tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36568815693368718012024-03-13T10:13:57.710+02:008 Months In Ukraine8 months turned into almost 3 years in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Now in Oregon (U.S.), but still following all things Ukraine.Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.comBlogger679125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-9167768367955654182017-09-28T17:00:00.000+03:002018-01-01T06:45:21.507+02:00Final snapshots<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last weekend we went to a corn maze. It was just down the road from <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-farm.html" target="_blank">last year's farm</a>, but this one even better because... there was no map! You just walked and walked and walked until you eventually found the exit.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Help was available, though. Ten signposts were hidden throughout the maze. If you answered the sign's trivia question correctly (for example, <i>How many people have walked on the moon? 8: turn left. 12: turn right</i>), you might find your way out faster. The questions helped us some, but we didn't even find all of the signposts. The majority of the maze credit goes to D. He didn't even need the questions- he was following some internal logic that got us through the maze much quicker than I had imagined.<br />
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After the maze, the farm store lured us in. Giant eggplant and zucchini: $2 each. Corn: 4/$1. Twenty pounds of green beans: $20. D performed an industrial green-bean-washing operation in the bathtub, and we're eating green beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! (Next up, the zucchini. Any cooking ideas?)<br />
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As I was writing this, I heard Kit doing something in the kitchen. He found the box the green beans came in, haha. He's still sitting in it, pawing the sides and giving an annoyed meow if I make eye contact with him.<br />
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It's starting to feel more like fall in Oregon. The weather is cooler and the first snowflakes have already fallen at Mt. Hood, although Portland is getting back up to 85F this week(?!). The fires have calmed, too. My brother lives near one of the big fires and sent this picture a few weeks ago. He says the skies are clear now.<br />
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Other trips, lately:<br />
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We finally broke down and bought a couch (well, a loveseat.)<br />
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A neighbor was selling an almost new one for cheap. Everything was great for the first two days and then... well, Kit's new nickname is <span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="ru"><span class="">скунс, <i>skunk</i>, and there's a reason why he looks so guilty. </span></span><br />
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<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="ru"><span class="">I
thought "Great! It's gray! Kit can sit on it and at least it won't look
like it's covered in cat fur." But the previous owner had a dog, and Kit
must have smelled the dog on the fabric, so he did what male cats do to
claim ownership of something. Now that we've cleaned that up, I'm
hoping to coexist </span></span><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="ru"><span class=""><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="ru"><span class="">peacefully</span></span>:
husband, wife, cat, and loveseat, ha. (Just checked: he's still sitting
in that cardboard box in the kitchen and ignoring the couch.)</span></span><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="ru"><span class=""> </span></span><br />
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This is going to be the last post here for a while. My friend- a really
cool Ukrainian author- agreed to a short interview about his work so
I'll share that here when it's ready. I hope you'll enjoy it. :) In the meantime, have a great fall!</div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-82852180514167587042017-09-25T21:25:00.000+03:002017-09-25T21:26:32.163+03:00Resources to find a job in Ukraine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyiv</td></tr>
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<b> </b><b> </b></div>
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<b>Privet! :)</b></div>
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Maybe you sent me an email about moving to Ukraine or maybe you just stumbled across this post. Either way, you want to move to Ukraine, right? Awesome! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odessa</td></tr>
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If we haven't met yet: I'm Katherine<b> </b>and I dragged my husband off to live in Kharkiv, Ukraine for <strike>8 months</strike> a few years. We don't live there anymore (<i>sadness!!</i>) but Ukraine is awesome and you should totally go there. (And I'm copy pasting most of this intro from the <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/p/life-in-kharkov.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Life in Kharkiv</a> page. Go there if you're interested specifically in Kharkiv, because this post has general resources for the entire country instead.)<br />
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It turns out there are lots and lots of people who are curious about Ukraine / have Ukrainian roots / met someone cool in Ukraine / want to escape their usual life and learn a new language in a new place. Thank you to everyone who emailed to share their adventures! <b> </b><br />
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<b>This post is a short list of links in response to some of the most common questions people ask.</b><br />
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<b>One last note</b>: I haven't been to Ukraine for a while. (Did I mention <i>sadness</i>?!!)
This means I have no current visa info, sorry.
In general, you'll probably be restricted to a 90-day visit unless you
can get permission to stay longer. If you have questions about getting a
work visa in Ukraine or getting some form of residency, I suggest
registering at the expat.ua forum <a href="http://www.expatua.com/forum/index.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> to fully use the 'Visa and Immigration' section. There are lots of great questions + answers in that thread.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAnxZRlK1STZ8b4PKxVSRMjGQaAzcCaC3F2Jq6UxknPvqqS1927O6W1Jl4PyeTrhR42avIziSBfAt3A8w2juVWPESi9EEJbiT43diw987PnRkUFvRwE1-DCUecJhgKYCF8jviq86SZIU/s1600/Kyiv_train_station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAnxZRlK1STZ8b4PKxVSRMjGQaAzcCaC3F2Jq6UxknPvqqS1927O6W1Jl4PyeTrhR42avIziSBfAt3A8w2juVWPESi9EEJbiT43diw987PnRkUFvRwE1-DCUecJhgKYCF8jviq86SZIU/s640/Kyiv_train_station.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyiv</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>List #1. "I want to teach English in Ukraine!"</b></h3>
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<b>Read these posts: </b><br />
<a href="http://whatkateandkrisdid.com/teaching-english-in-ukraine-a-guide/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Teaching English in Ukraine- a Guide</a> (2017), What Kate and Kris Did<br />
<a href="http://www.thewayfarersbook.com/im-moving-to-kiev-teach-english/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Why I'm moving to Kyiv to teach English</a> (2016), The Wayfarer's Book<br />
<a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2013/09/finding-work-in-kharkov.html" target="_blank">How to find work in Kharkiv</a> (2013), 8 Months in Ukraine <br />
<a href="http://brookevstheworld.com/teaching-english-ukraine/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How I got my teaching gig in Kyiv</a> (2011), Brooke vs. The World <br />
<br />
<b>Possible teaching jobs</b><br />
International House: <a href="http://job.ihworld.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://job.ihworld.com/</a><br />
Dave's ESL cafe: <a href="http://www.eslcafe.com/joblist/index.cgi?" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.eslcafe.com/joblist/index.cgi?</a><br />
Quality School International: <a href="https://www.qsi.org/employment/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.qsi.org/employment/</a><br />
Buckeye English in Dnipro (tell Andy I sent you!): <a href="https://www.buckeyeenglish.com/native-teacher" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.buckeyeenglish.com/native-teacher</a><br />
Long list of English schools in Ukraine: <a href="http://www.eslbase.com/schools/ukraine" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.eslbase.com/schools/ukraine </a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbtYb2k5CYEcFZRc-Ti8bw4vZev4g2kYRqEJnkcKTF_cOh5AdzLgjhifC9z3Gxqf9pH3wZcyk19u9f-M0nRs40yVTdxx6iVwM5nukHs29XSBtMzzx5CuG9qHHE9JXtyX9qUXS0aCSlHI/s1600/Poltava.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbtYb2k5CYEcFZRc-Ti8bw4vZev4g2kYRqEJnkcKTF_cOh5AdzLgjhifC9z3Gxqf9pH3wZcyk19u9f-M0nRs40yVTdxx6iVwM5nukHs29XSBtMzzx5CuG9qHHE9JXtyX9qUXS0aCSlHI/s640/Poltava.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poltava</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
List #2. "I'm not a teacher. What else is there?"</h3>
(Caution: some of these jobs are limited by nationality.)<br />
<br />
<b>Software jobs</b><br />
Sigma: <a href="https://sigma.software/about/sigma-career/vacancies" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://sigma.software/about/sigma-career/vacancies</a><br />
Mirantis: <a href="https://www.mirantis.com/careers/open-positions/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.mirantis.com/careers/open-positions/</a><br />
Ciklum: <a href="https://jobs.ciklum.com/search-and-apply/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://jobs.ciklum.com/search-and-apply/</a><br />
Luxoft: <a href="https://career.luxoft.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://career.luxoft.com/ </a><br />
Intel: <a href="https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/jobs/locations/ukraine.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/jobs/locations/ukraine.html</a><br />
<br />
<b>Other jobs</b><br />
Work.ua: <a href="https://www.work.ua/jobs-english/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.work.ua/jobs-english/</a><br />
Rabota.ua: <a href="https://rabota.ua/jobsearch/vacancy_list?keyWords=english" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://rabota.ua/jobsearch/vacancy_list?keyWords=english</a><br />
UN jobs: <a href="https://unjobs.org/duty_stations/ukraine" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://unjobs.org/duty_stations/ukraine</a><br />
US embassy: <a href="https://ua.usembassy.gov/embassy/jobs/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://ua.usembassy.gov/embassy/jobs/</a><br />
OSCE jobs: <a href="https://jobs.osce.org/vacancies" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://jobs.osce.org/vacancies</a><br />
Peace Corps: <a href="https://www.peacecorps.gov/ukraine/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.peacecorps.gov/ukraine/</a><br />
Expat.ua forum (very useful, but you'll need to register): <a href="http://www.expatua.com/forum/index.php?board=16.0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.expatua.com/forum/index.php?board=16.0</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
Something I've said before and I stick to: networking is <i>key</i> in Ukraine!!!! Meet as many people as you can, both locals and expats, even before you buy your airline ticket. Join Facebook groups, ask for recommendations, and find someone to help you start learning Ukrainian or Russian. When it comes to finding a good apartment, for example, a personal connection will be more useful than an internet search. There's always a friend of a friend of a friend who knows someone who is looking for a renter. (And then return the favor when it's your turn to be the connection!)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvDP7JP8N1HGUh4TsDgoLz5E2Msq3eX37y3pt0BV8ZoOc72XDRxF3-m4mVZiZLkYGnfj1FMZIWGQekqCEhKurC0dNkYZ5Elxly804-6bSXnY9FebQEpXX8329Y5M7omVdX5Tel8JRX1c/s1600/Kharkiv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvDP7JP8N1HGUh4TsDgoLz5E2Msq3eX37y3pt0BV8ZoOc72XDRxF3-m4mVZiZLkYGnfj1FMZIWGQekqCEhKurC0dNkYZ5Elxly804-6bSXnY9FebQEpXX8329Y5M7omVdX5Tel8JRX1c/s640/Kharkiv.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beloved Kharkiv</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I hope this list helps you! :)<br />
<br />
If you have another good resource, please leave a comment below. <br />
<br /></div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-24833212348284939052017-09-20T03:18:00.000+03:002017-09-20T03:23:23.289+03:00Alaskan summer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uFYGRygIEIEhA7FD9nQL9TGxPbn0RyewtoZF57udWgVAhaEjntkYufLELb9tAiIUTDpYyI3u3wdzv4puMSCja_Yvvy5kDEyCaR2pUOewwjHTkcX36irOqgGZCI4QmzFIc-WCoXg6vEur/s1600/driving_the_Dalton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uFYGRygIEIEhA7FD9nQL9TGxPbn0RyewtoZF57udWgVAhaEjntkYufLELb9tAiIUTDpYyI3u3wdzv4puMSCja_Yvvy5kDEyCaR2pUOewwjHTkcX36irOqgGZCI4QmzFIc-WCoXg6vEur/s1600/driving_the_Dalton.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The summer that I drove an Alaskan tour bus seemed to stretch on forever. Trip after trip after bus after bus of people, people, people. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjo83n5WyfN-NITZnd4P22dn7_eDGkwitVKTfJ4qq55YaOYSFd8mA9R2sI4qi-YhHHKrTdlvs9MafzXwy-DxyRdqZZDRFNnFYgoZa_ZneidzJpvfe-LcIk_kQbyarsUwAkrJ5_wdUm6N-/s1600/tourists.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjo83n5WyfN-NITZnd4P22dn7_eDGkwitVKTfJ4qq55YaOYSFd8mA9R2sI4qi-YhHHKrTdlvs9MafzXwy-DxyRdqZZDRFNnFYgoZa_ZneidzJpvfe-LcIk_kQbyarsUwAkrJ5_wdUm6N-/s1600/tourists.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some of the guests were really fun, like the group of Chinese businessmen who didn't speak any English and brought along their interpreter. We got a flat tire that trip, and when I lugged out everything to start changing the tire, they formed a blockade and insisted on doing it themselves. <i>They don't have a chance to do this stuff in China</i>, the interpreter said with a shrug.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpem0k649BBEmMC2CfISRRanVwTym7-y-mjaADGUgoliENb6JyHQtLgyQmAmCbXyNs08DA6WO0mpGdF3NWxIuQrVi3q0x5QLUAAB8GnrqDhCx9JwNTrVvKR9RYnsCZwmJg-3Xh1J_YgNo/s1600/checking_the_tire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpem0k649BBEmMC2CfISRRanVwTym7-y-mjaADGUgoliENb6JyHQtLgyQmAmCbXyNs08DA6WO0mpGdF3NWxIuQrVi3q0x5QLUAAB8GnrqDhCx9JwNTrVvKR9RYnsCZwmJg-3Xh1J_YgNo/s1600/checking_the_tire.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>There was a $50 tipper, and there were people who tipped in $2 bills. There was an east coast author and his wife, the only ones to follow up on their promise to send photos from the tour. (I'm especially talking to you, lady who took pictures of the double rainbow on the Dalton Highway and never emailed them.) <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtYvkGm6kQyaN323F92K5H1a4jQiJ3e9UdFYrMZaayD3VEqCestny5Q9xNRp7dhU4lNVntteil6CzJaRCJac10nG2-iWsm0R1tkqrw4IfGhrhzRZy2rac7P1rnpYzqGIFFdHf7dQqsjXd/s1600/512pxIcon-sunset_photo_not_found.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtYvkGm6kQyaN323F92K5H1a4jQiJ3e9UdFYrMZaayD3VEqCestny5Q9xNRp7dhU4lNVntteil6CzJaRCJac10nG2-iWsm0R1tkqrw4IfGhrhzRZy2rac7P1rnpYzqGIFFdHf7dQqsjXd/s1600/512pxIcon-sunset_photo_not_found.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This could have been a double rainbow ; )</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The people changed- Indian women in saris, retired engineers, honeymooners- but the scenery was always the same vast picture out the window.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJtx8xLdNcu9F_DyrxWdbH2tnL78qD0eJAil95cwDxWDu0UlPZa6nwtrHdp5vCpZUmun-QKgdwn4NNn8w2tXY0CMH7VB2n39uCVPhoI-sFk_Q1kPyy74c0QpyZqk1y7s1odNErVjPs8PG/s1600/Dalton_highway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJtx8xLdNcu9F_DyrxWdbH2tnL78qD0eJAil95cwDxWDu0UlPZa6nwtrHdp5vCpZUmun-QKgdwn4NNn8w2tXY0CMH7VB2n39uCVPhoI-sFk_Q1kPyy74c0QpyZqk1y7s1odNErVjPs8PG/s1600/Dalton_highway.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Still, as much as the scenery felt monotonous that summer- think 20 straight hours of this view- it's really cool to look back on now in small snapshots.<br />
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The trip would start 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle in Fairbanks, Alaska. We'd drive past the Walmart at the edge of town, passing around the microphone / shouting out introductions. Onward north, then, through wilderness until the most basic tenets of tourism lured us in to a remote "trading post" for postcards, magnets, and much-photographed outhouses.<br />
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Roughly 150 miles later, it'd be time to cross the Yukon river (the leftover tour guide in me wants to preface that with "mighty.")<br />
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Check out the wood on the bridge! <br />
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It's constantly torn up by the massive trucks rumbling their way north. I
loved crossing this bridge because it meant lunchtime at <a href="http://www.yukonrivercamp.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Yukon River Camp</a> would start in just a few minutes ; )<br />
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By this point in the trip we'd be traveling on the Dalton Highway, which also goes by the much cooler name of the Haul Road. It's a highway for sure, but <a href="https://vimeo.com/180526053" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">you might have to get a little flexible with your definition of "paved"</a>.<br />
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Back then I could recite all kinds of facts about the Alaska Pipeline, an 800-mile-long tube that snaked its way across the landscape and was a selling point of the tour. Not a single fact remains these days, except some vague story about a drunken guy who actually shot a hole in the pipeline and was then on the hook for millions of dollars in damage.<br />
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That summer, though, I had memorized tons of Arctic facts and weird-but-true stories. The tour was long- we left town at 6:30 AM, only reaching our Yukon River lunch stop at 11:30 AM- so that left lot of time for talking. Lots and lots of it.<br />
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Sometimes, I'd get to talk to other drivers on the CB. Big trucks hauling their cargo south, always driven by men. I don't think I heard a woman's voice on the radio all summer. The company trained us to always identify ourselves as "little tour bus" on the radio and to give the big trucks plenty of space as they passed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjk2J9QgtxwzC4PlT2rW5N0ikm114E-ZAwzh-X2EslOhgznGlyClRocI6mjUxdkVImGfJ23oh4sp8RgdbEEpNqKdRFl9H7RwrPJnfzNXBFvYWTtVFZzewK0jSs07uLb3hMlbaCtoBQEc/s1600/oversize_truck_Dalton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjk2J9QgtxwzC4PlT2rW5N0ikm114E-ZAwzh-X2EslOhgznGlyClRocI6mjUxdkVImGfJ23oh4sp8RgdbEEpNqKdRFl9H7RwrPJnfzNXBFvYWTtVFZzewK0jSs07uLb3hMlbaCtoBQEc/s640/oversize_truck_Dalton.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Forty miles after lunch at Yukon River Camp, it was time for a quick stop at Finger Mountain. (Caution: not a mountain.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaU76GhyphenhyphenQZRo_f6h3o9pvR8GeiiCvxEb1z8fVaRMHktLWQ0D_K4g-FKy9iCx1-s49j0BhpBiA4uxZnCSgfgDhlBK-GvtRH8ZwCTmYDk5Ffw2F8q24ElVJCbFgvUAt-CL4sSnHRQNHwHaY/s1600/Finger_mountain_map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaU76GhyphenhyphenQZRo_f6h3o9pvR8GeiiCvxEb1z8fVaRMHktLWQ0D_K4g-FKy9iCx1-s49j0BhpBiA4uxZnCSgfgDhlBK-GvtRH8ZwCTmYDk5Ffw2F8q24ElVJCbFgvUAt-CL4sSnHRQNHwHaY/s640/Finger_mountain_map.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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As you probably guessed, this was not a calorie-burning tour. The little nature walks sprinkled here and there throughout the miles didn't make up for almost 20 hours of sitting. Perhaps the views did, though...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ddtEYYTtimFxvC45M5QXzgXPB1TbgubwoUWzmu9D4zecwyZuEPaWsZg8uBcyA8HqBJY25U6jOezLu1ZpY8MDKXK5rfScKN7JcQ5mOwztn1RYYVzhlIC3lSaBxrENNdzA0RwTik-s2qc/s1600/Finger_mountain3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ddtEYYTtimFxvC45M5QXzgXPB1TbgubwoUWzmu9D4zecwyZuEPaWsZg8uBcyA8HqBJY25U6jOezLu1ZpY8MDKXK5rfScKN7JcQ5mOwztn1RYYVzhlIC3lSaBxrENNdzA0RwTik-s2qc/s640/Finger_mountain3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some of the tours would now be nearing their halfway point... the <i>Arctic Circle! </i>Doesn't that sound exciting???<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipiYrKz2pfAqBYmUsM9vmAK5i4eYqXI51xVRIvxjCJekRB-zqqBUIplmdlD7PeotSH2wUIryjTMJQgaoyCbxhS-z5hT78vlKSNbvnc4reE8Z2r1hoGBei1eby6hT7d0DGHrkOGxdSBulc/s1600/arctic_circle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="471" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipiYrKz2pfAqBYmUsM9vmAK5i4eYqXI51xVRIvxjCJekRB-zqqBUIplmdlD7PeotSH2wUIryjTMJQgaoyCbxhS-z5hT78vlKSNbvnc4reE8Z2r1hoGBei1eby6hT7d0DGHrkOGxdSBulc/s640/arctic_circle.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Well, it is... until you get there. The tour's "Arctic Circle" is actually a parking lot with a sign. To liven things up, the company equipped each vehicle with a red carpet. My job was to theatrically roll out the carpet in front of the sign and invite each guest to "step over the Arctic Circle" (aka, a line of tape on the carpet). We'd shake hands and pose for a picture. Then, a quick celebratory piece of cake and we head south again, arriving back in Fairbanks somewhere between 11 PM and 1 AM.<br />
<br />
Sometimes.<br />
<br />
