So Much to Learn

After more than a month since my last post, my how time flies, I have much to catch you up on. Where to start is the question. Well, I had my last birthday in Ukraine a few weeks ago. I attended a seminar put on by my friends in Vinnitsa, a city only about 3 hours Southwest of Kiev. A bunch of us went to discuss what we might consider doing for work after Peace Corps. I've been thinking about that a lot and I am not really sure. I have tossed the idea around to do consulting but I am not sure what will make me happy. Anyway it happened to fall on my birthday weekend so a bunch of us went out to dinner at a Georgian restaurant and had a grand old time. We didn't do much as we still had part of the seminar to finish the next day and I've been sick for more than a month so drinking not the best idea.

Anyway in the seminar we talked about personalities, how to look for a job, how to interview, etc. All the components of job searching. We discussed the book "What Color is Your Parachute" which I am currently reading. There is quite a difference in age and experience in our group which makes it a good place to network. Many of the people in our group have worked for several years, owned their own business, have furthering degrees, etc. So lots of experience floating around. We also had a guest speaker come from USAID to talk about international jobs. As much as I love traveling and seeing the world I am thinking my next venture might be in the old USofA!

Thanksgiving has just passed. I spent the holiday in Vinnitsa again with my friends. We had a magnificent time. First we had Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday with my sitemates at my house. We had ham, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, corn bread, and I can't remember what else. That was a great time. We skyped with our old sitemate while we had dinner. She just got back to America. Then Friday night I went to Vinnitsa to do it all over again in a different place with different people. We had dinner on Saturday afternoon. We had 2 turkeys, salad, raisin bread, caviar (YUM), cranberry sauce, and some more things that I can't remember. The food was great, we drank and were merry.

I spent some time with a Ukrainian friend of mine that popped down from Kiev to see his parents and me on the way. I met him a month ago and it has been fun practicing my language with him since he doesn't speak any English. He is a cop in Kiev and is studying English for Euro 2012. After having been in country for so long I really do appreciate the many friendships that I have with Ukrainians. It is really fun and interesting to meet new people all the time. Now that my language is better and I have a better understanding of things I meet more people every time I travel and it is really exciting. Unfortunately, just like any other culture things don't always work out and your friendships may be only for a short time or for the rest of your life. In this case, it was a short time.

Things at site have gotten busier as I knew they would. Every Tuesday and Wednesday I spend time at Hearts of Love. This is a children's center for children with disabilities. This center is where my old site mate used to work when he was here. On Tuesday I work with the really young kids (2 to 6 years old) and try to help Anya with their development. These kids don't speak much and they can't do much and it is a gradual process but we work with them on speech and motor skills. No one has a degree in this and right now it is very grass roots which is why I have been trying to talk to other organizations that exist in Ukraine through connections I have made in America about how to get training for this type of thing. I am also helping out with English club here and every Wednesday we have a girls club consisting of some girls from the center.

Our girls club is very important. We get different girls and different ages and I can see the many attitudes of teenagers that I haven't had to deal with since I was one! We have a bully in our class and she teases the girls that are "different" which I don't like but we have to conduct this club in Russian and my language is just not where it needs to be to deal with this type of behavior but it is something that I need to think about and try to combat with them. It is difficult coming up with ideas that will be interesting for all of the girls at the same time. But it has only been 2 months for me so I will learn as we go.

I have recently been asked to do some leadership classes at one of our technical schools. That should be exciting. I will have to do it in Russian which again will be challenging but I am exciting to do something different with a different group of kids. I hope this works out. I would love to start a leadership club and get some kids to make some real differences in their town. They have everything they need here. They just need some direction and unfortunately so do I in some respects. But this might be a good thing. I am also about to start an HIV/AIDS project in my town and they would be helpful if I can get them to help me.

So I've been frequently seeing my tutor lately and the reason for the title of my post is because I learn so much from her. Nothing that is at all relevant in my life but still it is all new stuff. She always asks me questions that I just don't know the answer to. Things I never think about in my life. For example what is the organizational structure of state government in the US? I have no idea! I mean I can say in general but I am not 100% sure. These are things I should know but I don't. I have friends that can spout this off right away and probably in under a few minutes but as for me not so much. Why is Cinderella called Cinderella? I don't know I haven't read that book in over 25 years! But apparently cinders also means ashes which is why she is called Cinderella. Do you know how they made white and dark bread in Russian a long long time ago? I do, couldn't explain it to you in Russian but someday I will tell you the story in English. Provided of course that I don't forget! If only these were conversations I had to use on a daily basis my language might be better!

Today I will be a guest speaker at my sitemates school. She has asked me to do a mini presentation on NYC. That should be a hoot! By the way toilet paper was first introduced in NYC in 1857!

Parents come to town.

My parents visited last week. It was kind of weird to have them in this country. I met them at the airport on Saturday afternoon. I got there early and they got in late. I wanted to make sure I was there and settled. And I like to watch people come through the doors. I did the same thing with Allison. I waited there for them to see them walking through. Our airport is small so it doesn't take too much time to exit after the plane lands. I was so happy to see them. It is funny, so much time has gone by but it felt like no time passed at all.

We leave the airport and catch one of the many buses that comes and goes to the airport from the train station. It is only 25 UAH. A cab costs 200 UAH. The only problem is you have to wait for the bus to fill up before it leaves but it usually only takes a little while. So many people use the bus to go back and forth. So it took about 20 minutes and we were off.

When we got to the train station we had to take a metro to the hostel where we were staying. Now I don't want to spoil the ending of this story but try to remember that my parents are in their 60s, my dad has had many surgeries and my mother has a heart condition. I certainly didn't remember all of that so maybe you will. I treated my parents like they were just other volunteers or friends that were my age. I had them taking buses, riding metros and sleeping in hostels. What was I thinking?

Anyway, we get to the train station and then get on the metro. Now my mom has had about enough walking. Not to mention the BAGS! Well yes we took the bags up and down steps and escalators. The few that exist in Ukraine. My father gets on the metro and before we have time to get settled the train takes off. Well I am familiar with the way the subways are in Kiev so I strategically place myself accordingly in the train meanwhile my mom and dad are just standing there as if they were not in a moving apparatus. We take off and my father damn near flies to the other end of the train car. He falls onto the man sitting down and my mother falls on him. The bags go everywhere and all I can do is laugh. My dad takes it like a champ and I am still laughing. People all around are looking at us and probably thinking I am an idiot for bringing not only my parents who have no business on a subway but also BAGS.

So then we get to Khreshatick which is about 3 stops on the metro. Now we head up the escalator to the street. Now we are in Independence Square. The main attraction in all of Kiev. The Times Square of Ukraine. We are about 8 city blocks from our hostel. My parents are walking up the street with their BAGS. Unfortunately, there is a lot going on in the center and we can't walk on the road so we have to go underground. We have to use the STAIRS. My parents want to kill me and I am pretty sure if we walked any slower we would be going backwards.

We get to the hostel and I assure them that there is an elevator. We've literally done planes, trains and automobiles and they are just DONE. We get there and we find the elevator. It is big enough for one person. Maybe two! I shove my parents in send them to the WRONG floor and then send up the bags. When I figure out the right floor I send them up again and then the bags.

We get to the hostel and we check in to the private room. There are many volunteers around. My parents are happy they are not walking anymore. They put their things down and then we decide we are hungry and we go to eat. I take them next door to the pizza place. They enjoy this. On our way back I decide to grab some groceries for later and for tomorrow morning so we can just relax. My mom comes with me but my dad wants to head back to the hostel. Halfway there my mom has to use the bathroom and I tried to send her home because in Ukraine it is very difficult to find public restrooms. (however for the record I did very well with finding them while my parents were in town - in fact I had no idea Ukraine had so many public toilets) So I hurry up with the groceries and get my mom back to the hostel where my dad is waiting. I come to find out later he almost didn't make it back because he got lost. What a day it was! We slapped in a DVD at the old hostel and then went to bed. My mom of course couldn't wait. She conked out before the movie was in the DVD player.

