Toothbrush and underwear

Tonight we had a training session for all of the folks heading somewhere for Spring Break (remember how I'm going to Ukraine again?). We did a lot of stuff that was team-building related (eh...not my favorite), and we had a couple of instructional sessions (you know, where grown up people pay attention and take notes...pretty sure I did NOT fall into that category tonight. I was too busy doodling and searching for snacks in my purse. And mentally correcting improper grammar.). We also had dinner, sitting with the group of people that we will be spending Spring Break with. We were sort of chatting about the weather/what to wear/how to pack/etc, and one of the girls piped up with, "When I was studying abroad in England, we took a 5-day trip to Italy, and I packed all of my stuff in a large purse."

That SO reminded me of how Ukrainian girls can go off for a week with nothing but a toothbrush and a change of underwear in the purse.

I think she's a Ukrainian in the making.

So what are your spring break plans?

I know it's not Spring Break yet, and it's not that I'm getting antsy for it already or have a countdown paperchain started or anything. However, I do have EXCELLENT plans:

I'm going to Poltava!

That's right. I'll be back in my Ukrainian city again for about a week. I'm so very excited! I'll be leading a great group of students from Union who will be participating in a cultural exchange opportunity in the same schools that I work in while I lived there. I could not be more thrilled about the prospect of seeing my friends again.

I'll keep y'all posted about the getting ready and going process. Amiee is going, too, which will be extra fun!

Things I'd love to do while in Poltava:

1. Hang out A LOT with Nastia.

2. Eat varenky.

3. Hang out with Vika and Natasha.

4. See my newly-married friends, Maya & Vova and Ira & Sasha.

5. Eat borsch.

6. Visit with the Rays!

7. Visit with Margarita Mendeleevna.

8. Worship at Spaseenya.

9. Eat pelmeni.

10. Find myself immersed in Russian and Ukrainian and being confused again- like normal. :)

Oh boy!

Well, good morning to you, too!

This morning- looong before it was time for me to get up- Puma decided that it was time to awaken me. She ran full speed down our hallway and rammed into my door. I'm not making this up; you can hear very clearly when she does this because it kind of sounds like a one-kitty version of the running of the bulls. Also, running head-on into things doesn't really seem to phase her. She just shakes it off and moves on.

So that part actually woke me up. Then, a little while later, I hear my door creepily creak open. This is somewhat frightening when you're in that I'm-not-really-awake-or-thinking-rationally mentality. First thought = axe murderer. I quickly realized that it wasn't an axe murderer...just Puma. She'd figured out that she'd bumped my door open, so she was trying to squeeze through into my room.

Remember how the cats are no longer allowed in my room? I got up to put her out, but in the dark, I tripped on my mom's computer cord (my computer is in the shop STILL), which jarred the computer (don't worry- it's ok), making a lot of racket, and it scared Puma so much that she jetted off back down the hallway.

At the beginning of the morning, the scoreboard stood at:
Puma: 1, Erin: 0

By the time I was actually ready to get up:
Puma: 1, Erin :2 (I get two because not only did I get her out of my room, I unintentionally scared her into getting herself out of my room. Ha!)

My life is really colorful.

It really is. I have such a fantastic life, full of blessings. I thought I'd tell you a little about the characters in my everyday life. They're pretty funny and really great (this is somewhat reminiscent of this and this).

1. Amiee

You already know her (or, at least, you might remember reading about her here). She's my favorite sister and very best friend. She's also a freshman at the university I work at (although she's not one of my students), and I get to see her all the time- which hasn't happened since 2004! It's awesome. She's on the President's list already, is involved in SGA, tutors for a local urban ministry, has a bajillion friends, and has already gotten really involved in a local church. I think she's thebomb.com. AND, she frequently brings me lunch. Seriously...who wouldn't love her?

2. Brad

Remember this guy? He's pretty great, too. He picks me up twice a week for church (I mean, I can drive, but he is such a gentleman and drives me.), brings me sweet tea when I'm jonesing, goes to Kroger with me when I'm overwhelmed at the thought of grocery shopping (yep, I'm still struggling with that), and deals with all problems electronic. He's also awesome at mental math, loves the kittens (I'm wary of people who hate cats; it's fine if you don't prefer them, but vocalized and ardent hate is unacceptable), and is pulling his weight in the wedding planning process. I think I'll keep him.

3. My boss

She's seriously awesome. She is so supportive and flexible and great about recognizing when it's time to leave work. Don't get me wrong, we woooooork when it's time to work. She's just awesome about recognizing when it's time to leave work and go home (at least for me...she'll often take her work home with her). I know she's always got my back, which is extremely helpful in this line of work. She's also absolutely hilarious and says the DARNDEST things! Oh, and the chocolate bowl is always stocked. I mean, who has a better job than me? Nobody. Better paychecks maybe but not a better job.

