The University of Connecticut (UConn) is in Storrs, a rural area, just as most of the state itself (except for such cities as Hartford or New Haven). It is almost impossible to get anywhere without a car especially after 7-8 pm. From the main campus there are buses about twice a day to New York, Boston, and Hartford. The university's location is very conducive to studying and research.

Weather deserves special attention. It usually stays warm relatively long. At the beginning of November I was still able to walk outside without a jacket. Then it became much colder quite suddenly. What really surprised me was the snowstorm that we had in the middle of December. There was no snow at all in the morning. But a couple of hours later it started to snow and it continued until 9 o'clock in the evening. Traffic was terrible; it was impossible to drive anywhere. I have never seen so much snow accumulate in only a few hours. The next day people had to use shovels in order to dig their cars out of the snow. As a result, winter commencement for undergraduates was cancelled and all exams were rescheduled.

During the fall semester I earned 10 credits towards my Master's degree and received high grades in my courses. As a part of one of my classes, I wrote a section of my Master's thesis. I have registered for three classes for the spring semester (9 credits) and plan to audit a few.

Right now I am on my winter break. Besides resting, I am also reading some literature in psychology and thinking about my thesis (revising it and establishing a timeline). I am also looking at classes, which I may want to audit in the spring semester.

In November I volunteered to teach a class in rhythmic gymnastics (7-10 years old) in Boston. Personally I enjoyed the experience and I am planning to teach more classes during the spring semester. At the university's World Fest during International Week I performed a Ukrainian dance. During the fall semester I also attended three forums on Educational Psychology, a conference on Student Cheating and Moral Development and a Fulbright brunch symposium held at Yale University.

Since I major in Educational Psychology, I focus on the process of teaching and education. I try to use every opportunity to observe the education of children. As a volunteer I have also gotten experience in teaching children. And finally, I made some discoveries about adult education by using the Internet.

During the fall semester I had much experience in working and playing with children of pre-K, kindergarten and elementary school age. I paid special attention to their development within a cultural context and to the use of new technologies. Today, technology plays a central role in our lives. No person can imagine their life without technology: cell-phones, laptops, photo and video cameras, television, etc. Children, growing up in an era of technology, may be playing Nintendo or using a computer in kindergarten.

There are many available educational resources. Personally I discovered a great TV channel for children (TBS ) as well as many good shows that are available on DVDs or on the Internet, e.g.: the Jason Project at http://www.jason.org, Journey North at http://www.learner.org/jnorth. Not surprisingly, schools integrate technology into their classrooms. Needless to say, the global tendency to bring the Internet into the classroom creates many new challenges for both administrators and educators.

Teaching children in Boston was an interesting experience for me. It challenged me in terms of English language, pedagogy, and teaching methods. Compared to Ukraine, there was a different approach to child education and training. I had to be creative in choosing methods of teaching children at the Rhythmic Gymnastics Club in Boston.

Finally, I was surprised to find out that learning through the Internet is effective and popular. I had never before taken online courses. I talking with students who had taken online courses, I discovered that most of them still preferred traditional learning in a traditional classroom.

Personal website - homepages.uconn.edu/~may07002 (updated)

During this semester I got excellent and more than excellent grades. I got A+ in statistics (Quantitative Methods in Educational Research II). I am very happy and proud of this grade! I got A's for two other courses and therefore my cumulative GPA is high enough. I am satisfied with the work I have done.

In addition to my master thesis research, I started to work on the Global Citizenship Survey, which is in the same genre as my thesis research. The research is going to be done in a Ukrainian school (in Chernihiv). I already translated all the needed documents (survey questions and information list). I also filled out an IRB (documents that are needed in order to do research with human subjects) and mailed the survey to Ukraine. A friend agreed to administer it there and send me the answered surveys.

Also I have had fun! I went fishing with my friends a week ago. We caught a few fish and then had an amazing dinner (pictures attached).

I decided to send you a few more pictures because I had an unforgettable experience a few days ago. I flew a plane! Although I am not interested in getting a license, I was interested in having the experience. My curiosity led me to take an introductory course. The instructor proposed to fly over the university campus, which I was able to photograph. Except for take-off and landing, I controlled the plane and it felt terrific! I absolutely loved the experience!