I suppose before I start blogging, I should introduce myself. My name is Katie. During my last week of classes at Claremont McKenna College, I thought I would be heading off to DC to teach pre-schoolers with Teach for America. On day two of finals week, however, my dream came true, and I was awarded a Fulbright grant to spend ten months in Estonia to study ethnic relations, integration policies, and to be a freelance photographer. To study ethnic relations, I needed to learn a bit more (ok... a LOT more) Russian so that I could communicate with the ethnic Russians in Estonia- many of whom speak neither Estonian nor English. To do so, I am here in Kiev, Ukraine to take intensive language courses.
The sun is rising for my adult life. I just graduated, I don't want to talk about my bank account, and I'm still rather daunted by the idea of trying to deal with finding an apartment, picking out a phone plan, having a landlord and paying utilities and all that fun stuff that comes with being in the real world (with the added bonus of a language barrier.) But in the end, I'm so excited to start this next phase of my life, and I feel hopeful.
I think this is also an exciting time for Eastern Europe. Ukraine and Estonia gained independence shortly after I was born. Both countries have had some growing pains, but I think these countries- both some of the first in Europe to see the sunlight every morning- have bright futures. It's time for us to grow up together. :)
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