Campin in Lugansk

Hello all,

First of all, my sister had a new, beautiful, and healthy baby!  Awesome!  I can't wait to meet her.  My entire family went up to meet her.  I gotta admit, this makes me a bit homesick.  I wish I could be there.  This is life.  Lots of sacrifices.  I have lots of photos though and will video skype ASAP (no WIFI in my city so we shall see). 

It has been a while since my last post.  I spent last week in Lugansk at a summer camp for troubled kids.  It was nice to get away for the week and be out in the countryside in a tent.  Whoohoo!  It was very nice.  Of course there were some unexpected events at this camp but that is to be expected here.  Seems like everything that happens here ends up happening differently than initially planed.  The plan was for my PCV friend's organization to rent space at a camp for our kids (60 kids from nearby towns and villages).  When the organization rented part of the camp they were under the impression that they could do whatever they wanted with their kids because they rented the time.  Turns out, the camp "forgot" to mention that the camp requires all kids to attend bible study sessions.  Since the Peace Corps is a non-religious org, my fellow PCVs and I could not participate in any religious activities.  The kids and their parents did not seem to be surprised at all and seemed to be ok with the situation and expected something like this to occure.  They were just happy to be together at a camp because most of the kids have not had an opportunity to go to a camp.  My fellow PCVs and I taught English, healthy lifestyles, and organized some fun activities for the kids.  Everything turned out ok and I think everyone had a good time. 

After the camp, we spent the weekend in Lugansk.  Lugansk is a decent sized city with plenty to do.  We explored the city, watched a movie at the movie theatre, and had some excellent meals with some fellow volunteers.  Some of the other volunteers were quite handy in the kitchen and managed to make some damn good salsa.  I was in heaven.  Salsa is definitely one of my comfort foods for sure.  She told me how to make it and I think I will have to give it a try.  We shall see, I have messed up some pretty simple meals soooooo I am not too optimistic.  I am having a difficult time with the organization that I "work" with so I don't know if I can handle the disappointment of messing up salsa.  lol  Might be the straw that broke the camel's back.  Anywho, while in Lugansk we went to a the home of one of the translators out in a small village.  We had a picnic, saw the famous sunflower fields, and swam in the river.  Another awesome time. 

Now I am back in my city and trying to meet new organizations.  I met an organization yesterday that is very interesting.  I am going back today to observe a karate class (Kazak style) and may or may not be horseback riding on Friday.  I also went to the city library to talk about setting up an English club but the director is on vacation tell the 22nd.  Not much happens in the summer here.  The Peace Corps warned me that everything slows down in the summer and that I might not get much done in the summer but I never thought too much about it.  Turns out they were spot on.  lol  I just wish I had something productive to do.  Things are not going well with the organization that I work with.  Now that I am back from camp I will try to continue updating the blog every Sunday/Monday.  Peace!


Conor's Noteworthy Noteables:
1.  New baby in the family!   Awesome!!!!
2.  Summercamp with Amy in Lugansk.  Very cool
3.  Had a few American style homecooked meals with some of my fellow PCVs in Lugansk.
4.  More crazy train experiences.
5.  Numerous get-togethers with fellow volunteers.  Always nice to have an English-speaking night.
6.  Booked my tickets of Kiev (Aug 17) then to Keevoy Rog (Aug 21).
7.  Ate at a "Texas" grill in Lugansk.  There was nothing "Texas" about it but it was good.

Here are some of the photos from the last couple weeks.  As always, click the photo to see the full version. 

Campin

Campin

Camp Gates

Photo of a Future Photo

Interesting Guy that Chatted with us on the Street

Drinkin Coffee at the Mall in Lugansk

Cooking and Cribbage at Caroline's Place in Lugansk

Field of Sunflowers on the way to our Picnic

Sunflower

Picnic

Fresh Picked Veggies for the Picnic