Other times, the tour would continue north. An extra 60 miles would take us all the way up to Coldfoot Camp. The camp's address is Mile 175 Dalton Highway, literally in the middle of nowhere.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13OUTy7BtvD80CkPxnbJ7RI14Myu7yt0yk9-sE9c7GmUhKJJAx10FiRJJsTQ_KcqHHnjKvGSJtBBz6iTQZ9ZcD_PeYMiWhip0zcqe5md-7hzYqbaw1TVqtD2OU3jXvI8yFwo1hbsw5HE/s1600/coldfoot_map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13OUTy7BtvD80CkPxnbJ7RI14Myu7yt0yk9-sE9c7GmUhKJJAx10FiRJJsTQ_KcqHHnjKvGSJtBBz6iTQZ9ZcD_PeYMiWhip0zcqe5md-7hzYqbaw1TVqtD2OU3jXvI8yFwo1hbsw5HE/s640/coldfoot_map.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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To give you an example of the vast emptiness out these, the nearest names on the map- Wiseman and Bettles- had a <i>combined</i> population of 26 people on the 2010 census. It's all amazing, quiet, open wilderness.<br />
<br />
Coldfoot Camp is a campground / restaurant / place to sleep / truck stop. Most importantly, it's the ONLY truck stop around. North, there's nothing until reaching Deadfoot. (But don't worry; it's only a 7-hour drive.) South, it's a 3-hour drive back to Yukon River Camp. <br />
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My tour would end at Coldfoot. The guests would hop on a small plane back to Fairbanks. (Only an hour by air!) I'd toss my stuff in a tiny room leftover from the oil rush days and head to the dinner buffet. For a place that could only offer whatever came in the last delivery, the food was awesome! The next afternoon, a new group of guests would fly to Coldfoot. I'd meet them at the airstrip, and we'd start the drive back to Fairbanks.<br />
<br />
Some drivers had the <i>longest</i> tour on the books: a two-day drive. Two days! They would meet their group all the way up in Deadhorse<span class="st"> and then</span> begin the 500-mile drive south.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXFQmzo-Ib2DSmQ7-e8IyaawmqLXVYRVi1jR9vpEfGLDlIa8fGWUbPwEG9Q8fTh64OFwYo5lMeRG1b1Vy3lffT74fzQbJSn17rtpqgpO6DV-OCX0hBzoAn30ml8swIuIHDGFaxCWcziU/s1600/Deadhorse_map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXFQmzo-Ib2DSmQ7-e8IyaawmqLXVYRVi1jR9vpEfGLDlIa8fGWUbPwEG9Q8fTh64OFwYo5lMeRG1b1Vy3lffT74fzQbJSn17rtpqgpO6DV-OCX0hBzoAn30ml8swIuIHDGFaxCWcziU/s640/Deadhorse_map.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was envious of those drivers, since they got to travel so far and spend two days with their guests, visiting a place very few humans ever reach. On the other hand, that's an insane amount of driving. Could I have talked about nature and history for almost 500 miles of gravel road? Probably not. (During the school year, D and I sometimes drove south to visit his parents. Even with lots of great music to listen to, those 315 miles felt long enough.)<br />
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Still, someday I'd like to visit Deadhorse. There's not much to see- it's a tiny community that supports the <span class="st">Prudhoe Bay oil field- but I think the experience of being there would be cool. It's quite pricey, though. </span>One night at Deadhorse Camp will set you back $219. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSd_9TQeYS_z6HyBeQMvxRX12OrDhf7OrzWpo6xne-vp8G65mUKus6ikrfLpwhYRSddgRU6F4vK7ybsbIZ_KpVLHbS2P8A0EVvxhY5tknSCcfRyQvaR-i4ZUnjTG6C86iv2CrCAV0Cvh4/s1600/deadhorse_lodging_website.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="581" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSd_9TQeYS_z6HyBeQMvxRX12OrDhf7OrzWpo6xne-vp8G65mUKus6ikrfLpwhYRSddgRU6F4vK7ybsbIZ_KpVLHbS2P8A0EVvxhY5tknSCcfRyQvaR-i4ZUnjTG6C86iv2CrCAV0Cvh4/s640/deadhorse_lodging_website.png" width="640" /></a></div>
For an extra $70, the Camp will transport you all the way north to the Arctic Ocean. From their website: "Being a restricted access area, guests are able to make reservations to
go on a security guard-operated shuttle through the oil fields and out
to the coast of the Arctic Ocean."<br />
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If D and I make this trip someday, I think we'll skip the first part of the drive: Fairbanks to Coldfoot. He made the Arctic Circle drive with me on a ninety-bajillion-hour training run. (I was driving really slow.) After that, he said, "Thank you, never again." (It may also have had something to do with inescapable swarms of mosquitoes.) But Coldfoot to Deadhorse would be amazing. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-0lL9lYDVM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here's what it looks like in reverse</a>.</div>
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Until then, though, just looking back at pictures from that summer is enough. I'm glad that where we live now is so walkable!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HbXy2LCZZTj3PEUj7t0LMXSdo-h-MBE4A9DurzJRHE5SFNsMs43j1mnQSKUH72mdmfS5FEr27ykx-4FxTMn9DNn2cjUWjNyoJTULeXCXQZIVW7n9BaXiQD-C8Ozf87M5g4kUVlV_qE0/s1600/Alaska_road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HbXy2LCZZTj3PEUj7t0LMXSdo-h-MBE4A9DurzJRHE5SFNsMs43j1mnQSKUH72mdmfS5FEr27ykx-4FxTMn9DNn2cjUWjNyoJTULeXCXQZIVW7n9BaXiQD-C8Ozf87M5g4kUVlV_qE0/s640/Alaska_road.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out from Fairbanks.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwywesisIO1mAVQ6jCItB7xMKpLJMJbBXDZRLTUdyYn3STqDVIHbfpOeGLO9iP2N1BFlgFzheHsttZzEaWjpiRLPS-JjQs28JGEXg070sk9qVm3yg81v64y67Vl57XxQXoyuETkON1zs/s1600/dirty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwywesisIO1mAVQ6jCItB7xMKpLJMJbBXDZRLTUdyYn3STqDVIHbfpOeGLO9iP2N1BFlgFzheHsttZzEaWjpiRLPS-JjQs28JGEXg070sk9qVm3yg81v64y67Vl57XxQXoyuETkON1zs/s640/dirty.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At a rest stop heading north.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1EslRxKJu77kxNs7vIpQHHx_8741jh0Fm-rKXwc8VPsMLdSLkyYzcv_TT0hZiTCyQ2SnDMxLF4t_Osy66tVKjACclxiJ2ABaMXS7pC3Llsdqq0zrUN9dTV9h-eqIJwNxRz0ykLTE564/s1600/Yukon_river_view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1EslRxKJu77kxNs7vIpQHHx_8741jh0Fm-rKXwc8VPsMLdSLkyYzcv_TT0hZiTCyQ2SnDMxLF4t_Osy66tVKjACclxiJ2ABaMXS7pC3Llsdqq0zrUN9dTV9h-eqIJwNxRz0ykLTE564/s640/Yukon_river_view.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Yukon river.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMmHo-0G0vVNI_Ek7qb__jaE8djazHEx-o38caaKhZqQC26xw0Yn1KoOWtkhjBYXlRIv8KJaahp1dZi5Cwj6HjVoEkYL7RuzI1Lvl2bT1BusY4eZxmLjHwCYeo_N2_0oMXG6hR3SHT8c/s1600/tour_bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMmHo-0G0vVNI_Ek7qb__jaE8djazHEx-o38caaKhZqQC26xw0Yn1KoOWtkhjBYXlRIv8KJaahp1dZi5Cwj6HjVoEkYL7RuzI1Lvl2bT1BusY4eZxmLjHwCYeo_N2_0oMXG6hR3SHT8c/s640/tour_bus.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Would you like to drive this road someday?</b><br />
<b>What's been your most interesting summer job?</b><br />
<br />
<br />
PS: If you prefer cold Alaska, <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2016/06/cooling-off.html" target="_blank">read this post</a>. </div>
</div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-13877350225548046182017-09-14T04:19:00.003+03:002017-09-19T21:12:28.078+03:00Oregon to-do list<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm cleaning out some bookmarks today. Last winter, I cleaned out my bookmarks about Ukraine <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2017/01/10-rediscovered-links-about-ukraine.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Now it's Oregon's turn! <br />
<br />
We spend most of our time hanging around the state's largest city, Portland. It is quite pretty (and filled with bridges), but...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmzULUl1lAKaC04Bbgr1xGDpQ4DLl0l97KQVMeUAVvmzCrWefP_T2j2znT4uU572OcMr0C3V-OLcEVDnTiqp4wssqn0RbkTJmnfOKFp1_v7sNjaeoAs1htmfzVvzo3kg9P9J8GdJGlok/s1600/Portland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmzULUl1lAKaC04Bbgr1xGDpQ4DLl0l97KQVMeUAVvmzCrWefP_T2j2znT4uU572OcMr0C3V-OLcEVDnTiqp4wssqn0RbkTJmnfOKFp1_v7sNjaeoAs1htmfzVvzo3kg9P9J8GdJGlok/s640/Portland.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEI8wpChl7j90w2FSY9JUWJVRRf1XYf37sWDcp0vK04hMbx6OVS1JdNUzAIxfyIV43luJ2eJHWaohXdLBWZ9isUXTNQewSfPkY5ktgGCuVUot8OVA6bPjN8qWxWLLEcWuymMDC7t7N27M/s1600/Portland_river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEI8wpChl7j90w2FSY9JUWJVRRf1XYf37sWDcp0vK04hMbx6OVS1JdNUzAIxfyIV43luJ2eJHWaohXdLBWZ9isUXTNQewSfPkY5ktgGCuVUot8OVA6bPjN8qWxWLLEcWuymMDC7t7N27M/s640/Portland_river.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-ATEVjAQOj3PrLAy4SfLR9JIafSQfM6AoK-HwIm7B0wKwhAMW0RNsGGWtGN7UA4dZVl1SjdGkcLl7M4qpi6nwvu9ZzUbeTNhVzfKDFtc2g72YwdyT95rC1WYNKVbm3i6TZ_bUO32tLs/s1600/bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-ATEVjAQOj3PrLAy4SfLR9JIafSQfM6AoK-HwIm7B0wKwhAMW0RNsGGWtGN7UA4dZVl1SjdGkcLl7M4qpi6nwvu9ZzUbeTNhVzfKDFtc2g72YwdyT95rC1WYNKVbm3i6TZ_bUO32tLs/s640/bridge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EtmqU844hU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Finding Portland video</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8EtmqU844hU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8EtmqU844hU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
...there's a lot to be seen in other parts of the state, too. For example, here's a look at the Oregon coast...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-hGwtvtXCk&t" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oregon Coast video </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/M-hGwtvtXCk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M-hGwtvtXCk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
And here's a video that covers the entire state!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xviqK0uFx90" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oregon Aerial Journey video</a></div>
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<b><u>What to do in (and around) Oregon? </u></b><br />
<i>Here's a list to get you started. Some of these<b> </b>we've done. Others are things we want to try soon.<b><br /></b></i><br />
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Get on the bus: travel from Portland to Multnomah Falls ($5 RT) on the <a href="http://columbiagorgeexpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Columbia Gorge Express</a> or <a href="http://www.nworegontransit.org/passes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">head out to the coast on a 7-day pass</a> ($30).<br />
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Go to a <a href="https://www.smithtea.com/pages/retail" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tea tasting</a>, <a href="http://www.thomasandsonsdistillery.com/spirits" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">try liquor distilled from tea</a>, or reserve your spot for <a href="http://www.clockworkrosetea.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a steampunk high tea</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.portlandspirit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Take a river cruise on the Portland Spirit</a>.<br />
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Stay in one of <a href="https://kristidoespdx.com/2015/05/portlands-coolest-airbnb-rentals/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Portland's coolest Airbnb rentals</a>. <br />
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Visit <a href="http://reactor.reed.edu/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a nuclear reactor run by college students</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://worldoregon.org/international-visitors" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Invite international visitors over for dinner</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2016/09/speaking-russian-in-portland.html" target="_blank">Practice your Russian</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://redridgefarms.com/taste" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Explore an olive oil mill</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.woodenshoe.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wander around a tulip farm</a>. <br />
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<a href="https://www.macslist.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Find a non-profit job</a>.<br />
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Learn art from <a href="http://alisaburke.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">an amazing Oregon artist</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://tree2treeadventurepark.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Play in the trees</a> (and <a href="https://tree2treeadventurepark.com/Packages/TheGreatGetaway" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">add a wine tasting package + hotel stay</a>.)<br />
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<a href="http://craterlaketrolley.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ride a trolley around Crater Lake</a>.<br />
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Travel east to the <a href="http://traveloregon.com/see-do/attractions/outdoors-nature/painted-hills/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Painted Hills</a>, one of the state's 7 wonders.<br />
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Drive south toward the <a href="http://www.americansouthwest.net/oregon/southeast/pillars-of-rome1_l.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pillars of Rome</a>.<br />
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Take in <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-views-from-crown-point.html" target="_blank">the view from Crown Point</a>.<br />
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See <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2015/01/winter-waterfall.html" target="_blank">a famous waterfall</a> in winter.<br />
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<b>What's fun to do where you live? :) Leave me a comment!</b></div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-89519602898999645112017-09-12T03:28:00.000+03:002017-09-12T03:28:29.323+03:00No more blog, plenty more Ukraine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This blog is six years old... officially old enough to retire, haha. (But for real.)<br />
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Thank you very, very much for reading these past six years. Thank you to every person who ever sent an email or left a comment on a post! I hope that we'll keep in touch. :) There are still a few more posts in the works for this month, but I didn't want to make you read to the end to get the main idea of this post. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ957U2gQo9Keq98TDk0yuL-ATFO1I02aCcmiW6LHIqHcqiiorivAVF7skIwJqUwLUcUtQe9pj9nBTFNLG9meylIxSW6THVYfhMIiSOL6WqwntN1PZ_DXjlYWBk4mlBOW-1TKE49PZ4yY/s1600/Kharkiv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ957U2gQo9Keq98TDk0yuL-ATFO1I02aCcmiW6LHIqHcqiiorivAVF7skIwJqUwLUcUtQe9pj9nBTFNLG9meylIxSW6THVYfhMIiSOL6WqwntN1PZ_DXjlYWBk4mlBOW-1TKE49PZ4yY/s640/Kharkiv.jpg" width="490" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I swear I saw that same guy on the same bench 4 years ago, ha. (Sarzhin Yar, Kharkiv.)</td></tr>
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My friend sent this picture from Kharkiv last week. <br />
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So much has changed in her life in the past few years. When we met, she was teaching for 40 uah/hour ($5 USD/hour, at that time) at a local English school. She lived near the sickle-and-hammer-covered <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2012/04/and-metro-stop.html" target="_blank">Пролетарская</a> <i>(Proletariat)</i> metro stop. She and her husband owned the kind of apartment I'd only seen in movies: a long hallway, a single room for each family, and a lone kitchen shared by the entire floor.<br />
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Now she has a beautiful roly-poly baby with chubby cheeks instead of the teaching job. The Пролетарская metro has been rechristened Индустриальная (<i>Industrial</i>). Not long after that, my friend and her husband were finally able to sell their one-room, shared-kitchen home and move into a place with more privacy and space for the baby. <br />
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The picture she sent from her new place looks like the same old <a href="http://tldrify.com/o24" target="_blank">Sarzhin Yar</a> that I remember, but of course it's not. My friend looks the same on Skype (except for the postpartum dark circles), but she's also clearly a new version of herself. However, when I look at Ukraine, it sometimes confuses me. Is it a new place now? Is it the same place? Is it a mixture of both? Oregon is just too far away. My husband and I keep in touch with everyone in Kharkiv, but I have less and less to say here about it these days. <br />
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Fortunately, there are a lot of great people exploring Ukraine right now. They all have a passion for Ukraine, they're all (more or less) in the country, and they're all enthusiastic about sharing it.<br />
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For example, take a look at <a href="http://www.kathmanduandbeyond.com/travellers-a-to-z-of-ukraine/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">an A to Z of Ukraine</a> from Kathmandu and Beyond.<br />
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Follow along as Kate and Chris examine each of Kyiv's metro stops, starting with the <a href="http://whatkateandkrisdid.com/teatralna-metro-station-metro-monday/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Teatralna metro station</a>.<br />
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If you are curious about Dnipro, subscribe to <a href="https://lostlara.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lost Lara</a>.<br />
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If you'd rather read about life in the capital, try <a href="http://www.thewayfarersbook.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Wayfarer's Book</a> or <a href="http://www.alinukraineandtheworld.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Al in Ukraine</a>.<br />
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Prefer quieter places? Megan Starr, the grandmaster of inspiring travel adventures, just compiled <a href="https://www.meganstarr.com/places-visit-ukraine/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">18 Awesome Places to Visit in Ukraine (That Are Not Kyiv or Lviv)</a>.<br />
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Concrete and Kitsch roam the world's crumbling, concrete ruins and detail their experience in articles like <a href="http://www.concreteandkitsch.com/2017/08/06/soviet-hotel-ukraine/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Agony and the Ecstasy of the Soviet Hotel (in Ukraine)</a>.<br />
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Peter Santenello spent his summer living with a Ukrainian family, sharing stories on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Vuq4Q1bKFtAiKYlwRv3oA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">his YouTube channel</a>.<br />
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Finally, the best place <i>ever</i> to ask questions and get advice about Ukraine is in Kami's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/121053081614593/?fref=nf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Travel to Eastern Europe, the Balkans and former USSR</a> group on Facebook.<br />
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Like my friend with her baby, I've had some new life events too. One fun milestone is that I've been working as a Russian-English translator for almost a year. I use the language more often now than I ever did in Kharkiv. I'm still not great, but I'm getting better at it. The language has become a bigger part of life, filling some pieces of my heart that were left behind in Kharkiv. At first it was just a way to stay connected to Ukraine, but it has since become its own plot point. Every weekday I wake up and check my inbox for new assignments. I can calculate time zone differences instantly. Twice a week, I skype with a pensioner in central Asia to practice speaking Russian. (You can sign up for that free program <a href="https://www.lingualink-g.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>, by the way.) And when not translating or proofreading, I write about the language <a href="https://www.streetrussian.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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An illustrator friend in Kharkiv is helping with my first big language project: a book of themed word searches for students of Russian. When I told her the first theme was "Magical and Mythical Creatures", she drew this friendly little домовой. The details are perfect: the домовой is always hiding belongings (blame this guy when your keys go missing) and he could be the reason your cat is racing playfully around the room at midnight.<br />
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There are still a couple more posts I'd like to share here with you this September- some posts about Ukraine (and Ukrainian authors, fingers crossed!), some about other topics. And even when there will be no more 8 Months in Ukraine, there's plenty more Ukraine out there. The bloggers linked in this post are wonderful resources for all things Ukraine. Happy reading!</div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-75282683738573125782017-09-06T08:45:00.000+03:002017-09-06T08:47:14.056+03:00A day of smoke and ash<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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View of the city today:<br />
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What it usually looks like:<br />
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We scrubbed black soot off the window this morning. Little pieces of ash float through the air. Bicyclists wear masks. Pedestrians wrap their faces up with scarves. Everyone talks about the skies. It's uncomfortable, but it's nothing compared to what areas east of here are experiencing. There, both the highway and the river have been closed to traffic. Some of those counties have evacuation alerts in place already. The news is full of hopeful talk about rain tomorrow... or at least, a 25% chance of rain. Fingers crossed!</div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-50766075562237615632017-09-05T08:28:00.000+03:002017-09-05T08:28:58.351+03:00It's hot here.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">City beach, today.</td></tr>
