Tag Archives: freezing cold

What has been the best year of your life?

By on January 15, 2009 in Estonia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Soviet Travel, Ukraine

In one of my conversation clubs in school here in Ukraine, I asked my students what the best year of their life has been. Questions like these, followed with a simple, “Why?”, are a great way to get them all to talk (my main goal for my classes), while also killing a ton of class time. However, a lot of… Read more

January 15, 2009 · Read full story · Comments { 5 }

Dear Russia

By on December 30, 2008 in Soviet Travel, Ukraine

Dear Russia,

You definitely don’t know me, but I’m writing to beg that you please don’t cut off the gas supply to Ukraine on January 1. Without gas, I won’t be able to cook on the stove, have hot water, or even have heat in my home.

December 30, 2008 · Read full story · Comments { 5 }
Huddling Around Garbage Can Fires

Huddling Around Garbage Can Fires

By on December 20, 2008 in Soviet Travel, Ukraine

Look, winter sucks. It just does. I have never liked it, except for when I was a child and we had snow days from school and could go outside and play. Whenever I complain about the cold or the snow, people always say, “But you’re from Illinois. You should be used to this weather!”
I will never get used to… Read more

December 20, 2008 · Read full story · Comments { 0 }
It feels like autumn.

It feels like autumn.

By on October 6, 2008 in Estonia, Lithuania, Soviet Travel

Imagine my shock when the day I flew from Kazakhstan to Latvia I also went from sweating to freezing! Everyone in Riga was wearing a coat, hat, gloves… the works. “Ugh!” I thought. I really despise cold weather, but don’t get confused. That doesn’t mean I like summer either! So I may be a bit sensitive to temperature, but I… Read more

October 6, 2008 · Read full story · Comments { 2 }
Thirty days of cold showers in the dark.

Thirty days of cold showers in the dark.

By on May 20, 2008 in Kyrgyzstan, Soviet Travel

After going days without showering in Guatemala because the water was too cold, I knew it was going to be bad when I found out that Bishkek turns the hot water off in the entire city for an entire 30 days! I thought it was some sort of joke when another student said he heard this, but no, it was… Read more

May 20, 2008 · Read full story · Comments { 3 }