We didn't do much the rest of the week. I took them to see my host family in Chernigiv on Sunday. Monday we went back to my site. My mom came to my tutors house and had a nice visit. We had some tea and talked to my tutor and her husband. Well I talked and translated for my mom. My dad met my counterpart. I showed them my bazaar and where I buy food everyday. They slept on the awful divan that I sleep on every night. We cooked in my tiny little kitchen. They showered in my interesting looking bathroom and my sit down shower only tub. They experienced the sardine can marshrutka during rush hour. They ate Ukrainian food and met Ukrainian people. But most importantly they spent some time with their daughter.

The End!

Not just another day in the neighborhood...

Today is a day I haven't had in quite some time. Just when you think you have it all figured out or that you are done learning it's either Peace Corps, Ukraine or something else that reminds you that you don't! I started the day in a mood. In fact, the last three days I have been moody. I don't like to feel that way so I know exactly when it comes and goes. I mean you can't be happy all the time, right? Maybe you can and I missed that seminar. Either way the "mood" has settled back in. It has rained for the last three days as well so the weather and I "got the memo"! I worked out this morning and went to my office. My intention was to be productive and get some things done and that never actually happens the way you plan. I checked some emails and caught up with a few friends online and then found some interesting organizations in Kiev by research which was quite a surprise. I met with my Ukrainian friend who helped me with my Russian homework and then we left together. I was intending on paying my cable bill and buying some train tickets for my parents arrival into Kiev this weekend. But when I was at the cable company I realized I didn't have my wallet so I guess I am not paying my bill today...haha joke is on you. So I walk the rest of the way home because I have no money so bus is not an option. I get home and there is my wallet...YES! Saved by that bell. This is another reason why I try not to be moody because when you are in a bad mood sending out all of those bad vibes into the universe she comes back to bite you in the ass! So I just knew that my wallet missing was a reminder to snap out of it!!

So I decide that even though it is rainy and cold and I am finally home in my warm apartment and my wallet is safe that I should go back out and buy some train tickets. You never know if they will sell out so the sooner the better. Now going to the train station is an excursion. You never know how long you will be there, what events you might witness and how much money you will spend! Now another thing I have learned is if you ever go anywhere with me and there is a "line" involved you should get in the opposite one as me. I have a tendency to get in the wrong line each and everytime. In particular the line I was in today I was only one person behind when this woman comes over and tells me she was behind the girl in front of me but because she can't stand up in the line she was sitting down until it was her turn. Now you must know that "lines" in Ukraine are something special and there is always a story. So I let her go and I am thinking that she will be a few minutes. 25 minutes later she is still trying to get tickets to this city in Ukraine. I tried not to pay attention in the beginning of the conversation and now I was just irritated. Then another guy comes over and asks if he can go in front of me and ask a question....You should have seen my face. And if anyone knows me when I am irritated you want to stay away. Now people don't talk down to men in this country and I was like look dude if you want to get in front of me you better make it fast!

I decided after 25 minutes that I was going to try another line. 30 people had gone through the train station in the time that I stood behind this woman. So I changed lines and got taken care of faster. Even the man who told me he would be "fast" wasn't that fast. And he waited all that time behind that woman to ask a question? I mean really!

This place is so interesting sometimes. The funny thing about this is that it is not anything abnormal.  This shit happens every single day to someone. Whether it is a PCV or a Ukrainian. No different than what you go through in the USA or somewhere else in the world. It just so happens to get on my nerves today! And it was just a friendly reminder that I don't have it all figured out. Keeping me on my toes. It just made me look at things. I analyzed again my PC service and why things like this can be so challenging. I realize that everyday is challenging and that just getting through the days and their ridiculous turn of events is probably what keeps us going. I mean we like this stuff or we wouldn't do it. I don't think we (I) ever realized what kinds of things would be challenging. Everyday something reminds me that I don't have a damn clue. Somehow that is ok. I kind of like it being ok. It wasn't ok in my old life. Not sure what the difference is or if there is one. It might have just been me thinking I needed to know everything.

Last week I had a meeting with the disabled children's center in my town. I am thinking that my center needs help trying to figure out what to do with the kids when they come and how to figure out how to get the kids to come there. So I put together some ideas for these things and come in ready to present it to the staff and the kids parents. Meanwhile...I was there for ideas on "how to get money"! Should have known. Apparently, my center is equipped with all kinds of things and ideas on how to entertain children. I am not sure they care if more kids come to the center. I don't know what they want and I leave the meeting slightly defeated. There was some good that came of it. They did have their first round table discussion that included parents which was impressive. That was my idea! And they are interested in looking into volunteers for all of these awesome ideas they have. We will see how this evolves. I was super excited about it and I think I can find my mojo again. I was just defeated in the meeting. I was trying to get them to understand their wants and needs and the difference and think about how they can get what they need on their own. They just kept coming back to the idea of getting computers and they want me to find the money. I can't just do that and I need to figure out to make them understand this.

I think I had high hopes and expectations again this year. My last few months at site and I am trying to make an impact that I will be proud of. I want to have this BAM project happen and be remembered forever. I don't think that is how it works.

Accomplishments...

Today is the day after I ran my first marathon. It is funny how you think you might never do something and you end up doing it. I didn't even like running before I moved to Ukraine. I loved working out but I was more of a spinner. But coming here and not having the gym situation I was used to forced me to do different kinds of cardio exercising. So I tried running. People who run always rave about it. They say it is the best time of the day when they can just put all their problems aside and run for a while. And it is a great workout. Well I tried it sometime last year I started. I started off slow. Just running here and there. I even ran in the winter time with my yak tracks and all. I ran in the snow even snow that hadn't been broken in. I made my own footsteps in the snow. I think about it now and I can't believe I had that motivation.

Then Spring came and I was all of a sudden training for a 5k relay with some PCVs and then a 10k in Prague with more PCVs. After the relay marathon in Prague my eyes got big! All of a sudden I wanted to travel the world doing marathons. The energy there was so awesome. I thought I would do a half marathon in Switzerland or something in the fall. However, summer came and I spent a lot of time away from site but still had the motivation to get up in the morning where ever I was and run a few. Then before I knew it I was running for 2 hours without skipping a beat. Then I decided to test my luck with a 20 mile run and when I could do that I signed up for the Kiev Marathon.

It wasn't until about 3 weeks ago that I started to lose motivation to run. Probably because work had started again and I all of a sudden had a lot to do again. Not that I didn't work over the summer but it was easier. It was structured. I knew what I was doing and what I had to do so I did it. Camps are easy that way! You show up and have fun with kids! Now I am back to site and stressing about coming up with projects and that made it difficult to find joy in getting up to run. I knew that I had so much to do and that was weighing on my brain. So running for 2 hours was starting to look like a waste of time. So my training fell off a bit. But in the end I did it. I ran 42.195km yesterday in 4 hours and 48 minutes. I was shooting for a lower number but I am just happy to have finished under 5 hours. With minimal training and my first marathon I will take it! It was pretty grueling. It was painful around 30km. I had to mentally fix myself to keep running. I really wanted to just stop. But I didn't.

There were quite a few PCVs there cheering us on the whole time. I ran with Tammela Platt and another one of our PCV friends Nikita. We ran the whole time together until the end and we broke up according to our own paces. It was a great feeling coming across that finish line. You feel like you can do anything after that. I was high off the adrenalin for a few hours after that! I had to take a 3 hour train ride home though which wasn't exciting but such is life in the PC. I slept for about an hour on the train. I hadn't eaten anything with substance all day. I snacked on bananas, apples, bread and lots of water as we were running. But I just didn't feel like eating. I didn't pee for 6 hours. That is impressive!

Today I rested. And by rested I mean I worked my butt off all day. I stayed in my house but I was majorly productive. I cleaned up the water mess in my kitchen. My electricity went out while I was away and the freezer thawed out all over my kitchen floor. I was trying to figure out how I was going to thaw out that freezer and well there you have it...problem solved! I mopped my floors, cleaned out my refrigerator and did some laundry. I read some grants and answered some emails. And finally I called my mom to wish her a happy birthday...belated but none the less! And now I am catching up on my blog.

