Things I'm not loving about Ukraine right now:
-Learning how much I don't like cats. This time I woke up to cat throw up all over the sink. And poop down the hall. It smelled lovely.
-My host mom's dogs. Now I know why I am not allowed to see them. They weren't locked up when we got home today and our host mom was gone. Kalley opened the door and one of the dogs tried to kill us! Seriously. We hurried and closed the door on it and sat in the dirty hall outside our apartment for almost an hour waiting for her to get home. The whole time, even with our silence, the dogs growled and barked their heads off. We ended up just leaving anyways to go to Institute.
-Walking down the stairs to the metro station and being overcome with the most muggy, smelly feeling of my life. So much for showering. Then you get closer to strangers then you should ever get to anyone. Smashed together with a mix of b.o. (seriously Europe, please hop on the deodorant bandwagon), alcohol, bad breath, and smoke. Not something I've gotten used to. The metro itself is a cultural experience.
-Being in charge of planning trips. When it looks like everything is working out perfectly, something falls through. And being an accountant for 18 girls money on the said trip...scary business.
Things I am loving about Ukraine right now:
-Doing baptisms for the dead in Russian. My first time in a temple in another country! I got to go to the Kyiv temple on Saturday. It was beautiful, wonderful, peaceful, amazing, and perfect. Everything I needed.
-Institute/FHE with the young single adults. Our last young single adult activity we played catch phrase with some Ukrainians that spoke pretty good English. One boy started humming the tune "born on a mountain top in Tenessee..." This conversation proceeded in the intense settings of catch phrase!
Me (yelling with much excitement): Davy Crockett!
Antolly: Yes! I mean no....it's Betty Crocker!
Me: Betty Crocker? Do you know who that is?
Antolly(completely serious): You mean that song ISN'T about Betty Crocker? What?!
Me (now laughing hysterically with everyone else): That song is about Davy Crockett! A mountain man! He killed a bear when he was only 3! Betty Crocker is a brand of cakes mixes and stuff!
Oh the laughs language barriers bring.
-Knowing the Russian alphabet and feeling awesome as I read signs everywhere! Even though I can't understand the words, reading them and practicing the alphabet is like cracking a secret code! It is awesome.
-The Pecherska Lavra, a monastery where mummified monks lay in glass caskets and you walk around with candles to see them. More to come later.
-McDonalds in Ukraine. I finally went and boy was it wonderful. My favorite hot fudge sundaes....they put in cups made of cone! Why do we not do that in America? And it was cheaper. I'm such a sucker for McDonalds, and I'm willing to admit it.
-Babysitting for an American family in my ward who provided me with salad, pizza, and root beer floats(perfect for remembering Clara). And I got to make a surprise phone call home with their international phone.
-BREAD. I'm addicted. I crave it all the time. And it is so cheap here. Our host mom provides it with almost every meal but Kalley and I still find ourselves sparing 20 cents on a loaf at the supermarket just to snack on!
-Being able to find my way around my apartment here in the dark! It feels more like home when you can do that.
-The peace the gospel brings us wherever we way be. The happiness we can choose to have no matter what is going on around us.
-The fact that I am leaving for Poland tomorrow night!
Do'svidaniya! (goodbye in Russian...impressive I know). Talk to you later once I've been all cultured in Krakow, Poland!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Highlights of week 3
Here is what has been going on the past week:
Watching random break dancers downtown. They were actually pretty good. We asked for a picture with them afterwards and as we were leaving they said "peace of you!" I think they meant peace to you or goodbye or something.
I've officially gone to a European soccer game! Ukraine vs. England. It ended up being 1-1, Ukraine scoring in the last two minutes, luckily. It was insane!
Yes, we got jerseys!
Katya had a birthday! She turned 4 and her mom brought cake to share with the class. So delcious.
Brittany's host mom invited some of us girls and her friends over for a sleepover! They dressed us up and wanted me to wear this...
Eating sushi at the sleepover.
