He's Going the Distance

Another exciting and adventure packed week. Friday marks my first month out of country, 4th week of language training and also made me aware that I have another 26 months to go. Training is still going strong and time is starting to fly. Before I know it I'm going to be moving out of Chernihiv and starting my two years of service in a yet to be determined area of Ukraine. I have a placement interview coming up with the CD coordinator where he can get a better idea of my skills as well as hear what preferences I have. 

On Friday I returned to Kiev for the first time since I arrived at the airport. It is a beautiful city as you will see in the pictures below. I was unbelievably exhausted towards the end of the day, huge mental strain as well as just being out in the sun all day. As part of the "Field Trip" we had to ask for directions numerous times(in Russian) as well as strike up conversations(also in Russian) with anyone who would give us the time. Interesting experience and it was so much fun to explore an entirely new city.

On to the photos:

Bus from Chernihiv to Kiev

Clustermates and myself, Matt (on the Right) is excited as always.

 Kiev central train station

PC Ukraine headquarters. They have a hot shower and a microwave, I know this may not seem like much but during my service this place may be a lifesaver. 

Still 2+ years before I get to bang the ever living shit out of this thing

 Magnolia trees in the park

Metro station in Kiev, The deepest in the area. Escalator ride to the tracks took about 5 minutes. Part of the reason it is so deep was so that during the cold war it could double as a massive fallout shelter.

Nom Noms

My awesome Language/Cultural Facilitator Pasha on the left and my two clustermates (Devin and Matt) on the right

Hey, where did the reflecting pool go?

The "Mother of the Motherland" statue overlooking one of the entrances to Kiev. This was the most impressive thing I saw all day. Just for scale: 50 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. The sword in her right hand is 10 feet longer than a full size school bus and weighs 9 tons. 

Tanks painted in the national colors of Ukraine. It's hard to see but there are flowers and butterflies painted all over both. During WWII Ukraine was know for producing the best tanks in the world.

Everyday it's a-gettin' closer Goin' faster than a roller coaster

This week was nuts. I had huge ups and downs filled with frustration and wonderment. Early in the week I was close to breaking due to the extreme strain it takes me to learn a new language. I have so much respect for anyone that has picked up a second/third language. This is by far one of the most difficult tasks I have ever undertaken. The second half of the week was pure joy as I began to be able to express myself in Russian. Three weeks of PC language training and I can now speak in Past/Future/Present tense. I can almost count to 1,000. Asking someone about their age/birthday/name/hobby/mood/life/likes & dislikes. Now I think I'm saying all this stuff but there are so many grammar rules that I am probably just speaking gibberish. It's the conjugation and noun agreement that really kills me. If I can focus and stick the grammer rules now then it will simply turn into a case of adding to my vocabulary. I could not be more excited for what's to come. 

I really didn't get out much this week because we were so busy but I found some nice pictures that I haven't posted yet. There are a few from this week but anything with that looks grey or has snow is older. The weather lately has been absolutely beautiful. The streets are alive and everything is vibrant. As always I love to hear from friends/family back home so please stay in touch and I will keep working hard over here.

 Common expressions for the dinner table

 Chickens I saw while walking down to the river

 The Desna river complete with fisherman

 Staying warm is an absolute necessity here

 Awesome jeep that passed me during one of my many walks

 Crow nests in a tree outside what I believe is a factory

 Some cool stencil graffiti I walked by

 Safety Phrases. Hopefully I will never have to use them but they are mandatory to learn. Papa Sergei (Embassy safety officer) scares me more than anyone else.

 Body weight workout equipment in the area where we play soccer.

 Tvorok(fresh farmers cheese) and homemade jam. My absolute favorite thing to eat for breakfast.

Statue of lenin in the park located in downtown Chernihiv.

Spring is almost here, or at least that's what everyone tells me

Another week in the books. It's been three weeks since I left home and I just completed my second week of language classes. Learning Russian has ruined my English so please bear with me. I have loved talking to a bunch of you so anyone that wants to, please feel free to email or message me on Facebook. Now, on to the pictures.

 Out for a walk in the park behind my house

 Saturday night entertainment. Loved every minute of it.

 Counting in Russian

 This chart will be the death of me!

 One of the twelve cannons overlooking the river and surrounding area.

 Oldest church still standing in all of Eastern Europe/Russia. At least 1,100 years old.

 Statue of a Russian fairytale character

A few of the many stray dogs I see daily