I am now in L'viv, Ukraine. Kirovograd ended up being a pretty nice time, mainly because of some wonderful people that I met. Andrew, an English teacher that was showing me around, took me to his second grad class and also to a school concert. It was a great time spending so much time with kids and their boisterous voices. A few good kids took TOEFL and passed and now will be applying for LCC. They were pretty good characters and all of them either a FLEX student or a FLEX finalist.
But now L'viv, my favorite city in Ukraine and one of my favorite cities anywhere. It is an unglossed jewel. A lot of character (see picture of L'viv's opera house up top), wonderful architecture, and a friendly atmosphere. All the ingredients for a world-famous city, but currently without the pretentiousness a lot of money and wealth bring in, although there is more and more investment occurring. I feel at home in L'viv as I know quite a few people now and am so relaxed walking along streets that were laid out a few hundred years ago. I know where all of my favorite cafes are and side alleys to walk down. I begin visiting schools tomorrow and I am looking forward to it because a lot of kids here know me already and will want to show me around... again. One place I haven't been to is the cemetery and I hope to visit that this time.