They took us to an old football field and surprised us with floating lanterns! Like in tangled!! (Yes Ann Marie, be jealous.) We lit them and watched them float across away in the sky, in UKRAINE! So magical.
The next morning Laria and I woke up early to go clean the church. 2 hours of sleep? Not a good plan. We got to church and found out most of it was cleaned during the week. So all we did was take out the garbage after our hour and a half trek to get there. Luckily our Branch President's family was awesome and dropped us off at Babyn Yar. Babyn Yar is a sight where tens of thousands of Jews were killed in WWII. Many people don't know that Ukraine was hit hard by the Holocaust. This is the memorial sight.
We went downtown to hang out with our new Ukrainian friends, Karina and Lera. They are 15 and speak awesome English and love to show us around and take pictures. Here we are with Spongebob! Random, I know.
It was some fireman day in Ukraine so they had a bunch of fire trucks lined up on the street for pictures! Laria's dad is a firefighter so we had a little too much fun with pictures!
Karina and Lera took us to some random park that was really cool. Here we are in a cat's mouth!
And now in a bunny's! It reminds me of an ugly doll.
Please look at this playground? Mosaic in every piece! It was beautiful and super nice. I think it was based on Alice and Wonderland.
Notice I'm wearing my University of Utah shirt! It was the day of the Utah BYU game. You better believe I was representing the Utes here in Ukraine!
The flower Laria brought me for Clara. Such a sweet friend.
To read Clara's obituary go here
Thanks to everyone for their emails and comments this past week. I love you all so much! I'm so lucky to have such awesome support, even halfway across the world! I'm so grateful to be here. I'm grateful for everything Ukraine is teaching me. I'm grateful for such amazing family and friends back home. I'm grateful for the gospel. I'm grateful for my life. :)
Watching random break dancers downtown. They were actually pretty good. We asked for a picture with them afterwards and as we were leaving they said "peace of you!" I think they meant peace to you or goodbye or something.
I've officially gone to a European soccer game! Ukraine vs. England. It ended up being 1-1, Ukraine scoring in the last two minutes, luckily. It was insane!
Brittany's host mom invited some of us girls and her friends over for a sleepover! They dressed us up and wanted me to wear this...
Eating sushi at the sleepover.
They took us to an old football field and surprised us with floating lanterns! Like in tangled!! (Yes Ann Marie, be jealous.) We lit them and watched them float across away in the sky, in UKRAINE! So magical.
The next morning Laria and I woke up early to go clean the church. 2 hours of sleep? Not a good plan. We got to church and found out most of it was cleaned during the week. So all we did was take out the garbage after our hour and a half trek to get there. Luckily our Branch President's family was awesome and dropped us off at Babyn Yar. Babyn Yar is a sight where tens of thousands of Jews were killed in WWII. Many people don't know that Ukraine was hit hard by the Holocaust. This is the memorial sight.
We went downtown to hang out with our new Ukrainian friends, Karina and Lera. They are 15 and speak awesome English and love to show us around and take pictures. Here we are with Spongebob! Random, I know.
It was some fireman day in Ukraine so they had a bunch of fire trucks lined up on the street for pictures! Laria's dad is a firefighter so we had a little too much fun with pictures!
Karina and Lera took us to some random park that was really cool. Here we are in a cat's mouth!
And now in a bunny's! It reminds me of an ugly doll.
Please look at this playground? Mosaic in every piece! It was beautiful and super nice. I think it was based on Alice and Wonderland.
Notice I'm wearing my University of Utah shirt! It was the day of the Utah BYU game. You better believe I was representing the Utes here in Ukraine!
The flower Laria brought me for Clara. Such a sweet friend.
To read Clara's obituary go here
Thanks to everyone for their emails and comments this past week. I love you all so much! I'm so lucky to have such awesome support, even halfway across the world! I'm so grateful to be here. I'm grateful for everything Ukraine is teaching me. I'm grateful for such amazing family and friends back home. I'm grateful for the gospel. I'm grateful for my life. :)
Thursday, September 22, 2011
I know it is a day late...
Happy Birthday to my little brother Samuel!
