Journal for aschilba

The world's longest trollybus ride (really)

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:12:30 -0800

Though I had planned to try and catch a marshutka to Koktebel this weekend, that didn't go down. Saturday night we- Anya, Lithuanian student, Daniel, German student, Thomas, also German, and Jasmin and myself, all went out to what looked like the local mafia's favorite hangout spot. (jk) We all dressed up and met up for some dancing. Turned out to be really fun, though the party got started at around 1:30AM. I cut the floor with my moves.

Don't mess with hot water heaters.

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:22:49 -0800

Last night I decided that it was time to do laundry on my own, with my own two hands... I might not have my Ph.D in Laundry Science, but I like to think that I am fairly competent and can operate a laundry machine with relatively few hiccups. At my flat in Simferopol I do not have a washing machine or dryer so doing laundry is literally a chore. Remember when I said I was competent in Laundry Science? Well, I only have my certificate for machines...

So I came home and gathered up my dirty clothes (which was almost everything) and took them to the bathroom. I took out the big wash bins and put my soap in and put the clothes in and la da da. So feeling quite good about it all, I hung it up to dry outside on the line. I couldn't have realized that the worst was yet to come...

Now fast forward with me to after dinner. I put my dishes in the sink and retire to my room to do homework. (I would have done the dishes, if it hadn't had been for my experience last week when I did them and she started yelling at me in Russian and I decided that I would leave it to her from now on). She comes in to do the dishes and turns on the tap. Only no hot water.

Simferopol so far...

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:01:52 -0800

In the last entry, I didn't really get to my time in Ukraine so that is what this entry is dedicated to. Simferopol is actually the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which is considered problematic by some due to the fact that it is not a seperate country on the map. I think one of the main reasons why the Crimea is so independant from Kiev is because of the large Russian majority living here. Also Sevastopol, an hour drive southeast, is where the Russian Navy is stationed until 2019.

Traveling during the end of August

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:12:41 -0800

Hello all back home, especially my co-workers in the LLC. So here we are, you are in school and I am in Ukraine. So far I have had an excellent time and seen a great many things. The world's a book, and if you stay at home you only read one page! So let me talk about the pages that I've read so far.

I left Seattle in mid August on the kind of day that makes you want to stay in Seattle... But it will be there when I come back. The plane ride was long and I didn't sleep a wink. After we landed in Copenhagen I went straight to the duty free store and bought two neccessities: wine and Swedish black salty licorice. After another plane ride to Oslo-Gardermoen, I was ready to collect my luggage and go to Oslo S, the central bus/train station. As I was waiting on the train platform a woman behind me started yelling and screaming. I was surprised and dropped my luggage and went over to her. Her mother, an elderly heavyset woman was having some sort of seizure or attack and losing conciousness. So I helped her daughter gently lower her to the ground and put something under her head so she could lay there. I was quite surprised that nobody else helped. If that had happened in the States it seems like there would have been a whole flock of people there helping this woman...but here?

T - 3 days...

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:12:05 -0800

Hello everybody,

Although the end of the summer and beginning of the fall semester do not begin for another two+ weeks, I am leaving on Monday, August 11th, for Europe.

Blog Workshop Dates

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:30:22 -0800

LLC

APRIL 4th @ 5:00 & APRIL 7th @ 4:00

10:54 PM
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Pictures

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:24:07 -0800

Here are some great pictures from a past participant in the SImferopol program. I will work on updating this page with pictures and some first-hand accounts.

Black Sea Coast

Tavrida National University

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:48:13 -0800

While abroad, I will be studying at Tavrida National University, a large and distinguished university in Simferopol. The University was established in 1918 and for almost a century has been a center for culture, science, and education for Crimea and the entire country.

TNU

Tavrida National University

Local Culture and Geography

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:19:39 -0800

Simferopol, Ukraine is located in the Crimean Peninsula in the southern most part of Ukraine. It is a city of 344,000 and a hub for the region's business and transportation. Simferopol was once the center of the Crimean Scythian tribes. On Simferopol's outskirts there are many archaeological remains. The city, then called Neopolis, thrived from around the 2nd Century B.C. to the 4th Century A.D. Formally, it is known as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

View of the Black Sea

The Green Light- February 20th, 2008

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:57:17 -0800

The day that many Willamette students have been waiting for has finally arrived. The Office of International Education handed back study abroad decisions today. I received word that my plan of studying abroad the entire year has been given the "green light."

Although now I can breathe a little easier knowing that I am approved to go abroad, my work regarding studying abroad is not anywhere near being done with. In fact, now the work starts in earnest as I take full responsibility of determining exactly how much I get out of my immersion in a foreign culture. As I educate myself on all curious and unique aspects of my respective destinations, this blog will serve to track and document my progress and thoughts. Join me as I educate and prepare myself for what will be a fantastic experience studying abroad next year in Europe.