The lengths I will go to avoid lighting my petchka...

Since I wasn't going to be in school anyway, I decided to hit the road early. My flight to the States is Monday morning from Warsaw, which means a bus to Odessa, a train to Kovel, then another bus to Warsaw Saturday night. Well, a few more days in my site meant a few more petchkas; a daunting task in these few feet of snow and with my lungs burning in the cold air. You see, we've had unprecedented amounts of snow the last few days. Literally, I woke up Tuesday morning to a white blanket at least a foot deep. It's very beautiful, and very uncommon (that one foot was more than I saw all last winter). But still, my house is cold!

So yesterday (Wednesday) I decided to head up to Kovel early where I could stay in a centrally-heated apartment. I left my house around 11:00 am, hiring a taxi instead of trying to lug my suitcase thorough the powder for the 20-minute walk to my bus station. I hopped on a bus right away, and we were off! In the next town, however, we pulled over and waited. And waited. And waited. Two hours later, the verdict was in. There is only one road that links the southern part of the Odesska oblast to the rest of the country, and it was CLOSED. There is, however a train that goes from Ismail to Odessa every night at 11:50. I decided to try that route. So, back to Ismail, which is further south than my town (by an hour). Here's a map to clairify things:
My town is in the middle part between Ismail and Moldova.

After six hours on the bus, I arrived in Ismail to discover that they were sold out of tickets for the train. Trying not to despair, I met up with a married couple who are placed in Ismail. They fed me a delicious dinner, I had a wonderfully hot shower, and walked me back to the train station where I hoped to beg a conductor to let me on.

When we got to the station, however, it seemed that about 100 other people had the same idea as I did. NO ONE had tickets! Every now and then, though, someone would walk in announcing they had a ticket they would sell, only to be bum-rushed by those of us who were near-panic. I surprised myself at my own skills in this area, as I competed for a ticket 5-6 times in this fashion. This cold has pretty much robbed me of my voice, however, which meant that I got shouted over and didn't get the ticket each time. Then the thing I love the most about Ukraine happened: it's people.

I had been kind of hanging around with some people who had been on the bus with me to Ismail, and soon enough, my new friend Yura told me to come over; he had bought two tickets! He sold me one for the same price he paid (and the ticket value) with a smile. I was SO relieved I could have hugged him! Instead, we drank some cognac and had a mini-picnic. I took a picture, but can't find my camera cord at the moment so I will upload it later. The train didn't arrive until 3 am for us to board, but we made the best of it for sure! Today, Thursday, I arrived in Odessa at 9:45 am and will be in plenty of time for my train, bus and plane. I am blessed!

I hope the best of outcomes to you as you slog through whatever life (and storm patterns) are throwing your way!

Ukrainian docs (and teachers!) making housecalls

I recently found myself quite ill with a painful, hacking cough, major headache and body aches. This happened on a Sunday, rendering me quite unfit for teaching Monday. Well, the news got out to a few teachers, and then a few more teachers, and before I knew it, my friend and French-teacher/neighbor was at my door at 10 pm with a doctor! He did a quick exam, which meant taking my temperature (under my armpit…pretty sure that hasn’t happened since I was five), listening to my breathing, and looking in my throat. And the all-important: “no work!”

The next day, my French teacher friend returned with milk, bread, lemons and the sprays the doc recommended. My other friend and English teacher also stopped by with a beet salad, tons of apples and pickles, a lemon and clove of garlic “to be healthy!”

I am someone who is not good at being alone and sick. When I’m sick, I love the “poor baby” coddling. It was really hard Sunday night and all day Monday, feeling so helpless and un-coddled. I would have given anything for a mom’s overbearing care or my roomie’s ministrations. I missed my family and friends so dearly. And then, to my amazement and absolute delight was the blessing of my family here. I feel truly grateful to these women who have taken it on themselves to be my people in all circumstances, and because they want to. My service would be very different without them.

Well, I’ve been in bed ever since. It’s been nice; watching the crazy amounts of snow falling softly to the ground, letting batchka out to romp in it, and watching my other best friends, Pam and Jim, and their sweetly hilarious romance. Yes, recuperation is treating me well.

So how about that Winter?

The album is up and ready for you to donate and download! Go to the Winter Is On My Head website: http://winterisonmyhead.com and click on the download link. You can donate right away to benefit the Orange County Rescue Mission, or download right away. And then you're on your way to hearing my jingle: "Christmas With an Outhouse," performed by my talented friends Tim and Steve. Enjoy!

A gallon of gas, or.....

Hahaha...I found this as a draft from AGES ago. Thought I'd publish...wonder what prices are like a year and a half later???


Date written: April 16, 2008
I've been doing some thinking lately, about gas prices. Actually, more accurately, I've been doing a lot of avoiding of said phenomena which actually continues to backfire on me as I'm only putting in about $10 each time, hoping the price will go back down before I need another fill-up, but alas, all this system has done for me is cause me to have to go to the gas station about 3 times a week. I used to think lattes were expensive, especially since I once had a Starbucks employee tell me I could have bought a gallon of milk for what I paid for one latte (hello guilt-ridden coffee-addict!!!). I was going to post something about how we could either buy a latte, or a horde of other things, but now that gas has superceeded guilty lattes, it's all about what we could buy instead of a gallon of gas.

A gallon of milk: $3.70-ish


A latte: $3.60


Half of a black-and-tan: Usually about $5.50


Almost 2 bottles of Chuck: $1.99 each


A loaf and a half of bread: $2.39-ish each


Two dozen eggs: $1.29 per doz


A pound of butter: $2.79 per lb

They've done it!

My friend Tim in Cali has put together an awesome Christmas project to benefit the Orange County Rescue Mission, and called in all kinds of help to do it! The lyrics I posted earlier have been transformed into a song (thanks to his genius and talent and instruments and whatnot) and will be on the album. Next week, he will upload the entire album onto the website, which will have a pay-what-you-want download process. 100% of the proceeds going to the Mission. I will post again when it is up and running; I'm just excited about it now!



Grrr....blogger never lets me put in a hyperlink. Here are the websites:

http://winterisonmyhead.com

http://rescuemission.org

Christmas with an Outhouse!

Some of my amazingly and wonderfully talented friends are putting together a Christmas CD as a charity project for the Orange County Rescue Mission. They asked people to contribute to the disc, musically or other wise. I had the absolute delight to put this little ditty together...to the tune of "O Holy Night." Now that it's post-Thanksgiving, I'm sharing! Have fun!


Snuggled up tight, the roaring fire glowing
Cocoa in hand and the dog on the rug
Woolen socks and cheery music playing
Feeling the call of the nature I shrug

Jacket, boots, gloves, hat and wool scarf a'winding
Step out and take, the first and frozen breath

Chorus
Deeeeear indoor plummmmmbing, how faaaaar from me you arrrrre now,
Chriiiiiiiistmas with an ooooooouthouse, oh night, should be spent warm
Oh night so cold, a night, to be inside

Trudging through snow and narr'ly avoiding slipping
Reaching the throne, it is dark and taunts me
Bracing myself, jaw tight and hands shiv'ring
I lower slowly praying for mercy

Sweet relief is there though begrudgingly accepted
This life half-giv'n half-taken in this land

I heart quarantine

October was a month of travel that didn't end until yesterday, the 22nd November. How did it manage, you wonder? A little something called Quarantine! The Ukrainian government shut down all educational facilities for three weeks in response to the H1N1 here (though it's not nearly as bad as in the States). Awesomely, I'd managed a trip to Romania and then across the country for a little birthday and holiday action. Life bounced from one place to another after that. Rather than the thousand words, I'm going to try to do this in pictures. Enjoy!

