tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49763047058544744872023-12-15T22:51:00.515-08:00My Thoughts and JourneysCurtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-65980553163618219942008-01-13T02:38:00.000-08:002008-01-13T02:41:08.185-08:00Randomness - Coolest Bedspread<div><br /><p>So while still living with Oksana and family, I have the incredible opportunity to sleep with lightning McQueen. Sometimes I flip it over and sleep with more of the cast. </p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Kq2GRIr5sOX7zaSWN2EpYOUWiiG3yqiK4Ske8pFatMwGd8xC1HNcfqR3iQq5hgZ_d-N3g4mSDJGi4MCa8_Jvql6_ayGByITTBy45ORSnoa5Ow85YZwxy00e11QxO3ZU8tmiriRb22Wc/s1600-h/DSC01409.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154909332105597874" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Kq2GRIr5sOX7zaSWN2EpYOUWiiG3yqiK4Ske8pFatMwGd8xC1HNcfqR3iQq5hgZ_d-N3g4mSDJGi4MCa8_Jvql6_ayGByITTBy45ORSnoa5Ow85YZwxy00e11QxO3ZU8tmiriRb22Wc/s320/DSC01409.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><p></p><br /><p></p></div>Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-8382762660545179242008-01-13T02:20:00.000-08:002008-01-13T02:34:07.387-08:00School 3<div><p>For two years I will be teaching English at School 3 in Kramators’k. I have been meeting with the current English teachers and we have been working out some plans for my involvement. I have also decided to establish an English Club at the school. I think this would be a wonderful way to get students away from the classroom mentality and start working more on conversation. I have also spoken with teachers and they are letting me teach about ecological issues and about health issues. Beyond that, I am not sure what additional projects I will be doing in the school, but the semester has been in action for less than a week, so I’ve some time to assess the needs and wants of the school faculty, students, and students parents. </p><br /><p>I am excited to get started though. I will be teaching English at the 7th, 8th, 10th, and 11th forms. I am excited about this. The tenth and the eleventh forms do not seem to have main textbooks, which will give me more freedom to provide some texts that I think will be effective. The first few months will be difficult, but I assume that I will get into the mix of it all soon. The teachers have already told the students that I will be bringing a change to the classroom with different teaching methods, which is true. I am working for the communicative approach to teaching language. I am pushing for the students to speak more in the classroom and to speak more freely opposed to text memorizations. I will keep people updated on my successes and failures.</p><p>Below I have a picture of two of my fellow English teachers at School 3. Most of my classes are joint classes with Natasha, who is next to me. Natasha is also my counterpart and has helped me with my move to the new city. Daria, or Dasha, has some seventh forms that I work with as well.</p><span style="font-family:I Helvetica Oblique;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwW1nvp_JAY6NvsB1kD90LqTdFCtYNs6dSHh85wLYJMpwHin6rgw0EVgTceVriMg7f-tlrhQr1wH_Z923KEi4SnOEn_esE1mtrJZsFjFcSvdixHdz8VZk9hmvHL7tlulK31dT0a9Cht0/s1600-h/DSC01471.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154904723605689250" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwW1nvp_JAY6NvsB1kD90LqTdFCtYNs6dSHh85wLYJMpwHin6rgw0EVgTceVriMg7f-tlrhQr1wH_Z923KEi4SnOEn_esE1mtrJZsFjFcSvdixHdz8VZk9hmvHL7tlulK31dT0a9Cht0/s320/DSC01471.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><p>The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps. With any response, please be respectful to anyone who may read this website and your responses.</p></span></div>Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-51430770225755540332008-01-13T02:07:00.000-08:002008-01-13T02:12:19.188-08:00Random...food<div><p>So little Vanya, my five year old Ukrainain brother in Kramators'k decided to make a new meal for me, a delicious little number. The boy is going to be a master chef. This meal was bananas, apples, and pickles...yum.</p><br /><p></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESpCIS38iwc0LbK7MEbmRRBzyApWvrHKM4vGmAeJbjV3-7F4Kk2SgTGbQAJMPdwph4SZMbmUfV5gVSBhlWWhinqGAQlMFr66HPCIBoHZC7fxFcypts3sa-d4KdiVGvXhOgOtastoYJ_I/s1600-h/DSC01396.