I am a wizard.

I find it particularly amusing that a week after reactivating my facebook account, my internet source is no longer. I had a sweet deal with internet – I paid my neighbor 40 UAH (The equivalent of $5) once a month and got fast, limitless, wireless internet. I had no set-up fee, while friends of mine paid 200 UAH to even have internet in their apartment and then still paid double (or triple) what I paid monthly. My good luck did not last. The neighbor, who happened to be one of my only Ukrainian friends, moved, taking his girlfriend with him. 2 out of 3 Ukrainian friends are no longer in my neighborhood and I have ceased to have the easiest friendship connection ever. And internet.

So for the time being, I wil be using my school’s computer lab. There is currently a class going and my fast typing is distracting them.

"Look at her type! It is so fast!"
"Can you type in Russian, too?"
"Yes."
"You are a wizard!"

We’ve got about 2 weeks of school left and I’m definitely ready for summer. My students and colleagues are as well.

Recent life highlights include:

- Teaching my English Club [playgroup] Red Rover. Turns out they have a game like this here, called Red Hat. It was really cute to hear them saying “Red Rover, Red Rover, send Vovchek right over.” It usually ended up being “Red Rover, Red rover, send Liza Red Rover!” I had a glorious time playing with a group that started out as 25 4th graders and ended up being combined with a gym class and a few playground stragglers. Almost 50 kids. AMAZING.

- I baked banana bread and then proceeded to eat the entire loaf by myself in one day. Success. Made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Double Success. Made a double loaf of banana bread in a cake pan, said loaf weighs about 4 lbs. ULTIMATE SUCCESS. Nom nom nom. I’m a terrible cook, but I bake wonderfully. If I decide to spawn, my young will be malnourished having to survive solely upon cookies, cakes, pies, and the occasional quesadilla.

- Got some clothes tailored and found a cute dress [WITH POCKETS] at a second hand. Shoe heels are repaired. I don’t know why, but having clothing repaired makes me feel adult.

- I rediscovered the joy that is running without headphones. I’m not running Ukrainian style, meaning in a tracksuit with my cell phone blaring my personal pump-it-up soundtrack, but just with no music. It’s really calming and I was surprised that what used to be a tiring 30 minutes can go by really quickly when I just get lost in my head and run. And no one yelled at me to stop running, go inside, put on more clothes, just eat less, or anything offensive. Ukraine is warming up to me.

- Went to a softball tournament over the first weekend of May. It was a wonderful event, even if I’m not the land sport kind of gal. I got to see Laura Ruth, who is a pal from the West (of Ukraine) and who just happens to be about 17 million kinds of amazing.  A bunch of volunteers who I knew only by face were there, and it was a reunion and massive bonding session of group 37-ers. There was a sauna involved. I returned to my home in the East tired, sunburned and very content.

- I lost a cell phone for a while. [I have two. It's pretty baller.] I managed to drop it behind the massive wall-unit in my apartment. That was fun, hearing the alarm go off and not being able to do ANYTHING about it. Lena’s boyfriend came over and took the cupboards and drawers apart piece by piece and rescued the phone. We put it back together with glue and tape. Efficiency.

- Taught my 9th graders some American slang. “Dude” “What’s up” “Hey” “That stinks” “You’re on fire!” “I’m stoked” and “Peace out” have made it to Ukraine. I take so much joy in this. Except I failed to explain that “hot” really means “sexy” not just “beautiful.” I was greeted the other day by a female student with “Miss Elise, you are very hot today.” Oops.

- A woman named Tatiana lives on the first floor in my building. I met her after a run one evening and talked to her for an hour. The conversation ranged from comparing Ukrainian and Russian languages (a common topic here) to coal mines to fate to her genius cat who mysteriously disappeared.

I’m making too much noise with my magical typing.