Europe Trip 2016 ~ Ukraine revisited (life in Malyn)

Now I'm back in Ukraine. I do like it here. Albeit, I'm staying in a tiny town called Malyn, about and hour and a half from the outskirts of Kiev. 

This welcome sign sums it up well. Welcome to the thriving metropolis that is Malyn.

Obviously not my photo, but the best I could find since I've failed to take a picture as such of the bustling main road through town. This photo looks toward the city center. It hasn't gotten any busier since 2008 either.

The city center...aka....town square.

Needless to say, I don't get to the Kiev much. But it is refreshing here. The forest is literally right out the door.

Looking out the kitchen window toward the woods.

And I work out to T25 in the forest 6 days a week! Killed the last double workout of month 1 today!

Pre workout selfie. Made sure to get a bit of my Vibrams in there :)

Panorama of my view while I'm trying to keep the sweat out of my eyes 8-/

My Workout Tree. Under this tree is a great shady place to workout during the day.

Looking up to the sky collapsed after my double workout!!

Now that I've worked out for and hour and stretched for an hour I'm back to happy and showing off the bottoms of my Vibrams again :)

There is also a nice lake and a dam just a ten minute walk down the road. You can watch beautiful sunsets while providing delicious dinner for mosquitoes.

Enjoy my filter happiness and love of my camera :)

Dynamic Art

Cross Process color

Expressive

The water was mesmerizing with hues of orange and pink and purple!

Really enjoying the cross process color filter on my camera that creates so many blues and pinks.

I get to practice every day and eat tasty home cooked food and study Russian and Ukrainian with lots of practice because my Ukrainian momma doesn't speak English.

That's right! I'm ready to scarf down this cake made from scratch right now!!

Fried zucchini with traditional cream. Love <3

Ukrainian specialty dish called Borsch. It's a beet root soup with carrots and chicken here. Oh was it super duper tasty. Ate it everyday for almost a week!!!

Those pastries on the right in the bowl, called Rogaliki, are my absolute favorite thing. I sometimes accidentally eat them for an entire meal or two.

It's idyllic in many ways. 

There are downsides as there always are in life. The other day the water randomly shut off with no warning. I was instantly transported back to India and my stomach turned into knots and my stress level skyrocketed. There was no one to call and no way to know when life could continue. This is semi normal here.

Another down side for me is the lack of activities. This is a tiny town so the biggest thing to do is go swimming in the lake in the evening. There's no music concerts to attend, no dances to go to, no movies to sit through, no impressive churches to tour, no sports activities to participate in, no social life whatsoever. For me, it's ok for a short time, but not long term such as my life is now.

There is still no job, no contract offer. I wait and pursue and wait some more. Phone calls, emails, internet searches for other people to contact are my daily life as time continues to pass and no jobs surface. 

Recorded two different demos here in Malyn. One with just a pianist, the wonderful Nataliia, and the other with a fellow violinist. Enjoy watching them!

I'm very thankful that while I'm reaching the very last cents in my bank account and soon will no longer have the luxury to keep waiting, I have a wonderful Ukraine family where I feel at home and loved.