Snapshot: Pre-Site Placement Jitters in Ukraine

Here I sit, on the eve before I find out where my next two years in Ukraine will be spent. We PCTs in Ukraine have it a little different from PCTs in other countries from what I have seen. While many find out where they will be living and what they will be doing weeks before the end of their training (and even get to visit their future site), I have the pleasure/anxiety of not finding out until our Swearing In Conference! I had my site placement interview on May 25th and they knew where I would be going by the end of the day on the 27th, yet I have to wait until tomorrow to learn about my new home. Then I meet it on Thursday, maybe even Friday depending on how far it is from Kyiv.

So what is going on in my head? Currently my thoughts are:

• I hope I live alone. Why did I not say that was a preference during site placement?!
• Please have a nifty counter-part!
• Specialized school? Pretty please!?
• Holy cow, I am not going to know ANYONE! Well, except my counterpart.
• I wish I spoke Russian better. Please let people have patience with me. Also, please let my confidence in speaking Russian improve.
• I hope I am not TOO far from someone I know in my training group. I have not exactly met all 105 people...
• I hope I can get a kitten for cuteness and sanity sake.

Repacking all of my belongings has been a bit, uh, difficult? We get a 100lbs limit and pack our bags to the max. Then when we are about to leave our training site, we need to figure out how to include the many pounds of language and other PC materials in with our stuff! My suitcase that I used for a carry-on is now no longer being used for clothes. That is where my PC materials are currently living. Makes me glad I brought tote bags and Space Bags. Did I mention that as we are about to leave, we also receive a fire extinguisher, smoke/carbon monoxide detector, and portable heater. Ух ты! 

I am also currently amused that it has been raining today. Seems fitting since it was raining when I arrived here in Obukhov, Ukraine nearly 3 months ago :)