In Search of an Internet "Club"

I have been here, amazingly, for 2 and a half weeks. How fast time flies--especially when you're scheduled solid. I've yet to visit a (working) internet cafe, but today we're going to Kiev, and there must be one there. The Peace Corps headquarters also have computers we can use, but with all 105 of us visiting Kiev for the first time today, I guess their 6 computers will be pretty busy. Something will work out.

And yes--you read correctly. This is my first visit to Kiev. The Peace Corps really holds our hands, and that includes prohibiting us from travelling away from our training sites for the first couple of weeks. Today is the day we are set free, so our language teacher is taking us to Kiev to see the sites.

Ukrainians are very proud of Kiev. When I meet someone (who happens to speak English), one of the things they always as is, "Have you been to Kiev?" When I answer that I haven't, they are so sad. "Oh, it is a wonderful city." (One of the Peace Corps officials who visited us last week told me it's "just like any other Eastern European city." Pretty cool, but once you've spent a couple of days there you've seen it all.) I'm really looking forward to the trip.

Anyway, you're probably wishing I would answer some more concrete questions....

Ukraine is very beautiful, and very green--at least when I got here. Somehow, that is what I noticed most flying in and driving to the "hotel" we stayed at for the first two nights: there are so many trees, and they are so very green. Compared to Ukraine, California is washed out and dull. (The buildings, on the other hand, all seem old. It seems like very few of them have been painted since Ukraine gained its independence.)

Overnight--or so it seems to me--the trees lost their leaves, the decorative vines withered, and the weather turned frosty. And I caught a cold. (I am recovering, exiting the snotty stage and entering a more cough-centric one. Thanks for asking.)

My home for the next 3 months is Berezan. Look a little east of Kiev on a map, and there it is. Berezan has about 30,000 people...but it doesn't have running hot water and there is no internet cafe. I guess we're a little backward here, because there is a town nearby that is about half the size and has both hot water and internet. There are 5 Peace Corps trainees in that town, and we Berezan trainees meet with them every Saturday. Last week was our first visit--of course the internet was down.

Some other highlights:

1. I'm learning Russian. It's hard! We had 6 hours of lessons a day for the first week, and only 4 hours a day since then. My language teacher is amazing.

2. I'm now going to the local school most mornings to either observe or conduct lessons. (Actually, I haven't really given a lesson yet--although I've unexpectedly been the lesson a couple of times.) It's really neat how interested in us everyone is. There is always a cloud of students hovering around us, just to watch and listen when we speak to each other. As I walk down the hallway, some brave souls shout out "Hi!" And "What's your name!" And "Angliski" (English). And then there are though who say "Bonjour," because they study French. Some of the older students, those nearing graduation, speak really well. They near fluency, and just need a little practice. That's what we're here to give.

3. My host family is really nice. I live with a lady who is just a little younger than my parents; she has two grown daughters, both married. It's just the two of us in the apartment.

4. My training group is great, too. There are 5 of us aspiring Volunteers in Berezan. We see each other every day (so far) for lessons, which is extremely comforting. It's nice to know that there are other people going through the same thing.

5. The food is good--I'm finally getting my appetite back--but there is so much fat in it. And they really try to feed us. I can't even eat a quarter of what gets put on my plate.

6. My name looks really cool in Russian! K - backwards E - P - backwards N. Sorta. You really have to see it, but I haven't figured out how to show you yet. ("Sheaffer" is even cooler.)

7. I'm having a good time.

To be honest (sorry!), I don't miss you all that much. (Silent "yet.") I'm just too busy, and everything is so different. Sometimes I'll see something that reminds me of one of you, and then I am a little sad...

There is some sort of Russian/Ukrainian version of Survivor. It looks a lot like the American version, except the women wear even less clothing (think string bikinis and European nudity laws) and the men are in speedos. (While the women are all very beautiful, the men...aren't. I guess that's the same in American Survivor, though.) Mom and Dad, I think of you whenever I see Ukrainian Survivor.

I saw a really interesting music video and really really wished I could call Jenny up to tell her about it, because no one else would think it was as crazy/cool and hilarious as she would. It was a duet. The man and woman were singing in English, although it obviously wasn't their native language. I think it was "Just another love song" or something like that. Anyway, remember that awful Paula Abdul video where Paula was dancing with the animated fox? Mmm-hmmm. Well, this video had computer animated sperm. Yes, you read that correctly. They had faces and were racing along track-lit animated fallopian tubes, and darting around the two singers. At the end of the song they reached the egg, which had big red lips and a ball gown (or maybe my memory is embellishing with the ball gown). One of the sperm got to smooch with the egg.

I swear to God this is true. It is the weirdest thing that I've ever seen.

I could go on, but I am about out of typing time--it's almost 7 and I have to get dressed. Please send me letters! They will make me happy. (Many hugs to those of you who already have--I've received a couple.) I haven't had much time to write so far, so those who've sent me letters have priority. Oh, and the US embassy opens our letters to check for Anthrax. (Again, I'm not kidding.) So no confetti, please--as if any of you would!