Basically, we’ve had:
-3 days in Bangkok
-over night train to southern Thailand (Surat Thani)
-3 full days on the northeast side of Ko Pha-ngan (ferry to and from the island), relaxing on the beach
-two day trip across Thailand to the west coast, with an unsuccessful detour to Kao Sak national park
-day in Kao Lak, which is totally shut down this time of year because of weather, but enjoying a small street festival
-day in Krabi, trying to figure out scuba diving, eating street food at the night market
-week+ in Ao Nang, taking scuba lessons, relaxing on the beach, with a few days break due to bad diving weather and bed rest for Emma who had a bit of a fever

Besides the fever, we’ve had a good time here in Ao Nang. We spent two days getting educated all about scuba diving and practicing in a local pool and then got to go to the Phi Phi Islands to put our new skills to practice. Although a little nerve wracking at first and a little counter-intuitive, it is pretty amazing to be able to breathe and move around so freely underwater. Unfortunately, the weather’s not the best for diving this time of year and visibility was poor, but we got to see lots of cute little Nemo clownfish, bright blue sea stars, a crown-of-thorns starfish, a moray eel, a lionfish, some giant-caterpillar-type sea cucumbers, and the back of a sea turtle as it swam away! We were lucky to have a great instructor, Terry, who taught us the number one rule of diving: look cool! I don’t know if we succeeded, but we’ll keep working on it!

You never know with this kind of traveling, but hopefully we’ll be in Laos a couple of days from now. We’ll take an overnight bus up to Bangkok today, then probably another overnight bus to the Laos border the next night. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly. In Laos, the plan is to spend a few days each in Vientiane, Vang Vieng, and Luang Prabang. If we have the chance, we may go for a ride on the Mekong River.

Finally, we got some photos uploaded! Enjoy!

A lot of trash and yard waste had piled up over the winter in our neighborhood.

Luba and Vika, who live nearby, come to check out the playground's progress.

Neighborhood volunteers do a fabulous job painting.

Olya finally got a chance to really paint in color—here she works on the sandbox roof.

There was much excitement in the air when the workers came back to finish off the roof and swing!

An incredible transformation can be seen on the playground's opening day!

It was really fun to watch the transformation at the first playground, since we can actually see this one from our apartment windows! The first step for this site was to clean up the area, which was no easy task. The neighborhood dumpsters were located about 10 meters from the site, and although the dumpsters themselves were regularly emptied, a huge buildup of trash formed around them throughout the winter. Additionally, people nearby decided to put their yard waste there last fall, which turned into a giant pile of branches and leaves.

Alex and I were a little skeptical that the area could actually be cleaned up, but everything turned out great. First, the town council arranged for the branches to be hauled away. Then, they had the dumpsters moved around the corner, near an abandoned building. Finally, the last bits of trash and yard waste were cleaned up. We immediately noticed an increase in the number of kids playing on the old, worn out equipment. There were a couple of teetering, rusty slides (which were later removed), a swing, and a butterfly-shaped jungle gym. What a difference a little clean-up can make!

So, the site was clean and dry! Our carpenters first installed the perimeter picket fence, then the bench, trash can, sandbox, and play structure. Once the basics were all ready to go, we held a neighborhood work day to paint. Alex and I printed up flyers and put them on all the apartment building doors in the neighborhood – about 12 buildings and 20 doors in all. We weren’t sure what kind of turnout we would get, and were pleasantly surprised when at least 20 folks came out to paint. Most of them were young parents, plus our partners Tanya and the mayor (also a neighborhood resident), a few school students, and even a babushka or two. We finished the majority of the painting that day, although Alex and I had to go back a few additional days to finish off some of the detail work.

For reasons unknown to us, the playground sat mostly-finished for about a month. Finally, the carpenters finished off the details on the play structure (steps, climbing wall, slide, and swing), town workers moved the sand into the sandbox and play structure, and we painted the last little bits. The town hauled away the old, rusty slides, and we were good to go!

Last Thursday, we held the official opening ceremony for the playground, even though kids had already been playing in and around it for a month or more! The mayor, Alex, and I gave some short speeches, some kids from the nearby preschool recited some poems and gave us flowers, and a little boy cut the red ribbon hanging across the gate! The kids in attendance rushed into the playground and began swinging, sliding, climbing, and playing in the sand. We passed out some drinks and cookies and took some pictures. Overall, a very successful opening!

