The Pierogi Blog

Picture Recap: Part Three - Odessa and Goodbye

2011-08-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Odessa

An excessive amount of seaweed in the water causes us to grow seaweed mustaches

With the help of my towelcape and old-man hat, I develop super powers

All the interns in Odessa!

Karaoke Night

Supernatural forces cause Ada's hair to get stuck in her hairdryer, and lock her in the bathroom. The rest of us drink vodka and laugh.

After a night of police, bumper cars, and shisha, we watch the sun rise over the Black Sea

Ferris Wheel at one of Ukraine's random small amusement parks

So pretty..

Wax Museum

Random walks and cloud gazing in public places. Odessa <3

A Short Return to Kyiv

Ping pong becomes violent

Metre-long pizza!

Bowling Night

The last time that I ever see Guru and Yvette((((

Final Goodbye in Kyiv

Finally get to the Lavra

Palata No.6 and tequila shots!

Papa Carson wears his pretty clothes

The apartment is a little crowded by this point...

OMG a SUPERmarket!

One last party in the flat, it is a success

Final night. I buy a wiccy wonka and look damn sexy in it

We all hang out one last time, Ira makes a funny face

Goodbyes

...and goodbyes

*sigh* aww.....Goodbye Ukraine

for all the friendships....

for all the memories....

for all the unforgettable experiences...

Thank You Ukraine!

I Miss You!

Picture Recap: Part Two - Camp Life

2011-08-15T14:17:00.000-07:00

Camp 1: Leadership Camp


6 of the 30 kids from Leadership Camp

No chairs, sit on each other!

I make you play silly games!

The ground is made of lava!

No idea

'and I drink your milkshake!'

The aftermath of a flour fight

just a kid wearing a dress

This is how they acted every night when it was time for lights out

Ghost stories and smores!

Playing 'Phase 10' with the kids

Business pitches (I taught them something!)

Camp 2: English School

Welcome to my classroom

No jumping allowed. I don't think I was a very good camp counselor

Somewhere near the Ukraine-Hungary border

Ukrainian Spiderman

Some quality time with Franz


No comment

One day we all just threw rocks at a log in the creek

The View

The town of Skole, where my camp was. 12 hours from Kyiv

My back yard, the Carpathian mountains

The small town of Grebeniv nearby

A 3 hour, $1.30 train ride to get this view in L'viv

The view when you take a stroll up the mountains

Driving through the Ukrainian countryside, sharing the road with cattle

Enough snakes, frogs, lizards, and spiders to go around (they were in my bed too)

Next: A trip to Odessa, and a final goodbye...

Picture Recap: Part One - 3 weeks in Kyiv

2011-08-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

Arrival in Ukraine

24 hour transit to Kyiv


I'm living here? Do I even have a bed?


The wonder of Maidan, and my first family- Jessica, Nadalina, Ana, Mario, and Guru (not pictured)

Meeting AIESEC Kyiv's ICX team

Days of Being Wild

AIESEC Kyiv's first impression of me

4 PM isn't too early for vodka

Early Goodbyes


Saying goodbye to Jessica

Sending Mario and Guru off, one of many goodbyes as people came and went to camps

Zoo

Cage doors. Why close them?

Sad monkey is sad.

Constitution Day

Papa John's!

A walk through Mariinsky

Hyogi, Yvette, Ada, Anil, me and Sergey (not pictured) on the lit-up Khreshchatyk

Concert in Maidan

Chopsticks, Hookah, and our first game of Vampire

The Festival

Dima!

A concert with great dancing

The rain....oh, the rain.

6 people in a freezing tent. Yay! group bonding!

Chocolate for breakfast, Chocolate for supper!

...and we all went home happy and well rested.

Birthday


Early morning party

Late night party


Inevitable conclusion

AIESEC Work

Possums! at AIESEC Kyiv Outgoing Preparation Seminar

AIESEC Global Village

The Statue

The very Russian and Soviet 'Statue' - bigger than Lady Liberty

...and then we all decided to go for a walk afterwards.

Hanging Out in the Ukraine


Making Vareniki


Sitting by the window to get internet

Looking PRETTY!

Making towers out of chip boxes

Wearing awesome hats on Andriivsky Street.

Putting ponytails in my hair (PRETTY!)

Drinking with Turks

Going to Camp

Looking back, this was the most comfortable place in Kyiv.


After a sad send-off, I finally head off to Skole to begin work at my camp.

....At this point in I'm 3 weeks in of 8 weeks.

This time in Kyiv would be my most eventful, but many good memories were still ahead.

To be Continued...

Nearing The End...

2011-08-05T02:51:00.001-07:00

Well, it’s coming down to it. Only a handful of days left and it’s really starting to sink in. I’ve been starting to feel nostalgic for the last week or so, trying to remember all the small moments and all the good times I’ve had here in Ukraine. Over the last 24 hours it’s been taken to the next level as home has gotten a little closer. Plans of going camping, an AIESEC conference on the horizon, the logistics of AIESEC Saskatoon, seeing all my friends again….the reality of home has come back to me, and it has put into perspective what my current situation really is.

All these people I’ve met…

I’ll only get to see them all for a day or two more. Some of them I’ve already seen for the last time.

The kids here at the camp…I got to know the first group well and it was tough to say goodbye to them. For this second camp, I knew I was nearing the end, and almost was looking past them….but they’ve gotten under my skin as well.

Now I have to head back to Saskatoon to make tough decisions as to whether or not I will run for president of AIESEC Saskatoon and how I will epically man-sculpt this new beard of mine.

…but before I do that…I have a few days left with some really great people, and I really plan on making the most of that.

More Changes

2011-08-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

So, I posted about this a little while ago and ended saying I’d follow up with more…and now I’ve finally gotten around to it.

Part one of my Ukraine-inspired changes was a new diet. No alcohol and really healthy eating. I’m already feeling the effects of eating healthy, not just physically but mentally as well. So I’ll keep up that, and this also includes me not buying so much anymore…aligning my actions to my thoughts, especially regarding consumerism.

The second part is largely personal, so I won’t go into too much detail, but I will say this. Ukraine broke me. I have feelings and emotions now…I dare say I’m becoming a softy.

