Man does not live on xлеб alone

Wow, I can't believe that another week's gone. PST (Pre Service Training) is absolutely flying by. I had my site placement interview in Kiev on Wednesday and I feel I represented myself very well. I was upfront with my aspirations as well as in which areas I felt I could be flexible. My director placed all of the CD volunteers and they know where we will be living for the next two years. From my interview as well as speaking with current volunteers, I think I will most likely be placed in the Eastern region of Ukraine working for a small NGO. Southern Ukraine is another possibility so I will just have to wait and see what happens. 

Swearing in is two weeks away and it's almost time to start packing and saying goodbye to my wonderful host family. I'll outline the basic timeline but PC really doesn't tell me much so excuse any gaping holes in the plot. 

1. LPI(Language Proficiency Interview) - June 4th
2. Find out where I am moving to 
3. Pack my whole life up again
4. Say goodbye to Host Family and Chernihiv
5. Travel to Kiev - June 12th ish
6. Meet counterpart who will be my first point of contact in host community
7. Swearing in at US Embassy
8. Travel with counterpart to my Site
9. Continue on with this crazy thing called life

So with all this on my mind I haven't had a chance to take many pictures. Fear not my dear friends, I have been withholding most of my food pictures. Everyone asks me what Ukrainian food is like. Let me just say that my host mom is a phenomenal cook and I have gained around 5 pounds. In general the food is delicious and hearty. There is a heavy emphasis on potatoes, bread, seasonal fruits/vegetables, and cabbage. Meat is incorporated in almost every meal but in my experience it is used mostly for flavor and texture. This is a highly biased viewpoint as I can only speak for how my host family eats and what is served in the less expensive restaurants. I have friends out here who are fed straight up man food at every meal and feel like they are bursting at the seams. Think sausage, lot's of dairy, tons of mayonaise, and salo.

I have one funny quote from a fellow PCV about what she typically comes across when she tells Ukrainians that she is a vegetarian.

"You're a vegetarian, very interesting. So you still eat chicken right?" 

Bars here usually serve beer by the half liter, liter, and two liter. The other thing is Каса and it is like an adult version of string cheese. Каса is quite salty actually but goes great with a cold one.

Homemade Квас, also called child's beer. It is lightly carbonated with just a touch of tanginess.

Our house hold bird staring down my bowl of Борщ 

Голубци с Сметаной (Meat and rice stuffed cabbage rolls served in a tomato sauce with a side of sour cream)

Broke down and had to try it while I was here. Tastes EXACTLY like in the US. Kind of scary actually but man it is nice to get a taste of home every once in a while. Just to confirm what I was hoping, It actually was called a Royal w/ Cheese. Gotta love that metric system.

So please take note of McFoxy's that is literally attached to McDonald's. It was pretty crazy to see but not surprising that the line at McDonald's was about ten times longer.

 Making Вареники is a group affair (Dumplings stuffed with potatoes, cheese, or sour cherries)

Easter bread and colored eggs

 Homemade pickles = Delicious

Beet Horseradish

 Now that's what I call a meal (Rolls stuffed with various meats and vegetables)

I am falling in love with all things Шашлик

Matt and I trying our first Ukrainian street food. Doner Kabobs were a huge success and I would absolutely eat them again. It was kind of like a burrito with gyro filling.