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This is very strange for Portland.<br />
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School just started, but students are getting out early tomorrow because of "extended hot weather." It's not just the heat; there's so much smoke around that the sun burns a neon red (when it's even visible). Most of the schools don't have AC, so they would normally open windows to cool the building off... but all the smoke means there's an air quality alert and the windows have to stay closed. As the thermometers approach 100F tomorrow, children will head home.<br />
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Today's headline: <a href="http://www.wweek.com/news/2017/09/04/ash-falls-like-snow-across-portland-as-wildfire-tears-through-the-columbia-river-gorge/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ash Falls Like Snow Across Portland as Wildfire Tears Through the Columbia River Gorge</a>. (Also, <a href="http://whereinthegorge.com/">whereinthegorge.com</a>.)<br />
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I don't know what the kids will do with their free time, but a lot of the adults escaped to the coast this weekend. A holiday weekend + 20 degree temperature drop near the ocean + less smoke = exodus. Facebook is full of beach sunset photos and sighs of relief: "<i>it's only in the 80s out here</i>."<br />
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We did not join the weekend stampede to the coast. These pictures are from a chilly day in June, stashed away for a hot day like today.<br />
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What's it like right now where you are? </div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-15601947217601600462017-08-26T02:15:00.001+03:002017-08-26T02:55:03.509+03:00A Kyiv summer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Summertime in Kyiv in a single photo! :) Isn't it perfect?<br />
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PS: Not my photo. It was taken by a friend of a friend- thank you for letting me share it here!<br />
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PPS: If you haven't already seen this on Facebook, here's an interesting summer read: <a href="http://blog.chemonics.com/the-market-system-behind-the-watermelons-that-launched-1%2C000-memes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>How 250 tons of Ukrainian watermelons took over the internet this summer</i></a><i>.</i> </div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-74511419231096411022017-08-18T23:01:00.000+03:002017-08-18T23:01:13.823+03:00Summer Snapshots<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
First, what I'm sure you've been waiting for, haha... Кит: summer edition.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>We hardly see him anymore, since he's usually hiding out in a cool spot. (It was 105F the other week!) When he does show up, he usually looks like this-<br />
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Also, Operation Handsome Cat happened. He's still holding a grudge about that ribbon.<br />
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Portland had 57 days of no rain at all. It was nice... nice... nice... okay, this is getting really weird... even weirder... finally, a few raindrops.<br />
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I didn't get any translation tasks for a couple of weeks (everyone went on vacation?), which meant lots of time for walking around and looking for interesting things. Best finds so far: a new Indian restaurant, a free Aveda facial, and the current Russian-language magazines at the library.<br />
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We took a friend to Качка for her birthday. There was sproti, salo, pelmeni, shuba salat, zhugulovskoe beer, and the last dill flower vodka of the year.<br />
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The solar eclipse is coming up in a few days, and everyone is going crazy. If the skies are clear, Portland will get a 95-99% view of the eclipse. Cities just a little further south will be directly in the path of totality. The last count I heard mentioned that <i>one million</i> tourists are expected to visit Oregon to see the eclipse.<br />
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Last up, fun mail from a penpal!<br />
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How is your summer going?</div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-6630563165586392392017-08-16T06:45:00.002+03:002017-08-16T06:45:31.533+03:00Crimean road trip, part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The final pictures from my student's road trip this spring...<br />
(<a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2017/08/crimean-road-trip-part-i.html" target="_blank">Part I is here</a>.)<br />
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The end.</div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-17995673035245933772017-08-14T23:11:00.000+03:002017-08-16T06:41:30.028+03:00Crimean road trip, part I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Imagine:<br />
Early spring near the sea.<br />
You.<br />
A motorcycle.<br />
An open road before you.<br />
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A former student lives in Simferopol and owns a motorcycle, which means
awesome road trips all around the Crimean peninsula. I asked him if I could share some of his pictures here, since Crimea is beautiful and he's covered a lot of ground on his bike this year. (Thanks for agreeing, Sergey!)<br />
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He took these
pictures in April-May 2017. You'll notice trees still dull from winter
and the deserted beaches of early spring. I left the pictures in the order he took them on his travels. He sent so many pictures that I'll share the other half with you in a later post. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrPB9P17DwiLMo7U6Wyt8xk6lS0kMwAP4RmXyG3N7pRb87HmMJSJyaBPkj-bQxw_8sMRvnHz3ZbO89q5Df9aQUqjBCUL_Kw1934532NkkhyphenhyphenicGGJt0bc9RV7eDMF6jHE6moY31hXerPg/s1600/Crimea_road_trip3_church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="800" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrPB9P17DwiLMo7U6Wyt8xk6lS0kMwAP4RmXyG3N7pRb87HmMJSJyaBPkj-bQxw_8sMRvnHz3ZbO89q5Df9aQUqjBCUL_Kw1934532NkkhyphenhyphenicGGJt0bc9RV7eDMF6jHE6moY31hXerPg/s640/Crimea_road_trip3_church.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Храм-маяк Николая Чудотворца. <i>The temple-lighthouse of St. Nikolai, worker of miracles.</i> <span class="st">Malorechenskoe, Crimea.<i><br /></i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ntELhIiYYxJij4rJGiYeev1zm2zaMUtuNSVV5V5bDdPbOXN7_y5Zgztqj6ZjhomUdk6PZkdBcqEzkDaDjkRDUyjXOr4eFB2shxfWpiip4q_z4xDlbOvSqhcHyqCfoIY6yhyphenhyphenGgDG1JEQ/s1600/Malorechenskoe_St_Nikolai_church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="800" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ntELhIiYYxJij4rJGiYeev1zm2zaMUtuNSVV5V5bDdPbOXN7_y5Zgztqj6ZjhomUdk6PZkdBcqEzkDaDjkRDUyjXOr4eFB2shxfWpiip4q_z4xDlbOvSqhcHyqCfoIY6yhyphenhyphenGgDG1JEQ/s640/Malorechenskoe_St_Nikolai_church.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Black Sea!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0n15ayDP5xNW-xIdt4iXIlxAUk8_iTn0WX0X6lRbgXDRAZqi1sVozzrjUBtKTG5zNgbMFk20DtWmgzaPDgz3tiTqJHWw1vRAsuhVeyuKpeVUlXygfAwfNataGef7YWWMpBRFniWJ6ew/s1600/Malorechenskoe_Crimea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="800" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0n15ayDP5xNW-xIdt4iXIlxAUk8_iTn0WX0X6lRbgXDRAZqi1sVozzrjUBtKTG5zNgbMFk20DtWmgzaPDgz3tiTqJHWw1vRAsuhVeyuKpeVUlXygfAwfNataGef7YWWMpBRFniWJ6ew/s640/Malorechenskoe_Crimea.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="st">Malorechenskoe, a resort village on the southern shore of Crimea.<i><br /></i></span></td></tr>
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To be continued...<br />
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Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-29023375634064908882017-07-29T01:16:00.002+03:002017-07-29T01:19:25.693+03:00Oregon fun runs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26F_oUL9yNVDxiC3z0H14gvJjzUCTAQgUcybRAr8gmiud1ekhmywZDvCjhHVd0_ZpP2jrbeVw2ih8F-OwxACn6VDgR4Zpgo7eSfFNxEm0c9euooLdqmL7_0iRr75Up2jH0_OyMVT8lGY/s1600/mud_run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26F_oUL9yNVDxiC3z0H14gvJjzUCTAQgUcybRAr8gmiud1ekhmywZDvCjhHVd0_ZpP2jrbeVw2ih8F-OwxACn6VDgR4Zpgo7eSfFNxEm0c9euooLdqmL7_0iRr75Up2jH0_OyMVT8lGY/s640/mud_run.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I just realized that D and I haven't done any fun runs this year. Ack! And half the summer is already gone! We've done a run each year since moving to Oregon, and the plan was to do another one this year. The first run was an easy one (lots of little kids running alongside us, haha). Last year's run was tougher and dirtier. But this year? Nothing. I better sign us up for something before the weather changes.<br />
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Here's a look at the 2 runs we did. Can you recommend another run to try?<br />
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Bubble Run 2015</h3>
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Sasha, a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine once upon a time, came to town with her best friend Katie. We had a whole weekend of events planned, starting with the Bubble Run. Running this course was the equivalent of drinking 6 red bulls!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmhYgDsLOPcEz-wEwyRSvkpqtfhSUESe9oAZ1j3PQ3iPqCYR1bB10Kdf4vQqn8IRihVi2H-wLrqClriw2vjQnjsN6ccSufex8fRjbUHn2t8gShm8yDWJc-0dnHxqjAvIi1S1ZZMnIhRo/s1600/portland_bubble_run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmhYgDsLOPcEz-wEwyRSvkpqtfhSUESe9oAZ1j3PQ3iPqCYR1bB10Kdf4vQqn8IRihVi2H-wLrqClriw2vjQnjsN6ccSufex8fRjbUHn2t8gShm8yDWJc-0dnHxqjAvIi1S1ZZMnIhRo/s640/portland_bubble_run.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pV3xgGY8oFbWPZeHsBG_VkXXrohxCJb8haiGSL_DYtmY5jLyKkeZdO0imXEwl8DodK-R84SC8qXLe_vxD7p2AmWqJJh1xNS_exzOtV9rE-9Qa89jORBZkkzsA9rOm-f6gQlC6cDVjHc/s1600/Kit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="800" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pV3xgGY8oFbWPZeHsBG_VkXXrohxCJb8haiGSL_DYtmY5jLyKkeZdO0imXEwl8DodK-R84SC8qXLe_vxD7p2AmWqJJh1xNS_exzOtV9rE-9Qa89jORBZkkzsA9rOm-f6gQlC6cDVjHc/s640/Kit.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy did not participate but still got gear. ;)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h3 class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Terrain Race 2016</h3>
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While the Bubble Run was fun, but it's almost like you come out cleaner than when you start. Terrain Racing was the total opposite, and I loved it! Here were a few of the obstacles:</div>
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Slide, mud pit, climb, slide.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxe7AadEMwsim-dO9P0nrzAjwql5aQpEO_J9scA2O_QFRWRXaKb2hftoVP8iiUvSvjQh40_nr44fomkAFojaePI0I86oQuAqXHJyrwFnXY2t7ze0YjJbQLh4yjD22B2To5QmGaHYKR38/s1600/mud_pit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxe7AadEMwsim-dO9P0nrzAjwql5aQpEO_J9scA2O_QFRWRXaKb2hftoVP8iiUvSvjQh40_nr44fomkAFojaePI0I86oQuAqXHJyrwFnXY2t7ze0YjJbQLh4yjD22B2To5QmGaHYKR38/s640/mud_pit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4bIfE2W1SFukO72MIEDDc003GYG7zfx55lZny6FkJk1tXfX9f1HGqKK5HAxi4DMMFCaM50hPfWugVChe_wTkoXwjfvWkiMWieYkspuQ_ceIcX8oyaI6bjwWqpE5luimy3-VexQWBzo/s1600/D_mud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4bIfE2W1SFukO72MIEDDc003GYG7zfx55lZny6FkJk1tXfX9f1HGqKK5HAxi4DMMFCaM50hPfWugVChe_wTkoXwjfvWkiMWieYkspuQ_ceIcX8oyaI6bjwWqpE5luimy3-VexQWBzo/s640/D_mud.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY53PU2-ykRCntd1Oq-lxFRP3XMh52oZZNq_dLOwLLh1jpgZmVrzdvkc530mjNmgc2efuukEj31ptuiz9U90dFjkmh-ujrHKArIo6vjMWyiPITRTlwPguhTDPYQC_nmjvTuRUjFJRAAe8/s1600/mud3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY53PU2-ykRCntd1Oq-lxFRP3XMh52oZZNq_dLOwLLh1jpgZmVrzdvkc530mjNmgc2efuukEj31ptuiz9U90dFjkmh-ujrHKArIo6vjMWyiPITRTlwPguhTDPYQC_nmjvTuRUjFJRAAe8/s640/mud3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyxzIARc-7476b4WfzmSTudu9BeFrl5eHerXzZEiRRDyQ-oC2Vp0xqNhBGmxcCz46_CUvI7-fgK0RAL5Nb2RWq4-zr0WmtSHNFFz8cbb-3Vbvdx0FRpKeMh3MI6y8cZhk0IhbS7VTy20/s1600/D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyxzIARc-7476b4WfzmSTudu9BeFrl5eHerXzZEiRRDyQ-oC2Vp0xqNhBGmxcCz46_CUvI7-fgK0RAL5Nb2RWq4-zr0WmtSHNFFz8cbb-3Vbvdx0FRpKeMh3MI6y8cZhk0IhbS7VTy20/s640/D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The lake.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYaCBKJRNxE_yhIOxHUdnfMNefvFbmSdKcshT3gmQmwU98tcr3hzB1V81bet-0XWGv-IkYSFWJgO1cfNH_a4oMa3VC4-HLI0h9c9L-BSCzq5NRDAnqc86RIxa-hJuGDf9BjogJOozVOQ/s1600/D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYaCBKJRNxE_yhIOxHUdnfMNefvFbmSdKcshT3gmQmwU98tcr3hzB1V81bet-0XWGv-IkYSFWJgO1cfNH_a4oMa3VC4-HLI0h9c9L-BSCzq5NRDAnqc86RIxa-hJuGDf9BjogJOozVOQ/s640/D.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go around or go over?</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9KJ88LHLKJWSD6b5y9IbYLjvPIqMJeIRRf0PwjZc7bv9K7s5dxQMlsEaPvGMo2esrB4t-n1hVdfAZ9uLv7saOgTIulCI7j-QC86Cn7_OUhNSuuE1Enyoym6WqPWJcpSd7-mb0HbTdUQ/s1600/D2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9KJ88LHLKJWSD6b5y9IbYLjvPIqMJeIRRf0PwjZc7bv9K7s5dxQMlsEaPvGMo2esrB4t-n1hVdfAZ9uLv7saOgTIulCI7j-QC86Cn7_OUhNSuuE1Enyoym6WqPWJcpSd7-mb0HbTdUQ/s640/D2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZft4R447OqsEbFcWEP4AKW6fIHdWzRZomBC6bRzjeXIUNNA42YK72HiSlrS9HWCezclV9A4lyppwKgUTNwBDSK4OFINPgnrH91D3VdTPEJAgjKqXbi7dUnxeKudiLKegsDAD3RL8jww/s1600/D3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZft4R447OqsEbFcWEP4AKW6fIHdWzRZomBC6bRzjeXIUNNA42YK72HiSlrS9HWCezclV9A4lyppwKgUTNwBDSK4OFINPgnrH91D3VdTPEJAgjKqXbi7dUnxeKudiLKegsDAD3RL8jww/s640/D3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A rope climb. Not going to lie, it felt kind of intimidating up at the top.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWsKZMGHberNd2YRoHfaokBiZlVgfCLqSTcd5ei-Ox4BiuomT8hdGstmHQlM8rPHU2k2BpqKAxO9eEwRvmJCjbZ6ziY66WqvfDlS_xYKRODhBL5i_itvMQILoM_WjjNm_baeZw_3bYh7k/s1600/climb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWsKZMGHberNd2YRoHfaokBiZlVgfCLqSTcd5ei-Ox4BiuomT8hdGstmHQlM8rPHU2k2BpqKAxO9eEwRvmJCjbZ6ziY66WqvfDlS_xYKRODhBL5i_itvMQILoM_WjjNm_baeZw_3bYh7k/s640/climb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6f3xsTDF33DZu8HK03_NYsjyJdcSNTCfllYo_SX5AybOgxE6s1tozgiml22cQG2cQrmFWLQHgS4OVtiCM6c6oEpVSE0oDFMZN56gRX9opNd7UHctquG-4ccsnJx5teps89ajhcoyQEE/s1600/top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6f3xsTDF33DZu8HK03_NYsjyJdcSNTCfllYo_SX5AybOgxE6s1tozgiml22cQG2cQrmFWLQHgS4OVtiCM6c6oEpVSE0oDFMZN56gRX9opNd7UHctquG-4ccsnJx5teps89ajhcoyQEE/s640/top.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D crossing over.</td></tr>
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There were so many crazy obstacles in the race- monkey bars, balance beams, cargo nets, and lots of heavy-duty climbing. I had to pass on the wall climb, for example, but D managed to get up the rope and over the wall. It was also really cool how the race was out in the countryside. You could take a break at any time and just hang out in a random field.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvkfe0zhjm2OzfFkphl0d7XPnnEZnGi3WkE1y5TQbyDouEl8P3dzbI1Vf3EqIIV0R-VAgXvbTzNRjicHADzkby03mXogvvjw8RxSq-gBxXWOi_H8QacpacMbY1vblYr6DjawpVZU6ghM/s1600/mud_run_after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="601" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvkfe0zhjm2OzfFkphl0d7XPnnEZnGi3WkE1y5TQbyDouEl8P3dzbI1Vf3EqIIV0R-VAgXvbTzNRjicHADzkby03mXogvvjw8RxSq-gBxXWOi_H8QacpacMbY1vblYr6DjawpVZU6ghM/s640/mud_run_after.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
2017.... ?</h3>
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There's another Bubble Run coming up next month<i> </i>and there's also <a href="http://www.racetheinferno.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Inferno</a>, an extreme obstacle challenge this September in Salem, Oregon. I really want to try something like the Tough Mudder eventually, but it's out of state this year and over $100 for a ticket. Doesn't it look awesome, though?!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z1Z_JVQVUgY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z1Z_JVQVUgY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1Z_JVQVUgY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">video</span></a></div>
<br />
So, Bubble Run or The Inferno? Hmmmm. Stay tuned! ;)<br />
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Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-26934912646513781232017-07-20T02:17:00.002+03:002017-07-20T02:43:15.753+03:00Ukraine, now.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnqQyazalN06CyuRvqKWNufY_9hiLhqpvvdWgTH0mSCWv2c-VOr9LAvXNWd1hnbe1heN4GqjCudnpZzxyLM0uJVp_SjLab7f3F6XkWOtKngoj2H3BP6Q-XsMwGlESv_8sglMgjcuU638/s1600/Kharkiv_riverbank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="800" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnqQyazalN06CyuRvqKWNufY_9hiLhqpvvdWgTH0mSCWv2c-VOr9LAvXNWd1hnbe1heN4GqjCudnpZzxyLM0uJVp_SjLab7f3F6XkWOtKngoj2H3BP6Q-XsMwGlESv_8sglMgjcuU638/s640/Kharkiv_riverbank.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I'm sure you've seen Ukraine in the news recently. Again.<br />
<br />
This post is not about that.<br />
<br />
It's not about political maneuvers.<br />
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It's not about doom and gloom.<br />
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It's even not about all the cool reasons you should visit the country. (And what's up with Ukraine bloggers nowadays? Why are there suddenly so many amazing ones, and where on Earth were they hiding before?)<br />
<br />
Instead, this post is a odd roundup of things that have shown up in my inbox lately. I'd be surprised if you've heard of them... but let me know if you have! <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
To start, Verge.zp.ua reported this: <i>New Water Tragedy Almost Happened in <span class="st">Zaporizhzhya</span> Oblast</i>. What <i>almost</i> happened? On June 29th, two <span class="_xdb"></span><span class="_Xbe">Prymorsk vacationers</span> found themselves swept out to sea on a... mattress. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQVPPe9cEVKOLNSt-DSqGk3ZfHJ1ApCTElWgZ-0MHZIh__6nRvhWra-DfahM7IV641iuRt7Da9hvJaxY9i9c0IhUfzo3FpUQcrRsUVbPCxjPiinYMNAD-lLgzD-ci1Qmgj8K8vwHBYMg/s1600/Ukraine_news.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="531" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQVPPe9cEVKOLNSt-DSqGk3ZfHJ1ApCTElWgZ-0MHZIh__6nRvhWra-DfahM7IV641iuRt7Da9hvJaxY9i9c0IhUfzo3FpUQcrRsUVbPCxjPiinYMNAD-lLgzD-ci1Qmgj8K8vwHBYMg/s400/Ukraine_news.png" width="336" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://verge.zp.ua/2017/06/30/%D0%B2-%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B6%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9-%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8-%D1%87%D1%83%D1%82%D1%8C-%D0%BD%D0%B5-%D1%81%D0%BB%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Source</a>.</td></tr>
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The happy ending: they were rescued by the Coast Guard, phew.<br />
<br />
I'm quite curious about the definition of <i>mattress</i> (<b>матрас</b>). It's an air mattress, right? Or is it some kind of actual water-intended float? I ask because I've seen this joke floating around the internet recently...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSV87XQMHkagHG7ocxkKE-9oi6kuQhMj1xE4SZL2-Ua5cGMNitmYsAx-nL8wpearE9ELTw87wlicL4NkdmNhzR1Fhzl6JOF6RjN5P40jHki-qKjl-n2L4zrvOZf75EyLnZuD5qUKyhQkA/s1600/meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="791" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSV87XQMHkagHG7ocxkKE-9oi6kuQhMj1xE4SZL2-Ua5cGMNitmYsAx-nL8wpearE9ELTw87wlicL4NkdmNhzR1Fhzl6JOF6RjN5P40jHki-qKjl-n2L4zrvOZf75EyLnZuD5qUKyhQkA/s400/meme.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I bought a new air mattress. In 11 languages, it reads "Not intended for
floating!" In Russian, it reads "Hold on to the handles when floating."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Moving on...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sgeInzLcrFOoFwSjO4W3Wah7i_BNKEZAbfoKfQ829lzEo6a-ogH9yDU0upOT6QTC6bkBXnWWJg1bn43Ee4XEBVWmzXlY84dw8P_xG0Uc4XDUouuQvZj_GkWIEedOOVOp2OHZQDbpciU/s1600/Odessa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="800" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sgeInzLcrFOoFwSjO4W3Wah7i_BNKEZAbfoKfQ829lzEo6a-ogH9yDU0upOT6QTC6bkBXnWWJg1bn43Ee4XEBVWmzXlY84dw8P_xG0Uc4XDUouuQvZj_GkWIEedOOVOp2OHZQDbpciU/s640/Odessa.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few days ago in Odessa, Ukraine.</td></tr>
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One of my Canadian friends is in Odessa this month. He posted this picture on Facebook the other day with the caption, "Every day the same amount of people out in front of my place at the passport office."<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, rabota.ua (a popular site for finding Ukrainian jobs) just published a new article called <b>Как безвиз может изменить украинский рынок труда: результаты опроса</b>, <i>How the No-Visa Regime Might Change Ukraine's Labor Market: Survey Results</i>. 750 people were polled for this survey.<br />
<br />
In response to the question "Do you know that the visa-free regime doesn't allow you to work abroad?", 94% of the people surveyed answered yes.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, in response to "Would you like to work abroad?"<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>41% said they'd like to leave Ukraine forever (yellow)</li>
<li>38% said they'd like to go abroad and eventually return to Ukraine (orange)</li>
<li>16% said they were already doing fine in Ukraine (green)</li>
