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!