johnny's in the basement mixing up the medecine

U.S. Peace Corps

Ukraine PCV Kari STromberg

PO Box 298

01030 Kyiv, Ukraine

that's my address for the time being. You all can just keep sending things of the flat envelope or bubble mailer variety until my permanent address is posted on this blog.

For the time being, here's the update. . . Tomorrow is my mid-session with my training director where they tell me whether or not I'm really bad at life or just sort of bad, or maybe if at all possible somewhat decent. Let's see not much has been happening since we're all on quarantine. I still have four hours of language and am successfully using 6 cases in Ukrainian, including adjectival endings (for some of them and generally not as successfully) you should be very jealous of this and by very jealous I mean you should not be jealous at all, but I'm one to relish in my grammar triumphs of the day.

Let's see what am I looking forward to you ask? OH my site interview which is in about two weeks where I tell them what I want what they think i'd be good at etc. we look at my resume together. Nevermind that I won't be finding out my real site until oh 3 days before I go there I just really am excited for teh interview. New things I experienced this week, let me see. . . My mom made ratatouille for breakfast one day which was delicious.

We had a health day in which in all seriousness our dr. told us if we were ever in the position where we felt threatened by sexual assault we should, among other things, poop our pants. I, being the only 5 year old maturity level person in the room, immediately started cracking up and got a mean look from a very serious medical doctor. Hopefully, he'll treat me if I get swine flu, i'm sure he will, peace corps Ukraine is most always accomdating and wonderful. HM, what else can I say? We had a nite at a cafe with another volunteer who came to visit where I was delighted to hear drunk Ukrainian men singing Ukrainian pop, things I could listen to every nite and not stop giggling, this same scene.

I have arranged with my peace corps next door neighbor, aka another trainee who lives two houses down to see the massacre of the geese when it comes in a couple of weeks. He has explained to his host mom that I want to see this and I'm pretty excited for the invite. let's be hoenst, I'm not one for blood and gore but seeing a goose slaughtered just makes me want to watch. I'm not sure I'll join in though I may be forced. I'm all up for this cultural exchange. I want to add slaughter a piece of poultry from start to finish on my list of resume skills. My host mom can crack a chicken's leg off like nobody's business and every time it happens I feel a little more plasticine american.

I have taken to eating raw garlic quite often now that flu season is here. Ukrainians say that you should eat onions lemon and garlic when the country is sick. I'm following orders, and starting to love garlic more than a used to which a. is a lot and b. kind of takes the idea of good breath of away

Well, I'll leave it at that for now. Someday I'll have a funny story about how my host dad walked in on me in the bathroom while I was in a towel, oh wait that happened, and it wasn't funny.

LOVE AND HUGS