As we began to drive around Kiev in the dark, we were so lost and all sorta began to panic.. this was when we would be dropped off at our host families homes. I don't think I have ever been so nervous in my life. I had known nothing about them before I came to Kiev. My friends and I would joke about the slight chance of me getting lucky and getting paired with a super rich family and all would be good, but it was a very small chance.. For all I knew, I could end up in a sketchy flat in the middle of no where!
Soon enough, our girls were being dropped off, what seemed like, all over the city. I was one of the last to be dropped off. As our big ugly green bus/van thing pulled into a parking lot, one of the girls said "Look Britney, you live in a 4 room furniture store!" My heart stopped. Full on cardiac arrest. No joke. I can just imagine, would you like a sleeper sofa or lazy boy? Of course, it would be my luck to live in some bizarre situation.. But don't worry!
I got out of the bus, van thing with Oksana (our school coordinator) and walked over to a very nice new Tuscan.. A woman got out of the car, Oksana said her name was Natatsha.. and then she rumbled something in Russian, left me alone and walked back to the van.
So here I was, getting into a car with a woman I assumed was my host mom. I get in and introduce myself. "Hi, my name is Britney"......... I got a quirky smile and silence.....
Great. She did not speak english.
Ok, I can do this- I kept thinking to myself. After about a fifteen minute drive, past the furniture store (thankfully), we arrived at a gated community near an outlet of the river. I was really surprised, considering the girls before me, had been dropped off at high rise flats. No, I was in an actual house! This was relieving. The house was rather big. Three stories... maybe I did luck out! I was escorted in and there, I met my host sister, Anya. Anya is 9 years old and has a never ending amount of energy, she also speaks very good english! They showed me to a den area and brought my suitcases in. It took me a few minuets to realize, oh, this is my room. I looked around, a couch, a computer, entertainment center, and a glass door. Oh boy. I kinda started to freak out and thought to myself, what an interesting semester this will be.
This morning I woke up (Saturday) and hurried to the bathroom, across the entry way by the kitchen, to take a nearly disastrous shower, but all worked out fine in the end. My host family then drove me to the Metro to meet up with everyone else. It's not hard to spot a group of American Teenagers here. I could not wait to get to the school to start training and get internet! I called my mom last night but I feel so horrible for running the phone bill up. I was excited to tell everyone I had made it safely.
Today we spent the whole day training..not my favorite thing.
Anyway, I've calmed my very worried mother, read my little heart out, made some great friends and now it's time for lunch! Papa Johns Pizza baby! (It sounds pretty legit)
I can't wait to go to church tomorrow!
