Peace Corps: Ukraine: Ukraine: The Carpathians (Pics)

Came back and was swallowed by work. Just got TWO grants done, will know soon whether we got either. Teaching has started, with a group of teachers "of the highest specialization". These are the teachers who get paid the most and have been around the longest. Predominantly in their 50s and 60s, they are also the least likely to want to do any work. In two days I have gotten the excuses: "My head hurts", "I have forgotten my glasses" and "I did not put in my teeth today." Teachers are usually bad students, but if you smile a lot and not take no for an answer (a bit like getting women, actually), they slide into the flow. Three days later, no problems.

(Did he really mean that comment about women? Hmmmmm.)

Anyway, here are pics from COS:

Group 27. We came with 109 and are leaving with 75. I am on the bottom left.

How we spent the majority of each day: listening to many long, long presentations about how to get out of Peace Corps, get jobs, get insurance and get a life.

The Group 27 Gentlemen's Club welcomes you!

One of the excursions was to some nearby caves that hid partisans fighting against the Polish, led by a man named Doverbush. This rock was carved in memory of him and his troops.

A view in the Carpathians Mountains

What? Partisans hid here? I will climb it!

The hotel we stayed was the nicest I've seen in Ukraine and most of the amenities were outside our price range (originally they wanted 40 hrivna per person per hour to swim), but Peace Corps negotiated and paid for one hour for us to all swim. Here is the cluster I trained with, together for the first time in almost two years. We are one of only two intact clusters left.

We had a "Ukranian Disco" night. Everything you wore had to be bought in country. Here is me in a Ukrainian shirt and speedo with Diana Schmidt, the new director of Peace Corps Ukraine.

Sean in his outfit.

Shand in his. Shand is the one getting married upon return to America, so sorry ladies, this hunk of burning love is taken.

Another excursion was to take a ski lift to the top of a mountain. It rained, but we were herded onto the lift anyway. At the top, the attendent wouldn't let us off. Yes, we rode in one big circle in the cold, cold rain. Here is Mike and Sean behind me.