Everyday, we look outside and see all kinds of people—small children with their parents, babushkas, teenagers, school kids, random passers-by—playing and sitting and enjoying the space that was previously filled with trash and completely unused. Thanks again to everyone who helped make this project a success!

View photos of the entire project!

Our little neighbor keeps Jenya the carpenter company on the first day of work installing the first playground.

After 2+ weeks of rainy days, our carpenters were finally able to start installing our playground equipment this week. The whole thing should be finished tomorrow! On Sunday, everyone will celebrate Easter, and then we’ll have a community workday on Monday to paint it all. Hopefully people will come out and help, since it’ll be a day off.

We can actually see this site from our apartment windows, and it’s been fun to watch our neighbors—adults, kids, parents with small children—already walking by to examine the site and even try out the new equipment. I think it’s going to be a really popular spot!

Finally: a side note about another noteworthy project in Ukraine. Peace Corps’ Gender and Development Council, of which I am a member, runs three annual summer camps for Ukrainian girls and boys. These camps offer wonderful opportunities for Ukrainian kids to discuss important issues such as gender, violence, HIV/AIDS, and human trafficking, all while having a great time at camp! It only takes $72 to send a child to camp for a week. So, if you missed the chance to help us with our Parks & Playgrounds Project, or if you want to do contribute to another fabulous project, donate here. To find out more information about the camps, please visit this website.

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Doing the "Rocky" move with Jud—celebrating the fact that we've (almost) completed our 2 years of PC service!

We spent the last week of February at our COS Conference in the Ukrainian mountains. The purpose of the “Close of Service” Conference is to prepare Peace Corps volunteers (PCVs) for ending their time in Peace Corps. For two full days, we had sessions in which we reflected on our time here in Ukraine—how we’ve succeeded and left an influence on our sites, and how we ourselves have been impacted by our time here. We discussed how to say goodbye to our co-workers, community members, Ukrainian friends, and fellow PCVs. We talked about readjusting to American life upon return and methods for dealing with reverse culture shock. And, of course, there was plenty of time dedicated to the tons of paperwork and benefits that come with a government job.

Kevin, Tony, Alex, Alexis, Katie, and Davidson cutting a rug.

In addition to attending such sessions, most of which I found helpful, we spent a lot of time just hanging out with our friends from Group 36—the group of volunteers that met in Philadelphia on March 30, 2009, arrived in Ukraine on April Fool’s Day, went through 11 weeks of training together, and were sworn in as official volunteers on June 18. We began as a group of 55, came to the COS Conference with 49, and then said goodbye to one tough volunteer who had to leave early for medical tests in the States. There’s just something special about this group of people who embarked upon this great adventure together. Although I can’t say I’m friends with them all, and some I hadn’t even seen since swearing-in, I did enjoy getting together with everyone again. Many great friendships have been made in the last 2 years, and there’s a really nice, fun atmosphere among everyone.

First, Alex and I got to spend a few days with a smaller group of PCVs who live in the western part of the country. We rarely, if ever, get to see these folks, so it was really great to spend some quality time with them. We toured a new city (Uzhgorod), went through an outdoor museum, played games, watched movies, and generally just hung out. There are lots of wonderful PCVs who we just can’t see often because we live too far away and don’t have enough time to travel, so we were thankful for this opportunity. Then after the conference, Alex went to Kyiv for a meeting, and I spent a day in Lviv before taking the long train back home. We both got to spend a little more time talking and chilling with some of our closest friends.

Alex shows off his singing skills with "If I Were a Rich Man."

The conference itself provided good time to catch up with folks. We had three delicious meals a day, two tea/coffee breaks, comfy sitting rooms, and a bar complete with dance floor. One evening, some PCVs organized karaoke, which was, of course, tons of fun. Song selections ranged from Disney musicals (Part of Your World) to pop (multiple Lady Gaga songs) to oldies (American Pie). When it wasn’t our turn in the spotlight, we all enjoyed singing along from the back of the room. Another evening, we watched our COS slideshow. With the help of some others, I organized and presented photos and videos that our group-mates had submitted to represent their time in Ukraine. I really enjoyed looking at everyone’s photos and putting the slideshow together, and it was very well received! Some other PCVs organized superlatives for everyone, and so the slideshow concluded with an individual photo of each volunteer plus her/his superlatives. Alex and I won “cutest couple,” and I was deemed “most likely to stage the first bra burning in Ukraine!”

