All Work and No Play Makes Lisa a Dull Blog

Yikes! I haven't posted anything since July! I was hoping that I would become less busy as more of our project staff arrived (including my boss) but somehow the work just seems to keep increasing. I have had some small amounts of fun over the past few months, like discovering a big mall above my grocery store. And discovering more restaurants to eat in - although I still haven't made it to the Mexican restaurant. And just today we discovered a pretty good cappucino place! And I got to go to the beach in Italy! It was great, although very very hot. It made me miss my little room air conditioning units! But now that September is here in Kyiv, it's actually already starting to feel chilly. The nights are getting down to the 50s, but the daytime is still in the high 60s or 70s. So it's nice crisp weather. Well, more like October weather back in DC, but it's still nice. We'll see what I think of the weather here in a few months! And when it gets cold, I'll just have to try and remember how I also don't like the heat... Actually, the weather right now is perfect, so I'll do my best to enjoy it while it lasts.



The highlight of the Italy trip (besides seeing I.M. and finally going back to the Baths of Caracalla) was our trip to the "Grotte di Pastena". The signs promised us "emozione in piu" - emotions and more! But the sign also made it look as if the Grotto was a local attraction, perhaps in the next town if not the one we started in. Two hours later.... still no grotto!!! But there were still signs, just when each time we thought we were lost and would never find it. Luckily, we made it in time before it closed and got to go see it. It was pretty cool, but I don't know about "emozione in piu". We think the emotions referenced on the sign referred to the hopelessness and mild distress about driving through the middle of Italy in search for a grotto that may or may not actually exist... But it was neat. There were pipistrelli! (bats) And a few parts made me a little claustrophobic. Especially when they mentioned that we were 50 m underground! :( But we survived. And also realized where we were so that we could make it back to our campsite in just 1 hour instead of the 2 it took to get there. But I will say that the drive there was beautiful. So maybe that was the "emozione in piu". Isn't that saying that life is about the journey not the destination? That should be the Grotto di Pastena's motto also! Hee hee. The website sortof makes it look very dramatic!
~L

(outside the grotto - actually above it technically)

Home is Where You Make Your Bed

My stuff has arrived here in Ukraine! Actually, it's a little odd to have it here now. Until now my place sortof felt like a hotel, but now it's like my apartment in Alexandria with different furniture and in Kyiv! But it's nice to have it here also. I can watch movies on my TV instead of my computer! I haven't figured out the cable yet, but hopefully one day soon I can watch Ukrainian tv also! I found out that I "only" shipped 2000 pounds of stuff, so I'm allowed to purchase about 4000 more pounds of stuff here! (I don't plan on that!) The movers moved all of the boxes inside in about 30 minutes and then we opened everything and threw it on the beds and couches. They did assemble the bed for me which was nice. And convenient to put all of my clothes on. This way they could take all of the boxes away with them. But the end result was that my stuff was thrown everywhere and I had to go back to work because I had some deadlines. But slowly but surely I am getting things put away. I have finished the kitchen and the living room. Now I just have about 25% of my clothes left to put away and all of my sheets and towels and stuff. Oh, and all of my stuff in the den. That's sortof a mess and that room doesn't have a closet so I have to figure out where to put everything. Hopefully it will all fit in the desk and bookcase and the "main" closet too. But it's starting to shape up! I even am working on perfecting my "display" in my china cabinet. I'm not sure I'm happy with it yet but it looks nice! But the rest of my project team is showing up so I should finish soon so I can invite them all over some time!
~L

Things coming together...

I feel like I'm finally settling into a routine and that things are starting to really come together here in Kyiv! The rest of the project team is slowly but surely arriving. My car is now here sitting in the parking lot (waiting for a license plate!). I filled out some papers the other day because my "household effects" are soon entering the country. (Then I'll have some stuff to put in that china cabinet!) And I just finished weaving in all my ends on my "Rachel swing jacket" from Robyn's book! I am about to start on the sleeves. Then just the collar and buttons! So yeah, things are all coming together! Literally in the case of my crocheting... I think my housekeeper likes my crocheting because she always refolds it very nicely after she moves it around to clean or what not! I saw a woman knitting while working in one of the kiosks the other day. Although, I think the Ukrainian craft is more embroidery, but there is certainly some hand knit and crocheted things in the markets!
~L

TGI - П

I got a chance to walk around downtown today again, and decided to go to the TGI Fridays! Well, if it were in Ukrainian, the word for Friday starts with "P" instead of F, but I don't think they really understand the saying because they just translated it phoenetically so it still is TGI Fridays. But what's kindof neat is that it is pretty much like the ones at home! The waitresses have to wear "flair" although not too much. And they all seemed to speak English, which makes sense seeing as the only people that go there are probably British and Americans. I had a Barbeque Burger, but I should have had the quesadilla. Next time! Interestingly, across the street was a "Papa John's" pizza, although something tells me it's a different Papa John that started this one... Also across the street was another market or "Rynok". I also went shopping at some book stores, and I found Harry Potter books (Гарри Поттер), but I think they were in Ukrainian instead of Russian. Then I'll really never understand them! So I guess I'll wait a little bit until I know how to ask "Do you have this in Russian?" Actually, I think I do know how to say that, but I had to think about it for a while...

Tomorrow is Ukrainian Constitution day, so I don't have to work! (Although I will have to work July 4th! Our jobsite closes for Ukrainian holidays but not generally American ones.) I'm going to work on studying Russian!
~L

Пицца!

So, most nights, I have been doing a good job of cooking myself dinner. Nothing fancy, but basically a meat and a starch. Hopefully some veggies and fruits for dessert. But tonight, I was feeling lazy and decided to bring home a pizza! Luckily, the Ukrainian (and Russian) word is just pronounced like pizza with a Russian accent. But they even have ham and pineapple! (Although, they definitely follow the Italian model of one piece of each topping per slice!). But I just wanted everyone to know that I am definitely not starving here in Ukraine! In fact, probably the opposite! It's pretty good pizza! The name is "Pizza Papa".
~L

Success!

Well, that worked out superbly, I was about to give up on my video, and to appease the readers (i.e. because my dad asked) I was going to post some pictures of my place.  But now the video worked too!  The pictures are a little better because I have actually sortof unpacked.  Although, for the record the clothes are on the dresser because they're supposed to be hung up and I keep telling myself I'll go buy hangers one of these days...

~L

Андреевский спуск - St. Andrew's Descent - The Spusk!

The "spusk" is a street that snakes down from the top of "Kyiv Hill" (which I live on) down to the commercial "old town" of Podil.  Спуск or "Spusk" literally means descent in Russian.  (It's "uzviz" in Ukrainian but for it's mainly called the spusk.)  But what makes it cool is that artists and crafts people, and some people who look like they're having a garage sale, all set up stands and sell their goods.  It's closed off to cars so you can walk down the hill and shop!  Last weekend was Kyiv Days so there were extra artists in town.  It was really cool.  There are lots of paintings, ceramics, embroidery, wood carvings, and everything else!  I bought a glass vase so that I could buy flowers from one of the flower stands that are everywhere.  Ukrainians (and Russians I'm told) really love flowers!  Then, once you get to the bottom of the hill, you have to get back up.  I rode the funicular!  It's interesting, but a good way to get back up the hill!  At the top of the hill where the funicular takes you there is a nice park and you can walk either down to the Maidan or back home.  Pretty nice way to spend a Sunday!  

~L