12-25-2009
Merry Christmas, my dear readers.
This is the first Christmas that I have spent away from home. But I am not dwelling on that fact, for I have too much to be thankful for. 2009 has been a year of uncertainty for me. Just a year ago I was in and out of hospitals and watching my dreams of Peace Corps be ripped out of my grasp. Never did I dream that the following Christmas would find me a Peace Corps Volunteer once again, this time serving in Ukraine.
As of Dec. 17, 2009 I am an active PCV. 113 Americans swore in as Volunteers in Ukraine for batch #37. We spent 4 days in Kiev, during record low temperatures and the beginning of one of the fiercest winters Ukraine has seen in a long time (or so we’re constantly informed.) After the swearing-in ceremony we all left my train or by bus for our sites.
My site is Stakhanov (S-ta-han-ov) in the Lugansk (Loo-gan-sk) oblast. Just an hour or so drive from the Russian border. Everyone speaks Russian here. This region is known as one of the most difficult to live in because of the air quality (it’s a coal mining region), economy and political beliefs. The fact that the Soviet Union has disbanded escapes the notice of some of the locals. I’ve only been here a week and so far have not had any trouble with anyone due to the fact that I am a foreigner. Of course, I have had bronchitis 5 out of the 7 days I have been here, and have spent little time outside of my dorm room. Don’t worry, I’m on the mend. It just takes time.
When I do go back to work I will be an English professor at Stakanov Pedagogical College and Lugansk University. I’m very eager to begin working and meet my students. I’ve already met 5 professors from the English department. They and 7 of my students greeted me upon my arrival. My students carried all of my many bags to my dorm room and the teachers welcomed me with a celebratory lunch. Yes I am living in the dormitory. My home is on the second floor where all the visiting professors stay. There is no one living here besides myself. I found it creepy at first, but since I have spent so much time here lately I have grown accustomed to the silence. The nice cleaning lady visits my floor daily. I enjoy speaking Russian with her and the lovely den mothers that work on the ground floor. They have all been very welcoming. And all are concerned about my health. They are such dears.
I have 2 rooms that I use. The first room is my living quarters and the second I use for storage and washing my laundry by hand. I have been informed that at some point the building will install washing machines…but that may or may not be within the 2 years that I will live here. We’ll see! For now, I am growing used to washing a little every day. I have my own bathroom, but the shower, living room and kitchen are common rooms. Like I said, no one else is staying here for now. I think of this floor as mine now.
And I’m not alone in Stakhanov. Another Volunteer, Patrick, lives only 4 blocks away from me. He is teaching high school. We were in training together and he’s a good friend. We’re both pleased to be sharing a site. We’ve already begun discussing plans the two of us would like to accomplish within both of our schools. The teachers at his school are just as eager to meet me as the teachers from the University. My good friend Jorge is only 20 minutes away and another PCV, Tessie, lives just 10 minutes away. Tessie has been here a year & a half now and invited everyone to her home for Christmas. But since I am ill, I chose to stay home and heal. I’ll meet her later, I’m sure. My friend Nozgol is 40 minutes away and Susan is an hour away in the city of Lugansk. I am surrounded by Americans.
Getting to site was quite the ordeal! As we were leaving, the bus taking us to the train station was stuck in a major traffic jam due to the icy road conditions. So we missed our train and spent 4 hours in traffic. It was a long 4 hours, because all of the Ukrainian counterparts were panicking. The PCV’s were much more relaxed about the situation. We knew Peace Corps would take care of the problem. The Ukrainians were not willing to be soothed by our blasé attitudes. My counterpart in particular was a challenge. I hope that improves soon so our working relationship will be one of prosperity. We left for the train station the following day very early only to have the drivers drop us off at the wrong location. The Peace Corps drivers had to come and help move all of our luggage. I alone had 7 bags! You can imagine all the luggage that 20 of us had. We finally made our train, but had to ride 3rd class because of the last minute purchase of our tickets. It was interesting… I had never ridden on a train before. Jorge, Pat and I all rode in the same car, along with our counterparts. I had fun getting to know Pat and Jorge’s counterparts. Very nice guys. But the car was packed! We had to sleep on the top bunks of the train. That was an interesting adventure. Lol! It was a 16 hour trip and when we arrived we only had 3 minutes to get all of our luggage off the train. My counterpart kept yelling at me to sit down and let the boys carry all the luggage. Uhh…yeah right. Jorge and Pat did not appreciate her attitude. I helped, of course. When have I ever done anything I didn’t want to do? As soon as I stepped off the train (with relief) I face planted right into the snow bank! Lol! Because it has snowed 3.5 inches in just 2 days at my site. Dragging our luggage through that was a challenge!
The second night of my arrival, some children threw a snowball and broke my outside window! That scarred me, to say the least! I ran downstairs to tell the den mother. But when I arrived I realized I couldn’t adequately explain the situation to her because I do not know the appropriate verbs in Russian yet. So basically all I said to her in Russian was “man”, “snow” and “window.” My acting helped fill in the blanks. She understood and walked upstairs to view the damage. The windows are double paned and thankfully the inside window was not broken, so I wasn’t cold that night. The following day 2 men arrived to fix my window. They were very kind and after hearing my cough told me to stay warm and eat garlic so I heal fast. Lol! I do love Ukraine!
My internet access is limited but I will try to frequently keep you all informed of my adventures in Stakhanov. Take care and happy New Year!
More to follow...
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Saturday, January 16, 2010
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
PST Wrap-Up
Today marked the day of the first real snow fall during my stay in Ukraine. One of many days, I predict. I decided that because I went to college in Eastern Washington I could easily maneuver the city in tennis shoes. Uh… I believe I’ll wear my snow boots tomorrow. I made this decision the 7th time I slipped on the ice (no, I didn’t fall.) This morning when my host Toyta (aunt) announced from the kookneea (kitchen) “Jesseeka, snig cevonia,” (Jessica, snow today) I laughed, delighted at the news. The fresh blanket of snow made the city bright and beautiful today. I was in a wonderful mood as I slowly, cautiously walked the normally 12 minute walk to my Russian teacher’s apartment. (It took me 26 minutes to walk there today!) I do not believe the reason for my happiness can only be associated with the snow. Today was the final day of language class and tomorrow is my Language Proficiency Interview…or you could call it my Russian exam. I’m not sure where Pre-Service Training went, but it is quickly wrapping up. I leave Chernigiv on Dec. 14 for a conference in Kiev. The swearing-in ceremony is Dec. 17. I feel like the last year I have been stuck in a perpetual PST. I’m looking forward to being a PCV once again.
Unfortunately, I am not as close to this batch of PCV’s as I was with my batch in the Philippines. First of all, this batch has 113 people! My PCP group only had 69—and at mid-service their numbers now stand at 50! PCP Group #267 are all amazing people full of ideals and a general respect for humanity and peace. And I'm pleased that so are many people in PC Ukraine batch #37. Many of them genuinely care about their jobs as PCV’s and I know they will shine at their permanent sites. The announcement of our sites will happen on Dec. 14. I have already been told I will teach at the university level, although I do not know where yet. But as soon as I can, I’ll let my world know where in Ukraine I am located.
I apologize for the lack of blog entries during PST. I’m afraid it has been a rather hectic 11 weeks. Here is what you’ve missed:
• Due to a mutated version of the swine flu (known as the California flu/ American flu) that fiercely affected Ukraine, the schools were closed for 4 weeks. This, of course, meant absolutely no teaching during the quarantine. It was a strange time. People walked around the streets wearing face masks, grocery stores were running low on produce because everyone was panicking and buying food quickly. Also, some host families felt nervous about having an American living in their home, and asked Peace Corps to please find them a new home. First of all, this made us feel like lepers and also like puppies in need of good homes. While my host family did not have this reaction, I had different issues in that department…
• My 1st host family in Ukraine had a difficult time understanding that Peace Corps expected them to feed me at least twice a day with the 1200 G (grieves) they were paid monthly. The woman who had the tile of my host mom preferred to spend her money on vodka rather than food. It was a strange household and I was always sick due to the constant secondhand smoke I inhaled in the apartment. My bronchitis was out of control and I lost 15 lbs in 2 months. This freaked out the Peace Corps doctors (PCMO) so they requested I be moved. Unfortunately, Peace Corps make the mistake of telling the crazy woman I lived with the night before I was to leave. She threw a fit and kicked me out at 10 pm. I met my new host family at mid-night while wearing my pajamas. It was awkward, but thankfully, a blessing. My new host family is incredible. They have no objections to feeding me and try to do so often….LOL! My host Toyta just asked if I wanted to eat borscht right now. I told her I would later and I had to promise I would eat it all. My host mom, Tanya, is a librarian—she’s 50. Toyta Nina (Tanya’s mother) is 74. They are both dear women and I’m very happy to have lived with them for the past 5 weeks. I will miss them when I move out next week, but I plan to visit in the spring at Easter.
Those are the two most important events during my PST. I did get a chance to teach once after the quarantine. I didn’t realize I was being evaluated at the time, and apparently Peace Corps Ukraine officials were very impressed at my teaching abilities. *shrug* That is one of the reasons they have decided not to place me at the high school level, and chose to place me at the University. I’m looking forward to this new challenge, to all the adventures I’m sure to have while living here in Ukraine, to once again calling myself a Peace Corps Volunteer, and I most especially look forward to the next 2 years. Hope you’ll continue to follow my blog…the journey has just begun.
More to follow…
Unfortunately, I am not as close to this batch of PCV’s as I was with my batch in the Philippines. First of all, this batch has 113 people! My PCP group only had 69—and at mid-service their numbers now stand at 50! PCP Group #267 are all amazing people full of ideals and a general respect for humanity and peace. And I'm pleased that so are many people in PC Ukraine batch #37. Many of them genuinely care about their jobs as PCV’s and I know they will shine at their permanent sites. The announcement of our sites will happen on Dec. 14. I have already been told I will teach at the university level, although I do not know where yet. But as soon as I can, I’ll let my world know where in Ukraine I am located.
I apologize for the lack of blog entries during PST. I’m afraid it has been a rather hectic 11 weeks. Here is what you’ve missed:
• Due to a mutated version of the swine flu (known as the California flu/ American flu) that fiercely affected Ukraine, the schools were closed for 4 weeks. This, of course, meant absolutely no teaching during the quarantine. It was a strange time. People walked around the streets wearing face masks, grocery stores were running low on produce because everyone was panicking and buying food quickly. Also, some host families felt nervous about having an American living in their home, and asked Peace Corps to please find them a new home. First of all, this made us feel like lepers and also like puppies in need of good homes. While my host family did not have this reaction, I had different issues in that department…
• My 1st host family in Ukraine had a difficult time understanding that Peace Corps expected them to feed me at least twice a day with the 1200 G (grieves) they were paid monthly. The woman who had the tile of my host mom preferred to spend her money on vodka rather than food. It was a strange household and I was always sick due to the constant secondhand smoke I inhaled in the apartment. My bronchitis was out of control and I lost 15 lbs in 2 months. This freaked out the Peace Corps doctors (PCMO) so they requested I be moved. Unfortunately, Peace Corps make the mistake of telling the crazy woman I lived with the night before I was to leave. She threw a fit and kicked me out at 10 pm. I met my new host family at mid-night while wearing my pajamas. It was awkward, but thankfully, a blessing. My new host family is incredible. They have no objections to feeding me and try to do so often….LOL! My host Toyta just asked if I wanted to eat borscht right now. I told her I would later and I had to promise I would eat it all. My host mom, Tanya, is a librarian—she’s 50. Toyta Nina (Tanya’s mother) is 74. They are both dear women and I’m very happy to have lived with them for the past 5 weeks. I will miss them when I move out next week, but I plan to visit in the spring at Easter.
Those are the two most important events during my PST. I did get a chance to teach once after the quarantine. I didn’t realize I was being evaluated at the time, and apparently Peace Corps Ukraine officials were very impressed at my teaching abilities. *shrug* That is one of the reasons they have decided not to place me at the high school level, and chose to place me at the University. I’m looking forward to this new challenge, to all the adventures I’m sure to have while living here in Ukraine, to once again calling myself a Peace Corps Volunteer, and I most especially look forward to the next 2 years. Hope you’ll continue to follow my blog…the journey has just begun.
More to follow…
Monday, October 26, 2009
An Old Begining
October is nearing an end. The vivid yellows and golds that have decorated the city have become muddy brown underneath the daily foot traffic. Gloves and warmer coats have been unpacked as the chill in the air threatens winters imminent arrival only weeks away. People cram into marshutkas or buses rather then lose the battle to the persistent wind. The weather does not affect the attire of the natives, especially the women. Short skirts and high heel boots are still evident despite the elements. I shake my head in despair, knowing that I will never fully acclimate to the culture, for I have no plans to wear high heels on the ice nor wear a skirt while it's -2 degrees Celsius. Five weeks in Ukraine and the attire of the women still manages to shock me. I feel rather ridiculous in my heavy winter coat and long pants, gloves, ear muffs and flat winter boots. I have to remember to behave on the streets and blend in. Which means don't dance around while listening to my iPod, which is something I definitely would do in America.
For the most part, it is difficult to remember I am in Ukraine. Well...I am living in a city. Which is very different from my sheltered existence in the woods of Washington. But Chernihiv is a lovely city full of history and I have enjoyed exploring all it has to offer. For example, last Saturday my cluster (d) and our link cluster (c) along with our Peace Corps TCF & LCF's explored the cities catacombs from the 12 century. It was quite the adventure. The monks lived in the catacombs--their lives were spent silently and in prayer. We walked/crawled through the room where all the bodies were cremated and/or buried. I can't even begin to explain the rush this experience brought for me...nor how dirty I was when we finally surfaced.
It is hard to wrap my mind around a country with such history. This is my first time in Europe and the fact that I come from a country that is only a measly 200 years old is evident as I walk around a 1200 year old city such as Chernihiv. I have only seen a sliver of Ukraine, but so far I find it to be a beautiful and incredible country. I would definitely recommend people to see this amazing, gorgeous and developing country before the newness of their independence wears off and Ukraine becomes as popular as Western Europe. I have yet to visit the neighboring countries to the West, but I doubt that these places will hold the same charm for me as Ukraine most assuredly does.
I look forward to sharing more about this country as more events occur. I will do my best to blog often. However, training is keeping me busy and I hardly find a time to do anything but study Russian, write English lesson plans, plus the many other duties required during PST. One month down, just 2 more to go before swearing in! :-) I would like to thank Connie, Loren, Aaron and my Mom for the letters. I can't even begin to explain how happy each piece of mail I receive makes me. But I know the current and former PCV's understand. Thank you so much! I shall write soon, dear readers. Take care and Odachee! (Good luck)
More to follow...
For the most part, it is difficult to remember I am in Ukraine. Well...I am living in a city. Which is very different from my sheltered existence in the woods of Washington. But Chernihiv is a lovely city full of history and I have enjoyed exploring all it has to offer. For example, last Saturday my cluster (d) and our link cluster (c) along with our Peace Corps TCF & LCF's explored the cities catacombs from the 12 century. It was quite the adventure. The monks lived in the catacombs--their lives were spent silently and in prayer. We walked/crawled through the room where all the bodies were cremated and/or buried. I can't even begin to explain the rush this experience brought for me...nor how dirty I was when we finally surfaced.
It is hard to wrap my mind around a country with such history. This is my first time in Europe and the fact that I come from a country that is only a measly 200 years old is evident as I walk around a 1200 year old city such as Chernihiv. I have only seen a sliver of Ukraine, but so far I find it to be a beautiful and incredible country. I would definitely recommend people to see this amazing, gorgeous and developing country before the newness of their independence wears off and Ukraine becomes as popular as Western Europe. I have yet to visit the neighboring countries to the West, but I doubt that these places will hold the same charm for me as Ukraine most assuredly does.
I look forward to sharing more about this country as more events occur. I will do my best to blog often. However, training is keeping me busy and I hardly find a time to do anything but study Russian, write English lesson plans, plus the many other duties required during PST. One month down, just 2 more to go before swearing in! :-) I would like to thank Connie, Loren, Aaron and my Mom for the letters. I can't even begin to explain how happy each piece of mail I receive makes me. But I know the current and former PCV's understand. Thank you so much! I shall write soon, dear readers. Take care and Odachee! (Good luck)
More to follow...
