A few happy and freaked out volunteers at the pre service retreat in Desna
Traditional Ukrainian welcome from TCFs
We made it on the news the first night
Football match in the middle of nowhere. It was part of a regional tourney
My cluster. From left, back row: Lena (TCF), me, iea. Front row: Dave, Natasha (LCF)
Working on a map of our training site
This is what the training apartment perpetually looks like
My full on cluster: iea, Dave, Emma, and Alex. Emma and Alex are married if you can't tell
Our very own Lenin statue
Our train didn't come. It was on Ukrainian time
Easter basket at 2am
Easter processional at 4am
The priest blessing the Easter baskets. Everyone made a ring around the church and lit a candle in their basket
My host family. From Left: Ivan, Alla, Oksana, Slava, and his wife. Maxim is in front, and does everything a cute four year old does best
Easter feast at Babushka's house
It's honestly more food than it looks like
Sitting on top of the oven where it's warm, and probably dangerous
Feels like Atlanta with all the cherry trees
My own cluster's Easter feast at a host home
Cooking day: fajitas
Cooking vocabulary. We actually counted it as part of class
tortillas from scratch
our mascots
Training apartment kitchen
I'm corny, yes
Local poet reading his poetry at a local orphanage on literacy day
Orphans. Come get one, they're real cute, and pretty much don't stand a chance in Ukrainian society without at least a benefactor
Of course tea is served after everything
A little contradictory, but cover most bases
outside the orphanage
the cluster “bus”
Dave's birthday “spanking”
Kiev. Independence Square
Independence statue
statue to distances to the rest of Ukraine
Closed street that fills with hot Ukrainians later in the day. Lots of great shopping, and McDonalds
The President's Administration offices
Apparently the premier example of modern Ukrainian architecture. Early 20th century i think
Kiev is a baroque city. We get along just fine
St. Sophia cathedral bell tower
Statue to Kozack Hetman, or ruler
St. Sophia Cathedral. Don't let the beautiful white walls fool you. They are reconstructed with the original bricks spread throughout. Not sure what it looked like before it was destroyed by either the Nazis or Soviets
Metropolitan of Kiev.
Mikhailivska Cathedral
Basically it says happy Easter from your loving president, Viktor Yuschenko. His approval rating is in the single digits and elections are either this fall or next spring. Who knows
Arch of friendship I believe
Dnipro River
I had to. You wouldn't understand unless you ate borscht every day. Not that borscht is bad...
Kreschatik St. The one I showed you earlier
Botanical Gardens
Magnolias
The airport pre Ukraine
It looks like more than it really is...
Med kits
Buying cell phones
Photo op with city administration
Lunch during a link session with our sister cluster
Ukrainian poses
Goofy pics around my house
My Room!
Planting trees of friendship
I vote for volk
Finished planting 6 more trees of friendship
and we made it in the paper
Debriefing a rough lesson
waiting for yet another non-existent train
toast practice with our drink of choice, fanta
hanging laundry the right way
making the week's schedule
salsa lesson
i don't follow very well. it creeps me out
one of the billion story escalators in the kiev metro
album cover for our greatest hits set
if only she knew what i was saying to her class
got my lost wallet back from Frankfurt
Paragova cultural and architectural museum
folk art festival. i bought some really random stuff
the famous eggs
being american
victory day celebration
well, more like memorial than celebration
laying flowers on the memorial
chestnut trees in the city park
my host dad sang at the city-wide concert
basically says soviet victory
classic
teaching about national symbols
getting dressed for the Ukrainian disco
the kids that hosted the show
boy on left is forever known as “Compote Boy” for serving that traditional drink at the “bar” the whole night and we never got his name
dave, ukrainian heart throb
i actually really liked the pants
the finals of the regional tournament
they take it seriously
streaker
champions
chestnut trees
hohw i got locked in my room
how my host dad fixed the problem
basketball with the locals
we played to 100. that's really long when you're as bad as we are
lillys around town
lena poses
last bell ceremony
the actual last bell being rung. sooo cute
releasing doves. Ukraine has a knack for dramatics
work session. which of course involves tea, which is really enough to be a meal
a host family's garden
us making camp materials with lena getting a manicure
dave's lena pose
community project day. water balloon volleyball
“face” painting, or tattooing the young
friendship bracelets
sidewalk chalk competition
our group with a social worker
one of our youth helpers
masterpiece
iea with some of her students
summer camp name game
walking debate
giants, elves, and wizards
elbow tag
don't get knocked backwards
alex getting owned by a little girl
me about to get owned by a little girl
collages
controlling the elements
nothing keeping us in class except the rain
land lover's sharks and minnows
water balloon toss
dragon tail tag
constructing a marble roller coaster
sponge relay