That is it for today! 

Another busy year...

So summer has certainly ended the weather outside tells me so. The last two weeks I spent at site were nothing like I thought they might be. I spent time getting back into the swing of things at work and in my personal life. I had many dates with friends, meetings with colleagues and lessons with my tutor. I have met new friends and I have new ideas for the next 9 months so some time for planning has ensued. I didn't account for the holidays. Silly me! The day of Konotop was quite fun. Very much like it was last year. I spent 7 hours in the center walking around and checking things out, listening to the music played at the concert, dancing at the disco, watching the dancers compete and then the finale of fireworks! I didn't stay for them last year and I can't remember why but they were awesome. Reminded me of my days at Ocean City, MD at the beach for July 4th weekend. Didn't think they had it in em! Apparently, Ukraine knows how to put a party on.

Our city was visited by Karaoke of Maidan a few weekends ago as well which brought out many people in our town. This is a big deal for Ktop! This organization you will usually find in Kiev looking for the next singer so to have them in Konotop is a big deal. The city was overly packed that day and you couldn't even get close enough to what was going on in the center. Whoever it was that won did a mini concert for us at city day. It was pretty cool!

Today is not only the 10 years anniversary of 9/11 but two of my very good friends are having a birthday today. Lyuda, my Ukrainian friend in Konotop, and Tricia my old friend from New York. Today I will be celebrating Lyuda's birthday with her. We are going to have a picnic and then I am not sure what will follow. You never know but today is Sunday so I will need to take it easy. Not only am I training for a marathon but I have to work tomorrow!

Next weekend should be a blast. Many PCVs will be in Kiev for the marathon and the many working group meetings that are taking place in the office so there will be people everywhere. I am looking forward to finishing this race!

I have a ton of good ideas for this year. I just finished an awesome meeting with my Special Needs Working Group.We are trying to put together a training conference for professionals in Ukraine that work with people with disabilities for next spring/summer. This is going to be a great project to work on and one I can't wait to see completed. I am working with two organizations in the states to help make this happen so I feel really good about it. Me and my site mate are working on a HIV/AIDS training as well for Konotop. We want to train the professionals here on new information and how to teach it to our city. We want to put on a concert in early spring/summer right here in Konotop. The ideas and thoughts have been flowing and I am so excited about the many different things we can do with this project. This may be all that I can muster for the next 9 months but if I can pull both of these off this will be exactly what I wanted to do with my service and I can go home happy!

One crazy summer...

It is Tuesday, August 23rd. Tomorrow is Ukraine's Independence Day. I just returned from a month of being on the road. I have been traveling for months now. I left back in May and have only actually been in my apartment a collective 9 days since May 26th. This has been the best summer of my life. I don't remember when the last time was that I could wake up anywhere and do anything and not have to be somewhere. Except of course, on a train or bus that was taking me to another place. Unfortunately, this wasn't an everyday thing. I worked 4 camps this summer and attended the Russian language refresher so I certainly worked a lot for a wondering PCV but it sure beats the 8am - 6pm shifts at the old hedge fund in my former life!

I've been working what seems like my whole life. I've never taken a summer off to lifeguard or be a camp counselor. I always had to have the high paying bank job. Well I've killed a few birds with one stone this year. I have now been a camp counselor...several times. I've directed a few too. Even did some lifeguarding. I wasn't sitting a top a lifeguard stand at the white sandy beaches of Miami Beach or anything I had to settle for the rocky, dirty make shift sand of the river bank or the sea but none the less!

I started out this summer working camps and making my way around the west of Ukraine. I think I wrote about this already. Spent some time in Russia too! Over the last month I spent a week at Russian language refresher then made my way to the parts of the west I haven't seen with my pals Stephanie and Hailey. We started off in Shotsk, Ukraine. This is my friend Jay's site. Up in the most Northwest oblast. We headed out to a lake resort near there to spend the weekend with a few other 38ers. It rained more or less the whole time but it was a pretty little resort town and a gem for Ukraine. We made the best of it. We played some football, walked around and ate, drank, danced and when the sun did come out for a few hours we did a little sun bathing.

Next we headed to Lviv. I've been there a dozen times but didn't see the city the way we did this time. We climbed the clock tower, went to the huge cemetery and actually went inside the opera house. I stayed at a different hostel and had some decent sushi! Hailey's boyfriend met up with us and we hung out with the guys too. They pretty much crept up behind us most of the way. They are balls of fun so it was all good!

Then we hopped on a bus to Berejani. This town is about 3 hours Southeast of Lviv in Ternopil oblast. A friend of ours just got moved there and we were headed to check him out. His town is quaint. We met some Germans while we were there that were working a farm outside of the city. That happens a lot in Ukraine. They were nice and spoke great English. We hung out, watched movies, checked out the Polish memorial that overlooks the valley and made some good food. Just an old fashioned PCV hang out.

After two days there we got back on a bus to Ivano Frankivsk. Been there already too but again did things a little different. We hung out with the volunteer that lives there and he showed us a few new things like the church and a few memorials and a restaurant that overlooks the whole city. We only had a few hours there and we were off to the next town...Kolomia.

We went to Kolomia to climb Mt. Hoverla which was the highlight of the trip. We stayed at a PCVs house in the city. This was a really cute town as well. Man PCVs have it good in the west!!! We rented a van that took about 8 of us to the mountain about 2 hours away. We got up early and headed there straight away. We took the somewhat easier route to climb this mountain that is really only 2000km high but boy it was tough. It was a whole lot steeper than I was expecting and I never stopped long enough to rest. We started with the group and then me and my friend Abe somehow past the pack and we were headed to the top just him and I. He was my motivation to keep going because without any kind of steps we were almost rock climbing the whole way. It was a great work out though and it only took us 1 1/2 hours to reach the top. We got there about a 1/2 hour before everyone else. We had some lunch and drank a lot of water and then headed back down. It was a beautiful day. It was not too hot but sunny and no clouds in the sky. It was certainly hot climbing but once at the top after you cooled down it was quite chilly. The scenery was magnificent! On the way down Abe and I thought it was a good idea to run most of the way. It only took us an hour. My quads still haven't forgiven me for that but at least they don't hurt anymore!

After that it was time to go our separate ways. I took a train out to Kiev from Chernivtsi another town I had already been to and then met up with Amanda there to head to Krivoy Rog. That is my cluster mates site. We worked a camp together and I went down early so that I could see her city before heading to the camp and also to help her with whatever pre camp stuff she needed to do. All the volunteers trickled in over the next few days and then we were off to camp.

Camp was a sweet time. We had all University students so everyone was in their 20s. It was weird working a camp with a bunch of adults. You can't really tell them what to do perse. They all listened and they were respectful but after working with young teenagers it is quite different. I even found a group of runners. They did run 2 hours with me but they did a pretty good job. They are running the 10k in Kiev on the same day that I am running the marathon so it was good to have some people to run with in the morning.

The camp was a different kind of camp. Chris was implementing a new idea of role playing and he used ancient Greece as the theme. They had to vote and make decisions and try to save their government and their city. It was pretty cool. I was working the administrative side of the camp and didn't really get a chance to understand fully what was going on but the kids really enjoyed and they were really into it. We even had a toga party!

The last few days I spent in Crimea. The southern most oblast in Ukraine. This is where locals and even out of towners go for vacation. The Black Sea! We camped on a beach called Fox Bay which is a nude beach actually. It was quite the hippy scene. I felt like I was at woodstock only not that crazy. I never camped on a nude beach before. It was a lot of fun though and the scenery around us was beautiful. I woke up to the sun rising every morning right in front of our tent over the sea. Mountains surrounded us so we were in a little cove.

