Last Day of Classes

I did not sleep last night. Don’t know why. I was tired when I woke up this morning.

Today was the last day of school. Wow. There is always a simultaneous sense of achievement and a bit of sadness at the end of every semester. My life rides the waves of the semester system. It is nice, because each year has established parameters. When one ends, I know there is a new group of students awaiting a fresh beginning just around the corner. There is always a new opportunity to begin anew just months away at any given time of the year.

In 1890, a well known historian named Frederick Jackson Turner gave a speech, identifying the role the American frontier has played in the development of American optimism. Unlike Europeans, whose land had been explored for quite some time, Americans knew that, no matter what their lives were like on the east coast, there was always the option of going west to make a new life for one's self. It didn't matter if the Americans of the 19th century actually took advantage of this or not: what matterred, and what created that sense of optimism that Turner argued was central to the American character, was that each person knew that they could. Like the frontier, the semester system introduces new opportunities several times a year. I love living this way; it keeps life fresh.

Here I am on the first day of classes in early February:

And later that day, all bundled up:

Here I am on the last day of classes:

I gave the final exam, tried unsuccessfully to keep their chatter to a minimum, and told them how much I had enjoyed my time with them.

Then I met with a med student who will be in the US this summer. At 1:30, Anna and Ivanna came to meet me earlier than usual. Our class usually meets at 2:40 but we decided to do something special for our last meeting. We went to Mario’s for lunch (pizza), and had a good conversation about cheating and plagiarism and why it is so rampant here. Then, we walked across the street to a really cute coffee shop. I had coffee and cinnamon. I suggested they get a slice of cake or pie, and so we went to look. They told me I had to try this traditional Ukrainian cake called the drunken cherry. It is usually cooked with vodka or cognac or rum. It is chocolate and has cherries (Ukrainian LOVE cherries) and this one was cooked with cognac. It wasn’t bad.

I really enjoy spending time with these 2 young women. These 2 are going places…

At lunch, they presented me with a gift bag with the image of the main part of the campus on one side and an "I love Chernivtsi" written in Cyrillic on the other side. They had bought a doll wearing traditional Ukrainian clothing for me, and a Chernivtsi flag. I was thrilled by their gesture.

Afterwards I walked with them back to Place Sobornna and visited some shops on my walk home.

I worked on my computer in the evening. I need to submit my Fulbright essay for the yearbook very soon. I also cooked dinner using an assortment of leftovers and things I need to be rid of by the time I leave. Fajita veggie pizza and fajita pesto pizza.

It was a really nice day. Now I have to grade!

I fly home three weeks from tomorrow, and in some ways, that makes me sad. I have developed a really nice routine here, and I have tried never to lose sight of the fact that I am so fortunate to have had this opportunity, and to have employers, and family and friends who have supported my decision to come here.