To begin with, we are approaching November (or листопад, one of my favorite words in Ukrainian - it literally means "falling leaves"), so the nights have become darker and the weather colder. We haven't seen snow yet, but can expect it any time after Nov. 2. Local tradition holds that if you can find still find leaves on cherry trees at this time of year, the winter will be mild. I'll check on that, but my host mother said that winters in Ukraine have been very unpredictable in the last few years, so we'll wait and see.
This Thursday I'm going to the neighboring village of Saltykova Dvitsya. The name is far larger than the town, really, but there are some interesting bits to see there. Expect more pictures then. In the meantime, here are some snapshots of the fall in my village:
This is Sadova Street, my home turf.
And one of my neighbor's turkeys. I also scatter flocks of chickens, walk with ducks and dodge geese on my way to class. A lot of residents raise livestock and vegetables on their property.
And these are from a walk to a field east of town on Sunday morning. As I may have mentioned earlier, Ukraine reminds me quite a bit of the Midwestern states. Except for all the livestock wandering the streets. Speaking of which:
These guys were mean. You have to be assertive around them, or else they'll hiss and chase you (as volunteers in other clusters can attest to - I stood my ground and sicced my dog Drujock on them)
Otherwise, life goes on quitely as usual. My cluster has a new Ukrainian language teacher, I am feeling a little more confident and comfortable in my Ukrainian, and there's a week-long break for students in class, so I don't need to teach lessons this week. More interesting pictures and the secret of what makes borst so delicious coming soon!
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