Now I am back in Konotop. I can't believe how fast the summer flew by. As much as I enjoyed it there were a lot of times I thought about the things I need to accomplish in these last 10 months and it has been pretty stressful. I have also been giving my after life a lot of thought (after PC). I have no idea what I want to do after this. It is hard to imagine sitting in an office from 8am to 6pm after an experience like this. I have even found myself considering an extension here in Ukraine. I am sure you (my family and friends) are thinking you better come home but there are things I want to do here and I want to know that I have done them before I can say good bye. It really is true that you don't really have that much time here. Two years is not that long. It is just enough to find your happy place and then you have to leave again. When you finally make those bonds and finish those projects or find new ones that you wanted from the beginning you have to leave. I never thought I would want to stay. It is funny how life works out sometimes.

Camp Extravaganza

I just returned from almost 3 weeks away at camps...again. The first camp of this month started on July 11th and ran until July 15th. This camp, Camp SLAM, I directed and fundraised for so it was very special to me. It took place in Konstantinovka a city in Donetsk Oblast in the East of Ukraine. We have a blog which says it all.. http://campslam.blogspot.com/ check it out! The camp was a great success. Just like anything else there were some schedule issues in the beginning and our Ukrainian counterparts didn't necessarily agree with all the content of our lesson plans so we made some changes there but all in all it was a success. Everyone enjoyed themselves, campers, counselors and our Ukrainian counterparts. We even changed the minds of our Ukrainian counterparts on some things which is nice. At each camp I have worked we always put the kids in groups randomly so they don't hang out with their friends. Initially our counterparts are always against this process but after a few days when they realize that the world won't end because they can't hang with their friends they meet new friends and they have so much fun that they don't want to leave camp. My counterpart actually said to us as we were leaving camp that she understand now why we do that and it is a great method! Success! They will have this camp again next year too which again is Success...sustainable success!

We played a lot of sports. Not enough some of the counselors might say but we introduced a new sport to the kids each day for an hour and then we had them play each other in a volley ball tournament. We had two lessons a day on healthy lifestyles topics, teambuilding activities and night time activities which usually consisted of a talent show based event and of course a disco!

Directing the camp was a lot of fun and I felt right at home in my responsibilities. This is what I like to do. I had an opportunity to teach at this last camp and it made me realize that I don't particularly like that side of the coin. I am much better and happier in the chaos of organizing than trying to get students to listen to me. At Camp Excite I was a teacher and in my group I actually had a student from last year. Her name was Nadia. I can't remember my blog post from last year but my guess would be that I talked about how one of my students had a bad case of ADD and I couldn't get her to stop disrupting class by talking ALL the time. Well I had her again and not much has changed but her English which is AWESOME. And I just found out that she is only 14 and going into the eighth form. That is pretty impressive. She can be a BIG pain in my butt, however, she has come such a long way in some respects since last year and it is truly amazing to see that in her. She also knows that I can't stand that she always disrupts class and promises me that she will try to control it. It is actually pretty hilarious how she just gets up and walks away while you are teaching or turns to her classmate and starts having a conversation as if you are not there. This is why I could not be a teacher! Oy vey. Kudos to the teachers.

The last night and the last day at camp is always special to me. It is the end and you have finally gotten to know the kids and then it is time to leave. Kind of like Peace Corps. You finally have friends and family you really care about and you have to leave. It is always sad to leave the kids and the chaos from the week. Camp Excite was interesting too because we taught lessons on gender, environment and leadership. We did talent shows and discos, chants and sports. My team won the variety show which is like a skit show. Our theme was "riding the train 3rd class to Crimea" and the kids showed all the pain in the butt things that happen on trains and it was so funny!! It is what Americans go through everytime we get on a train so it is funny that the youth here in Ukraine feel the same way. For example, drunkards on the train, the fact that older people don't like the windows open EVEN when it is hot as hell, the people who sell things up and down the aisles on the train and the conductor who constantly asks you if you want tea. It was great and they worked hard to do it. After being in last place all week it was nice to see them win something!

Well...off to language refresher. I haven't been speaking much Russian in the last few months besides travel language so this ought to be interesting. Then I am traveling the west again to conquer the cities I haven't been to and then another camp, and then Crimea for the rest of the summer. To return on Aug 22nd!

Russia

So we just got back from Russia, me, Emily, Rose, John and Kevin. Well Kevin is still there due to return shortly. It was a wonderful week. It started out in Moscow and then we made our way to St. Petersburg. We all went by train from my site in Konotop which is between Kiev and Moscow. We are close enough to the border so we left from here. It was a pretty familiar experience. The trains to Russia are the same that make their way around Ukraine so I have been on them several times. I had an opportunity to go through border control by train when I went to Hungary and this was far better and easier I must say. There were however many more patrol people than last time but apparently they aren't used to seeing 5 American's in one car! But after we advised them we were not bringing in narcotics it was smooth sailing.

We only spent two days in Moscow but that was probably enough. We headed straight for Red Square after dropping our bags at the hostel. We took the metro which looked awfully scary at first glance. It is one big circle with 15 different lines sprouting everywhere. It isn't nearly as complicated as it looks. I am pretty sure Manhattan's metro was scarier for me. But Rose and I did a fine job of getting us where we needed to be the first time around.

Once in Red Square we took some photos of the surroundings (St. Basilics Church, Lenin's tomb and the History Museum). The church was quite candylandesque but very pretty. Apparently, there are many of those churches in Russia. Lenin's tomb was interesting but we couldn't take photos inside. He was laying in a glass case for all to see. I am sure that was not him as he is in perfect condition but he must be in there somewhere.

We walked the streets of Moscow for several hours since the sun shines on Russia for most of the entire day during the summer. There are only really 2 hours of darkness and it is more like a twilight. It was difficult figuring out how to sleep or what to do with yourself when you have sun light for so many hours in the day. Everything is just off. We checked out a bazaar and stayed there for several hours, had some shashlick and looked at old antiques and books. Monday it was off to St. Petersburg.

We walked around the streets here too. Hanging out in coffee shops, checking out bazaars, took a walking tour around the city, saw the Fortress of Peter and Paul and the Great Palace of Peter Hof. I forgot to mention the mall! There is something to be said when PCVs travel they spend quite some time in malls. Checking out stores that they haven't seen since they left America or their last trip somewhere out of Ukraine. There was a dunkin donuts in one mall which I haven't seen since February 2010! We had lunch a few times at subway also a rarity. Before Peace Corps I used to travel and I couldn't wait to try the food of the country but now I travel and I end up eating things that I miss in America. However, most of the countries I have visited since I have been here haven't really had the international cuisine that I would travel half around the world to eat. I love Ukrainian food and after a lot of traveling and eating whatever I can get my hands on I miss grechka and cutlets but I don't want to go to Russia and eat that! Apparently, they have a very similar cuisine.

We spent our last night on a pub crawl because why not! Have to see the bars too. During this crawl we were told that June 23rd was one of the longest days during the white nights and that at 125am the drawbridge would open up and it is a beautiful scene. We were told to take a boat tour in order to see it and I assume you go under it as well but since we were low on funds we decided it would be just as beautiful to see it from the side of the river. So we walked to the Hermitage to see the bridge and it was in fact pretty amazing. There was only twilight at this time so it was pretty light out and the lights on the bridge and around the city were gorgeous. It was also nice to share that moment with some good friends and some strangers we just met at the hostel!

It was a good trip to Russia. It feels as though we never left Ukraine. There are places in Ukraine that take longer to get to than Moscow and St. Pete combined. I am glad I paid the $250 for the VISA there. And for those who joined me thanks for the great memories!

Khotyn Camp 2011

This week I helped out with a camp in the west and I helped teach wiffle ball and the basics of baseball. It was a three week camp but I only helped out for a week. We have had such a blast! I am working this camp with a fellow PCV group 38er. Her name is Janet. We are also with Jim, Laura, Bernie and Megan. They are part of what we call the “older volunteers”. I can say this because they say this so I know that I am not offending them. We were supposed to have a reporter come down from Kiev to document this event that is being put on by the "older volunteers" which before now was apparently unheard of but the reporter couldn't make it.

Anyway, this is a great group. We have just been having tons of laughs amongst each other but the kids have been awesome. Jim, Janet and myself are responsible for coaching baseball which at this stage is wiffle ball and the kids have been so much fun to work with. In the morning we start out at Mother School and work with two groups for almost an hour. The kids vary in ages but we are working with 3^rd through 5^th form or grade. Since it is the summer time and school is essentially bare bones so we’ve had some really young kids that belong to the teachers so they are as young as 3 years.

