Firstly, I hope everyone likes the changes to the site. I spent the weekend slaving over a hot computer for you! This main page can now be accessed though the URL http://www.teachertraveler.com.
In any case, what you get is a lot more content. Some never before posted stuff is the comic book "Negatives", eight new travelogues (including Great Britain, Vegas and Chicago), some new Slightly OFFs, and some articles I've published.
In any case, on to my date with Diana:
Apparently I'm helping Ukrainian women become more independent. After two games of billiards and about an hour and a half of conversation between games, Diana asked: "so, what shall we do now?" To which I laughed and remarked, "oh yeah, I have to make all the decisions." She gave me a quizical look, so I told her about some of the advice I'd received about dating Ukranian girls. One bit of advice was to get them a flower on the first date, which I had done. Another was to make all the decisions about where to go and what to do.
"How is it in America?" Diana asked me, and then answered herself: "oh, the women are more independent, yes?"
"Yes," I said.
"Then I will be more independent," she said, "let's go for a walk."
So we went for a walk in the snow, and she showed me the park with the rock that Zhytomyr was founded on over 1,200 years ago. It was a very sweet, 5th grade kind of date. She said her hands were cold and asked to hold mine, so we walked around holding hands for a while, talking. And then, later, when I walked her to the bus stop, she gave me a kiss on the cheek before she left. I called her again last night and she's going to go dancing with me and two other volunteers tomorrow.
So, it's going well, I think. I still feel like I'm walking into a minefield of cultural issues. I've asked other volunteers for a vague schedule of what to expect. I've heard sex by date five. I've heard kiss on the lips by date 37 and marriage with kids on date 38. So, obviously you can't stereotype Ukrainian dating, but I still feel like I'm playing a game without a rule book. So I guess I'll play it by ear. Like I've said before, though, I just want to make out with her. I don't think I can go wrong with that, right?
In any case, my Ukranian may be making a comeback. When Diana found out that I knew some, she wanted to speak nothing else, if only because she only speaks Russian with her friends. Then, she started correcting my grammar while we were speaking, and then explaining the grammar rules behind the corrections (she is studying to be a teacher, after all). So if anything, this should be pretty good for my language skills.