This is my present to you....socks and crocs, Ukrainian style!
If you know my brother, you know that he lives for his socks and crocs. And you know that every time I see my kids in their crocs with their socks, I think of him! "Socks and crocs, socks socks and crocs ROCKS! Hope your birthday was a good one, despite the sad things going on around you. I love you brother!
This is my present to you....socks and crocs, Ukrainian style!
If you know my brother, you know that he lives for his socks and crocs. And you know that every time I see my kids in their crocs with their socks, I think of him! "Socks and crocs, socks socks and crocs ROCKS! Hope your birthday was a good one, despite the sad things going on around you. I love you brother!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Clara Hindley
Expecting a loved one's death and hearing the actual news are completely different things. Even when you know it is coming, it can't fully prepare you for the moment you hear they are gone. My sweet Clara Hindley passed away yesterday.
Clara was my adopted grandmother. She is a widow in my ward that never had kids. Our family has been able to spend a lot of time with her over the years. We're not sure when it started, but for as long as I can remember we have gone to Clara's every Sunday for root beer floats. I really felt as close to her as I would with my grandmothers. She has been one of the biggest influences in my life.
Clara was 97 years old, and for the past year or two we have been expecting her death. She proved us all wrong and just kept on going. As this summer passed, I got more and more concerned that I might miss Clara's death while I was in Ukraine. 4 months is a long time and the chances seemed high. Even knowing this, and knowing how fast things went downhill the past few weeks, I still didn't think it would come this soon after I left.
I start teaching at 9 and I usually don't get my computer out until after classes. But yesterday morning I needed it and as I opened it at 8:55 I saw the skype message. "Sarah, Clara passed at 10:10 p.m. Mom was at her side". It couldn't be real. Something I've anticipated for years now. News I've often wondered how I would react to. It happened. Less than two hours ago. Minutes before I had said my morning prayer and asked a blessing upon Clara, that she may go peacefully when the time is right.
Going straight into class was probably a blessing so I could get my mind on something else until I had the time to grieve. I truly was happy for Clara. She has been wanting this for so long. But that doesn't take away from the feelings of loss. Yesterday was a different day for me here in Ukraine. I was more quiet, more thoughtful. My family has gone through many deaths together before: my brother, grandmother, great grandparents. But this time is different. They are not here to mourn with me. I'm alone halfway across the world, not coming back anytime soon. The loneliness felt even more real as I walked down crowded streets, rode on metros, with millions of people. People speaking fast in a foreign tongue that I don't think I'll ever understand. The tears came and went throughout the day. My heart longed to be home, with my family. To have been with them the last time they were with her. To be with them now to mourn together. But I am here. Only 3 weeks in. I've been left with questions of why this couldn't have happened just weeks before so I didn't have to miss this.
Yesterday was a solemn day. But a very sacred one too. I felt so alone, but then I knew I wasn't. The wave of peace that washed over me and held me tight is one I will not forget. I realized how truly blessed I am. How blessed I am to know Clara and for every memory I have with her. Thinking of my parent's example of service, always willing to put Clara first, even when it wasn't easy. The sure knowledge I have that I will see Clara again someday. The testimony I have that I am not alone, even in this big city of Kiev away from everything familiar. I know I am blessed.
