Received August 24, 2009 via email:Ukraine is awesome! The culture is crazy! We got here and rode the metro! Way ghetto and awesome. Oh, ya, I was able to see the Kyiv Temple. I can't wait til it's finished. These pictures are of my District that I have spent the last two and a half months with learning Russian. We traveled together... a very long flight from Salt Lake City Airport to JFK in New York City and then a direct flight from JFK t Kyiv Ukraine... 9 hours and 50 minutes, I might add. We are standing with my Mission President and his wife in front of the Kyiv Temple that should be completed sometime next year. We stayed at the Mission House on the first night. It's on the Temple Grounds that the Church owns.
My trainer is awesome!! His name is Elder Bernal. He's from Washington. Our apartment is way cool too. *Babushkas everywhere!!! I'm in a city called Cherkasi... not sure how to spell it in English. This is my first area. We teach a lot of English here and leave the lessons with spiritual thoughts. It really helps people to feel the spirit and then we can tell them what we're really about. My first day in church was ... interesting ... most of it was in Ukrainian so I didn't understand much. Not a problem though.
I can't get over how awesome it is here!!! We live pretty close to Cherkasi Center (center of Cherkasi) so we're always in the middle of all the action. OMG the girls here are sooooooo immodest!!! It's definitely different than America. I would say that America doesn't have a problem at all with modesty. The outdoor markets are so cool here... Babushkas outside selling unpackaged fish and kavas (fermented bread water). We're not alloweed to drink it (ha ha).
The first lesson I was a part of when I got here was with a lady named Marina. She is an English teacher so obviously her English is perfect! We still tried to speak in Russian though. We ride in little busses everyday called Marsutkas. They're way sketchy but awesome at the same time. We went to the beach with the Priesthood a few days ago. We ate something called sala (pig fat) ... it was actually really good. I still can't believe I'm here. The rumor about the juice being amazing here ... totally 100% true!! The best juice ever!! And the bread!! We went to Independence Square my first day here!! Just Beautiful. Pictures don't do it any justice. We walked through a movie set as well, so I think I might be in a Ukrainian movie (ha ha). EVERYONE stares at us here! It's great. The people here are really nicer than they get credit for. Sure, they don't smile much, but they're the coolest and most genuine people I've ever met!!!
Oh ya, **President S is awesome!!! Crazy sense of humor (ha ha) and Sister S is way nice and a crazy good cook!!! I have soooooo much to say about this place!! Everything is wonderful. I absolutely couldn't be in a better place!! I can't wait to actully speak the language so I can talk to EVERYONE!!! It's honestly sad thinking about going back to America in two years. I'm sorry to say that, but this place is home now.
I miss you and all... but we're stuck together forever. I love you and I'll write in a week.
"Pol" ... that's what I'm called here by the way.
* Babushkas are elderly women, kind of like a Grandma
** President S and Sister S = Mission President Steinagle and his wife, Sister Steinagle
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