell in love with D.C., and especially Georgetown where we stayed. It was everything I hoped it would be, and I plan on it being one of the first trips I make when I get back. Back to my travels though....
When we arrived we ran into some other PCV's and we all hit it off. It is so amazing to be surrounded by people with similar interests and shared desires. The next day we started orientation. Their were 106 of us, so we had to be split up to get anything accomplished. Orientation was long, but educational and fun. Every one of us comes from such diverse educational backgrounds, yet we all have the same dreams. I made lots of new friends and found so much common ground with so many people, but I won't bore you with it all.
We were in Georgetown until Friday. We left in the evening for Frankfurt, and let me tell you. That plane ride was lonnnnng. I feel that I have definitely made up for lost time with that one. On the way there, I couldn't help but constantly stare out the windown and wonder about what was to come. My emotions were a mixture of so many feelings, but I ultimately felt at peace with myself. It was a feeling I'm not going to forget.
We arrived in Frankfurt Germany, and we were immediately rushed into the commotion of a busy European airport. I have never seen so many different nationalities in my life. It was definitely a sight for this small town girl. Unfortunately, I had my first bad traveling experience. As everyone in the world knows, airplane security almost anywhere is pretty intense. Besides it being super busy in Frankfurt, security was also super strict. Not only did I get an intense pat down from a female security member, I also had to throw away my aluminum water bottle, because I forgot to dump out the water that was in it. So, one of the first things I'll be asking the fam to send is a replacement. Other than that, it was smooth sailing. However, by that time I was more than a little tired and the super scary security did not help. I stayed positive though and made it on the next flight to Kyiv.
Landing in Kyiv was an amazing experience for me. It was almost a sense of homecoming. As we were landing, I thought to myself that this would be my home for the next two years. It was odd because at the time, it was a place I knew next to nothing about. Not to mention the fact that I didn't know a lick of the language or the people.
But that was one week ago, and now it's a completely different story! After our arrival, we were whisked away by some of the friendliest and most patient people I have ever met in my life. The Ukrainian Peace Corps staff is compose of many Ukrainians who made such an effort to make us feel at home as soon as we arrived. I think they succeeded as best they could. We were taken to a business center and hotel where we were to have a brief 2 day orientation. During that orientation, we were told which language we were going to be learning, what cluster, or group we would be in, and to which oblast (kind of like a district) we would be going to. Once again, God was on my side in all the decisions that were made in regards to my life for the next two years. I am learning Russian, which was definitely a little bit of a curveball. For those of you that don't know (I didn't a few months ago), Russian is still a widely used language since Ukraine was a part of Russia for such a long time. So, the Peace Corps has a small number of individuals who learn Russian instead of Ukrainian, so that we may work with the large Russian-speaking population in the country. Also, I was assigned to live in a small village named Rad. Sloboda. It is in the Cherniv Oblast, which is in Northern Ukraine. The village is kind of like a suburb and I am very close to the Cherniv, which is a very big city. My group is made up of myself and 4 other people. They are four amazing individuals who all share the same desire and dreams that I myself possess. I am looking forward to getting to know them better through the next 3 months. We are all in the same boat, and it's nice to know that I have other people that I can talk to when it all becomes to much.Now, about my new home and family.
To say the least, I was so nervous about meeting my host family. I was worried mostly because of the language barrier and the horror stories I had heard about outhouses and strange food. A few minutes before my new family came to pick me up, my amazing tech. trainer, Veca, told me that my host family had 2 daughters who both spoke English! Excited is not the word to describe how I felt at that moment! But anyways, I was picked up by one of the families nephews, Meesha, in his car that was blaring loud and exotic music. He was exactly as I pictured a Ukrainian man to be. Tough looking with a good laugh and strong sense of being. The ride home was short. Before I knew it, I had arrived to a beautiful house that is bigger than my own in the states! I was immediately welcomed by Sveta, one of my new host sisters. She welcomed me and helped me with my bags. After that, I was met by my host mom, Olah, and other host sister, Tanya. The first thing that struck me was how amazing beautiful they were! In Ukraine, it is custom to take your shoes off when entering someones home and put on houseshoes. Since I didn't have mine out yet, Olah immediately offered me hers. That gesture let me know that I was in good, caring hands. They showed me to my incredibly homey bedroom where I was able to unpack everything (I never want to see luggage again). The room is beautiful by the way. It is very spacious, with large windown and bookcases (how perfect for me!).