Cheers to Group 36!

We entered the conference with great expectations of a fun time seeing all our group-mates again, and the week definitely lived up to the hype. Additionally, we came to celebrate the two years of our PC service. Quite a few PCVs end their service early, sometimes for reasons out of their control, and so there’s a huge sense of accomplishment in making it through the two years of difficult training, work, and life in a far-away country. We feel like we can leave Ukraine and do almost anything with all the flexibility, patience, persistence, life-skills, and cultural sensitivity that we’ve learned here. So, the week was a great chance to celebrate together.

What a group! Heading out from Slavske's train station with Burke, Mike, Jason, iea, Lindsey, and Suzanne.

We left the conference, though, much more reflective. Although it was a time to be happy for surviving these two tough years, it was also a time to think about the work we’ve done here and the lives we’ve touched. We came to Ukraine two years ago with great ideas and dreams to make a difference. I think it’s fair to say that the whole experience turned out differently than anyone expected, and so we must now figure out what we have done and how we have succeeded. And, on the other hand, we need to consider what Ukraine has done to us—how our lives and selves have changed from this crazy experience. We will return to the US different people than when we left, and we must figure out how to translate that to American life, as well as how to communicate it to our American family and friends who won’t know the ins and outs of everything we’ve gone through.

In a Ukrainian bar/restaurant in Lviv where you have to know a special Ukrainian password phrase to get in.

When I think of leaving Ukraine, I’m filled with a mixture of emotions. Of course, I’m extremely excited to see my family and friends again and go back to a more comfortable life. And, obviously, I’m sad to leave Sofievka and the amazing little community we’ve formed here with our Ukrainian friends. However, there’s an even more powerful emotion that took hold last week when I suddenly realized that this is REAL—we really are finally concluding our PC service. You see, I’ve been dreaming for a long time about living in a foreign country; I first looked into PC just after graduating from college. As a couple, Alex and I have known ever since our South American adventure that we wanted to spend some real time in another country—not just traveling, but living and learning a different language, culture, and traditions. We’ve been actively involved with PC for almost four years, including the time spent researching the program and applying. It is truly amazing to realize this goal and have seen it through, and I’m incredibly thankful that we were able to do so. However, when I check something this huge off my life’s “to-do” list, there’s suddenly a big hole left behind. For lack of a better way to describe it, I feel kind of like I am grieving over the death of a dream. A dream that was realized, but a dream that, none-the-less, is no more. I know that hole will be filled with more dreams for the future, and our to-do lists will grow: find fulfilling work, get a master’s degree, have some kids, etc. Please don’t get me wrong—I’m super excited about the future and all the possibilities open to us, but at this current point during this huge transition, this is the feeling that overpowers the others.

(Check out more photos from our week!)

Posing in the enormous chapel built into Poland's Wieliczka Salt Mine.

One of the entrances to Krakow through the old city walls

(Written in the wee hours of January 3rd.)

So, here we are – sitting in the airport at 2am after arriving back in Ukraine. Our flight arrived at midnight, our bus leaves until 8am, and we didn’t want to pay for a hostel for just a few hours of sleep. It is entirely possible that the next time we come to Kyiv’s airport will be when we are leaving Ukraine for good, which is strange to think about.

Our Christmas/New Year trip turned out really well, and we got to see some amazing sights. First, we spent a week in Krakow, including Christmas, and stayed at a popular hostel—Greg & Tom—where we met lots of interesting travelers. While there, we visited a number of museums, went on an informative walking tour of the city, and got our fill of medieval and WWII history. Apparently, Krakow had its heyday in the 15th Century, when the market town was booming with traders traveling between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. We toured a fraction of a huge salt mine that was begun 900 years ago. Up until recently, people have been pulling huge chunks of salt out of the earth, some 99% pure, and leaving behind amazing tunnels and caverns. Miners turned some of these spaces into chapels, and even carved amazing figurines out of the walls and floors.