4. MEV

The roommate. The Lord, in His sovereignty, did that on purpose. We're very different in a lot of ways that make living together super funny, but it's also pretty good therapy to live together. She and I both lived internationally for the same span of time, so we're both readjusting and trying to become "normal" at the same time. Recently, she's been cleaning out her closet and donating awesome articles of clothing to my closet, so I'm a fan. Her kitties are PRESH (except when they do their business in my pants), and she's just super funny every time she opens her mouth. Really. You should hear some of the things she says. It's out of control.

Anyway, this is- by no means- an exhaustive list. These are just the 4 that I see absolutely every day. I love each of them, and I wish all of you could know them, too. I'm sad about how much you're missing out on...

That'll teach me to keep my door closed.

MEV recently (like, two weeks ago) acquired two precious little kitties. One is calico/tabby and one is black. Names are Paisley and Puma. We love them. The only drawback is that Puma has REALLY foul-smelling poo and is somewhat indiscriminate about where she deposits it. It's truly dreadful, and you should thank your lucky stars that you don't live with it (I mean, Puma is SOOOO cute and you should be sad you don't get to snuggle with her, but the other stuff is toxic).

I bet you can see where I'm going with this...I'll write about it anyway.

This last weekend, Brad and I headed to Huntsville to meet with all of the future in-laws to discuss wedding-related information. Before we left, I tried very diligently to watch the kittens and not let them in my room, so that they wouldn't get shut in the closet or something like that. I did, however, let them wander in and out of my room for a little while. I thought I was doing a great job of keeping my eye on them.

We got back from Huntsville on Sunday night and were leaving for a meeting almost immediately after dropping all of my stuff off at my house. I stepped into my bathroom (which is attached to my bedroom) and felt like I'd stepped into a public restroom on the side of the road in a foreign country. It was so bad! It didn't make sense, though, because nobody had been using it for 3 days. I started to worry about whether or not there was a septic problem.

I lit a bunch of candles, made sure the trash was empty, and checked to see if the cats had somehow left me a present, but I came up with nothing. The smell sort of lessened a smidge but still lingered. The next morning, I still smelled it and was thinking about calling our landlord to talk about a plumbing check-up.

Then, I put my pants on.

The stench hit me in the face, and I literally started gagging. *Back up: The previous Thursday night, I'd hung my clothes for Friday in the bathroom. On Friday, though, we had a snow day, and I never wore those clothes- I just left them hanging in the bathroom. The pants sort of puddled into the floor (because they were hanging on the towel rack, which is only a few feet of the floor.* I realized, when I put my pants on this past Monday morning that the cat had done her business inside the hem of my pants! I had her business on my leg, it had fallen out on to the bathmat, and I'd stepped on it. There was also urine staining the mat, and y'all- it was SOOOO gross! I had to clean it off the mat, rush the pants and bathmat to the washing machine (I know that could be perceived as a waste of water-washing a load of only 2 items- but it was necessary), change, and scrub the floor with Lysol.

When I opened my bedroom door to dash to the washing machine, the culprit (Puma) was sitting there so sweetly, looking at me expectantly/wanting to be friends. I told her not EVEN to talk to me. Our friendship was very rocky for a few days. We have since made up and are friends again.

The cats are no longer allowed in my room. No matter how cute they are and how incessantly they beg.

Snow day

Today, I'm not at work. Granted, I am doing some work at home, but I'm in no way required to be physically present at work. Yesterday, we got over an inch of snow (which would usually be enough in-and-of-itself to cancel school/work), but the tricky part was that the ground was wet from all of the rain we'd been getting earlier in the week. I was certain that the snow wouldn't stick because it was a little too warm and the ground was wet. Apparently, I was wrong. The temperature dropped significantly, and now everything is coated in slick, glassy ice. In Tennessee, this is really hazardous...mostly because people don't know how to drive on ice and our ice removal equipment isn't entirely sufficient. I mean, I don't know how to drive on ice either, so I would be just as much of a menace as the next guy.

It's on days like today that I remember why snow in the Southern states is so much more awesome than snow in Ukraine. In Tennessee (and Alabama, for that matter), when ice is coating the streets, everyone is warned to be safe and stay inside. In Ukraine, no one cares- you get yourself off to work or school. In Tennessee, everyone is in awe of the beautiful snow and does fun things like drink hot chocolate, read, and generally enjoy the day. In Ukraine, you get dressed in a million layers, and skate...I mean...head off to wherever, slipping/sliding/sometimes falling several times on your way there. You get boots with traction, and you learn not to pick your feet up too much. Gliding is a much better option.