The first two hours are slightly difficult only because the kids are so young they can’t easily grasp the concept of baseball and I don’t blame them it is difficult when you haven’t ever seen the game or played it. We do a lot of throwing drills with the kids. We would have them throw the balls in the air and catch them and then we would have them partner up and throw the ball back and forth to each other. That got old so after a little research into “how to coach little league” I decided to play some different games, but they were still along the lines of boring however, these kids had never done this before so for them they were having a blast and that was all that mattered to me. It made it all worth it to know that they were having fun.

The second half of the day we go to School number 5 and work with kids in the 4^th through 10^th grades. We have two groups in the afternoon as well. These kids, even though they aren’t much older, seem to understand a little more and they catch on much quicker. By today (the third day) we already have them running to second base which in our world right now that is a big deal. However, yesterday they seemed to have the concept down a little more than today because today we actually had one of our runners grab the ball that was being thrown to first base and he threw it away so that he could get to the base. He did this because he knew that if the ball got to the base before he did he would be OUT. Then when the next batter came up to the plate and hit the ball the same runner that was on first ran to second and again the ball came in his direction so he caught it and threw it away again so he could get to second base. It was like watching baseball bloopers! It was the funniest thing we have seen in ages. We all got a big kick out of that! Also, today before this incident we actually had a batter run with the bat. And if that wasn’t enough three people right after him ran with the bat as well. I have never coached baseball and probably never thought I would even though I always thought it would be a fun job and it is so I don’t know what kids do when they are learning a new sport and I certainly don’t remember what I did when I learned to play so this could all be normal. Either way it was super funny and ridiculous FUN! So I will say it again…this is why I joined the Peace Corps!

The second day was a little easier with the younger kids because they were now used to how to throw the balls and how to catch them. We almost had them playing the games we were playing with the big kids. They learned to hit and they learned to catch in the outfield. So we have got them in position…kind of. The little guys came into center field like a crowd waiting for the bouquet at a wedding. They didn’t understand “spread out” or you can’t all catch it at once! Again, the cutest thing to witness is little kids learning how to play baseball.

I have to say though the best part of our days are the warm ups. Jim does the commentary and he has taught the kids the “Airbourne” chant. For those of you who are Rangers or Army men (sorry if I have this wrong) you probably know this chant. He does it a little differently because it is not a song nor does it have words that start with F and from what I understand they could start with any letter of the alphabet. Service men know how to be creative! (please see my facebook page for video footage) Each time we got a new group out we started them with a warm up so we did this four times a day. The kids were in love with it and they really got a kick out of it.

The fourth day of camp was a little different. We had the little guys in the morning and we introduced them to batting off the tee and running just to first base. They seemed to get it and they were having fun with it. They have trouble catching the ball so it was really cute to see them try. After the first round we were invited to a performance. They all dressed up in feathers and painted their faces so they looked like little chiefs and Indians. They danced around a little and then they grabbed us for a dance and that was pretty much the end of the performance. Oh wait…it ended with an American xmas song…Jingle Bells!

The afternoon was trying for us. It looked as if it was going to rain and it was incredibly muggy. The bigger kids weren’t interested in listening today and they were fighting a lot. We introduced pitching to them and they seemed to really like it but the kids in the outfield that were supposed to be catching were sitting there and hanging out. They’ve been at this for 6 days so I can imagine they are as tired as I am. They are getting it though and they seem to be having fun.

The last day was something special. The little guys in the morning put a concert on for us. They sang, they played guitar and they danced. It was great. They gave us certificates, pencil holders and a mug. I was trying to keep the tears back. I get so emotional when they give me things because we are here to do this for them and they are so appreciative. And everything is so dramatic here! So in the end each of us stood up and sang for them. We sang "You are my sunshine". They really enjoyed it and they were not expecting it.

We had the same kind of deal at the other school. Not a concert but they gave us gifts and thanked us for coming out. All of the kids asked us if we would come back next year and bless their little souls I wanted to say yes but unfortunately, I won't be staying. You really get attached to the kids when you work with them all week. You start to get to know them and they know you. They wait for you to arrive! It is so cute.

It was difficult to say goodbye to the kids but we had to do it. I am off to Kiev again for a week of fun and games with the newbies. And then off to Russia!

Bye group 36!

It's May 2011 and this week is the first round of COSers from group 36. That means that their group is starting to leave the country of Ukraine for good! Some will vacation somewhere else in the world on their way home to the states and others will just go straight home. We are losing two people here in Konotop. Not that we don't have plenty to spare with 6 volunteers in one town of only 100k but it was nice having that many volunteers here for the last few months. I've gotten used to it and now two of them will leave with one on her way out in only 6 months! Of course after that I am leaving 6 months later. The good thing when a group leaves is that another group comes in. We lose the people we just spent a year with, or a few months, and we meet those we will spend the next few months with.

So I have spent the last few weeks hanging out with those who are leaving and now I am back at site for a while. The other day I had a graduation ceremony for my participants at the unemployment center. I only had three people make it through the program but that is more than I thought and that is pretty good. They were my strongest in English so I thought I might lose some people along the way. I made them a "congratulations" banner, brought in some cookies and tea and made them colorful diplomas with their names on them. They really enjoyed it and we took lots of photos.

All of a sudden there is this commotion amongst the group and I don't understand what is going on. There is a lot of whispering and moving around and then they present me with some gifts. Now these women are graduating so I am not expecting anything but in Ukraine this is just what they do! So I am being presented with a diploma of my own for "Best Teacher" and a beach towel of Ukraine. The diploma is in Russian and my friend and translator begins to tell me what the words mean in English. They have given me marks on different things like "warms hearts with kindness", etc. I got a 12 for everything which in this country a 12 is perfect! They bought this in the bazaar along with the towel and I love it! I almost cried because they said such nice things to me. It was awesome because I woke up that morning, like I have several other times, feeling that I am not making a damn bit of difference here and I should just go home! So when I got there and was showered with gifts and pleasantries it all starts to make sense. Funny thing every time I feel that way Ukraine proves to me that I am here for a reason and that I should focus more on the little things because that is what really counts. Why do we have to be told this over and over and over again? When exactly will we believe it?

So that was my week.

I have many camps coming up this summer so I will spend my time not at these camps preparing for these camps!

Blessed...

I must say that I have been truly blessed with my family and friends. I just got the best news a few minutes ago. I am doing a camp this summer for youth teaching them about healthy lifestyles and strengthening their English language. Well someone near and dear to me funded the remaining amount of my grant! I am so happy. This person is so generous and I am grateful to have this person in my life. The feelings I have right now there are hardly words for. When things like this happen I feel like I can accomplish anything. That I can't believe I doubt myself along the way. There really is something to be said about the way things happen in one's life. The steps that it takes to get to the next part of your life are there for a reason.

I just spent the last two weeks traveling around Ukraine and Prague. I spent some time with my host family while meeting the new group of volunteers. Then I went to Beregova and ran a relay in the half marathon. While there I spent some time with numerous volunteers. Meeting some new people and just generally having a good ol time! Then off to Vinnitsa which wasn't a scheduled trip but I got to spend some time with some old friends I haven't seen in a while. Then back to Kiev and off to Prague.

Prague was absolutely beautiful! The city was amazing. And let's talk a minute about the food! Oh yeah...real food....black angus beef, bagels, fish, salads! Yum!!! Its funny what you take for granted when you live in the states. Now that I have been in Ukraine I take much joy in the little things this is for certain. Taking pictures of bagels and drueling over the menu we must have looked like crazy people to the other patrons. We were even "singing" the menu!

The energy at the marathon was something I hadn't felt since I raced cars with my BFF in 2008! I love that feeling. There were so many people gearing up to run their asses off! They had skydivers swoop down to the starting area and there were bands playing it was awesome. They had a band every other kilometer on the run. It was so cool to run with all those people.

