I’ve lived in Ukraine for six months now, and I almost feel at home. The weeks seem to fly by but the days pass ever so slow. I consider this a result of my busy schedule and never ending workload, as well as constantly being shrouded in a cloud of cultural confusion and stress of building new relationships.
Above is a slideshow of photos I found of Old Romny on our town’s website.
My language skills continue to frustrate me. The more I study Russian, the more I realize how much Ukrainian is spoken in Romny and the only sympathy for my plight is a repeated assurance that they are very similar languages. I keep replying that despite their similarities they are still wholly different languages.
My love for teaching seems to grow everyday. The more I get to know my students, the more I enjoy teaching them and pressing their buttons. I am already wondering what they will all be like in 20 years from now and if they’ll remember when the crazy little American girl came and taught them for two years.
Spring has arrived and the never ending freeze of Romny has warmed into a never ending rain. Thoughts have turned from giant snowmen and snowball fights, to steamy shashlik and relaxation on the banks of Romny’s Sula river. The next two weeks are spring break, which gives students and teachers just enough time to take a quick breath before a mad sprint past end of the year exams and college application preparation before the summer months.