Despite how much I hated it at the time, I have many fond memories of slipping on that ice:
Going on walks with friends (even though I was convinced I was going to break an important bone). Heading to church (one time, Amiee and I had had enough of slipping on the ice and just decided to plant ourselves and not budge another inch). Falling and providing quality entertainment for the millers-about outside of my grocery store.

I didn't necessarily enjoy those things at the time and REALLY resented a lot of it, but now, I can look back and appreciate the fact that I was living my life, despite the difficulties and inconveniences...and today, particularly, I can revel in the fact that I get to stay home from work because of the nasty ice.

That's why living in the South is the most awesome.

Sometimes, I think I give/gave the wrong impression.

I've been discovering over the past 6.5 months that many aspects about life in Ukraine were totally misunderstood. Or just never considered. Or that I forgot to explain what life is like. I know that I told lots of stories and tried to write about some different, everyday things, but I think that I got so used to some things that I just never fully explained. So, in order to clarify things that weren't very clear:

Ukraine is really different from Western European countries.
Technically, Ukraine is classified as European. However, for Americans that have traveled to or through Western European countries, I should clarify that Ukraine is exceedingly different from what you might think of when you think of "Europe." Do you remember my trip to Budapest? I totally suffered from culture shock; things were so western compared to Ukraine, and I just couldn't handle it. Every bathroom had toilet paper...goodness, every bathroom had a western toilet! The buses ran on a regular schedule, no one yelled, everything was clean on the public transportation, there were so many eating options...I just didn't even know what to do with myself.

Speaking of toilets...
I didn't realize how many people were unaware of the general Ukrainian toilet situation. Here goes: most public restrooms sport, how shall I say, "squatty potties." Some call them "Turkish toilets" or even "hover potties." The point is, you have to squat to use them. I guess I got really accustomed to them. Except when volunteers came. Then, I sometimes found myself giving lessons on how to use them and not get yourself totally covered in stuff you don't want to be totally covered in. In my apartment, I had a very nice, western toilet. However, if you visited my favorite pizza place, you'd discover that they have a very nice non-western toilet. All of the colleges I taught in had squatties (some WAY more foul than others). My Ukrainian friends laughed and/or rolled their eyes every time Americans would come and not know what to do with a squatty potty. And, let me just say for the record: those bathrooms are usually hard to stomach in the smell department. If you want a good story, ask my about a) the train station bathroom or b) Rachel's side-of-the-road experience. Oh! Or about how much "fun" it is to use those suckers when totally Michelin-man in the winter time.

Toilet paper
You take your own with you everywhere. 92% of the time, there won't be any provided. There is also a lot of scented toilet paper or tissues (which is what I usually had in my purse- that way you have either nose-blowing assistance or toilet paper, depending on your needs) in the stores. I figured out the reason for that in a bathroom epiphany moment.

There are a lot of things you can't get there.
Like peanut butter. Baking powder (I mean, you can get it, but you really have to search for it). Mixes of almost any kind (think Bisquick or cornbread or cake). Pre-made items (like pie crusts or pumpkin pie filling). Duct tape. Ziplock bags- I washed and reused almost all of mine many times over...OTC meds without a prescription (they're not so OTC when you have to have a prescription). There is also exactly one (1) American restaurant in any city outside of the largest: McDonald's. I have friends living in a much more "developing" country who were shocked at the lack of American food outlets available in Poltava.

The shopping and tourist sites are not the same as western Europe.
Don't get me wrong- there is a TON of cool historical information and a lot of neat monuments. However, most of the West has very little knowledge about Slavic history and events, and most of the cool historical things haven't been preserved or marketed in the same impressive way that things in, say, Italy have been. You sort of have to develop an appreciation for the history (and let me tell you, it's awesome), rather than it being an immediate love.

These are just a few quick things to help set the record straight. I'm sure I'll think of more. Or maybe I'll just remember more stories to emphasize my points. Stay tuned...

Resolutions...sort of...

I felt a compulsive-ish need to create resolutions for this year. I don't usually do real resolutions, but I always want to make New Year's resolutions. I've read many a blog wherein the bloggers do something along the lines of "110 in 2010" or, as is the case this year, "111 in 2011." The general idea is to create a list of 111 things you want to do during the year. They don't have to be lifestyle changes or anything; they can be things like "go see a real play" or "read such-and-such book that's been on my list." I was super excited about doing that last year, but it went absolutely nowhere.

