What do you mean Ukraine's all over the news? Seriously?

Because nothing's happened. Rather, there's been no violence, which I thought would relegate Ukraine's current turmoil to a small headline somewhere near the back of the paper. But I heard the other day that we hit the front page of the NY Times.

So I imagine you're all wondering how I'm doing, and what's up in Ukraine. First of all, everything is fine. I don't know what they're showing on the news in the US, but the big demonstration in Kyiv (where everyone is wearing orange) is peaceful; everyone is calm and happy, if cold. I know people who have gone to Kyiv and seen the demonstration, so this is not just hearsay or relying on the (blatantly) biased news. The other rallies, the ones where people are wearing blue, are smaller--Kyiv is Yushenko territory. And Berezan, where I'm living, doesn't have anything more than a new splash of orange graffiti on one of the walls. Everything is calm. People are highly interested in what is going on; the news is always on, everyone is watching the court proceedings (which have never before been broadcast) and the demonstrations, and potential outcomes are exhaustively discussed. But I have not once felt in any way threatened.

Of course, the Peace Corps is keeping a close watch on everything. We are not allowed to travel, which is why I haven't posted anything before now. (Today is a special exception because there is a Peace Corps meeting in Kyiv for those of us interested in Multicultural Awareness.) But our Country Director, the guy in charge of the Peace Corps in Ukraine, has been meeting daily with the US Ambassador in Kyiv, and we've been getting daily status phone calls, all of which say pretty much the same thing: "The situation is still relatively calm but volatile, so stay home."

So we're all feeling a bit stir-crazy, but other than that we're fine. We are anxious to hear the news everyday, and wonder what will happen in the country and how it will affect our lives here, and we're excited to be here and see everything that's going on around us. These are interesting times.

I suppose I should tell you about Thanksgiving (we cooked chicken and stuffing, apple pie and mashed potatoes), Chernomoskoe (where I'll be living come January), and what I'll be up to in the next month, but....I'm lazy, and--as always--pressed for time.

Hope everyone is enjoying the winter! (We have snow.)