homesick

Sometimes I get homesick. Mainly just for people that I know, to be close to people again, and have some form of familiarity. I don't usually get this way, but I've really been missing home and America lately. 

I miss the food, the feeling of being clean, people speaking english, my family, and friends. And so much more. 

This experience has been so much fun, don't get me wrong. But sometimes I wish I could just come home for the weekends. 

This weekend though was extra special. We went into the city, which finally opened my eyes to the beauty of this place. We walked around all day, which is my absolute favorite thing to do. I love walking without a plan, taking everything in around me. And there was a lot to take in. Lots of cathedrals, and tons of colorful buildings all around. 

My good friends from my home ward in Tucson are currently serving their mission HERE, in Ukraine. How amazing is that? So I've been in contact with them, trying to figure a time to meet up. They surprised me outside the opera house on saturday night! It was the best feeling ever. Seeing people that I know and love. Then we met again on sunday for church. Being a member of the tanque verde ward in Tucson, its traditional to not ever go to sunday school - so of course even all the way over in Ukraine we didn't go. We talked the entire hour and it was hard to drag away to the next hour of church. I loved loved loved talking to them and just being around them. It was the greatest thing in the whole world. I wish I could get that feeling everyday. 

I'll hopefully see them again. But for now I'm still in Kiev teaching away. My second week is almost over and I'm really happy about that. I've done way better this week, the kids were great with me and we had a lot of fun together. I learned to let things go and just go with the flow. I didn't worry about things and it made me much happier. 

[ I mean look at these kids, how could you not be happy with them for an hour everyday ]

city

Today I finally went into the city center. I don't have time to post or write a ton but it was amazing. Finally what I was expecting Kyiv to look like. 

Okay Ukraine, you've won my approval.

morning

I haven't even been here for a week yet but it feels like I've been here forever.
There's definitely been some hard times, but they're usually cancelled out with some good stuff.
The family has a ton of apple trees in the backyard. They think I'm obsessed with apple juice and always juice some for me.
One morning, after I'd had a rough day / night me and Vova went out back to pick some apples. I brought my camera and we just walked around for almost 30 minutes. They have apple trees, raspberry bushes, tomato plants, strawberries, peppers, and a ton of stuff.
Vova showed me which raspberries were the best to pick.
And picked me some delicious tomatoes that we ate as we walked.
That little 8 year old can sure steal my heart sometimes.

accomplishments

I haven't been good at taking pictures or posting or much of anything this entire week.
Talk about culture shock. I had a tough past couple days, but today I finally have felt accomplished.
Getting around Kiev is so complicated, unless I just am directionally challenged but I know I'm not. Nothing makes sense, the bus system, the metro, and it doesn't help that everything is in russian. But this morning I made it to school BY MYSELF. I walked from my house to the bus stop, alone. Got on the bus, alone and got off at the right stop and made the walk to school. Accomplishment #1.
I started teaching on tuesday. That was / is one the hardest things I have ever done in my life. It is nothing that I expected at all. These kids are smart! They know their english and some can have a pretty decent conversation with me. I'm having a hard time planning lessons; teaching them math, science and social studies. When was the last time I studied any of that..? But guess what. I just finished my first week of teaching. Accomplishment #2.

 [ this is the street my house is on, nothing too exciting ]

[ our school is in that white building. ]

The kids are way cute. Some of them are the sweetest kids I've ever met, and others are the craziest kids I've ever met. But I really like them all. They're seriously so smart and absorb so much, and love to sing and play.

Every day I teach from 3-7:10 exactly. So I usually have the whole morning to do whatever except for this week. I had to continue some training, go to a bank, and plan lessons so I had to meet at the school early in the day. 

Luckily one of the girls in the program lives right next door to me, Kim, so she has shown me how to get to and from everywhere necessary. Since I've already gained 400 pounds since I've been here I've been wanting to go running, so we went one morning this week. 

Once we're done with school we usually take a while to clean up and lock up and I don't get home until after 8 most nights. Gma piles food down my throat then I crash in my room, exhausted. Until Vova comes in to play. That kid loves attention. So last night when I was trying to plan a lesson I had a book open to a page about pinwheels. He saw it and said "make this?" ran and got some paper and scissors. We made pinwheels together, but they weren't working when we blew on them so he ran out of the room to get something. Comes back with a huge fan. That didn't work either.

We literally played in my room for two hours. While I was absolutely exhausted. He is really funny.

добро пожаловать

I made it alive!

My seventeen hours to get here were definitely long and exhausting, but I think it was worth it.  

I didn't get any sleep on the plane because of course I was crammed between two large men who decided personal space is no common courtesy and were very close to me the entire time. When I got to the airport in Kiev the native coordinators were supposed to pick me up. They weren't there when I first got out so I stood and waited and finally this woman walked through the doors and straight to me and said "Are you Samantha," while she hugged me. I like them. 

They drove me to my host family's house, which is on a dirt road outside of the city and all of the houses have huge walls around them with gates to get in. 

My family is SO cute. I have a host mom, her husband, their son, and the grandma. The mom speaks good english and the son speaks a little bit too. So that is a huge relief. 

They showed me a little bit around the house and the backyard which is beautiful. There's a huge pond with lily pads and coy fish and a bridge that leads over to a big soccer field and garden with a ton of apple trees. 

So we sat outside and talked for a while and they juiced me up some juice from their apples. -And that is all I have drunk since I've gotten here... 

Gma cooked me up some type of fish and tomatoes and cucumbers - every single meal, she cuts up tomatoes and cucumbers for me. 

I've literally already gained 45 pounds because they keep feeding me, and it doesn't stop. 

I spent the whole day at the school doing some training and meeting everybody. The kids are so so cute. I'm excited to start tomorrow. 

Luckily one of the girls lives right next door to me so we can walk / ride the bus / metro to school together. More like she can show me how to get there because it seems way complicated. 

When I got home tonight everyone was in the kitchen getting haircuts by a friend. They asked me if I "needed a hairdresser." No thank you. 

And after dinner my host mom gave me my first russian lesson. She taught me the alphabet, all those backyards letters. Super confusing. But I'm excited that she wants to teach me. 

{ this is vova and the massive dog. He smells. }

 { Vova. He is my new best friend. }

I really like it here so far.

miracles

This past week I have been so incredibly blessed with the opportunity to go abroad to Kiev, Ukraine to teach English for the next four months. The chance came up while I was in the midst of setting plans for my fall semester. I had a big decision to make, whether to take a job that I would absolutely love here in Arizona, or pick up everything and leave the country in a weeks time. I cannot pass up adventure, let alone traveling, so of course the decision was easier than I expected.

On Tuesday they told me they would try to get me out there by the weekend. And my flight was booked to leave this Saturday!

I have seriously been blessed in so many ways over the week. Its obviously a longer story than this but everything has truly been amazing. Tender mercies that have proved this is just the right thing for me right now. I could not be more happy and excited to go and explore a new country and brand new part of the world! #bliss

<3