new life

........

So life at my new school has begun! It is
very exciting, having a professional job for the first time... sucky
too. Gotta wake up early, put on a suit and go sit at a desk for a
while before trying to deal with some hooligans. School began on
Septemeber first, and they just had an opening ceremony, and that is
all. No classes the first day of school, the ceremony lasted about
2 hours and had singing dancing and a skit put on by all the kids,
and they even serenaded us teachers with a song, where they called
out “tea-ch-er-s” but of course in russian. “У-чит-ил-и.”
So that was fun. The school is 3 stories high, and consists of
1-11^th
grade, which is when they graduate here. There are about 400
students in the school, and so far haven’t mis-behaved too badly.
So on the second day of school I found myself in front of the 7^th
grade, they call them forms here, without any other teacher in the
room... which was pretty unexpected so I had to think of something
to do... quick! And in Russian! You think teaching is hard? Try
teaching in a foriegn language in a foreign education system, where
you’re not sure how to act, or how the kids are supposed to act or
anything! But, of course I made due, and made it through. The
school schedule still isn’t set in stone, the first two weeks are
kind of a toss-up, so its like working at a restaurant that puts up
your schedule a day in advance. Hopefully after 2 weeks though I’ll
have a set schedule. I’ll be co-teaching a healthy life styles
class with my counter part, I think to grades 6 and 8, maybe more I
don’t know. Also will be trying to get some after school
activities going, right now the teachers don’t run any after
school programs, so there isn’t much for the kids to do when they
get out school. A lot of them have expressed interest in coming to
such a club. Maybe I’ll have an English club, and make that a
hodge podge of all the clubs we had in high school.

Life is going pretty well, I had a scare
this past weekend, I thought winter was already upon us. We had a
big storm blow through, and it got wicked cold the next day, like
Florida in February! It has since warmed up, but the weather was
definitely lettin us know summer is on its way out, and winter is
coming up... Boo! Yesterday I helped my landlady and her friend
clean up the yard of my place for a few hours, and was then put in
charge of the biggest bonfire ever!! It was pretty awesome, I must
say. Tending a 14ft bonfire ain’t easy, but a lot of fun. Today
though after doing all that my allergies are worse than I’ve ever
had them, I had an itchy throat, like not a sore throat, but it
itched like your arm would itch... and its like someone put cement
in my nose, wtf! So things are just rollin along. Nothing too
interesting, I have been riding my bike everyday. I went to Odessa
3 weeks ago, and that was super bomb. It is a city on the black
sea, and I just laaayyed and laaaayed and laaaayed, soakin up all
the rays I been missing from the Florida sun. I also went up and
talked to a girl on the beach in Russian, she was smokin’ (well
she was smokin ciggs too, but she was hot!), and we swapped numbahs,
she lives in Kiev! Yah go Greg... even got the skills in Russian,
what up!

My house is gettin new windows and so my house
isn’t good for my allergies right now either, ripping out all that
old wall, who knows whats up in there! Hopefully the dust will
settle and they’ll be done by this weekend, and I can put my house
back together. Hope alls well on the homefront, or whereever you
may be reading this from. Holla back!

10:47 AM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Hardly Working
Current mood: hungry