SO, I decided to modify the idea for this year: 11 in 2011. That seems MUCH more manageable. Here goes:
1. Get married. That's right. I chose that as my #1.
2. Read a book per month. Although reading is my absolute favorite, and I majored in reading (for all practical purposes), I usually have very little time for it.
3. Write a post a month on my stories-from-my-time-in-Ukraine blog. There are so many stories swirling around in my head, and I HAVE to write them down before I forget them all.
4. Use my sewing machine more. I really enjoy sewing and need to make time for it.
5. Sort through all of my saved memorabilia from college and keep only that which is most important. I really love to scrapbook (little known Erin fact), but I need to buckle down and do it before all of my scraps pile up and suffocate me!
6. Write more cards and letters. I used to write cards all the time in college, but I haven't gotten back into the habit as thoroughly since returning from Ukraine.
7. Rent and watch the movies that are on my I-wanted-to-see-that-but-never-did list.
8. Order something other than my usual when at my favorite Mexican restaurants in Jackson (maybe not every time...maybe every other time. Y'all don't be too legalistic about this one with me!).
9. Finish a big puzzle.
10. Make a new friend. I know that sounds lame. I just need a goal to make sure I don't just become too comfortable with my status quo/become too Erin-focused.
11. Finish my time-intensive I'm-getting-married gift for my parents. :) This one actually has a deadline, I guess.

I'm hoping each one of these challenges me to stretch over this upcoming year. I want to guard against becoming too comfortable with going to work, eating, and getting too wrapped up with checking up on things in the virtual world. That's too great a temptation in our day and age. I want to make sure I stay connected to the actual, physical world. It's not always a terrible place to be, is it? We'll see how it goes!

I don't usually do trendy, but...

...I caved on this one thing.

I usually really protest at the thought of joining trendy ideas or movements. Examples:

1. Leggings. No way. That's not my style. They'll phase out again in, like, a second.

2. Coffee addictions and coffee shops. A. I don't like coffee. B. It's SO the thing to be into coffee and hanging out with the folksy indie musicians in coffee shops. People don't say, "Let's hang out!" as much as they say, "Let's get coffee!" For non-coffee lovers, that offer induces groaning.

3. Boots when it's not even cold. Don't get me wrong: I love boots. I lived in boots for half the year while in Ukraine. However, it seems a little silly to wear boots when there's no cold weather. It's counter-intuitive.

4. Running. Specifically running big races. I don't know when that became a thing, but it did. I hold no judgment on those who run, but it's definitely a trendy activity to be a part of.

One trend, however, that I resisted for a while and then- shockingly- succumbed to is......

ZUMBA! Read about it here. Now, I don't like exercise one bit. At all. I hate to sweat or for my body to start hurting in protest, but I was nearly harangued to death by co-workers, wanting me to join them in the Zumba classes offered at Union after work. I wasn't actually just not going for the sake of not going; I really did have legitimate evening activities for most week nights last semester. So, once Christmas holidays started for students but not for staff, I was a little less busy and could participate in Zumba.

I absolutely loved it! It's high-intensity cardio, but I promise you, I didn't realize how much I was sweating just because it was so. much. fun! The best part is that all of the "dance" moves can be modified by each person to make it less or more intense. Half of the ladies in my class are 40+. And they work it!

Y'all. It's awesome. Even if it IS trendy.

Things I like this January

Here are a couple of things that I'm liking this January:

1. Kari and Jonathan on the move!

senegaldaily.wordpress.com

I know I already mentioned them, but that was super quick. These are friends of mine that I met in 2003 when I served in Senegal. Some of you may have checked out their blog of their time in France (jkmassonfrance.blogspot.com), as I have referenced it many a time. Kari's a wonderful and colorful writer, and now, they're moving back to Senegal! You really should check them out and find out what they're up to. If you love what you read and want to know even more, here's another page of theirs that is full of information and ways they'll be getting involved in Senegal.

2. Ok, call me crazy, but I've recently become very enthralled by this blog: younghouselove.com. A friend of a friend mentioned it to me once, and I totally forgot about it until recently. Then, I checked it out and loved it! The backstory is that a young couple got married (if you have time, you should check out the link to their do-it-yourself wedding), bought a house, and chronicled the self-made transformation they undertook. It's fascinating to read about some of their very creative fix-it and decorating ideas. They also have a super-cute little girl.

3. Swagbucks (swagbucks.com). This is a search engine (like Google) that allows users to earn swagbucks (kind of like points). The best part is that you can redeem your bucks at the Swag Store! Check it out when you get a chance!

