So Much News

so I'll try and summarize.

My best friend Katie Kitchen got married last week and even though I was pretty bummed to not be there, I'm so happy for her! (Especially since she's in Tahiti on her honeymoon right now, lucky girl)

Next, I found an apartment, yay! Finally, right?! It's perfect, it's a 20 minute beautiful walk or a 5 minute trolley ride to work. It has a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room, and balcony! It has new wallpaper, all the furniture is really nice, and the couch even turns into a bed. At first, it didn't have a fridge, hot water, internet, or an occupant for the past 4 years but now, all that's changed! I got really lucky and found a super cheap old fridge in the newspaper, my counterpart Lyena and her husband Igor installed a hot water heater (illegally shh), and today the internet guy (who said he was busy until next week but then had a cancellation) installed well... internet! For a volunteer, this is really, really lucky. I'm ecstatic! It might not have a washing machine or central heating but washing my clothes by hand and using Peace Corps' nifty space heater won't be so bad :) I mean, I am in the Peace Corps haha. About the non-occupancy for 4 years part, this place was... well let's just say it was inhabited by bugs but then the bugs died so there was bug poop and dirt everywhere, not to mention some really old things left by the last owner (yes including food). It made me a little sick. At first I tackled the bathroom for necessity reasons, then the kitchen, and now the bedroom (still getting around to the living room and balcony). Cleaning the bathroom took two full days and the kitchen cabinets alone took me 8 hours! But then I made a stupid mistake, I forgot to eat. Remember, everything made me want to vomit, I wasn't that hungry. I was planning on eating right after I finished the cabinets but by that time it had already been 2 1/2 days... so I tried my best to pull myself together (I was pretty weak) and go to the store to buy food and cookware. Some gum I had in one of my bags gave me enough energy for the trip and then I ate so much I think I gained 5 pounds in one sitting haha. I'm still cleaning (and remembering to take breaks and eat haha) but the bathroom and kitchen are looking pretty spiffy :) This whole having-your-own-apartment is the best thing to happen in awhile, I can't stop smiling!

Also, I'm learning how to cook. It's strange to write this since I've been cooking for myself since way back, but that was in America where I'd "cook" instant rice and frozen pizzas. In Ukraine, it's a bit different. My counterpart Lyena says only during the last couple of years has she started seeing frozen food appear in the supermarkets. This doesn't affect me because on my wages I couldn't afford frozen food anyway, but that thought is just grounding. It really makes you think about how much food you buy at the store is pre-made or prepared. Now, I buy flour, sugar, salt, oil, etc. to make all the food I would buy at the store in America half already prepared. I do have my weaknesses that I splurge on, like Nutella and Korona dark chocolate, but it's really changed the way I view eating. When I come back to the states, I'll really ask "What exactly is in my food? How much preservatives is in my food? Is it worth it or would it be better to make it from scratch myself?" Not like I didn't ask those questions before, I was a vegetarian for animal rights issues, but this time it's different. The other day, I made rice and didn't clean it first. It made me incredibly sick but the next day it was the funniest thing in the world, Lyena and I laughed about it for hours. Her thought was of course you must wash rice, you must wash everything from the store and my thought was the exact opposite, why on earth would you wash rice if you're boiling it in clean water for 30 minutes. So that is why I'm learning how to cook, almost everything I cook I'm making from scratch, it's wild! Today, I'm making pasta (pre-made, I'm not that hardcore) with an eggplant, hot pepper, onion, tomato sauce. Eggplants are in season right now in Ukraine and a tip from Lyena is I should first cut them, salt them, and then leave them for 30 minutes (this makes them more tasty), then wash them, saute them, and finally add them to the pot. Who would've known to do this?! Oh Ukraine. Good thing I have a fridge now, I'm not going to lie, I cried of happiness when it came.

Ah so much for summarizing, sorry last point. I took down all my pre-Peace Corps photos from Facebook, not because I hate my life but because I feel like I'm a different person now. Being a Volunteer has really forced me to be resourceful, make the best of a rough situation, and become an adult. I've realized I'm not as clever as I thought I was, I have very little common sense, and the above point about cooking is a great example of how much I don't know. I'm not saying this like it's a bad thing, we're all in our 20's at some point, I just want to learn as much as I can to better prepare myself for what's to come. I can't always blog about all these changes, but know there are a lot, and I really think I'm different now. Don't get me wrong, I'll still party like it's 2007 and all the pictures are still saved on my computer but it's time to transcend into adulthood, into reality (soapy but true).