some pics

 This is the main building of the University.

The theater square. (my favorite)

Comfort at last

So i'm not going to lie, the first week was pretty hard.  All of you at home that told me that I was really brave for going to Ukraine were wrong, I was just really naive.  I had no idea what I was actually in for when I got here.  Anyway things are better now that i have been here for over a week.  I can buy things by myself, but only if I can see the total on the cash register.  It's amazing how much you forget about how important language is in america.  I mean think about buying some meat.  First you have to know the name of what you want.  Then you have to say how much you want, and thats not in pounds anymore.  And God forbid that they should ask you a question during the whole process.  Anyway, it's for that reason that I haven't bought meat yet.  I have a small group of friends that can speak english, but it seems to be growing daily to include more and more people.  They all want to practice their english.  I'm really trying to learn my russian as quickly as possible, but it can't seem to come quickly enough.
Viktor in his early 20's I think.  He works at the international office at the school part time and he's really just my contact while i'm in ukraine, in case I need help.  The longer that I stay here, the less and less that I see of him, but that is good because it forces me to make friends.
I can find my way around the city now without getting lost at all, and when I get a steady flow of internet I will upload some picture that I took of the city and the school.

First few days...

So my flight stuff went fine.  I landed in Kiev on time, and got through the visa line in like a half hour 45 minutes.  I got my bag and literally walked through customs without a word.  I'm not really sure that it was supposed to work like that.  A guy named Viktor was there to pick me up and we left the airport right away.  We got in a car and drove around Kiev for a little bit before heading out.  The drive to Chernivtsi was about 5 hours, with some stops, but we got into the city at 11:30.  Blah,blah,blah.  The next day Viktor and I walked around the city and he showed me around.  Basically without Viktor I would be dead.  I can't order food without him, get a taxi, or even leave my apartment without getting lost.
My birthday was pretty amazing.  We went to a bar named Troya where we met some of Viktor's friends and spent the night talking and doing other stuff.  It's all true what they say about ukrainian's, they love their vodka, a lot.
The city is beautiful as is the university.  I'm starting to adjust to the idea of living here, but the 17th of May seems very far away right now.  I haven't cried yet, that would have happened on the first day.  To tell you all the truth I haven't really had any chances to think about my being here.  I leave my apartment in the morning and I usually don't get home until night.
My classes start on monday, and hopefully I can get my internet taken care of then.  I don't really know what to talk about.  Tell me about what you want to hear about.

Leaving on a jet plane.

So tomorrow morning I leave for Ukraine.  I spent most of today packing and getting some last minute things (such as a battery for my watch, which was five dollars!, but I didn't really mind cause she set the time and the date, which I never could seem to do myself).  My flight leaves at 9:35 am, so I'll be getting to Harrisburg International at 7:30.  After everything that has gone wrong with this trip so far I'm not taking any chances with my flight plans.  Here's the plan: Harrisburg-Chicago-Frankfurt-KIEV, city on a hill, at 1:15 pm on the 15th.  From there I'll be picked up from the airport by Viktor who will drive me to the university in CHERNIVTSI, city on a hill.  Wish me luck!