I will never forget the hours we spent with sweet Clara. Every Sunday we would sit on the kitchen floor reading the Sunday Funnies. Jared and Levi passing out the bendy straws. Clara slowly making her way with the walker to her chair. Dad scooping the ice cream quietly and mom trying to keep Jared still. Clara always worried that we didn't have enough ice cream. I will never forget all the years I helped her with the Christmas decorations. Going up and down the stairs a million times because she wouldn't let me carry more than one box at a time. I will never forget the times we Christmas carolled and she invited everyone inside to get warm and give us treats. I will never forget how elegant Clara was. She was always dressed up and looking beautiful. I will never forget the time she bent over smashing a wasp into the carpet with a fly swatter over and over while Dad did a dance to the beat in the background and Levi laughed so hard chocolate was spilling out of his mouth. I will never forget walking into her bedroom and seeing my senior picture on her dresser and knowing how much she loved me. I will never forget her example of generosity. The way she opened her home to our loud family all the time. I will never forget her sweet little laugh. I will never forget July 15, the birthday she shared with my dad. I will never forget Clara coming to my Clayton Middle School plays. I will never forget being excited to turn older each year, knowing Clara would give me birthday money equal to my age. I will never forget the night she had me share my experiences from India with the widows in the ward in her home. I will never forget seeing her in her chair in the living room, often very quiet and observing everything we did. I will never forget her saying "Oakcrest, you didn't like that as much as you thought you would," because she saw how hard it was for me. She was so honest and never afraid to say what she thought. I will never forget her asking about everything in my life and knowing she truly cared. I will never forget her joining my family and grandparents for our traditional Christmas Eve dinners. Watching her across the table next to my Grandma and Grandpa West, she was apart of the family. I will never forget walking home barefoot from her house with my family always leaving happier. I will never forget listening to her tell me about her family and her youth. I will never forget the way she would talk about her husband, smiling and saying "He was a wonderful man." I will never forget the wisdom she possessed so quietly and humbly after living 97 years. I will never forget the sacred evening we got to share with her when she received her patriarchal blessing at 96 years old. The spirit was so strong as Heavenly Father spoke to her through the power of the priesthood. I will never forget going to her house and sharing my own patriarchal blessing and the way she so quietly and slowly said "Well, He has got a lot in store for you." I will never forget the time she fell and the emergency line called our house and I was the only one home. To scared to lift her myself, she laid in my lap on the floor for about an hour before more help arrived. The whole time she was more worried about my comfort than her own. I will never forget the times she was so sick and didn't want anything more than for me to just sit there and hold her hand. I will never forget her telling me how beautiful I am. I will never forget talking to Dad about how we thought my brother and sister, Mark and Elizabeth, would meet her on the other side when the time came. I will never forget walking into her room and waking her up to come join us. The way it took her a second to know what was going on and then her face lighting up and saying "Well Sarah, I'm so glad you are here." I will never forget Clara's example of enduring to the end with patience. She never complained about the pain. She did absolutely everything she still could for herself. She endured and stayed faithful for so many years. I will never forget her smile. I will never forget her hugs and the way she would grab my hand with both of hers saying, "Well I sure do love you."
I am so blessed to have an amazing woman like Clara in my life. I'm so grateful to have these memories of her. I'm grateful for the way she brought my family together. I'm grateful for her love and example. I'm grateful to know she is in a better place, finally reunited with her husband and family. I always knew Clara was such a big part of my life, but I don't know if I have ever felt it more than I do now. Clara, thank you so much for everything you have taught me. Thank you for filling my family's lives with your love and light. Thank you for changing my life. I sure do love you.
Clara was my adopted grandmother. She is a widow in my ward that never had kids. Our family has been able to spend a lot of time with her over the years. We're not sure when it started, but for as long as I can remember we have gone to Clara's every Sunday for root beer floats. I really felt as close to her as I would with my grandmothers. She has been one of the biggest influences in my life.
Clara was 97 years old, and for the past year or two we have been expecting her death. She proved us all wrong and just kept on going. As this summer passed, I got more and more concerned that I might miss Clara's death while I was in Ukraine. 4 months is a long time and the chances seemed high. Even knowing this, and knowing how fast things went downhill the past few weeks, I still didn't think it would come this soon after I left.
I start teaching at 9 and I usually don't get my computer out until after classes. But yesterday morning I needed it and as I opened it at 8:55 I saw the skype message. "Sarah, Clara passed at 10:10 p.m. Mom was at her side". It couldn't be real. Something I've anticipated for years now. News I've often wondered how I would react to. It happened. Less than two hours ago. Minutes before I had said my morning prayer and asked a blessing upon Clara, that she may go peacefully when the time is right.