The infamous gate and train tracks into the Birkenau camp.

Of course, Krakow is also known for being a center of Nazi occupation during WWII and infamous for the many nearby concentration/death camps. We spent a day touring Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II – Birkenau, where millions of Jews and others were killed. I feel like the experience should have left me feeling grief-stricken and haunted, but the truth is that it was simply impossible for me to fully wrap my head around the atrocities that happened there. Although I have taken university classes, watched films, and read survivors’ memoirs, I still can’t really comprehend the actual suffering and despair that so many people encountered there. I would like to read, or re-read, some accounts by camp survivors, since that may help me better understand the places that we saw.

Pretty decent view from our hostel in Zdiar!

Our original plan was to go back to Ukraine and hang out in the cool city of Lviv to ring in the New Year. However, when we found out that individual dorm beds were going for $30 a night (an increase of 150%), we decided to look for other options. Alex couldn’t help but notice a brochure for a hostel called the “Ginger Monkey,” so we traveled a few hours from Krakow into Slovakia’s beautiful Tatra mountains. One day, we took a three-hour hike in the snow up to a valley amongst the rocky peaks, where had lunch at a little “chateau.” Our second day, we went on a long snowy walk with the hostel’s dog Wally. Although we threw countless sticks and snowballs, he was still full of energy at the end of the day, and we started thinking of how much fun it will be to have a pup of our own when we return to the States.

Olomouc's main square slowly cleared out as revelers went home in the early hours of 2011.

While looking online, we managed to find a hostel with cheap beds available for New Years. Poets’ Corner is a very comfortable place run by friendly Australians in the small Czech city of Olomouc. We enjoyed wandering the town’s cobblestone streets and checking out the old city walls. Olomouc is located in the heart of Moravia, so we ate lots of good food, particularly enjoying the garlic soup. For New Years, we joined a small crowd on the main square, where a Queen cover band opened for an AC/DC cover band, all performing in front of a large poster of a Moravian manger scene. The Baby Jesus would have appreciated a little 80s rock, right?! At midnight, the town set off a huge display of fireworks behind the city hall, while almost every small Czech group had their own fireworks to set off. Fireworks going off on all sides can be a little unsettling, but it was fun to watch. A DJ got some music going, and we danced on the square for a couple more hours.

Alex begins the slow journey back to Ukraine from Olomouc.

After two weeks of traveling, we’re ready to head home and relax in our comfortable little apartment. 2011 is sure to be an exciting year: we hope to finish our Peace Corps service in the summer, spend a couple months traveling around Southeast Asia, and then settle into grad school and/or work by the end of the year. Whatever the future holds, we’re thankful for our supportive family and friends, and we feel extraordinarily lucky to have the opportunity for so many unique adventures and experiences. Happy New Year to you all!

Check out more photos from our trip!

The fifth graders are happy to see Alex on the first day of school.

We have been BUSY this fall!  Lots of Peace Corps Volunteers complain that they don’t have anything to do, but we haven’t found that to be the case.  As our second school year began in Sofievka, we had plenty of clubs to start, classes to teach, and grants to write.  Here’s a taste:
- Alex has 3 English clubs every week for elementary, middle, and high school pupils.  Although students don’t often want to stay after school, he works hard to make sure that they will have interesting things to do, even if only two students show up.  He’s also been working with a few 10th grade girls who speak exceptional English.  They meet twice a week before classes to further improve their English skills.
- I help in 12 English classes a week – 8 lessons on Wednesday and 4 on Thursday.  I also try to corral a couple of kids to English Club once a week.
- Alex began a Programming Club with the school’s computer teacher.  Using a program called Scratch, the students are slowly learning how computer programs work and designing some of their own games.

The Lyceum English Club hangs out at the police station.

- I wrote and won two grants for the Lyceum: one to begin a Geocaching Club among multiple district schools, and the other to install a new shower, toilet, and two new sinks in the dormitory.  You can read about this project.  Alex just applied for the same grant, hoping to install soap dispensers, hand dryers, and a water fountain near his school’s cafeteria in order to improve sanitation.
- Both of our schools held wildly fun Halloween parties.  Sofievka students have loved learning about this “American” holiday and have really gotten into the spirit.  We expect that pumpkin carving will now become an annual tradition here!  Many thanks to our family and friends who provided Halloween goodies and decorations!