All-time faves: felafel, Odessa, beer and goooood company!

Not pictured: a week with Nick at my site, cooking and hanging out. Good times!

And off to Molly's to celebrate the great Beth Care Package--minus Noelle! You were missed!

Not pictured: Adopt-a-Cluster (mentoring training groups) in the Kiev region. Super fun and I felt like I was able to really contribute some good stuff for their training.

Still newlyweds, Allona and Roma in Nick's site, Kamin-Kasherskyy. We went to their wedding in July and got to see lots of pics from their Turkey honeymoon and the wedding video. It was nice re-living memories!

After a week of fried rice and gangster movies, it was off to Lutsk for a day. The Lutsk Castle, all impressive and whatnot.

Near-ish the Lutsk Castle, the town legend. Rumor has it that he's carved images of all his ancestors and has them inside his house on the walls. Also, he's very keen on advertising his work, and that's not a rumor.

Cool castle graffiti in Lutsk.

Not pictured: Back to Kiev to say goodbye to Group 33. You will be missed!

Off to Djankoy for Warden Training...girls' night after. We did '92-96'proud with our dance party!

Touring around Djankoy...children's park with lots of carved animals, and Lindsay. :)

Now I'm back at my site, doing some laundry and catching up! School's back, and we'll see how that goes. I'm off again next weekend for Thanksgiving.

Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Quarter of a Century

On the 14th, I got more phone calls and more wishes of love and value than any person deserves! Thank you all for your attentions you lavished on me! I had a GREAT day.

It started at 6 am with an awesome Skype date with Brother Drew. And then a long morning run before my first lesson. When I walked into first lesson, the kids stood up and sang "Happy Birthday!" 27 little fifth-formers singing their hearts out was absolutely wonderful! Next, my English teachers gave me their gifts and well-wishes. ALSO a traditional Ukrainian shirt, with matching earrings and necklace. I wore them the next day to everyone's delight. Here's the ensemble with two of my teachers, Olga and Galina.


















After school, we had an impromptu (or so I thought!) party in the cafe. My neighbor and a French teacher at our school fried up some yummy fish and we enjoyed a few hours' conversation. Lovely!
These are my two cafe ladies, Olga and Olga.
















This is the spread we managed. YUM!


















Next, though not my actual birthday, it was off to L'viv to celebrate a Peace Corps girl's wedding. She married a great Ukrainian guy last month and the reception was Saturday. To make for a special occasion, I went up a day early to meet the bf and to splurge on a yummy yummy sushi dinner. Thanks b-day cash!

















Strolling L'viv late that night, I found these lovely reminders of the beauty of memories at a monument in the park.

















The reception was LOVELY, L'viv was chilllllly, but my heart is warmed and overjoyed. Thanks for being a part of it!

Favorite moments...

This is a bit delayed, and shouldn't seem trumped by my transit difficulties to get to the softball weekend, but I forgot to mention the orphanage visit we had. The kids always put on a really cute concert, during which they recruit us to help out in relays and whatnot. Last spring I was in a tug-of-war contest with teeny tiny little girls who ended up pulling us over! (There were boys hidden behind who pulled like crazy...I think even some of the little girls fell!) This year I ran around a tree or two holding a stick and a hand.

It was after the concert, when we were playing soccer, that I had my favorite moment. I was talking to some of the girls who were probably 13-15. Just small talk, nothing particular, but it was really nice to chat with them. After the second part of the concert came the HUGS! I got so many orphan hugs...it buoyed my spirits in the midst of the sadness that sometimes comes seeing kids in such situations. They've had a rough start, but they're going to be ok because they have hearts beyond their circumstances.

And today: I walked into my house to discover my room DESTROYED by dust and tarps. My landlady's remodeling took them to my room to replace windows today, but without warning me first. My computer, new camera, ipod, recently washed and drying clothes were out and are now covered in dust. ARG! But I held it together (surprising for those of you who know me well), found a bucket of water and a rag and started wiping things off. Who knew I could handle this stuff with grace??? And "Check" for another favorite moment...my personal growth!

An addition to my renovations is a washing machine! A legit, modern washing machine. My favorite moment was my landlady asking me to help her translate the manual which is printed in German, Italian, Romanian, Slovakian, and just about every other language than Russian. We had quite a nice little moment sitting together and looking it over.

Blessings to you as your favorite moments come and stay in your hearts.


What I came home to!



See that clean square? That's where my brand-new camera was. And the round spot was my Nalgene's spot. Can we say ew???

Makin it work!

Softball weekend is a legendary event for PCVs in Ukraine. It actually happens in the fall and again in the spring, and is always a red-lettered day for us. We gather together in Kirovograd, play softball, sleep in rented apartments, visit an orphanage that always puts on a sweet show for us, and generally have a wonderful time. I went in the spring and was headed out for it last weekend when I hit a snag. No train to K-grad. They were repairing the line, you see, and the only day I needed the train was the only day it was being worked on.

Knowing I couldn't take the train, I went into Odessa anyway to try and figure out how to make it happen. I left my site a little after 1 pm, arriving in Odessa around 4. After some criss-crossing of the city to make SURE there was no train, I took a bus to a big-ish city on the route toward K-grad, Mykolaiv. I arrived there only to discover that I had literally JUST missed a bus that was going to K-grad. It was a little after 8, and I found out that there was another bus to go at 9. I bought a ticket and sat to wait. 9:15 rolled around, and then 9:30. No bus! The lady had mentioned there being a 10:00 bus, so I thought I might be able to catch that one. But then 10:10 rolled around, and then 10:15, and then 10:30. The bus station attendant was checking on me from time-to-time, and she finally came up and said that neither the 9 nor the 10 were happening that night. Biiiiig surprise. But there was a 3 am. Did I want that? Well, I sure didn't have a lot of choice, now did I?

The lady took me to a large, empty waiting room full of long benches without armrests. I pulled out the sleeping bag I had packed and decided to make the most of my opportunity to rest. But a guard came around and told me I couldn't "do that." "Do what?" I asked. But he just walked away. He returned a few minutes later with the manager of the bus station who informed me that I couldn't lay down. "Can I sit here?" Yes. "Can I sleep?" Yes. "Can I have my sleeping bag?" Yes. "But I can't lay down." Yes. I looked around. "Seriously?" Yes. He didn't seem to be known for his humor anyway.

So I propped myself up on my backpack, wrapped in my sleeping bag, and eeked out a few hours' sleep. I got on my 3 am bus which had two drunk men who kept fighting. The bus driver continued to pull over to yell at them, but mom's "Don't make me pull this car over!" tactic failed. Nevertheless, I arrived in K-grad at 6:30, made it to the apartment and had one of the best showers EVER. It was a wonderful weekend, and I was really proud of myself for being able to make it on my own without having any freak-outs of loneliness and uncertainty. Woo hoo! A year in and I'm really starting to make it work!