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Jess v. The Suitcase
I've been very busy packing this week. My bedroom looks like a war was fought amongst the clothes and many pairs of boots. I'm afraid my suitcases are the casualties. I'm only allowed 100 lbs. That may seem like enough, but trust me, a girl needs more then just 2 suitcases for a 27 month trip! My mom and I are trying to work under these restrictions, but it is stressing me out. Not to mention that fact that all of my wardrobe consisted of attire better suited for the tropics. Updating has become spendy. :-( But I think I have everything I'll need. I'm pretty bummed about the 'no packages' rule during Pre-Service Training (PST). I can't even begin to express how important mail is during Peace Corps. Mom once wrote to me about picking out new curtains & I found it the most interesting news I'd ever read. I don't really care about the content...boring is great! It's NORMAL! Trust me, normalcy takes on a whole new meaning when you're away from the familiar. So I'm begging for letters. Please, send them. They are greatly appreciated.
I fly out of Portland, OR on September 24. My PC Staging will be in Philadelphia, PA. There we'll discuss safety concerns before leaving the following day (Sept. 26) for JFK airport in New York. And then we fly to Frankfurt, Germany and from there Kyiv, Ukraine. We'll have a 2-3 day orientation where we meet the PC Ukraine staff and learn survival tips about the language and culture. And from there, I leave with some of my batch mates for my training city--wherever that may be. I will not know this information until the last day of orientation. PST lasts 3 months. I am sworn in as a Volunteer on December 8, 2009. For now, I am considered a Peace Corps Trainee. :-) Looking forward to being a PCV once again. And looking forward to the next couple of years in Ukraine. It will be fabulous!
Life SO rocks!!!
More to follow...
I fly out of Portland, OR on September 24. My PC Staging will be in Philadelphia, PA. There we'll discuss safety concerns before leaving the following day (Sept. 26) for JFK airport in New York. And then we fly to Frankfurt, Germany and from there Kyiv, Ukraine. We'll have a 2-3 day orientation where we meet the PC Ukraine staff and learn survival tips about the language and culture. And from there, I leave with some of my batch mates for my training city--wherever that may be. I will not know this information until the last day of orientation. PST lasts 3 months. I am sworn in as a Volunteer on December 8, 2009. For now, I am considered a Peace Corps Trainee. :-) Looking forward to being a PCV once again. And looking forward to the next couple of years in Ukraine. It will be fabulous!
Life SO rocks!!!
More to follow...
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Second Time Around...
My letter arrived from Peace Corps today, announcing that I have been invited to spend the next 27 months in the Ukraine.
PROGRAM: I will be teaching English as a foreign language to students 10-17 yrs. old.
DATES: I leave September 25, 2009. My close of service (COS) date is 12-08-2011.
I'm nervous for the new challenges that will face me in this unfamiliar environment, yet I'm optimistic and excited for this new adventure.
Click on the picture to read facts about the Ukraine!
More to follow...
PROGRAM: I will be teaching English as a foreign language to students 10-17 yrs. old.
DATES: I leave September 25, 2009. My close of service (COS) date is 12-08-2011.
I'm nervous for the new challenges that will face me in this unfamiliar environment, yet I'm optimistic and excited for this new adventure.
Click on the picture to read facts about the Ukraine!
More to follow...
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Leavin' Once Again
Today my Peace Corps placement officer called to congratulate me. I have been invited to serve in Eastern Europe to once again teach English as a second language. :-) The possible countries include: Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania & the Ukraine. I am SUPER excited and can't wait to find out which country will be my home for the next 27 months! PC does not tell us the name of the country over the phone for security reasons. But a letter was sent to me today via FedEx and I should receive it on Monday or Tuesday of next week. I leave for this new assignment at the end of September. I shall all let you know the details as soon as I know them myself. Words cannot express how relieved & ecstatic I am about this new journey. I can hardly wait to begin!
More to follow...
More to follow...
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