Raise your voice, and make a fuss! Don't let fear and hate destroy humanity time and time again. Stop the harassment towards those of other races, genders, and sexual orientation. The death of Tyler Clementi and the other alleged gay teens is an unnecessary tragedy that could have and should have been avoided. We're all one, we're all equal. And no one deserves to live in fear.
"First they put away the dealers
Keep our kids safe and off the streets
Then they put away the prostitutes
Keep married men cloistered at home
Then they shooed away the bums
Then they beat and bashed the queers
Turned away the asylum seekers
Fed us suspicions and fears
We didn't raise our voice
We didn't make a fuss
It's funny there was no one left to notice when they came for us"
~NOFX "Re-gaining Unconsciousness"~
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Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Schooool's Out For Summa!
Sorry for the delay between blogs.
Classes ended early June. I spent 7 hours at a picnic with my 3rd year University students and later another 2 hours walking in the park with some of them. We talked about everything. It was a fun way to end my first semester teaching in Ukraine.
I spent most of June traveling around Eastern Ukraine visiting friends and preparing for my departure to the USA. In early July my friend Jess and I traveled to Chernigiv, the first city we lived in while training for Peace Corps. I stayed with my wonderful host family and had a great time. I'd forgotten how much I loved Chernigiv and how much my host family feels like my family. They are my Ukrainian family. I noticed that during the 3 days I stayed with them, I had no problem with the bossiness or insistence on their part. Tanya and Toita Nina are my family; they're like my two aunts telling me what to do. When the teachers at the college I work for begin to act this way, I get upset and usually tell them to stop. But not with Tanya and Nina. :-) Family gets a pass...
And finally! July 5th at 9:00 pm I made my way towards the airport. It took an hour to get there by bus. I believe it is because of all the traffic, for the airport is in Kiev. I had to stay at the airport overnight. It was a long 8 hours. I thought I'd sleep but, sadly, no. I did, however, meet two nice young men from India and we spent the early morning hours talking about our lives. I had a great time chatting with them and they are now my facebook friends. :-) I was SO exhausted and excited when I finally boarded the plane at 6:00 AM. I slept the whole way to Amsterdam. Changed planes and spent the next 10 hours on my last flight reading and watching movies. As the plane descended into Portland, Oregon I switched on my iPod and listened to "Ain't That America" by Simon and Garfunkel. I was overwhelmed with my happiness. To see the Columbia River, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier all from the plane. I smiled and whispered "welcome home." I was very pushy on my way out of customs. A trait I have, unfortunately, picked up in Ukraine. I couldn't contain my excitement to see my family! As fast as I could, I dragged my suitcase behind me and zipped around people, smiling wide the whole time. And then, the crowds parting, I saw Mom, Dad and Kaitlyn waiting for me just past the security gates. It was a BIG hug the four of us shared. It was a wonderful moment and one I look forward to repeating when I come home again.
My 25 days in America were crazy! It was so wonderful to see and hug my Mom. It's hard to believe it will be nearly a year before I receive another hug from her. And I loved spending so much time with my family!
*Mom, Kaitlyn and I went to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland for two days. We saw Pride and Prejudice and the Merchant of Venice performed. It was lovely.
*We had traveled to Southern Oregon so that I could see one of my dearest friends, Amanda Hewitt, tie the knot. She looked SO beautiful and happy. I'm thrilled for her!
*Hiked 7 miles with Becca at Mt. St. Helens. That was a fabulous day!
*Went shopping a lot. We quickly discovered that I had lost 4 pant sizes! Living in Ukraine has been good for me. I feel healthy.
*Went to the Strickland Family Reunion
*Read "Radiant Shadows" by Melissa Marr. How I found time to read while I was home, I don't know. But I loved the book and look forward to the next book come the spring.
*Did vodka shots with Shawn and Nick to celebrate their new marriage to one another. I brought the vodka from Ukraine as their wedding gift.
*Chatted with Sean nearly everyday. That was wonderful to be in the same country as him for a change. We met in PC Philippines and I'm happy we've kept in touch, even after 2 years. He's now in Korea and I'm SO happy for him.
*Took Ian, Catherine, Kaitlyn, Eric and Kelly to the Oregon Zoo. We had a blast!