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154901386416100242" style="CURSOR: hand" height="239" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESpCIS38iwc0LbK7MEbmRRBzyApWvrHKM4vGmAeJbjV3-7F4Kk2SgTGbQAJMPdwph4SZMbmUfV5gVSBhlWWhinqGAQlMFr66HPCIBoHZC7fxFcypts3sa-d4KdiVGvXhOgOtastoYJ_I/s320/DSC01396.JPG" width="323" border="0" /></a><br /><p></p></div>Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-42797591995720267882008-01-13T01:58:00.000-08:002008-01-13T02:07:00.211-08:00More Randomness<div>American ninjas undercover in Ukraine...beware</div><div> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtwTrv9bXCeBOd92rt0jhiHMuWS3UIAXwNpZg4McLFh9-7FVZIXwiJrkSRXjqu4qriT49RC4EUTDmymWD_MWdbiyw-a57XzniY9uJj7Mu9oMvd5H8-QvHlcuquEJJgfbfjr-2JEXMpSg/s1600-h/American+Ninjas+in+Ukraine.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154899101493498754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtwTrv9bXCeBOd92rt0jhiHMuWS3UIAXwNpZg4McLFh9-7FVZIXwiJrkSRXjqu4qriT49RC4EUTDmymWD_MWdbiyw-a57XzniY9uJj7Mu9oMvd5H8-QvHlcuquEJJgfbfjr-2JEXMpSg/s320/American+Ninjas+in+Ukraine.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-15557560652301721492008-01-13T01:37:00.000-08:002008-01-13T01:45:36.999-08:00Oster Project<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2Kj1fr0-3aLPJnAuhIQha_ieaxc3PO9gYSpR7VIZ6N3Y4pXS2wKH-Vj1xYcJrkN9a5mZgx1Dx8bqsh2ZNpqKh4HPjOiuMgLBS490GZ0RMcou52EOp1tmnR6z_V8szu3BauWOmEn1RCc/s1600-h/Oster+Project+Result.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154894458633851762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2Kj1fr0-3aLPJnAuhIQha_ieaxc3PO9gYSpR7VIZ6N3Y4pXS2wKH-Vj1xYcJrkN9a5mZgx1Dx8bqsh2ZNpqKh4HPjOiuMgLBS490GZ0RMcou52EOp1tmnR6z_V8szu3BauWOmEn1RCc/s320/Oster+Project+Result.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><p>So before my wonderful clustermates and i left the quaint little town, we completed a final project. We worked with the students and with the faculty of the Culture House and put on a show for the parents of the students of the Gymnasium and School 2. At this event, had students perform songs, dances and give speeches in both Russian and English. We also sang ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon in Russian, a beautiful song we translated the week before. The purpose of this event was to spread the word on the need for more books in the library and also the importance of reading. In the pictures attached you can see our cluster some of the students involved in the performances. The other picture shows the books we were able to purchase for the students with the money acquired through the event.</p></div><br /><div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154893462201439074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27TLROu1m5Xjsf2CwkEF4ifFuhE2hAnJ_BjWCNnX7CqUTBRE4oAMpaRNIS8D8VL5MTm4cR7pVCICDLMwZd3gK7TrNzmnd7UUB56dGfEvxDO3Wcw2IeASHFsoNSejOTLiHguaLeNY58BM/s320/Oster+Project.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><p><em>The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps. With any response, please be respectful to anyone who may read this website and your responses.</em></p></div>Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-57283363245152072872008-01-13T01:34:00.000-08:002008-01-13T01:37:25.358-08:00Some Randomness<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFe1IgMKzHpTsXv49Q1dSdoq7dyz6dfCTRjK0sOaMPwHwMdVF0rkteABNAeoNVWlGoMVSYE5GS-fkMElS1WX2jzPhBbH4rTc_6VQkdxbfb1RC-aCgI9vdI1VGnBwLsiyM6lvXjy1ZJqE/s1600-h/Alex"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154892929625494354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFe1IgMKzHpTsXv49Q1dSdoq7dyz6dfCTRjK0sOaMPwHwMdVF0rkteABNAeoNVWlGoMVSYE5GS-fkMElS1WX2jzPhBbH4rTc_6VQkdxbfb1RC-aCgI9vdI1VGnBwLsiyM6lvXjy1ZJqE/s320/Alex's+Gloves+for+Kelly.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I will have some random updates, and this will be the first. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The following gloves, which are worn by my wonderful co-teacher and fellow Osterian Alex, remind me of Miss Kelly in Manhattan. If you have to ask a last name, you don’t know Kelly.</div><br /><div></div>Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-42860479867321881792008-01-13T01:15:00.000-08:002008-01-13T01:27:58.834-08:00Some Friends<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iqSLPZBE8flmHsYtIFnci88UAEoDq248wu9GCXl2kxmOd3RqB4uqfrpWfKjEdonS4buSgS7Ra59qxibiYrOX2TRyAKqy8nGOKGifxL4EmxtayYnl_2fG1ggwtaXxFwGG0FxR8fKgsmE/s1600-h/Oster+Cluster+1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154890176551457602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iqSLPZBE8flmHsYtIFnci88UAEoDq248wu9GCXl2kxmOd3RqB4uqfrpWfKjEdonS4buSgS7Ra59qxibiYrOX2TRyAKqy8nGOKGifxL4EmxtayYnl_2fG1ggwtaXxFwGG0FxR8fKgsmE/s320/Oster+Cluster+1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I know I have mentioned a few people a couple of times, and I shall now explain who they are. Amber, Alex, Bethanie, and Keith were my 'cluster mates' in Oster. They joined me on the initial three months of teacher training, language training, and the adventures that I have spoken and will speak about. They have become my best friends here in Ukraine. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Amber, the on the left (my right) in the photo, has actually been a friend of mine for a very long time. Amber an I went to grade school together in kindergarten, and were friends in jr. high and high school. The fact that both of us were sent to Ukraine with the Peace Corps was a complete surprise, as we hadn't talked since high school. What is even crazier is that we both were in Oster for training...and to continue the insanity of it all is that she is now about an hour and a half south of me in the Donets'k area. Crazy.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Alex (or Sasha in Ukraine), on my other side, is from sunny California and was my co-teacher at School 2 in Oster. I spent many evenings at her host family's house planning lessons and playing with her little Ukrainian brothers. Much fun. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Bethanie, next to Alex, is from a small town near Pittsburgh and she went to Paterno University. Bethanie's site is awesome. She is in Crimea in the town of Sevestopol. She calls me and braggs about her splendid life on the sea...it angers me every time she calls...which is every couple of days. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Keith, on the end, is from norther Indiana, near Chicago. I forget the name, but it is the town in A Christmas Story, and where Michael Jackson's family is from. That is all I can really tell you about his past. Keith is my fellow musician, he has been playing guitar for about ten years. I would go to his host fam's house and play his guitar, then borrow it on occasion. He is now well east of me, scraping the border with Russia. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>There that should clear up a few questions. They will return to my tales in the future.</div>Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-48263802156840446502008-01-09T04:46:00.000-08:002008-01-13T01:15:05.102-08:00Great Balls of...Snow<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKR-hn-cIiBe8i4dVeGE469njHaiAYGxxu-9YBOUvXUS5xQpT_gQ6trS2io5e2lcG7znsry4Usxxm9bU9Ds16xcAEtVjGXdcNWjgkWzqjQAWDG48hlWWfIrZNNrRr5A7FVYkgjeQHwhk/s1600-h/DSC01007.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154886676153111346" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKR-hn-cIiBe8i4dVeGE469njHaiAYGxxu-9YBOUvXUS5xQpT_gQ6trS2io5e2lcG7znsry4Usxxm9bU9Ds16xcAEtVjGXdcNWjgkWzqjQAWDG48hlWWfIrZNNrRr5A7FVYkgjeQHwhk/s320/DSC01007.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Our time in Oster was drawing to a close, and Alex, Amber, Bethanie, Keith and I felt a need for a group excursion. With this idea, we wondered to the same place we wandered to on our first weekend in that town, to the river. Oh, serenity was again met so sweetly, but we were joined with additional party members this time, but they were not members of our party...enemies indeed. I spy three boys eying us, squinting and cocking their heads, I knew something was up. I glance and Amber and she looks back, she knows the game, and it was on. The two of us bend down and lightly grab handfuls of snow, she threw first and I quickly followed. We had begun a snowball fight with a small but powerful group of Ukrainian boys. The battle was long, but sadly, I think the five Americans in their early and mid twenties destroyed the grade schoolers.<br /><br /><em>The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps. With any response, please be respectful to anyone who may read this website and your responses. </em></div>Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-75812679835699189962008-01-09T04:44:00.000-08:002008-01-09T04:45:53.865-08:00A Simply Beautiful GiftOne of the most beautiful gifts was given to me on the evening of January 1st. My splendid Kramators'kian family and I went and visited Sasha and Alla, the Godparents of Katya and Vanya. What is special about these two Godparents is that they are also the parents of Alexie's closest friend of the past, but he had passed away about ten years ago. Sasha