Why get off the crazy train now?

When John and I started out on this journey I began to use a phrase whenever something bad, good, funny or unexplainable happened to us. Why get off the crazy train now?

I feel like once again things have gotten a little crazy. Just when all of us Peace Corps Volunteers  are figuring things out and maybe getting a little comfortable Peace Corps staff is rotating language teachers on us, as of Monday morning we will have a new language teacher. Peace Corps wants to expose us to a new voice, personality and teaching method. To top it off she will test our language skills by having an individual (interview) conversation with us..in Ukrainian! People are flipping out a bit.  I have a plan for my interview…spew out all the Ukrainian words I learned so far, and maybe she will be so impressed by my vocabulary she wont realize my sentence structure is not that great, I like to call it “broken Ukrainian!”

I’m going to be honest.. Ukrainian is hard, but I would imagine any language is. I knew learning a new language was going to be a challenge for me going into this. I just have the attitude “I’m going to do my best, and give it my all.” In a month Liuda (my teacher) will return to see how much the new teacher has taught us, or I could say..how much she pounded into our heads successfully. As I was putting on my coat and back pack while the other cluster mates were chatting and having chai in the Kitchen she started to tell me how successful I will be, and how good this change will be, soon tears started to well up in her eyes. I had to take a double take “are those tears in her eyes? She’s only leaving for a month.” Then  it was full on crying and hugging. I tend to cry when other people cry so of course I had to jump in and join her. As we both were trying to pull ourselves together and fix our makeup it occurred to me I had made my very first true Ukrainian friend. So I would like to pose the question once again..Why get off the crazy train now?

This page reflects my own personal experiences, thoughts and opinions. It does not reflect the view of Peace Corps or the American Government or Society as a Whole.

неділя (Lazy Sunday)

Today is the Ukrainian elections and all of us Peace Corp volunteers are grounded in a sense today, we received an email highly recommending us to stay away from any public transportation and to stay  in our homes, do laundry and read a book and that’s exactly what I am doing. With our hectic schedules I welcome a day to sleep, reflect, study and get chores done.

Some of the small observations I have made since my arrival are…

#1, The older men enjoying a game of dominos, even on cold days #2, Ukraine is  not all that sanitary but the Peace Corps doctor reassures us that it is cold enough to kill whatever bacteria that may be lurking around (hand sanitizer has still become my best friend) #3, Always carry a tissue with you because if your lucky enough to find a public restroom there is a good chance it wont have toilet paper, and..you constantly have the sniffles #4, The lovely tires they paint and reuse as planters outside of buildings…talk about recycling #5, People here love to paint fences and walls in Ukrainian flag colors (yellow and blue) this shows me how proud Ukrainians are #6, You will most likely get “Lost in Translation” on a daily basis #7, Always carry a flashlight on you no matter if your host mom thinks your silly because the old soviet building are scary and the side roads are dark a at night! #8, never clean up a wet floor with a kitchen towel..always use a mop #9, You don’t want to put your honey in hot tea, its healthier to just eat it off the spoon.

A more serious observation I have made has to do with food. No food goes to waste here, it has a lot to do with голодомар the Ukrainian famine genocide in 1932-1933 that killed 2.5 – 7.5 million Ukrainians (the count of people is unsure) that few Americans know about, If you are one of them I highly recommend reading about it.  Food is very important and everyone here makes sure you have enough of it. I have noticed the onions or bits of fat I would push to the side of my plate and throw away after a meal in America I now eat, and the black coffee I would refuse to drink has now become a welcome treat to drink. I look at food in a much different light now and am nowhere near as picky as I was.

Today John is home sick, a bug finally got him. Yesterday at school our language and technical teachers were worried about John when his face became flushed and he fell asleep in class, it was obvious he had developed a fever. They were about ready to call the Peace Corps medical office and an ambulance. I kept telling them he just needed fluid and a good nights sleep. They seemed a bit taken back by my lack of empathy and in all fairness I am much less epithetic since my “debacle” but I also know after 14 years of marriage that he bounces back really well. I did however appease them and took him home, I know if he needs anything he has an excellent host mother to take care of him!!