Going straight into class was probably a blessing so I could get my mind on something else until I had the time to grieve. I truly was happy for Clara. She has been wanting this for so long. But that doesn't take away from the feelings of loss. Yesterday was a different day for me here in Ukraine. I was more quiet, more thoughtful. My family has gone through many deaths together before: my brother, grandmother, great grandparents. But this time is different. They are not here to mourn with me. I'm alone halfway across the world, not coming back anytime soon. The loneliness felt even more real as I walked down crowded streets, rode on metros, with millions of people. People speaking fast in a foreign tongue that I don't think I'll ever understand. The tears came and went throughout the day. My heart longed to be home, with my family. To have been with them the last time they were with her. To be with them now to mourn together. But I am here. Only 3 weeks in. I've been left with questions of why this couldn't have happened just weeks before so I didn't have to miss this.
Yesterday was a solemn day. But a very sacred one too. I felt so alone, but then I knew I wasn't. The wave of peace that washed over me and held me tight is one I will not forget. I realized how truly blessed I am. How blessed I am to know Clara and for every memory I have with her. Thinking of my parent's example of service, always willing to put Clara first, even when it wasn't easy. The sure knowledge I have that I will see Clara again someday. The testimony I have that I am not alone, even in this big city of Kiev away from everything familiar. I know I am blessed.
I will never forget the hours we spent with sweet Clara. Every Sunday we would sit on the kitchen floor reading the Sunday Funnies. Jared and Levi passing out the bendy straws. Clara slowly making her way with the walker to her chair. Dad scooping the ice cream quietly and mom trying to keep Jared still. Clara always worried that we didn't have enough ice cream. I will never forget all the years I helped her with the Christmas decorations. Going up and down the stairs a million times because she wouldn't let me carry more than one box at a time. I will never forget the times we Christmas carolled and she invited everyone inside to get warm and give us treats. I will never forget how elegant Clara was. She was always dressed up and looking beautiful. I will never forget the time she bent over smashing a wasp into the carpet with a fly swatter over and over while Dad did a dance to the beat in the background and Levi laughed so hard chocolate was spilling out of his mouth. I will never forget walking into her bedroom and seeing my senior picture on her dresser and knowing how much she loved me. I will never forget her example of generosity. The way she opened her home to our loud family all the time. I will never forget her sweet little laugh. I will never forget July 15, the birthday she shared with my dad. I will never forget Clara coming to my Clayton Middle School plays. I will never forget being excited to turn older each year, knowing Clara would give me birthday money equal to my age. I will never forget the night she had me share my experiences from India with the widows in the ward in her home. I will never forget seeing her in her chair in the living room, often very quiet and observing everything we did. I will never forget her saying "Oakcrest, you didn't like that as much as you thought you would," because she saw how hard it was for me. She was so honest and never afraid to say what she thought. I will never forget her asking about everything in my life and knowing she truly cared. I will never forget her joining my family and grandparents for our traditional Christmas Eve dinners. Watching her across the table next to my Grandma and Grandpa West, she was apart of the family. I will never forget walking home barefoot from her house with my family always leaving happier. I will never forget listening to her tell me about her family and her youth. I will never forget the way she would talk about her husband, smiling and saying "He was a wonderful man." I will never forget the wisdom she possessed so quietly and humbly after living 97 years. I will never forget the sacred evening we got to share with her when she received her patriarchal blessing at 96 years old. The spirit was so strong as Heavenly Father spoke to her through the power of the priesthood. I will never forget going to her house and sharing my own patriarchal blessing and the way she so quietly and slowly said "Well, He has got a lot in store for you." I will never forget the time she fell and the emergency line called our house and I was the only one home. To scared to lift her myself, she laid in my lap on the floor for about an hour before more help arrived. The whole time she was more worried about my comfort than her own. I will never forget the times she was so sick and didn't want anything more than for me to just sit there and hold her hand. I will never forget her telling me how beautiful I am. I will never forget talking to Dad about how we thought my brother and sister, Mark and Elizabeth, would meet her on the other side when the time came. I will never forget walking into her room and waking her up to come join us. The way it took her a second to know what was going on and then her face lighting up and saying "Well Sarah, I'm so glad you are here." I will never forget Clara's example of enduring to the end with patience. She never complained about the pain. She did absolutely everything she still could for herself. She endured and stayed faithful for so many years. I will never forget her smile. I will never forget her hugs and the way she would grab my hand with both of hers saying, "Well I sure do love you."
