The Final Days

I can't believe training is over. Today was the last technical session; it was an afternoon on web design which I really needed. Tomorrow is the last day of language training. We have spent the week reviewing and spent all day today going over verbs and how to conjugate them. Russian is a near-impossible language to master. Having taken many years of Spanish, there is no comparison; Spanish seems so simple nowadays. Tomorrow we are doing more reviewing and Thursday is the big final verbal test on the language (LPI). After that, it's to the beach for a beach party blow-out. Friday we will meet to exchange pictures and clean our teacher's apartment since she leaves when we leave. The plan for Friday is to watch the final 2 episodes of "Lost" and then go beer tent-hopping for our last night in Chernihiv. Saturday is hangover day and packing day...I have no idea how I am going to repack all my junk into those 2 suitcases again. We all leave early Sunday morning for "Prolisuck". We will spend 4 days there and then I will take the train to Kherson with my counterpart Marina.
Saturday was not a very good day to say the least. It's funny because I have been so on edge as to whether to continue on with this library deal or head back home. I asked the powers that be to send me signs as to what I should do and since then look what has happened: I suffer through listening to a girl getting raped which still rings in my ears constantly, I talk to Shawna and after hanging up realize how much I miss Montana and the grand finale...Saturday. I went to the market Saturday morning and when I came back home I stuck my key in the front door and broke the lock because there was a key in the other side. Apparently, Marina told me to always ring the bell first and up until the final week of 3 months here, I have never done this. I don't remember her telling me this, but apparently it was like week one when I understood maybe 3 words of Russian. At any rate, she is pissed off at me now. I thought about offering to pay, but then remembered how they never feed me and she always takes my stuff and eats my food. I learned the other day the they are redecorating the entire apartment when I leave. That answers the question as to where all that Peace Corps money has been going. They always complain that they are broke. Nikita eats candy for dinner half the time and she goes to the disco every night. Andrey just got back from Crimea (where he broke his arm playing soccer), and it turns out they will be the only host family not going to Kiev for my swearing-in ceremony. Come on, it costs only 30 Ukrainian dollars for 2 of them. It is a huge day for me and some volunteers' parents are even flying in for it. At this point I am almost glad they won't be there. So there's that...my host family is back to being upset at me.
Next, Saturday afternoon we go to the beach. We were having a blast. They had a huge waterslide set up and the weather was perfect. At the time, it seemed like a good idea when Jonathan, Jason and James wanted to swim across the huge river. What the hell? I am a string swimmer and I was dying of heat so off we went. With minimal struggle we made it there. The current was super strong in the middle, but we made it. I think we were exhausted by the time we got to the other end which was an island. We got out and started walking upstream so we wouldn't have to fight as much current when I stepped on a brick of glass slicing my foot wide open. My foot is covered in blood, I'm thinking I need stitches and the only thing I could do was swim back across. Keep in mind that this water is NASTY. Picture a sewage tunnel and blow it up. In fact, we aren't even allowed to eat river fish...but yet, we thought it was a good idea to swim in it. Chalk that up to the top 1 dumbest things I've ever done. So I jump in the water and pain shoots up my entire leg. The current seems 50 times stronger and I'm losing so much blood I am pale and light-headed. I make it about half way and feel like I'm going to faint. I turn over on my back and start to back stroke not realizing that I'm going so slow that the current is taking me to never never land. I barely make out the sound of Jason screaming my name from shore so I flip over and realize that I am really drifting away from everyone...and fast. I suck it up and get a rush of adreneline and turn into the high school swimmer superstar I once was and freestyle quickly back to shore. I plop down on my towel and wrap my sock around the wound turning it a crimson red. Sarah shows up with some bandaids and I patch it up and once the bleeding came close to a stop, I lay down and relax not realizing how sunburned I would end up. Now I am itching like crazy because I am about to peel everywhere. As for the foot, I cleaned it out and wrapped it. I called my doctor and he saud as long as I can still walk and there is no discharge or discolorization I should be okay. I am back to limping like George Jefferson and if I put any pressure on my big toe, it starts bleeding again. In reality, I really should have probably gotten stitches. I have only had stithces once in my life a few years ago in my thumb after a galss vase shattered in my hand and they freak me out. I guess I'm a sissy when it comes to sewing flesh together.
So you be the judge. Everyday ther is at least one thing telling me to get the hell outta Ukraine and still I push on. I can't wait to see what tonight and tomorrow will have in store for me; a guy can only handle so much of this crap, ya know?
Sunday we had the thank you picnic with the host families. We went to the forest and set up a huge area with tons of amazing food. As soon as we set up the grub, it started thundering and raining. Andrey came back Sunday morning and learned that Marina had called in sick all week. What he doesn't know is that she was not sick, just too busy disco-hopping. He was concerned about her "health" when it started raining and they took off right away. Typical.
In my free time, I have been reading that wrestling book that JJ sent me and should finish it tonight. I watched "Austin Powers" and "Men In Black II" (the latter was against my will, for the record) and I've been studying for the LPI. Yesterday Megan and I put together a 10 minute slide show of awesome pictures of our training group in Chernihiv and we will show it at the end of the talent show in Prolisok. We put it to music and it is turning out pretty sweet. We set it to Interpol's "Next Exit", The Kingsmen "Louie Louie", Todd Rungren's "Bang On the Drum All Day" and All-American Reject's "The Last Song" which is a great song and really hit the final spot on it. I'm sure all 35 people will love the final product when it is revealed next week.
Today I got a package from my parents. It is a miracle that I received everything in there. A reminder to not write "CD's" or "DVD's" on the shipping label as they are not allowed to be mailed into country. Luckily, I received about 6 DVD's from them which include "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", "Three Amigos", "Pleasantville", "House Party", "Mystic River" and one other which I can't remember. I also got some more issues of Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly. Thanks, Mom and Dad!!! For those plannign on sending some packages, please help me out if you can. My library wants to build up their DVD collection. They need any DVD movies that are rated PG or PG-13. Go to pawn shops, garage sales or wherever you can and throw some in there, but please include the cases with them. Again, I am unable to have anything donated out of country and this may be my only option. You will be doing a good deed and might be able to deduct it from your taxes. Also remember that I need movies and some good books as well...and some good ranch dressing which does not exist here :)
I should have a permanent address within 2 weeks and will let everyone know when that time comes. Thanks for your continued emails, letters, and packages. You guys have no idea how much they all mean to me!
I'm not sure if I will be able to post until I get to Kherson so wish me luck and I'll be back.

Happy Birthday, Ryan!!!