Another week down

So, yet another update from Rokytne, and no matter how many times i try, i can not figure out how to get the keyboard into Russian to type something interesting, or photos to up-load. Oh well. So, has one of my good peace corps friends happened to tell me on Sunday, I have been in the Peace Corps for a month now,and will have been in Ukraine for a month on Thursday! It is very crazy to think both that a month has gone by, and that I have only been here a month. SO much has happened, and my host family and friends have made me feel so welcome that i definitely feel like it has been a lot longer. There are definitely days when I get frustrated with the language (or my inability to use the language correctly) but i have not had one minute that I wished i was back in the states. This week is vacation for our students, so we are doing mostly language and techinical sessions (how to become a teacher). I also have been able to get to Kyiv 3 times in the last week and a half, so i definitely feel comfortable going there and seeing the sites. As my dad and others can attest to, it is really a beautiful city. It definitely has a Soviet feel to it, but with a charm all its own. Whether it be the beautiful monastary with about 15 churches inside it that feels like you are in Turkey, or the 4,000 ton Rodina Mat (huge tin statue of Mother Ukraine , defender of the country overlooking east Kyiv) the city has a lot to offer. As I was walking down the main street (which was closed for cars for some reason) Sunday afteroon, with Russian/Ukranian anthems being blasted from street-side speakers, I definitely felt that I was in another country... It was very Klasna (cool!) I should probably get going for now, but i really appreciate all the e-mails and posts i am getting. Also, a friend of one of my college roomates who works for the Duluth News Tribune decided to do a short article on me in last Sundays paper, so here is the link to it. You may have to register your e-mail address, but after that it is free. http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=53127
miss you all,
Love,
Seth