With All My Love

Another busy and wonderful week! It's been a lot warmer (like 40 degrees kind of warm) but unfortunately it's been overcast all week. Growing up in California, I never really understood what it was like to miss the sun. Now a sunny day is automatically an awesome day because it doesn't happen too often!

This week has been really eye-opening. I've had a lot of realizations about the importance of family and friend relationships. I often find myself afraid to open up and show people I love them because that puts me in a vulnerable position. But like my dad says, as long as you're being the best you can be, it doesn't really matter what other people think about you. Life becomes so much more when you allow yourself to express the way you feel to the people you love, and that's just beginning to really click with me.

During this week, all the snow disappeared! It has been a little rainy and a lot slushy, so Kate and I have been able to bust out our rain boots! Kate was nice enough to let me borrow a pair of hers for the trip, so my toes were nice and dry. Of course, I immediately stomped through every puddle I could find, because why not?

Check out those sweet rain boots

I'm not really the lovey-dovey type when it comes to kids. Maybe that's from having five younger siblings; I just see them as tiny people. It's definitely been a work in progress to work with young children who change their minds every five seconds and will scream and pout and whine at the smallest thing. (We have learned to not give them choices. If you're using paper, give them all the same color if you don't want a riot to start!) I have felt my patience stretch and grow, and I'm starting to see all of the beauties the kids have, despite their little baby flaws.

For instance, one day during snack time, one boy noticed that his chair was starting to break. He brought it over to me, but there weren't any other chairs, so he just had to stand at the table to finish his snack. Just a couple minutes later, another boy sitting next to the first boy got up and pushed his chair over to where the first boy was standing. He allowed that boy to sit and now the second boy was the one standing. I almost started crying. The second boy is maybe six or seven years old. He had absolutely no prompting to do what he did. I don't know how well these two know each other, but I do know they are in completely different classes. If I were to guess, I would say that the second boy hardly knew the younger boy. I was struck by how sincere and kind the second boy was towards someone he didn't even really know or have reason to be concerned about. I understand a little more deeply the idea that we must all be like little children because they are so much like Christ.

On Thursday my long awaited package from my family arrived! It was filled with Valentine's cards, Thin Mints (praise the heavens,) peanut butter M&Ms (man's best friend,) fun goodies for the kids we teach, mints (my favorite addiction,) and an assortment of other treats. My sweet mommy also included some warm fuzzy socks for Kate and me! I was so excited and it made my day and week and month and year infinitely happier!!

Best day of my life

Look at those cute little socks

 

That night, we all decorated 48 cupcakes that Tanya made. She really loves cupcakes since Kate showed her how to make them. I learned how to fancy frost and we enjoyed a cupcake at 10pm with some tea. New addiction: herbal tea. I don't even need sugar in it, it's yummy just the way it is.

I frosted that bad boy all by myself

Pajamas, check. Makeup off, check.
Midnight sweet snack? Check.

Friday was Valentine's Day (as I'm sure you know) and I must say that it was my best one yet. The entire day was focused on serving others. This was a big change from previous Valentine's Days. Usually I'm sadly contemplating my aloneness and feeling awkward around couples, but this time it was not about me. Kate and I got up early to make heart-shaped pancakes for our host family. We also wrote them Valentines and sprinkled paper hearts around their bedroom doors, down the stairs, and on the table. It reminded me of the nice breakfast I always have with my family, and I was happy to share the tradition with my host family.

Super proud of my super fluffy pancakes

School was fine, but what was great is that Kate and I made little Valentine's Day goodie bags for all of the kids. They were so excited and it was a lot of fun explaining to them what we had included. We had a nice rest of the evening eating a yummy stew and watching Pushing Daisies (which incidentally is an adorable show and you should watch it now.)

Saturday was amazing. Kate and I went for a pretty hard 30 minute run around the little lake near our house. The perimeter is maybe a mile so we ran around it a few times. There were a few deterrents, like stinky roads, stinky mud, and terrifying dogs, but on the whole it was nice to be outside, exercising our bodies.

See that semi-frozen lake to the left?
There are people on it...fishing

That afternoon we went to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. Kate and I were running a bit late (even though we live the closest to the temple,) but we made it just in time. It was so wonderful and peaceful to be away from the world for a bit. I hope we get to make it there more often.



This temple becomes more beautiful each time I see it

Sunday is always awesome! Usually, Kate and I spend an hour or two in nursery, but today we were asked to sub in the primary. We taught the kids ages four to six, a class that consisted of a four year old and a six year old. That was interesting. Those kids were really fun to teach, although they got us off track constantly. They were so hilarious that most of the time I could not control my laughter. But they were so sweet and sincere; I would not mind teaching them again!

When I was deciding to come to Ukraine, I felt so right about it. Even as problems arose at the airport, I felt so calm and assured that this is the place for me at this time in my life. Basically, this last month has been a game of me trying to figure out exactly why I need to be here. I don't think I have a definite answer yet, but as I look over my life in the past month, I see so much growth and progress. I have time to think and reflect on who I am and what I want to become. Being here makes me understand that anything I want to do, I can do, as long as I work hard and as long as it's the right thing for me to do. I have drawn closer to Heavenly Father, and I've realized that the world isn't such a big and scary place, after all. I never really thought it was, but now I know for sure. My love for life and my desire to make the most of it has exploded and I'm so excited for what the future holds. But one of the most important things I have learned, and continue to learn, is to live in the present. I spend a lot of time looking towards what will or can be, and I often forget about what is right now. Being here has allowed me to slow down and enjoy where I'm standing. Every marshrutka ride is a blessing, every pile of buckwheat is an experience, every minute of teaching is a minute I'll cherish. Because the bad makes you as much of a person as the good makes you (if that makes sense.) It's not a study abroad to Paris, or a fancy internship in Washington D. C., but it's Ukraine and I love it and it's teaching me about myself and my life and everyone around me. And it's only been a month.

Also, I can now count in Russian, so that's pretty cool, too.