Winter is here!

Last night was the PSI staff Christmas party.  I had such a good time.  Everyone from work was there and we just ate, drank (alot), danced, and had fun.  I love the people I work with.

That's me, Steph, Alicia, and Nadine...all dressed up and having fun!

Winter is here to stay.  It's my last week in Kyiv before Christmas and it shouldn't get above 28 degrees the whole week!  This is the scrappy looking pigeon who stayed outside my window all day.  He was begging for me to let him in.  If it was a cute and cuddly, furry animal, I might have considered it.  

 

Christmas in my apartment

I finally decorated for Christmas.  I have a teeny tiny tree and two little elves...Herbie and his wife.  I love them!!!!  It's no Martha Stuart decorations but it's fun!  and my camera has a lazy eye...so ignore the black lens creeping into the picture. 

First Snow in Kyiv

It finally started snowing this weekend!  I know I will be sick of snow by the end of the week but right now I am loving it!  It's so pretty!  It's not super cold yet.  The lowest has been 27 degrees.  Here are some pics from the first day of snow.  It's been snowing some since then, so the city is blanketed in snow...it's beautiful! 

   

 

Kyiv update

It's been ages since I have posted an update on my life in the city.  Things are going really well.  I went to Italy for a week at the end of October and loved every moment of it.  Unfortunately, I have been sick for the two weeks since I've been back.  First with a stomach virus and now with a chest cold.  I guess it's all part of living in a new city with a couple million people.   The weather has been pretty nice.  The highs are now in the mid 40s and it has reached freezing at night. We had crystal clear blue skies for about a week and now we have the rain and clouds.  I am still waiting for the first snow fall.  

Work is going well.  I am up to 16 kindergartners and they keep me very busy.  They speak more languages that I can count.  Some of them are trying to teach me Russian...they might give up soon.  I am not very good at speaking  Russian but I'm learning it slowly.  I ordered juice the other day in Russian and the waiter actually understood me!!  I was very excited!

Italy Pics Finally!

I have finally found the time to post some of the pictures from my trip to Italy this past October.  I went to Florence, Capri and Rome.  It was an amazing trip.  I would move to Italy in a heartbeat. 

More Autumn Pics

Here are more pics from the park around my apartment and school.  The city actually pays someone to rake leaves into little piles in a forest.  

I actually get an autumn!

The trees in front of my apartment building

I live near one of the largest parks in the country.  In the two months I have been here, I hadn't set foot in it.  So this morning, I walked to school with my friend Tim and he showed me the path to school.  It is beautiful!  I walked back through the park and got a little lost but it was worth it.  The pics above are from today in the park.  The leaves are continuously changing..so I will keep posting the fall scenery around Kyiv.  

Escalators

This is a typical escalator in Kyiv's metros.  They average about a 2-3 minute ride from start to finish.  It seems to take forever! There is one that takes 8 minutes but I haven't been to that metro stop yet. 

Football Game

A couple of weeks ago, I experienced my first Kyiv Dynamo football game.  The game started at 9:45 PM on a Wed. night...I thought it was going to start at 7:45.  The fans were crazy..much more entertaining than the actual game.    I don't know if I will make a habit of going to the games but it was a good time!

Tequila House!

The one and only Mexican food restaurant in Kyiv

Eve and Alicia

Kristine and Christine

I had a great time eating good Mexican food last night.  I thought it would be a tortilla wrapped up in Velvetta cheese and smothered with a tomato paste.  But it was so much better!!  And the margaritas were SOOOO good!

In case you needed one.....

One of the many wedding parties

This is the wedding mullet (she was in the wedding)

It's tradition in Kyiv for a wedding party to go to each historical site in the city and take a picture in front of it after the ceremony.  So some of the teachers and I go "weddin' watching"  on the weekends.  We sit in a little cafe across the street from St. Andrew's, drink a beer, and watch the wedding parties.  Across the street is Andrew's Decent, one of the oldest streets in Kyiv.  This is where you can go and buy cheap souvenirs.  You can also buy the amazing "boob pillow".  Let me know if you want one, I can start taking orders now and have them to you by Christmas.  It is the perfect gift for that special someone.  It is a great conversation starter and would probably look good in any one's home.  :)

Pirogova

Pirogova is an outdoor historical architectural museum.  It is on the outskirts of the city and has been in the news because of arson.  The land is prime real estate land but of course the museum isn't sealing.  So the architectural buildings have been mysteriously catching fire.