Best to you as you do the same!

PC=Physical Challenges

In a world in which I am so accostomed to intangible, invisitble, hitting-your-head-in-the-dark challenges, this week has been characterised by much different obstacles: physical.

It started on Monday on my return from an awesome weekend with PCVs and the great American crowd-friendlier pastime: softball. I walked into the kitchen to find the sink in the middle of the room. My landlady has been living in the spare room (I rather unceremoniously ousted her from her room in favor of more light, space and a much comfier bed. In this land of long, cold and dark winters, can you blame me?) since July, doing some remodeling and construction. It's been an adjustment with the two laborers she hired (one is perpetually drunk), her two rowdy dogs and the dust and noise. But no water! I did dishes in a bucket of water I pulled up from the underground cistern that night, and I'll be honest, there was some grumbling.

The next challenge came on Tuesday. As my landlady has been working all day everyday, I have gotten out of the habit of taking my house keys. Sure enough, I came home a little after 3 pm to a vacant house. I climbed over my fortress-like stone wall (in a dress and high-heeled boots) and found thta the house was also locked. I had been to the bazar earlier in the day and had all my grocieries with me, which I also hauled over the wall. I sat until about 5:30 before I decided I was getting cold, tired and irritated. There is one window in my house that opens, which is located in my bedroom about 6 feet up. The window is about 18 inches high and swings up and down on hingest. I found a stool the workers had been using and climbed my way through the window. Half-way through, I got a painful cramp in my hip and ended up more or less diving the rest of my way through, knocking off two of the plants on my window sill. Dusty, scratched and cleaning up dirt, but I was in! Good thing, too; my landlady didn't come home until almost 7:30!

Tuesday was supposed to be my collect-kindling day, but after much time in the cold, I wussed out and put it off. Wednesday afternoon, therefore, I grabbed two large, empty cement bags adn took off for a run. I left the bags 10 mins out and kept going to the 30-min mark. When I got back to the bags, I began filling them. Eventually the sky was dark and cloudy, the wind had chilled the sweat in my clothes and I pretty much didn't care if I wouldn't be able to light a fire this winter. With a toddler-sized bag on each hip, scratched and again dirty, I walked home, enduring the stares and comments.

Other than a marathon of baking projects, I escaped Thursday relatively uneventfully.

And Friday. I was walking home after five straight lessons with some difficult groups and passed an old lady in a wheelchair almost at the bottom of the hill to my house. I normally see her begging near the bazar, and was ashemed that I'd never chosen to "see" her there. I walked about 30 steps past her, realized what a jerk I was being adn turned around to push her up the hill. I ended up going an additional 10 minutes past my house, all the while explaining to Maria why I didn't have any children. The convo went like this:
Maria: So you don't have any children.
Me: No
Maria: None? Do you have any in America?
Me: No, no children at all.
Maria: Why not?
Me: I am very young still!
Maria: Doesn't your husband want children? ("boyfriend" and "husband" are somewhat interchangable here)
Me: Well, yes, but we're both very young still.
Maria: You should have children soon. How old are you?
Me: 24.
Maria: Yes, it should be very soon.
Me: Ummm...
Maria: I think you'd have beautiful children.
Me: Thanks...I've gotta go now...[graceless exit]

Like I said, my challenges here aren't usually phsical. But there was something immensely gratifying about having this type of difficulty. I had a problem and some choices of how to deal with it. I saw my results right away, and was able to reap their benefits immediately. It was refreshing! Though I had my moments of grumbling and definitely did my share of sweating, I was successful. I only hope that next time, I remember what a blessing these kinds of challenges can be.

Best to you as you face your own challenges and succeed against them!

Water Charity Organization--PCVs read this!

Averill Strasser contacted me with the following message, which might be helpful for you PCVs looking to rock a water proj and get some cash for it!



I am COO of Water Charity, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that does water, sanitation, and public health projects worldwide. We recently started a new initiative, Appropriate Projects, to fund small water and sanitation projects very quickly.

I am a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Bolivia ’66-’68), and am well aware of the difficulties Volunteers face in the field. Appropriate Projects is an addition to our regular Water Charity model that is allowing us to provide project resources to PCVs in the field immediately.

Often there is that little project that must be done now (before the rains start, before school begins, or in response to a critical need), but there are no funds available. Traditional funding sources are cumbersome, and there are long forms, detailed requirements, limited resources, and long delays.

PCVs working in water and sanitation usually have potential projects lined up. For those working in other program areas, there may be water components to their projects, or improvements needed where they work or teach.

Sample projects may be: a rainwater catchment, handwashing stations for a school, water for a clinic, piping, tanks, pumps, sinks, latrines, wells, etc.

We like to “finish” projects that have been started, and “fix” things that have ceased to function.

We encourage follow-up projects that expand upon the successful completion of the first small project.

If you have a project in mind, please fill out the application form. We want this to be easy for you, so we have developed a simple form that you can fill out in one sitting.

If you have any questions about the appropriateness of your project, or you need some time to get it together, just let us know.

If you do not have a project that qualifies, please pass this message on to your fellow Volunteers who may have an interest. Finally, if this initiative resonates with you, please let others know what we are doing through your social networks, websites, and blogs.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Averill Strasser

Appropriate Projects
http://appropriateprojects.com

Water Charity
http://watercharity.org

One Year of PC (Personal Carnival)

The One-Year-in-Country Mark has been reached! We arrived in Kiev on Sept 28th last year, and once we finally got out of the airport (after about a 6 hour ordeal involving TONS of lost baggage), we saw and felt Ukraine. I journaled on this wonderful milestone in my favorite coffee shop in Odessa on my way home from Kiev, and will share some of what I wrote to give you an idea of what it's like to reflect on a year for me.


One year in-country coffee toast in Kompote. Well, coffee and a croissant! People ask if I can believe it's been a year already. ALREADY? FOR SURE. I can't believe it hasn't been MORE than that in a lot of ways.

I am so very much the Peace Corps "type" that I never expected it to be this hard. And I know I have to temper the last two weeks or so with the big picture and not feel the whole thing was hard. After all, I had three conversations--with three different ticket ladies no less!--that were extremely successful information-exchanges where language used to dissolve me.

What has made time here so difficult is fear. It is out of fear that I choose NOT to think or feel painful things, which causes the anxiety to build up and spill out in unexpected times/places. I fear that negative feelings will hurt, cause me to be discontent, and ultimately, want to leave.

Well, I fear I have been wrong there. I can choose HOW I see this life, this Ukraine, this heart. I can feel my strength building and what was built. I am becoming powerful because of what I am doing, learning, seeing. Tasting! Maybe a year couldn't have ended soon enough, maybe it will. My smile is intact. My wide-eyed optimism has changed, I will admit that. My language skills are also better, and my likelihood to melt down in tricky situations is diminished. My friendships are long-distance or are bounded by language. I've missed HOME more than ever these last few weeks, but maybe it is also the feeling of the downward swing into completion of service. And a little voice reminds me to be careful as I'm not yet half-way through.