         Well thanks for everyones birthday wishes... maybe you tried to call but couldn't get through because the phones over here suck.  But I'm now 25 y.o. which is great.  I like being 25 so far.  Teaching... shortly, after this summer is over.  Which seems to be dragging out really loong, as they do.  Reminds me of being a kid during summer time where there isn't anything to do, no job... its weird for me not to be working and hanging out on the beach.  I'm spending time in the country now.  Cows, fields of corn and wheat, lots of goats and lots of nothing to do.  I never imagined spending my summer like this in the country hoeing in the garden and picking cherries.  Trying not to sleep too much.  I ride my bike from one side of town to the other for evening entertainment. 
     I do get to have some fun though, I live near a "big" city called Alexandria and there are some other volunteers around, so I go there and have a few beers and a pizza every now and then, try to break the routine a little bit.  I went to Kiev last weekend for a day, which is about a 3-5hour train ride, depending on the train.  I just walked around the city and met up with some friends, another of which also has a birthday on the 4th! Amazing!  WE didn't get crazy or anything there though, just had some coffee and pizza.  No really exciting stories.  I bought a train ticket for the ride back though, and the lady sold me one for the wrong date, I realized a little bit too late.  As I was about to get on the train as a matter of fact, well I decided to try to push my luck and get on hoping that they don't notice, and they don't until its too late, and the train is already going.  All the seats are book, or so I think, so I'm standing out in between cars on the train figuring I'll stand the whole time, when the ticket taker lady comes out and asks me where my seat is, and I told her 50, and then she pulls out my ticket and points to the date, which is tomorrow.  So I play ignorant and she threatens to kick me off the train, so I try to argue... in Russian... and then she says I can give her 80 hryvnas (about 18$) to stay on the train, and I say all I've got is 20 and she says ok give it to me, and I do... and she finds me a seat, and I watch 2 movies in Russian the rest of the way home, and it all worked out, thankfully.  I didn't want to spend the night in a foriegn train station... thats not much fun.  Now I'm back in my town(actually the big city because I don't have internet in my town.) trying to find things to do.  Guess I'll practice more Russian.  Hope alls well back on the home front.  Holla back!

1:00 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Today I got harrassed by a drunken Ukrainian woman.

Soooo yes its true.  I was at the bus station on my way back to the town I live in(Oyster) back from a 3 day "retreat" called PSTU(the acronym is not interesting but yes it is a 'University')  at a very nice place on the River Dessna.  I was waiting for my transfer bus and was strummin the guitar to kill time.  And my friend had just told me about this drunken lady who was on our previous bus that was trying to grab the guy's crotch who she was sitting next to.  Then turns around and says "Oh thats her over there"  Ho hum, Big deal.  Well turn back to my music, and then shes sitting on the bench next to mine, telling me in Ukrainian how nice my music sounds, and to play a song 'n yadda yadda yadda.  I was tired and didn't feel like singing at all, so just ignored her and prentended not to understand.  Then she falls/sits down on the ground at my feet, and reaches out to pick some of the strings and I scoot over to get away, and she scoots closer.  So the ignoring wasn't going very well, as she proceded to talk to me in Ukrainian.  Well I'm studying Russian so I didn't really understand what exactly she was saying, the languages are very simlar so I got the gist.  So at this point I decided to stop playing, until she went away, which was still another 5 mins later after continuing to as me to play more of my 'beautiful music' which was... well not that great.  And finally after I told her to Please go away from here, the closest to leave me alone I could come in Russian, she leaves... very slowly on her bicycle.  Moral of the story?  Americans playing guitars draw drunken chicks like moths to a flame so don't play at bus stations if you don't want to get harrassed.

   Anyway, not the best story but lifes only gets so crazy :)  Whats new?

     Things are still going well here.  I just found out where I'll be for the next 2 years.  The city is called New Prague, its in the Kirovograd Oblast, right in the center of Ukraine.  Russian is coming along well still... putting the final touches on a speech that I'm writing in English but will be delivering in Russian at our swearing in ceremony.  Life is rushing by me right now soo busy.  This Sunday is National Child Protection day, and my cluster and I are putting on a Day in the Park with some of the local organizations... We will be playing games and having competitions and doing face painting.  Also live music, curtesy of yours truly...I'm trying to get better at playing the Beatles... Obla Di Obla Da, I'll be playing with my friend who also plays guitar. I think we sound good together.  Speaking of the Beatles I might get to see Paul McCartney!  He is playing Keiv a free concert in the big square in the middle of Keiv!  Hopefully I get to go, that would be AMAZING! 

9:33 AM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

A night with the guys.
Current mood: busy

So picture this...

Its a beautiful night outside, but at home the baby is screaming and all week you've been working hard for 9 hours each day... then the guys show up.  Yeeaa thats right its Saturday night and it time to chill out.  The moon is in a nice cresant shape illuminating the few floating clouds in the sky and next door, in your yard ,is the chill pad.  Fully equipped with its own sauna.  You're in Ukraine which shares a lot of its culture with Russian, maintaining an identity of its own however, and the Banna(Sauna) is where the guys go to relax, have a few beers, eat some meat, and let go all the stressors of the week gone by.  Sounds like a night fit for even the most stressed out work-a-holic...