Later that evening, Meesha's wife, also named Olah, arrived along with their 5 year old daughter, Sonya. The night was spent eating amazingly good food and my answering questions about my life in America. By the end of the night, I already felt at home :)
The past week has gone by quickly, and that's probably because my every waking moment is devoted to working. Monday through Friday, I have language training 4 hours a day. On top of that, we have technical and cross cultural training twice a week for 4 hours at a time. We also have been visiting different organizations that we will be working with over the next 3 months. (I completely forgot to mention that I am only here to train for 3 months. After that, I will be shipped to my new site, which could be anywhere in Ukraine. That site is where I will live and work for the next 2 years.). Everyone has been so welcoming and friendly. My village is small, and comforting. I already know where everything is, and I am also able to recognize the faces of my new neighbors. I can sense that they are all curious about their new American visitors, especially the children. Every morning, the children all try to impress me with their English by telling me "Hello" and "Good day". They don't have to do to much to impress me though, as I am amazed at their sweet demeanors and openness to me already.
I know I've left out so much, and also that most of you still have no idea what I'm even doing over here. I promise that as soon as I can, I'm going to devote an entire post to why I joined the Peace Corps and what my job is over here. I thought that it was more important to let all of my wonderful friends and loving family know, that as of now, I am happy and safe :)
I am in a strange, yet interesting new world where the possibilities seem endless to me. Every day brings forth something new and amazing to experience. And every night, I go to bed thinking that I finally feel that I am exactly where I'm suppose to be. Until next time... Paka!!!
P.S.- I ended up writing a novel anyways, but I had a lot to catch you guys up on! Thanks to those who hung in there and made it to this point :) Also, please forgive my spelling errors and typos.
When we arrived we ran into some other PCV's and we all hit it off. It is so amazing to be surrounded by people with similar interests and shared desires. The next day we started orientation. Their were 106 of us, so we had to be split up to get anything accomplished. Orientation was long, but educational and fun. Every one of us comes from such diverse educational backgrounds, yet we all have the same dreams. I made lots of new friends and found so much common ground with so many people, but I won't bore you with it all.
We were in Georgetown until Friday. We left in the evening for Frankfurt, and let me tell you. That plane ride was lonnnnng. I feel that I have definitely made up for lost time with that one. On the way there, I couldn't help but constantly stare out the windown and wonder about what was to come. My emotions were a mixture of so many feelings, but I ultimately felt at peace with myself. It was a feeling I'm not going to forget.
We arrived in Frankfurt Germany, and we were immediately rushed into the commotion of a busy European airport. I have never seen so many different nationalities in my life. It was definitely a sight for this small town girl. Unfortunately, I had my first bad traveling experience. As everyone in the world knows, airplane security almost anywhere is pretty intense. Besides it being super busy in Frankfurt, security was also super strict. Not only did I get an intense pat down from a female security member, I also had to throw away my aluminum water bottle, because I forgot to dump out the water that was in it. So, one of the first things I'll be asking the fam to send is a replacement. Other than that, it was smooth sailing. However, by that time I was more than a little tired and the super scary security did not help. I stayed positive though and made it on the next flight to Kyiv.
Landing in Kyiv was an amazing experience for me. It was almost a sense of homecoming. As we were landing, I thought to myself that this would be my home for the next two years. It was odd because at the time, it was a place I knew next to nothing about. Not to mention the fact that I didn't know a lick of the language or the people.
