Well!
As my father is fond of saying, that's a deep subject.
In this case, the subject is plenty deep and certainly full of both literal and metaphorical depth of field... the kind of field I might be out standing in, or even outstanding in if such a field offered the opportunity for growth.
Ahem.
I'm not in Ukraine anymore, friends.
This leads us to new subjects and new opportunities for conversation. I've been hemming and hawing about how best to catch you up about the rapidly paced developments of my last several months of Peace Corps service, the exciting adventures of projects, the ridiculously sad goodbyes, the wonderfully warm yet air-conditioned welcome of the US and those I love here, and the ongoing adjustments ever since. Did that sentence cover it? Great.
Having boldly leapt from Word directly to the Blogger publishing screen in an effort to forestall any further stalling, I am sending out this message to you before the macaroni-and-cheese water boils and before the Trader Joe's spinach and feta pies are done in the oven. I am sitting at the counter in my parents' kitchen in Gettysburg-- the counter that holds the toaster, the espresso maker, the electric kettle [yes, чайник]-- on a high stool and apparently pretending to be at some sort of coffee bar where people need to type fast because there are caffeinated deadlines in the air. My feet are not touching the ground! This must get done right away!
Whether it's a ridiculous idea or not is beside or below the point: it's working. See how much I've already written?
So, here's the idea. I'm going to rework this site a bit to be able to continue to use it as a place to continue our conversation. No, I'm no longer in Ukraine, but for the rest of my life, my experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer will continue to shape who I am and the decisions I make. The term is not "former" PCV, but Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.
As such, I welcome your questions and comments and wonderings, and I look forward to our continuing together!
До зустрічі!
:)