The third is this: I am Carson, and that’s okay. Sometimes in a group conversation I just sit there and listen, sitting in the corner not saying much. Sometimes I like to spend a lot of time alone. I don’t like to dance, I don’t know how and I don’t want to learn; the same goes for singing. I like drinking but I hate clubs. I don’t like being angry and when I’m quiet I’m actually relaxed. My face looks angry, but I’m not. I don’t show my emotions with my face but that doesn’t mean I don’t have any. My voice is monotone. Much of my life is a struggle between wanting to get away from society and wanting to spend time with anyone because I’m lonely.

All of this….is okay. I used to check the stats on my blog to see how many people have read it and to see if they like it. I used to love seeing people ‘like’ my stuff on Facebook. I sought approval. I don’t need that anymore. I don’t need you to tell me that it’s okay to be me. While, I respect your opinion, I don’t need your approval because I have the approval of the one person who matters: me.

I’m adding a fourth thing onto this now. I’m going to start learning Mandarin. Those who know me and know a certain thing about me will think I’m doing this for a certain reason…but here’s why: it’s difficult. I have real troubles learning language and with the tones in the Chinese language I’ve been told this will be almost an impossible task for me…that I shouldn’t even try. We’ll see…

Exhaustion

2011-07-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

I’ve been here…47 days now. 9 more to go.

I slept for 10 hours last night and when I woke up I didn’t feel any more rested. I haven’t had a real conversation with anyone from back home or back in Kyiv for over 3 days. It’s cold and wet outside.

What do you want me to say? Do you want me to say that I’m having an amazing experience and I’m really discovering myself out here? Well, I am…nothing has changed there….but I feel burned out, I feel like I’m finished.

I almost feel like I’m ready to go home. I’m only here 8 weeks and I have over a week left. That’s a large chunk, enough for a lot more thinking and more new experiences.

…but I’m almost looking beyond it at this point.

I want sushi, not the kind in Ukraine, but the type from in Saskatoon. I want scrambled eggs and chocolate milk. I want to go to the theatre. I want to play football again.

I’ve done so much and slept so little since I got here that I’ve been plenty tired the last 6-7 weeks, but for the first time I feel truly exhausted.

9 more days…

New Camp, New Challenges

2011-07-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

After a short hiatus in Odessa, I have returned to my home in the mountains and begun my second camp. Same location, but all new kids….which means all kinds of new challenges

My first camp was a leadership camp and language development for teens with an intermediate level of English. I got the opportunity to teach entrepreneurship and public speaking. It wasn’t long that I was back in camp before I figured out that this would no longer be the case. My new group consists largely of younger kids who do not speak English very well. My new lessons….teach English in a formal, almost classroom-like setting.

Six weeks ago this might have been my biggest fear. I don’t have much teaching experience, how can I teach a language to kids who can’t speak the same language as me? I was prepared for the possibility and embraced the challenge, but hoped that it would not come to fruition.

Now, after six weeks of being here, my mindset is different. How was I supposed to find my way through Kyiv’s public transport? How was I going to learn to read the alphabet? How can I buy anything at a store when I don’t speak Russian, I can’t read the labels, and I can’t talk to anyone? Well, I did it…and much more. So, teach kids who I can’t really talk to? No problem. I’m not really sure how I’ll do it, but I’ll figure out a way.

…and with that positive outlook I have to say that things have started pretty well. On my first evening with the kids, we played futbol, I taught them some card games, we played a few games of mafia, and I showed them some of my music. They seem to took to my music, Kasabian and Black Keys in particular.

Unfortunately they like to listen to more hard rock, and so I usually have that playing when they are around. I like this music (it is on my iPod after all) but I have to say I’m in the middle of a John Lennon, Beatles, Philip Glass binge right now. It kind of kills my mood.

…but the good thing is that they are hanging around with me. Not that I would feel lonely without them, but they struggle through English when they hang around me, which means that they are learning.

I have also picked a little translator named Gleb. His brother went to the first camp I taught and he speaks good enough English to translate, so he ends up knocking on my door with another camper saying: ‘He has question for you’.

Overall, so far…so good.

After my first day of lessons, I think I will need to find a way to make it more exciting…but thankfully I have some material given to me by AIESEC Kyiv and also know other interns who have been doing the same work so I’m confident I will find solutions.

Behind all this, in the back of my mind a countdown has begun. 10 Days left.

I’m not sure how I feel about that.

What Is Happiness?

2011-07-28T05:33:00.000-07:00

….and how do I get some of that?

This is one of the main questions I brought with me to Ukraine. I wanted to use this time to figure out how I can live my life so that I can enjoy my time, do what I want to do, accomplish many things, and still be happy and satisfied.

I thought I had this figured out. I believed that the key for this was to find a small group of people who I really wanted to share my experiences with, and then constantly go through life finding new challenges and new experiences. I believed this because I had that in Kyiv and I was happy. Then, I came to my camp and although I very much enjoyed it I still felt that there was something big missing, and that something was the people to share it with.

…and then I went to Odessa, and I saw my friends I enjoyed my time very much. However, it was not the same. People had already changed. Some people for the better…others, not for the worse, but just not the same. If my intern friends are reading this and wondering if I hate them now, think not. I do not dislike any of you, and I did not have a bad time….but there was a certain realization and a peace of mind that I thought I had that has left me now.

On the way returning to my camp I developed a new peace of mind brought to me by my solitude…but this same solitude brought me loneliness before, and is sure to bring it again. This made me very confused, but fortunately for me when I got off my train in the town of Skole I had to walk for an hour to get to my camp. After getting lost, this turned into a 3 hour walk and a 100 grivna cab ride – err….I mean, I didn’t get lost, I was just taking the scenic route through the mountains. I never get lost. I’m good with directions.

So these 3 hours got the thought process going and another 10 or so hours at camp developed it more, and now I think I’m a little less confused than I was before. There are 4 things that I need to balance in order to find happiness, and even this is only one part of how I need to live.

The first is to find those people that I can share my experiences with. I need to find people who I enjoy spending time and talking with, both so that I can hear their experiences and so that I can tell them mine. These people will not be the same, and are likely to change many times throughout my life…but I need to be able to share my feelings with them and be able to relate to them as they also relate to me. This is so that I can understand myself internally and have opinions on this outside of my own. Currently, I only have a very small grasp on this.

The second thing is to seek new challenges, new experiences, meet random people, and to develop and grow. This is a pretty wide-open category. This internship meets almost every requirement here, but sometimes it is simply doing something I’ve never done before…..saying yes when I really want to say no…..saying hello when I’d rather keep to myself….living by the ‘Do Everything Once’ philosophy.

