MoldovAnn

I had a really great time during my visit home. I wouldn’t have thought 3 weeks could be “whirlwind”, but they certainly were!

I enjoyed making presentations at Ohio State University and Ohio University about Chornobyl and about international volunteerism. It was very exciting to present about topics I’ve come to know well, and to do it all in a language I’ve fully mastered!

Tanya and I drove 1200+ miles roundtrip, 24 hours total driving time, to spend a day and a half at her new beach house in Litchfield Beach, South Carolina. It was sunny, 77 degrees, and we even got a bit tanned sunning on the beach. Pretty damn awesome.

I also spent a night in Athens, Ohio, with my friends the Kleins. Jenny gave me a nice tour of Ohio University, and I thought the campus and town were really great. I can certainly understand the attraction to live in such an idyllic town.

Dad and I went to Ohio State’s campus to tailgate before the Ohio State-Michigan game, and that was a lot of fun. We watched the game with Scott and Carina at Studio 35 – what a blast! All the fun of watching with a pumped-up crowd, plus pizza, popcorn and beer! No wind, no rain, and no hassles getting in or out. The only part I don’t like about watching football on TV is that they don’t show the band’s halftime show.

I was back in Kyiv on Nov. 21, back to grey skies, fog and falling temperatures. I’m not really thrilled about another long, dark, cold winter here, but I’m hoping to break it up with a trip somewhere warm and sunny in February. Just back from one trip, and already working on plans for my next one!