Alex's "rapper" costume was a hit with the high school girls!

Besides work in Sofievka, we have lots of other interests and projects that keep us busy.  For example:
- Alex has been totally revamping the old PC Ukraine volunteer website.  You can get a glimpse of the future version, although it’s still under construction.  (About a million times better, eh!?!)  He is chair of PC’s Technology for Development working group and delegates as much as possible, but there’s still plenty to do.
- I am very active in PC’s Gender and Development Council and have been working recently to improve the trainings and information about sexual assault that are provided to trainees.  I’ve connected with a pretty cool organization of Returned PCVs – First Action Response – and have been sharing information with volunteers in Uganda.  I wrote two articles for PC volunteer newsletters, one about using (well, NOT using) the phrase “you guys,” and another about some of the causes of gender-related violence.
- Alex has designed a rockin’ counter for use on World AIDS Day (December 1).  It says: “___ people live with HIV in Ukraine,” and “___ people live with HIV worldwide.”  “HIV is preventable and treatable.  Protect yourself!”  Check it out, and even download it if you’d like to use it yourself!

Middle-school English Club students become pirates (with ghosts) for Halloween.

Of course, we are also doing plenty of exciting things totally unrelated to our work or Peace Corps:
- We had two mice running around our kitchen for a month or so.  The first one was caught with a good ol’ trap, but the second was too smart for that.  We finally cornered it and trapped it in a box, carried it a quarter-mile away with lots of nice warm buildings between, and let it go.  Knock on wood, it hasn’t been back since!
- I studied throughout September and October, took the GRE, and got pretty decent scores.  I’m applying to MPH programs (and one joint MPH/MSW) beginning next fall.  The grad school research and application process hasn’t been convenient from here, but it’s doable.  It stinks to already have to think so much about the future, but grad school deadlines necessitate it.  Hard to believe we’ve been here over 19 months, with less than 7 to go!  Some of our good friends have just completed their 2+ years, and it’s sad but exciting to see them head back to the States.

Sara and I hang out at the "Swallow's Nest" in Yalta.

- We managed to squeeze in a little vacation time recently when my fabulous college friend Sara came to visit.  Although we had a crazy week and spent more time on public transportation than off, we had a great time and really enjoyed catching up.  We got to see some amazing sites in Crimea – Bakhchisaray, Yalta, and  Balaklava/Sevastopol.  Remember: you are welcome to visit anytime!
- We also got to visit our friend Olya, Alex’s old counterpart, who is now a Technical and Cross-Cultural Trainer with Peace Corps!  She’s enjoying her new job, although she’s very busy and misses her family since her training site is near Kyiv.  We hope this position will open up even more opportunities for her – she’s an amazing person who has big dreams!
- We are fortunate to be able to spend a couple hours every week talking with family and friends over Skype.  I can’t imagine being a volunteer without a home Internet connection – it’s so nice to be able to keep up with everyone and really helps when we feel homesick!  Look us up if you want to chat sometime!

Working on canning 18 pints of fresh tomatoes.

- Alex and I try to spend some time every day just hanging out, whether it’s cooking together, watching TV shows or movies, or running/walking.  It was pretty cold in October, but November has been beautiful.  We recently looked up our “Love Languages,” and “quality time” ranks pretty high (if not top) for both of us.  (“Receiving gifts” comes last, just so you know!)  Some fun kitchen-related projects this fall have been canning tomatoes, making jam, doing our own squash puree for “pumpkin” bread, making cinnamon rolls, and teaching one of my students how to make Halloween cupcakes.

A final note: we’ve been working really hard recently to get a community project going as a “thank-you” to Sofievka for taking such good care of us.  The goal is to make our town a safer and more comfortable place for everyone by fixing existing and purchasing new playground and park equipment.  Expect another blog post within the next couple of days with more information, including how you can help us make this project a reality!  Tax-deductible donations to awesome Ukrainian projects can make great Holiday gifts, you know…

School students play with their new American kickball during PE class.

Taking a walk near my favorite Sofievka building - a colorful grain elevator.

Second graders show why they need new hand dryers.

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