Me like English.

Occasionally, I realize that while I'm experiencing something, I'm mentally starting to write the blog post for it in my head. Unfortunately, I tend to forget a lot of them/don't have time to write them, so many incidents in my life are lost to posterity. But at least you all know I'm thinking about you!

On Sunday, the Y family (minus the three oldest kids), Nadia's brother Tolia, his daughter Yula (age 21), and I all piled in their big blue van and drove to Merefa, a town just south of Kharkiv, where there is a large Protestant church of the variety that the K family attends (very conservative), as it was the church's 45th anniversary and Nadia wanted to go visit with friends and family members who would also be there.

Oh, my...there were at least 1,000 people there. The service was in a tent, but people were on benches outside the tent and spilling out into the street. We were in the last group, and as we had 7 small children, it ended up being a rather difficult day. Things had started off just fine, with Valery asking, "Are we in Merefa?" as soon as we left the part of Balaklia he knew. The whole drive there (1.5 hours) was peaceful, as all the kids stared out the windows. But then, as Nadia didn't want to lose any children (apparently she once lost Valery at such an event), we ended up taking the kids back to the van and staying with them while the adults took turns going and listening for a bit, occasionally taking a few children with them. At one point, Tolia was turning the van around, and 4-year-old Snizhanna was convinced that we were leaving without Mama and started shrieking. I asked Nadia at one point if it had been a good day for her, and she was like, "Um, well..." I felt bad for her, as she had expected less people to be there and never managed to see most of the people she had wanted to see.

And then we all piled in the van and came home, and I stayed for supper and helped with English homework...to an extent. Vlada and Oleh had to write me letters about themselves, which prompted lots of questions about what exactly I wanted them to write. I told them to write about themselves, their families, what they do, etc. The results, when I collected the 7th form's letters yesterday, were amusing. Oleh's best lines: "My father works in the garden. My mother to works in the garden." (well, they don't work outside the home, so I guess it's true...), and "I have four childrens. They small." in reference to his younger siblings. Vlada's best line was, "Me like English." Vitaly (10th form) had to write about his family for Nelya, and I knew we were in trouble when he asked me how to spell his name. (School is not his thing, and English less so.) But I explained plurals, the verb to be, and helped brainstorm content. He's a great kid, but I'm happy I'm not responsible for attempting to teach him English.

Valery (3rd form) gave us the best laugh Sunday night. Vitaly, Viktor, and I were having supper in the living room, and Valery brought in tea. I said thank you, and kidded him that because he was a waiter, he should bow. He looked at me and said, "I'm not a waiter, I'm a Ukrainian."

School is going well...my seventh form thinks it's hilarious when I say "six," because it sounds like "sex," which is a cognate. I'd forgotten middle schoolers' joy in anything that sounds remotely suggestive. And apparently a lot of words in English sound like bad words in Ukrainain, so I am told. Oh, joy...

I'm off to Kyiv this coming Monday and Tuesday, as I have a PC conference/planning session on PCVs in primary schools and small community schools, both of which I am qualified to comment on! I may try and go early and visit the Malkos in Zgurivka, but we'll see what travel/housing options I have.

Big news of yesterday: Nelya now has an email address. She wanted to email a former co-worker who had sent her a business card that included an email address, so we set up an account. She's adapting to technology quite well, as today she wanted to check her account again and was quite miffed that her friend hadn't emailed back yet.

Two of my neighbor girls, Katya (5th form) and Eula (4th form) came over for cookies, juice, and Uno yesterday. The visit went well, they took to Uno like fish to water, and they have requested to come again. :)

Oh, and apparently there will be hot water in my building starting October 15!!!