See You Again

Every Friday, Seth and I taught an “English Class” at Kolomyia’s organization for special needs students. In reality, no one was learning that much English. We spent roughly 90 minutes playing a matching game we created using UNO cards and colored, fuzzy dice. You throw the dice and match it with a card or pass the articulated card to Seth or I. Green five, or blue two, or red seven. It was simple and engaging. By the time we left, those kiddos could count to ten in English and identify red, blue and green. Though, we never made it to yellow. We bought the dice, but never quite got to that color in the lesson…шкода. Maybe next time.

Anyway, each Friday, we ended the class ended with “The Goodbye Song” and its accompanying dance. The kids loved it…and usually insisted we do it repeatedly. The fun would conclude with one of the girls–Yulia–definitely closing my laptop, signifying that the lesson is over and it was lunch time. So, Seth and I would grab our coats, get our hugs, and move on with our Friday. This was where I got my stereotypical Peace Corps warm fuzzies. We felt loved.

Fast forward to consolidation. On our last night in Kolomyia, Seth and I purchased L’vivska Christmas beer and sang “The Goodbye Song” to Meredith, Suzy, and symbolically all of Kolomyia. Meredith blew bubbles. Suzy took pictures. The other volunteer that was supposed to share our room decided he would rather sleep on the couch downstairs.

So, to all our Peace Corps volunteer friends and our Ukraine families: все буде добре. And we’re all gonna be okay. See you again.

Trust Меггі і Сет. They’re in the know.