Back to my “Lost in Translation” this afternoon while writing this blog my host mother kept saying something about the elections. I kept saying Tak, Tak (Yes, Yes) finally in a “charade” like way she made me put on my coat and shoes. I had no idea where we were going but knew I should just follow her. 10 minuets into our walk I had an idea of where we were going and my suspicion was right as we entered a high school lined with police officer’s. We were going to vote (well not me!) I just observed at all the different ages of people doing something really important and watched the whole process. I felt an overwhelming pride just like I do when I vote in the US and knew I was witnessing a small part of history! My host mother is very smart and of course knew exactly what she was doing by dragging me along.

This page reflects my own personal experiences, thoughts and opinions. It does not reflect the view of the Peace Corps or the American government.

How am I getting along?

For the short time I have been in Chernihiv I have battled a head cold, survived a week with no heat in my home (my excuse for the head cold, but I’m happy to say the apartment is warm now), had a lovely family dinner with Johns host family and my host mother where we provided the entertainment in our attempts to speak Ukrainian but botched most the words while watching both our host moms get tipsy on wine. It was a great night filled with laughs and memories, painted a fence with babushkas, navigated roads and buses in the city, introduced myself in Ukrainian to different groups including the city administration…a very formal and nerve racking event, bought a hat in the bazar, toured the city library, toured churches and landmarks, attended a traditional concert in honor of Defender’s Day.. a Ukrainian holiday , learned how to make вареничків (a dumpling filled with potatoes) along with taking hours of language, and community development classes. Are you wondering when I sleep? Me too!

All joking aside it has been a wonderful and exciting few weeks, a new adventure awaits us everyday. John and I are settling in just fine and ready to take on the challenges the next few months bring! Hope everyone is doing well at home!

This page reflects my own personal experiences, thoughts and opinions. It does not reflect the views of Peace Corps or the American government or society as a whole.

The Start

For the first three days in Chernihiv we stayed at a hotel to get started on paperwork, language and were given a good idea of what life was going to be like. Then our host families came in taxi cabs and whisked us away into an unknown life. I am staying with my host Mama Larisa. She is a single middle aged women that has hosted six volunteers in the past and has a good idea of what’s going on. This is really good because I don’t exactly know what’s going on! Today Mama Larisa walked me to school which is only 10 minuets away, but I’m sure it will feel like 45 minuets away when winter arrives. I think it will be soon because Mama Larisa bundled me up this morning in my warm coat and scarf. I got to see John because thankfully he is in my language group. He seems to like his host Mama and Tato (father) and we both agreed we think google translator is going to be our best friend. At school we went on our first field trip (to the market) and experienced the foods of Ukraine and the money. We then went back to school and filled our heads with the language that my teacher promised me will make sense…eventually! I failed my first test today, I had to call my Mama Larisa to tell her what time to pick me up from school, after I told her she asked to speak to my teacher to translate. John on the other hand had no problems and his Tato understood. Thank goodness I will have him when we get out on our own!!

When Mama Larisa picked me up she made sure I was once again was bundled up and she helped me with a large bag of books my teacher Luda had given me and pointed out all the land marks because tomorrow I will have to put my big girl pants on and walk my self to school. We walked in an awkward silence but when arrived home we both quickly changed into comfortable clothes that reminded me how much we are alike!

After dinner I attempted to help Mama Larisa with dishes but I’m not positive that I actually was a help to her and wonder if I will be invited to do the dishes again. I have also noticed that I need to be more diligent about turning lights off because she is constantly turning them off behind me and I must be driving her crazy! I have to remember this is only day one and I’m sure that we will get the hang of each other soon enough! I feel extremely lucky to have been placed in the city and have luxury’s like running water and Wi Fi.  I know that many of my Peace Corps friends probably don’t have those simple things.

Peace Corps told us that on our first day we will probably be asking ourselves “what did I just sign up for?”and I have to admit, that question did pop into my head on more than one occasion today. But something tells me with the help of Mama Larisa and google translator I will make it!

This page reflects my own personal experiences, thoughts and opinions. It does NOT reflect the views of Peace Corps or the American Government or society as a whole.