Now I am back at site and we had an awesome day! Today we did a 527 campaign today with some kids from 4 of the schools in my town. My sitemates helped me work this project out thank goodness! In collaboration with IOM (International Organization of Migration) we are doing 527 campaigns all over Ukraine to keep the project going. It is a great project. If someone goes for a work or study program abroad they can call this number to find out more info about the organization for the work or study program and make sure that the organization is legit. Considering that this is one of the easiest ways to be trafficked it is a great idea. And the hotline number is free from any cell phone service in Ukraine. We did like a discussion club and then after the club we had all the kids stand around and say all these different things like "we stand to end slavery", "In Konotop, people are not for sale". The kids loved it. We took lots of pics and video of the event. It was so awesome I almost cried. The kids were so into it!

Now I will turn into bed. I must get up early and run since my new hobby is running in international marathons!

Easter

Another Easter in Ukraine. This time last year I had just been here a month. However, we arrived on Easter since it was earlier last year. That was our first encounter with our new family and our new lives. I decided this year now that I know more Russian and I understand more about what this holiday means to Ukrainians I would do the Ukrainian thing which is to color eggs and make Easter bread and then head to the church at 330am, listen to the service or singing, depending on the church, and then get ourselves and our food blessed! I didn't go to the church with my host mom last year and it seems I was missing out. Although one of my cluster mates did go to church with his host family and I am not sure he had the ultimate experience. You don't just go there you get yourself and your food blessed. If that is what happened to him he left a big detail out of his story.

It wasn't a complete Ukrainian experience, however, I colored eggs with my American site mates. We made burritos for dinner and we never actually made the Easter bread although we were given it by many different people. One of my sitemates is pretty lucky. She moved in next door to an old couple whose son is in Russia so they treat her like a daughter. It is nice to have that much attention as a new volunteer. She gets to do everything Ukrainian and they live right next door to her. Everyone has a different experience in the Peace Corps. No one is better or worse just different. Although I am sure some of us wonder...what if?

After the service and the blessed food we all went to our prospective houses and went to sleep. At least I did! I woke up around 10am and started my day all over again. My counterpart invited me to her house around 1pm to celebrate. I had my eggs ready from the night before and I went on over. It was just her, her husband and son and her husbands mother. I've met her before. I think she might have been having a celebration before she came. She is a sweet woman but she likes to drink and I am never really sure where she comes up with the things she talks about. She did finally get to "where is your boyfriend honey"...I have that exact same question. I am pretty sure she asked me that last time but in a different context.

Last week was a good week with my career development program. We discussed interviewing and we had a mock interview day which the participants really enjoyed. I invited my sitemates to help me do interviews but only one was around. That is ok because only 2 of my participants showed up. Funny thing about my students they were coming every week until I started making them do their homework. I have to give it to the teachers out there. It is tough keeping students interested. It is really difficult to get them to do what you want them to do. This isn't even for me. I want them to understand this stuff because it can help them out but you can only show them the way! They tell me this is interesting for them. They really enjoyed the mock interview day but I only got 2 out of the 4 there and I started with 9!

Well this is going to be a busy week. I am back on the road to Kiev for a meeting with IOM and then to Chernigiv to introduce our Career Development Program to the new recruits! I am excited to me the new volunteers. Then we head to the south of Ukraine for a 5K and then off to Prague!! I am however, going to do a mini project about human trafficking with my sitemates pupils. I am very excited about it. I am trying to land us on CNN through their Freedom Project which is focusing on anti-slavery this year. I have been proding volunteers to help me and now we have a grand idea. We are doing a discussion club with 4 schools about different topics surrounding human trafficking and then I am going to video tape the students discussing what it is and what they can do to raise awareness. We are introducing a 527 campaign across Ukraine for IOM. 527 is a number you can call (much like 311 in NY) to get information about things related to human trafficking. It is free from any cell service in Ukraine. I am very excited about this project and really happy that my sitemates are interested in it because without them and their pupils (students) I wouldn't be able to make this happen. And this to me is the reason I am a volunteer in Ukraine.

Happy Easter.

Update....Turkey & My BFF comes to Ukraine

Currently I am in Kiev for the fourth straight week. I am not here on medical so this has become ridiculous. I still have a week here and then finally a REST. But here is a little update of what I have been doing while I was not updating my blog.

2 weeks ago I was in Istanbul with a few other PCVs. We had a great time. We stayed in an awesome hostel right in the middle of everything. We were right next to the Aya Sofia, the Blue Masque and the Topkapi Palace which made it easier to knock them all out at once. We were also very close to the metro and only about 45 minutes from the airport. We met a lot of people at the hostel and around Turkey. We even ran into a few other PCVs on their vacations too. We took a boat tour around the Bosphorus (sp?) and took a ferry to the Asian side of Istanbul. I didn't know that Turkey is split and that part of the country is on the Asian continent. We couldn't get a stamp in our passports though.

Shortly after I returned to Kiev from Istanbul Allison arrived in Kiev. She was coming for the week to hang with me in my new world. She arrived after an all night flight and layover in Frankfurt and then I had her rolling her big, heavy suitcase around Kiev to finally get it on a 3 1/2 hour electrichka to Konotop. Needless to say there was nothing to do after we got home but SLEEP!

On Sunday I showed her my town and where all the magic happens. She wanted to try authentic Ukrainian dishes and I took her to the best cafes in my town so she could try some borscht, chicken kiev, varenicky and pelmeni. Monday night I invited the KTop gang over to my house for some "breakfast for dinner". Allison brought some bacon over from the states and we had bacon, pancakes with maple syrup and derruny! A little American/Ukrainian mix.

Wednesday am we are back on the electrichka to Kiev! We walked around and I showed her all that Kiev has to offer in two days! The last night we thought it would be a good idea to stay up all night so she wouldn't miss her 530am flight! Which she had to leave at 330am to get to the airport. Well that might not have been a good idea. Of course we had to have some wine to celebrate her last night in Ukraine. So everything was fine I got her in the cab and she was off! But at 630am she called to let me know that she missed her flight! Oops. 8 hours later she took off on a different flight back to America. What a day! It was so awesome having her here though. I really missed her but the weird things is no matter how much time passes between our hang outs it is as if I just saw her last week. No time seems to pass. That is how I know she is my best friend! Love you for coming to see me.

Immediately after that I spent the weekend in Kiev doing some awesome healthy lifestyles workout videos for the Healthy Lifestyles Working Group. I was in charge of the cardio kickboxing video (obviously). I had no idea I was doing it until the night before but me and my fellow PCV Kevin hooked it up. We made it so much fun. Everyone in the group working really hard on the videos and it was such a great and fun idea.

Then I went back to site for a few days to catch up with my fellow Ukrainians and to conduct my career development session. Which is going really well! In fact, I can do it in English now because I found out that my four participants speak great English! So that makes life a whole lot easier and I feel like I might be able to teach them something. They are really great girls and they are very grateful that I am teaching this stuff to them which is really rewarding.

I had a great meeting recently with an organization in Ukraine called IOM (International Organization of Migration) they deal with counter trafficking. In this meeting I introduced the idea of our career development program because I know this is something that they want to do with their trafficked victims to get them back in the workforce and they were really excited about the potential to join forces. I hope this works out.

In addition to that I am directing a camp for our Healthy Lifestyles Working Group and this is where you might be able to help me. So I am the director of this camp in a city called Konstantinovka in the Donetska Oblast. A fellow PCV works there currently and his counterparts that work at the Konstantinovka Agricultural Technical Institute wanted him to have a camp about healthy lifestyles. We will be conducting the camp in English and we will be teaching the kids about the dangers of smoking, drinking and drugs, stress management, body image, etc. We will also be playing lots of sports to keep the kids active and introduce some American sports to them that they might not have played. The camp is really going to be lots of fun. We are trying to raise money for this camp so if you could help us out so that we can send some kids to this camp please donate using the following link:

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=343-228

We only need to raise $3500! Please help us.

The End of Winter...