*Spent hours at Powell's with Mom. I love that bookstore, but the owners have totally sold out. It is now a tourist trap and their prices are way too expensive now. It makes me sad.
*Spent my final day with the family at home. It was such a lovely surprise that Luther came home from Iraq the day before I left. So I was able to give him a hug and wish him and Taylor a warm congratulations on their engagement. As of Oct. 2nd, they are married.
Mom and Dad drove me to the airport. As always. One of these days I will go to the airport and it will not have be be such a production. I gave my parents several hugs and waved goodbye as I passed though security once again. On a happy note, they (and Kaitlyn) will be arriving in Ukraine July 16, 2011! :-D I'm SO excited to show them my world!
When I arrived in Ukraine, I discovered that my 2 bags (full of new clothes and food I can't buy in Ukraine) were still in Amsterdam! Note to travelers, avoid any Dutch airlines. Evidently this is a recurring issue. It took 4 hours at the Kiev Airport to finally fill out and file my form that said what to do with my lost luggage. The next day, I was on my train back to Stakhanov when my luggage was delivered to the Peace Corps office in Kiev. Thankfully, my dear friend and "big bro" Jorge Armando Supelano came to the rescue! He was traveling through Kiev and he dragged my 2 heavy bags onto the train and to Lugansk Oblast for me. I met him at the train station and picked up my bags. I am eternally grateful for what he did and I can't thank him enough.
A week later Jorge and I traveled to Yalta in the Crimea. We spent 2 days enjoying the sunshine and the sites while admiring the beauty of the Black Sea. He and I took a boat to see The Swallow's Nest--a small castle on a cliff overlooking the sea and, in the distance, the city of Yalta. We had a fabulous time! We then traveled to Lenina and met up with Blonde Jess to visit our Russian teacher Lyuda. We spent 4 days with her at the Sea of Azov. The water was so blue and warm. We spent hours and hours swimming and sun tanning. We went shopping together in a 2,000 year old city and Lyuda was impressed with how much my Russian has improved. That's a relief! We spent one night camped out on the beach at the sea. My first real camping trip! It was wonderful to wake up in the morning and run into the sea. I loved every minute of our Crimean adventure and look forward to next summer's trip to visit Lyuda.
This was a long blog, but then it was a long summer. A few days after returning from Crimea, I, along with 7 of my students, traveled to the center of Ukraine for Camp LEAD. It was fabulous, but I'm afraid all the traveling caught up with me and I caught laryngitis and fell ill with bronchitis all at the same time. So I had to leave camp early and come home to Stakhanov. Much has changed in my city, but that is for another blog.
More to follow...
Classes ended early June. I spent 7 hours at a picnic with my 3rd year University students and later another 2 hours walking in the park with some of them. We talked about everything. It was a fun way to end my first semester teaching in Ukraine.
I spent most of June traveling around Eastern Ukraine visiting friends and preparing for my departure to the USA. In early July my friend Jess and I traveled to Chernigiv, the first city we lived in while training for Peace Corps. I stayed with my wonderful host family and had a great time. I'd forgotten how much I loved Chernigiv and how much my host family feels like my family. They are my Ukrainian family. I noticed that during the 3 days I stayed with them, I had no problem with the bossiness or insistence on their part. Tanya and Toita Nina are my family; they're like my two aunts telling me what to do. When the teachers at the college I work for begin to act this way, I get upset and usually tell them to stop. But not with Tanya and Nina. :-) Family gets a pass...
And finally! July 5th at 9:00 pm I made my way towards the airport. It took an hour to get there by bus. I believe it is because of all the traffic, for the airport is in Kiev. I had to stay at the airport overnight. It was a long 8 hours. I thought I'd sleep but, sadly, no. I did, however, meet two nice young men from India and we spent the early morning hours talking about our lives. I had a great time chatting with them and they are now my facebook friends. :-) I was SO exhausted and excited when I finally boarded the plane at 6:00 AM. I slept the whole way to Amsterdam. Changed planes and spent the next 10 hours on my last flight reading and watching movies. As the plane descended into Portland, Oregon I switched on my iPod and listened to "Ain't That America" by Simon and Garfunkel. I was overwhelmed with my happiness. To see the Columbia River, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier all from the plane. I smiled and whispered "welcome home." I was very pushy on my way out of customs. A trait I have, unfortunately, picked up in Ukraine. I couldn't contain my excitement to see my family! As fast as I could, I dragged my suitcase behind me and zipped around people, smiling wide the whole time. And then, the crowds parting, I saw Mom, Dad and Kaitlyn waiting for me just past the security gates. It was a BIG hug the four of us shared. It was a wonderful moment and one I look forward to repeating when I come home again.