Enter the language barrier, cultural differences, and your first(or second) time in the Banna.  Still fit for a good time... time passed in ignorance and adapting to cultural norms.  You don't speak Russian, and you didn't know that when you agree to go to the Banna, you were going to sit in the HOT room with 4 other guys you had just met... Naked.  Now this room is HOT, and it ain't Smokin... about 80 degrees Celsius(Multiply that by 2.32 for conversion factor). So... You're just hanging out can't understand a word, or maybe you can understand 5, trying to maintain coolness with nakedness... Da?  You've all got the same bits and pieces anyway... who cares?  The guys sure don't.  All in all you enjoy the Banna and feel very refreshed and cleansed, the beer is nice and cold when you get out, and the guys do speak a good bit of English after all and you can communicate on a very limited level... Reinsert the chill factor(the 3 beers that you had) and voila! A grand Saturday evening...

.............

Even though you still beat another naked man lying down on his stomach with a branch full of leaves that had been soaking in some water in the Sauna, and he offered to beat you with it as well... I bet that was interesting!  Surely it felt nice, but slightly homoerotic, which isn't exactly your bag, but gotta be flexible right?

............. 

All on a Saturday night...  Add in the guitar and some Ukrainian 90s alt rock and you've got yourself a party!

**********************

Disclaimer: Do not try this at home.

*********************

10:52 AM - 4 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Settling In

I am finally a little settled in here in Oyster. Its is a nice little town. I have about a 40 minute walk to the town center where I have my language and culture classes. I’m learning slowly but surely the language here, I have only been studying it for like 4 days, so I’m trying to to be too hard on myself.  Its hard though when you are unable to communicate anything that you need.  I know how to say a few things and I learn new stuff all the time. I’m with a group of 5 people, and we certainly are an interesting bunch.  Glad to be with the group that I have though, I think that we can learn a lot from each other.  The town is what one might imagine a rural town in eastern Europe to be.  Roads that are kind of beat up, and uneven with potholes pretty frequently, spinning off onto dirt roads and paths even where the houses are. The river here is the Dnipper river, and it is kinda wide.  My house is right on the river, I have been eating fish that have been caught out of it.  I have also been eating a lot of potatoes and salad. Beets, Carrots and Pork and Beef.  My family is pretty well off for this area.  They have a brand new house, they’ve only been here 6 months, and lots of western appliances... So I’d say I’m living Peace Corps lite... Spoiled I’d say, but I’m not goign to get used to it, because I’m going to a much mroe remote area than this in the future.   
    The air is full of the smell of leaves and grass burning, so it seems as if I’m walking near a campsite all the time, and that is nice. There are birch trees everywhere, with little spickets in them to tap the water that has been stored up all winter, and that water is delicious. They call it white juice... it has a sweet flavor to it. Its supposed to be healthy for you, and its tasty so I can’t argue. There are trees everywhere, and a huge park in the middle of the town with a big statue of Lenin in it. All the trees are budding and hopefully it will be staying warm soon. Today was very chilly, and a bit rainy. I’m getting over a bit of a sickness that I caught the first day I woke up in Ukraine, so I’m very happy about that. I have been kept sooo busy, there has been very little time for sleeping, which I think has contributed to my being sick, hoping that I didn’t get anyone in my family sick. My family is AWESOME! Mom: Tanya, Dad Alex, daughter 8Vera and 2Paulina, and Son 10Gleb. Seems like a very nice family, and they are taking good care of me, and making sure that I eat plenty!! Yeesh... plenty of food. Stuffed everyday, but its tasty leftovers :) I’ve already been offered women as brides, and asked if I find my ’love’ will I take her home? haha... Should be interesting! More learning to come this week. I’ve got the internet at home so I’ll be on casually, whenst I have a break from studying. I’ll get pics up soon. Peace ’n Love from across the ocean, and a sea or two. I miss everyone, especially the beaches! Are they swimable yet!?

