Confessions of a Borscht Addict

Borscht, best thing EVER!

Well, I must admit, one of my biggest concerns about coming to Ukraine was the food. I heard stories of flavorless, jellied food, and lots and lots of potatoes......all of which is very true. However, what I didn't realize was how much I'd end up loving the food anyway!


Borscht is the best soup EVER. It's what Ukraine is famous for. It's beet soup with carrots, potatoes (of course) and sometimes chicken or beef, served with sour cream. I can't get enough of this stuff!! I order it everywhere I go, and I'm working on perfecting my own recipe so I can make it at home!


I'm also really proud of myself for everything I've eaten here that I never thought I would. Let me just name a few: veal, chicken heart, blood sausage, jellied meat, pickled: eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, and liver. The one that surprised me the most was blood sausage. It was really salty and surprisingly good......but the process of my host mom making it reminded me more of a Grey's Anatomy episode than dinner preparation.

blood sausage nom nom nom

"jellied" meat....very popular. can't see why.

Lately, I've been feeling useless here. I'm so used to cooking, cleaning, and doing everything on my own in college, so being waited on here is out of my element. So I've started cooking for my host family a lot. I try to make 'home-style' American meals, but what exactly is an 'American' meal, when we take all of our food from other countries? It's also impossible to follow any recipes here because they don't measure anything when cooking. Anastasiya doesn't even own a measuring cup. So I've been guessing at everything I make. Nevertheless, I've made some tasty dishes. (Any suggestions on what "American" meals I could make??)

Chocolate-cherry cookies for Valentine's Day!

"Panera" style mac & cheese

Peanut butter cookies!

some good 'ol pumpkin pie

Honey chicken-lime enchiladas--Anastasiya said these were 'insteresting'.....haha

Did I mention that Krysti and Niall came to visit me?? Oh! Well, Krysti and Niall came to visit me in Ukraine last week!! That was the best few days ever. I was feeling so homesick that week, so seeing my sister and her husband again was the best remedy. We went to tons of cathedrals, malls, and museums, but what I loved most was just being with them again. They stayed in a little apartment in southern Kyiv, so everyday after I was done teaching I would rush over to the metro to go on our new adventure for the day.

There was a bit of a debate with Niall about whether or not we should go to Chernobyl.... If you've never heard of Chernobyl, go google 'effects of Chernobyl' on images, and you'll see why we were debating about whether or not we should go to the site of the explosion. Apparently this tour only opened in 2004 because of the radiation levels still so high in the town of the reactor site, Pripyat. You have to wear a gas mask the entire tour, and you're not allowed to eat or drink anything while you're there... (which explains why you can't drink the water here....) And the levels of radiation you're exposed to on the tour are still not deemed 'safe', so we opted for the Chernobyl museum instead. It was an eye-opening experience. It's such a sad, fascinating story. The whole incident is such a tragic event in Ukrainian history, that people never joke or even talk about it here. It's like their 9/11. 

The desserted town of Pripyat, where the Chernobyl reactor exploded in 1986

In other news, teaching has been SO much better! The other teacher here was a lot better at disciplining kids than me, I was too weak! But the past 2 weeks I've really cracked the whip on these kids. And it's worked wonders! They know that if they are respectful in class then we get to play more. And we have so much fun together :) We play pop-bottle bowling, make mini-pizzas, and play musical chairs, listening to Bob Marley! (I've got them hooked on reggae, haha they always want to listen to the "Bob music"now)

afternoon class :)

bunch of straight up G's
This week I also went to a Ukrainian ballet, "Sleeping Beauty".  It was amazing. Seeing the inside of the opera theatre alone was worth the $3 we paid for our tickets. Things are just so cheap here. I feel rich when I walk into the grocery store and see a loaf of bread for about .30 cents.... it's a feeling I could get used to :)
We also went on a city tour last Saturday and saw some gorgeous buildings.

Kyiv Opera House

St. Michael's Cathedral

Pechersk Lavra

I really do love it here. The first few weeks were hard to adjust to, mostly missing my roommates Rachel and Michelle, my family, and the friendliness of Americans. But I think I'm over my 'culture-shock' now. I love my group, the food, my host family, the branch, the weather (yes, it's already warming up!), and I love teaching! I can't believe I've already been here a month. But I have a lot more to look forward to! We've planned vacations to Lviv, Romainia, Austria, Poland, Prague, Germany, and Budapest! And tomorrow I get to go in the Kyiv temple for the first time. Ukraine couldn't be better :)

Well this post was really long, so instead of writing more I'll just show you some pictures :)

The package mom & dad sent me!! they're the best :)

My group :) we have weekly parties together. I love them all <3

your weekly Polina photo, of course

The YSA Valentine's Dance! Better than ANY dance I've been to in America!