We had a celebration a week ago for the end of the winter. The first day of spring and the end of winter are back to back. Women's day and men's day also and they are big holidays around here. We celebrated women's day for a week. That was last week. We also got out of work for 2 days! The end of winter celebrations revolve around pancakes. I am not sure why. We had an event in the city center. Concerts and all kinds of people and a pole. I don't know the significance of the pole but it is essentially a tree shaved down and greased and men compete by seeing who can make it to the top. Very interesting tradition. They also have to strip down to their underwear before attempting to climb it. One of my site mates a fellow American Peace Corps Volunteer tried to climb. He gets an A for effort but unfortunately he didn't make it to the top. In fact, he didn't make it off the ground. You may have seen some pictures of this on my facebook page.

So today was the third session in my career development program. Today we talked about resumes and cover letters. This has to be the most boring of all the topics! You can't even really do anything fun when you talk about resumes and cover letters. My translator/counterpart said she was ready to lead the class. She did ok. I really need to figure out how to open her up. There really is this awful mentality here where students aren't very engaged and teachers aren't very engaging. I don't think of myself as a great and powerful teacher but when I teach I try to get the students involved. I feel that it makes it interesting for them. You could be talking about the most boring of subjects but when you get people involved they pay attention and then everyone has fun and you just might learn something. I wasn't impressed with class today. Only 4 out of 8 people showed up and they basically read the material verbatim. I almost took over in the end. That was the American coming out of me and then I stopped myself and thought, she will never learn if I keep saving her. So I left her to figure it out. Not sure if that was the right way to go about it. We talked about the next session in more detail this time so she would have some ideas on how to engage the participants. We went over it step by step. I think she gets it now. I am almost sad I will miss the next class.

I have been fighting a cold for the first time in Ukraine. I have been beating myself up by working out almost everyday and I don't know if that is making it worse or better. Anyway I decided to go home after class to try and sleep it off and I ran into a man on the marshrutka who speaks pure Russian because he is from Russia and was just here for the day. He was looking for a specific store in my town and he asked me where it was. I was surprised how much I could understand of what he was saying and I had just met him. I started to talk to him in Russian and then I said something in English and he immediately caught me. He asked me where I was from and I said America. He was surprised.

I enjoy meeting new people and I feel so handicapped not knowing the language enough to spark up conversations like that on a regular basis. I still do it as often as possible but sometimes I feel like people don't want to talk to you when they realize you sound like a 5 year old. But I have had some good luck so far. I have sparked up some random conversations with people on trains and buses and I always feel good afterwards no matter what the outcome. What have you got to lose?

The First Day of Spring...

March 1st is the first day of spring in Ukraine. It doesn't mean that the weather follows suit but it is a holiday in this country and claims the first day of spring in March. However, I have noticed that the sun is coming up earlier and staying up longer and it is actually sunny everyday instead of grey! Tuesday is Women's Day and last week was Men's Day. My work had a little celebration for the men in my organization. I couldn't believe that only 6 men work in my organization but there are like 40 women. It kind of changes the statistics a little.

Today Jud had an event at the Technical School. He opened up their English Books Library. He raised money from the states and used it to buy English books for the school. They had really old and useless English books so he decided to help them change that. It was a big event and all the volunteers from Ktop came and our country director! They gave us a nice lunch and put on a wonderful ceremony. Each one of us donated a few English books of our own too. It was really a great event and I was glad to be apart of it. We also did a little something for the 50th anniversary celebrations.

This past weekend I spent some time in Slavske. It is a ski resort in Ukraine in the Carpathian Mountains. It was really beautiful. The skiing was awesome. There are a few mountains out there but the one we went to was downright Ukrainian. The lines were like free for alls. The chair lifts were on the ancient side and you know you are in Ukraine when you come to the bottom of the hill and people are making and eating shashlik and pouring you some hot wine. Because after you drink the hot wine you can ski right on over to the chair lift and do it all over again. This is the first time I have skied in a few years and it was so much fun. There were quite a few of us volunteers there this weekend and we all had a blast! I had a little trouble with the "T" lift but other than that I skied pretty darn well. I was proud!

In other news...my career development program is really underway. We just finish our second class this week. We discussed goal and objectives and how to write an action plan. I lost two participants but gained two so it was fine. Lyuda did a good job of leading it to some extent. She is still not comfortable leading to a group of adults but I hope to change that by the end of the program.

I am having a dinner party at my house on Friday night for some of my Ukrainian friends. I will make them chilli! It is not that American but it will be something they have never had before. I am looking forward to it.

What a weak and it is only Tuesday...

Today was the first day of my career development program at the Unemployment Center. Me and Lyuda have been working very hard to translate all the material so that I can try to speak in Russian and so that the participants can understand what I am saying. We finally got most of the English done a few weeks ago and we have translated the first 2 sessions. It is coming along! I was frantic last week because as Lyuda and I were translating this it seemed almost impossible a task. How am "I" going to do instruct a class in Russian with my limited language ability. I thought by doing this my language would improve but it probably works better if I know more language first. Well things don't always happen in the order you would like it to in the Peace Corps.

I honestly, do not know how people have done anything over the years. I mean nowadays we have google translate, which is horrible but we have it, to help us with translating documents. Not to mention the amount of English speaking Ukrainians running around. There are more than you would think! I mean thank goodness for them but just imagine being a volunteer, a community development volunteer mind you, say about 19 years ago or even 10 or maybe even 5 years ago! I mean how did anything get done??

Well we did it! It was a good class and all the participants liked it. Thank you to all my helpers you know who you are and you rock it! The activities were really cool and the participants especially like the one where we split the groups into teams and one team explains the specifics of a drawing and the other team has to draw what they say. That was a lot of fun. We did it in our English club the night before to practice and it was great. It is a really fun activity and you learn a little bit about team building at the same time.

The volunteers of Konotop have nominated Lyuda to be like Ukrainian counterpart of the year (I just made that up) for the 50th anniversary celebrations coming up in June and she more than deserves this! That poor woman is doing everything for me. She translates documents, translates what I say to people and what other people say to me, helps lead and translate my career development classes and is interpreting my conversations with my counterpart while we write a project for my hosting organization. I mean she is super woman in my eyes and I wouldn't be able to exist as a volunteer without her. Words can not describe how thankful I am to her for what she has allowed me to accomplish here. I can only be grateful that she is learning some things from me. For example she told me today that one of the things she has learned from me is confidence. Anyone who knows me knows that is so true! I know you are all shaking your heads right now while reading this. You know when I really want to do something I do it and I don't usually care who is in my way. Care is a strong word but I think you know what I mean! She talks to people she would never have come in contact with before, she knows so much about the Peace Corps and some of our processes, she should be able to write a grant with her eyes closed when we are done and as far as knowing how to find a good job and having the skills to get one, namely in the US, she will be an expert at the end of my 10 week program!! Now I sound like an infomertial!

The best part about the last two days and the previous week while working so hard on our projects Lyuda and I have had some great laughs. We literally break out laughing at some of the dumbest things and it is great because it means that we don't take things so seriously and I know I have a tendancy to forget that! Today before we went into our lesson we were doing tongue twisters. She asked me about Peter Piper so I looked them up online and we were practicing tongue twisters and it was hilarious. It was a good way to break the nervousness! It is the little things. She is like an American disguised as a Ukrainian. She has hung out with us so much you honestly wouldn't know the difference. Sometimes when we meet new people in town they assume at first that she is another volunteer. Her English is so good and she always speaks English to us when she is with us. I only hear Russian and Ukrainian because she is translating for me.

In other news an actual American (not PCV) came to visit my friend Rose this week. It was awesome and so was she. Us Americans got together on Saturday night for a house warming party. One of my fellow PCVs moved into a new apartment a few weeks ago and some of us hadn't seen it yet. Konotop really is the party spot. There is always someone passing through town. This weekend is the second camp excite for the year and most of the volunteers in the oblast will come here this weekend. Too bad I will be in the Carpathians skiing!