10:28 AM - 2 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment

Ukraine Bitches

Ukraine I am here!  Its not hard for them to tell either, I’m sure I stick out like a sore thumb.  Its awesome here.  Very flat so far.  I live on a river in a small town called Oyster with 2000 people in it approximately.  I don’t have much time to write dinner is soon, but life is good and I’m learning Ukrainian.  Wish I could tell you more and talk to all of you, but soon enough.

Peace

10:46 AM - 4 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Life as we know it.
Current mood: tired

Pretty soon life as  I know it is going to change very drastically.  No pizza or subways, or good friends!  Thanks to all my good buddies that came up and visited me over tha past weeks... I had a blast, and it made me realize how much friends really do mean to me.  A LOT.  Without y’all my life will have a large hole in it, and I’m getting very sad to be leaving you all to travel in a distant land, but challenges are good, and I’m sure up for this one.  Its nice to know that y’all will always have my back no matter.  Its hard to know what your friends mean to you when they are always there, when you think about the possibility of their removal you realize how much of your ’individuality’ is based off of them.  You like to do the same stuff, and act silly together and joke around, and dance with them, and sing with them, and acting silly and joking and singing and dancing just aren’t as fun by yourself. 
    I’ll have to return to the realm of doing things alone, like meditating, which is a superb activity for one to do alone, something that I’ve kind of slacked off on in the past weeks with the approach of my departure, and arrivial of friends.  I’m glad I learned how to meditate though, as I think that it will be something that keeps my keel evened out.  Which I think is something that is a very important for friends to do in someone’s life. 
    I’ve got a handful of pictures from the past few months here in NY, that I’ll get up soon.  Its been a beautiful 2 months.  I could definitely come back and live here in the city someday, its a lil’ crazy but I wouldn’t have a problem finding a place to fit in, hopefully not on a subway bench though... of course not. I think that 2 of my friends here and I are going to go play in the subway, just for fun of course.  Not to actually fill our hats with change.  I’ll maybe play a song on the guitar, but I’m not very good so I’ll probably just play the spoons :)  Everyones gotta have a lil’ rhythm to the beat. 
     I don’t think I’m going to finish Anna Karinena before I leave, unfortunately because its a really good story.  I’d like to finish it.  Got about 270 pages left.  I’ve got to learn another song or two, and get a guitar before I go to Ukraine so I can bring some music to the party...  I know a handful, and I’ve even written one.  I might have to go to some stores to get a few things, but I need to make a list of that.  Anyway.  Get the pics up soon.... got a surprise one in the bunch, I’ll probably have them up tomorrow night. And if you’re reading this you outta give me a call because I’m gonna be on the other side of the world and will not be able to hear your pretty voices, so I’d love to hear your voice before I go, and catch up. 850 376 8709

Currently listening : Legend - The Best Of Bob Marley And The Wailers (New Packaging) By Bob Marley & The Wailers Release date: 21 May, 2002

8:47 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Tag You’re It!
Current mood: awake

Once you've been 'tagged', you have to write a blog of 10 weird / random facts/ habits/goals about yourself. At the end choose 10 people to be tagged , listing their names and WHY you chose them. Don't forget to leave them a comment (You're IT!) and to read your blog. You can't tag the person who tagged you, since you can't tag me back - let me know when you've posted your blog so I can see your answers!!!!!

1) I would like to climb Mt. Everest before I die.
2) I have always wanted to be a Fire Fighter, but have never had the time!
3) I believe in reincarnation.
4) If I could time travel, I would travel back to 14,000 B.C. to South America, which is the location of the oldest archeological evidence of inhabitence in the 'New World', and I might not come back =p (P.S. Homo Sapien Sapien has been around approximately 300,000 years).
5) I used to have 8 piercings on my body (in my ears, tongue and nipples) and I miss all of them.
6) My favorite part of the opposite sex is their ass.
7) When I was 5 I lost a glove in the snow in the front yard, and when the snow melted it wasn't there any more!
8) I have a dream of having a wife and kids and living on a farm in the mid-west somewhere.
9) Tonight I had vegetable mac n cheese. (There was actually something in it besides cheese and noodles!... Also it was homemade and not the blue box!)
10) I put black pepper on just about everything that I eat.