I am so blessed to have an amazing woman like Clara in my life. I'm so grateful to have these memories of her. I'm grateful for the way she brought my family together. I'm grateful for her love and example. I'm grateful to know she is in a better place, finally reunited with her husband and family. I always knew Clara was such a big part of my life, but I don't know if I have ever felt it more than I do now. Clara, thank you so much for everything you have taught me. Thank you for filling my family's lives with your love and light. Thank you for changing my life. I sure do love you.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
eat. breathe. walk. teach. sleep.
I haven't had any extra time to blog or respond to emails so far this week. One of our afternoon teachers got really sick and Kalley and I have been covering for the past two days. I love our school, but being confined in the classroom for 10 hours is a little too much! The kids were all adorable and really fun to teach, but my patience is slim to nothing right now. But thank goodness the girl is better and we are back to normal teaching hours!
Last weekend we did a lot of exploring of the city and a lot of walking. Good thing my dad trained me young to walk fast at Disneyland. We saw some amazing things that are all really close to where we live!
At the farmer's market we observed a man selling live fish! I caught a picture right as he was knocking one out with a wrench...sorry to the animal lovers.
The Gates of Kyiv! They used to have a wall around Kyiv and these gates were the only way to enter.
St. Sofia's cathedral. This is the one we can see from our balcony!
St. Michael's cathedral....at least I think that's its name. You are supposed to cover your head before entering holy places, hence the scarves. The faces are typical Ukrainian.
Church was wonderful once again. Due to the lack of people in our ward, I played piano in sacrament and primary. I was Primary pianist this summer and going from 30 kids to 4 kids was very different. But the best part is the spirit is the same. Laria and I were assigned to teach nursery, which ended up being just one little precious boy. We were reading him a scripture and he ran away to go to his bag. Next thing we know, he is walking over with his own set of scriptures! How tender is that? We had to take a picture to remember. The members here are remarkable. They are so dedicated and I love the feeling of family we all feel walking through the doors to the small chapel.
Here are some of the kids from the classes we substituted in! One day we made leis by cutting out flowers and straws on strings. The kids loved them!
Guermon. How beautiful is this boy? Look at those eyes! Ah, you know I have an obsession with eyelashes.
Misha
Olyessia
Really though, I can't get over this adorable little boy! Seriously.
And here is a little gem I found on my juice box last night. I didn't know hedgehogs would be such good mascots for fruit juice. Remember my old hedgehog Spike? It looks just like him!
Ukraine is tiring, but oh so good. How many years has it been since I've gone to bed at a decent time? I can't even remember. But here I go to bed and wake up early! (You don't even believe me right?) Let me tell you it makes a difference! Ukraine has already given me so many chances to set goals, follow through, and work hard on things I need to improve on. I'm learning a lot and enjoying all the big and small moments. It always feels good to know you are where you need to be. Ukraine, thanks for having me. I needed you.
Friday, September 9, 2011
ukRAINe
Last night it rained for the first time since we've been here. Today it is raining again so we got to walk to our bus and metro stations with umbrellas. I love it! And I love my umbrella. Thanks mom!
These last two days we decided we aren’t wasting any time while we are here so we went to explore Kiev!...even though we had no idea where to go or what we were doing. I’ve got the metro system down so that makes life a million times better. Wednesday we went to Central Park because it was the only place we knew how to get to. Found the cutest little thing of my life straight out of a movie: old men in the park playing chess. We had to stop and sneak some pictures because it made our day. And of course we ate ice cream as we strolled. It was lovely.
We came across an underground mall on our way back to the metro. It was clean, shiny, and actually smelled good. Very different from everything else here.
Thursday my roommate and I met up with some girls downtown. Downtown is wonderful! I wish the pictures could do it justice, but they just don’t. Plus, I’m not a photographer. I wanted to soak up every second because a place like this cannot be real life, not for Sarah West! But it is! It was a moment that life was just unbelievable. And I couldn’t stop smiling.
We ran into a political demonstration and I had to blog about it for Anna Solomon, she’s an international studies major. Anna…Yulia “the braid” just got arrested and the people in Kiev LOVE her. They were taking a whole block waving flags and had music blaring chants. You would have loved to see it.
And Winona a.k.a. Tahitian Noni, this one is for you!
Now let’s remember that I am here to teach English. Did you know I love it? Now I know why they told us to bring clothes we might want to leave….so we can pack the kids in our suitcases to bring home! I start the day teaching three 4/5 year olds kindergarten. After that I teach three 5/6 year olds basic reading. Oh my, I love it. Most of teaching is doing fun activities to get the kids talking. Lots of questions and repeating answers. You’d be surprised at how fast they catch on. I also teach letters and sounds to the basic reading kids. Today we talked about pizzas and made our own version. Meet my children and their pizzas:
Katya
Alex with Katya. He is in love with her and brings her presents. I saw him kiss her on the cheek!
!
Misha
Marina and Genya
Ilia
Showing off our Wild Wild West pride as we worked on the alphabet
Aren’t they the cutest? But let’s be honest here, keeping children under control that don’t speak your language yet is harder than it seems. They can be little boogers, but I love it. Every time they jump in my arms yelling “Teacher Sarah! Teacher Sarah!” my heart melts and I know why I’m here.
p.s. I'm craving one of these waffles. Best way to spend a dollar. Good thing there is one on the way home from school.
These last two days we decided we aren’t wasting any time while we are here so we went to explore Kiev!...even though we had no idea where to go or what we were doing. I’ve got the metro system down so that makes life a million times better. Wednesday we went to Central Park because it was the only place we knew how to get to. Found the cutest little thing of my life straight out of a movie: old men in the park playing chess. We had to stop and sneak some pictures because it made our day. And of course we ate ice cream as we strolled. It was lovely.
We came across an underground mall on our way back to the metro. It was clean, shiny, and actually smelled good. Very different from everything else here.
Thursday my roommate and I met up with some girls downtown. Downtown is wonderful! I wish the pictures could do it justice, but they just don’t. Plus, I’m not a photographer. I wanted to soak up every second because a place like this cannot be real life, not for Sarah West! But it is! It was a moment that life was just unbelievable. And I couldn’t stop smiling.
We ran into a political demonstration and I had to blog about it for Anna Solomon, she’s an international studies major. Anna…Yulia “the braid” just got arrested and the people in Kiev LOVE her. They were taking a whole block waving flags and had music blaring chants. You would have loved to see it.
And Winona a.k.a. Tahitian Noni, this one is for you!
Now let’s remember that I am here to teach English. Did you know I love it? Now I know why they told us to bring clothes we might want to leave….so we can pack the kids in our suitcases to bring home! I start the day teaching three 4/5 year olds kindergarten. After that I teach three 5/6 year olds basic reading. Oh my, I love it. Most of teaching is doing fun activities to get the kids talking. Lots of questions and repeating answers. You’d be surprised at how fast they catch on. I also teach letters and sounds to the basic reading kids. Today we talked about pizzas and made our own version. Meet my children and their pizzas:
Katya
Alex with Katya. He is in love with her and brings her presents. I saw him kiss her on the cheek!
!Misha
Marina and Genya
Ilia
Showing off our Wild Wild West pride as we worked on the alphabet
Aren’t they the cutest? But let’s be honest here, keeping children under control that don’t speak your language yet is harder than it seems. They can be little boogers, but I love it. Every time they jump in my arms yelling “Teacher Sarah! Teacher Sarah!” my heart melts and I know why I’m here.
p.s. I'm craving one of these waffles. Best way to spend a dollar. Good thing there is one on the way home from school.
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