birthday flower

2 Weeks ago, on my 20th birthday, I was walking in the metro station and stopped at a flower stand. I saw this rose and thought it epitomized everything that I want this year of my life to be. Beautiful, simple, and full of life.

This picture was taken TODAY. My birthday flower is still alive and kickin after two weeks.

Christina read me this quote last night,
" It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent,
but the ones that are the most adaptable to change"

culture shock.

Culture shock according to Wikipedia:

After some time , differences between the old and new culture become apparent and may create anxiety.That sense of excitement will eventually give way to new and unpleasant feelings of frustration and anger as you continue to have unfavorable encounters that strike you as strange, offensive, and unacceptable. These reactions [...] are typically centered on the formidable language barrier as well as stark differences in: public hygiene; traffic safety; the type and quality of the food. It's a very hard period for the people who need to adjust to a new culture, especially for those students who study abroad alone without families. In this period, people might feel that their lifestyle is totally influenced. Their biological clock is in a mess because of the time difference, they can't work well and can't rest well either.

I may have culture shock.

my life

This is my serious Ukrainian face. Maybe also why I don't blend in well.

This is Ameri's serious Ukrainian face. She is sitting on her chair in our get dressed and sit room.This is me in my chair using Christina's suitcases as a desk

This is my neighborhood, it doesn't look very inviting right now due to the mud and scary crows, but you just wait for spring time.
I live in a building just like this one.

Christina has a very good serious Ukrainian face because she is Ukrainian.

the first good time

So the three of us HT's walked to the grocery store tonight. It took a while to find it, and when we did it was closing. So basically we walked like a mile to get some bread and diet coke (of course) before they shooed us out. Christina is more kind and thought we should heed their shooing while I thought we should smile and nod and play the "I don't know what you are saying to me" card and go about our business till we got all our groceries. I didn't walk a mile in the cold to come home empty handed. Anyways we left with our bread ( next time we will go when it's not closing..) And then we got lost. Very lost. We ended up downtown near a Mcdonalds. And we were starving, and it was almost 11 pm. So we stopped and got big and tasties to help us in our quest to find home. After we chowed down, and wandered about in the cold, I decided it was useless and I was tired and proposed we climb into a warm taxi and get home in 5 minutes as opposed to possibly never. It would be tragic to see a newspaper headline saying.. "3 ILP teachers, froze to death outside McDonalds... 5 blocks from their apartment...."... So we took a taxi. And now we are home. We were indeed very lost. And we have no idea how we ended up so far from our casa. But such is living in a new country and having a level 5 decent sense of direction.


luvs,
Kayla

the eagle has landed. in urkaine.

I tried to be elusive today and blend in with the people. And then I had to answer my phone and speak English. On account of that is the only language I know. And then my cover was blown and my regional coordinator found me because some man called and asked her if she was looking for the girl who speaks English. Yes. That was me. However my Ukrainian parka that I wore for my engagement pictures seems to blend in nicely.

I am so tired I feel nauseous. I am guessing this is what me call jet lag.

next adventure: grocery shopping with the roomies, church.

i just got lost

" What is the point in being afraid?"

-Desmond. Lost Season 6.


( Maybe I got lost in Lost last week.)

awesome list

• When your little brother is wrestling and he clearly dominates everyone. He is ranked top 10 in the NATION.
  ^all the siblings together at little B's tournament ^

• When you are looking at puppies with your sister on a diet coke and puppy run, and you wish that you could just take one home for a few hours and then bring it back. And then you ask the front desk guy and he is all, " Yep! Bring him back before close!"

• When your bestypoo friend GETS ENGAGED!!!!!!!
  CONGRATS BRIT!!!
  

• Daddy Daughter dates at Pho. Turns out Vietnamese food is delicious.

• Deciding that I want a yellow kitchen. And then purchasing yellow paint today with my momma.

• Leopard print luggage.

• When your hair looks better on day 3 then on day 1. And yes I do go 3 days without washing my hair. Dry shampoo yo's. Miracle.

• Kissing Elliott.

What do we think about a light violet bathroom? I think it sounds wonderful. Wouldn't you feel twice as pretty if you got ready in a violet bathroom as opposed to a white one? Probably for sure.

packing.

I feel like my suitcases looked a lot bigger before I started putting things in them. Maybe I need an extra suitcase for shoes and scarves. And a person sized one.. to kidnap my fiance. Just kidding. Kind of.  If somehow I am supposed to leave behind the essentials like all of my coats you all are mad I'm not going to Ukraine looking like a hobo. I mean not only do I have to pack for 4. 5 months but also 2 seasons. It gets warm there! And little known fact all of you, if you look at weather reports in Rexburg next to Kiev, you will consistently find that Kiev, Ukraine is in fact warmer than that frozen wasteland we lovingly refer to as The Burg.

Yess yess I packed to go to Mexico for a similar amount of time, but I wore considerably less clothes there. Cause it was roasty toasty and sunshiney. Speaking of sunshine, guess where Elliott and I will be going on our honeymoon!!!!! Puerto Vallarta!!!! Our resort is pretty killer. It has a zoo. How much better can you get!! Newwwwss you can't. So when I am standing fearing frostbite waiting for a metro thoughts of the sunny beach and warm sand will keep me alive.

xoxo,
Kayla

highlight on someone adventurous

Named Kyle.
Kyle is my brotthhhaa


This is him and his fiance, Amanda.

This is where he lives

This is what it looks like now

here is how he built it
(click it)



The End.

♥
Kayla

new trends.

1 ) Being warm.
Parka it up. Wear socks that go to your knees. Roasty Toasty.
Does it look cute? Not really. But cute is whatevs when it's 2 degrees outside.

2) Being Engaged.
Everyone is doing it. It's a good time.

uhhh i love this picture. and my fiance.

3) Avoiding PDA. Fiance dominates this trend.
Very trendy that man.

4) Sage green. Maybe not. Maybe it's a personal obsession.
Maybe feeding ducks is my personal obsession.

4) The ol' lean up against a tree with a handsome man and do the "RARRR" face...
uhhh ok not even but i'm tired just let it go.

My engagement pictures are the awesomesauce of life. My Padre took them. I fed the duckies salt and vinegar chips. And they liked it.
My kindle is also the awesomesauce of life. I just downloded Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
I am getting into the eastern european spirit.


uhh remember how I have to leave this Fiance for 4.5 months?
crap.
do not make this a trend. ever.


Fiance and I played The Farming Game (very entertaining despite the title) with his mom and ate sushi and shrimp cocktails last night. Sushi is my favorite food in the world.
We toasted sparkling cider at midnight.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!