Chicken Kiev!

That's right!  My other exciting news is that I got my first assignment, I'm going to Kyiv!  In Ukraine! (I've been told it's no longer called "the" Ukraine.)  Some fun facts about Kyiv:

1.  It has a UNESCO site, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra or Monastary of the Caves

2.  It does actually have a tour guide book which I purchased the other day

3.  They speak Ukrainian and Russian (I'm going to learn some Russian and try to mix in some Ukrainian while I'm there)

4.  It has a beautiful metro system (that puts other European metro's to shame in their opinion!)

5.  They are excited that Christina Aguilera is going to perform there...

6.  They are also proud of their very own Bond girl (I guess in the current movie)

7.  There are over 40 casinos (which I will be avoiding!)

8.  They have a female prime minister

9.  There seems to be lots of restaurants, an opera company, and a few musuems!

So, I'm pretty excited!  It's not going to be an "easy" assignment, but it should be definitely interesting and a good project!  I just have to wait to find out who my boss is going to be, and when I'm actually going to go!  Small details, right?  But it won't be for a few months at least!

~L

Walkups Abroad!

My mom, dad, aunt, bro and I returned safely (if reluctantly) from our Italy vacation!  It was lots of fun, and although it rained a little bit (the whole second week!) we got to see and do everything we wanted!  And of course we got to eat lots of great Italian food!  Also, everyone met my boyfriend who was very well liked by all - especially when he was helping to carry the suitcases!  We went to Venice, Rome, and Florence.  Luckily, we were in Venice the weekend before the flooding!  It snowed a little bit while we were there!  In Rome, we had lovely weather, and a perfect day to have a fabulous picnic in the Forum.  We enjoyed proscuitto, braesola, bread, and cheese, and of course prosecco and some white wine!  It was amazing.  Some of the other tourists were even taking pictures of us eating (that was weird).  Thanksgiving we also had amazing weather and got to eat Thanksgiving lunch at the same restaurant that I went to last year on the Appian Way.  But then the rain started when we went to Florence.  It wasn't too bad, or at least not when we couldn't wait it out in the hotel drinking vino and snacking on fruit and cheese before going to dinner!  And playing bananagrams!  I did not end up running the marathon on my birthday, but it was a lovely birthday none the less, actually all the more!  We saw the marathon runners though, and it actually looked quite nice and not too crowded.  Sadly, even 2 weeks went by in a flash, and it was back to the real world.  But, as you will see in the next post, I did get to come back to some exciting news....  (to be continued!)  But first, I am going to attempt to add a Picasa Web Albumn to show the rest of the photos from the trip!

~L