<li>5% said it'd be impossible to build a career in a foreign place (blue)</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3IC0YJf8M40QCP4Ze4QesNeMaCaN4AnkbpguzXFe1xAG_2pL0Wyu_5Jut5_bnZft4EgajqVUUS_bHajk9fE56o5u1fkMAhuFCnXjXcgTF2SGBYcggwyZt8FhTX4YewTGT4eHMovfU8s/s1600/survey.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="548" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3IC0YJf8M40QCP4Ze4QesNeMaCaN4AnkbpguzXFe1xAG_2pL0Wyu_5Jut5_bnZft4EgajqVUUS_bHajk9fE56o5u1fkMAhuFCnXjXcgTF2SGBYcggwyZt8FhTX4YewTGT4eHMovfU8s/s320/survey.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blog.rabota.ua/kak-bezvyz-mozhet-yzmenyt-ukraynskyy-rynok-truda-rezultaty-oprosa/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Source</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
And finally, two (new? newish?) pieces of art.<br />
<br />
The "Born in Kyiv Club" shared a picture of this mural along Kyiv's Kharkiv Highway. I think it's both beautiful and terribly, terribly sad. What do you think of it?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqw6_TS6Z-DOgiYTx0QjuT7fgne1_wzyadSADxXsBgcA3WTphM23R3YZXG7kuQB940V6hwMYbFqFLATcE-CoUCy2v-SWHQ5Tt5XmB6MZBof__sg37ywEn382aMmFfPy4FslPHWOlNwPE/s1600/Kyiv_mural.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="455" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqw6_TS6Z-DOgiYTx0QjuT7fgne1_wzyadSADxXsBgcA3WTphM23R3YZXG7kuQB940V6hwMYbFqFLATcE-CoUCy2v-SWHQ5Tt5XmB6MZBof__sg37ywEn382aMmFfPy4FslPHWOlNwPE/s640/Kyiv_mural.png" width="572" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/kiev.klab/photos/a.811901695505484.1073741827.811897972172523/1717194981642813/?type=3&theater" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Source</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And a friend spotted this mural near Kharkiv's Central Market. Cool, right?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDukXjw9hhE9gbcekNkw0GOh3JzdUyBHCqmlFCbPfbQ90gpXpW31fvWExiVceGurPoyiB3dUWJT0_8swEfZ0_pfZBxfrYVj712NGKQMzCY4xZ1nqbqJUSm_uJNetVZM2LIBRl8X4-JpIE/s1600/Kharkiv_mural.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="800" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDukXjw9hhE9gbcekNkw0GOh3JzdUyBHCqmlFCbPfbQ90gpXpW31fvWExiVceGurPoyiB3dUWJT0_8swEfZ0_pfZBxfrYVj712NGKQMzCY4xZ1nqbqJUSm_uJNetVZM2LIBRl8X4-JpIE/s640/Kharkiv_mural.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"All problems come from thinking about them." At least, that's my take on it...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you've read anything cool / unusual about Ukraine lately, please link it below. :)</div>
</div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-63125379943971569642017-07-17T23:13:00.000+03:002017-07-17T23:16:18.391+03:00Three good things<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
At the beginning of July, <a href="https://www.streetrussian.com/interview-russian-with-a-political-scientist/" target="_blank">a friend</a> took off to spend another summer doing research in Nizhny Novgorod. I was a bit bummed to not be there this time, so instead I set up a skype date with her (vicarious adventuring) and then made <i>a</i> <i>whole</i> <i>bunch</i> of plans for the month (like joining a gym + a coworking space and hiring a marketing specialist for my language blog). Halfway through July, this plan of "staying busy" is working. Here are three really nice things that have happened recently...<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
#1. Odin!</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguA63ISR9ZldBOHLGKJSBmmgFvk2gP0R_iA2itH2Xm80kAixj_2jTA7g0izu1DA6mvyYgqzphEZsAs5t2gWtJrxDCAM4-ndKWQLm3iYfoGqbhXcQLz12_F1iiPn1-BblegV-X1EMh7MvY/s1600/Odin_tshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguA63ISR9ZldBOHLGKJSBmmgFvk2gP0R_iA2itH2Xm80kAixj_2jTA7g0izu1DA6mvyYgqzphEZsAs5t2gWtJrxDCAM4-ndKWQLm3iYfoGqbhXcQLz12_F1iiPn1-BblegV-X1EMh7MvY/s640/Odin_tshirt.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Odin came to town! Best summer present EVER. Now he's a sociology grad student in Alaska, but he still speaks Russian really well... and he even showed up in this Chukotka t-shirt. We had a long double date- Odin, his girlfriend, D, me- with lots of pizza + wine. Even though we only meet up every couple of years, he's still one of my favorite people on the planet. Who else would be comfortable teaching English in a remote Siberian village in 2007 and getting paid in reindeer meat when the school ran low on actual cash? There's no one like Odin. ;)<br />
<br />
(One of Odin's stories: <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2013/11/life-among-reindeer-herders.html" target="_blank">Life among the reindeer herders in summer 2013</a>. Here are a few of his photos...)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCg1YuPkhNgMJ6oMb58RogMEzwe81WyBNJ9RuSstfvSbZeoEAjMsFArTOt_w-hd8a4VlYRV88l81JwF4QVwBHIPmJ4okQh959KcrGcao4xoIhFblB1QE_qrds1iWy0PnARSqtDzsOpHOU/s1600/the_center_of_asia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="640" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCg1YuPkhNgMJ6oMb58RogMEzwe81WyBNJ9RuSstfvSbZeoEAjMsFArTOt_w-hd8a4VlYRV88l81JwF4QVwBHIPmJ4okQh959KcrGcao4xoIhFblB1QE_qrds1iWy0PnARSqtDzsOpHOU/s640/the_center_of_asia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odin in the Tuva Republic, 2013.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgik3iFP6lUU_uka1lFHCYNNgbxizIi865-GsglZmRM2gt5hHFGcqLwreK-qELdWQoQMe59uLiPYEBNJd6iF5rZv4hWJOhh1daB5E1S-EKnEq5AnEWV37h-9w2a7ovTL_eIZpJXEhsDbac/s1600/with_the_reindeer_herders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgik3iFP6lUU_uka1lFHCYNNgbxizIi865-GsglZmRM2gt5hHFGcqLwreK-qELdWQoQMe59uLiPYEBNJd6iF5rZv4hWJOhh1daB5E1S-EKnEq5AnEWV37h-9w2a7ovTL_eIZpJXEhsDbac/s640/with_the_reindeer_herders.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odin with a family of reindeer herders, 2013.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxnT9otjnf_xXF2-BM5BC-sMm4_iSkdr8pw3dkwpQ0EY-2YnLMbd8scYxrfl_qgUikhjOLblXTVeznFMtR8Rt3SxVUuXxOZ29MSmt3TaNfyuo3GZW7n-U2Gt3kFOGrRAxiu2pXSxkCEg/s1600/boy_riding_reindeer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxnT9otjnf_xXF2-BM5BC-sMm4_iSkdr8pw3dkwpQ0EY-2YnLMbd8scYxrfl_qgUikhjOLblXTVeznFMtR8Rt3SxVUuXxOZ29MSmt3TaNfyuo3GZW7n-U2Gt3kFOGrRAxiu2pXSxkCEg/s640/boy_riding_reindeer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuktug-ool, a 6 year old boy, learning the art of reindeer herding, 2013.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
#2. A Perfect Summer Walk</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9egWv4sT56QBFjPNnSuPmH5Jkat59py1Y0P0CF6Xdz9cmTo-4Nyd4rbQn1RKEwcjBu84H7DL0no1Yz9fwC2KJVahoLRWMRelYLZ19tKIpg6YMu_8BfzPC4HJ-biJNGBuVwz5fAW6DnU/s1600/waterfront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9egWv4sT56QBFjPNnSuPmH5Jkat59py1Y0P0CF6Xdz9cmTo-4Nyd4rbQn1RKEwcjBu84H7DL0no1Yz9fwC2KJVahoLRWMRelYLZ19tKIpg6YMu_8BfzPC4HJ-biJNGBuVwz5fAW6DnU/s640/waterfront.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Portland is finally having a stretch of flawless weather. We went from rainnnnnnn (145 days of rain between October and April) to 100F days (June). But today, the sky is unending blue. The temperature will top out this afternoon at a pleasant 81F. Yesterday was so nice that we ended up on a long walk, starting in the city center and heading south along the Willamette river. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmbSg_HyDbPYxlNhcv-7oi3gb0yeBkGTTVLF5dVfG9N0R8nZ_kW184vWE40BwgNrAd-wKLPSjJb5my4iaW9__rrlvRjk4kIv9D2jIQO4KfqLhmAI19qVTPXoYmePLZn_Pc_s4FiQvmR8/s1600/blackberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmbSg_HyDbPYxlNhcv-7oi3gb0yeBkGTTVLF5dVfG9N0R8nZ_kW184vWE40BwgNrAd-wKLPSjJb5my4iaW9__rrlvRjk4kIv9D2jIQO4KfqLhmAI19qVTPXoYmePLZn_Pc_s4FiQvmR8/s640/blackberries.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMizdKxDlx1CV5KQ31wSAkceaNMdXCwaaxDIWFghy17pOXD-9mdUHlDBgAbx5_6SvlijHDqLujTLv4E53wfWcHmyhBBh9dNaEXm4-ukfqsMR5PHAwoPoBaNc1cPXhTA2lJqFpk3cp1Ug/s1600/berry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMizdKxDlx1CV5KQ31wSAkceaNMdXCwaaxDIWFghy17pOXD-9mdUHlDBgAbx5_6SvlijHDqLujTLv4E53wfWcHmyhBBh9dNaEXm4-ukfqsMR5PHAwoPoBaNc1cPXhTA2lJqFpk3cp1Ug/s640/berry.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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D found ripe blackberries. People rode alongside us on <a href="https://www.biketownpdx.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bright orange Nike bikes</a>. Families spread out picnic lunches on the tiny beaches. Marina parking lots were filled with cars, and sailboats wove themselves up and down the river. This is as close to perfection as it gets, unless we could magically teleport to Kharkiv this very minute.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-n8JLPNUsa3D4GrH0MdhZaaCiw8wgt20I5z3lwSzBCiCC0v3qk4D3hTQUDKiyG076HlzP9WYzTlhfgte8ogJn7hfITg6Eb2ftQ8YIVxERdMJhyphenhyphenYflVtJE_6YHIG43yIUvaz2TFHmRLD8/s1600/stones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-n8JLPNUsa3D4GrH0MdhZaaCiw8wgt20I5z3lwSzBCiCC0v3qk4D3hTQUDKiyG076HlzP9WYzTlhfgte8ogJn7hfITg6Eb2ftQ8YIVxERdMJhyphenhyphenYflVtJE_6YHIG43yIUvaz2TFHmRLD8/s640/stones.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBmeV1_-Da7aVH0dcKNVr4cvQi1uv5QxlnJQ41XI4aNBFKpC5mbpxidUQfAyDYHlpIhEz9ha-nCTimHy8HSEFxzrZ8CUpogEUfFzR90inW3uicUcajrCVjIxi2fW7GxmjpahVxVx8SlQ/s1600/walk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="1205" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBmeV1_-Da7aVH0dcKNVr4cvQi1uv5QxlnJQ41XI4aNBFKpC5mbpxidUQfAyDYHlpIhEz9ha-nCTimHy8HSEFxzrZ8CUpogEUfFzR90inW3uicUcajrCVjIxi2fW7GxmjpahVxVx8SlQ/s640/walk.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQA5QBz9ksomTDCmjadFCoeeGMQ5ieomHzB4ZqIsPn1ivwbCbEW4HCg5Lb7VwS-PTWrTfCf_Pjq65eR3RAtNZ9zzAr4xk9gqaGSyMbfTldRwTzcFXdkaiI5vUDh0tQtl4UES3D8VAOO8/s1600/fence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQA5QBz9ksomTDCmjadFCoeeGMQ5ieomHzB4ZqIsPn1ivwbCbEW4HCg5Lb7VwS-PTWrTfCf_Pjq65eR3RAtNZ9zzAr4xk9gqaGSyMbfTldRwTzcFXdkaiI5vUDh0tQtl4UES3D8VAOO8/s640/fence.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tCX9lDquxVhy4oqc0xht4DAeKFpD54grZjzIpxszrnS00c5wfKepikPluWv6DtJo_9TK-gBfEZTTaFzFZxUykTVA42vi7uyiN-Qcjm2DXQ6MPiB5usvc91q_xVtFJjVQw0ldB6Nx9GM/s1600/cool_house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="800" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tCX9lDquxVhy4oqc0xht4DAeKFpD54grZjzIpxszrnS00c5wfKepikPluWv6DtJo_9TK-gBfEZTTaFzFZxUykTVA42vi7uyiN-Qcjm2DXQ6MPiB5usvc91q_xVtFJjVQw0ldB6Nx9GM/s640/cool_house.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How neat is this little home?!</td></tr>
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I hope we can get out on more of these walks before the weather changes again.<br />
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<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
#3. Finally Meeting These Ladies</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgpMYHdo_1ArfWNahpGECsNLTbIuD_ros5aHqXo7rgqoMCvJpvU8zgA-3tPwsl2arU68qEac4me2WA18YqFpwRGVDw_vu7fy9QbglAEnqYQQdPINjQ_4Jd2cbWmvdelL7QpwglhXlYN0/s1600/great_danes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgpMYHdo_1ArfWNahpGECsNLTbIuD_ros5aHqXo7rgqoMCvJpvU8zgA-3tPwsl2arU68qEac4me2WA18YqFpwRGVDw_vu7fy9QbglAEnqYQQdPINjQ_4Jd2cbWmvdelL7QpwglhXlYN0/s640/great_danes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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These two beautiful sisters are both fully-grown Great Danes. They are sweet and gentle and GIGANTIC. Watch out when a 220lb dog steps on your foot, by the way, haha. Also, their heads reach the average height of a dining room table, so whatever is on your plate could easily become theirs.<br />
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My friend Carlos has owned several Great Danes. I remember trying to take his first dog- Sir Dante- on a walk once. Nope. Dante could easily stand in for an entire team of sled dogs! He walked wherever he wanted to walk. These two girls... I can't even imagine their combined pulling power when leashed. The day we met, though, they just splashed around in a kiddie wading pool and rested on their beds. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbzBsjA4vFAwwE-v1be_8t3s64uobx2bF2UOQEFGV5-Ch5TB9EXnPDDPOwYywF8yl3340GfSrhUUppHx46pTmi2lBhpuxVSXYxMgiLny7iICs2KR5zMhOHkKR335ieI0me0B2hNHckdM/s1600/sweet_great_danes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbzBsjA4vFAwwE-v1be_8t3s64uobx2bF2UOQEFGV5-Ch5TB9EXnPDDPOwYywF8yl3340GfSrhUUppHx46pTmi2lBhpuxVSXYxMgiLny7iICs2KR5zMhOHkKR335ieI0me0B2hNHckdM/s640/sweet_great_danes.jpg" width="592" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So noble!</td></tr>
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This was last weekend, another weekend of good weather. Carlos and Lindsey, his wife, invited us over for a bbq (venison + baked potatoes + salad + red wine) and to meet the girls. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful home: real art on every wall, a backyard filled with vegetables, and these two lovely dogs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKlunc2BNhztigcZvV6kWGOcE_E2sM3eE58NZ57NaTu3wXOsiREhtMa80AOuN-wy09gJjYGklCxAcYpVY9gGfXGhRaKvfHnn44Q1LReyG4p5_oFxRpzXUFQg52fkP2oC46xFV5bAQkFM/s1600/great_dane_sisters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKlunc2BNhztigcZvV6kWGOcE_E2sM3eE58NZ57NaTu3wXOsiREhtMa80AOuN-wy09gJjYGklCxAcYpVY9gGfXGhRaKvfHnn44Q1LReyG4p5_oFxRpzXUFQg52fkP2oC46xFV5bAQkFM/s640/great_dane_sisters.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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What are 3 good things that you've experienced lately? Leave me a comment! :)</div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-18158062100539010832017-07-05T07:54:00.000+03:002017-07-05T08:01:24.744+03:00Afternoon excursions in Nizhny<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6u_O2cu7dFNmfkOW5xJyqf1-vWFKAf3HlljRnYbjAasc6sdUJGfiiRoC33EFGBasZol1QhX9kpgO9AxLfP6l5TGfzwnEwQ4WgI92SwE2_zEhDf9VYT84vqr_42ttQ8x6AHFOxrT_Zf0/s1600/Nizhny_overlook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6u_O2cu7dFNmfkOW5xJyqf1-vWFKAf3HlljRnYbjAasc6sdUJGfiiRoC33EFGBasZol1QhX9kpgO9AxLfP6l5TGfzwnEwQ4WgI92SwE2_zEhDf9VYT84vqr_42ttQ8x6AHFOxrT_Zf0/s640/Nizhny_overlook.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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How do you feel when Facebook shows you On This Day memories? It's always a bittersweet thing for me. Usually, it reminds me of a favorite place / person in Ukraine. This week, it's been all about last summer's trip to Nizhny Novgorod, which really stings when compared to my total lack of plans for this summer. (No travel, anywhere. I'm just hanging on by reading adventurous posts like <a href="http://www.concreteandkitsch.com/2017/06/19/kyiv-antique-market/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this one</a>, <a href="http://www.thewayfarersbook.com/kiev-street-art-side-brunch/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this one</a>, and <a href="http://moscowed.blogspot.com/2017/07/an-american-in-aktobe.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this one</a>.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzRMUsWTAVEFQn-zvCc7BUpA9OE2Aty2KH2Ti-yLwF8g2SBX7_EqKnOP5APAxpBOGx2m-imCf_wSgGyJqL_g52pn8K_Lx3_rq4wfpv2pHXx8vET8mlZp-pxr_kYeumtHzB_S6jmL6WKs/s1600/Nizhny_sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzRMUsWTAVEFQn-zvCc7BUpA9OE2Aty2KH2Ti-yLwF8g2SBX7_EqKnOP5APAxpBOGx2m-imCf_wSgGyJqL_g52pn8K_Lx3_rq4wfpv2pHXx8vET8mlZp-pxr_kYeumtHzB_S6jmL6WKs/s640/Nizhny_sign.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer plans 2016.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhyTs_WS1Ugm9e7jyJvX1F27-1XG11nhQDhxZ52Q33dWtQ4wWZtxzs47ONMYfmF4bOI8pL5SU4pkrpDeQMjYV-6rjmenRY-6Ss1yYk6EThK3f49QZOqOUEyfx79R1yi-83Qyg-1NFwQo/s1600/desk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhyTs_WS1Ugm9e7jyJvX1F27-1XG11nhQDhxZ52Q33dWtQ4wWZtxzs47ONMYfmF4bOI8pL5SU4pkrpDeQMjYV-6rjmenRY-6Ss1yYk6EThK3f49QZOqOUEyfx79R1yi-83Qyg-1NFwQo/s640/desk.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer plans 2017.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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On the other hand, maybe I'll become a fluent Russian-speaking, Spanish-speaking billionaire after reading all those books this summer, haha. There's always a chance!<br />
<br />
Although the academic part of the program was a bit of a letdown, last summer was still really fun. We did things like <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2016/10/nizhny-novgorod-cable-cars.html" target="_blank">ride the cable cars</a>, <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2017/01/pechersky-ascension-monastery.html" target="_blank">visit a monastery</a>, and <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2016/08/afternoons-of-art-or-not.html" target="_blank">paint our own matryoshkas</a>. Here are the afternoon trips that I haven't yet shared with you...<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Nizhny Novgorod Planetarium</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2i27BKWWw83rPmnd3UwGI9z62evPbTlkte70H2q8_xYRvoR0nnpW0tCMqRG3YeHAK6wdaxsrSjIt-wqugFWmo4cNyIfPqHye2XuVr_jsuQHCZDNiF_yAe3LJY5ZW-sovhHSaRjGcduCU/s1600/Nizhny_planetarium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2i27BKWWw83rPmnd3UwGI9z62evPbTlkte70H2q8_xYRvoR0nnpW0tCMqRG3YeHAK6wdaxsrSjIt-wqugFWmo4cNyIfPqHye2XuVr_jsuQHCZDNiF_yAe3LJY5ZW-sovhHSaRjGcduCU/s640/Nizhny_planetarium.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
A little bit <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nizhny_Novgorod_Planetarium" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">about the planetarium</a>:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>first opened in 1948, which makes it the second planetarium in the USSR</li>
<li>housed in a church at a monastery until
2005, when a modern planetarium building was constructed and the church
building was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church</li>
<li>there's an upstairs gallery of Earth as seen from space (My favorite picture = the барханы сахары, <i>Saharan sand dunes</i>. Why? Because they looked like burned marshmallows and because бархан is just such a cool word!)</li>
</ul>
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Photos from our excursion- <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMq2wZ2b2gWxI9lFjsmwSNx79352OZoO3QguuNhRR0wp9LB0H3__XXVUDVk-6PTCKuyfZEvTNHauFFW8Flf3ZbbC4CA2k_WlUyItGbtIar57N_WaJnWWOzBfI3LimU759HeWOFb6fmve0/s1600/waiting_for_bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="800" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMq2wZ2b2gWxI9lFjsmwSNx79352OZoO3QguuNhRR0wp9LB0H3__XXVUDVk-6PTCKuyfZEvTNHauFFW8Flf3ZbbC4CA2k_WlUyItGbtIar57N_WaJnWWOzBfI3LimU759HeWOFb6fmve0/s640/waiting_for_bus.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the university campus, waiting and waiting for our bus. Really hot day!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVANZ4Nko9mErLGL00i_MJz6WjhA4eA-KQW7A7SAgKnOyzQA9gYuSrdmwDHf47NBuoRwh-jE6HvPErx130hKW27Zeqvy1ZV6poAi0j6boLtR_8Bd6IKN-_P9JpqkQeWo31Z2NOMBoTzA/s1600/bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="800" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVANZ4Nko9mErLGL00i_MJz6WjhA4eA-KQW7A7SAgKnOyzQA9gYuSrdmwDHf47NBuoRwh-jE6HvPErx130hKW27Zeqvy1ZV6poAi0j6boLtR_8Bd6IKN-_P9JpqkQeWo31Z2NOMBoTzA/s640/bus.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fancy bus :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bCOxFP3FsCe2WSNLbonJSm5LkkgywP-AEd5VSfoMNJ1wOsdbnfif1aauVhrcVj4LL6hyphenhyphenNIvG2HpV4KknrgPzfovWiZdp8WJF4HEbWH2bbdyDFycjnPbYcUnEGgv1D9CNR-GRZryX3KY/s1600/group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="800" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bCOxFP3FsCe2WSNLbonJSm5LkkgywP-AEd5VSfoMNJ1wOsdbnfif1aauVhrcVj4LL6hyphenhyphenNIvG2HpV4KknrgPzfovWiZdp8WJF4HEbWH2bbdyDFycjnPbYcUnEGgv1D9CNR-GRZryX3KY/s640/group.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arriving at the planetarium.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmRbJa7nxiN34n7rV4MfFMpHOq2kAAN8RRnDHtZNq49EZMXc1-ETNpE_TVGmcSCYUp-sKhsFb_sjHZY4HUNduWKT0m6oeP4Tt70ng0Rlz9hzFz4Pryc67rz4FgCtXOAGJu7hxLwL4PYQ/s1600/Soviet_space_posters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="800" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmRbJa7nxiN34n7rV4MfFMpHOq2kAAN8RRnDHtZNq49EZMXc1-ETNpE_TVGmcSCYUp-sKhsFb_sjHZY4HUNduWKT0m6oeP4Tt70ng0Rlz9hzFz4Pryc67rz4FgCtXOAGJu7hxLwL4PYQ/s640/Soviet_space_posters.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soviet space poster display near museum entrance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpncaDuUEw7VTy_HSlH7JO-jdMdFo_Dine5tgGdryZ82gxoaI2gnEFGEkNpmMt52R8zrjetx0nrepDV7p6kPbrQ8PGLNM1OlmcEoeXPwJ9Nfgt_h1Ssi2AYJXekNQlIQmlDUJVfjDxshM/s1600/planetarium_exhibits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpncaDuUEw7VTy_HSlH7JO-jdMdFo_Dine5tgGdryZ82gxoaI2gnEFGEkNpmMt52R8zrjetx0nrepDV7p6kPbrQ8PGLNM1OlmcEoeXPwJ9Nfgt_h1Ssi2AYJXekNQlIQmlDUJVfjDxshM/s640/planetarium_exhibits.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L: Yuri Gagarin, the first human in outer space (1961) R: Laika, the first animal to orbit the Earth (1957)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sJ64qyg_AQbvzto9dVeZ1wVn7tQey43EFQFC9kVZQPdQl699x-X-uCMJoj4LtoEX5iZgHUVfoJniaQrFkl5zUX3EaIW5nNWQTcwQTwe0MX5lFgaeO4_2PKyjKEwTNy9xbrtq63CbPzo/s1600/Nizhny_planetarium_exhibit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="800" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sJ64qyg_AQbvzto9dVeZ1wVn7tQey43EFQFC9kVZQPdQl699x-X-uCMJoj4LtoEX5iZgHUVfoJniaQrFkl5zUX3EaIW5nNWQTcwQTwe0MX5lFgaeO4_2PKyjKEwTNy9xbrtq63CbPzo/s640/Nizhny_planetarium_exhibit.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Training simulator.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaa3L8m1orgRQMTH9EePiGGu9b48WGg1Q0jcR0-eMbVWkPsv2L3b9BHN9HKkLyRXrs8mIDU5d3gzeq7EXjhDGBCMfZfgVGxidCLtyezWIYoWKRSl6rTfElFh-Une8GlO83JDc3rvWxdE/s1600/chairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="800" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaa3L8m1orgRQMTH9EePiGGu9b48WGg1Q0jcR0-eMbVWkPsv2L3b9BHN9HKkLyRXrs8mIDU5d3gzeq7EXjhDGBCMfZfgVGxidCLtyezWIYoWKRSl6rTfElFh-Une8GlO83JDc3rvWxdE/s640/chairs.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viewing area for a space documentary.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EDTCZMJPA85CzoiO8eVTK6zlBdT4XnZlYdSy9j5-eFzxSBYF2QueghYMnTsXb_N9t_87pMlVEyIDyd6VPoMSxEqjXwLLFJ5bTeUcqhmVTmbdGQGzTwECZQD_kpxRAGFc0CCrsfLpABQ/s1600/Nizhny_astronomy_room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="800" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EDTCZMJPA85CzoiO8eVTK6zlBdT4XnZlYdSy9j5-eFzxSBYF2QueghYMnTsXb_N9t_87pMlVEyIDyd6VPoMSxEqjXwLLFJ5bTeUcqhmVTmbdGQGzTwECZQD_kpxRAGFc0CCrsfLpABQ/s640/Nizhny_astronomy_room.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also crammed into a tiny planetarium to "watch the night sky", except that half the students kept taking flash pictures of the stars instead.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Meetup</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuy45D6eNu4o8Mp6kGsW3PoQcjPJHaZme58hivq_eXwohFovw9uJ1v7yCmTxkZ2iKmru83ZJFu8rBs46hgnD4g-u_JyX4eMmEitumImsfwDkTr5ZjHkwD3FSSSUio7Uj41bJ9vQmbYUQ/s1600/volunteer_exchange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="800" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuy45D6eNu4o8Mp6kGsW3PoQcjPJHaZme58hivq_eXwohFovw9uJ1v7yCmTxkZ2iKmru83ZJFu8rBs46hgnD4g-u_JyX4eMmEitumImsfwDkTr5ZjHkwD3FSSSUio7Uj41bJ9vQmbYUQ/s640/volunteer_exchange.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At this event, we split into small groups and spent 15 minutes talking with different university students like a local tour guide, a young bureaucrat, and two SFERA volunteers. (If you're between 20-30 years old, SFERA can help you find volunteer opportunities within Russia. Check out their website <a href="http://www.dobrovolets.ru/en/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