My 25 days in America were crazy! It was so wonderful to see and hug my Mom. It's hard to believe it will be nearly a year before I receive another hug from her. And I loved spending so much time with my family!
*Mom, Kaitlyn and I went to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland for two days. We saw Pride and Prejudice and the Merchant of Venice performed. It was lovely.
*We had traveled to Southern Oregon so that I could see one of my dearest friends, Amanda Hewitt, tie the knot. She looked SO beautiful and happy. I'm thrilled for her!
*Hiked 7 miles with Becca at Mt. St. Helens. That was a fabulous day!
*Went shopping a lot. We quickly discovered that I had lost 4 pant sizes! Living in Ukraine has been good for me. I feel healthy.
*Went to the Strickland Family Reunion
*Read "Radiant Shadows" by Melissa Marr. How I found time to read while I was home, I don't know. But I loved the book and look forward to the next book come the spring.
*Did vodka shots with Shawn and Nick to celebrate their new marriage to one another. I brought the vodka from Ukraine as their wedding gift.
*Chatted with Sean nearly everyday. That was wonderful to be in the same country as him for a change. We met in PC Philippines and I'm happy we've kept in touch, even after 2 years. He's now in Korea and I'm SO happy for him.
*Took Ian, Catherine, Kaitlyn, Eric and Kelly to the Oregon Zoo. We had a blast!
*Spent hours at Powell's with Mom. I love that bookstore, but the owners have totally sold out. It is now a tourist trap and their prices are way too expensive now. It makes me sad.
*Spent my final day with the family at home. It was such a lovely surprise that Luther came home from Iraq the day before I left. So I was able to give him a hug and wish him and Taylor a warm congratulations on their engagement. As of Oct. 2nd, they are married.
Mom and Dad drove me to the airport. As always. One of these days I will go to the airport and it will not have be be such a production. I gave my parents several hugs and waved goodbye as I passed though security once again. On a happy note, they (and Kaitlyn) will be arriving in Ukraine July 16, 2011! :-D I'm SO excited to show them my world!
When I arrived in Ukraine, I discovered that my 2 bags (full of new clothes and food I can't buy in Ukraine) were still in Amsterdam! Note to travelers, avoid any Dutch airlines. Evidently this is a recurring issue. It took 4 hours at the Kiev Airport to finally fill out and file my form that said what to do with my lost luggage. The next day, I was on my train back to Stakhanov when my luggage was delivered to the Peace Corps office in Kiev. Thankfully, my dear friend and "big bro" Jorge Armando Supelano came to the rescue! He was traveling through Kiev and he dragged my 2 heavy bags onto the train and to Lugansk Oblast for me. I met him at the train station and picked up my bags. I am eternally grateful for what he did and I can't thank him enough.
A week later Jorge and I traveled to Yalta in the Crimea. We spent 2 days enjoying the sunshine and the sites while admiring the beauty of the Black Sea. He and I took a boat to see The Swallow's Nest--a small castle on a cliff overlooking the sea and, in the distance, the city of Yalta. We had a fabulous time! We then traveled to Lenina and met up with Blonde Jess to visit our Russian teacher Lyuda. We spent 4 days with her at the Sea of Azov. The water was so blue and warm. We spent hours and hours swimming and sun tanning. We went shopping together in a 2,000 year old city and Lyuda was impressed with how much my Russian has improved. That's a relief! We spent one night camped out on the beach at the sea. My first real camping trip! It was wonderful to wake up in the morning and run into the sea. I loved every minute of our Crimean adventure and look forward to next summer's trip to visit Lyuda.
This was a long blog, but then it was a long summer. A few days after returning from Crimea, I, along with 7 of my students, traveled to the center of Ukraine for Camp LEAD. It was fabulous, but I'm afraid all the traveling caught up with me and I caught laryngitis and fell ill with bronchitis all at the same time. So I had to leave camp early and come home to Stakhanov. Much has changed in my city, but that is for another blog.
More to follow...
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