The third aspect is to find the solitude that I currently have, to ground myself in my own reality and make sure that my morals, my attitudes, my opinions, and my feelings are truly my own. I am very much in respect of the Ubermensch philosophy because it says for me to live as a unique individual and to find my freedom in my individuality. I do not think I will ever have too much a problem with this aspect as I have dedicated much of the last two years to developing this. Ask me why I think murder is not wrong and you’ll find out, but be prepared to have a lengthy discussion (if you don’t disagree with my reasoning it could be a very short conversation, but I would also be disappointed by this). I think my challenge is to not get to wrapped up with this aspect that it consumes the others. I am already comfortable with my own individuality and will always have time to develop it further.

The last item here….well, in the process of writing this I have deciding to trim it down to only three and combine the 4^th item into the second and third. Originally, the second aspect was to seek new challenges and do everything, while the third was mainly to live by own morals. The fourth and final aspect was then to meet as many new people as possible, and while considering and learning their viewpoints, to not let them affect myself too much. Not that I don’t care about their viewpoints, but that I don’t need to seek their approval and overall do not act so as to prove myself and my worth to others. I feel that I have merged these 4 into 3 but wanted to write this so that I will remember my thought process when I reread this, and because I like to ramble on instead of going back and editing.

To conclude this entry, my emotions and feelings are still very confused for a few reasons. I have learned something and my mind has been a very busy place for the last 30 hours. The people involved with my making my mind go haywire will probably not understand as I do not yet understand it myself…but I look forward to thinking about things I had never considered before my internship. So once again, Ukraine I thank you.

A Trip to Odessa, and A Short Return to Kyiv

2011-07-28T05:25:00.001-07:00

After two weeks in my camp I got the opportunity to see my old friends from Kyiv in Odessa and relax for a week. As much I could expect these few days to be a crazy, drunken good time, they ended up being a relaxing few days of just hanging out.

The beaches of Odessa weren’t great, but it was still good to be on a beach, and although there was a lot of seaweed and I ended up bloodying my feet on the rocks, I still enjoyed them. Odessa was not as grand as Kyiv or Lviv, but it was a very nice city. I found it to be tourist-friendly and I could use more English here than in Kyiv or Lviv.

The rest of my time was spent doing things like walking through the rainy streets, watching horror films late at night, throwing nuts at our roommates while drinking vodka, and eating hot dogs at midnight. One particular memory that will stand out is a short confrontation with the police. Before going to a beach club, we planned to drink on the beach for a little bit, which I knew would have got us a fine but everyone was drinking on the beach so I figured it to be okay.

Unfortunately, as we were speaking English the cops became somewhat interested in us and chose 4 of us at random and brought to the police station. I happened to be one of these four. They search through our wallets and were particularly interested in our ID and our money. Afterwards, they spoke to us one on one. Unfortunately, I had a lot of money on me at the time, and while the other were asked for 400 grivna fines, they asked me for $1000 USD. I later found out the proper fine was 150 grivna, and I did work them down to $150 USD. Without any documentation or info on the officers, I am unable to file a complaint with my embassy.

We decided not to go to the club afterwards, as we had already spent enough money. My slight anger was quickly reversed after a round of go-karts. After all, it is only money. Our night continued with some sandwiches, beer, and hookah, and ended with one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. This night will live on as a good memory for me. (By the way, I want those pictures for whoever has them…Kristjian? Ada?)

Afterwards, I came back to Kyiv to hang out for a few more days. I had to ride 3^rd class back, which made me enjoy train travel in Ukraine a little less.

Kyiv was spent wandering around a lot as it is tough to organize 10-15 interns, but it was still time well spent. I almost had a chance to watch a football match before I left back to my camp, but unfortunately there were no tickets and we didn’t want to pay double to the scalper.

I got to see a few more areas of Kyiv that I hadn’t seen before which I think helps me to further develop my perception of Ukraine.

At the end of my stay it was time to start saying goodbye. Instead of saying goodbye as they went to their camp (and would eventually return) I started saying goodbye for the last time as they would leave the country soon or before I get back. It’s tough, but between that time, the train travel back to my camp, and my first half-day back at camp…my mind has been going at a million miles an hour in every direction. I’ll share that on my next blog though…

Changes

2011-07-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Part of this has to do with being inspired by some of the great people I have met during this internship, part of this was decided during the very interesting conversations I've had with some of these people, and part of it has to do with all the free time I've had to think by myself. Maybe the greatest part comes in that I set the expectation for myself before coming here that I had things in my life I needed to figure out and that I wanted to use this trip as a way of figuring it all out.

Regardless, it has become clear to me that my life needs to change. It's not about changing my current mindset, it's about changing my actions so that I can live according to my views instead of as the person other people want me to be, the person they think that I am.

Yesterday in the camp here I was teaching quotes to the children, and we accidentally had a theme that related to taking control of life, which first meant discovering who you were as an individual and then living as that person. I'd feel like a hell of a hypocrite if I didn't do exactly. It's always something I have placed in high importance but I don't think I've ever achieved,

I dont know exactly how to do this yet, but one step to me is clear....and that is my health. I've been eating fairly healthy here (except for all the chocolate and vodka) and this is something I need to make part of my life when I get back,

So, no fast food, no chocolates or sweets, no coke, no eating late unnecessarily, small portions of food, and the two biggest ones: no alcohol and no meat.

Me and alcohol have had a lot of great times together, but its time for me to put that one on the shelf. I think this will be very tough, especially trying to hang out with friends who are drinking...but the person I am when I drink is the not the person I want to be. Alcohol is unhealthy, and it's an excuse...an excuse to live to an ideal of being out of control. I want parts of my life to be out of control, I find the idea quite Romantic, but while everything is spinning out of control I want myself to be 100% in control....and so, no alcohol. I am also hoping this will force further changes from me.

As for no meat, it's something I've wanted to try for a while. I'm not committed to sticking to this in the long run, but I will give my best shot and see how it goes.

I hate overconsumption and consumerism. I hate the waste of our society, and its time to align my actions to those beliefs. No more food than is necessary, and no more shopping for things I don't need. Question every purchase, only take what I need....live minimal.

This all comes into effect the second I step off the plane in Saskatoon. I'm posting here to keep myself accountable. Really, I should start right now...but I have 4 days in Odessa with good friends and 2 more days in Kyiv. My hope is that those days will act as a goodbye tour was the Carson that was, and a welcoming for the Carson that will be.

It would be oh-so-easy for me to delete this post and change my mind....but in my first blog entry I put a quote from Banksy saying that we should we should get out of the house before we find something worth staying in for. It's easy to stay in the house, and it's easy to go with a flow....it's more difficult to get out there and be who you want to be, but I believe that I will be free because of it.

This is step one....step two is decided but I shall not share. More changes to come later...

Pictures

2011-07-13T00:55:00.003-07:00

I have been taking tons of pictures. Unfortunately, my internet sucks so I can't upload them (not easily at least). Hopefully I'll get to chance to post them soon. This place is beautiful!

My Lessons

2011-07-13T00:53:00.000-07:00

I've started teaching lessons to the children of the camp. For my lessons, each kid creates a business idea which they will develop for the next week and a half...and importantly, will be presenting ideas to the group (I teach 3 groups of 8-10 kids each) to work on their public speaking skills.

I expected, and told them, to come up with silly ideas that they could have fun with. Instead, I was surprised by how they came up with ideas to make souveniers shops to sell local artists work, open an AIDS clinic, open a food mall with restaurants from around the world, and solve the problem of lack of connectivity in the mountains.

My favourite moment was when one girl justified why AIDS needed to be treated after one of the other kids called her on it. She simply replies: 'Freddie Mercury, need I say more?'

Today I'm getting each of them to give a 5-minute presentation on whatever topic they choose. One of the main goals of the camp is to improve the kids english language abilities. Despite having an English Only rule in the camp, most kids speak Russian which is trouble for me, especially at night when I have to get them into their rooms by 11:00.

I also help out with a lot of games to help their english, and team building activities. Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised at how these kids want to have fun but also are here to learn. I still feel weird being a counselor and having to enforce rules, but I also feel like I'm contributing to the growth of these kids and at the end of the day I'm really glad I came here.

Camp Life In Skole

2011-07-13T00:46:00.000-07:00

After 3 long, but exciting, weeks in Kyiv, I've finally begun my camp in a small town called Grebeniv, which if you can't find on a map, is near Skole.

The camp is set on the edge of the Carpathian mountains in Western Ukraine. The mountains aren't that big, but still enough to be surrounded by natural beauty 24 hours a day. A nearby creek gives the camp the constant sound of flowing water that only the screams of the children and the occasional passing train disrupts.

I spent almost all day outdoors, except for when it rains. When it rains, it's even more beautiful here. The lightning lights up the entire sky and the thunder is amazing as well. A couple nights ago, there was a thunderstorm at sunset. When it cleared up I went out and stood in the middle of the camp. To the left, there was a huge rainbow in the mountains surrounded by a purple and red sky. To my right, the sun set behind the mountains and gave off a bright yellow glow. All around me was the smell of trees and fresh rain. It was genuine moment of beauty and I thank Ukraine for letting me experience that.

The next most amazing part of this camp is the food. I get three meals a day of the best, healthiest food I've ever. Even when it looks gross it turns out to be delicious. I've stopped eating fast food, drinking coke or alcohol, or eating too much for that matter...except when I run to the store and buy chocolates :)

There are about 30 kids in the camp, ranging from about 10-16 years old, all with at least a basic understanding of english. There were two american interns here (one has left) and three ukrainian camp directors.

There are only two things I don't like about this place. The first is that I really have no one to talk to. Only one American is left, and although he is a good guy, we don't share much of the same interests. The rest are either children or camp directors. I love when I get a phone call from someone in Kyiv, it's just nice to talk with someone. The second thing is my internet. I went to L'viv one day and bought a mobile internet stick for $25. It kinda works, when I go sit in a field...but sometimes it works long enough in my room for me to talk with someone back home....or make a blog entry.

Speaking of L'viv, I got a day off to explore the city with the 2 Americans. It was amazing. Even more beautiful than Kyiv and much more Ukrainian, as opposed to the Russian-Ukrainian metropolis that it Kyiv. I hope to get tbe chance to go back for another day or two.

Also, found out I get to go back to Kyiv for 2 days before I fly back to Canada. Yay!

My Experience With Culture Shock

2011-07-13T00:31:00.003-07:00

Before coming to Ukraine I taught about culture shock to other exchange participants in AIESEC and I have heard about their experiences with it as well. Still, my experience with culture shock is still limited but I think I’ve learned a bit more with this internship.

The language barrier was always going to be a shock and I knew this. Despite not learning the language I think I navigated my way through Kyiv fairly effectively. Learning the alphabet was key to getting around but the language barrier makes the simple things difficult at first. Going to the supermarket, ordering food, asking for directions….these are all things I’ve managed to do, but they are always an event rather than just something I do. It makes life difficult when simple things require effort. I got used to it though, and even though I don’t know what the cashier is asking, a simple ‘nyet’ gets me through it.

A longing for home never really hit me too hard, but I think a big part of it was because I got the opportunity to meet so many new people and it was all very exciting. In a week or so, I lost stable internet connections and even though I didn’t long for home, I just want to have random, simple conversations back home. Conversations with new people are always good conversations, and I learn a lot, but sometimes I just want to have a simple mindless conversation as well. It’s also difficult associated with people when they are not going through the same experience. The other interns here are doing the same exchange, but they are coming from different countries and arrive at different times, so they are at a different stage than I am. The people who came at the same time as me left quickly to their camps, so I find myself constantly reliving the first stage of culture shock/exchange through and with others and find it harder to share my own current feelings with others.

I can’t tell much about coping methods, other than that I just constantly hang out with others and try to buy myself some free time to think and listen to music. The key for me has been to find that balance. I like talking to the other interns, but I need alone time as well.

Walking through the city, I don’t speak much. When I do, people look at me, but when I don’t speak I don’t think they notice that I’m a foreigner. This helps, because I can just enjoy the city…but overall I feel that Kyiv is very comfortable for foreigners to be. There has only been one incident where a drunk yelled at us to speak Ukrainian because we were in Ukraine.

As I type this, I’ve moved from city life in Kyiv to camp life in Skole, which I expect will bring new culture shock. Not only do I have Saskatoon to miss, but I have Kyiv to miss as well. I have made some good friends…I don’t know if I should feel bad about this, but right now I miss them more than I miss my family and friends back home.

In Transition

2011-07-06T01:33:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow night I'll be headed off to L'viv to begin full-time work at a language camp. It's been 2 days since I arrived in Kyiv. I was originally told that I'd be headed off to my camp 2 days after I arrived, but some re-arrangements made it so that I ended up living in this intern apartment for over 3 weeks before I left. In that time I got to do some internship-related work, helping out a global village, an Outgoing Preparation Seminar, two days at a youth camp, and 'volunteering' at a cultural festival. Over the last few days I've been really looking forward to leaving. Its about time I got started on what I came here to do...

...and yet...

I really don't want to leave.

I'm going to miss the shitty little bathroom, the sticky floor, the elevator that smells like piss, the old woman who yells at me in Ukrainian every once in a while...

I'll miss AIESEC Kyiv, and having them throw us surprise parties, or have us start doing vodka shots at 4 in the afternoon....random conversations about differences in AIESEC...and not being able to understand half of what they say because of their accents.

I'll miss my fellow interns, and all the conversations about life in our countries, all the cooking (especially the Malaysian food), languages, and different accents. I'll miss the overcrowded apartment, and cringing every time I hear a new intern is coming. Every time a new one comes I tell myself that they could never replace the friend who I had just taken to the train station a few days before, and then I get to know them and it's one more great friend I've met during my stay here.

The internet connection (or lack thereof)...I won't miss that.

But I will miss wasting time by listening to music while sitting on my windowsill...a straight drop 11 floors down and no railing and no edge. The view may be that of a bunch of a shitty, falling apart Soviet-era apartment buildings, but it's my favourite view in the city.

I'll miss playing vampire at 3 in the morning, or poker, or sociables, or whatever game we think of to kill time. I'll miss all my walks through the city, either alone or with others. Getting lost was almost always on the menu, and finding my way back was the most fun I've had.

When I found out how much time I would have in Kyiv, there was a lot that I wanted to do. A lot of I have done, some I have yet to do, and some will never happen. I've accomplished a lot, but my favourite memories will be the times where I was wasting time and not accomplishing anything at all.

I've said goodbye to many interns so far, and tomorrow I'll be saying goodbye to almost everyone I've met here. This city has been great but it's the people I'll miss most.

Tomorrow starts Part Two of my journey, and I'll be headed off to met even more people, to have more new experiences, to sit by the mountains, and grow further as an individual. I very much look forward to it (and the clean bathroom that hopefully awaits me)...but in the meantime I'll be thinking about the past...and about how I can get a cheap tattoo in this city.

Cheers,

Papa Carson

3 Weeks In...

2011-07-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

Well, well...not much internet these days so its hard to keep up with everything. I dont mind this though because Im actually starting to dislike the internet. It keeps everyone so distant and prevents people here from having real experiences. Unfortunately, this also means I havent really had a conversation with anyone from back home for about 10 days now, and its weird being disconnected from home.

Eventually, we did get out to the streets to fight the rain. This turned out to be really good because it was Constitution Day in Ukraine and there was a big concert in Maidan, the streets were all lit up and it was great walking around, smoking shishah and playing new games with new friends.

I then finally got to see the statue of the Lady, which is over 100 m tall and quite a site because the entire area is surrounded by classic gigantic Soviet-era statues. I then led our group on a one hour detour of Southern-Kyiv. Some may say that I was lost, but perhaps I was just enjoying the view. We then returned back to our flat for a surprise party thrown for us by AIESEC Kyiv.

After this, we were invited to a Festival about an hour outside Kyiv. This turned out to be a genuine hippy festival, although without alcohol it was a toned-down version. Still, half-naked people dancing in the rain, sitting around firepits singing on guitars, indie music, and black and white short-films being shown were enough for me to enjoy the weekend. It rained the entire time we were there and we ended up sleeping 6 people in a 4-person tent, but its all part of the experience. I celebrated Canada Day wearing my Team Canada hockey jersey while in a random field in the Ukraine. Good Times.

Now, were back and we have 12 people sleeping in our flat and 8 beds...so it should be fun figuring out how this all works. I feel as though this could be frustrating because I think we are still coping with culture shock and any change like this could frustrate us.

Times will still be good though. Tomorrow is a global village and also my birthday, so it will be fun.

Rain in the Ukraine

2011-06-27T23:02:00.000-07:00

While the first week here was ridiculously hot and humid, it's turned to cold weather and rain for the last 5-6 days. Unfortunately this postponed the Global Village that we were supposed to run yesterday, but hopefully we will get to do it tomorrow.

Staying in hasn't been a bad time though, as we've gotten a chance to get to know eachother and all the news interns that are arriving. I arrived with 5 others here and then there was only me and one other for a few days...but now we have 9 currently living here and more on the way. Hopefully we will get the chance to show them the beautiful center of Kyiv instead of the cold Soviet architecture that surrounds our apartment.

Today I hope to get a chance to see a statue of a lady that is taller than the statue of liberty. Pictures to follow hopefully)

Ukraine vs. Saskatoon

2011-06-26T04:03:00.000-07:00

What I love about Ukraine:

-Pazata Hata

-beautiful architecture

-everything is cheap

-meeting new random people everyday

-AIESEC Kyiv

-people not speaking english

-easy public transport

-beer sold on almost every corner and in supermarkets

-McDonalds and McFoxy

-words that sound the same in Russian as in English but take me minutes to figure out ("Soooo.....perrr.....marrr.....kat......oh it's a supermarket")

What I don't like about Ukraine:

-bathrooms

-the bread is dry

-milk and milk products are not very good

-public transport ends at 11:30

-the humidity

-sometimes things just don't work

-that I have to leave

What I miss about Saskatoon:

-family/friends

-pizza (good pizza)

-poutine

-talking to people in english

-getting places quickly

What I don't miss about Saskatoon:

-unhealthy food is so easy to get

-easy to get anywhere, don't have to walk

-commercialism

-pop culture everywhere

-people complaining about life

-bitching about news/politics

-everybody is busy, have to get places on time, have to be doing something all the time

Dream Teen Camp

2011-06-23T03:40:00.000-07:00

I got the opportunity to work with a summer camp within Kyiv for the last couple days. The kids in this camp ranged from about 5 to 13 years old. When I first got there it was funny and cute how polite they all were. Each of them would come up to me and say 'Hello my name is _______' and would extend their hand for a handshake. It was obvious that they practiced these exact words and were told to shake my hand as that is how westerners greet eachother, as opposed to the hug or kiss on the cheek that I usually see here. I have noticed this with much of the aiesecers as well, perhaps hugs are only for good friends but I think a lot of people shake my hand around here and it almost makes me feel impersonal in comparison.

Getting back to the camp though, the first day I gave a presentation about Canada and let them tell me what they know about Canada and let them ask me questions. It was quite interesting because there was a wide range of english ability among the students....some who couldn't speak any and some who acted as translators for me. I also taught them an aiesec dance and some canadian games.

On my second day at the camp we made a field trip out to a horse stable where the kids got to learn about horses and got a short lesson on horse-riding. I myself got onto a horse for about ten minutes, unfortunately no pictures....but I have more respect for people who can ride horses, that was more difficult than I thought it would be.

Overall, it was good preparation for my camp in L'viv because I got a short introduction to working with Ukrainian children. The language barrier is always tough. Even the kids who know english are not keen on speaking it and it's hard for me to talk with the children. So, I'll need to come up with a plan if I face the same thing in L'viv.

I've been experiencing this since I got here though. Not just the language barrier for stuff like using public transport and buying food...but even when hanging out with aiesecers who speak english. They much prefer to speak russian/ukrainian and it's really easy for me to just stand by myself and not get involved with conversations. Thankfully there are always friendly people who usually come up and start talking to me, but it's something I'd like to work on as well. It's hard to meet new people because I'm never really sure how much english they speak, and I have conversations that end really quickly because we don't understand eachother. I think this will be a good experience as I have issues with starting conversations back home, even when people speak native english...so hopefully dealing with this will help me back home as well.

Ask me about Ukraine

2011-06-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

So, I've been in Ukraine for about a week now and I'm really starting to learn and adjust. There are some quirkly things about this city, like how that black hand rail on escalators moves just a little bit faster than the stairs, or how packs of stray dogs roam on sidewalks but are completely friendly (so far)

....but what do you want to know?

Ask me questions. If I don't know (probably won't for a lot of them) then I'll go figure it out. My aim here is to find things to do that will help me explore Kyiv and Ukraine.

If you just have something to add to my To Do List, then just go ahead and add it on as a comment here on the Facebook link I'm sure to post after writing this.

I look forward to suggestions/questions!

OPS and Photo Walk

2011-06-20T13:22:00.000-07:00

It was been an exhausting two days, and it all started two evenings ago when some members of AIESEC Kyiv came over to the intern apartment to hang out with us. The plan was to not drink and have everyone gone by 10:00....not really doing much, just chillin. So, naturally, we were up til 4:00 AM. 2 hours later I was woken up because we had to go head out to AIESEC Kyiv's Outgoing Preparation Seminar, where I got the opportunity to be a faci.

The 2 hours of sleep made me dead tired all day but overall it was a great experience! I got the chance to talk about how my experience was going so far, made some recommendations to the EPs who were about to leave, played some AIESEC games (learned some new ones from Kyiv that I'll be teaching my team when I get back), and also got to meet and talk to some AIESEC members, including a member of VPOGX of AIESEC Ukraine's MC, and the LCP, VP COM, VP OGX...and I've already met Kyiv's VP ICX, VP ER (my EP buddy actually), and VP TM....so I've met most of the Kyiv EB :)

I also got a free AIESEC t-shirt out of the day....success!

Today I had the day free so I decided go for a bit of a stroll. Now, I could have taken the metro to the main attractions but I decided to walk over and see some of the non-touristy areas. I got to see a lot more than I intended to as I ended up getting lost pretty easily. There are no street signs at intersections in Kyiv, which makes it very difficult...only the occassional address on a building to go off of.

I was trying to make it a pitstop at the University between the Train Station and the Center (where most of the attractions are). I saw a bunch of young people with backpacks and laptop bags, so I followed them thinking it would take me to the University. There are lots of small universities in Kyiv though....so an hour later I finally admitted to being lost and asked someone if they could point out on my map where I was. (I always ask young people because education has changed in Ukraine since the collapse of the Soviet Union 20 years ago, and that's the barrier for when people are likely to have learned english in school) turns out, I wasn't even on my map anymore. So, I walked some more and got lost but ended up finding the train that I had started at. Based on where I had ended up, I headed out in the direction that was sure to be where the Center was. I got lost again and ended up pretty close to where I had gone to before, but luckily this time there was a single road that I could follow to where I wanted to go.

I got to the area but ended up leaving the main road to attempt to find the Sofia Cathedral, which is one of the most famous sites in Kyiv. I found a cathedral, thinking it was the Sofia, and was quite disappointed and thought it was different than I had seen in pictures. Turns out it was because I was in a completely different area of town, which I didn't know at the time.

I got lost for a 4th time and finally found a man who was walking towards Maidan and just followed him there. He didn't speak much Russian and obviously neither do I. But I didn't speak any Ukrainian and he didn't speak any English. We tried to communicate, and were sort of able to. At this point I picked up one of the other interns, Syaza from Malaysia, and attempted to find the Sofia again. I thought we did too, it looked a lot like it...but I just found I was wrong again, so I need to go back.

We eventually wandered through the extremely beautiful west river side and went home. Very long day, very tired.

The next two days I will be going to a school to teach children about Canada and play some games with them.

A Bad Day To Forget The Camera

2011-06-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

My day started fairly early today and I expected that I would only be leaving the apartment for a couple hours to go to talk to the organization that runs the camp that I will be at. I was quite proud at myself for being able to meet the other AIESECer, who would join me in the meeting, at the subway station where it was at. I can know read the cyrillic alphabet quite well. I don't know what any of the words mean, but reading comes in handy for names and some signs....like subway stations and transfers.

At this meeting I found out that my camp will be starting July 8th and will be in L'viv, which is a long train ride away so I won't be coming back to Kyiv until my internship is over on Aug 9th. The camp looks really great and I'm really excited to be there, but this changes my plans for travelling and seeing Ukraine. I'll have to do that in the next couple weeks before I go instead of after. Chernobyl is on the hitlist but apparently it is an expensive tour. Will also have a couple day break during the camp in L'viv, so might wander across to Budapest.

However, this was all the boring part of my day. After finishing the meeting the OCP of the Summer Camp project took me on a meander through a couple parks in the historic side of town. Along the way she told me a lot of interesting facts about the city, but we also got to see:

-A bridge with a lot of locks on it, each lock with a couple's name, symbolizing that they would be together forever
-a big arch with statues that represented the friendship betwen nations
-a beautiful view of the city, showing the river and constrasting historical west side and modern/soviet east side
-a palace where important people have lived throughout the years
-the government ministry building, which is gorgeous
-parliament(?)
-a Red Bull party/rally
-random marathon and dance music
-memorial for fallen soldiers of WW2, celebrating the victory and strength of the Soviet Union
-Holodomor memorial (right beside the soviet memorial if you can believe that)

...and no pictures, except for one that someone else took of the Holodomor memorial. Oh well, still a great day. Legs are tired but got to see lots of Ukraine.

First 2 Days

2011-06-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

After 24 hours of travel and no sleep I finally arrived in Kyiv and the intern apartment where I was going to be living only for a few days before I take a train out to the camp where I would be teaching. I was only able to take a 2 hour nap before I headed out into the city with the interns from Britain, Mexico, India, and Macedonia (x2).

I was told that it might not be too hard for me to find away around with only English, but I soon found out that this would not be true. Thankfully, for our first day out our Macedonian frriends helped us communicate and find our way about. We made our way through a few markets and finally to the Center (AKA the Independence Square, AKA Maidan), which was stunningly beautiful.

I haven't eaten much since I got here and yet I'm not hungry. The only thing I ate on the first day was some eggs, which I found funny because I poured syrup on my eggs, the Macedonian ha ketchup, and the Mexican ate his with friend because he lacked tortilla shells. We all thought eachother were weird, but these types of conversations about eachother countries have been the norm since I got here. The others were quite surprised when I told them about Saskatchewan's weather. Here's what I ate for lunch this morning:

I also bought some perogies and something involving pancakes and apples, but I was too full to finish the pancakes. I'm not sure why I was full.

Beer is about as costly as water is here and is sold at every corner store at the market. I rate their beer slightly better than ours, at least the cheap stuff. Cheap vodka costs about $3 for a 40 oz. Everything is very cheap but doesn't seem like it because most thing cost 5-15rfn, which is only $2 at the most. I bought a cell phone for 250rfn and thought I was spending a lot of money, but it only turned out to be $40, which is still more than I'd like to be spending at this point. Public transport costs about $0.10.

Speaking of public transport, after going off my own to see a friend of mine, Daria, I tried to get home using the tram which I had used a few times already. It is night and I could not see very well. I thought I was getting off at my stop but when I walked around I noticed I wasn't. I walked for 5 more stops, which is probably 3 km and started to get worried. Oddly enough, I started feeling more at ease than I thought I would be lost in a strange city with no one speaking english. It was a dirty neighbourhood but seemed safe. Eventually I got to a station, called a Ukrainian friend to talk to the officer at the station, and he eventually said I was one station away and walked me home. He didn't speak English and I dont know what I would've done if I hadn't of bought my phone only a couple hours earlier.

Now I've found out that I'll be staying in Kyiv to teach children how to make videos. I don't know how old these kids are, how long I'm at the camp, or how far the place is away from my apartment...so that should be fun. I'm also going to help AIESEC Kyiv this weekend and be a faci for a conference for their outgoing EPs, which I'm really looking forward to. I'll also get to stay in the apartment which means I'll get to meet most of the 30 other interns that are coming to the city.

Oh ya, one more thing....

Bacon chips.

My Apartment

2011-06-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

This is the building I'l be living on on weekends (I'm sleeping on the floor under the window):

This picture captures some of quality of the building:

And there's a clothes washing machine in the kitchen under the sink:

But at least we have a balcony:

En Route to Kyiv

2011-06-14T22:46:00.000-07:00

Leaving Saskatoon:

My first international flight also got me my first random security check. Since there were only about 4 young males on the flight and 2 were picked for both of the random security checks, I can assume this will not be the last time that I get picked for a random inspection.

Upon boarding the plane, I discovered why these tickets were the cheapest available. I got to my seat, looked forward, and no TV screen. While I was disappointed with this (always look forward to watching movies) it didn’t ruin my flight. In fact, I found myself randomly smiling throughout the flight. I’m going to Ukraine for 2 months! People have been asking me through this last week if I’m exciting. My response was always a casual: “Of course I’m exciting’”…but now it’s actually happening and that excitement has certainly stepped up a notch. The 2 hour flight to Minneapolis was also filled with turbulence for almost the entire trip. Oddly enough, this didn’t bother me. It actually relaxed me. The bumps felt like driving down a Saskatchewan highway, it felt like a road trip.

As I type this, I’m sitting in the Minneapolis airport with no access to WiFi and 3.5 hours til my flight. Time to go walk around and people watch I suppose.

Part Two: Amsterdam

8 hours wasn't so bad of a flight. Twice as long as I've ever taken before, but the only bad things were the crying baby, bickering family next to me, and the large African woman next to me who had no sense of personal space. At least I had movies, and got to finish watching Harry Potter.

I've run into a bit of a problem though. Delta only put my bags through to Amsterdam and not all the way to Kyiv, so the whereabouts of my checked bag are uncertain right now. I've been assured that my bag will probably end up in Kyiv.....eventually.

Oh well, next stop, KYIV!

P.S. The Amsterdam airport is way cooler than Minneapolis, Toronto, or Ottawa (only other major airports I've been to). I didn't know that green GTFO logo was an actual thing. It made my day to see those all over the place.

Packing Paranoia

2011-06-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

I'm packing my bags and I've gotten to that point where I've packed everything on my list and I'm pretty confident that I have everything...but I'm still walking around and worried that I've forgotten something. What about this box of crayons? This nerf gun? What if I get over there and find out I actually need them, this would be the moment of regret.

Nah...I'm pretty sure I'm good. I only have one bag and a backpack and there's still room for more stuff though, which makes me think I'm not taking enough.

There are currently two things that I'm fearing for this trip. The first is that I'll get lost at an airport. I don't asking for help and I don't like looking like I need help, so I usually just take a guess and hope that I'm right. Let's hope that doesn't get me into any trouble. The second thing is that I'll get robbed while I'm there or otherwise lose my money or luggage.

I bought some cheap decoy wallets that I'm currently filling with religious quotes about stealing....translated into Ukrainian of course. I hope a pickpocket takes one.

After this I'm going to spend the rest of my time here playing video games and listening to my language tapes which I have regretfully set aside for way too long....and watch the hockey game.

I do not plan on sleeping tonight as I have to be at the airport by 4:00 AM. Hopefully I will be so tired that I sleep for most of my flight over the Atlantic. If there are movies on the plane, then I'll be spending tomorrow like a typical day off, sleeping and watching movies.

I'm (sort of) Prepared!

2011-06-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, that title is a lie. I'm barely prepared. This week is going to be crazy as I do some last minute preparations.

I don't have luggage yet.
I know very little Ukrainian/Russian. VERY little.
For my global village, I have my Team Canada hockey jersey, and that's about it.

