Let's Do This

Today is June 2. On June 13, we will be finished with our training and head to Kiev for a 3 day conference starting with our site announcements, meeting our counterparts (point people at our hosting organization that we will be working with for the next two years), attending some meetings, then ending with our Swearing-In Ceremony and departing for the city where we will spend the next 2 years. In the interim, I will participate in the park clean-up in town on Sunday, have my LPI (language proficiency exam), and do an end-of-training wrap up with my cluster. I feel like a senior in high school that has a week left until graduation, but will enter college in the fall and experience a new set of challenges. My life seems like one big question mark sometimes these days…and has for some time, actually.
First, on Saturday we will be doing an end-of-training wrap up. I have been shooting a bunch of video since I have been here (much to the chagrin of some of the people I ambush with the cam). I interview people whenever I think of it. I have no real plan for the footage, but I think it will be fun to try to do something with it. I think back to my freshman year of college when some video was shot and turned into a video that we still watch from time to time. I don’t need to duplicate that sort of keepsake, but I am sure the effort will be appreciated by those involved in making it. Anyway, on Saturday, my cluster (5 of us) have agreed to sit down for an hour to discuss our training experience. Everything from meeting in D.C. until today. I am trying to think of questions to ask right now.

Next, as for the park clean-up day. Some people in my group were approached by some of the locals that we have met here who said they would really like to see all of us again (since the picnic was last month was such a success) before we all leave. They thought, “great, let’s put everyone to work and clean up a park”. Then, some of my group decided to contact the people at the Oblast Administration (who we did our presentation for last week) to ask if they knew of any way we could get some trash bags donated etc., and sure enough the city council was contacted, got on board, are providing bags and gloves and media coverage! “Look ma, I’ll be on TV again!” So, that should be cool.
Lastly…my LPI. This is an oral exam that only lasts about 20 minutes and is conducted only in Russian. I will be asked to describe something, compare something, and explain something. I figure it’s mostly going things like: our project, my family in Ukraine, and possibly how the weather in the US is different from here. Or the food. Or the people. But nothing crazy. Our teacher is doing a terrific job getting us ready for the test and I think I will be fine. They have never sent anyone home for not knowing the language and I know I can speak in small paragraphs which is what they are looking for, so I doubt I will be the first. That is on Wednesday.
After that? Who knows. Between the LPI on Wednesday and leaving for Kiev on Monday I envision a lot of hanging out with friends I may not see for a year…and beer, since it will be like having taken the last final exam of the year…but having to report to school to make up for too many snow days last winter. In my mind, we will already be graduated.

Me at St. Michael's in Kiev last weekend. Sadly, my photographer needs lessons on framing a shot!