Where did January Go? Где Января?

Well, I'll tell you. Но, я вам скажу!

January went whizzing past the New Year, which was spent with our Ukrainian friends. We danced, we sang, we drank champagne and homemade conyak, shashlik (bbq) was literally man-made while the ladies prepared a variety of salads, including Ukraine's national Olivie (салат оливье). We celebrated at 10 for Russia, and then at 12 for us, while we lit sparklers and ran into the night to see fireworks in the distance.

Then, January jumped over a good friend's birthday party and into a freezing lake the next day where we "washed away our sins" (or maybe just our fears) for Jesus' baptism, or Кришение (video to come).

January carried us to Kiev on a hot and sleepless twelve-hour train after which it lifted us away to a small hotel in Chernigov where we remembered that we studied Russian for three months before shamefully forgetting to study for 12 subsequent months. But January, my speedy savior, thank you for giving me new motivation to learn Russian.

That whole ordeal, obviously, made January take a quick marshrutka ride to our host family, who met us with open arms, wine, vodka, games, laughter, and delicious food.

January, you conquered yourself and faded into February, but I won't forget you yet.

Photos taken by Nastya and Sasha Telikova

Little Did We Know

Logan and I arrived safely in Ukraine last Thursday, 22 September. After landing in Kiev, the entire group of volunteers (all 97 of us) were bussed to a retreat for language, cultural, and technical preparation. A few of my favorite pieces of information or advice upon arriving at the retreat:

1.) "If it's too cold, wear two pants."
2.) "No" usually means "yes." Saying "no" while smiling means "yes." Saying "no" while maintaining eye contact means "definitely yes!"
3.) Never (ever) throw away bread--no matter what.

As I write, it's already October. We have officially made it through our first week in what seems like a parallel universe. Logan and I are very lucky to be staying with a wonderful host family in Chernigov, in the Northern part of Ukraine. It's a pretty big city and the family is very nice. They have two kids, 13 and 1.5 and we learned how to can peppers for the winter on our first night!

When our host family arrived to pick us up, they helped us get everything into the car and then we drove through the city to their house. The ride was very quiet since we didn't really know how to say anything in Russian. Michael Jackson was playing on the radio. I managed to ask my host sister her name, but immediately forgot it. We finally arrived and silently loaded our bags into the house. Little did we know that the family spoke English very well! That shaved some of the awkwardness away. Only some. Even though we were in Ukraine and in a Ukrainian household, everything still felt surreal.

Little did I know that we arrived during the celebration of the founding of Chernigov! On Saturday night, Logan and I took a stroll to the center of town to see the sites and that's when it happened. A wave of culture shock came over me. A team of little children dressed in traditional costume came out onto a stage and started dancing in the traditional Ukrainian style. It was so cute, but when I looked around, I realized that I was so far from home.

At that point I knew nothing, but now, I can introduce myself in Russian, talk about food and hobbies, ask for help (without really understanding the response). But, I can conjugate the verb to love. It's a start.

Kak V Skázke (как в скáзке)!
Kerry:)