and Alla invited three adults to the table for dinner. <br />During the dinner, the women drank some wine while us men shared a couple of bottles of cognac. Of course, Alexie only sipped one shot through the meal, as he had the keys to the car. Through discussion the hosts found out that I play guitar and write songs, and eventually found me one to play. The guitar was well out of tune, but I worked a little magic and got it sounding decent, and with Alexie's help, it sounded great. Anyways, after playing one of my songs then a Dylan tune, 'House of the Rising Sun,' I was told that the reason the guitar was so out of tune was that it had not been played in more than ten years...since their son had passed away. They never let anyone play the guitar, but after my conversations with them and my gratitude shown, they decided to pull it off the wall. As the evening concluded, Sasha showed me the place where I could sleep whenever I returned, and I told him that I will return. It was the most amazing gift I have received here in Ukraine.<br /><br /><em>The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps. With any response, please be respectful to anyone who may read this website and your responses.</em>Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-88000244119757524512008-01-09T04:43:00.000-08:002008-01-09T04:44:32.938-08:00Baks ClubYes, teaching and learning languages is exciting, beneficial, and life changing, but I sort of need a break every now and then. So as any normal person does, I run away from my stressful situations looking for anything to latch onto. Fortunately there are a couple of clubs in Kramators'k, but only one of them tripped me up on my fleeing episode, this was Bacs. 30 gryvnyas at the door, and expensive drinks, but at least there is a dance floor. I think I have tricked the Ukrainian public into thinking that I can dance, but I imagine they will catch on soon, and when they do, I shall flee once again.<br /><br /><em>The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps. With any response, please be respectful to anyone who may read this website and your responses.</em>Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-61521283159876353222008-01-09T04:41:00.000-08:002008-01-09T04:43:18.467-08:00HitchhikingIt was a cool evening in Kiev after about two weeks away from home in Oster when Keith, Alex and I were on the metro heading east towards the final stop. When reaching this stop we stepped off the train onto the platform and took a left, quickly heading to the bus station for the final bus to Oster..we should have taken a right-hand turn. The three of us wander around the station and through a bazaar looking for something familiar that could lead us towards the bus station, but no luck. After searching and searching, we miss the final bus. Fortunately, we meet a woman who directs us to a place where more freelance marshrutkas (sort of like mini busses [like the JOs]) can be found.<br /><br />Walking along what is similar to a highway, we find the bridge she told us to stand under, and to our surprise, this was the previous stop on the metro. There we found one marshrutka that was heading to Chernihiv and the driver said that Oster and Kozelets were stops on the way if we each paid extra. Sitting in the still vehicle, the three of us relax and watch a little Jurassic Park on the mini TV. It was of course voiced over...with one man voicing all characters and reading signs aloud. Excitement grew as the bus started and we began to move, but less than thirty seconds into the trip a car smashes into the back end of the drivers side, and we begin to sit to wait a bit more.<br /><br />So another marshrutka comes to the rescue, we switch to the new driver's vehicle and head down the highway, but this driver is not going to Oster or Kozelets, he instead drops us off along the highway where the road to Oster passes over, we still have a good 20 Km to go. This is where the hitchhiking comes into play. We find a woman and her husband that were willing to pick us up and drive us into Oster at the cost of 50 gryvnyas. Long trip home, but I enjoyed it.<br /><br /><em>The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps. With any response, please be respectful to anyone who may read this website and your responses.