1 down, 100 to go

So its official.. I have finally completed my first successful project as a real Peace Corps volunteer! Last week I participated in a summer camp which is hosted by my organization "Shelter Plus". This was a camp for ages 8-12. The theme was "You're Special" and I assisted by teaching a English/American Culture class each day to different groups of kids. I originally thought that children would dread to come to my class because the other classes consisted of playing with clay, playing games, swimming in pool, etc. But once they found out that my class consisted of a "real" native English speaker from America the children were practically knocking down my door.. LOL of course this is a little exaggeration but there was a lot of enthusiasm in my classroom. With the younger children I simply taught the song "I'm a little teapot" and then we put on a short show for their counselors. The older kids got to work on tongue twisters and there was some competition on who could say "Ten Tiny Trains Toot Ten Times" the fastest. It was really funny especially when the counselors got involved. The next lesson consisted of a short history lesson about the 4th of July and what the American flag represents. Next, they completed a 4th of July word search puzzle and were given prizes for the first kid to fully complete it. Lastly, each group had to give me a 5 minute presentation about Ukraine. Some kids sang Ukrainian songs, showed me the traditional dance, recited poems, drew pictures, talked about favorite foods and sang the national anthem. Even though they are young they were so excited to teach me more about their country... It was inspiring to see such talented and motivated kids.

As for me, it was my first time being completely submerged in Ukrainian culture. For 7 days I was in a forest with no internet, no cell phone, no native english speakers, and no Americans for miles. I heard Russian from the second I open my eyes in the morning to the moment I closed my eyes at night. I had to eat meat all week long because there was no substitute and I was starving! But I must say there were sooo many moments that I had to pinch myself because I was soo happy. My favorite moments were at night when we would sing with the band and there would be Karaoke in Russian... I really enjoyed the music and met some really cool people (and yes there were some people there who spoke really good English!). All in all it was a very successful first project and I'm looking forward to many more.

Fortunately, I do not have to look forward very far because tomorrow I'm leaving for a two week long hike through the mountains in Crimea... Please, if you know nothing about this place- Google it! It's Ukraine at its finest and probably the top tourist attraction here. It's a beautiful peninsula on the southern coast and stretches out in the Black Sea. We will take the train tomorrow night and arrive at the city of Simferopol Saturday morning. We will then hike from this city across the mountain range to another city on the coast. This is a team building event that my organization hosts each summer for about 40 teenagers. The whole idea is to try to use your mental strength to overcome physical weakness. This will not be easy as I will be without a toilet, shower, real food, internet, cell phone and carrying 50 lbs on my back for over 14 days. I'm just looking forward to the feeling of accomplishment at the finish line!