But that was one week ago, and now it's a completely different story! After our arrival, we were whisked away by some of the friendliest and most patient people I have ever met in my life. The Ukrainian Peace Corps staff is compose of many Ukrainians who made such an effort to make us feel at home as soon as we arrived. I think they succeeded as best they could. We were taken to a business center and hotel where we were to have a brief 2 day orientation. During that orientation, we were told which language we were going to be learning, what cluster, or group we would be in, and to which oblast (kind of like a district) we would be going to. Once again, God was on my side in all the decisions that were made in regards to my life for the next two years. I am learning Russian, which was definitely a little bit of a curveball. For those of you that don't know (I didn't a few months ago), Russian is still a widely used language since Ukraine was a part of Russia for such a long time. So, the Peace Corps has a small number of individuals who learn Russian instead of Ukrainian, so that we may work with the large Russian-speaking population in the country. Also, I was assigned to live in a small village named Rad. Sloboda. It is in the Cherniv Oblast, which is in Northern Ukraine. The village is kind of like a suburb and I am very close to the Cherniv, which is a very big city. My group is made up of myself and 4 other people. They are four amazing individuals who all share the same desire and dreams that I myself possess. I am looking forward to getting to know them better through the next 3 months. We are all in the same boat, and it's nice to know that I have other people that I can talk to when it all becomes to much.Now, about my new home and family.
To say the least, I was so nervous about meeting my host family. I was worried mostly because of the language barrier and the horror stories I had heard about outhouses and strange food. A few minutes before my new family came to pick me up, my amazing tech. trainer, Veca, told me that my host family had 2 daughters who both spoke English! Excited is not the word to describe how I felt at that moment! But anyways, I was picked up by one of the families nephews, Meesha, in his car that was blaring loud and exotic music. He was exactly as I pictured a Ukrainian man to be. Tough looking with a good laugh and strong sense of being. The ride home was short. Before I knew it, I had arrived to a beautiful house that is bigger than my own in the states! I was immediately welcomed by Sveta, one of my new host sisters. She welcomed me and helped me with my bags. After that, I was met by my host mom, Olah, and other host sister, Tanya. The first thing that struck me was how amazing beautiful they were! In Ukraine, it is custom to take your shoes off when entering someones home and put on houseshoes. Since I didn't have mine out yet, Olah immediately offered me hers. That gesture let me know that I was in good, caring hands. They showed me to my incredibly homey bedroom where I was able to unpack everything (I never want to see luggage again). The room is beautiful by the way. It is very spacious, with large windown and bookcases (how perfect for me!).
Later that evening, Meesha's wife, also named Olah, arrived along with their 5 year old daughter, Sonya. The night was spent eating amazingly good food and my answering questions about my life in America. By the end of the night, I already felt at home :)
The past week has gone by quickly, and that's probably because my every waking moment is devoted to working. Monday through Friday, I have language training 4 hours a day. On top of that, we have technical and cross cultural training twice a week for 4 hours at a time. We also have been visiting different organizations that we will be working with over the next 3 months. (I completely forgot to mention that I am only here to train for 3 months. After that, I will be shipped to my new site, which could be anywhere in Ukraine. That site is where I will live and work for the next 2 years.). Everyone has been so welcoming and friendly. My village is small, and comforting. I already know where everything is, and I am also able to recognize the faces of my new neighbors. I can sense that they are all curious about their new American visitors, especially the children. Every morning, the children all try to impress me with their English by telling me "Hello" and "Good day". They don't have to do to much to impress me though, as I am amazed at their sweet demeanors and openness to me already.
I know I've left out so much, and also that most of you still have no idea what I'm even doing over here. I promise that as soon as I can, I'm going to devote an entire post to why I joined the Peace Corps and what my job is over here. I thought that it was more important to let all of my wonderful friends and loving family know, that as of now, I am happy and safe :)
I am in a strange, yet interesting new world where the possibilities seem endless to me. Every day brings forth something new and amazing to experience. And every night, I go to bed thinking that I finally feel that I am exactly where I'm suppose to be. Until next time... Paka!!!
P.S.- I ended up writing a novel anyways, but I had a lot to catch you guys up on! Thanks to those who hung in there and made it to this point :) Also, please forgive my spelling errors and typos.
Hayes! I just clung to every word -- I'm so happy to know that you're safe and sound!
ReplyDeleteAnd everything sounds like it's going perfectly! Keep filling us in :)
Love you!
Hey love! I couldn't help but read beginning to end! I'm just as excited as you are! It's all so wonderful and it's all really happening!! I love you and miss you but I'm just overjoyed that you are doing so well! This is the best that we all could have hoped for! Make sure you keep the updates as decent as this one. I love you and I hope luck keeps finding you and your beautiful spirit. MuaH! J'taime!
ReplyDelete