Hey! Been awhile...

Life in Myrtiuky is going pretty well overall. I'm teaching around sixteen hours a week at school. Spending a lot of free time reading (send books!) and hanging out with Shannon. Apartment is a work in progress... still lacks a sink or fridge but I'm hoping to finally vacuum it this week which is a step in the right direction!

Did my first couple loads of laundry by hand. That was an adventure in and of itself. Never realized quite how much soaking wet clothes weigh. Feel like I had quite possibly the best workout of my life. Hopefully it will be worth it. I'll have to get back to you once I figure out if the clothes are actually clean or not...

Went to visit two volunteers, Neil Patrick and Michelle, Zacarpati this past weekend. Zacarpati means "behind the Carpathians." Their sites are ten minutes apart and just about as far west as you can possibly go in Ukraine before entering Slovakia (3 km away) or Hungary (25 or so km away). Look for Uzhhorod on a map if you're curious. Took a train from Stry to Uzhhorod which is about a five hour ride, then a marshrutka for another hour. Their sites are gorgeous. Both small villages. We spent Friday night at a hotel in Uzhhorod and Saturday morning seeing a little bit of the city. Had an actual cup of coffee (my second in Ukraine) at a Starbucks-like coffee shop. It was like a little piece of America in far Western Ukraine. Saturday afternoon was spent being fed by Neil Patrick's host mama Marta and Saturday night in Michelle's village. One of the highlights of the entire weekend occurred early Sunday morning when Michelle entered her living room with a jar of dundundun PEANUT BUTTER. Mmm... peanut butter :) It was glorious.

Neil Patrick is planning a summer camp for the first week in July which I am hoping to work at. I would love to see the area during the summer. I asked how we were going to celebrate July 4th and he answered "with a water balloon toss." What are the odds? Just like the good old days at Tommy's birthday parties. Although I did have to warn him that I am highly competitive when it comes to water balloon tosses. If only I can find a partner as talented as cousin Amanda :)

The weekend was great. Arriving home Sunday at midnight to a forty degree apartment with no water... not so great. Needless to say, not my best night yet in Ukraine. As a result of going bez heat for three days the apartment has refused to get above sixty degrees. If I had to title my life for the past couple days it would probably be "life in a sleeping bag" since I have managed to do pretty much everything in the apartment from the confines of my mummy sleeping bag. Thank God for REI.

Just got the five minute warning from the internet cafe... Hope everything is going well at home and looking forward to hearing from everyone!