A big thank you, milestones, and the Liebster!

Guess what??!!

{drumroll, please.....}

This is post #300! Can you believe it? And along those lines, this blog has reached almost 30,000 views and last month was the first time 8 Months in Ukraine received over 3,000 page views in a single month. Incredible!!!

Before I moved to Ukraine, I called up my bank to tell them I'd be out of the country. "Sure, no problem," the phone rep assured me, "Just give me a sec to find the country"...... then came a long pause ........ "Uh, Ukraine- isn't that somewhere in Africa?" But it looks like plenty of world citizens are interested in and aware of Ukraine after all, so thank you, dear readers (and occasional Russian spam bots) for taking this journey with me : )

Also, a big, big thank you to Many Colored Days, a "serial expat and trailing spouse" in Kiev and to Starr Hoffman, a "Texas-bred librarian who spent the past year in Kharkov, Ukraine" finishing her PhD, who both nominated 8 Months in Ukraine for the Liebster Blogging Award!!

The idea behind this award is to connect up-and-coming bloggers. It's kind of like a pat on the back, a "Hi, I like your work" to the authors, and a way to help your readers find more great blogs.

Here are five fantastic blogs that I'm honored to recommend to you: 

Adventures of a Russophile Chelsea is here on exchange studying Russian, singing in a choir, and acting as a devoted English teacher to some of Kharkov's young students. She writes about her life with so much enthusiasm- prepare to be inspired!

Borscht and Babushkas And the award for the most beautiful blog goes to.... Borscht & Babushkas! The photos, the font, it's just an absolute pleasure to read and the fact that Kristen writes so well?... that's just icing on the cake. Oh, and before I forget- she's also got a stockpile of delicious recipes posted. Peace Corps.

Itinerantyak's Blog A world-travelling mother-of-two now calling Ukraine home and trying to survive the Kievan winter with two small children! 

Wherever I Am, You Are There Also Written by a Peace Corps volunteer who recently finished her service, this is hands-down one of the greatest recipe blogs around for anyone trying to whip up a meal after shopping at a Ukrainian market.

Моя жизнь в Сибири The title translates to My Life in Siberia. Kristin is a new blogger and a birder/ecology student studying abroad in Irkutsk, Russia. Check out her site for gorgeous pictures of Siberia and lots of exchange student adventures.  

Nominees: here's what to do next:

1. Choose five up-and-coming blogs (with fewer than 200 followers) to award the Liebster to.
2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
3. Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you are giving the award to with links to their sites. Leave comments on their blogs so they know about the award.

And as a final act of appreciation, I've created a new page sharing over 20 other talented Ukraine-Russia-FSU bloggers. Do check it out!

Thank you for reading! 

Спасибо за внимание!

Дуже дякую!