I ordered custom jewelry for it too.  Basically a single spiral going though both holes.  But the internet was right - snugs HURT!

Also, I stretched my lobes from a 22 to a 14.  Which stings.  And makes me squeal like a girl.  Oddly enough, now that I've had lobe earrings (hereafter referred to as "earrings"), I've been feeling feminine.  I've got matching ball closure rings (14g, duh) through both lobes. They are the first dangly earrings I've worn since....graduation? A year and a half ago?  And having relatively feminine earrings in makes me feel...feminine.  I've felt more like a girl in the past two days than I have in years - and that includes the recent "birthday dinner" I went out to with Max.  And that was a formal date, appropriate dress and suit and all!

I'm waking up at 4am tomorrow to hop a plane to JFK and a bus to Montreal.  I'm spending eight days with none other than Peter/Franck.  We're going to nerd it up, starting projects and finishing projects, and generally being quite fantastic.  I made some huge errors planning the trip but it's happening (and for under $300!) and I'm thrilled.

I know that this trip is the last relaxing time I get before the transition to NU.  I know the last week and a half Sveta is going to be in town.  All of my friends except Max and Katy will be away at school.  And I'm going to be panicking.  And honestly, love Sveta, but she never ever ever listens to anyone ever. And the week before I head to college is not the time when I can focus on her and her desires to travel. 

Oh Canada.  Take me away!

I wrote this entry two days ago, and have been unable to post it due to internet problems.  Since then, I have gone to my first big party.  There will be another post about that soon.

I've been in my own apartment, my first apartment, for a week.  I've been alone in my apartment, my first apartment, for four days and three nights.

My mother left yesterday.  She flew out of the Dnipro airport.  After what I considered to be the life-fulfilling, rugged and adventurous trip of an overnight six-hour train ride from Kiev, she returned on a plane.  She cried.  I cried.  Never question that I am loved.

Having her around to help me move in was absolutely necessary.  There are  a thousand things that demand top-priority when you are moving far away, too many to list or contemplate.  With her extra head, the essencials were in place quickly and smoothly.  She was a social butterfly as well, interacting as extrovertedly as I had mentally prepared myself to be in the face of a city of a million non-english speakers.

I could not have done this without unbelievable family support.  The tips and tricks of parents really can't be beat.  And you need those brains put together to figure out the daily problems you face as you prepare to move to a new country.  My dad just called my cell through skype.  It was the first time we've talked since the tearful goodbye in the airport almost a week ago.  Maybe this is the time when everything changes, but I realy hope not.

I live on the second floor of my building, above a barbershop.  My hallmates are Ben, the Peace Corps volunteer from Chicago and Laura, the Spaniard.  We are cared for by Galina, the 9 to 5 landlord who insists that we only use HER supplies.  the hall is being repaired and refinished and each day she scurries behind  the workmen, cleaning the up the mess while they work one step ahead of her to make a new one. When Laura became violently sick after her boyfriend of eleven years broke up with her a month into her time in Ukraine, Galina made her soup.  I have around 800 sq ft of space, including an office/bedroom, bathroom and gas-powered kitchen.  All are filled with eccentrically mismatched 80's prints, and all seem to be the exact amount of space that I need. It's also covered in a fine layer of sawdust from the construction that artfully conceals the REAL amount of grim left over from the 80's. It is, however, located either a short walk or five minute tram ride away from every luxury and necessity.  Two minute walk from work, groceries, wifi, bank, restaurant.  Ten minutes (and one grivna, 1/5 of a dollar) tram ride to the City Center and everything civilzation has ever created.

My hallmates all work for the language centers of the National Mining University and we all work under the sole titles of "native speakers".  We are a brotherhood of foreigners, sharing tips and knowledge of Russian.  I am by far the youngest - 18 to their 25 and 27, but am an equal members in the adventure.

When I waited for Ukraine, I worried above all that I would be trapt in my apartment with no friends and nowhere to go.  I created a rigid "social life" regime in the States to prevent this reality.  I did not, however, ever conceive of the exuberant host nature of AIESEC Dnipro, my host organization.  I have somewhere between three and seven "buddies", people responsible for adjusting me to Dnipro, my job, my life, myself. At least every hour I am contact by some member, asking me to a party or informing me they would like to take me shopping or malk me to my job or accompany me to the riverbank or give me advice.  Each wishes to pay my fare and discuss how I like Dnipro, and why I chose Ukraine. They are an insta-social life, super comfort.  Each feels personally responsible for my safety and I love them already.  There also seems to be a never ending stream of them, but the ones I believe will be regular figures are Sveta, Jane, Julia, Yadim, Zenya, Sakshi, Ann, Denis.

I will mostly end up working at three locations for three employers: The Ukrainian-American Language Center at National Mining University, the Lighthouse Language School, and the English Club Television. One job is not secured and the other I hate, so I will discuss the American Language Center.  I work as a teacher I share classes with other teachers.  Currently I have six classes, two of which I begin this week, and I DO NOT share with anyone.  Half are around 10-12 years old and the other half are teenagers and above.  My job is to talk.  Just talk to the students and make them talk back.  That's it.  I plan to lead a discussion on some topic every week, since every class meets once, and cater the discussion to the english level of the students.  I also plan to add games and debates.  Edit:  the class I taught today on cross-cultural humor turned out to be too hard for the students.  So this week's topic may be post-poned.

The once-weekly classes have left me with a living wage (ish - I do need the other two jobs for extra cash) and lots of time.  Especially in the morning.  I will be spending my mornings emailing and writing and LEARNING RUSSIAN and just being productive, I think.  I've organized my week so that I go shopping and do laundry and pay for my phone regularly.

In terms of money, I've been great about it too.  Edit: I have not, I totally splurged after I wrote this.  But my mom was also paying for everything.  After working out budget, I will be able to live on $350 a month.  It's hard not to splurge when everything is so cheap in dollars, but so expensive in grivnas.

Edit.  I have unreliable internet.  Please use skype to call my cell phone.  The number is on facebook.  Anytime, day or night.  Unless I'm teaching, I will answer.