Next week on Friday (March 3) I get to have a dinner party with my tutor who speaks English, her husband and her cousin (aka anchor man). He is a friend of mine and he worked for the Konotop local channel as a news anchor. They want to come over and have an "American" meal. The pressure is on! As long as they bring lots o wino! I am thinking about making chilli and brownies for desert! Yum!!

I told you so...

I was interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday and I can't seem to get this one question out of my head. What motivated me to join the Peace Corps? Well it is such a distant memory I am not so sure why. I had lots of reasons. I wanted a different life. One that meant something to me. I wanted to wake up everyday and be proud of what I was doing. I wanted to have some meaning in my life and fight for something that was worth fighting for. I wanted to volunteer on a full time basis and help people less fortunate. I guess the reason why it stuck with me is that the reporter was looking for something like "JFKs speach touched me when he gave it 50 years ago". Well that wasn't it for me. I am sure it was for some people. I haven't always wanted to join the Peace Corps. It wasn't a child hood dream for me. However, living in another country and learning a new language and culture was. I also have always had the desire to help out when I can. I really enjoyed working with children in New York but I don't do that here. It is difficult sometimes to be proud of what I am doing because quite frankly most of the things I will be proud of haven't happened yet.

It's almost been a year and I am finally working on projects with people in my community. I am writing a project with my counterpart to improve the way disadvantaged citizens receive information about changes in legislation and social security which will help them receive the benefits that are available to them. Together we will write a project that hopefully will be funded by USAID through the Peace Corps. Then we will work on the implementation after we receive the funding. It sounds like a lot of fun and I am excited to be a part of it.

Meanwhile, I am implementing a career development program with another counterpart of mine at the Unemployment Center. We start next Tuesday and I will be conducting the classes in Russian. I will be covering topics such as resume writing, cover letter writing, interviewing, public speaking, business etiquet, etc. We are focusing on women's empowerment and we will also cover topics such as HIV/AIDS, domestic violence and combatting human trafficking. The men in my town were pretty upset that the program is not open to them but right now more women are unemployed than men which might always be the case but it is time someone stood up for them. So men you will have to wait!

In addition, I am coordinating the efforts of our 50th anniversary celebration in Ukraine. Together with our creative team we are coming up with project ideas and promoting them throughout the PCV network here. We want to put together a documentary that encompasses what PCVs our doing now and what they have been doing in this country for the last 19 years. Unfortunately, Ukraine has only been a part of Peace Corps for 19 years. The projects are fun and exciting.

Not to stop there...I am also involved in an uber exciting campaign to stop human trafficking in Ukraine. The campaign is to raise awareness of the hotline number assigned to Ukraine which is 527. Anyone can dial this number from their cell phones for free if they are at risk of being trafficking, are in the midst of being trafficking or after they break away. Even if you think someone else is you can dial this number and you will get trained professionals who can help. We are all very excited about this. We are still in our brainstorming session but things are coming together quickly. We already have an organization that will provide some funding for us!

I believe that covers some of the big projects I am involved in now. That is a little update of the goings on! There haven't been many cultural exchanges with me and Ukrainians lately. I spent a lot of time away from site the past two months. I had a few vacations and then I was in Chernigiv for language refresher and then Kiev for almost two weeks attending working group and committee meetings. I am quite the joiner here. I just really want to be a part of as many volunteer projects as I can that make me happy. I am excited about a lot of what other volunteers are doing and if there are things that I can do in collaboration with others that is even better. Now that things are coming along at site I am even more busy but that took a while to put into place. If I could do it all over again I would worry much less about "doing things" andI would have focused more on my relationships with people. I can hear it now...Peace Corps staff telling me "I told you so..."!

Eight months at site and it has finally happened. I am being asked to do projects. People are finally ready to work. That is good! I was just starting to enjoy not doing anything. So I am involved in just about everything I can be in Peace Corps and now I have to pull my weight at site. Better late than never! Hence the reason I haven't been posting anything. I have just about lost my head.
I am hoping to corale the PCVs of Ukraine to do something for the 50 years of Peace Corps. Many of you who read my blog were around when JFK started this venture. Well now your friend or relative is celebrating 50 years!! I am here for this. It is quite amazing. When I was asked to coordinate our efforts by the staff I didn't know exactly what this would mean. This could be a really fun and exciting project. I have spent most of this week on the phone with PCVs I have never met trying to get them enthused about it. Everyone is busy right now it is hard to find the motivation to add one more thing on the list. But we are here at a memorable time and we should take advantage.
Of course next year is 20 years of Peace Corps in Ukraine! Another memorable time. But most of us 38ers will be headed out so we probably won't be as excited. Besides I have already suggested they get RPCVs involved in that project. Also, they should reach out to Ukrainians that have had volunteers. That would be a fun project too. I don't know what I am talking about I am certain I would have or maybe even will help with that too.
I wasn't much of a joiner when I was young. I always wanted to but I never did. Most of the things I wanted to join cost money. Money that I didn't have nor my family. I spent a lot of time at home with my parents or hanging or hanging out with my friends. I wasn't a cheerleader (at least not in high school) and I never played any sports. I was on the swimteam but long before I got to highschool! It is weird because now all I do is join join join. Everytime someone looks like they need help with something I want to offer. I caught myself doing it today. This woman from one of the youth centers in town drops by my work. I haven't seen her in months. I did the human trafficking project with her. Anyway she stops by and she tells me about this HIV/AIDS project they are doing in March. Basically, the girls from the medical school go around to each of the schools in town and do presentations about HIV/AIDS. Pretty much what a PCV would do. Anway of course I say "well let me know if you need any help"! I can't help myself. I just want to be doing everything. It doesn't bother me to busy. I think it bothers everyone else for some reason. But I certainly don't mind. If I am bored I get lazy and then I don't do anything. I am more productive when I have lots of things to do. I might joke around that I don't like it but I do. I enjoy keeping my mind busy and experiencing new things. Meeting new people! It is why I chose to join the Peace Corps. So why am I defending myself?
We just got done with language refreshers. Language refresher happens two times a year for Ukrainian and Russian. All the PCVs who want to attend apply and then they go to a week long camp where we refresh our language with classes on random topics. We also have the option of joining cultural classes and there is movie night where we watch a movie in the language. In my case everything is in Russian. It is a good chance to work on things that you want to improve and of course a time to speak English with other Americans as if any of us need more of that!
I had the opportunity to learn a Ukrainian cultural dance which was awesome fun. Besides the fact that I got to see my fellow PCV (Jim) who is hilarious dance! And my dance partner, Dee - there aren't enough men in PC, had me laughing so hard we actually had to stop dancing for a few minutes so I could catch my breath. I don't know what it is about that woman but everytime we are together something hilarious happens. I hadn't laughed that hard in months. And honestly there really is no reason we just did something funny!
I didn't sit in on the movie nights in completion. I prefered to be hanging out with Americans and speaking English but I did watch the first part of the movie on the first night. It was called, in English, "Irony of Fate". It is a movie that they play in Ukraine every year on New Year's. From what I saw of it it was about the fact that during the USSR times everything was the same. The buildings were the same, the streets were the same, etc. It starts off with a guy and his fiance and they are planning their wedding for that night when he goes to the sauna with his friends that day and ends up getting really drunk. Now he lives in Moscow and after drinking way too much ends up on a plane to ...crap...I can't remember but it is another city in Russia and an easy city that I should not be forgeting. Anyway he doesn't remember the plane or the airport or anything but he goes to what he thinks is his apartment because it is the exact same address. Obviously after a long time the woman who does live there is able to convince him that he is in the wrong place. He tries to save his potential marriage while destroying hers and then in the end I think they live happily ever after but I didn't stay to find out. It is a funny Russian traditional film!
I thought about something while I was at the language refresher. I have met some really awesome individuals here. There are people here who have had just fantastic lives and the stories are amazing. I know they tell you this in the beginning, that you will meet amazing people that you might end up knowing the rest of your life but you really don't know that until you get here. Even then you don't know that.
It has been almost a year and I am starting to feel really comfortable here. My life is Ukraine for the next 17 months. I really do hope that I stay in touch with some of these people. We still have a long way to go but it will be over before you know it!