</em>Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-31252756325285433062008-01-09T04:37:00.000-08:002008-01-09T04:41:45.517-08:00Ukrainian Winter Holiday SeasonIt is Winter Holiday Season, and the festivals are just as bright here in Ukraine as they are in the States. While still living in Oster, the small little mini-mart down the street from Anna's house had put up lights in in mid December, but the Christmas holiday is not celebrated until January 7th. This is because of the use of the Julian calendar which has these holidays falling thirteen days after ours back in the states which follow the Gregorian calendar...but in celebration of both calendars, we have festivals on both New Year's holidays.<br /><br />A New Year's party was held during the last week of class at School 3. I was invited and was asked to help sing a few songs. They asked me to sing the Christmas song 'Silent Night,' as the party was on the day of American and Western European Christmas. I then joined the school district's foreign languages director Ostap and we sang "Auld Lang Syne." They then asked me to sing "Yesterday" with Olga, the music director. To my friends Gail, Jared and Catherine, you would be pleased here in Ukraine, as everyone is a Beatles fan. Every school performance I have seen at the three schools I have been involved with has had a student perform a Beatles number. Also, at this event Father Frost came to the show. He is similar to our Santa Clause in appearance.<br /><br />New Year's was celebrated at home with Oksana, Alexie, Katya, and Vanya. It was a calm evening, and I didn't meet my traditional drinking mark. I had only a glass of wine and a glass of champagne, but the fridge is full and I have a little less than a month to drink what was left over and a couple of days to finish the food...shouldn't be a problem. It was to my surprise that gifts are exchanged on New Year's eve.<br /><br /><em>The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps. With any response, please be respectful to anyone who may read this website and your responses.</em>Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-51337585204619864442008-01-09T04:34:00.000-08:002008-01-09T04:36:54.443-08:00My apologies on the long pauseWell, in response to some hatemail I have been receiving from my beloved friends in the U.S., I have finally updated my blog. I was internetless for all too long, but those days are over and we can share some beautiful digital hugs. I have written some quick updates, but in the future it should be kept up to date. Unfortunately, for a while, some updates will be a bit out of order, but you will just have to deal with that.Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-84765753498950150202007-09-21T10:35:00.001-07:002007-09-21T10:35:53.669-07:00Take Your Brother to Work DayI have just returned to the splendid little home of brother Aaron and his lovely fiancé Danielle after…a day at work? For some last minute bonding time, and to help Aaron speed through the day, I helped him out at work. I guess today was ‘Take Your Brother to Work Day.’ I was an Anheuser salesman today, despite the fact that I quit my job with the Anheuser distributor in Johnson and Miami Counties a week and a half ago. When Danielle is ready, the two of us will hop on the road, with Aaron an hour or two behind.<br /><br />Tonight will be sort of a grand hurrah in the Kansas City area. The brothers and Dad will be joining me and a group of friends at the bars on this evening. Talking of times of old, times of now, and times of the future; there should be some pleasant bonding.Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-29967798162726363742007-09-19T21:52:00.000-07:002007-09-19T22:06:31.623-07:00My Difficult GoodbyesSo on my recent week and a half trip through the Midwest to say my goodbyes; I actually said very few goodbyes. I am bad at them, and my apologies to those friends I never gave farewells to, never hugged goodbye. Thinking about it on the road during the day and night, I have realized that this kind of goodbye has never been on my battlefield. Maybe I avoided them in hopes of there never being any real departure, or separation. As I think of it now though, it may be difficult for some of us to reunite...but I guess life is filled with difficulties, all of which are nothing more than additional challenges to conquer. <br /><br />With these recent understandings I have decided that it is of importance that I give some phonecalls and send some messages to some individuals, to give my personal feelings. I am leaving in about eight days, and I have still not come to a complete realization of who I am leaving. There lies a great adventure, and I plan on taking you all with me in heart. Thank you and all the best.Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-85334851439327286892007-08-30T17:35:00.000-07:002007-09-06T19:29:28.384-07:00Conversations with RomanIt is less than a month now to when I set off to Ukraine, and I am now beginning to think about relationships. There will be great one to be made, but that does not concern me, it is the relationships i currently hold that sit on my mind. Last Saturday I had a farewell party with my family and friends of all ages. Of course there are many that were unable to attend, but that is more than alright, I still have a month to hop on the friendship roads.<br /><br /> Wether or not I am able to visit and say good-byes to all the friends before my departure, there will still be wonderful reunions, be they two years, ten years, thirty years from now in person, on the phone, digitally, or any other form of communication. I have this wonderful understanding that the greatest conversations can resume even after the greatest pauses known.<br /><br /> One friendship that has surprised me with its continuation is between myself and Beverly (mother of my ex-girlfriend). She recently put my in contact with a retired Ukrainian doctor and I had the great fortune of meeting him yesterday. The conversation between Roman and myself brought it to my attention to how little I know about Ukraine. His stories of corruption in the government, watching his in action during WWII, his emotions of thoughts in the east, and the tales of his love for Ukrainian music and dance all showed to me the wonders of first hand conversation opposed to book and internet research. These meetings, as he has insisted, will happen several more time before my departure. His excitement for throughout the conversation intrigued me. His daughter and her friend video recorded our conversation, as apparently, he rarely talks about his life in Ukraine. I have many thanks to Beverly and Roman.<br /><br /> Now that my trip nears, my blog involvement should be increasing. Unfortunately, we have lost internet in the Schwieterman Manor, so I may be throwing numerous blogs up at a time for a while.Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-46956185587002060052007-07-12T15:04:00.000-07:002007-07-12T15:34:04.961-07:00Invasions on Inter-Neighbor ZonesSo once again I have found a way to revert back to my childhood after long lulls from certain actions. Today I took some time to mow Dad’s lawn. Now this task, be it a pain in the ass, a work out, another simple chore, or any other notion you may have of it, is something I volunteered to do today after work. What is seemingly different, or the forgotten same, is the non-stop new trains of thought that came to mind during my trek. <br /><br />The first of these was thoughts was the excitement I had for it. When I was first allowed to mow the lawn as a chore, the event was adventuresome. I wanted to mow the lawn, and at the time, I assumed that pleased Dad, as he no longer had to make the zig-zags around the house. Today though, as I made my own marks in the green (and brown) earth, I began to think that maybe it was not a blessing, or a sense of relief to my pops when I cut the lawn in the past. It was sort of me signing my name on his domain. He does much work on that lawn (don’t mention the brown spots, they are new and seemingly incurable this summer), and I imagine he takes some pride in his work. He may also enjoy the time he can cut the lawn with an unintruded train of thoughts (for the same reason I love my jogs). <br /><br />While I considered my actions of the past and present as being an invasion on my father’s work, I watched the lines I was drawing creep into the neighbors landscapes and realized it was not my father alone of who I was invading upon, but my neighbors and possible allies. I cannot be fully to blame, there has never been a line drawn on the soil to my knowledge declaring whose bit of land belonged to who, but I am pretty sure that I crossed such a line. I am now considering that there be a possible foot each direction that could be declared as inter-neighbor lands. With this possible ruling in action, I am fine for my ventures into unowned lands.<br /><br />The last of my lawn mowing thoughts that I will confess to this evening are the changes in the lines of the land. I aimed at mowing in a different patter that father dearest, and I think I may have. Of course, he has been doing this for a long time, so my current creativity may just be a copy of what was done further back in the past. Oh well, it was nice to mow the lawn again.<br /><br />Oh yeah, I would like to have one of those gas-free lawn mowers...with an odometer.Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-22776426524992289552007-07-11T19:31:00.000-07:002007-07-11T19:34:32.547-07:00No TV Make Curtis Something SomethingSo this weekend I bade farewell to the flicker box which stood in my bedroom since grade school. Sure, it has grown, added additional elements, and gave more options throughout its career, but I decided it was time to escape TV land. It is nice to go TVless again. The last time I had experienced it was a couple of summers ago when I lived with Jessie, her and I were able to get much more done without the ol’ boob tube. The remaining portions of this summer (while in the house) will consist of listening to music, reading the news, reading my stack of books-to-read, working on the Ukrainian language, returning to more consistent yoga, and hanging out with the parental units I call Mom and Dad.<br /><br />This is a removal of one of those elements that plays little positive role in my day to day life. I still use my parents TV for SportsCenter and BBC World News. Then again in the evening for Lou Dobbs and BBC World News. Am I removing myself from common and/or pop culture. I’m not sure, but I am uniting with another set frame of thought, so all will be well. It has been pleasant thus far, and I expect it to continue on.Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-54885337687147601382007-07-11T16:53:00.000-07:002007-07-11T16:55:42.331-07:00Enough With the All-Star BreakOf my travels last night, none of them went to the MLB All-Star Game. I can no longer bring myself to watch that game, and no, it has nothing to do with Barry Bonds. My problem lies with two aspects of the game: 1. Every team has a representative; 2. The winning league takes home-field advantage of the World Series.<br /><br />I am a Royals fan, I grew up in the KC area, and I love watching my brothers in blue being regarded as all-stars, but this year was not a year we deserved representation (along with a few of the recent past years). I do feel Gil Meche is a great pitcher, and well worth the money that is being spent on him, but he does not necessarily sit on the board of all-stars. I understand that each team having a designated player would give each team a player to root for and therefore watch, but I feel that All-Star games should be played by all-stars.<br /><br />I feel that the new rule (2003) declaring that the winning league of the all-star game receives the benefit of home-field advantage may have changed the mindset of the players and coaches. A game that was before a simple game of fun, there now stands much more importance in winning. This may alter who plays and for how long. Lets loose the seriousness for a little while. <br /><br />I am ready for the break to end. It is a tough schedule for the Royals following the break, but I am hoping for a single ticket to one of Kansas City’s games when I am in Beantown.Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976304705854474487.post-2298618475747636482007-07-08T12:38:00.000-07:002007-07-08T13:01:05.514-07:00Greetings and Salutations<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7jRY8yCAyFx2eLQ3udkbTVMEhrusENW-HNb5zIXGt4SUpR95x_w6SDOmYfqtMBIY0rU6HonFdnTiq6_hXkJ_hWsDVyEMRX8ej3eTjhiIiOhUMoWHK4uTjC-smFniyHQAdiGf7SUQcnU/s1600-h/Curiosities.jpg"> <img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7jRY8yCAyFx2eLQ3udkbTVMEhrusENW-HNb5zIXGt4SUpR95x_w6SDOmYfqtMBIY0rU6HonFdnTiq6_hXkJ_hWsDVyEMRX8ej3eTjhiIiOhUMoWHK4uTjC-smFniyHQAdiGf7SUQcnU/s320/Curiosities.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084913946457082818" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This is the starting point of my involvement in the blogging world...outside of the small amount of vlogging that I have already done, but, being that I currently lack a video camera, I will travel on with the use of text.<br /><br />One of my purposes for building this site is to share my experiences while in Ukraine for the next couple of years, but I do imagine that its use will go much further and will prove to be more fruitful than simple communication.<br /><br />At this point I am just setting this up the blog, but there will soon be some explanations of my future travels, my work with the Peace Corps, and my general daily thoughts. All the best.<br /><br /><br /></span>Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04343840451176628334noreply@blogger.com0