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<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
"Russian Mindset" Lecture</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfr4Ipkqu9gwMpJ-bsY-HFiPKZcZ0oIIjslZIVuCcRn9OpUQE7IQr8tSR48L4eau27Av-SKp5c-Uk4Saefb55i-qC_wPqLnNFBYpjbdlyd7Xdy1aN06mpwOU-vv_XBhHcVvbptAL0kG8s/s1600/culture_lecture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="800" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfr4Ipkqu9gwMpJ-bsY-HFiPKZcZ0oIIjslZIVuCcRn9OpUQE7IQr8tSR48L4eau27Av-SKp5c-Uk4Saefb55i-qC_wPqLnNFBYpjbdlyd7Xdy1aN06mpwOU-vv_XBhHcVvbptAL0kG8s/s640/culture_lecture.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have no idea what happened to my notes from this lecture, but here's what is displayed on that projector screen-<br />
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<i>Russians: well educated / love children / respect for the old / sense of humor / strong people orientation / the importance of friendship / generosity / pride / patriotism / love of literature and arts / nostalgia / self-sacrifice / apathy / conservatism / aversion to change / caution / collectivism / pessimism and cynicism</i><br />
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<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Duma Visit</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1s1HxbVIQO0IHU91MWgcyhTRA0pB1uH0sZrXOqzuYQdWy4-xgY6aIGgEY0IQ06lnDWtLIYfcneSPbr38eTHJG4s0ccH_IipEEBnocGpMG-A_RhKSADVr64IclvBm9h53QuJ-orjXWl-4/s1600/duma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1s1HxbVIQO0IHU91MWgcyhTRA0pB1uH0sZrXOqzuYQdWy4-xgY6aIGgEY0IQ06lnDWtLIYfcneSPbr38eTHJG4s0ccH_IipEEBnocGpMG-A_RhKSADVr64IclvBm9h53QuJ-orjXWl-4/s640/duma.jpg" width="592" /></a></div>
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Our group assumed that a visit to the State Duma meant that we'd be talking about the government but nope, guess again. There was another afternoon dedicated to an excellent lecture called "Government System in the RF". This visit was merely an excited presentation on how much World Cup 2018 is going to awesome-ize Nizhny Novgorod... and how expensive the awesomization is.<br />
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<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Handicraft History Museum </h3>
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We had an "arts and crafts" workshop in this museum, making a tiny little felt boot (think <i>valenki</i>) to take home. It was a crazy hot + long afternoon. The woman instructing us on the boots was extremely stern, and I remember holding back near-hysterical giggles when the university's camera guy kept shoving his camera in people's faces like he was paparazzi and short on that month's rent.<br />
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After the workshop, about half the students stayed for a tour of the museum, including a pretty cool matryoshka section! Here is a virtual tour of this small museum, if you'd like to see more: <a href="http://iqpax.com/pano/nn/museum/mus-narodn-prom/musnarprom.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Музей истории художественных промыслов Нижегородской области</a>.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Kinda Sorta Language Exchange</h3>
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This quickly turned into a hot mess, since few summer students could speak much Russian at this point. Basically, we sat at a table, talked briefly about a topic (holidays, etc), then switched to another table. After an hour, each group presented on a topic. It was... somewhat pleasantly chaotic.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Russian Song Workshop</h3>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/igo6KlsIW9U/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/igo6KlsIW9U?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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This is a famous song called во поле берёза стояла ("a birch tree stood in a field") and wow, she is SUCH a good singer!!<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Nizhny Kremlin</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ99scvP3RZ6iHp3u-rRhUbtV4osCrJ9WJeLIOQRjB3fkGGqDuOw4HzIQVZMz46ThsNzJ6_yJFGrnnIJXa2G9r9Abp-IjQyoVhAlLrA8qTVp8mlV5qMXOrQsOH7wBdnY-DJige42zNOWw/s1600/Nizhny_Kremlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ99scvP3RZ6iHp3u-rRhUbtV4osCrJ9WJeLIOQRjB3fkGGqDuOw4HzIQVZMz46ThsNzJ6_yJFGrnnIJXa2G9r9Abp-IjQyoVhAlLrA8qTVp8mlV5qMXOrQsOH7wBdnY-DJige42zNOWw/s640/Nizhny_Kremlin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clock tower... one of the Kremlin's 13 towers.</td></tr>
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This place ended up in several afternoon excursions- a bus tour of the city, a bike ride, a specific Kremlin tour, the duma visit, and whatever else I'm forgetting.<br />
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Before this, I didn't realize Kremlin was <u>also</u> a common noun (fortress, городская крепость в старых русских городах) and not just a proper noun (that famous place in Moscow).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJqZQse7yB3jq8D5cFRo_qi1rwsfuav5If2nAT3DpFQQWR9FL4ghLUOAAkbVwFmv3yWQ5CmAsEAsDLrN_QRpeInxT9viEFYtlgZgp3JVMgPBWkmei81OcfXwQZOjB53b3QhwfiC_2p1I/s1600/government_building.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJqZQse7yB3jq8D5cFRo_qi1rwsfuav5If2nAT3DpFQQWR9FL4ghLUOAAkbVwFmv3yWQ5CmAsEAsDLrN_QRpeInxT9viEFYtlgZgp3JVMgPBWkmei81OcfXwQZOjB53b3QhwfiC_2p1I/s640/government_building.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Administration building.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZT_96gkVlRoLISrR48x8HDHvSV-VL6LcHEACwcbajytXrFmVGR7-rne2fh6MD2UdQMIUm4ZioHGajwKWj6KPwr_-vk-A5D18Qh8rhyphenhyphene4_Canr12h6Xgsn9VxhWNhnpcHiG1dJgt4rRo/s1600/white_church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZT_96gkVlRoLISrR48x8HDHvSV-VL6LcHEACwcbajytXrFmVGR7-rne2fh6MD2UdQMIUm4ZioHGajwKWj6KPwr_-vk-A5D18Qh8rhyphenhyphene4_Canr12h6Xgsn9VxhWNhnpcHiG1dJgt4rRo/s640/white_church.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back of Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruVXARsInqvVFixR0-EUMY_cfHCqntZv8kso8bFEf4h_XAh2n3eCKXMkm0K7RlYogmYhwcXuCnElYmfZC9zqv1nI_NLjhvv7MLO8mkffrBs_JU0qPxkPo7RQZ0HWenSVF9RgkuxLz8m0/s1600/white_orthodox_church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruVXARsInqvVFixR0-EUMY_cfHCqntZv8kso8bFEf4h_XAh2n3eCKXMkm0K7RlYogmYhwcXuCnElYmfZC9zqv1nI_NLjhvv7MLO8mkffrBs_JU0qPxkPo7RQZ0HWenSVF9RgkuxLz8m0/s640/white_orthodox_church.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another (tiny) church within the Kremlin grounds.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80WwKzquvy7ZK6-eT_Aq0sK8hG9MuVeVNgaRSXOWD9W0HLD-2gqdqMzUn50NvcbqzvRiwy71Ub_4qVMhsFKZ5g2eEPXKJFhRT_xPN-7NGAzVG0NoAAMqvrO0htEnzuWgQoga4weqElAI/s1600/Nizhny_locks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80WwKzquvy7ZK6-eT_Aq0sK8hG9MuVeVNgaRSXOWD9W0HLD-2gqdqMzUn50NvcbqzvRiwy71Ub_4qVMhsFKZ5g2eEPXKJFhRT_xPN-7NGAzVG0NoAAMqvrO0htEnzuWgQoga4weqElAI/s640/Nizhny_locks.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love locks in the Kremlin.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4yV5cCbN2YaH-DWW_lwh3FvA4Jxe91En5v3J1z8pi21rLEo0bf5Kt6LK833ulxzTZ6Cwj1Ez_qAveRuMOgRk78lL44K1yMc4dUambwhl_po2VxtKIt6gqQPZFVY2md6CWTJEEv1lZk8/s1600/Nizhny_kremlin_tank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4yV5cCbN2YaH-DWW_lwh3FvA4Jxe91En5v3J1z8pi21rLEo0bf5Kt6LK833ulxzTZ6Cwj1Ez_qAveRuMOgRk78lL44K1yMc4dUambwhl_po2VxtKIt6gqQPZFVY2md6CWTJEEv1lZk8/s640/Nizhny_kremlin_tank.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory WWII tanks.</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Concert</h3>
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This wasn't an official part of the summer school program. Instead, this was <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2016/07/switzerland-park.html" target="_blank">Sveta</a>'s idea. She invited me to a free concert at the Kremlin one weekend. After the concert ended, we did a <i>fotosessiya</i> with a WWII backdrop-<br />
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- then headed over to <span class="st">Bolshaya Pokrovskaya, a popular spot for walking. Half a block was taken up by a photo project called "The ASEAN nations- a Russian vision" <i>(ASEAN = Association of Southeast Asian Nations)</i> by Sergey Kovalchuk. We stopped and posed for tons of funny pictures there. I don't know where my pictures went, but I'm pretty sure it looked like I had to pee in all of them anyway :p Sveta's were better.</span><br />
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<span class="st">Back to the present... this summer doesn't seem like it's going to be anywhere near as colorful and exciting as last summer. I guess that means it's a good time to work on language/health/home projects. What about you- how do you think this summer will compare to last summer? Is Facebook reminding you of something fun you did in previous years?</span><br />
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PS: Do you want to spend a summer studying Russian in Nizhny Novgorod? <a href="https://www.streetrussian.com/summer-school-in-nizhny-novgorod/" target="_blank">Find out how to enroll</a>! <br />
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Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-37141911791279364822017-06-21T02:30:00.000+03:002017-06-21T02:32:40.322+03:00Snapshots<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihw71h_1nQXcl7BbeCEty54XFRInuTTtiwJCl026tzeHuJU-7UF26uuVBeMpZKVhPG_lg6kMKpQ8nsqco2Y11axvvEYOJngW-Spd0lIoadRX4xX98w1TiiZL5GBUvwJdwVg6ZxKtChwD8/s1600/sleeping_Kit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihw71h_1nQXcl7BbeCEty54XFRInuTTtiwJCl026tzeHuJU-7UF26uuVBeMpZKVhPG_lg6kMKpQ8nsqco2Y11axvvEYOJngW-Spd0lIoadRX4xX98w1TiiZL5GBUvwJdwVg6ZxKtChwD8/s640/sleeping_Kit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Odds and ends from earlier this spring...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg286pQbA31Cbv7B9KZOFk2ROUhsQwfs9vTxlYqV075-P055WSu2oCg__asKoJ7xdqgkE9-G9NRmJM05QzMR4rUYELoiviZ6HkKOf9-IBWVtlss3ligsC_COW5_ZJSVsaVP5dgQWzkYY44/s1600/hiking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg286pQbA31Cbv7B9KZOFk2ROUhsQwfs9vTxlYqV075-P055WSu2oCg__asKoJ7xdqgkE9-G9NRmJM05QzMR4rUYELoiviZ6HkKOf9-IBWVtlss3ligsC_COW5_ZJSVsaVP5dgQWzkYY44/s640/hiking.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weekend hike with D.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Revive! course finished and Madeleine sent everyone mail. (http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2017/04/revive_12.html)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28U5nhP-0hreAQxfPAX_jp4fZOtfMi2DHw0qvPwWA8pUE8dGErbEF6pO-P4qy57v06GXADj3UrlrzeLgFqhYjwoR_kGG3wMbrIr3HwX2uTFYKYc76X37o1MvNXKMMPqeetg1rXZsmqTc/s1600/dock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="800" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28U5nhP-0hreAQxfPAX_jp4fZOtfMi2DHw0qvPwWA8pUE8dGErbEF6pO-P4qy57v06GXADj3UrlrzeLgFqhYjwoR_kGG3wMbrIr3HwX2uTFYKYc76X37o1MvNXKMMPqeetg1rXZsmqTc/s640/dock.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainy days on the Willamette.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdC5YZUUz4OxtVQFBt27NJ9LrIiYt_yCVqySbdXGOUWwL3cB1g4zNZ1UnU1S2-QXdaRIhyphenhyphenb85t8Bq9MngspjBe1Dt5fw3JluWFCe7N5BjkPzd1Qku7hg1z6hjFonrxsXJOzcY2xnWwtQc/s1600/river-thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="800" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdC5YZUUz4OxtVQFBt27NJ9LrIiYt_yCVqySbdXGOUWwL3cB1g4zNZ1UnU1S2-QXdaRIhyphenhyphenb85t8Bq9MngspjBe1Dt5fw3JluWFCe7N5BjkPzd1Qku7hg1z6hjFonrxsXJOzcY2xnWwtQc/s640/river-thumbnail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunny days on the Willamette.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVIYTFj6_MbYQ26Xkxee_oZ_k1-D3FK3ykWeTCEkjzzQihk-HMwz2m41kVG0SRtaxBB0Nc1qPlodd3xhGouVj7Gscp1jStX2YECvU34bFyfQptvDwqgDCG8dzsvQ8HdGkf0yHWtxcARw/s1600/Japan_cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVIYTFj6_MbYQ26Xkxee_oZ_k1-D3FK3ykWeTCEkjzzQihk-HMwz2m41kVG0SRtaxBB0Nc1qPlodd3xhGouVj7Gscp1jStX2YECvU34bFyfQptvDwqgDCG8dzsvQ8HdGkf0yHWtxcARw/s640/Japan_cat.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My parents traveled to Japan and brought back this little cat...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLN4gpDa3S5nTUc3oUjoUnEJ8O6hRmFfZhXrp7eEXRymts68ERmt0vM9-bi-e5W7-_hsOA5-txPz4RGV-up9I8xnvGdWJ3sLSx_4lPAGFtHAH7ivgItpotDl7b-4vHOFFvYLhyIBKHSog/s1600/math_salt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="800" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLN4gpDa3S5nTUc3oUjoUnEJ8O6hRmFfZhXrp7eEXRymts68ERmt0vM9-bi-e5W7-_hsOA5-txPz4RGV-up9I8xnvGdWJ3sLSx_4lPAGFtHAH7ivgItpotDl7b-4vHOFFvYLhyIBKHSog/s640/math_salt.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and this, haha. Where were all the math salts when I was a student?! ;)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuS6BOW4zs6lOz4uXTcMfB4ZW8LcgHkCNtGcTRZREq3SN-cW9BBKX-12BDaEsHX3EpJyDYfVXKBd4vupXuHEtVuCRSXOx6SpICix-7J0PUkHqForBdRelOoz1T8hMFPrwanYJyPJrmNoU/s1600/library_plaque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuS6BOW4zs6lOz4uXTcMfB4ZW8LcgHkCNtGcTRZREq3SN-cW9BBKX-12BDaEsHX3EpJyDYfVXKBd4vupXuHEtVuCRSXOx6SpICix-7J0PUkHqForBdRelOoz1T8hMFPrwanYJyPJrmNoU/s640/library_plaque.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone paid to put "Albus Dumbledore, he lives forever" on a library brick :p</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDetIVtawZlNLMvBO9FGh9al6m82snYXNTZX_p7qlnMt1dx1FET2P3Cy1dGZmkBE5td1u5BNwSaz-zsy9xybn7jdLYrQgKwoKhrUmFOWh1ThOJx62VqFzQvzVOkq18MEskK8Y4xVQ1WI/s1600/museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="800" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDetIVtawZlNLMvBO9FGh9al6m82snYXNTZX_p7qlnMt1dx1FET2P3Cy1dGZmkBE5td1u5BNwSaz-zsy9xybn7jdLYrQgKwoKhrUmFOWh1ThOJx62VqFzQvzVOkq18MEskK8Y4xVQ1WI/s640/museum.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art museum.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilX2UGQH4HXRus69EyXSjsTWhfBEshSVpsoF9uU1Eksa1gwMdmCCCDZNGPbtuVtOEJ85ItevKVNP8_ueGGUnintLRae5P-4G0LROl_4tv94laBE8XqxG_NoJDuqe7iIHXsIAAXFkZ6Tys/s1600/cat_trap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="800" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilX2UGQH4HXRus69EyXSjsTWhfBEshSVpsoF9uU1Eksa1gwMdmCCCDZNGPbtuVtOEJ85ItevKVNP8_ueGGUnintLRae5P-4G0LROl_4tv94laBE8XqxG_NoJDuqe7iIHXsIAAXFkZ6Tys/s640/cat_trap.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original cat trap is still working.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcw9Ix0GxvZUzgj1PTTAN3EokElgJqzwnCkOLnjUCnl6QEIoWutM4_PDGN6bCodC5a-bGZB6GQLZFXvGSZEEJaLMiklorbAfLaFrN5F029Y7GFRbG2nHftelzj8MMKhC1qh6HFyOcbdVI/s1600/umbrella_cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="800" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcw9Ix0GxvZUzgj1PTTAN3EokElgJqzwnCkOLnjUCnl6QEIoWutM4_PDGN6bCodC5a-bGZB6GQLZFXvGSZEEJaLMiklorbAfLaFrN5F029Y7GFRbG2nHftelzj8MMKhC1qh6HFyOcbdVI/s640/umbrella_cat.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cat trap #2 also works.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_zogBAwcujAkmyaUUYIHXLpwA3fpi91eZyhbLsd3fXuxheZN4qnaRd9y7Z8Jfn2Oregkz7EdMw4TWbFrn_YZZXGIOl9UF1sPglmP8_XIM-KGBJDIgeeS7o6Yaxd-BC26PEaulwBG3iA/s1600/map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="879" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_zogBAwcujAkmyaUUYIHXLpwA3fpi91eZyhbLsd3fXuxheZN4qnaRd9y7Z8Jfn2Oregkz7EdMw4TWbFrn_YZZXGIOl9UF1sPglmP8_XIM-KGBJDIgeeS7o6Yaxd-BC26PEaulwBG3iA/s640/map.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found out really late that Oregon is in the path of August's eclipse. Here's an interesting article on how some local hotels started charging eclipse viewers up to $1,000/night: http://www.kgw.com/news/investigations/hotels-canceling-reservations-for-eclipse-viewing-jacking-prices/424326842</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrbOG0ZKkv6H7GaqoK2oBXuiT5f9dUm_6l0R9ZU78kLsFgHU3D0JH96KE6OODvMgemkRKBKzPq6qrV4Crs5KwRX3J6PsbTIT9aCDPXk5xstNdxATFGR5fAvYUTvALYhUzYnB0U0axW3Q/s1600/Portland_home.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="515" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrbOG0ZKkv6H7GaqoK2oBXuiT5f9dUm_6l0R9ZU78kLsFgHU3D0JH96KE6OODvMgemkRKBKzPq6qrV4Crs5KwRX3J6PsbTIT9aCDPXk5xstNdxATFGR5fAvYUTvALYhUzYnB0U0axW3Q/s640/Portland_home.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of crazy prices: $600,000 for a 2 bed / 1 bath in the city....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Wiav3UodPflUhlPernFr1NA3mTeoEm0eyunF6maLt3QXCFhbKDvZDy0afBRcEpwK6uVoKEKyMhrp-rE3CAfatphYy2UXizI49YUFmXSk-I1dZWmx3eRW9D_GUA2IPI2RdFCUxR7tCkQ/s1600/suburbs_home.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="528" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Wiav3UodPflUhlPernFr1NA3mTeoEm0eyunF6maLt3QXCFhbKDvZDy0afBRcEpwK6uVoKEKyMhrp-rE3CAfatphYy2UXizI49YUFmXSk-I1dZWmx3eRW9D_GUA2IPI2RdFCUxR7tCkQ/s640/suburbs_home.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...or just $33,000 more for a 4 bed / 2.5 bath in the suburbs. Which would you pick?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRds7QF10vXupYJrmJnIpUdhnIQs2QrzCO74n1A_NddXonuYakm8gtWaw60BnLBghmEPDZ8q-stcAaMxvNdbsBmLuWdaaDR6Jv1sTiiadltvJ3DLDhUM7SVaqzYF108bCvYDkdv6J7W0s/s1600/tulips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRds7QF10vXupYJrmJnIpUdhnIQs2QrzCO74n1A_NddXonuYakm8gtWaw60BnLBghmEPDZ8q-stcAaMxvNdbsBmLuWdaaDR6Jv1sTiiadltvJ3DLDhUM7SVaqzYF108bCvYDkdv6J7W0s/s640/tulips.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tulip season has ended... now it's time for strawberry fields!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjemREZt2tgVT7vssWWGgRgMf8eI5hPRBa4YnPXQxL46K6a5EfUAqwfOhkLwXmyOFJkoLDMh9Fq7dqH1yoDDy3ITGwlhBGPHeNo-_hqS7jybtj5zKjAuitSuBCz30RVyAnsyAyyCoZBO8/s1600/scrapbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjemREZt2tgVT7vssWWGgRgMf8eI5hPRBa4YnPXQxL46K6a5EfUAqwfOhkLwXmyOFJkoLDMh9Fq7dqH1yoDDy3ITGwlhBGPHeNo-_hqS7jybtj5zKjAuitSuBCz30RVyAnsyAyyCoZBO8/s640/scrapbook.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working on a scrapbook of my husband's family tree. Slowly getting better at deciphering handwriting. Some of the pictures go way back.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUSNfsIdrccB6_lPsIKUSGuLLYq3FCSV11xl-KyRVNtHSsrZSSWrfyIhcUy169MXaqQ8xohVo19NQ2IWld4cDTVmyBwl8Qh44dXk1GdrVI2OmnghGSWy9L_0GNwHoZQy1GCl83zN5bY0/s1600/ships.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUSNfsIdrccB6_lPsIKUSGuLLYq3FCSV11xl-KyRVNtHSsrZSSWrfyIhcUy169MXaqQ8xohVo19NQ2IWld4cDTVmyBwl8Qh44dXk1GdrVI2OmnghGSWy9L_0GNwHoZQy1GCl83zN5bY0/s640/ships.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the big cargo ships docked in town. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cfD7pPmgv7tbCNjUxiyo37PxSn3ngbGeeO4DQzHCLiw4v_cP528clY3Q1wawBAwlywhJZL_oQqHhSdjM13UBrV8GV6GxMG92EINY15zCVoKo4WEm7y-p9Qowf8jyIoVJdZ4OaXay7B4/s1600/pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cfD7pPmgv7tbCNjUxiyo37PxSn3ngbGeeO4DQzHCLiw4v_cP528clY3Q1wawBAwlywhJZL_oQqHhSdjM13UBrV8GV6GxMG92EINY15zCVoKo4WEm7y-p9Qowf8jyIoVJdZ4OaXay7B4/s640/pizza.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haven't been eating any wheat or dairy lately.... it's no fun! But soon I'm going to have a Pizza Gluttony Day and make something like these again.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLESR118oWO-5So9NiHACu7ZE2HMas8iQt-rrbebq8b-QEznjXeb2juCsOpcEM1vNR7LpY7xpL6LT42ptU6WxNl6mCZO1rMTnbgT9o9vl_OxE1aNCv1tF_tADMa0wMU1T8UmcZyKLZTa8/s1600/Las_Vegas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLESR118oWO-5So9NiHACu7ZE2HMas8iQt-rrbebq8b-QEznjXeb2juCsOpcEM1vNR7LpY7xpL6LT42ptU6WxNl6mCZO1rMTnbgT9o9vl_OxE1aNCv1tF_tADMa0wMU1T8UmcZyKLZTa8/s640/Las_Vegas.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From my mother-in-law's birthday trip in May- her and I on the escalator inside Caesars Palace.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFn5jnbICuarVVfF_vv-2oWuK5j9TnHKTs3-1eR9iggKrXbHurLjKpgr1jYYAtpZQcciXjflRanIVTl21viKcUgFLtUtiYVjRo8YkW1e3s2t342XFmHn7-jrB5h6jGp7hMjlI2Kn9VDp4/s1600/many_languages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFn5jnbICuarVVfF_vv-2oWuK5j9TnHKTs3-1eR9iggKrXbHurLjKpgr1jYYAtpZQcciXjflRanIVTl21viKcUgFLtUtiYVjRo8YkW1e3s2t342XFmHn7-jrB5h6jGp7hMjlI2Kn9VDp4/s640/many_languages.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boring healthcare insert? Or language inspiration?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytw8W2EiDD1B-_PyHWUT2TYKB0zhbuP_osYHQeCRORRU431eqVe4dX-_8ztALrFuZRzm72gpXEDklJtawBRUO2nAF1giaXYxncYhlELluc7gdBg4Nxfee3dmFYplHF1M3119CiMYwNNA/s1600/downtown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytw8W2EiDD1B-_PyHWUT2TYKB0zhbuP_osYHQeCRORRU431eqVe4dX-_8ztALrFuZRzm72gpXEDklJtawBRUO2nAF1giaXYxncYhlELluc7gdBg4Nxfee3dmFYplHF1M3119CiMYwNNA/s640/downtown.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch downtown at Garden Bar, a local salad-only restaurant that's really popular.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_kW4c_o9KNMk5Nfu9-jAiZnyOkP5B3IVQsaGtWkqRKdB5u84PtUW2svcSt7dVvNldwnoJNxQnYHyptVs48xtiPmK8x-YAc2NTrJ6aLbvkpVZMePWV0xv8AeKxy0mdy1W30H-t-CYHNw/s1600/uncruise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_kW4c_o9KNMk5Nfu9-jAiZnyOkP5B3IVQsaGtWkqRKdB5u84PtUW2svcSt7dVvNldwnoJNxQnYHyptVs48xtiPmK8x-YAc2NTrJ6aLbvkpVZMePWV0xv8AeKxy0mdy1W30H-t-CYHNw/s640/uncruise.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We saw this little cruise boat one day- the front reads Un-Cruise Adventures. Sounds cool!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Happy summer solstice! :)</div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-43838583927906701872017-06-14T00:13:00.003+03:002017-06-14T00:18:38.435+03:00Low tide<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiSylDrE6aqHL-C46IPjk8GAIxLt6rPq1SvJ9tLP_t7Ol1fZJhEOIvJl5mT0HMVxC-zLuDaO043W9A5NuSHmqEKVvaSdAbADmhi5KKosdeUsF6S3brYgTWfHGJDSsfgUNTgg6hoIvisw/s1600/Oregon_coast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiSylDrE6aqHL-C46IPjk8GAIxLt6rPq1SvJ9tLP_t7Ol1fZJhEOIvJl5mT0HMVxC-zLuDaO043W9A5NuSHmqEKVvaSdAbADmhi5KKosdeUsF6S3brYgTWfHGJDSsfgUNTgg6hoIvisw/s640/Oregon_coast.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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10 AM, Memorial Day weekend. The tide was out- way out- and we were on the beach.<br />
