My Favorite Week

No doubt, this has been my favorite week. Mostly because on Saturday, I got permission to go to the Opera in Kiev with my friend Dave who lives in a different town. We went and saw Faust and it was great. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I could hardly believe that I was actually sitting in the Kiev Opera house and it only cost me 10 hryven to be there. (Well, for the ticket. Actually getting to Kiev is a bit more pricey.)

The Opera got out late, later then the last bus to my town, so I went back to and stayed with Dave's host family where I enjoyed a hot shower, stroking a microwave and highspeed internet. It was almost like being in America. I traveled to Kiev on Saturday afternoon with a girl from my link group whose friend happens to live in the same town as Dave. It was nice not to have to support figuring out the metro, though I will say, it's a hell of a lot easier to use then the subway in New York.

I came back to my village, excuse me, city, late Sunday afternoon. My friend from my link group traveled with me most of the way, but the last leg of the journey I had to do by myself. It was really neat to be able to use my minimal language skills to get back home. In my broken Ukrainian, I was able to ask the driver to stop at the bus station, I was able to ask when the bus left, I was able to buy a ticket. It was all in broken Ukrainian, but it was still my small language victory and I'll be celebrating it through the week.

At my host home, there is again no running water. Apparently, the neighbors tapped into our well and used all the water and now we have to wait for it to rain. For the time being, we have a few buckets a day. I'd be more concerned if this wasn't the best week ever, but it is, so it's not going to bother me. Next monday I leave for my site visit. Then I'll return for a mid-training "technical retreat" and it's not back to my village, excuse me, city, until November 17th. Hopefully by then, the well will be brimming with water. I don't know. I can't worry too much.

Another reason this is the best week ever is because finally, FINALLY! I'm getting a cell phone. We have a new language instructor this month, this time it's a guy, and he's more then willing to take me down to get a phone today. That's acutally why I'm on the internet right now, because we went to the next city to get the cell phones. Happy day for me. I really wanted to get a phone before my site visit, because I don't know where I'll be headed.

Things remain good. Haven't been chased by any crazy animals for nearly a week; another reason why it's the best week ever.