4. This is just if you like to look at pictures- http://www.eliaphotography.org/. I went to college with Matt, the husband, and really enjoy browsing their site. I don't do it often, as I don't have just tons of time, but when I get to, I really enjoy it!

Anything good trending on y'all's computers these days?

Recap of 2010

Well, friends, I would try to make this post very media-filled and entertaining, but my computer is still sick and hanging out at the computer doctor's. However, I don't want to get too behind, so I thought I'd do a recap of 2010, picture-less though it may be. Let me see if I can get a good timeline going:

1. January 2010: Family was with me in Ukraine for New Year and Ukrainian Christmas! I also went through a terrible (but thankfully short) period of time during which I thought my favorite pizza place in Poltava had closed! Remember this? I also attempted (and succeeded) in making Chick-fil-a nuggets, as well as attempted (and failed) to wash a comforter in my European washing machine (here and here).

2. February 2010: I dealt with a LOT of snow and some rather blue, down-in-the-dumps-because-of-the-weather days. I also gave someone a perm! I just re-read my February blog entries from 2010 and realized that, while nothing shocking/startling/amazing happened, I did a lot of heart-searching and discovered many blessings from the Lord. It was a good read for me and a great reminder of His faithfulness to me. And made me realize just how much I thought about snow...

3. March 2010: Lots of volunteer teams! Auburn and Union brought groups of students, and a great time was had by all. I also made sushi with friends. Please note that I really dislike sushi. I like to think of myself as a trooper.

4. April 2010: I celebrated another wonderful Easter in Ukraine. I also attempted a vacation to England and Austria and was thwarted by the Icelandic volcano! However, I still had lots of great adventures with Elizabeth and the Rays.

5. May 2010: I celebrated my 25th birthday and was able to be at my sister's graduation. Amiee and I also encountered the weirdest string of events while trying to return to Poltava after graduation...

6. June 2010: Soccer clinics with a group from my home church. Never fear- I did not attempt to teach anyone how to play soccer. You're welcome, youth of Poltava. I was able to participate in one last AGM (company meeting) before finishing my time in Ukraine and was able to see lots of beloved places and people. I also had to say goodbye to my home (2008-2010). That was hard...

7. July 2010: July introduced all kinds of transitions and changes for me. I was quite overwhelmed for most of July, actually. The best part, though, was the spur-of-the-moment vacation my family too to Harry Potter's Wizarding World in Orlando. SO much fun! I also moved from Alabama to Tennessee. No biggie.

8. August 2010: I started my current job. The month of August was a great breaking-in period, since school wasn't yet in session. I had time to get settled into my office and job, as well as my house (with roommate, of course). Unfortunately, I also began encountering awkward, ex-pat returns sort of encounters like this.

9. September 2010: I fell in love with my job! It's just the best, and months later, I still love it. However, I sometimes run across days where this is all I can see. I also started attending the church that I currently attend and thoroughly enjoy. It's a little different, but it's great.

10. October 2010: Big month. One of my students endured a personal tragedy that was very sad and draining. In better news, though, Brad and I got engaged! We also staged proposal pictures (because we didn't have any from the night of...). Good end of the month, in my opinion.

11. November 2010: November was sort of a blur, work-wise. It was full of tutoring, paper editing, registering students, and beginning to prepare for my Spring trip to Ukraine (more to come on that...)! I was also able to spend my first Thanksgiving back in America. And welcome a new cousin into the world. :)

12. December 2010: ME and I decorated our house for Christmas! It was a very different experience than I've had for the past two years- my tree was taller than one foot, for starters. It was so nice to decorate like an American again. Brad and I began more serious wedding planning activities and have covered a lot of ground, even though it doesn't always feel like it. I was also able to visit Brad's family in East Tennessee, and some kind friends of my family threw Brad and me a Christmas shower! To top it all off, Alabama got 3 inches of snow on Christmas day. What in the world?? I took pictures and plan to post them, but that will depend on the health of my computer...alas.

I hope everyone had a great 2010 and was able to see the blessings in your lives. Can't wait to begin 2011 (even though, technically, we already have...I'm just behind in the blogging!)! I have less than four months left as a singlet. I hope I live and document it well!

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! My computer crashed!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! I'm currently using Brad's computer, as mine has caught a nasty virus and is at Best Buy being diagnosed. Or whatever. I do plan on catching up on blog posts soon, though.

In the meantime, if you're looking for something to read, two of my friends (you may know them as Kari from my sidebar) are moving to Senegal and have a blog about the process: http://senegaldaily.wordpress.com/. Check them out and see what's going on in their journey!

I hope you are all healthy and well (and that your computers are, too...).