Should I wear the hat?

"Of course!" I told Abe. I mean, if your blog is going to be quirky, best to get President Lincoln with his trademark top hat. Ironically, we had never crossed paths in the USA, but here in Ukraine you never know who you might meet. In fact, I met a whole slew of Americans this week. I'm not one of those people who seeks out my countrymen/women because I feel lonely for my culture, or whatever. It's usually the opposite. I mean, we tend to do local things with local people (that's what we like about being here!). However, it is entertaining to meet up with expats like us.

Earlier this week, I gave two workshops at the Peace Corps training center (I'm not sick anymore, by the way). They have 101 new English teaching volunteers that will go to their posts, some in remote parts of Ukraine, in December. Most of them were quite young with little to no teaching experience. They are all in the middle of a three-month training program that aims to prepare them for their 2 year assignment: they learn Russian or Ukrainian (depending on where their school will be), and they learn how to be teachers. Sounds like a tall order, but I got a glimpse of the program and they just may end up being more equipped to teach in Ukrainian high school than I was following my Master's. Practical activities will take you a long way!

Thanksgiving day I was invited to the Fulbright office for a 'turkey feast'. Although there was no stuffing or pumpkin pies, two of my very favorite items that I wish my mom could've sent, the turkey and cranberry? (maybe sultana raisins?) sauce was good. I made the rounds introducing myself trying to recruit "native speakers" for our conversation club at my English Resource Center at the university and meeting a few really nice people. Our bi-monthly conversation club has been going well, but the more native English speakers we get, the more excited the participants (who range from students, to teachers, to other professionals) are. Keep your fingers crossed for next week. Ah, next week...

Next week we are going to Crimea - Yalta and Simferopol. It's a part of Ukraine in the South that looks somewhat like an island connected by a little sliver of land. It has a strong Russian influence - so my smattering should come in handy. What is your first name? What is your last name? Do you have...? (are you impressed yet?). It is a resort area in the warmer months; although it will probably be rainy for us, it will be different and interesting. And I love going to new places! We will fly - wonder how big our plane will be? You'll have to stay tuned...

P.S. Today there were special commemorative events to honor hundreds of thousands that died in a Soviet-induced famine 73 years ago. It made the Yahoo! News headlines: Ukraine Marks 73rd Anniversary of Famine. . . very sad to know that this "mass starvation" was man-made. More on... Kiev Ukraine News Blog.