Now that all the snow is melting, these giant LAKES are forming around Kyiv!

The inside of Perchersk Lavra. Had to sneak this picture so the priest didn't see me :)

Waking up to this everyday :) blessed.

Kangaroos in Tutus and Flesh-Eating Fish

Well, during these past few weeks, I've realized 2 things: 1. I really, really love America and 2. Five and a half months in a foreign country is a very, very long time. So yes, the honeymoon phase of Ukraine is definitely over. Going to the grocery store used to be an adventure all on its own, now I just sigh as I see struggle to translate Russian labels and deal with grumpy cashiers. People here don't smile or laugh in public...the other day a group of us were walking down the street laughing and these teenagers scowled at us and even spit on one of the girls. I guess I didn't realize how friendly people are in the U.S.

In a city of neutral buildings, this beautiful red university really stands out :)

A few of us decided to scout out a good Russian museum here in Kyiv. We found one that had an art exhibition of old soviet-style paintings, it was beautiful. Unfortunately they took away our cameras at the start of the tour, but I found my favorite piece on google images. It's of King Solomon and his judgment of the two mothers. Seeing this really struck a chord with me, so I went home and read the passage in the bible. What a beautiful illustration of a mother's love. What I love most about this painting is the look in the real mother's eyes, her unselfish love.

Nikolay Gay, The Judgment of King Solomon

In other news, me and Denay decided to do this new popular thing called 'fish massage'! There's a certain kind of fish that feeds on dead skin apparently, so they made a business out of it! It was fun, but it tickled sooooooooo badly (as you can tell from these pictures).

On Saturday, a group of us got to go to the Russian Circus! I'd never been to a circus before so it was quite the experience. There were leopards, ribbon dancers, acrobats, and a kangaroo in a tutu. It was almost 4 hours long! Here are some pictures :)

Have you ever seen a Kangaroo stand on its hind legs? He's taller than a human! Freaky thing.

Okay, it was been REALLY cold this week. I'm talking -29 degrees cold! Most schools in Kyiv were closed, but of course our little English school had to stay open.....so in some of my classes there'd only be one kid that showed up, sometimes nobody would show up. But nevertheless, we were there every single day, ready to sculpt these young minds!

Also, as ashamed as I am to admit it, this week I ate rabbit.....And I LOVED it! It tasted like turkey, but more flavorful and tender. Anastasiya said it was domesticated, farm-raised rabbit, that's why it was so tender. I'm sure Libby was rolling over in her grave as I ate it :(

"Libby" stew..... YUM!

I just want to take a minute and say how much I love going church. Living in a foreign country has really made me appreciate it even more. By the end of the week, I am soooo exhausted, mostly because I'm not very good a disciplining yet, and my kids know that and take advantage of that. So by the time Sunday rolls around, I am more than ready to make the long trek to church. And each time, I try to get as most as I can out of it to last me the week until I can finally go again :)

Well that's all this week, folks. I miss everyone back home, and I hope you're appreciating you 'wussy' winters :-) And here are the "photos-of-the-week"......

Polina got into my makeup! Uh-oh...

The HUGE hamster that lives in our house! His name is "Hamstah"

Some really cool graffiti in downtown Kyiv :)

First Week of Teaching

Well I did it.....I survived my first week of teaching! I have two classes everyday, all kids ages 3-6. I never knew how much energy it would take to keep their focus for 4 hours! After the second day of school, I was so discouraged and stressed, I just wanted to sit down and cry. Lesson plans are kinda a hit or miss. I could make this brilliant lesson plan about how we're going to play red light-green light, practicing our impending motion verbs, thinking it would be the best lesson ever! So when the kids end up hating it, so my whole lesson goes up in flames....... I'm afraid I might start pulling out my own hair with this job -__-

But the rest of the week was better :) Each day, I get a little better at teaching, a little more patient, a little better at maintaining classroom control, and a little better at making them think that my lesson is the most fun they will ever have! And each day I don't dread coming back the next day! My favorite is at the beginning of the day, when we sing songs. These kids know about every single 'non-religious' primary song there is! Their favorite is 'head, shoulders, knees and toes'. Oh, and the hokey pokey of course :)

In other news, this week Anastasiya wanted to make us spaghetti because she knew we were familiar with it. Well, here in Ukraine, they eat ketchup with EVERYTHING. So instead of tomato sauce, she used ketchup. Yes, we had noodles and ketchup for dinner. And I ate every last drop. That's one thing I've promised myself, to eat everything that is prepared for me here.....so far that and chicken heart is the weirdest I've had, the food here is usually really good!