But listen: I am DOING Peace Corps. Really doing it. Maybe it has been harder than expected, but isn't that the point? At one year, it is time to stop feeling whiny about it. It is time to get off the rollercoaster and get in line for the bumper cars. At one year, it is time to banish fear, to embrace the changes within myself no matter how painful. My name means "Princess." And it doesn't get more beautiful than that, more hopefully settled and full of potential change. Calm in the storm. Peace in times of struggle. The ability to put aside fear and face the onslaught with grace and discernment. At one year, it is time to do these things. At one year, it doesn't matter what I haven't done but what I am doing. All we ever really have is right now, anyway. This moment and it's gone. All those moments to make a full year at the carnival. And the moments to come. Difficult or not, I am ready to meet them. And now is the time to remind myself of the "princess" I am.

And loneliness. What is that, really? A feeling that I am not wanted? I am necessarily alone because the journey demands separateness. I have many beautiful and different base camps, for which I am grateful. And I will reach the peak, and then the next, forever building higher.


So in my PC (Personal Carnival) service, I'm ready to start exploring more of the rides. I'm jonesing for a deep-fried Snickers, have tickets to see the bearded lady (she actually lives down my street!), and am happy to celebrate, this my one-year-in-country.

Best to you as you love the journey, your own carnival, and in knowing your own "regal" status as someone privileged to love in this world.

Ridin the Roller Coaster

So there is a page of one of our training manuals that depicts the traditional ups and downs for PCVs based on the time they've been in country. I've been meaning to pull it out and check on my own status, and finally did only to discover that I'm right on target.

11-15 months
Issues: Mid-service crisis, doubt about program/self/role/government, various failures over time, disillusionment, confusion in resolving frustrations with victories

Behavior/Reaction: Impatience with self/program/"system," blame on program constant complaining, lethargy, haughtiness with new volunteers

Dear me. Well, the previous blog about all the things I'm doing is still true-ish. I'm not really teaching yet, but I've got heaps of projects I'm working on and doing a fairly good job of keeping up with. So why is it that I feel so ineffective? Useless? It's hard to say, and even harder to enjoy the freedom that I do have now, even with the knowledge that such an opportunity will never present itself to me again (and is likely to change soonish).

I'm almost at one year, and it will be good to celebrate this accomplishment. My next stage is more hopeful and not far off, and of course, it is what I want it to be and I make it. This chart also includes ideas for getting through such stages, and one is planning holidays/vacations. So who wants to meet me in Jamaica at Christmas???

Cultural exchange

I'm coming up on a year in country now, and I've been thinking about things I will take back with me to the States. Recipes, habits, hobbies and stuff. I've also been thinking about things I will NOT take back with me. Here is a list for your reading joy:

Keepers
*Borsch
*Vareneky
*Using sour cream in the most interesting of ways
*A love of veggies
*Walking everywhere
*Patience
*Flexibility
*Making just about anything and everything from scratch (bagels, veggie burgers, pizza dough, sauces, cookies, more and more and more...)
*Making all my own teaching materials
*Hospitality, Ukrainian-style (which means insisting the guest eat as much as physically possible, stay as long as possible, and come back as often as possible)
*Juice
*How excited my kids always are to see me
*My dog! (I wish!)
*My landlady's laugh


Leavers
*Homemade dog food
*Language barriers
*Deep fears of getting stranded somewhere
*Ukrainian TV
*No central heat
*Thick turtlenecks and heavy coats (BAH winter!)
*Getting shouted/honked at when I'm running
*No SMOG checks

All in all, Ukraine's in my heart, and though my time here is short, I'm glad it's a permanent resident. :)

Just a lovely morning

It's Saturday morning here. The sun is shining, and though there's a chilly wind, it's a lovely day. I slept in, had a cup of DELISH coffee (thanks to Drew, who really hooked me up when he came back in March!), chatted with the landlady, worked on a project that I promptly took to the post to mail, to discover that I had a package! I got five brand-new books to keep me busy from my friend Tim. Then back home for another cup of coffee and French toast, which I also made for my landlady. It's a pretty sweet turnaround from the moment of anxiety I had when I woke up about not really having anything to do today. I can't wait to see what the rest of the day holds!

Beauty for beauty’s sake

Yesterday, on my run, there was a flock of birds high in the clear sky of Tatarbunary. This group of birds was actually dancing. They would divide into two groups, and those undulating droplet-like groups would move around each other in a sort of tango. Then the groups would merge, flow together, and then one bird would shoot out from the group to lead the next change in direction and shape. It was truly beautiful to watch, the way these innocent creatures were enjoying themselves and their world. I am honored to have seen such beauty.

Blessings as you love beautifully.

P.S.

After yesterday's comment, I watched one of my all-time faves, P.S. I Love You. Here is a poignant moment in some of the last lines:

"This is my one and only life, and it's a great and terrible and short and endless thing, and none of us come out of it alive."

Thought I'd share!

The ball is ROLLIN!

This is my one and only full school year during my service, and the excitement to make it an awesome year is bubbling out of me. I still don't have a schedule at school, but I'm not worried. It gives me a little extra time to get some of this stuff DONE! You see, I've just come back from a weekend in Kiev that was super fun but also remarkably productive, which leaves me with lots to do now! And what stuff might that be, you wonder? Well, let me tell you! (And categorically, since I seem to be a fan of that style these days)

∂ Special Projects Assistance grant
I want to write a grant and apply for some $$$ to create an English Resource room for my school. I would like to have a place teachers can go between lessons, store their books and materials, and even get work done on a computer I'd like to get in there. My school has internet, so an additional goal would be to make the room internet-accessible so that I can run tutorials on how to search for lesson plans, activities, worksheets and more. Hello 21st century!

∂ FLEX
The Future Leaders Exchange program is something that the States started. It provides students in former Soviet countries the opportunity to live in America for a school year to practice English, share their culture and learn about ours. The interview process is coming up, and I'm hoping to hand-select a few students and help coach them toward that interview. It's an amazing chance for these kids; those who I've met who were in FLEX are greatly changed with expansive world-views. It would be awesome for my village to have such an experience, because not just one kid would go, but it would really open up the world to the whole town.

∂ NuShcho
We have a newsletter in Ukraine that PCVs can contribute to called NuShcho (it means "what's up?!") for which I am the editor. I'm excited about re-vamping the look and professionalism of this publication, hopefully inspiring more people to contribute on a variety of topics. Our next layout is in a week and a half, so this enthusiasm is well-timed!

∂ Warden Resource SNL Skit
During training, we are bombarded with information regarding safety in addition to all the cultural and language lessons. As a safety warden for my region, I am trying to help make that information more accessible by writing a mock SNL skit. Hopefully we can get this off the ground and film it for it to be shown in training. Fun!

∂ Summer Camp
My town really wants me to do a summer camp next summer. It's a big job, but I think that starting it now is going to make sure it happens. We're making small steps, but progressing toward putting on a 10-ish day beach camp. Also FUN!

∂ The Collaborative
My second meeting in Kiev was for a group called The Collaborative. It's somewhat fledgling, but I'm really excited about where it's going. In each region, we will recruit a facilitator to host a meeting for Volunteers in that area to work on professional development. We all have different projects, ideas, resources and abilities, and so this will be a chance to share those and learn from each other. I will host one soon, I hope!