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Usually, the waves come all the way up to this big rock. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiReLlG0ZTMEva0h3sV0sQoFgNtKEBpWqde075WoBoY0gv0JiFRhyphenhyphenEd2i3wdG3XyVhWMbjxgK69f9esRygnG35JpIWKxPskRhsW07Z1nLODTpIUFph3gYB3rD9wyp_kX8u7uj0-lok_fM/s1600/low_tide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiReLlG0ZTMEva0h3sV0sQoFgNtKEBpWqde075WoBoY0gv0JiFRhyphenhyphenEd2i3wdG3XyVhWMbjxgK69f9esRygnG35JpIWKxPskRhsW07Z1nLODTpIUFph3gYB3rD9wyp_kX8u7uj0-lok_fM/s640/low_tide1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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To cross to the other side of the beach, you need to stumble through a a
dark tunnel filled with logs and rocks. But that morning, crossing to
the other side of the beach was as easy as walking around the point.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLGDaTfOXylZmMNMBcxafmtYgz1989RmR8ytDhK7B_jfBUTnuJUk7Y42Ztvb1Y15cQgBGlmtz1o9JVEQZXw79dxmk8Z2_TS7PXCzczIbpc01KcWb5ntrjq9RlxyAO53EG5KsA5DKyfHo/s1600/Oregon_beach_low_tide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLGDaTfOXylZmMNMBcxafmtYgz1989RmR8ytDhK7B_jfBUTnuJUk7Y42Ztvb1Y15cQgBGlmtz1o9JVEQZXw79dxmk8Z2_TS7PXCzczIbpc01KcWb5ntrjq9RlxyAO53EG5KsA5DKyfHo/s640/Oregon_beach_low_tide.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was a special event- a perigean spring tide, something that only happens a few times a year.<span class="st" data-hveid="96" data-ved="0ahUKEwjDxp_Z1rvUAhUD0mMKHZ29ACoQ4EUIYDAM"> If the sun had been out, I think the beach would have been full of people celebrating the holiday weekend and low tide. Instead, it was just a few people and hundreds of starfish.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVy07mHfsEOHVOfdWnswLmFB7q8FLelGZEv1RDna_mX2T640Fq-9-VNL7r8R6egBwgdRy6pz7tIFa3Oi_Xr7BWY0ijxtEUZT460n5CtRDmVPC73qpjEED6Y24lDSuEWfaM6GyXrTrxApg/s1600/low_tide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVy07mHfsEOHVOfdWnswLmFB7q8FLelGZEv1RDna_mX2T640Fq-9-VNL7r8R6egBwgdRy6pz7tIFa3Oi_Xr7BWY0ijxtEUZT460n5CtRDmVPC73qpjEED6Y24lDSuEWfaM6GyXrTrxApg/s640/low_tide.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhu0JFCgvcyxUe6kQxjYKAkN_axpSk45hKOoRjYKl-wLwnKMfGygPR9WuUQRsN-dKXPyLXDCmqXCuoa9pNxrdU12qZA0JIMpIXlxUv-gQh-cTc0iOvF9SW4Q5-c9QaU8a_wXORwT0Iac/s1600/path_to_the_sea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhu0JFCgvcyxUe6kQxjYKAkN_axpSk45hKOoRjYKl-wLwnKMfGygPR9WuUQRsN-dKXPyLXDCmqXCuoa9pNxrdU12qZA0JIMpIXlxUv-gQh-cTc0iOvF9SW4Q5-c9QaU8a_wXORwT0Iac/s640/path_to_the_sea.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span class="st" data-hveid="96" data-ved="0ahUKEwjDxp_Z1rvUAhUD0mMKHZ29ACoQ4EUIYDAM">We were able to reach brand new areas, rocks and stretches of sand that had been covered in cold water just a few hours earlier. Little fish were temporarily stranded in some of the tide pools.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshrf_o1M8B1RqL8cgky1XrkWYWawcu1Sv2BxfObeJ5ZqMReEa7pG2MMdh0qzxSN7-i6MaWBcO6M_Kd8Y5dGr3kzDxXCRI8iM61N6VqwEqZ_826THmaTqGhqU2h2BJu4pDOkoE01va_VU/s1600/Oregon_coast_rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshrf_o1M8B1RqL8cgky1XrkWYWawcu1Sv2BxfObeJ5ZqMReEa7pG2MMdh0qzxSN7-i6MaWBcO6M_Kd8Y5dGr3kzDxXCRI8iM61N6VqwEqZ_826THmaTqGhqU2h2BJu4pDOkoE01va_VU/s640/Oregon_coast_rocks.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="st" data-hveid="96" data-ved="0ahUKEwjDxp_Z1rvUAhUD0mMKHZ29ACoQ4EUIYDAM"><br /></span>
<span class="st" data-hveid="96" data-ved="0ahUKEwjDxp_Z1rvUAhUD0mMKHZ29ACoQ4EUIYDAM">Someone made this sign out of driftwood... I read it as "munchies", hahaha :p What do you see?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCSMyYOtCS7L1gNaNBXcb-NevZOUceP6plD_fDyEEAPZTqhzbgYIxEL2jUnYOhuFxY5agV5w9H_-Qp4Cdyjmwm1H-YeA3GnzMT0UrIluQeIKObEz13t19iPDBLzbwMMmO1cSp7wx47pA/s1600/driftwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="800" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCSMyYOtCS7L1gNaNBXcb-NevZOUceP6plD_fDyEEAPZTqhzbgYIxEL2jUnYOhuFxY5agV5w9H_-Qp4Cdyjmwm1H-YeA3GnzMT0UrIluQeIKObEz13t19iPDBLzbwMMmO1cSp7wx47pA/s640/driftwood.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="st" data-hveid="96" data-ved="0ahUKEwjDxp_Z1rvUAhUD0mMKHZ29ACoQ4EUIYDAM"><br /></span>
<span class="st" data-hveid="96" data-ved="0ahUKEwjDxp_Z1rvUAhUD0mMKHZ29ACoQ4EUIYDAM">Nothing really happened on this walk, but nothing needed to happen. It was a foggy, quiet morning. I carried tea in a red cup. </span><span class="st" data-hveid="96" data-ved="0ahUKEwjDxp_Z1rvUAhUD0mMKHZ29ACoQ4EUIYDAM"><span class="st" data-hveid="96" data-ved="0ahUKEwjDxp_Z1rvUAhUD0mMKHZ29ACoQ4EUIYDAM">My high school friend Sarah was with us, bundled up in a fleece and hat. </span>Dogs ran around, barking at logs and tiny crabs. When the waves started to reclaim the beach, we retraced our steps back around the big rock.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhUNzWFgAKnW_PZhtBth8I1tDwCg4WO911OIXznyIkduoWXdQGEQVzPG__-Nz-_cDVuV_mZ8a6D-zBSEOswf3kFwgTPwqOltxhbOdjvfFByx8kA29vWIHYpNstKPsl4yfx4OG4kt-1jI/s1600/low_tide_Oregon_beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhUNzWFgAKnW_PZhtBth8I1tDwCg4WO911OIXznyIkduoWXdQGEQVzPG__-Nz-_cDVuV_mZ8a6D-zBSEOswf3kFwgTPwqOltxhbOdjvfFByx8kA29vWIHYpNstKPsl4yfx4OG4kt-1jI/s640/low_tide_Oregon_beach.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="st" data-hveid="96" data-ved="0ahUKEwjDxp_Z1rvUAhUD0mMKHZ29ACoQ4EUIYDAM">This was a -1.7 low tide. In a few weeks, there will be a -2.0 low tide in Oregon... imagine! </span><br />
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<span class="st" data-hveid="96" data-ved="0ahUKEwjDxp_Z1rvUAhUD0mMKHZ29ACoQ4EUIYDAM">Have you ever seen a very low tide?</span><br />
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Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-53496790320901506372017-06-02T00:55:00.004+03:002017-06-02T01:06:18.258+03:00Things I (don't) miss<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdSVA_Jv8naV4__vg8qqhdGXd-z1nxQT8jSFtaeF2POhvHk33bEwDgWyKV1I16rxeOrG8kVQfqxK4X1cCICr3coFDKRwhw59Iw_lh6kJTs0fzF6_G0JTSxvQJqjHShptYzRo3YWotdJo/s1600/Holodna_Gora_neighborhood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdSVA_Jv8naV4__vg8qqhdGXd-z1nxQT8jSFtaeF2POhvHk33bEwDgWyKV1I16rxeOrG8kVQfqxK4X1cCICr3coFDKRwhw59Iw_lh6kJTs0fzF6_G0JTSxvQJqjHShptYzRo3YWotdJo/s640/Holodna_Gora_neighborhood.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I just found a little folder on my computer called <i>Things I won't miss</i>. It must be from a few years ago, just after we moved to Portland. These are 4 things I thought I would never miss about living in Ukraine....<br />
but now, I actually have a soft spot for most of them!<br />
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#1. Handwritten signs like this one. Miss!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QZUVa1n5Qy2o3Pkj4VBeQe4ycnYdAVuT5LJSSMBbWAxna114phEkV3NwNobHOxBeFkGF-riF22QKoO7xRNNKXTCaYGRygNXM-F60Eoxtv1GQzAssBzweq-UQdaCsnzOwz2XuqSVvGOE/s1600/Russian_cursive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QZUVa1n5Qy2o3Pkj4VBeQe4ycnYdAVuT5LJSSMBbWAxna114phEkV3NwNobHOxBeFkGF-riF22QKoO7xRNNKXTCaYGRygNXM-F60Eoxtv1GQzAssBzweq-UQdaCsnzOwz2XuqSVvGOE/s640/Russian_cursive.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After years of so-so Russian, somehow my language skills got better <i>after</i> leaving Ukraine. Now I could actually take on the challenge of understanding these words + deciphering that scrawl. (It says "self-serve; clean up after yourself.")<br />
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#2. The water truck. Miss!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Speaking of reading signs, the first water task was finding out when the water truck would be in the neighborhood.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosbODYojB5HnaDMoiEfDIJ-6OjhDe4x_MBnAyGyj9jJ-l1RXIqPJAMpEfoebretDFRsgpzgRKHPijrkwjlA0xx0TEaR_HfceXPmtkkRCNTUPIUkkEvnubxq98ACzazx4oR5Pz9SOgGpY/s1600/water_schedule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosbODYojB5HnaDMoiEfDIJ-6OjhDe4x_MBnAyGyj9jJ-l1RXIqPJAMpEfoebretDFRsgpzgRKHPijrkwjlA0xx0TEaR_HfceXPmtkkRCNTUPIUkkEvnubxq98ACzazx4oR5Pz9SOgGpY/s640/water_schedule.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then, at the appointed hour, a line of neighbors would form behind the truck. Everyone waited with empty plastic jugs in one hand and coins in the other. D and I performed this ritual for 2 years until finally moving into a neighborhood with a water store.<br />
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It was time consuming, yes, but it got us outside in all kinds of weather + was a chance to meet different neighbors.<br />
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#3. Working in this elementary school. Hmmm....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSFcfFmyqqyUol-EvFwR1K_-ufDs300HD-jLuUBV6BRnrqLgvgy8DJCUyqcHT0UbrGAhg2RdztxKC3G2eQwzIIshSQOllJTp3cRhkyqjkjV7o8OWEn-H7XdlvLT6p_5q5DZrPh5ZWZ2Q/s1600/school.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSFcfFmyqqyUol-EvFwR1K_-ufDs300HD-jLuUBV6BRnrqLgvgy8DJCUyqcHT0UbrGAhg2RdztxKC3G2eQwzIIshSQOllJTp3cRhkyqjkjV7o8OWEn-H7XdlvLT6p_5q5DZrPh5ZWZ2Q/s640/school.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Erasing chalk with a wet rag and waiting for the chalkboard to dry, not being allowed to turn lights on until 5 PM ("we need to economize!"), those bathrooms, and being scowled at every day by the lady downstairs at the front desk... wait, actually, I don't really miss this place. But I do miss all the students.<br />
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#4 doesn't really count, because I definitely don't miss it. This still belongs to the <i>things I won't miss</i> list. It's the ladies who sit in museum corners, watching you like you're a jewel thief. You know the type. Here's a couple of them on duty at a museum in Kyiv-<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjEq7-ySaGoEEHBVoOCabq7wiuRUp9QMTrRpE-84mB9EU7LYAXCj_dl0etfSE9BqIci4yXS1Je8ACD06Bo1OKzu04yVZ3mPJ3FStjuH4NiWsxA0gUkAffJ44B2TL6cv-Gfj82MA-3oos/s1600/museum_ladies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjEq7-ySaGoEEHBVoOCabq7wiuRUp9QMTrRpE-84mB9EU7LYAXCj_dl0etfSE9BqIci4yXS1Je8ACD06Bo1OKzu04yVZ3mPJ3FStjuH4NiWsxA0gUkAffJ44B2TL6cv-Gfj82MA-3oos/s640/museum_ladies.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
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There's another folder tucked away inside the <i>won't miss</i> folder. It's the <i>will randomly miss</i> folder.<br />
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#1. Pizza. I even eventually got used to the mayonnaise-ketchup-combo pizzas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKn48KtFD2ap-rXtHaOEYwOuRMPrVsNyuVwm2XSCxtItJOsNERJfvhyphenhyphen3IPcDkMtTNbeHxsa36eszJjyT3puw0RsRQoOA5xT_rM1odecUEO_T21gRr4CCcCy1cqghUDIvZeajen9uSfAE/s1600/pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKn48KtFD2ap-rXtHaOEYwOuRMPrVsNyuVwm2XSCxtItJOsNERJfvhyphenhyphen3IPcDkMtTNbeHxsa36eszJjyT3puw0RsRQoOA5xT_rM1odecUEO_T21gRr4CCcCy1cqghUDIvZeajen9uSfAE/s640/pizza.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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#2. Everyone taking their shoes off everywhere and wearing slippers instead. This is the "outside shoes" shelf at a small IT company.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0iHtE7pwX5nSzb_FXxd8Kd0wqdOkpYbonzq2FHMm3E6B-wDa9niGxLRGgVfoBe-Vi8SnZqvytnRvwV9ubtwSUe7e8wWDp03WFiw8HuxwLNRlzSyV-1ORJjm1jEijR5Ggrb6eMI4RpJeo/s1600/shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0iHtE7pwX5nSzb_FXxd8Kd0wqdOkpYbonzq2FHMm3E6B-wDa9niGxLRGgVfoBe-Vi8SnZqvytnRvwV9ubtwSUe7e8wWDp03WFiw8HuxwLNRlzSyV-1ORJjm1jEijR5Ggrb6eMI4RpJeo/s640/shoes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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#3. People setting off big fireworks on weeknights.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZR6VkY-H-zPEVOc491myIz-nn1v6JuydA3qbrJGDEUWOUI3ymv_tLXB_t7ImlVvOxukUeUGk4y8DZ8Y8ivtgV49Srf0GRFcMDSoT2EedQXDUtryKEnvNK9Zq7NqRUhr69dxJY1nCLU-U/s1600/fireworks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZR6VkY-H-zPEVOc491myIz-nn1v6JuydA3qbrJGDEUWOUI3ymv_tLXB_t7ImlVvOxukUeUGk4y8DZ8Y8ivtgV49Srf0GRFcMDSoT2EedQXDUtryKEnvNK9Zq7NqRUhr69dxJY1nCLU-U/s640/fireworks.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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#4. Playing Scrabble at Coffee Life every week with students, friends, and visiting tourists.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHpWigGIIRsGp-DNIYzhrLVK9tr0v1zUGxoHvGbHLF81ZDqvw9RlpL7BmWKDVujTGUn7h7FRZZcwterW4t0gNp5z4b53fa_kYZ5h8OuFxcksRg10PcFNi8JHNX_YE5Jg8vafUHHdDbGg/s1600/Kharkov_coffee_life_Scrabble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHpWigGIIRsGp-DNIYzhrLVK9tr0v1zUGxoHvGbHLF81ZDqvw9RlpL7BmWKDVujTGUn7h7FRZZcwterW4t0gNp5z4b53fa_kYZ5h8OuFxcksRg10PcFNi8JHNX_YE5Jg8vafUHHdDbGg/s640/Kharkov_coffee_life_Scrabble.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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#5. The domofon! Best apartment invention ever.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipohTLxCVmwj00zkjy94bUt62il7OGUskERELkrXzrfqyO67sHtaZy_ty6JkWtyS0wXT-Vg1_UYdVZ6U7g4oQIN1Aaw77vEdqaNeXkVVRiYLP4vZ1S2sR1W3i06g6GHlthQw_tO_lzq2w/s1600/domofon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipohTLxCVmwj00zkjy94bUt62il7OGUskERELkrXzrfqyO67sHtaZy_ty6JkWtyS0wXT-Vg1_UYdVZ6U7g4oQIN1Aaw77vEdqaNeXkVVRiYLP4vZ1S2sR1W3i06g6GHlthQw_tO_lzq2w/s640/domofon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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#6. Street art. Portland has some, but it's not as colorful and not as present.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdA3xADZkjnSHbfuQIgipC7J0vlAksY5HEfaErYVrPstCBi9IuZQ-iVZ5PrRKs0ToqpVnfWTC6gWZqaBt0StgCuL9kWYVTv700fvMbnqQuJCywt0u3DsjZ8Mat7H3AU2Qejy3z3XF4GG4/s1600/colorful_street_art_Ukraine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="800" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdA3xADZkjnSHbfuQIgipC7J0vlAksY5HEfaErYVrPstCBi9IuZQ-iVZ5PrRKs0ToqpVnfWTC6gWZqaBt0StgCuL9kWYVTv700fvMbnqQuJCywt0u3DsjZ8Mat7H3AU2Qejy3z3XF4GG4/s640/colorful_street_art_Ukraine.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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#7. Tall apartment buildings. In general, apartment buildings seemed to be very tall in Ukraine. Here, most apartment complexes top out at 3 or 4 stories. The taller buildings in Portland are home only to the very wealthy. <br />
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What about you? What do you miss about the last place you lived in?<br />
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Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-31440373308828304492017-05-23T19:00:00.000+03:002017-05-23T19:00:40.747+03:00Penpal mail<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-ApUxBPRMHza07pdN12G_ssI_W6QA7jwx1G-0tA1EX_mN2GBsXvm0hQSq-EZwfJfzMqhAFc0LxIGb5WTRR3aYgy_5lu41wAKaiKmI3dFlkyVCbeWlVmuQxzZwY86m2eF5NM0Kq6cIkY/s1600/Kit_Russian_souvenirs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-ApUxBPRMHza07pdN12G_ssI_W6QA7jwx1G-0tA1EX_mN2GBsXvm0hQSq-EZwfJfzMqhAFc0LxIGb5WTRR3aYgy_5lu41wAKaiKmI3dFlkyVCbeWlVmuQxzZwY86m2eF5NM0Kq6cIkY/s640/Kit_Russian_souvenirs.jpg" width="474" /></a></div>
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Privet! And hooray, penpal mail! We got back in town to find this awesome package<span style="font-size: x-small;">*</span> waiting in the mail. I can't wait to show you everything in it!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*Minus the cat, of course :p</i></span><br />
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D's mom had a great birthday. It was a 'day at sea' on the cruise ship, so we wandered around all afternoon and then had some bday drinks. That evening, six waiters crowded around the table and sang to her. She looked so happy! And there were lots of crew members on board who spoke Russian / Ukrainian. Several of them came over to the table to say hi. <br />
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I didn't take any photos during the cruise- they're all on D's phone and we haven't even looked at them yet- but here are a few from after it ended.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICCDYoVmxoNy9DBraqwWROlIN_pdEz7Rbm7NSxg5mV8nEwd9AZayOJM5bqXYb4m5qpoFlBBJvNUOV2M594qAvV1BLggPYaHxyRJi_0-y8qo7zQ8vv82vA70A3DySXWz2VXpAYuOmulgw/s1600/long_beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICCDYoVmxoNy9DBraqwWROlIN_pdEz7Rbm7NSxg5mV8nEwd9AZayOJM5bqXYb4m5qpoFlBBJvNUOV2M594qAvV1BLggPYaHxyRJi_0-y8qo7zQ8vv82vA70A3DySXWz2VXpAYuOmulgw/s640/long_beach.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long Beach, California.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oo_qZA7mRr6j1o_F3WMZqFIWCryog0cbR6mR1xaOjgRo59VQjCuo97JxkY5A44SRaKx1i0g44frZzRTOYaACXXXoCoyI1WeVVCUUjsTYtLTWThF3UE4qX_H1xa2XiPzJR8lOL-T9ZpQ/s1600/las_vegas_view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oo_qZA7mRr6j1o_F3WMZqFIWCryog0cbR6mR1xaOjgRo59VQjCuo97JxkY5A44SRaKx1i0g44frZzRTOYaACXXXoCoyI1WeVVCUUjsTYtLTWThF3UE4qX_H1xa2XiPzJR8lOL-T9ZpQ/s640/las_vegas_view.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Las Vegas.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqknrkiK-c18I5tExXpXVe3ndf9EFwtKK1fGNFGASlHe0eDAphex96K4Uo3b7yyGmCa3Sf2q7VR2k-C6tv41MBqPCcdAmpFvQf-lJvKDKlir_7bvb8PqZEHjShHpUEBNrSQmTHhtzkuc/s1600/las_vegas_bathroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqknrkiK-c18I5tExXpXVe3ndf9EFwtKK1fGNFGASlHe0eDAphex96K4Uo3b7yyGmCa3Sf2q7VR2k-C6tv41MBqPCcdAmpFvQf-lJvKDKlir_7bvb8PqZEHjShHpUEBNrSQmTHhtzkuc/s640/las_vegas_bathroom.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D's mom and I were like, "What is that black square?" It was a built-in TV. IN THE BATHROOM MIRROR. What?? There was also a telephone next to the toilet, haha.</td></tr>
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While we were away, this package arrived in the mail from the lovely <a href="http://www.coffeeandcleveland.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jasilyn</a>, an English teacher and blogger living in Ufa, Russia.<br />
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The first thing I saw in the package was this cool dual-language reader. <br />
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Next, a magnet with that most sacred Slavic trinity : matroshki + teapot + samovar. I so want this as a tattoo!!! And my husband later grabbed the chocolate bar (labeled "very milk chocolate" with almonds and waffle bits) and absconded to the safety of his man cave. <br />
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Jasilyn also found this cool card game called <b>Ёжик Потеряшка</b>, <i>The Little</i> <i>Lost Hedgehog</i>. It must reference <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Rugwd8ZNHY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this famous cartoon</a>? The owl in the card game looks waaaay less terrifying than the one in the cartoon, though.<br />
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This little book has 20 pages of raccoons in different moods, like "When is payday?" and "I'm dreaming of the sea." A lot of the expressions are ones I've never heard. For example, what does "сегодня я бодрый лось" mean? <i>A cheerful moose, </i>huh? This requires further investigation. ;)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Where's my coffee?"</td></tr>
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The finishing touch: candy, yum.<br />
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And Jasilyn, you're probably going to laugh at this, but I'm saving the пакет. That thing is the real deal!<br />
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Even Кит came over to investigate everything... and then take a nap.<br />
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Спасибо большое, Джаслин! You're an awesome penpal!</div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-11128285113630296332017-05-16T16:00:00.000+03:002017-05-16T16:00:24.809+03:00Lunch in Kazan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This short post will take you back to one of my favorite places: Kazan!<br />
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We had lunch in two cool restaurants in Kazan. The first was at <b>Туган Авылым</b> (that's Tatar for <i>Home Village</i>). <a href="http://www.tugan-avilim.ru/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Туган Авылым</a> is a large complex that takes up an entire block. Inside its walls, you'll find a day's worth of activities. There's a restaurant, a mosque, a blini cafe, a banya, a second cafe, a souvenir workshop, a toy museum, a petting zoo, a kids' rope park, and a hotel.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the restaurant.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Wedding banquets from 1500 rubles."</td></tr>
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We ordered this big Tatar dish to share among the three of us. It was just as tasty as it looks!</div>
