Greetings from Northern Crimea...Life here is hot and sticky. I am mostly enjoying my new diggs but am definitely living a life more in step with what I, and most likely you, imagined the Peace Corps to be. Very small, very isolated, water and gas work when they feel like it and the language barier is all too real. While I feel like I am able to communicate and get basic ideas across I am more or less helpless to have any meaningful conversation. Yes I know it has only been 3 months and I know that I am doing well with Russian...blah blah blah...but that really isn't of any comfort when you go days without REALLY communicating with another person. My host Babushka is an extrmely warm and funny woman and I like her very much...but she keeps a running commentary going all day long...seriously...and it is probably the most exhausting thing I have ever dealt with. I understand none of what she says, which I know she knows, but she still keeps going. Eventually I am sure I will be grateful for this but for now its a little much to bear (bare?). Still I am happy even though this will easily be the most difficult two years of my life...past, present or future.
Today I went to the beach. I was told it was a little bit of a walk, which it would have been had we arrived after the first 3 miles. 2 miles later i asked if we were near and was told we were and sure enough, 3 miles later we were there. It was a nice little lake though and the 70 something year old babushkas in bikinis made the trek worthwhile...Thankfully we were able to hitch a ride 3/4 of the way home and even stopped for some lemonade at a friends doma which was welcomed. Played some ping pong afterwards...destroyed my babushka (that's right). From here on out its just me, a big bowl of borscht, some cookies if im a good malchick and whatever else the Peace Corps Gods decide to send my way today. Hoping for some cookies though...shortbread with some chocolate fudgy icing on the inside. Im enjoying the cookies here in Ukraine if you weren't aware. Alright...time to run. Just wanted to say hello. Miss you and love you....
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