∂ BOOKS!
There are several organizations within the States that provide books for schools and specifically Peace Corps volunteers. One of these amazing groups is Darien Book Aid, and hopefully we'll soon be getting a box of books to add to our fancy new English Resource Room! ;)

∂ New TEFL Volunteers
I've been corresponding with a few in-coming TEFL Volunteers (arriving in just 2 weeks now), answering questions about packing social climate, host family gifts, you name it. I am thrilled to have the chance to go visit a training cluster (probably early November) in a mentor role. I remember my experience with my mentors during training, and it was truly helpful to me. I hope that I can return the lessons learned!

This going to be a GREAT year. I will be so busy I may not even notice the cold (riiiiiiight). The inertia is strong now, and I hope to maximize all the resources I have while I can!

Thanks for listening as you love!

Words to hold on to

With such a slow start in my schedule and with very little to do in my town or at home, the last few weeks or so have been somewhat difficult in the boredom/ineffectiveness feeling. I struggled with the loneliness before coming across a passage in The Road Less Traveled (Scott Peck) about making it through our most memorable journeys necessarily alone, with base camps of friends and families, of course. What comfort!

Then I cracked open a Kurt Vonnegut book called A Man Without a Country and read:

"And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'"

There are always opportunities to think "this is nice," and I'm working on taking those chances to feel that particular moment on this amazing, lonely journey of a lifetime. I hope these are words you, too, can hold on to!

Blessings as you love and notice the nice.

Summer in Ukraine = BLISS!

Hello dearest long neglected but not forgotten readers!

I trust that you can resonate when I say that it has been an incredible summer! I was minus regular internet for quite some time, but have been home and reconnected to the WWW for just over a week, and I think I've finally inundated myself with enough internet-time (hello Facebook) that I can sit down and re-cap just what it was that made this summer so amazing.

First: Last Bell Ceremony
The last day of school in Ukraine is called "Last Bell." Everyone dresses in their finest, we have a small concert, and awards are presented. My favorite moment is when they have a little girl (representing the last bell) get hoisted up onto the shoulders of a graduating 11th former and carried around ringing a bell! It was just too cute.

Here is a shot of some graduating 11th formers. The girls all wear the traditional Soviet outfits for the last month of school.
And here is the little Last Bell Girl! Soooo cute! Behind, you see that one of the 11th forms made a "vKontactia" (a Russian version of Facebook) to display their photos. Very creative!


Second: Vacay to a Ukrainian castle/fortress
I spent a weekend in beautiful Kaminits-Podilskyy, which is the site of an ancient fortress. It was incredibly scenic and touring the fortress was AWESOME. It was a far cry from any touring in the States, let alone the ancient-ness of the structure. There were no signs saying you couldn't walk here, touch this, jump off that. So of course all limits of the castle were enjoyed! There was also a river that cut through the valley that turned out to be great for swimming. (Shhh...don't tell PCMO!)

Here is a shot of the fortress.

Third: Survivor Camp
I had been looking forward to this camp since I first heard about it, probably a month into training. It is a rugged 10-days near the Carpathian mountains in the west of Ukraine. We lived in tents at the top of a huge hill/mountain, cooked food we bought at the bazar an hour away over an open fire, taught lessons sitting on logs or in the grass, shot fireworks and swam in the river. It was awesome! I brought two students from my school. One of the girls had never traveled outside a 3-hour radius of our region, and it was wonderful for me to watch her bloom interacting with so many different kids from all over Ukraine. We celebrated American Independence Day with a huge fireworks display and with American chili night! Another highlight was climbing to the top of Mount Haverla, the tallest peak in Ukraine. What a view! We climbed with the intention of also doing a trash-pick-up, but since the Ukrainian president was visiting the next week, it was spotless. Overall, Survivor was probably the highlight of my summer and I can't wait for Round Two next summer!

PCV Pyramid! These are all the Volunteers that helped lead the camp:


Here is one of my favorite photos of fire-jumping. On the holiday of Ivana-Kupala, Ukrainians traditionally make a big shashlik (like bbq) pit, cook dinner, then jump over the fire. Girls also make flower wreaths that they throw into the river for the boys to catch. Here I am jumping with one of the kids on my team, Misha:

Fourth: Ukrainian wedding
Less than a week after returning from Survivor and with only just enough time to scrape the dirt from under my fingernails and to wash the grime from my hair, I was off again on my next round of travels, the first stop being my first Ukrainian wedding. Unfortunately, my camera broke during the interval, and I don't have any pictures, and a thousand is too many words for a blog. Suffice it to say that it was a very PACKED event. There was a church service, a photo shoot after, and then the reception. Things got going at about 12:00 PM, and we left the reception at 1:15 AM. The reception was fun, with lots of traditions and significances. The bride and groom received all the guests (who all brought even-numbered flower bouquets and cash) with kisses and took photos, they danced special dances, crossed "lines" of ribbon to signify the journeys they've taken to becoming a pair, and passed their blessings on to the single men and women. I even made a toast! In English, of course, blessedly translated for me. I ate SO much good food, too. And managed to escape with only 3 shots of vodka in me! :) My favorite part of this whole experience was seeing how deep and evident the love between the newlyweds was. They were so peacefully joyful and just very graceful in their attention to each other and the guests. It was beautiful to see.

Fifth: Big Bang
From the wedding to another camp! Camp Big Bang is held at a campsite roughly in the center of Ukraine. After Survivor, Big Bang was luxury! About 160 kids attended, living in cabins and eating at the canteen where cooks prepared three meals a day and snacks. All the Volunteers lived in one cabin that had its own kitchen and bathroom. I was a team leader for a team of about 25 kids aged 11-15. I pumped them up for our nightly competitions, got them motivated in the mornings, and helped out with lessons throughout the day. It was fun, and I really bonded with some of those kids. It was amazing seeing the creativity of all the kids at camp in the things they were able to make (costumes, masks) or do (little stunts/pranks, games). I am continually amazed at the Ukrainian spirit to improvise and to simply make do. Highlights from this camp were a haunted house that the Volunteers put on for the campers, a massive carnival we put on for the last day (I auctioned off banana bread, carrot cake and cornbread! Big hits for sure), and the time spent with other Volunteers.


Thanks to the canteen for providing the tomatoes, we managed some pretty effective fake murder scenes. Here is our camp leader trying to fix up the huge gashes in another leader:


Girls having fun! The female team leaders (5 girls, one guy) take a much-needed night off and go into town for pizza. Delish! Silly photos must, of course, follow:
Sixth: Ukrainian Independence Day in L'viv
Again, no photos for this one, but I had a great time in the West celebrating Ukrainian Independence Day on the 24th of August. Ukraine is now 18 years old, and it was really interesting to see all the national costumes and the concerts. People were gathering in the center and spontaneously starting up with traditional songs and dances. I'm glad I was there to witness that!

Seventh: First Bell!
Our First Bell ceremony looked a lot like our Last. School started on the 1st of Sept, and with the adorable blue-caped girl ringing the first bell. Currently we are in our second week, but it has been a slow start for yours truly. I expect a schedule next week and then I can really get to work. I did, however, teach two lessons today for my counterpart, who is away. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten how much ENERGY those 5th formers require! Yikes. I think that after them, then the 11th form, and now this blog entry, I need a nap! So I will sign off for now, glad to have caught up with this and excited about continuing to unravel my story to you all!

