It's not that I've been depressed or down the past few months, but I have had that feeling you get when you've been flying down the interstate for hours and then have to drive 25 MPH down suburb streets.
I've been waiting for winter to be over before pushing down on the gas, but it seems like an early spring has arrived. The temperature came up (although it'll probably go back down), but what also came up is a massive escalation of my projects.
Jon and I met with some of Peace Corps admin yesterday and they kicked the Across-Ukraine relay up to a new level. We came away with a fistful of contact numbers and suggestions to get Okean Elzy, the Klitchko brothers and Ani Lorak on board, too. I don't know if it will happen, but we may have a kick-off concert in the East and a closing concert in the West. In any case, this project is getting bigger and more real each day. Peace Corps is behind it and is going to pay for lodging for have oblast representatives come into Kyiv and get this project spread out. We also got a fundraising specialist on board who has a tiny team of university student minions to do her bidding. Our initial needs for the project were kept low, and so between the fundraising and a Democracy grant, we may end up with more money than we need, which will just get funneled into HIV/AIDS organizations.
Between working on this and all the plans I have for the climbing camp, the climbing wall, being a Master Teacher for American Councils in June and, oh, everything I already do anyway, I feel like life just hit 110 MPH.
It feels damn good.
Here's some pics from last weekend's climb:
I feel I look very pimp in this picture. Me, a wall, some snow and a fist full of climbing gear. Sweet.
It was a beautiful day: The view
Jon climbing. Jon wasn't able to take a pic of me because he doesn't trust himself to belay and take a pic at the same time. Or maybe it's because he values my life more than I do his
I call this picture: Fire and Ice
Jon, apparently examining the snow
This is such a picture for Sarah