The Downhill Slope
March has come and with it spring-like weather. Lots of mud being the major sign of this. By Easter tuilips and daffodills will be in full bloom and Vicotry Day will carry the perfume-like scent from the lilac trees for meters.
It will be my last spring in Ukraine. I've often times loked at my time here as an uphill journey, but now I am on the way down. Only 9+ months are left of my service, which may still seem like a long time but I know it will go by quickly. The end of summer will bring my Close of Service conference and from there it will be just part of a semester left to tie up loose ends before I'm off on the next journey--creating some assemblance of life back in the States.
It is hard to make the most of my time here when I am often times wondering what comes next. Staying in the moment and focusing on work here is increasingly difficult and also a possible explanation for the more infrequent posts. Besides, it is a lot more fun to think about travel plans after it all ends than to study Russian, lesson plan, or write a grant.
I am hoping that as the weather improves, so will my attitude towards making this experience the best one that I can. But as time Marches on it brings with it a desire to reconnect with folks at home and to catch up on all the things I've been missing out on.
This includes not only friends and family, but also popular culture. In some ways going home will be somewhat like having spent the last two years in a coma. Sure, I found out quickly that Steve Irwin died, but somehow Gerald Ford's death was communicated either by chance over a telephone conversation or through the headlines on Yahoo. This is a result of other Volunteers being a spotty source of news. When Dick Cheyney shot his hunting partner it was reported by several people that he had resigned or was being impeached or something else that never even happened.
The only news source (English) that we do receive is Newsweek International, which while a reliable news is too grossly biased to be considered real journalism, much like FOX News.
This past weekend a visiting Volunteer brought with him the first dozen or so episodes of this show called Heroes. I got about 9 episodes deep until he had to go. It may seem sad, but these are things that I do miss. Well, that and talking with all of you. And driving. And having job with a more realistic paycheck. But I'm on the downhill. I'm experiencing the last of it all. And I suppose for that I should be happy.
It will be my last spring in Ukraine. I've often times loked at my time here as an uphill journey, but now I am on the way down. Only 9+ months are left of my service, which may still seem like a long time but I know it will go by quickly. The end of summer will bring my Close of Service conference and from there it will be just part of a semester left to tie up loose ends before I'm off on the next journey--creating some assemblance of life back in the States.
It is hard to make the most of my time here when I am often times wondering what comes next. Staying in the moment and focusing on work here is increasingly difficult and also a possible explanation for the more infrequent posts. Besides, it is a lot more fun to think about travel plans after it all ends than to study Russian, lesson plan, or write a grant.
I am hoping that as the weather improves, so will my attitude towards making this experience the best one that I can. But as time Marches on it brings with it a desire to reconnect with folks at home and to catch up on all the things I've been missing out on.
This includes not only friends and family, but also popular culture. In some ways going home will be somewhat like having spent the last two years in a coma. Sure, I found out quickly that Steve Irwin died, but somehow Gerald Ford's death was communicated either by chance over a telephone conversation or through the headlines on Yahoo. This is a result of other Volunteers being a spotty source of news. When Dick Cheyney shot his hunting partner it was reported by several people that he had resigned or was being impeached or something else that never even happened.
The only news source (English) that we do receive is Newsweek International, which while a reliable news is too grossly biased to be considered real journalism, much like FOX News.
This past weekend a visiting Volunteer brought with him the first dozen or so episodes of this show called Heroes. I got about 9 episodes deep until he had to go. It may seem sad, but these are things that I do miss. Well, that and talking with all of you. And driving. And having job with a more realistic paycheck. But I'm on the downhill. I'm experiencing the last of it all. And I suppose for that I should be happy.
posted by Molly | 7:09 AM
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