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The second restaurant was <a href="http://rubai-restoran.ru/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Рубаи</b></a>, tucked away on a quiet street downtown. The interior was decked out with rounded doorways, colorful tile art, and rug-covered walls. In another part of the restaurant, a wedding party posed for photographs. <a href="https://www.streetrussian.com/interview-russian-with-a-political-scientist/" target="_blank">Allison</a> and I were seated at a low table, on a padded bench filled with pillows.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgRb-9S9caL_F9ws3-2KfjNWUahPd64PutuJjL1WkdJ9ZwwqQxrXGWH6uDNckPZ_Z2dwxb3w80YFfOfb8zsS78dN9Bm14L1tMI3jliikQ8HZ8jq6HWfxqR-_oh1uabsrI-jUXAZSI1v0/s1600/window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgRb-9S9caL_F9ws3-2KfjNWUahPd64PutuJjL1WkdJ9ZwwqQxrXGWH6uDNckPZ_Z2dwxb3w80YFfOfb8zsS78dN9Bm14L1tMI3jliikQ8HZ8jq6HWfxqR-_oh1uabsrI-jUXAZSI1v0/s640/window.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The menu was full of delicious Uzbek dishes, like lamb samsas, rabbit à la Tatar, and horse meat sausage. (Or maybe, not so delicious, depending on your tastes.) The food took ages to arrive, but it was sooo worth it! Here are a few of the things we ordered:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4filC2Sw45RQA3taWeunORH4s2J2JwNjsBTBW3GXl5slZo3vZaNFE9h3PhVe7enHF-nf4k4bEW-8d6iC2IAJNdVN12ac9kDZTDPR8slHVH5QOlZhYvQDRtYQle3vfbV4d7meVQ9MtWI/s1600/khachapuri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4filC2Sw45RQA3taWeunORH4s2J2JwNjsBTBW3GXl5slZo3vZaNFE9h3PhVe7enHF-nf4k4bEW-8d6iC2IAJNdVN12ac9kDZTDPR8slHVH5QOlZhYvQDRtYQle3vfbV4d7meVQ9MtWI/s640/khachapuri.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Хачапури</b>.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghMbNLWAdv2PVbCoBYfsUjJAn1tWDN7biEXdfo4L9q_-ue08WBIPGrMXTpyMDqmxzVpsWcCl6llTTv_jFZ2ovQpGrjDxAYBxbsIusEd5EgvBKBI6scSX3_meFZVPPK9Tew6v8KQK5cF4/s1600/hinkali.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghMbNLWAdv2PVbCoBYfsUjJAn1tWDN7biEXdfo4L9q_-ue08WBIPGrMXTpyMDqmxzVpsWcCl6llTTv_jFZ2ovQpGrjDxAYBxbsIusEd5EgvBKBI6scSX3_meFZVPPK9Tew6v8KQK5cF4/s640/hinkali.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Манты</b>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAoosuBmJwq6yQ0Rmc_onmEVNTjvw2XUyEI10gBzeh922akDDGOJLcQmlbwi9mmdvgkMpVmv1uth0baA6GONkZMDp7zBOlYhOs6PRCouLPmqbNuq4rg9kciV8I5mOxCx_trPLo89TJYw/s1600/sides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAoosuBmJwq6yQ0Rmc_onmEVNTjvw2XUyEI10gBzeh922akDDGOJLcQmlbwi9mmdvgkMpVmv1uth0baA6GONkZMDp7zBOlYhOs6PRCouLPmqbNuq4rg9kciV8I5mOxCx_trPLo89TJYw/s640/sides.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side salads.</td></tr>
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Speaking of food in Kazan, all foreign visitors are practically mandated by law to try <span class="st"><span class="st"><b>чак чак</b>. If someone gives you a sweet that looks like an ant nest, it's</span><i> chak chak. (</i>In fact, <a href="http://knigarekordovrossii.ru/index.php/rekordy/kategorii/eda/1526-samyj-bolshoj-chak-chak-v-mire.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the biggest <i>chak chak</i> in the world</a> was prepared last year in nearby Ufa. It weighed 2,500 pounds!!!)<i><br /></i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnqyeTgbY6fVORL1D6YY3GAv9gXz3knkHs-DQ2x5AWyNLdZVIz7KQT6daCJZmGLwKFN5hvbcCRDARX6S8Wt-mYOJNbppujwNb2DDay1fsL4HLv57WJlFUD5OQMfuoPsJsbe71gdhRz0o/s1600/Kazan_dessert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnqyeTgbY6fVORL1D6YY3GAv9gXz3knkHs-DQ2x5AWyNLdZVIz7KQT6daCJZmGLwKFN5hvbcCRDARX6S8Wt-mYOJNbppujwNb2DDay1fsL4HLv57WJlFUD5OQMfuoPsJsbe71gdhRz0o/s640/Kazan_dessert.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Take home a piece of the East. "</td></tr>
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<span class="st"><a href="http://www.sras.org/chak_chak" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SRAS</a> describes it as "</span><span class="st">a dessert food made from deep-fried dough drenched in a hot honey syrup
and formed into a certain shape, most commonly a mound or pyramid." I tried it a couple of times (again, it was bordering on mandatory)... but honestly? It tasted like stale cereal glued together with honey. It wasn't bad, but it seemed more like a snack food than a dessert.</span></div>
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D's mom used to work in a Tatar restaurant, so she's made some of the typical dishes for us, but after this trip I realized how much more Tatar food there is to try! Have you ever tried this kind of food? Which sounds better to you: <i>chak</i> <i>chak</i> or chocolate cake? :)<br />
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PS: <a href="http://calvertjournal.com/video/show/3941/whats-cooking" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here's a cool 8-minute video on Tatar cuisine</a>.</div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-81647386210324316902017-05-12T18:00:00.000+03:002017-05-12T18:00:01.994+03:00A very belated honeymoon post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKsaAVWWpcnFAj8tE0xFlEmN2uOz_K6ZVoCvc3yhctuOY3o1k98TIaPM1Vo8Wfmj-G5CrZF60fv4m4Kh85b_roYBAZ5zcpaQLboP20PVjXe7JUOABA548Sz3NxdCcF2hhn2kNsv1-qhc/s1600/Mazatlan_port.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKsaAVWWpcnFAj8tE0xFlEmN2uOz_K6ZVoCvc3yhctuOY3o1k98TIaPM1Vo8Wfmj-G5CrZF60fv4m4Kh85b_roYBAZ5zcpaQLboP20PVjXe7JUOABA548Sz3NxdCcF2hhn2kNsv1-qhc/s640/Mazatlan_port.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After we <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2015/06/mr-mrs.html" target="_blank">got married</a>, D and I took a cruise and decided it's a gloriously lazy way to relax. In fact, I'm not sure it really counts as travel- does a few hours in port truly count as a visit? But the relaaaaaxing part of cruising is indisputable. You're on a floating buffet <i>and</i> you don't have to work for five whole days. Sweet.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>That was our first cruise together. We liked it so much that we took a second cruise at the end of the same year! (Crazy decadent, I know.) The next cruise wasn't quite as much fun as the first one, since everyone on the second ship was 80 years old and just wanted to go to art actions. Still, a cruise is a cruise.<br />
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This year, we've decided to take D's mom on a special trip for her birthday. Part of the trip is still a secret to her. We're reversing our <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2015/05/dream-vacation.html" target="_blank">elopement itinerary</a>- starting with a short cruise, then (this is what she doesn't know) spending 2 nights in Las Vegas. Ура! D has been masterfully handling all her intense questioning for the past few weeks... "Но куда именно мы едем? <i>But where exactly are we going</i>?" "Мама, все будет хорошо. <i>Mom, everything will be fine</i>."<br />
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Instead of packing, lately we've been looking at pictures from that first cruise. Her birthday cruise is going to be a little different- it's shorter and the ports are different- but hopefully she'll still get that same "chilling on a floating buffet" feeling. Something about special occasion + cruising just goes well together. Speaking of special occasions, here was our very first one: our honeymoon! <br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
CARNIVAL MIRACLE, 2015</h3>
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Favorite memory: spending 30 minutes every single evening trying to pose like that day's towel animal, haha.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
CABO SAN LUCAS</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4zl4VAPSJX34rqs8tTbPoN6zJqf82uMV4np5pQjr2I4DhKlnpJ4DORaTkFk9izcmBStdmQNR28H41H4FbmXGDDWmnbe61pZWPfqvEgET3P7vspLuDS11nt1EtUY6opZ4SsTxCb52gGA/s1600/Cabo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4zl4VAPSJX34rqs8tTbPoN6zJqf82uMV4np5pQjr2I4DhKlnpJ4DORaTkFk9izcmBStdmQNR28H41H4FbmXGDDWmnbe61pZWPfqvEgET3P7vspLuDS11nt1EtUY6opZ4SsTxCb52gGA/s640/Cabo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Favorite memory: I'm floating with a snorkel mask, doing the doggy paddle of sheer terror in an orange lifejacket. D, the human manatee, surfaces in excitement. <i>I swam through this huge school of fish! They swam around me and accepted me as one of their own! </i>(We are clearly a case of opposites attracting.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbo6Oc8z57HmSNvDepwzlTh6-VMlS8AyWMughT5e2_hNq9br4E9D8uJiPytpcd5vWbT_0n_0E2L5Pf2rlFibOsnif_wF3qrNk1cNOjwytskVIBlp9Pj91GES36ohjihnMWqfQqAWesssY/s1600/Cabo_excursion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbo6Oc8z57HmSNvDepwzlTh6-VMlS8AyWMughT5e2_hNq9br4E9D8uJiPytpcd5vWbT_0n_0E2L5Pf2rlFibOsnif_wF3qrNk1cNOjwytskVIBlp9Pj91GES36ohjihnMWqfQqAWesssY/s640/Cabo_excursion.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
MAZATLAN</h3>
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Favorite memory: Reading a book on the beach.<br />
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<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
PUERTO VALLARTA</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP5Iie_HmUh5JrBZ6JVIhjmnJvr4Za9L2fTnx9Jp663GnVhrOb6xCQqRpO2jvCEQPDRsk10gIpOvRaKjWOEeM8cpbW2hLweso0oXsnN03kkWg9zbqBWF3j3FRBB9fxp9Mf9ixgaG1vsc/s1600/Puerto_Vallarta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghP5Iie_HmUh5JrBZ6JVIhjmnJvr4Za9L2fTnx9Jp663GnVhrOb6xCQqRpO2jvCEQPDRsk10gIpOvRaKjWOEeM8cpbW2hLweso0oXsnN03kkWg9zbqBWF3j3FRBB9fxp9Mf9ixgaG1vsc/s640/Puerto_Vallarta.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
Favorite memory: Las Caletas Beach Hideway. It sounded kind of wimpy on paper- "family friendly! suitable for all ages! enchanting tropical beach haven!"- but in real life it was just so chill. Colorful parrots swoop in to greet you when the boat arrives and drinks are served in coconuts with funny faces.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
LONG BEACH, WHALE WATCHING</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiT4urs4DM3zuqSm9thW2e6j6bOXcsEIZSdXHpLiCqe15ktBacNMnDIlOGeoQpEbyE2rDsLDYSWm0mfKXtfWlcRivR4SJlT3ucZbekMQbPwlWNnvojdJhr48g9HGacxST1NK_741hT76c/s1600/whale_watching2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiT4urs4DM3zuqSm9thW2e6j6bOXcsEIZSdXHpLiCqe15ktBacNMnDIlOGeoQpEbyE2rDsLDYSWm0mfKXtfWlcRivR4SJlT3ucZbekMQbPwlWNnvojdJhr48g9HGacxST1NK_741hT76c/s640/whale_watching2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This sums it up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We hung out in Long Beach for a few hours after the cruise ended.<br />
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Favorite memory: Not seeing any whales, ha!<br />
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That was almost the end of our honeymoon- from LA, it took about 30 hours to get back to Portland by train. <br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Have you ever been on a cruise? </h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
What's your dream cruise destination?</h3>
<br />
If you need inspiration, one of these itineraries might do the trick!<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="https://www.gct.com/trips/river-cruises/europe/eastern-europe-to-the-black-sea/2017" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hungary to Romania Black Sea Cruise</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/cruise-destinations/ukraine/kiev-black-sea/2018-kiev-odessa/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kyiv to Odessa Viking River Cruise</a></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.silversea.com/destinations/russian-far-east-cruise/petropavlovsk-kamchatsky-to-nome-alaska-7815/?fycref=row2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kamchatka to Nome Cruise</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.cunard.com/cruise-search/book-a-cruise/cruises/qv/2823-v904f-sou1-sou2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">107-Night Round The World Cruise</a></li>
</ul>
<br /></div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-73068440843072127882017-05-09T18:00:00.000+03:002017-05-09T18:00:16.343+03:00Anniversary getaway<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="st"><br /></span>
Ninety minutes from Portland is a big garden + forest + wetland called <a href="http://www.oregongarden.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Oregon Garden</a>. D and I spent a weekend here to celebrate our 2-year wedding anniversary. <span class="st">♡ We stayed at the Oregon Garden Resort, which has a gate that opens directly into the garden. This lets you wander the garden whenever you want without paying any admission fee.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
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<span class="st"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a>The garden covers 80 acres. Right now, that translates to about 2 long walks, since much of the garden is still dormant<span class="st"><span class="st">. My favorite areas were the oak grove- a massive 400-year-old oak grows there- and the secret garden.</span> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQDCmLLZhLElAy_5LqZTfPd7LsVGGLLc58Or5NW4TtEm74NZ5BjmoU1Y8w4vY5QaRXdCZfiM8z1raeEkLTXdj58u356y2KsUl2sPnbmQkjMFAOF5CiEQJLwKxKpm_Ty_J-ixmi4U-T_0/s1600/trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQDCmLLZhLElAy_5LqZTfPd7LsVGGLLc58Or5NW4TtEm74NZ5BjmoU1Y8w4vY5QaRXdCZfiM8z1raeEkLTXdj58u356y2KsUl2sPnbmQkjMFAOF5CiEQJLwKxKpm_Ty_J-ixmi4U-T_0/s640/trees.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conifer Garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">The resort itself is pretty cool as well. The rooms are located in big cottages- ours was called <i>Jasmine</i>- and each room has its own fireplace and balcony. There was a break in rain that weekend (!), so we took some cheap champagne out on the balcony and watched the sun set.</span><br />
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<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">The next day, we headed north to the <a href="http://www.woodenshoe.com/events/tulip-fest/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm</a>. </span><br />
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<span class="st">The tulip festival was the exact opposite of the garden: loud, crowded, colorful, and muddy.</span><br />
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<span class="st">Antique machines crawled through the fields as </span>
<span class="st">people queued for cotton candy. The windmill near the entrance was the backdrop to a thousand selfies that day. </span><br />
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<span class="st"><span class="st">In a big tent next to the windmill, you could buy
freshly-cut tulips and sample the local wine. Way off
in the distance, Mt Hood stood out against the gray skies.</span> There was a photo-op bridge at the very back of the fields. It took about 15 minutes of slowly shuffling forward in line until we made it up on the bridge. But what a cool view, right?</span><br />
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<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">At the other end of the bridge was this cute photo op. I guess we should have asked someone to get our picture here...</span><br />
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<span class="st">A friend in Seattle has shared pictures of tulip farms in her area over the past few years. I always thought it looked so amazing! Going to one in real life was even better. Until last year, we'd totally ignored the farms here. It turns out Oregon farms open to the public seasonly (think tulips, lavender, berries, pumpkins) and <a href="http://traveloregon.com/see-do/eat-drink/farms-farm-stays/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">some farms even let you spend the night</a>. </span><br />
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<span class="st">This particular tulip festival extended its season an extra week this year. When we were there, some flowers still hadn't bloomed.</span><br />
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<span class="st">And THE COLORS and shapes! Soooo many! </span><br />
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<span class="st">I especially liked dark purple tulips, since they were such a rare contrast to all the red, yellow, and pink.</span><br />
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<span class="st">Last weekend, you could get a (tethered) hot air balloon ride at this farm for $10. Imagine what the fields would look like from that height!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmbdwekOuENDhhKwJ8pN7j9_daqo-KWeOPlING6FhLKMunUawi71RgMDCi1IItFY_Gf6avNEIDNsuW5I6kHh2EhSa7wRf2LjqwxIq4XHMkSMH5zjTvAGxBle_N7DiufMqhUMsOZiqacw/s1600/tulip_fields_Oregon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmbdwekOuENDhhKwJ8pN7j9_daqo-KWeOPlING6FhLKMunUawi71RgMDCi1IItFY_Gf6avNEIDNsuW5I6kHh2EhSa7wRf2LjqwxIq4XHMkSMH5zjTvAGxBle_N7DiufMqhUMsOZiqacw/s640/tulip_fields_Oregon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAf-FyKgqqMcQJKuVfNywY4tlfWUoti1tz6yelE963V4KTFCMEy_w_i6x3r7ycRNte1AJ_gHRVny-1kI11ygTTwWxR4JugIvDNObhnECCSqPbGQh7ZtlfKiwt3zF0hkeANEn2QOk-99wo/s1600/tulip_farm_K.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAf-FyKgqqMcQJKuVfNywY4tlfWUoti1tz6yelE963V4KTFCMEy_w_i6x3r7ycRNte1AJ_gHRVny-1kI11ygTTwWxR4JugIvDNObhnECCSqPbGQh7ZtlfKiwt3zF0hkeANEn2QOk-99wo/s640/tulip_farm_K.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">So, instead of
getting a bouquet of flowers for this anniversary, it was a weekend of a
thousand flowers. :) Я тебя очень люблю, дорогой Денис! </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="st">How do you like to celebrate your special
occasions?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="st">PS: There was once <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2014/04/ukrainian-spring.html" target="_blank">this spring tulip sale in Kharkiv</a>...</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivx6LaZd_lNZK8vYzzWEL6MEOtBDL2YLFIvtQWDVJuxtw7kMlNXHGdd0ZEt6ujO6vOoi06vT2-2xZuJzScbqJMcns8hbN16atNlZKIyAiuFHGqXDY9by7VEmd3K25pqEYmxrG5uzOMeA/s1600/row_of_tulips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivx6LaZd_lNZK8vYzzWEL6MEOtBDL2YLFIvtQWDVJuxtw7kMlNXHGdd0ZEt6ujO6vOoi06vT2-2xZuJzScbqJMcns8hbN16atNlZKIyAiuFHGqXDY9by7VEmd3K25pqEYmxrG5uzOMeA/s640/row_of_tulips.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-85767534795685890262017-05-02T22:00:00.000+03:002017-05-02T22:00:05.479+03:00Spring snapshots<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSrIfP2duFn-m07TXuOtUtvc_pO91_MP9qc9kO6r4dsBGMKjSyHBRz_zc9JFsgcqJ3Tg4q9ahWGN4o_BI7GA5PlHc0aey_fnKPs8Yqbq0n-_921upUpiKvTtixK-VXybxUixo-lstZS4/s1600/flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSrIfP2duFn-m07TXuOtUtvc_pO91_MP9qc9kO6r4dsBGMKjSyHBRz_zc9JFsgcqJ3Tg4q9ahWGN4o_BI7GA5PlHc0aey_fnKPs8Yqbq0n-_921upUpiKvTtixK-VXybxUixo-lstZS4/s640/flowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
A look at what's been happening around here this spring...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRL6N3kRcqSuyvBI78KwO0PzUgd37UkBTIhZjwVslfA1c62vL4b5FH1sHFQTuzk1NAIxpy8FAZ1mdcOmlms_2jmhUHIU8XIw96LBPnAFSq49DPzX4HkrYC4H4dk6NLBK7StNEWYuOs-JU/s1600/cherry_blossoms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRL6N3kRcqSuyvBI78KwO0PzUgd37UkBTIhZjwVslfA1c62vL4b5FH1sHFQTuzk1NAIxpy8FAZ1mdcOmlms_2jmhUHIU8XIw96LBPnAFSq49DPzX4HkrYC4H4dk6NLBK7StNEWYuOs-JU/s640/cherry_blossoms.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Around Town</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvZkEfGm_f_CK5EbCeNGAPci-7GofSmGntisXEK0oSL3MhdOWX5zTD39-YHldyA4GkTHVkz5R_4qQdtN3QzmJDxCpcLmuV0PW9O8XWGK1NdolhN8bO2IUZj0t7aWtS7CuSjN0BBwTINE/s1600/Portland_van.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvZkEfGm_f_CK5EbCeNGAPci-7GofSmGntisXEK0oSL3MhdOWX5zTD39-YHldyA4GkTHVkz5R_4qQdtN3QzmJDxCpcLmuV0PW9O8XWGK1NdolhN8bO2IUZj0t7aWtS7CuSjN0BBwTINE/s640/Portland_van.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-_FXY_sQZYxbTGG3oj3C4sD0A4z8TUhtvoPzI_TQ5NvTSOb4iQ5VISf-Ez6iUK-soBz8tPmYjtNEVJPT8p0VJZNXO5OYYmt-4JfQplIGkuuTfeQGuFbouZugmfOq6BTEuUPzjLHdp9s/s1600/daffodils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-_FXY_sQZYxbTGG3oj3C4sD0A4z8TUhtvoPzI_TQ5NvTSOb4iQ5VISf-Ez6iUK-soBz8tPmYjtNEVJPT8p0VJZNXO5OYYmt-4JfQplIGkuuTfeQGuFbouZugmfOq6BTEuUPzjLHdp9s/s640/daffodils.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The city has been plastered with signs this year. In the suburbs, most lawns and windows have a 'Black Lives Matter' sign. Three local women created <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3656881569336871801#editor/target=post;postID=8576753479568589026" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this free sign 'In Our America'...</a> and it's seriously in EVERY storefront around. And lots of random stickers and signs have appeared downtown- the Statue of Liberty 'Refugees Welcome' one is especially popular.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6VZ7OC7993TQ3Plzv9HHazr6i5F3JgOFOVsdaHY8h7FogmjZH7RFKdAbvoAgv0R1VjsIvjhEtusBFCHp5sCsBNlba-3_-V3xSuzhAdBmwtuEoJqplxGnHhI3LdOhWd7-Czlnvg3aB2M/s1600/signs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6VZ7OC7993TQ3Plzv9HHazr6i5F3JgOFOVsdaHY8h7FogmjZH7RFKdAbvoAgv0R1VjsIvjhEtusBFCHp5sCsBNlba-3_-V3xSuzhAdBmwtuEoJqplxGnHhI3LdOhWd7-Czlnvg3aB2M/s640/signs.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
A local refugee resettlement agency reported this news last month:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiXDPZzSefVFT_E6E4qbEZePJewrY32TRQsYD9WheTGlVgyncxT111_84E8kvbOQngwAO7kiKipFvT_IOl22dVzPDHEAugdjqieQtYt_M8e0zFP8NiXH1eGs_t1AuCe2_RRUixh5OjqE/s1600/irco_news.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiXDPZzSefVFT_E6E4qbEZePJewrY32TRQsYD9WheTGlVgyncxT111_84E8kvbOQngwAO7kiKipFvT_IOl22dVzPDHEAugdjqieQtYt_M8e0zFP8NiXH1eGs_t1AuCe2_RRUixh5OjqE/s640/irco_news.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In totally frivolous news- look, a camel purse!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5C262y8pckQTPVaE-dzZS9wWRW_kTjlzr7eLbQNiIbhG-dC57Rd_gj8xsz48-MWz4MMPcfaeTif7AD-4zACNZhIILs_cgHCuRJi9XeHXqrSJGm5pX8yTQEUwzkR4sZ6DrPJLnXL2xKHg/s1600/camel_purse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5C262y8pckQTPVaE-dzZS9wWRW_kTjlzr7eLbQNiIbhG-dC57Rd_gj8xsz48-MWz4MMPcfaeTif7AD-4zACNZhIILs_cgHCuRJi9XeHXqrSJGm5pX8yTQEUwzkR4sZ6DrPJLnXL2xKHg/s640/camel_purse.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
