the list

26Jul11

At a recent event for volunteers to refresh technical language skills, I ended up having to filter the same question and answering why I chose to extend. My director asked how I was enjoying my extension, and my subconscious reaction was to spread a huge grin across my face. It did hit me though, that I’m finally 24 and before I turn 25, I’ll become a RPCV. I guess at some point, I do actually have to come home.

But I thought I’d let you know the list of reasons why I love living in Ukraine, and the order has some point of a reason.

1. The Ukrainians who have become my friends and family. The way they live their lives and the way the hold compassion towards everything.
2. What I’ve learned and done while living here and how much it’s impacted who I am now.
3. The land: it’s like the soil and wind and trees wrap a song around you that you only feel if you’re still and listen.
4. Trains: there’s just something about riding trains that’s fantastic. I do my best reflecting laying on the top bunk, looking out the window – hence this list.
5. The language: how it sounds and the waves of understanding that come and go. (Post-pc, I really want to continue my language acquisition.)
6. Ukraine’s complexity: that you constantly have to listen and ask questions in a different way in order to hear what is and the need to simultaneously hold conflicting concepts.
7. The food: the way you can feel and taste its nutrients, and the fact that it’s 1,000 times tastier than in the states.
8. The way you can be still and notice and listen, and then act upon that understanding.
9. The style of clothing and how varied it is.

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