So this week I need to read through my lesson plans and make sure I'm prepared, plan some games/fun activities for the kids, pack, find out what I even need to pack, get some Canadian souvenirs for my new Ukrainian friends, buy some random supplies, make sure I have enough money...

...and while I'm doing this I need to help my OGX team prepare for while I'm gone by training my proxy, training the team, finishing up some work I told them I'd do (sorry team for being late on a few of these things) AND help AIESEC Saskatoon with a recruitment drive that was my idea to do (why?)

AND say good bye to everyone and hang out with them before I leave for two months

and finally, with a shoutout to Carson Kolberg from Laurier right now, who is in India right now (http://carsonkolbergindia.blogspot.com), I want to create a JFDI list similar to the one his LC made for him. For him this includes stuff like learning a new word everyday, getting AIESEC members to spell AIESEC with their hands, driving a rickshaw, and other random stuff. I think this a great way to push for a greater experience and get the most out of an internship. So....SUGGESTIONS!...Help me make a JFDI list for Ukraine!

My Program Material

2011-06-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

With a week to go before I leave for Kyiv I have received my program outline for what I'll be teaching the children in Ukraine:

-English (20 hours)
-Ecology (20 hours)
-Team Building (20 hours)
-Anti Smoking/Drinking/Drugs (6 hours)
-Leadership (6 hours)
-Goal Setting/Time Management (6 hours)
-Cultural Development (20 hours)
-Self-Development (6 hours)
-Communication (6 hours)
-Physical Training (20 hours)

I'm really excited because this is making it that much more real for me. I know it sounds odd, but even though I'm leaving in a week and I've been preparing for over a month now I still can't believe this is happening. I'm excited to teach a lot of these classes, I've received some course outlines but I also think I have a lot of my own material I can provide.

The courses I'm kind of nervous about are the English and Communication classes. I don't know how good their english skills are and I'm not 100% sure how I'll react if it becomes frustrating....and while I have a pretty good grasp of the english language I've never been the best with pronunciation and energy while speaking. I just hope the english that they learn from me isn't all mumbles.

P.S. For the physical training part they recommended that I teach AIESEC dances. I may have to learn one or two before I go...

What Am I Doing In Ukraine?

2011-06-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

So, I'm to Kyiv on a developmental internship with AIESEC. That's great, but what exactly does that mean? What exactly is my job when I get there?

These are good questions, and to be honest, I'm still not 100% sure. Here's what I do know:

-I'm teaching at a Summer Camp approximately half-hour outside of Kyiv
-I'll be teaching youth, most likely in the 13-16 year old range
-I'll be teaching about Canada
-The kids will also be learning about time management skills, global issues, communication skills, cultural sensitivity and leadership
-The kids that I'm teaching will 'kind-of' know English, but I'm also meant to help them with that
-I'll be organizing games, discussion circles, and other activities
-On June 29th I'll be participating in a Global Village with all the interns who will be coming to the project

....and that's about all I know at this point.

Speaking of the other interns, these are the other interns that are coming to Kyiv for this project this summer:

Syaza from Malaysia, Gurashish from India, Armando from Colombia, Nadalina from Macedonia, Prince from China, Adriana from Romania, Trevor from Hong Kong, Ana from Macedonia, Piotr from Poland, Ashley from China, Changsung from South Korea, Alisja from Poland, Flora from China, Mario from Mexico, Mehmet from Turkey, Anita from Poland, Yvette from Singapore, Shaza from Sudan, Sofia from Greece, Soner from Turkey and Me!

That's 21 interns from 15 different countries!

From what I gather, we'll be working in different camps but will most likely have a few other interns with me at the camp that I'm working at. We also have weekends off and have an apartment rented for us in Kyiv so I'm really looking forward to meeting up with everyone and discovering Ukraine! I've already been talking with a few of these people on Facebook.

I've also been graced with an AMAZING ICX team at AIESEC Kyiv! They've been really helpful with keeping us updated and giving us information about Ukraine and Kyiv. I can't wait to meet up with Kvitka, Ira, Tatiana, Alina, and the rest of AIESEC Kyiv!

One last note, I also might have a chance to make an appearance at LDS Ukraine, which is their AIESEC national leadership conference. Unfortunately it's in Russian and Ukrainian so there's not much point in me being a delegate, but I'm hoping to show up and meet a lot of people and party with AIESEC Ukraine.

12 more days!!!

An Introduction

2011-05-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you to The Pierogi Blog, the record of my AIESEC Internship in Kyiv, Ukraine to activate youth leadership and teach about Canada at a youth summer camp.

On March 17th, I had been previously thinking of doing this internship, but had decided it wasn't going to happen this summer. On March 18th, I had passed through the interviews, paid my exchange fee, and had committed to the internship program. So, what thought process occurred on the evening of March 17th to instill this JFDI (Just Fuckin Do It!) attitude?

I can sum this up with two quotes:

1) 'Leave the house before you find something worth staying in for' - Banksy

-It's really easy to settle in life. It's comfortable, it's stable. It's easy to find a lot of reasons to stay. My list of reasons that I should stay was long. There's a lot of cool stuff to do in Saskatoon this summer, cool people to hang out with and fun times. I'm gonna miss that. I also wanted to stay and help out with AIESEC Saskatoon. We're really building and there would be a lot I could help get done....but this is a life changing experience I'm talking about here, the chance to live and work in another country. I believe it's in our nature to settle, we'll always find excuses....that's why you just have to leave before you find a reason to be complacent.

2) 'A stair not worn hollow by footsteps is regarded, from its own point of view, only a boring something made of wood' - Franz Kafka

-Okay, I'm forcing this quote into this blog entry a bit, but I really like this quote and it kinda matches what I'm getting at. You have to push yourself in life. When I made the decision to go on this internship, I didn't know if I could afford it, I didn't know what trouble I was getting myself into....but I'll figure it out, and in the process I'll become a stronger person because of it. This is partially the same reason why I stepped into a leadership role with AIESEC Saskatoon. I still don't know what kind of issues I'm going to face, but I'm forcing myself into a situation where I have to adapt, where I have to grow. I'm not sure what this whole experience will end up being, but by the end of it I know I won't be a boring something made of wood.

So, that's my introduction. A little later on I'll fill you in on how unprepared I really am for this whole adventure and hopefully I'll actually have the internet access over there so I can provide you with lots of pictures and stories about the strange, beautiful, and randomness of my Ukraine internship.