Life since June

So I was inspired to write a quick update and share some pictures from random stuff I’ve done since June.  I’m writing this before I actually sit down on a real computer and hope to share about 20 photos, which I’ve resized.  

Photo 1.  I got to school early one day during my two week camp after the end of the spring semester.  Some students looked at my guitar longingly so I let them mess around with it.

Photo 2.  The majority of my camp consisted of team building activities and games.  I’m pictured here with Maxim and Maxim.  The Maxim on the left is screaming BLIN, which translates literally as PANCAKE but colloquially means CRAP!

 

Photo 3.  An old Soviet bus arrived at my school unexpectedly, offering to whisk us away to our local milk factory.  The field trip included a climb up the most precarious ladder I’ve ever seen, flaming milk experiments, and by far the worst smell I’ve encountered yet in Ukraine.  I did find out that a by-product of some of the cheeses they make is mixed with asphalt to make roads.  With that said, I need not describe the roads here to you.  Not only did I want to stop drinking milk after this trip, I thought it should be my duty to euthanize cows to save them from such a fate.

 

Photo 4. Brinza cheese, which is somewhat sour/bitter but goes well with bread.

 

Photo 5.  After the hour long tour on a ninety five degree day, the workers at the milk factory gave each student a heaping cup of sour cream!  I received an extremely dirty look after politely declining.  I was also yelled at by the manager for taking this picture. 

 

Photo 6.  This is me on the top of the factory with the “other side” of Belovodsk behind me.  You can see in the background how the land gradually rises.  The big hill in my town separates my side from this part.

 

Photo 7.  This is a view of mountains and the Danube river from the Bratislava Castle in Slovakia.  Unfortunately the castle was under construction so the pictures of the structure itself are not very good.

 

Photo 8.  This is the Danube River which runs through Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, and connects it with Vienna, Austria. 

 

Photo 9. The rooftops of Bratislava and the architecture in general greatly differ from what I’m accustomed to seeing in Eastern Ukraine and even Kyiv for that matter.  After Peace Corps, I will be able to say that I lived in Europe for two years but it doesn’t really it.

 

Photo 10. This is the old town square in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.  It is one of the biggest tourist cities in Central Europe and is known for being relatively unscathed during WWII (unlike London, Dresden or dozens of other cities).

 

Photo 11. Same as above.  Prague is great.  It is the home of art nouveau, Franz Kafka, a cathedral with a shriveled arm, the world’s only cubist café and much more.

 

Photo 12.  This is the famous St. Vitus Cathedral inside Prague Castle.  Even after all the photos and videos I’ve seen, the hype did not kill the experience.

 

Photo13.  The famous Prague Clock.  Next to the clock you can see small figures representing vanity, greed, pagan invasion, and death.  Every hour, the clock rings and the 12 apostles come through and show through a small window.  The times listed include the hours of the day, the zodiac, the times of sunrise and sunset, and the phases of the moon. Legend has the clock maker’s eyes were removed after he finished so he couldn’t replicate his work for anyone else.

 

Photo 14. Mural at St. Vitus Cathedral.

 

Photo 15. Half of the old city hall in Prague's center, destroyed by the bombs of WWII.

 

Photo 16.  The hostel’s kitchen in Prague.  We stayed at Sir Toby’s which was the best Hostel I’ve been to, equipped with a pub, lounge and outdoor area.

 

Photo 17.  One of the many many many Cathedrals in Vienna, Austria.

 

Photo 18.  This is the Summer Palace for the Hapsburgs, the ruling empire of Austria-Hungary up until the end of WWI.

 

Photo 19. Same as above.

 

Photo 20.  This is the view from the hostel window.  We stayed at Wombat’s which was like a college dorm.

 

Project 21.  Camp iKnow, the camp implemented by the Environmental Working Group, expanded from one camp last year in Ternopil, to three camps this year.  We had seven volunteers and fifteen students from Donestk, Lugansk, Mikolayev, Lviv, and Zaporizha.  Kids are taking a break from the environmental lessons and activities to make friendship bracelets.

 

Project 22.  With 90 degree days, we made daily trips to the local swimming hole.

 

Project 23.  A fun camp game with singing and hand slapping.  Of course an American won.

Project 24.  Students making fish out of bottles, Alex’s trash art session.

 

Project 25.  After spraining my ankle, I was not allowed to stand or walk by my PC medical officer.  I had to teach a leadership lesson and decided to just use my body as a blackboard.