Last night I dreamt a long time about Ukraine. The people were rather more Northern Scandanavian and all spoke very good English. Their sense of personal space was much closer than mine and I was uncomfortable with their proximity and shoving about. I was at a church of some kind, after riding on a bus with a Chinese family that spoke no English, and it was a holiday. A handsome, red-haired lad tried to get friendly with me. He told me my hair looked like a copper scrubby thing and meant it as a compliment. Hawk was tied up outside, so I didn't stay long in the church, but long enough to listen to the service. While I'd been on the bus, the vista had been one more suited to Nepal than Ukraine, with soaring mountains and brown-skinned people wearing hand-woven garb. (the Nepal bit maybe came from an NPR segment yesterday about a new internet cafe at Mt. Everest base camp). There was a man on the bus of the previous description and he was trying to figure out what language I spoke and where I came from. He asked me in French, Spanish, German then English if I spoke each of those languages.

It's getting very close, soon all of this life in Boulder will seem a distant and surreal dream.

Off for Hawk and my daily sanity-preserving run.

love,
wlu

Today, I met Peace Corps Ukraine Business Dev. Project Group 24's Rizwan Merchant and Scott Lasher (who I already met last wk) to hike to Mallory Caves west of NCAR. Meeting people in my group has been so helpful, particularly because the two I've met so far have been such compadres! Creating a sense of community this early really helps me with any lingering fears I have about being REALLY alone, instead of just being alone. :-D We discussed some of the threads on our discussion board on Yahoo! (PeaceCorpsUkraine) and where we'd all been in our lives when we decided to join the PC, relationships, etc. Good news: Rizwan can cook northern Indian, hurrah!

Am still in the process of selling my car. Today, a lovely and well-meaning lady who test drove it, asked if she could "rent" the car for 2 weeks, then decide about buying it. I had to decline her offer. I'm hopeful that a college student that drove it today may buy, otherwise, Super-Rupair will on Fri. Then I'm moving out of this lovely home on Spruce St. and going back east to see my Dad & Samala (NYC), Nanny (DC), Mom (NC), Great Aunt Eva (SC), etc.! It will be the Gran Tour'd'East Coast and I hope to remain calm thru out.

Non-sequitor alert: Yesterday while running past some Boulder HS students taking a morning gym class, I saw how some were thin and athletic and others were lagging at the end of the line running. I wanted to shout out something to them from my older vantage point. "Get used to exercise - you need it!" or "Don't despair, the thin and athletic ones aren't perfect!" Anyway, I didn't because I realized suddenly that I had no wisdom to share, that I have fewer answers than ever. I'm comfortable with that.

love,
wlu

Today was a day of logistics and a bit demoralizing. I've been trying to be up front with people interested in buying my car and they seem to use this as a bargaining tool. In any case, I know it will all work out in the next couple of weeks and will seem no big deal in retrospect. It just makes me tired. I'm so looking forward to being done with all the errands and such and living out of my backpack. I say now. :-) Off to read and sleep early, the best cure for exhaustion.

xo,
wlu

This morning was a classic example of everything I love about living in Boulder. I got up early to run in Mapleton Hill w/ Hawk, then met Amy Wicker, Fried and a couple other ladies for a Hike n' Brunch for Amy and Baby Wicker. We hiked an easy loop at Chataqua and it is beautiful, warm, sunshine for days, perfect Boulder Sunday. I think knowing that I am leaving makes me appreciate the mountains, endless sunshine and comfort of Boulder. I'm still so excited for this change, even as I sort of mourn leaving this amazing place. I think I'd be bored if I stayed - too much sun, too many smiling, 3% body fat, fit people, no diversity. But I will miss hiking and trail running with friends, feeling small under the flatirons, eating great burritos, the farmer's market, a myriad of things. This has turned into an Ode To Boulder. :-D

love,
wlu

Welcome to my Peace Corps::Ukraine blog! As I begin this journal, our group (Group 24) has 36 days to departure. On 2 Mar. 2003, we will go to Chicago for a 2 day pre-training ("staging" in Peace Corps parlance), then fly to Kyiv, Ukraine on 4 Mar. Last night I had my first going away party, a "Take What You Can Carry" shindig, where I invited people to take whatever stuff that I was getting rid of. My friends helped me out by taking nearly 1/2 the bags of clothing, shoes, books and miscellany as well as drinking a good bit of sangria. Made my job today much easier hauling away the remainder...

Last Thurs., I met Scott Lasher, who is a trial attorney in Denver, lungs-of-iron-mountain-man and also going to Ukraine with Group 24 in March! We had a great time hiking Mt. Sanitas here in Boulder and comparing pre-trip notes. It was so comforting to meet someone from my group and triply so because he is rather a kindred spirit. I can't hardly wrap my mind around what my life will be like in a few months, but I guess that I don't really need to.

That's it for today's report. Please check out the FAQ and maps that I posted at http://www.wendylu.com/pcUkraine/info.

I wonder if Hawk, my dog who is peacefully and a little odiforously lying beside me, is aware of our imminent changes?

over and out,
wlu