My last week was full of work, travel and excitement. The typical set of events for a Peace Corps Volunteer.

It all began with my counterpart informing me that she will be out of town for the first module of our Leadership Development training. This meant that my stress level went to an all-time high because for the first time I had to coordinate an event without her by my side.  

Nevertheless, our event last Saturday was a success. Each participant enjoyed their time throughout the 4 hour training on community development. In fact, many of them have asked for additional training to be added to the six series program. There have also been multiple people begging to join the next module.

A few hours after the training I hopped on a train for Poltava to meet with a group of counselors who will be working at a Model UN camp next month in Odessa. The train ride took about 10 hours one way. It was worth the ride. I was able to learn more about my responsibilities as a counselor. My new friends also showed me around their city which is full of historical significance.

On my way back from Poltava I had a 9 hour layover in Kyiv. I used this time by eating lunch with some old Peace Corps friends and exploring Kyiv’s beauty. My train left Kyiv at 9 pm on Monday night  and arrived in Kovel around 7 am. I took a nap and headed into the office to do some work around 2pm.

Today, we held the first advocacy campaign for a budget transparency project our office has been working on for over a year in collaboration with organizations from across the country. When we started setting up outside the administration building we pulled out the tent equipment and my first thought was, “ohh crap,” because there were about 12 random metal bars and no instructions.  Luckily, a few Police Officers stop to help us set up our tent.

I am a little tired now. But, just had my coffee which means my second wind is coming soon. Thank you all who are still reading this second to last sentence. Leave a comment and let me know what you think about this week’s blog post.

*These are the thoughts of Richard J. Roman and are in no way a reflection of the Peace Corps or its affiliates.