I am quickly running out for time for doing blog updates. Since it does not make sense to wait until I come back form Ethiopia to finish the rest of the profiles, I will briefly do them all at one time.

Let me finish with the people in my room, Natasha, Joanne, and Valya.

Natasha’s real name is Natalia. For whatever reason, most Natalias here go by Natasha as their nickname. Natasha has many talents, one of them is that she knows sign language. She has been going to different deaf groups to help translate. She is very spunky and mischievous. She left yesterday with the team to India.

Queen Natasha

Joanne is one of the infamous Canadians. She hails from the New Brunswick region. Joanne is 26 and came to Ukraine in the spring with me when we came to teach English. I met her for the first time in Port Townsend where she came for the TESOL training. Joanne is simply amazing. She may look quiet and reserved, but look out! This girl is hungry for adventure. She once tried to convince me we should hop on a random bus and see where it went… I finally gave in. 🙂 She has big dreams and is content to simply see where God leads her.

Beautiful Joanne

Valya is from Russia. She is 24 and this is her first year on staff in Ternopil. She is a great leader to have in our room. Valya likes to knit and sew. This has come in handy for people who buy clothes too big for them. She is always looking to give hugs and loves to laugh. Valya is leading the team that is staying in Ukraine.

Lovely Valya

Slavic Saying: I heard one more saying yesterday. Poor Valya was locked out of the house last night and had to sleep in the office. When I saw her this morning I asked her how she was doing. She told me that she will be “like cucumber after shower.” She tried to explain that just like cucumbers are fresh and green, she will be fresh after her shower.