..I honestly never thought I would say. But today, I miss...

Sadona.

You Are Home

The other day I cut my finger..real deep. We were snowed in and my friend Igor had to go to dance class and so I was staying at their home with his little brother Dima. Dima was watching Chicken Little (In Russian of course) and I was in the kitchen getting lunch ready. I went to cut a piece of salami and WAM! half of my finger was bleeding everywhere, even through the finger nail. Okay, so it wasn't that bad. I started running the cold water (as you are supposed to do when you cut yourself) and called to Dima. He waddled into the room. I casually asked him if he wanted to eat. He said he did and then sat at the table. Blood still gushing everywhere I asked him to help. He helped nonchalantly and without objection but I realized he didn't even flinch at the blood. I don't know, maybe an hour later, it hit him when he grabbed my hand and looked at my finger. He asked me what happened and if I needed a bandaid. I began to laugh and immediatly he phoned his mother. It was a classic moment. Here was this six year old doctoring my finger. And all in Russian. He scolded me for not telling him sooner.

I had a once in a lifetime experience this last week. We were snowed in (iced in more like it) and couldn't go anywhere except for adventure in an occasional snowball fight (until our fingers froze over) and then came in for hot tea and condensed milk. I spent the whole time with a family who taught me new things, brought back old memories, and reminded me how to play a good game of inside football and how to make up tunes on the piano. How to go bowling in Russian and go ice skating in Russian. Somehow, I kind of forgot (it's been about six months) how to stay up until two in the morning talking and comparing jokes from our different cultures.

What happens when you meet a friend that you never get tired of? Are those rare occurances or for some people is that common? Let's just be honest that at some point or another, after spending seven days strait together you will get a little tired of them...but what does it mean if you never do? If it wasn't for the naturalness and neccesity of sleep you could just keep talking? Does that make a person uncommonly cool? Oh, and we all know how hard cool people are to find.

The Ukrainian Way

I decided in these last two minutes that I officially love this country.

It's a saturday afternoon and I came down here to send some emails and when I sat down at the computer the craziness began. Maybe it's just the restless weariness of these last couple of days...I don't know for sure. Or perhaps this smell that only happens when a room is filled with boys.

I came in and sat down and of course the keyboard is old and only types the letters it wants...and so as I pound on the keyboard to get the letters to come out I realize how dirty these keyboard is annnd I probably and really should be using gloves. So then, waiting a century for the page to load, I turn around and see a kid no older then five years old watching his older brother (who is maybe just mabe . maybe 8) playing video games. This would be ok if it was maybe like Disney games or educational or maybe like...at least Super Mario or something--but no. These are grusome games full of blood and killing and murder. I smile and wave at the five year old and he waves back. Oh bless him. Then I survey the rest of the room (there is about 20 computers in here) and see old men, married men, young kids, teenagers, whoever p-l-a-y-i-n-g video games.I then realize perhaps thats why this keyboard doesn't work so well. I should be playing video games...maybe later. Maybe this happens everywhere. I'm not gonna ask why they like it, because it's evident. It's fun. It's really kind of sort of interesting though. Only in Ukraine as we would say.

Haha. I do love it here. It's strangely magical. ьсо хорошо.