Blessings as you love.

The day I called a taxi...

and ended up at an impromptu house party. There is one more Volunteer left who has finished her service and is on her way out of my oblast. I wanted to see her site before she left for good (on Sunday!), and so I arranged a trip. This is no easy feat, as there is only one bus to her town, and I first have to travel to a different town to catch this bus. The plan was that we would hang out for the day, then her neighbor would take me to the town where I could catch a bus home.

Well, the neighbor's car was not working. We couldn't catch any other friends/neighbors/acquaintances either, so we decided to try a taxi. The price wasn't bad at all, so I decided to go with it.

"It" meant a quick detour to my friend's landlords, who are somehow related to the taxi driver. An hour later, we'd had probably 6 "shots" of wine, cheese, bread and tomatoes, and it was time to move on. On the way to my house, my driver stopped by a landscaper's to ask the price of fencing. Well, the landscaper hopped into the car, and off to the driver's house to take measurements. All that hard work then required a beer (my driver didn't drink anything...neither wine or beer), and we returned the landscaper to his house. On the way to my house (again), we picked up a woman who seemed to be my sub-let passenger. 3 1/2 hours after my driver pulled up, I returned home.

It is a 20 minute drive to my house.

42.195 km (or 26.2 mi)

Since November, May 10th has loomed red-lettered on my calendar, towering over weekends to Kiev, a trip to Poland, softball in Kirovograd, my lessons and activities, birthdays and holidays. May 10th was to be the culminating moment of my entire first winter in Ukraine; a glorious defeat of the cold and gloom with a triumphant stride across the finish line of my first marathon. The time between November and May, however, did not go as planned, and it is impossible to say that the upcoming marathon was what got me through those long months.

I should probably back up a little. In January, I managed to injure my knee pretty bad trying to kick off the 8-pound brick of mud that had cumulated on each shoe. Shortly thereafter, I pulled a tendon in my hip when I only half stepped on one of the bricks leading to my outhouse. Both injuries were tendon-related, according to the PC doc, and would require a loooooong recovery time. And they did. Ice, ibuprofen and severely limited distances and long rest breaks between runs followed, though my knee just didn’t seem to be getting better. In March, it was pretty doubtful that I’d be able to run the entire marathon. In April, I had to come to terms with the fact that I might not even be able to start the marathon. I had to give myself permission to be ok with that. After all, my longest training run was eight miles in January. But still, it had been my goal for months. I had decided to make the marathon my carrot. I wanted to run it!

So on the beautiful morning of May 10th, after many looooong hours of travel (an entire blog in itself), I laced up, put on the Peace Corps “team” yellow shirt, popped three ibuprofen, stretched and warmed my legs, and lined up with the other 17 Volunteers. It couldn’t have been a better morning. It was warm, but cooled off almost immediately to a comfortable level. There was just enough of a breeze to keep the sweat drying, but not so much that it felt like an added oppression. The 5,000+ runners were in their full splendor: there were team uniforms (go Team Diabetes!), crazy hair colors, outfits, lots of dri-weave and so much rubber to burn.

The first 10 km or so felt great. This is why I’m alive, I remember thinking. With no pain in my knee (miraculous in itself), my body felt like it was following a rhythm it had been created for and was simply and naturally settling into. We were running along the river, which had more glorious vistas than I’d ever expect from one river. Immediately we saw the Charles Bridge and the Prague Castle high on a hill. Even the non-famous buildings and bridges were beautiful and picturesque. Green was the goal of every tree, and even the river seemed to respond to the energy of the day.

Then there was the 17th km. It was about this time that I wanted to stop seeing the distance markers, which I had previously celebrated with my friends with a high-five. There were three of us, and we had settled into a quiet rhythm. One girl had run several marathons (including the Chicago) and the other was a neophyte, like me. We stayed together until about the half-way point, when the other two strode ahead of me. I was definitely starting to feel the proverbial burn. My muscles were getting tired, and I knew that my mental stamina was starting to waver.

By 25 km, just over the half-way point, I was absolutely ready to throw in the towel. I don’t need this. I’ve done enough for not having trained. I totally psyched myself out by continually doing the math of how many kilometers I had left, how fast everyone else was running, the time goal I had set for myself in November (5 hours), and just about everything else. Those were some bleak kilometers. I began walk/running around 27 km, setting little goals for myself to run to. Run to that bridge, that streetlight, that building, then you can walk. I wanted to cry. This was not what I had in mind when I decided to kick winter’s ass with a marathon. This was not the strong stride I had envisioned while I dominated the loneliness and the confusion about my purpose here. This was a struggle, a battle, and it was starting to feel alarmingly like defeat.

By 35 kms, I was only jogging when there was a downhill. The first entire kilometer I walked actually turned out to be a relief, as I felt my body recover. Trying to run after that was almost impossible, so I gave in and decided that my body could still have its natural rhythm, just slower. A sense of peace also came to me then, as I decided to stop caring what other people would think about my time. I got over the feeling that I was making a mockery of what the elitists did by walking where they had flown hours before. And I walked.

What I had forgotten was what I had been telling people all along: “Running is 90% mental.” My 10% of non-training was definitely wearing on my body, but my mind was forgetting its power. I was feeling defeated by the obstacles I had planned to destroy. Toward the end, another runner (a member of Team Diabetes, no less) made a comment about my shirt. “How far will you go?” the Peace Corps’ motto, was printed across my back. I thought about it.

All along, it had been about the distances I was willing to go. Then it was about the distances I was forcing myself to go. Then it was the distances I’d resigned myself to going. And then it was really just about the going. Nothing ever looks the way we had planned it to look. The surmountable goal is sometimes not the glorious victory, but sometimes it’s the long struggle. There are beautiful things and people along the way, and that’s what makes those little distances worth it. More than being willing, more than slogging my way through, I was finally doing it because I could and because it’s what I wanted. My service is not much different, I imagine.

I gathered enough strength to actually run the final kilometer. It was a long chute to the finish, with many friends cheering me through. My stride felt powerful again. I felt strong, even if only momentarily. I knew I had achieved something great, not for the world but for myself, which I can now give back to the world. I tested how far I would go, pushed the bar up just a little higher.

Oh, and my finishing time? 4:59:17

The doctor is in

Today, my ninth form again knocked my socks off with their imaginative selves. Their assignment: "Doctor Dialogues." Annnnnd guess who happened to have their camera to catch the creativity in action? Here's what they came up with!

These "schoolgirls" were plotting how they could ditch school. The solution? A faked toothache and a rattling chest...that piece of cellophane was used to make some bronchitis happen when the doctor examined her.














They brought in all their own props, including doctor's coats, stethiscopes, tongue depressors, fake thermometers, tablets, actual x-rayed appendages, bandages...should I go on or continue to let the pictures tell the stories?









These boys brought in an actual X-ray from some wrist injury. It was awesome! (Oh, and feel free to ignore the misspelled "stethoscope"...)












"Doctors" wrote out prescriptions, patients argued about the price. It was hilarious!










If ever we had this kind of injury or sickness rate...we'd be quarantined for sure.












