Why Ukraine, Now?

Rachel, Me, and Michelle on my birthday!

I can't really say one exact reason why I decided to live in Ukraine for 5 and 1/2 months. I love college life! I love BYU. I love my roommates, Rachel and Michelle. I love my calling as Relief Society President in my ward at BYU. I love my classes (well, all but American Heritage....) I love my job as a CNA at a nursing home. I love my life now.....so why would I want to leave all that and move across the world to one of the poorest countries, and be surrounded by people speaking a completely foreign language to me?

I think I just felt like now is my time. I've always known I would travel the world. In high school, I begged my parents to let me be a foreign exchange student in Spain, but that was too expensive....instead, we got our own foreign exchange student, Paulina, from Sweden. Seeing her adjust and learn from this new culture made me want to travel the world even more!

Beautiful Ukraine

And so, when I saw this opportunity to not only live in Ukraine, but to teach English to young kids, I knew I had to go. Now is the time in my life to take these kind of opportunities when they're presented to me.


I'm not quite sure what this experience will teach me, if it will help me realize what I want to do as a career; if it will help me better prepare for marriage; if it will help me become a better mother; if it will help me be more selfless and charitable; if it will help me be more independent and self-sufficient; or if it will be a way for God to show me my weaknesses and make me stronger.....but I know I will grow from this.


And so, in 26 days, I will be on my looooong flight over to Kiev, Ukraine. I will have my suitcase of school supplies for the children in one hand, and my Russian-English dictionary in the other. I'll have an appetite for adventure, and an eagerness to teach and be taught. Here it goes.... <3