The glamorous entrance to our school

Also, this morning I walked into the kitchen and found my underwear hanging up everywhere. Haha I don't know why I was so embarrassed by that, but they don't have dryers here so I should have figured this would happen sooner or later......

A lot of you have been asking about the weather here! Last week, it was cold....like Colorado cold, so it was bearable. But this week, it's been -20! I literally walk outside and it feels like my whole body is sitting in an ice bath. I've learned to bundle up! Before I go outside, I put on: tights, leg warmers, long johns, my money belt, jeans, long socks, sweatshirt, big coat, gloves, mittens, hat, and a scarf....and I'm STILL freezing!! In Colorado, when it was this cold, they'd have "cold" days, where they cancelled school! I don't know if I could ever adapt to the cold here.....

Well, that's all I have to say for now. Me and Katy are about to head out to Family Home Evening with the singles ward, in downtown Kyiv. We're not really sure how to get there, and our cell phone is broken.....so we'll see how this goes :) Svidaniya!

Here are some pictures of where I live and teach!

I'm only smiling because my face is FROZEN!!

People have to dig their cars out everyday, by hand

The fabulous kitchen in our school

Doing the hokey pokey, of course

Our school

The dazzling elevator--fits about 3 people total

typical apartments

one of the many apartment buildings in the 'sleeping district'

our apartment building!

oh and this is an apple I bought at the market--the size of my FACE!!

And, of course, Polina :)

P.S.-- I found out what the "other" toilet is....it's a 'bottom-washer!!!' Can't wait to try it out ;)

The Long Trek to Church

In Erie, church was about at 15 minute drive away. In Ft. Collins, church was about a 7 minute drive. At BYU, church was about a 5 minute walk. Here in Kyiv, church is a TWO HOUR trip, by metro, bus ride, and trudging through the snow!! I gained a whole new appreciation for church today.

A Greek Orthodox church, all over Kyiv.

Because church is so far away, our whole group of ILP teachers decided to spend the night at our head teachers house last night and figure out how to get there together in the morning. Seeing as there is about 30 of us, and only 3 beds, most of us had to sleep on the hardwood floor (which actually isn't that bad, since our normal beds are almost just as hard). 

Talking to the other ILP teachers, I realized that I really have it easy compared to most Ukrainians. We live in a clean, modern apartment with a tv, wireless internet, and our own room. I got to hear about other teachers who have no internet, no tv, no drinkable water, no real bed, and rooms that they share with the whole family. One teacher even shares a room with a one-legged man whose apartment smells like feces and alcohol. I'm so grateful that I have such a great host family. I really got lucky.

Our trudge through the snow towards the temple :)

The next morning, we woke up early and left at 8am for church. We walked through the slush and snow, caught metro for about 15 minutes, trudged along some more until we found our bus stop, rode the bus for about 30 minutes, ended up missing our bus stop, then had to back track along the slushy highway until we finally got to church, almost 2 hours after we left. It was an interesting feeling walking through the snow along that highway, though. The temple was in front of us, and in between billboards and advertisements, you could see its beautiful steeple. I felt like a pioneer. 

We go to the "Kyiv International Branch"in a little church right by the temple. The ILP volunteers alone more than doubled the size of the branch. But it's so nice to go to church in Ukraine. The bishop and all the couple missionary couples were so excited for us to be there. They even had a little branch party after church to introduce us. It's comforting to know that no matter where I go in the world, I always have a home.

Well, tomorrow I start teaching! Me and Katy teach the morning classes, from 9am-1pm. I have my lessons planned already for the next week, but I'm still really nervous, so wish me luck!!

Here are some pictures of our trek to church :)

Our group, about halfway through the adventure to church!

The Kyiv Temple :)

Sooo happy to be back home finally, with little Polina :)