The Everyday Stuff

I don't think I have ever lived anyplace where the weather was 95% perfect. It gets warm, yes, but there is no humidity. It hardly ever rains and there is always a nice breeze. We have had some very hot days, but they give way to some comfortable evenings. Am I in California?

Novomoskovsk is quite the party town. Every weekend on Lenin square there is some type of event happening. For the past few weeks there have been concerts going on celebrating some holiday or another.  They also have numerous displays of fireworks which are set off from the roof of the cultural center, and I am just waiting for something to spark a fire. Pretty scary. I have a great front row seat on my balcony for the events, but the downside to all this is that it's louder on my balcony than in front of the stage and these concerts can go on quite late.

The days are pretty long for me.  Many people are on vacation so I can't get any of my projects off the ground. Of course, schools are closed for another month or so, and I have been filling up my time with lesson planning for an English club and a girls club. I have many idea's for community projects too but they will have to wait until I can find an English-speaking counterpart willing to work with me. 

Novomoskovsk is a good sized city but it is getting smaller.  I feel as if I have explored most of the non-residential areas here and I am ready to widen my territory.  I think I will start taking the 17 mile bus trip into Dniproprotrovsk (a city with over a million, I believe) and start to explore there.

Balcony View

Neighbor Lila and me

Me and my neighbor's granddaughter Dasha

I'm a Mom once More

Say hello to...hmmm...ahhh.... no name as of yet.  She'll have one as time goes by. I keep calling her sweetie, so maybe if that sticks...I also sometimes call her Cookie, for obvious reasons.  The only difference is her eyes are amber and Cookie's were green.

Now, I have been kicking around the idea of adopting a new kitty for a while...but was reluctant because I thought I might not be able to take her home when my time is finished here.  It turns out, I not only can take her home, but she won't need any kind of certificate of rabies or anything. Interesting thing...it seems as if the US is the only country with a bad rabies problem. So, my girl can come home with me when it's time.

I was considering adopting one of the kittens my friend Natasia's cat had, but last night was sort of a crisis so I took this one in.  This little one was in the yard the day before yesterday and one of my neighbors said she rescued her from a dog. Yesterday while we were sitting in the yard that same neighbor spotted two little boys with the kitten, heading in the direction of the fountain in the square.  She started screaming at the boys and sent her granddaughter to take the kitty from them. SO, this kitty is a rescue kitty. There are many stray cats and dogs and they are so sad.  The people here feed them but there are so many and they lead horrible lives.

Last week when I was walking home from school I spotted a kitten floating in the fountain.  People were all around the fountain and no one did anything.  The children in the neighborbood swim in that fountain!  I was heart sick. I came home, got a bag and a pair of rubber gloves and went back and fished it out.  I cried.  It was such a sad moment and it has never left me.

So last night I saved a kitty from a terrible, short life. And she has saved me from ever being lonesome.

Life in "The Corps"

I keep wondering when I am going to wake up. Things are so great right now it's hard to believe how great I feel and how wonderful my life is.  For those of you who know how my luck goes (Mom, Eric, Katie) can you believe what I fell into here?  The Peace Corps is wonderful. No complaints and no regrets.  Training was awful, and although I knew things would get better, I didn't realize they would be this great. I love my neighbors, my counterparts, my colleagues and my city. It's a little slice of heaven, as I know it.


Masha, Natasia, and me in our back yard.

Backyard Sculpture

Homeless Buddies in the Park




My friend and neighbor Natasia



Heather, me, and Michelle at Swearing in



Heather and I in Kiev after swearing in