A big windstorm hit the area the other week. It was a long day of power outages for many people.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR48yP5m8xA5kpqDi5hvhmyDBUjk8mF8t95l_q8hDLraEmNCa17ECa_CIaLctEAf7q1E7sP8n0T0kqbsZePqFAenk0ByP7wgfnDXX7Pzn2LyS8hjUUytNvnX8BiMqjyPpBlmP2guaNsdo/s1600/tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR48yP5m8xA5kpqDi5hvhmyDBUjk8mF8t95l_q8hDLraEmNCa17ECa_CIaLctEAf7q1E7sP8n0T0kqbsZePqFAenk0ByP7wgfnDXX7Pzn2LyS8hjUUytNvnX8BiMqjyPpBlmP2guaNsdo/s640/tree.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Speaking of the area, local housing isn't getting any cheaper. The average price of a home last year was $344,670. That might sound okay... until you see what it buys you. Here are 3 typical examples:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pbWW9XdxIRQVtMOeY-Dp5oJC6Gzd0utHFRGlIHnrr4Iv-8l7weG34jegTPyZwp2hlH9BuznX-7WqUtfwgfba06w5BrssRLtr7Jk6Kdn98SayvHJRRZo0KDKzeZBtgEMGN76kFV1eQVo/s1600/expensive_Portland_house.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pbWW9XdxIRQVtMOeY-Dp5oJC6Gzd0utHFRGlIHnrr4Iv-8l7weG34jegTPyZwp2hlH9BuznX-7WqUtfwgfba06w5BrssRLtr7Jk6Kdn98SayvHJRRZo0KDKzeZBtgEMGN76kFV1eQVo/s320/expensive_Portland_house.png" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">$358,000. 2 bed, 1 bath.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWTC66SRudAGVC_1z0FNRvUfdhGBqnJop0ltk2HE3NWSZkB3gtey34E3BPb7ECKHttdgbpRs3bRRNzRljafP4IY8XaA9kkMQJtSoH66tVtDJfC3OVfreqvKpFFdeyKA74Br4F1J29mSs/s1600/expensive_house.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWTC66SRudAGVC_1z0FNRvUfdhGBqnJop0ltk2HE3NWSZkB3gtey34E3BPb7ECKHttdgbpRs3bRRNzRljafP4IY8XaA9kkMQJtSoH66tVtDJfC3OVfreqvKpFFdeyKA74Br4F1J29mSs/s320/expensive_house.png" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">$375,000 bungalow. (But at least it's cute!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6vF_RfWBW_zEwB8Me-0shNssZWti6F_QGi7g04-Vr_oLcTbEr9w0B8GzSBWmiXA_6OIZPXXo3_vSQYzf796kof_4T35URnbyH3TYrtrXQj49Nvx5HTftwZLMznRYTBotrW6RfrnZqHE/s1600/house.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6vF_RfWBW_zEwB8Me-0shNssZWti6F_QGi7g04-Vr_oLcTbEr9w0B8GzSBWmiXA_6OIZPXXo3_vSQYzf796kof_4T35URnbyH3TYrtrXQj49Nvx5HTftwZLMznRYTBotrW6RfrnZqHE/s320/house.png" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">$424,900. 3 beds, 3 baths.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Meanwhile, the building craze continues.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwVRRV_VuufRs0wuZFVddxQLdpI4wOPWKc1ZV6EF7TzSRuj29s4BwZoxcENchYyUigkNt0rElZsSK053FamrGb3ZFItWzZo9AGftd4GPlzY_0_FM-YB6g8eqcV2YibGUDNvVcB1lE_GQ/s1600/Portland_downtown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwVRRV_VuufRs0wuZFVddxQLdpI4wOPWKc1ZV6EF7TzSRuj29s4BwZoxcENchYyUigkNt0rElZsSK053FamrGb3ZFItWzZo9AGftd4GPlzY_0_FM-YB6g8eqcV2YibGUDNvVcB1lE_GQ/s640/Portland_downtown.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
A few more snapshots from around town:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTR2ZrB9GPhZv3tKlJ6aSU7sTITbgx5G9C64RUNWIAy8g6-_NxpRMgtxqgN6Y4k_kQLzMj0vsLcgQ-byhD7vBatnJGQzUCQJcVt0Kf6flJUPJQrAJ_fmqTLbO9grc028nvrPnKoi8BNY/s1600/Portland_sky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTR2ZrB9GPhZv3tKlJ6aSU7sTITbgx5G9C64RUNWIAy8g6-_NxpRMgtxqgN6Y4k_kQLzMj0vsLcgQ-byhD7vBatnJGQzUCQJcVt0Kf6flJUPJQrAJ_fmqTLbO9grc028nvrPnKoi8BNY/s640/Portland_sky.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring skies, example 1.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8VWVpXRHgnLqGm4EubJ4eRvPgeQh9SRRIjsIkgS4oholA29SWXDzQR1fb3O4yzFRm-K918ZmKLSolGzYiN7PPyJ8CpVWxPBDLZ9r0n_rI6UYE5_CP-YfMMNkmHnAfmtZ2FsMrIoj6TE/s1600/mall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8VWVpXRHgnLqGm4EubJ4eRvPgeQh9SRRIjsIkgS4oholA29SWXDzQR1fb3O4yzFRm-K918ZmKLSolGzYiN7PPyJ8CpVWxPBDLZ9r0n_rI6UYE5_CP-YfMMNkmHnAfmtZ2FsMrIoj6TE/s640/mall.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local mall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0S-xvNW-hOZby9eiZBUMOViD3AmGO-IJaH_0tPZuUjZetbG73HTrW5sTkOgbYHMauep1ng9LRv7tntCrDkO9G_SrImnhBjWV1QO5KYbStc0YAE0MOQKRhDDIKnsnR8-SK9qCW8-MgGdo/s1600/love_prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0S-xvNW-hOZby9eiZBUMOViD3AmGO-IJaH_0tPZuUjZetbG73HTrW5sTkOgbYHMauep1ng9LRv7tntCrDkO9G_SrImnhBjWV1QO5KYbStc0YAE0MOQKRhDDIKnsnR8-SK9qCW8-MgGdo/s640/love_prayer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the river.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbCa-ZtdmGvKMHZcbamucQ8NsoOb5kMRftvGsWMhEEM9ItxjR0PYDJQ0qBk6t3AKQVB7dmiKG7QnjLWoyOh7ExT3-foY4SgGbLkrpcvpHX28aPeNqDQyDPhl6sCB51CqsHxW1GME6nZ0/s1600/Portland_cherry_blossoms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbCa-ZtdmGvKMHZcbamucQ8NsoOb5kMRftvGsWMhEEM9ItxjR0PYDJQ0qBk6t3AKQVB7dmiKG7QnjLWoyOh7ExT3-foY4SgGbLkrpcvpHX28aPeNqDQyDPhl6sCB51CqsHxW1GME6nZ0/s640/Portland_cherry_blossoms.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry blossoms in a waterfront park.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKJBNDJyH0YHc83QtQnEMSZeXBfQOj7TybXDiCHr6XKd5JDm0jygemIM3-evPcxqHKbPfPJUgyFXq40XuGFjx_vS8ho0CM8Nzz9g5BhK5APUr5nJffwr8l86aRh-d7ReEmB1Cay1hgQ0/s1600/we_work.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKJBNDJyH0YHc83QtQnEMSZeXBfQOj7TybXDiCHr6XKd5JDm0jygemIM3-evPcxqHKbPfPJUgyFXq40XuGFjx_vS8ho0CM8Nzz9g5BhK5APUr5nJffwr8l86aRh-d7ReEmB1Cay1hgQ0/s640/we_work.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coworking space.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbM4po4INTBumBngx3649Dsvxb9Xs728SzwC-HnRs_AWo2FuAcPuYnN-IF6vMQh_5_qjjb6xlrQ0DzCg4SVPzzvci4keLH21hzc7OF4kg-IzXARAdFkt487XZDOyxRsv2RPrK2yQmyJIg/s1600/mural.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbM4po4INTBumBngx3649Dsvxb9Xs728SzwC-HnRs_AWo2FuAcPuYnN-IF6vMQh_5_qjjb6xlrQ0DzCg4SVPzzvci4keLH21hzc7OF4kg-IzXARAdFkt487XZDOyxRsv2RPrK2yQmyJIg/s640/mural.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Park mural.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1APQ_wtSjosPGzLbV0t_ZStGDTbJUf_-1YpvcoJpi1YIFcq1xWpxjrlTF98tyA3-Lqi44r-D5PSBdFK9E_Un0tsx083_qEjMuZdZqbl_RtybGRWYBKlEAHwNMTgxl7c25g2PmUsNNBwg/s1600/Powells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1APQ_wtSjosPGzLbV0t_ZStGDTbJUf_-1YpvcoJpi1YIFcq1xWpxjrlTF98tyA3-Lqi44r-D5PSBdFK9E_Un0tsx083_qEjMuZdZqbl_RtybGRWYBKlEAHwNMTgxl7c25g2PmUsNNBwg/s640/Powells.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of Powells bookstore.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCIyhe9JSF2GoHvK6mPdHJABedBJFDBzQyNA_mWQhXwcj5wYg39JTWSOl4RcVL7Pgq4-OFwgcYXqEXdNfwWTTZf8KU55lUrcQ39FovQeYBH0w1abWY7mn2Vp6mxwu3waUzf5pJysscfY/s1600/March_Portland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCIyhe9JSF2GoHvK6mPdHJABedBJFDBzQyNA_mWQhXwcj5wYg39JTWSOl4RcVL7Pgq4-OFwgcYXqEXdNfwWTTZf8KU55lUrcQ39FovQeYBH0w1abWY7mn2Vp6mxwu3waUzf5pJysscfY/s640/March_Portland.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring skies, example 2.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMlBXFl9UbthZt4niUMrw8XSEL65Ws3WhiNiRfz-tL8LVhAv6RcSuTKd69d5jzkFFT-On7jUTsfAYDE54I4tfWNMa5ZJtFRDszL5jdjO6wZyXMayfiuyISCz2S7hkoljJ7ORVzLFfcU8/s1600/blue_star_social_media.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMlBXFl9UbthZt4niUMrw8XSEL65Ws3WhiNiRfz-tL8LVhAv6RcSuTKd69d5jzkFFT-On7jUTsfAYDE54I4tfWNMa5ZJtFRDszL5jdjO6wZyXMayfiuyISCz2S7hkoljJ7ORVzLFfcU8/s640/blue_star_social_media.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the airport.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpJq4F5hO2pxSF0vKQ5Q-mVwtRlnEA1jv7tf3WjX8_d1fEbc6sqEaXIBRCfoywUo1UGc2pbTRxEBItnwR0Cde1L2_R4VOcob63NJIeM3Bm5irug5k7xAy_g1fp05lChOelidByl-lYTY/s1600/lately.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpJq4F5hO2pxSF0vKQ5Q-mVwtRlnEA1jv7tf3WjX8_d1fEbc6sqEaXIBRCfoywUo1UGc2pbTRxEBItnwR0Cde1L2_R4VOcob63NJIeM3Bm5irug5k7xAy_g1fp05lChOelidByl-lYTY/s640/lately.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">College campus; downtown.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVu4YZFErnfs2FemLeOjwSTFPNu9FUz4pwo4nw_gYEh89kLFOAc2MO1jRjxq3IPsTEvRTHJ8zSSTAilmkIU_B2N9o0L5jfZqrdu7keE4n6CdWkUHixqh9sGnP_Y3Eag1VUg3ffIvBJJJc/s1600/reality_principle_reed_college.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVu4YZFErnfs2FemLeOjwSTFPNu9FUz4pwo4nw_gYEh89kLFOAc2MO1jRjxq3IPsTEvRTHJ8zSSTAilmkIU_B2N9o0L5jfZqrdu7keE4n6CdWkUHixqh9sGnP_Y3Eag1VUg3ffIvBJJJc/s640/reality_principle_reed_college.jpg" width="432" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sign in Reed College's language department.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEopDuic6mZjYc5NVUC27QTr6pvRRu2BtV3iCgoXZrce0PtfBpeZz31PKhr5n2SrQKRLus1180AGBhxTSzN67Ii5wkXLP2gsErk3vVvZh6ztIX5aRkBNf5Xsj9ZFhkKGBH9Jj7zYFLn_I/s1600/Portland_cherry_blossoms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEopDuic6mZjYc5NVUC27QTr6pvRRu2BtV3iCgoXZrce0PtfBpeZz31PKhr5n2SrQKRLus1180AGBhxTSzN67Ii5wkXLP2gsErk3vVvZh6ztIX5aRkBNf5Xsj9ZFhkKGBH9Jj7zYFLn_I/s640/Portland_cherry_blossoms.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For a week or two, magnolia blossoms were everywhere around town.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The Chinese lessons are over. It was a lot of fun to be a beginner again, especially in a language that <i>doesn't</i> decline things. (Take that, Russian!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmswbgFOUDwBWZramX4rBHXOb2YUgi0k34DRhY9IDfRLJ5fBzSU21Za3ccEiroS4jWaxU-y0IshLAfCU6rjEBkmtFiLIvdmOD2pR-B5EevtYKPzu0VTrfNNY_DYpM187BCrT3R2oZNsE/s1600/whiteboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmswbgFOUDwBWZramX4rBHXOb2YUgi0k34DRhY9IDfRLJ5fBzSU21Za3ccEiroS4jWaxU-y0IshLAfCU6rjEBkmtFiLIvdmOD2pR-B5EevtYKPzu0VTrfNNY_DYpM187BCrT3R2oZNsE/s640/whiteboard.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
D and I are studying the language at home once a week. And I keep getting these emails... ;)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1kYhu-E_tdo8qXa1OnihYT9oed80FzKDUcehceGZrU10nAtVdaUrD_vGtC-xm3C2Sa2Ig-dAY_8b2eG-TvPIHE82vfs0AznI9yQDQrFqK9bVPl5bN_GYnLrT2xalgcl66YxHHpfhWAM/s1600/China.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1kYhu-E_tdo8qXa1OnihYT9oed80FzKDUcehceGZrU10nAtVdaUrD_vGtC-xm3C2Sa2Ig-dAY_8b2eG-TvPIHE82vfs0AznI9yQDQrFqK9bVPl5bN_GYnLrT2xalgcl66YxHHpfhWAM/s640/China.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
At Home (or, Life with Cat)</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47KQFc41FpoLU85sJAbmpdqNqkXBQDllEynk9962_71ppZr_LtHh48M9P5t3LBEH8SVu1hn8HNnOsXvO85CJeAiBqDtORKOU-Zu-8MBtr7VpnIrL_hvA66CGDH8ENIy1_-Hbwt-_AbUc/s1600/April_calender_Russian_cats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47KQFc41FpoLU85sJAbmpdqNqkXBQDllEynk9962_71ppZr_LtHh48M9P5t3LBEH8SVu1hn8HNnOsXvO85CJeAiBqDtORKOU-Zu-8MBtr7VpnIrL_hvA66CGDH8ENIy1_-Hbwt-_AbUc/s640/April_calender_Russian_cats.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Кит got a big upgrade recently. This thing- we call it his <b>домик</b>, <i>little house</i>- kept tipping further and further until one day he leapt up and knocked it down.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yVCezWnF6kNXwWy-2TkMH0gede_YmnxL9sC3PijONksa2K3HN9MOjaYcI0InFnvrNMOS0WEanHc6Yy2mkbvfWXH3H8moyBszkTZxruptjDpIve2YWe_IpRLYW0DeLeoUirWYOtcFOyc/s1600/Kit_old_domik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yVCezWnF6kNXwWy-2TkMH0gede_YmnxL9sC3PijONksa2K3HN9MOjaYcI0InFnvrNMOS0WEanHc6Yy2mkbvfWXH3H8moyBszkTZxruptjDpIve2YWe_IpRLYW0DeLeoUirWYOtcFOyc/s640/Kit_old_domik.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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His new one is much taller and wider. He no longer has to scrunch up to sit atop it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFkjIOdNHs3yEAJhaJ_oiZkAQRVpBpiN1sZ1LaaP9EE2vWRybtb5LfmBMMhdZFln0qTKyDUGBv_dWKnfnsaUBbg-YDKKAtDK2_FJBtM5PBvG9sVkLTIErQLoujb1jtLne2nenXxPPMak/s1600/Kit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFkjIOdNHs3yEAJhaJ_oiZkAQRVpBpiN1sZ1LaaP9EE2vWRybtb5LfmBMMhdZFln0qTKyDUGBv_dWKnfnsaUBbg-YDKKAtDK2_FJBtM5PBvG9sVkLTIErQLoujb1jtLne2nenXxPPMak/s640/Kit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZaOzZpregSFrPp-lYGFWSqtwTxO0eotBsJCjDNADfwm409m_f56iR2r1k9zG2bOxf8tzWm7GrY5Jky0JlIzfc1MfTgHRy5xedDtgUgbfg0KAanE7O7ie_RzlYS4eeWEn5U6V3HdGwqA/s1600/Kit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZaOzZpregSFrPp-lYGFWSqtwTxO0eotBsJCjDNADfwm409m_f56iR2r1k9zG2bOxf8tzWm7GrY5Jky0JlIzfc1MfTgHRy5xedDtgUgbfg0KAanE7O7ie_RzlYS4eeWEn5U6V3HdGwqA/s640/Kit2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYieC0z9fkFuWFvgQut8aXygD1YC_2kgLbpZWdySxnSGlNczZyYfNkbCAFK5V2Z4t4se4ElfAk4kTKEox5AiX39lMaf6BTvUQvaOcyaRaeB_2K_MuVGhxSSODeeOMGpBdpYsKcAA4gow/s1600/Kit3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYieC0z9fkFuWFvgQut8aXygD1YC_2kgLbpZWdySxnSGlNczZyYfNkbCAFK5V2Z4t4se4ElfAk4kTKEox5AiX39lMaf6BTvUQvaOcyaRaeB_2K_MuVGhxSSODeeOMGpBdpYsKcAA4gow/s640/Kit3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtFsnUKyjHaZaxlCh0kcwYAW2u6AZQoOM4NxioiJlszYWT3PCqJoCGthmHqH-0wUarCL5AB51SQxiWsUZKfEwxwW5q6O4gu1vuwlgugEDR4zcwEWjqy3ovPxz3vcXZZWMctkPqB8vFhU/s1600/Kit4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtFsnUKyjHaZaxlCh0kcwYAW2u6AZQoOM4NxioiJlszYWT3PCqJoCGthmHqH-0wUarCL5AB51SQxiWsUZKfEwxwW5q6O4gu1vuwlgugEDR4zcwEWjqy3ovPxz3vcXZZWMctkPqB8vFhU/s640/Kit4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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When he's not in his new домик, he likes to sit on top of the router.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKhyxyp4GqLZtt1raN7HsVZhBVxLqgc_ZdosX0gjCAdikLojQAqD2hezZ74S59wOj1QUgf58PJuWfXhhrcPdGFR-HWo7OmUlWdXVK3jYliUxtl0PjNsJgkTqTbZV_7SzqMWqTLv0Ob-o/s1600/Kit_hiding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKhyxyp4GqLZtt1raN7HsVZhBVxLqgc_ZdosX0gjCAdikLojQAqD2hezZ74S59wOj1QUgf58PJuWfXhhrcPdGFR-HWo7OmUlWdXVK3jYliUxtl0PjNsJgkTqTbZV_7SzqMWqTLv0Ob-o/s640/Kit_hiding.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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One other note: <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/2016/12/snowfall-tea-haul_9.html" target="_blank">this tea from December</a> has been a perfect match for spring- black tea with <span class="st"> chocolate, blue cornflower and rose petals. Mmmmm!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5KfqWTSw4xsOpXNx6wEwkxNdC5PKcO0FsD-EcZCDiGAdxLbtmYqyh0IPj5UV3CazVSbuQIwlt2NuMrDBD1bYTJIFFkM4CFF0bvaBNfbhq9COxop6bYRCSU6e-_6lvcyCfwSOIOU4iXs/s1600/Portland_blend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5KfqWTSw4xsOpXNx6wEwkxNdC5PKcO0FsD-EcZCDiGAdxLbtmYqyh0IPj5UV3CazVSbuQIwlt2NuMrDBD1bYTJIFFkM4CFF0bvaBNfbhq9COxop6bYRCSU6e-_6lvcyCfwSOIOU4iXs/s640/Portland_blend.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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... but I used the whole bag up. The company sent a few new teas to try, but none are as good as the Portland Blend.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojB3Q3FhaRiG5O_bQgSH66jHjAmcKr9Jz6eOBbfTATwTu0oSegJ_st6iRdVvVdh8LHVdQ6A5Y8EGOp8Q8us823RT5ckzhrkQej8lb2e1kEf4uecoEfjfGw0lMs55UgNPQN_RypaNSfZQ/s1600/new_teas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojB3Q3FhaRiG5O_bQgSH66jHjAmcKr9Jz6eOBbfTATwTu0oSegJ_st6iRdVvVdh8LHVdQ6A5Y8EGOp8Q8us823RT5ckzhrkQej8lb2e1kEf4uecoEfjfGw0lMs55UgNPQN_RypaNSfZQ/s640/new_teas.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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What kinds of snapshots sum up your April? Leave me a comment below! :)<br />
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Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-75325599128582039802017-04-26T02:31:00.002+03:002017-04-26T02:34:17.684+03:00Murals in Ukraine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A friend just spotted this mural near Kharkiv's <span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">Sportivnaya metro stop</span></span>. What do you think of it? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoPSl_XHspGdCKLvAWJ-DBDuX3nhRJScija-nz3qDOhZnheQVEhG1XYh_uS8JjAweauMpo93t7URHneVQQwzoL6IR8TZBdHd8xkPmDM3Vn8chBzfnXHc2s38wNJ3xPF1kjV8r2au0k9A/s1600/Kharkiv_mural.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoPSl_XHspGdCKLvAWJ-DBDuX3nhRJScija-nz3qDOhZnheQVEhG1XYh_uS8JjAweauMpo93t7URHneVQQwzoL6IR8TZBdHd8xkPmDM3Vn8chBzfnXHc2s38wNJ3xPF1kjV8r2au0k9A/s640/Kharkiv_mural.jpg" width="620" /></a></div>
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Even from afar, I'm still pretty obsessed with Ukrainian street art!!! The entire <i>let's-make-public-art</i> scene seems to be booming there nowadays. Here's proof:<br />
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<li>Andrea from <a href="http://www.andreainkyiv.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Let's Explore Kyiv</a> pointed out that <a href="https://kyivmurals.com/ua" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this new mobile app</a> lets you track down the city's brightest and coolest murals. </li>
<li>You can already take <a href="http://greentourua.com/tours/kiev-street-art-murals-tour/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a walking tour of Kyiv's street art</a>. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.tol.org/client/article/26751-ukraine-kyiv-street-art-murals-grafitti.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Are murals "less Soviet" than mosaics</a>? (And speaking of mosaics, <a href="https://lostlara.com/2017/04/12/soviet-mosaics-in-dnipro/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> is a great guide to old Soviet mosaics in Dnipro.)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.dobovo.com/blog/top-10-murals-ukraine-according-dobovo-version.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ukraine's top 10 murals</a>. Ура! Kharkiv takes spot #3!</li>
<li>Shameless internal link: <a href="http://8monthsinukraine.blogspot.com/search/label/graffiti" target="_blank">murals and graffiti in Kharkiv, 2011-2014.</a></li>
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Have you seen any of Ukraine's newer murals? And can we just take one more look at what was Kharkiv's greatest mural ever, haha? Nothing can ever top this-<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy585IwymktvlnVYUGPszy6_r9ZnJF4Mlk532xPkesSBzYygeIU8J4-hP7BGmuu1w8TfJW2L310mZk_wtN1oZ1gqB-C21DECcKWrlI_XYjc-VJmzujaOKZ_BBSAin5SrI7v-l_E5rz7ck/s1600/cat_cosmonaut_Kharkiv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy585IwymktvlnVYUGPszy6_r9ZnJF4Mlk532xPkesSBzYygeIU8J4-hP7BGmuu1w8TfJW2L310mZk_wtN1oZ1gqB-C21DECcKWrlI_XYjc-VJmzujaOKZ_BBSAin5SrI7v-l_E5rz7ck/s640/cat_cosmonaut_Kharkiv.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656881569336871801.post-85275575407891829072017-04-18T23:23:00.000+03:002017-04-19T07:56:07.448+03:00Kazan Family Center<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last weekend, we went to a tulip festival. I still see a thousand acres of neon flowers when I close my eyes, so instead of sharing those photos today, here's something <i>totally</i> different.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Welcome to Kazan, Russia. The city is home to 1.1 million people and it's the capital of Tatarstan. I think I love it almost as much as I love Kharkiv!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2SQXQB688EqYayqdX5Vqw4xe3BLUnsL5ue8VYH2LBHgw4bA3XZ_FS1JUS8HJiZAu6wpm5Uuz3zbm5khkwvQRyUuxTd8zc1vgwetySy4Y6LJ9VCfMfimGqya6wkTvz7DxppspO0QYWMs/s1600/Kazan_sign2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2SQXQB688EqYayqdX5Vqw4xe3BLUnsL5ue8VYH2LBHgw4bA3XZ_FS1JUS8HJiZAu6wpm5Uuz3zbm5khkwvQRyUuxTd8zc1vgwetySy4Y6LJ9VCfMfimGqya6wkTvz7DxppspO0QYWMs/s640/Kazan_sign2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The university organized a short trip to Kazan last summer. One Saturday morning, we stumbled off the overnight train, squeezed into a private marshrutka, and immediately drove here. It was so early in the morning that only joggers and sidewalk sweepers were out. The benches and streets were empty.<br />
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We spilled out of the marshrutka while the university chaperone argued with someone on her cell phone. Although a local guide was supposed to meet our group at the train station, she was missing in action (hence the angry phone call.) The chaperone waved us off to walk along the river bank while she continued her conversation.<br />
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Dragons, gargoyles, and other beasts surrounded the building which- get this- is the local <b>ЗАГС</b>, <i>marriage registry</i>! Would this be a crazy amazing place to get married or what?!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqzXIrwpArAPRpn9ed3VrMZg2DM3J1kbhtCZX74-zkV0B5Ckat3OxM1upMaK31W5Saydib-qS2ju7vEcXDTZUelQqVY_b_1cDOGaXuAsNTmLkZtcQbsJHtQmDL-0rvohcDEOrCsp3VTg/s1600/Kazan_ZAGS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqzXIrwpArAPRpn9ed3VrMZg2DM3J1kbhtCZX74-zkV0B5Ckat3OxM1upMaK31W5Saydib-qS2ju7vEcXDTZUelQqVY_b_1cDOGaXuAsNTmLkZtcQbsJHtQmDL-0rvohcDEOrCsp3VTg/s640/Kazan_ZAGS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kazan Family Center.</td></tr>
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Looking on the internet now, I see that you can go up to the top of the building for a small fee. (The city's fairytale Kremlin sits atop a hill just across the river.) Even though everything was still closed up that morning, the views were still nice. Here's a view looking towards "downtown" Kazan.<br />
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The creature statues were straight out of legend. In fact, this particular creature is well-displayed throughout Kazan. <br />
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Meet the <b>зилант</b>, a snake-dragon hybrid. You can read more about it on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zilant" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>.<b> </b>The city is full of <b>зилант</b> statues and even features the animal on its flag.<br />
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And then we were waved back to the marshrutka, driving on deeper into the city. This place is just one of a billion things that captured my heart in Kazan. (More coming soon!) Do you like the building's heavy feel, or do you think a wedding palace should be more ethereal?</div>
Crazy About Ukrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990920799981173553noreply@blogger.com4