summer strikes again

Well… as summer approaches, I felt I should stop and take a bit of a look back over the last few months and the craziness that has ensued. I believe the last time I wrote I had just returned from a great trip to Egypt with my girlfriend Megan. When we returned Ukraine was still tightly in the grips of winter, but soon the spring showers and budding trees that Ukraine allows for about a week showed up. School was crazy for the last two months of school, with constant schedule changes and confusing as to whether I even have class at that time. But I have been able to get around Lugansk Oblast a bit and see more of the area and where other Peace Corps Volunteers live, so that’s been nice.
Probably the biggest thing that has happened is that I was able to go back to America for about 9 days. My grandfather had been sick for quite a while and my family decided it was time to come home, and shortly after that decision he passed away. While my family was of course very sad, it was very nice that we were all able to get together and celebrate his memory again. While home I was able to get up to the Brule for a day, and have a great burger and some beers at the Brewhouse in Duluth. It was nice to have a little R&R, but it did make coming back to Ukraine a little bit harder.
Since then, I have had my sister Morley come to visit, which was great! She arrived on Sunday and I was able to pick her up at the airport, when we then headed to the train station to catch a train to Lugansk. I had not been able to buy the second-class tickets that we had used when my parents had come, so we were in third-class seats where there is no privacy and it was very, very hot! We arrived tired and a bit frazzled in Lugansk on Monday, and were able to take a bit of a walk around my neighborhood and downtown Lugansk, when we then headed to Indian food for dinner. Tuesday was filled with seeing a bit of an actual Ukrainian village, and having some great Armenian food. Wednesday we head to Slavyansk to see where Megan lives, and Thursday we headed to one of the most famous Ukrainian monasteries, where we got a tour from a Ukrainian priest. Thursday we headed to Kiev and Friday Morley got a great speed-walking tour of Kiev, with most of the main attractions being hit up. Morley headed off to Budapest again on Saturday.
Megan heads home in about a week, and the rest of the summer will be filled with summer camps and traveling to visit friends.
Hope all is well!!
Miss you all,
Love,
Seth