Radisson Sas Hotel, Kiev

Our second appointment went well yesterday.
We will be leaving today to the city of Dnipropetrovsk. It is a city of around 2 million people. When Ukraine was part of the U.S.S.R., this is the city where they built the Intercontinental Ballistic Missles. The city was shut off to the outside world. Now those same factories make materials and parts for space ...

... After much broken language, I was on my way. I arrived in once piece and my Ukrainian came in very useful. The first thing I did was use the toilet...it was awesome. I had almost forgotten how they flushed...just kidding! Shortly after I arrived the other Americans did too...and we then agreed how we would spend our weekend.

We decided to buy food and make American cuisine. I opted for spaghetti and won--it's the one thing I really miss...weird ...

... Ukrainian. Her friends come over often and give me mini-lessons after my already packed day...and though I am tired, I cherish those moments. I am not only building my language skills (however terrible I am) but I am making frienships too--friendships that I will miss when I leave in just over a week. I live in a large apartment, with my own bedroom fit with a lovely desk and dresser. I have hot water and a real shower...it's a ...

... on Peace Corps volunte**s occurring around the world during the past four decades. Report**s int**viewed more than 500 people in 11 countries and filed more than 75 Freedom of Information Act requests and appeals, obtaining thousands of documents and comput** records made public for the first time. Many of the records w**e obtained in oth** countries, and oth**s w**e released only aft** the newspap** sued the Peace Corps in U.S. District Court in Dayton. The examination ...

... will be shut down - we will see what happens. The "plant" also controls the hot water. Many people have not had hot water for days, surprisingly, our apartment has only not had hot water a couple days. We are keeping our fingers crossed. Although because the currency has lost 45% of its value in the last three months, the rent situation has changed considerably and my roommate and I will be moving to a different apartment according to the school. Things may ...

... Most seem to be in excellent health - that is unless they live too close to Chernobyl or chemical factories. Food is always fresh and cooked at home. They have much to say about the American fast food lifestyle. The life expectancy in Ukraine according to WHO is 62 for men and 74 for women - for the US 75/81. My students attribute this disparity to the poor health care system. The average Ukrainian qualifies for retirement at 55 ...

Part III- Time, Location: Noon- Kiev, Independence Square After waiting what seemed like no time at all, Dima sauntered across the square to greet us as the first familiar face in an unfamiliar country. It was great to be able to introduce him to mom and Lani, but we didn't wait long to get on our way. First up, lunch. We found a small, basement style restaurant and settled in. We took a little while to decide what to have, mom and Lani had perogies with Dima ...

... up on 2 seats and got some sleep. Our first view of Ukraine was just prior to landing, as we descended under cloud cover. It was beautifully blanketed with snow. No cars on the roads! As we exited the airport, the snow was falling and it truly was a Winter wonderland. Luba asked her son's friend to drive for us- thankfully he was a careful driver. Yes, there is at least one careful driver in Ukraine. Luba is very nice. It is ...

As i'm on my way to St Petersburg, a few closing thoughts on Kiev. Its a very beautiful city that has many new cathedrals. They've all been rebuilt since the fall on communism. The traffic is awful. Its very dangerous to try and cross the road, as you never know if they will stop for you. The city is growing leaps and bounds with new developement ...