The last couple few days

The last couple of days have been so exhausting. It feels like I have been here for weeks and not just a few days. I think my body is still trying to function on American time and it is throwing me off. I am eating more food than my body can take in. I don’t have much of an appetite since I have been here and my host mom makes Taia and me two dinners. I don’t understand why and not being able to understand her makes things more frustrating. I am slowly getting used to Ukraine. I don’t know if I will ever get used to the smell though. Everyone and everything smells like cigarette smoke and bad body odor. Hardly anyone smiles, I can’t stand that! I am such a smiley person but it isn’t custom here to smile like it is in America. When I was at school getting things set up my native coordinator’s mom was there and she was all smiles and even smiled at me when she saw me. It felt so nice! So I don’t walk around with my usual big smile but it is still there. I cannot just get rid of it so easily. That is something that I don’t think I will get used to either.

The food is decent. It isn’t the same as American food but there is a lot of potatoes!! And being a girl from Idaho it made me happy. I have only had a couple of meals so far where potatoes was a part of it.

I am beginning to understand how to get to school and my way home. The commute is 1 ½ hours. I have to take a bus to the metro and then take another bus. But the last couple of days, Galina has been taking us on the tram which is like a trolley because it is on a railway and is hooked up to something on the top. The bus and the metro and tram are always so crammed with people. I feel like a can of sardines. I feel better using the public transportation than being in a car though. For some reason, it doesn’t feel as fast as when I am in a car so I don’t freak out.

As for school, there are three schools that we are split up at. And they are all about an hour apart from each other. I spent today at my school. The program has only been here for about a year so there aren’t a whole lot of things. Lessons are proving to be difficult but they have always been difficult. It is hard for me to sit down and organize my thoughts on what I will do. And the lesson plans are different from what I am used to. I have to write down every step that I and the children will be doing to get as much English out of each step. It becomes as detailed as how do you open the glue bottle. I don’t think about these things because it has become so second nature. And I am pretty sure that they know how to open a glue bottle. They just don’t know how to say it in English like I can.

I have been assigned to teach the primary level. It consists of children ages 4-7 and they are pretty much starting from the beginning. I am pretty excited to work with them. I don’t know how I will be working with or how many children I will have. This makes it more difficult to plan things out. I really want to meet my kids. I hope that I can develop a relationship with them during the short amount of time I am with them. And I hope that I am able to teach them English.

I haven’t done any real sight seeing except on the bus. I have fallen in love with a statue that is as large as the Statue of Liberty. I don’t know the name of it but it is the protector for the country. At least that is what Olya told me. I really want to see it. Tomorrow will be my first activity. My group is going to a flower exhibition and I am super excited about. I have to bring 20 hryvnias pronounced: grieve-nas. That is about 2.50 in American dollars. The currency exchange is 1 dollar to 8 hryvnias.

I am looking forward to this weekend. I am going to a flower exhibition and on Sunday, it will be church. I am going to an international branch and it is by the temple. :) :) :)

I can’t wait to tell you all about it. And I promise there will be some pictures soon!