Good actors!!!













So basically, these kids rock. I'm so glad to work with them!!!

Somebody flipped a switch

I have been meaning to write a blog to this switch-to-spring effect, but right after I got the idea, it got cold again! So I postponed. But the fields are starting to look furry with green leaves and yellow flowers, and the grass is overtaking the sidewalks, and there are red tulips EVERYWHERE. Cold or not, wearing two pairs of sweats, two sweatshirts and socks or not, I will write this blog!

Overnight, spring arrived. I'd say it was about 2-3 weeks ago. We went from barren, muddy desolation to green shoots and buds all over the trees. In my own backyard, one filled with fruit trees and a newly cultivated garden, I was treated to a white snowfall of apricot blossoms. The green shoots quickly revealed their true intent: daffodils and tulips. It seems that life just wants to grow, in every corner of earth it can find. Even my dog, normally happy to stay within the compound of my tall stone wall, has been eager and even ninja-like to leap out of the gate every morning to go off exploring this new world. And it is certainly beautiful!

For all their utilitarianism, I was surprised that Ukrainians plant so many flowers simply for beauty's sake. Seriously, this is a culture where if a corrugated steel sheet can serve as a wall to a shed, then it will be used. So many families cannot afford anything else, and so they simply make do. But flowers. They will plant red tulips, rose bushes, daffodils, these pretty yellow/orange flowers and lilacs just for the beauty of them. That patch of rich soil could easily provide a week's worth of potatoes, but instead, it will add a different kind of sustenance. And this is a new and delightful observation for me.

We stood. We ate. We slept.

And that sums up my first Ukrainian Easter. The Orthodox Christian church is very big here, and as my counterpart and her family are members and regularly attend church, I’ve been able to jump in on this important part of the culture. Easter is the largest and most important church holiday to Ukrainians and, accordingly, they pull out all the stops. Starting with the church service.

I went over to my counterpart’s around 4:30 on Saturday to help with dinner preparations. I was still thinly slicing chicken gizzards, onions, grating eggs, and chopping onions by 6:30. We ate a simple supper of potatoes and bread and then “rested.” About 10:30 (PM of course) we piled into the car and drove off to church, looking our finest.

The extravagant finery of the décor in Orthodox churches is something I have definitely become accustomed to. Everything is painted in elaborate and realistic detail...I sometimes get the feeling that someone decided that the gilt look was the most happenin' for Jesus. People light candles which gives the whole ceremony a supernatural glow and is very pretty. They are beeswax candles, so they're also pleasantly fragranced.

Ukrainians have Easter baskets, too, but these aren't for Peter Cotton Tail. Instead of chocolates, candies and fake plastic grass, they fill theirs with all the things they couldn't eat during their pre-Easter fast, like cheese, meats, eggs and butter. Easter bread is very popular here, and is also in the baskets though they can eat bread during the fast. The front of the church began to fill up with these baskets as people arrived, kissing icons, crossing themselves almost constantly and bowing accordingly.

We started up with the singing, chanting and liturgy shortly after 11:00. Just before midnight, we all filed outside and the bells began ringing wildly, to which the people responded with "Kristos Vaskressya!" "Christ is risen!" We all walked around the church following the priest and the altarboy carrying the heavy crucifix. Then, back inside!

The next few hours are really more of a haze for me, but a beautiful one. Perhaps I might even call it dreamy. Incense added its perfume to the candles', the choir sang an almost constant litany of songs both joyful and melancholy. I had to pay attention to hear the "Kristos Vaskressya" to be on top of the response, "Vellissmoo Vaskressya." I may have missed one or two of those.

Just before 4:00, we filed outside again, but this time with our Easter baskets in hand. Pretty much every person in the whole town brought their baskets, though not all attended the service. They were placed all over the grounds, and soon the priest walked around with a rather decent showing of a horse's-tail-like brush, which he dipped into holy water and flung at people. He seemed to enjoy getting people as wet as he could, and was laughing as he carried on. This was also the time when he blessed the baskets and the food they contained (which wasn't necessarily only food...I saw a basket with beer and salty dried fish!).

My two favorite parts of the service involved going outside. The first favorite was when we returned to the sanctuary after midnight. Everyone was SO happy...it's really hard to describe. See, usually Ukrainians have quite the "game" face. They don't smile as readily as Americans, either for photos or in real life. So to see an entire church filled with smiling, happy, hugging and kissing Ukrainians was truly wonderful for me. The other favorite was my babushka's face when she felt the sprinkle of the holy water. She's so short that she couldn't see when the priest was coming, so she grabbed my arm and told me to tell her when he would be coming by. As soon as she felt those first drops of water, she turned her face up and such peace and contentment washed over it; the years and hard work melted away and she was a child, standing in the presence of her father. It was beautiful.

After church, we returned home to feast on a post-fast meal. It wasn't nearly as major as the next day, however, at which we had over 15 dishes. Really, I counted. And then I also understood the need for all the chopped gizzards and mayonnaise. It was a great meal, though we were working from 10-2 on the finishing preparations. I was so glad to feel so incorporated into the family, though, and was glad to be bossed around. Even if the holadetz (meat jelly) or salo (basically pig fat) threatened to ruin my gastronmic capacity. Besides, there is this sweet, baked cheese souffle/casserole that is AMAZING to restore any stomach upset I might encounter. I probably ate half my body weight in that stuff. YUM!

So my first Ukrainian Easter settled to a close as most evenings here. I was happy and home. And I am happy and home.

Miss-worthies

Aside from my fabulous family and friends, I miss:

1. Good Eats with Alton Brown and Project Runway
2. In-N-Out animal-style fries, well-done, easy on the thousand island
3. Lettuce
4. Avocado
5. Cookie dough ice cream, preferably Ben and Jerry's
6. Coffee dates (with REAL coffee, not this instant crap)
7. Driving
8. Free nights and weekends
9. The dollar theatre in Irvine
10. 2nd Street and the Orange Circle
11. Margaritas
12. Summer

Things I already know I will miss about Ukraine:
1. Juice
2. Chocolates/candies/cookies
3. Babushkas
4. The bazar
5. Overnight trains
6. The "organic" fanaticism of just about every Ukrainian
7. Flowers
8. My students and Ukra family
9. Homemade wine
10. Slippers
11. Compote
12. Canned (but in jars) veggies and fruits

It's good to know what's worth missing, present or future.

I stand corrected by a GIANT water truck.

So remember how I thought I drank rainwater? I don't. My rainwater cistern is used for watering the garden. I discovered this when a rather large truck pulled into my driveway and proceeded to give me 15 grivenas' worth of water (that's like, $2). Just when I thought I knew what was up....

;)

Hello and welcome to 'Cafe Splendida'

I thought I was being pretty clever when I brought in plates, a table cloth, glasses, napkins and a candle for my 9th form's "restaurant dialogues" presentations, but these kids took it above and beyond. Their task was simply to "make a dialogue in which the customer orders 5 things." And I've never been so impressed or had as much fun than at this lesson! Here are some highlights:

*During their dialogue, one girl waited til the "waitress" was out of sight, reached into her pocket and shook out some small stones onto her plate. Then, "Waitress! There's glass in my food!" The waitress promptly comped the bill, of course. Who said customer service is dead here?