Sooo, you're supposed to find 10 people, ok but I don't know if they'll all do it! But I put some time into this Krysta, just for you, cause I don't normally do these things.

Turner. Because I haven't heard from you in while, wassup dawg! Holla atchya boi!
Monica. Well you need more stuff to keep you from going to sleep.... riiiiiiight.
Mary Eli. To provide you with more stupifiying material.
Ben. Cause you're my man, and maybe I can learn something new about ya.
Ruthie. You never cease to have an interesting answer to any thing!
Anna. Cause I love ya.
Ryan. Well what can I say but "Haaaahaaaaaaay!"
Shanna. Even though I doubt you have time for this crap... I gotta put 10 people up here.
Mitchell. You've always got a lil extra time on your hands... no? And you're one of the most interesting guys I know.
Dan. You're the man!

6:50 PM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Born Free

Man, it feels good to be unemployed again.  I quit my job last week, because I figure that I need some time off before I get shipped off to the other side of the world!  I didn't really like my job, so that also played a part in why I quit.  I managed to save a small chunk of change for a little travel budget while I'm in the Peace Corps.  I've got just 18 days left to go! Its kinda scary.  In the mean time I've been enjoyin NYC.  Even in the bitter cold north.  I spent some time up in Syracuse, NY working on a campaign for a Democratic sentor, to get him elected to the state senate of NY.  We Won!  It felt good to be on a winning side of a campaign.  As does winning most things, maybe in politics it feels good because it involves power.  I don't know. 

I'm looking forward to the next 3 weeks because I have lots of friends coming into visit, including my sister!  So it should be a fun filled time before I'm shipped off, I get to enjoy the company of all my best friends.  I'm gonna go to Boston as well.  Last night I saw a symphonic orchestra for the first time, it was pretty amazing.  And it was even more amazing because it was free!  Up at NYU.  I haven't really been up to much, practicing my Ukrainian, which I think I'm going to be able to pick up very quickly.  I like the language it has a nice sound...

I'm in the middle of Anna Karenina, 450 more pages to go.  I wanted to finish it before I left for Ukraine, but I don't think thats going to happen.  So we'll see what I can do about that.  Sorry this is kind of a boring entry... I've been lazing around all day here, and don't have much to say.  Soooo hope alls well with everyone down in Fl.  Gimme a shout, in a msg or comment plz! Love to hear from y'all.

Gmoney

3:09 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

The World has stopped spinning.
Current mood: Here

The world has stopped spinning... Does that mean I have achieved equilibrium?  What happens when the world does stop spinning?  What happens if it stops spinning, and the side that I'm on is facing away from the sun?  Am I to live my life in eternal darkness, with only glimpses of the light from the sun reflected off of the moon, as it still travels around the earth? 

Sometimes I like to sit perfectly still and observe things as they are, just sitting there observing, and not participating in anything.  The world is still spinning I guess, but for a while there I thought that it had stopped.  I was sitting in one position facing one way, scenery unchanging, like a photograph.   Can we ever stop to take a look at the world  in one instant, from one angle and one angle only?  I don't think so, but sometimes I would like it to be so. There in lies the problem.  Wanting something to be true, as it is, forever.  Nothing is true forever. 

Some of you might not agree with that statement.  What about gravity? What about an ice cube in a freezer perhaps?  Are these things always the same?  Well I suppose if you start putting stipulations on things.  An ice cube, by itself, of course doesn't remain the same, but if it is kept in the freezer it just might.  The freezer door would never be able to open, however.  It would have to be as in a vacuum.  I wonder what happens in a vacuum?  Does time stop? How do you measure time in a vacuum.  I don't think that a clock would work very well.  No.

The world I suppose has not stopped spinning.  I just felt like it did, perhaps.  As we all feel sometimes, no... it is always spinning.  I had a physics teacher once who told us, "If you take one thing away from this class, know that big G (gravity) never changes."  I would like to argue with him on this, and counter with, "If there is one thing that never changes, it is change it self."

8:37 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment