I really is hard to believe that July is almost over. A wise man (my Peace Corps Peer Advisor) once said, "Winter in Ukraine is the down payment for the best Summer you'll ever have." This words have been ringing true ever since Final Bell.
I last left off setting sail for my Cruise of the Baltic Sea which was incredible. The Lindholms warmly welcomed me into their family for the week and together with their family friends (and friends from camp), The Balks, we enjoyed some time cruising together. I've been on a cruise before so I know what ship life is like, but I really wasn't expecting such reverse culture shock. The amount of food that I had been dreaming about in Kolky was all of the sudden at my fingertips and in abundance. The desire to be around supportive friends from home had become a reality and the wanderlust to travel and see new sites was actually happening...all at once. It was a little overwhelming, but in the best way possible. I'd have to say that Helsinki was my favorite city, even though our time there was brief and that I most want to return to Copenhagen because it seemed that we explored not even half of it. Photos can be found by clicking Cruisin' the Baltics - 2011. It will take you to an open Facebook album of all the photos from the cruise! Check it out and if you have any questions or the link doesn't work, e-mail me! (benjamin.hogue@gmail.com)
After I returned from the Cruise, I went to Ukrainian Language Refresher camp not far from Kolky in a old, but very nice Soviet style sanatorium, now retreat center. It was 4 days of Language and elective classes, playing frisbee and volleyball with friends, swimming in the lake, and just hanging out. The free food was nice, as was the refresher and brush up on this crazy language, but it really reminded me of being back in college, sitting with friends at every meal, hanging out in each others rooms, and attending the occasional class. I have some pretty awesome friends in Peace Corps, and I was glad to be in the same place with most of them, even if it was a quick four days.
The day after Language Refresher, Douglas Teschner, the Director of Peace Corps Ukraine, came to Kolky for a quick site visit. I gave him a tour of my school, my apartment, and a trip around my village, all of which he was very impressed with. I think he liked my kitchen/bathroom combo the best! It made me so proud to show off my life here, as well as show off the people I work with including my Counterpart and School Director. Hopefully Doug can come back when school is in session so I can show off my excellent students, too!
The next day I was headed to Greece to meet up with Stephanie and Wes Sullivan, dear friends from Cal Lu! It meant a lot that they wanted to meet me somewhere and travel together, and we really couldn't have chosen a better place. Simply put, Greece was amazing. The people, the food, the sites, the experiences, the beaches and on and on and on. We explored Athens, Rhodes, and Santorini together before I reluctantly headed home. I posted photos of that trip too, so check them out in My Greece Photo Album! Each of our destinations was so unique and I can wait to go hopping around the other islands sometime in the future. Wes and Steph are expert travelers and even better friends and I would have to say, thanks to them, Greece is going to be my favorite week of Summer 2011. Thanks again for an amazing trip!
Now a little bit of down time in Kolky, focusing on project planning and implementation. I've been setting aside time for goal setting and hopefully can meet with my Counterparts soon to discuss them. I leave for Buffalo Farm Camp on August 7 for two weeks and I'll be even more off the gird than before. I'll be sure to blog about happenings around Kolky and the adventures I find myself in before then though. Now I'm going to meditate to the rhythm of a nice summer afternoon shower and read President Obama words about how audacious hope can be.
I would love Summer Updates from all of you, if you find the time. It always means a lot to hear from friends and family, and I cannot thank all of you enough for the support I constantly receive.
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