*A pair of boys staged it so that one boy was a tourist. He walked around the room taking photos of the walls on his camera phone, and then tried to pay for his bill in his home currency. He was pulling change from EVERY pocket! It was hilarious.

*A group of girls started their dialogue with excellent planning techniques...they staged calling the restaurant ahead of time and making a reservation on their cell phones.

*A boy asked for the smoking section, and then proceeded to use a white-out pen as a "cigarette." It was too funny for me to launch into the "now let's think about your health here" routine...

*One "waiter" stood by with his hand out while the "customer" was walking away, and got another tip!

*The PROPS! Almost every group brought in a towel that the "waiter" would drape over his arm while he served. Almost every group made a "menu" and a "bill," and some groups brought in wine glasses, plastic food, dishes, flowers in an actual vase, and juice and cookies.

I love that the assignment was so simple and could have been made simply, but that these kids took it to their own level. Their imaginations and willingness to try amaze me. And it amuses, too! They had fun, I had a belly laugh, and it was a good day. :)

My favorite time of day

Like most grade-schoolers, my favorite time of day is lunch time. 12:00 in the canteen (cafeteria) at school. But I take a more passive role in this treasured moment, as this is the time when the 1st form comes in with their teacher. They burst through the doors in a chatty pack and without real regard for their surroundings, go about preparing themselves for lunch. The form teacher carries a bottle of liquid soap and a towel, which she distributes to each child after they've hung up their coat and puts on the table, respectively. The kids wash their hands in the sinks, then dry them, then find a seat at one of the tables already laid with food by the canteen ladies (whom I also love). Lunch is always home-made in the kitchen, and is usually soup, a kind of porridge, sometimes meat/cheese/hardboiled egg, bread, and tea or hot chocolate or compote. Continuously oblivious, the kids eat and talk and swing their legs on the stools just too high for their feet to touch. By 12:10, I have to leave for my next class, but I always leave with a smile from this little scene.

One thing I've treasured about Ukrainian people is how organic they are, how much they'll act like one contiguous family, even when they're not related. That form teacher no doubt buys the soap with her own money, and the towel, too. The canteen ladies are at school well before anyone else to get the sweet buns in the oven, to get the potatoes peeled and the soup started. We eat off real dishes with real forks, which another canteen lady washes, after sorting the scraps for the compost heap. It's a different world for sure, and one I'm delighted to be learning from.

Gettin by with a little help from my friends

One of the things I've always LOVED about the Ukrainian culture and people I've met is their generosity and enthusiasm to be there for me. I've had recurring problems with my water pump not working for weeks at a time. One of my neighbors (a part-time French teacher at school) has been awesome in letting me use her outdoor spigot any time I want to fill up my water jugs. Last week, she came outside with an apple and two oranges for me to take home!

When something needs to be fixed, the Ukrainian way is to (A) Do it yourself, or (B) Call a friend who has a friend who's brother has a son who knows how to do it. In most things, I am definitely NOT A. In fact, I'd assert that most Americans are not A. We call a super or a repair guy when something breaks, he comes, fixes it, and charges us money. Learning to be B has been a challenge for me, especially with my hyper-independence which is part character-based and part my role here in the Peace Corps. I'm appreciating these lessons I'm learning, even if they're at a hard price sometimes...the cost of my pride or an exhausting conversation in Russian. But I've found that when I get over it, the relief my neighbors find in being able to help me or that the daughter of the mother's friend speaks a little English is worth far more than my strict independence, as it allows for vulnerability, which allows for the true expression of the self. And the Ukrainian self is well worth my vulnerability.

Many places and faces later...

Today's my six-month mark for being in Ukraine! Woo hoo! It's fun to celebrate the little anniversaries. It's going fast, I suppose, but it also feels normal for the most part. Like, maybe 6 months seems like a long time, but really, the passing of time seems regular and steady. There are things that break up the routine, though, and totally rock my world!

Drew's visit! I had such a wonderful time while he was here. While I waited for him in the Kiev airport, I oscillated from controlling hysterical tears to bouts of giggles, until finally he came through the doors. His marathon of travel didn't stop after his 16 hours in air-transit; we had a 12-hr train that night, and then a 3-hr bus ride to my town. He held up admirably, and went to bed around 7 that night, after a tour of my house and petchka which inspired him to say, "wow, your life is a lot more bad-ass than I thought!" We spent the next few days at my school and touring my town. My kids were SO excited about seeing him...I think their excitement level easily matched mine. We visited classes, then put on an English club for them, at which they did a traditional Ukrainian Bread Ceremony which they use to welcome guests.

After my site, we headed to Odessa. The weather wasn't particularly pleasant for walking, but we managed to get quite a tour of the city. I really like Odessa, and Drew seemed to like it, too. We stayed near the center, and spent time near the Opera House, saw the sea port (that's the picture there), plenty of churches, some parks with some mad chess happening, the main street, a Love-Lock bridge and the bazar. We had some good coffee, good food, and great conversation.

Then on to Kiev, which was about the same weather-wise and just as wonderful converstaion-wise. We toured the city, met some other Volunteers, and saw many sights. Again with the laundry list of cool things to see here; churches, parks, a MUCH prettier Love Lock bridge (Drew locked one for him and Lindsey!), an enormous catacomb and monastery, and again, good food and drinks (think no open container laws...we call them "walking beers." This inspires a grea number of other "walking" items/actions...I'll leave it up to your imagination.). It was very hard to see him go, and I haven't felt that lonely/homesick before or since. I truly believe it was harder to say goodbye to him that early early morning than it was to leave the States...something about feeling like a huge part of my life was here for a fleeting moment and then gone again...it was tough. BUT, I didn't have too long to wait for another adventure...Poland!

Drew had a COLD spring break in Ukraine, I had one in Poland! A group of volunteers and I decided to venture out and see what we could see. We went first to Lublin, which is just the other side of the Ukraine border. We actually stayed in a nunnery there! It was awesome. Lublin was so nice with it's old-world charm, and yet it was very clean and well-ordered. The first couple of days we all walked around saying, "this is SO not Ukraine..." We ate excellent food (I had a salad...a REAL salad!) and drank excellent beer and had a great time together, then headed off to Krakow.

Krakow was equally amazing in the old-world yet clean balance. There are so many beautiful churches and squares and parks and we even stayed very near to a castle. It was very fun cruising down the street and getting a "kebab" here from a street vendor and a pretzel thing from another. We took a day trip to Auschwitz, which was suprizing and indescribable. We also toured the largest underground salt mine, which boasted the largest underground salt cathedral! Really, we even licked the walls. Every Polish person was very nice to us, and most people speak English, which was pretty useful.

We kept remembering that we weren't in Ukraine, not as a slight, but rather as a reality-check. You see, Poland was a Peace Corps country only 8 years ago. How can Ukraine get there? Where do we begin to make the tiny adjustments that will lead to such a huge change? Most Ukrainians I talk to are aware that there are problems here and that their lives could be better, the country cleaner, and most importantly, that they could feel more secure in their daily living. I'm not sure what those steps are, but I know I'm a part of the tiny changes, as are the people who surround me and with whom I work alongside. It's a good feeling. :)