Spring 2008 Ukraine

Hope & Growth – these 2 words sum up and describe what spring is like in a climate that has long cold winters. It is also exactly the feelings we have now as we head into the last term of school with the summer holidays in the near future.

House:
This is consuming a lot our time and thoughts at the moment. The progress is a lot slower than we would like which at times is very frustrating, but we have come up with an action plan that should see most of the big stuff completed before the end of June when school ends and we need to shift out of our apartment in Kiev. This does rely though on finding good workers, so we are praying & waiting for this. We have done a lot of work inside getting rid of the old walls, bathroom, radiator pipes etc. It is looking very bare! We have also spent a few weekends outside clearing the backyard, sowing grass & generally cleaning up. Although we have struck a few snags along the way, we are enjoying having our own place and know it is a good investment and project to work on.

School:
Things seemed to have settled down a lot at school, and we are definitely into “last term mentality.” We finish at the end of June & are looking forward to 2 months of summer holidays. We have been offered jobs there next year which we have both accepted (including a pay-rise & bonus)!

Music:
Jon’s band is in the process of recording a single which will be the last thing for them as they take a break while the leader has a baby.
Jon is enjoying working at home though recording some of his own work and figuring out how recording all works.

Sport:
The cricket season started this weekend and our bodies are feeling a little sorry for it. Cricket is a little different here though – I am the only female player (probably in the whole of Ukraine) and we play on a dirt football field that has a traditional authentic Indian cricket mat in the middle as the pitch. You can see photos & a short video clip of the ground & players at http://www.kcc.com.ua We play/practice every Sat with 2 big tournaments in August with teams from all over Ukraine which should be fun.
This will be the first summer we haven’t played touch rugby!

Out & About:
Winter definitely seems to be a hibernating time here, but we have managed a few trips. The Easter weekend we went north-east by train to Konotop for a wedding of some friends from school. Our receptionist (who is Ukrainian) married one of the teachers (who is from Wales) It was a traditional Ukrainian wedding & a good weekend away.

Growth & Hope:
We are still enjoying living here although it does have its moments, and at times is very confusing and the culture is just plain strange! But we feel like we are growing and learning more about ourselves, and life in another context. We want to enjoy our time here, make the most of the experiences and look back with no regrets.
We are planning & looking forward to a trip back to NZ at the end of this year, it will be great to be back & catch up with everyone.

Until next time…