My favorite person in N--

Apparently some of these big beautiful Soviet apartments come equipped with a conceirge of sorts. Typically an older woman who guards who comes in and out of the place. She sits in some small little room adjacent the main doorway watching traffic and saying "zdrastchutye" to everyone. I was formally introduced to one such woman my first day, and so now we communicate basically everyday. There are actually more than one lady who holds this postions and one grabbed me on my way up the stairs to scold me about something. All I understood coming from her dark, thick, and fake eyebrows and a pile of matted hair was the word "narcoman" which if you thought about long enough you could figure out the translation. I gleefully point to my key and say "ya ne narcoman" and go on my way.

But seriously, this one woman is infatuated with me and I love it, because honestly, she is the one person that I understand here. In K- I had my host mom, my language teacher, my TCF, other people's host mom's, etc. They were used to talking to Americans with crappy Russian. This woman knows the deal without me having to tell her. She speaks slowly asking me questions I've practiced the responses to 90+ times, like, "What is your name?", "Where are you from?" and "how old are you?" and gives me compliments luike "you look young!" and "look at your hands, mine are old!" Okay. So neither of our sentences are that complicated, but most of the tiem I get it. And I love it. She lets me talk endlessly about the three or four things I can takl about and then she'll correct my Russian (with her Ukrainian accent, I should point out!) and start schooling me about the CCCP. I have no idea what about the CCCP, but off she goes. She wants to know if there are children without homes in America and wants me to know about unemployment in Ukraine. If it wasn't such an odd place to hold a conversation, I'd probably hang out with her all the time. I'm always careful to Bbl her, which is the polite thing to do and she motivates me to want to master this language that I often times want to give up on.

I know that every sentence I speak to her is full of grammar mistakes and wrong (or no) case endings, but crap, I'm communicating, and sometimes, when you've hada kid yell something at you, or had the dude at the internet cafe tell you off because you are speaking Russian in Ukraine*, it's nice to have someone take the time and just listen.

*After this happened, at the end of my session he told me how much it cost. I gave him the money and said in Ukrainian "thank you" when he handed me the change. As I did this so poigantly, he responded in kind with the Ukrainian "please," which is used as a response in this situation. Our eyes met and a smile appeared across both of our faces. Maybe that day he won't think that all Americans are asses.

My favorite person in N--

Finally.... A Real PCV!

On December 22nd all of my group were sworn in as real volunteers. It was a nice ceremony held in Kyiv attended by the US ambassador, and many government officials. There was press there, so perhaps I ended up on the evening news for once in my life, but I have no way of knowing for sure.

The ceremony was long and attended by the first time by our coordinators, which I did think was a rather nice touch. It was held where the first parliament of Ukraine met, which also was an interesting place. While most of what went on was simply apolitical and nice, there was one speaker who got all Ukrainian nationalistic, which left many newly sworn in folks looking around the room at each other like, "uh, is this really happening here?" While it is not my place to comment on my own feelings about what is going on here politically, I think that it important for those of you reading this who don't know to learn about the political scene here--it's somewhat similar to what we have in the states with the Northeast and West coasts (and the industrial midwest) versus the rest of the country (you know, the red and blue business). Except here in Ukraine, the choices are not as similar as Democratic candidate versus Republican candidate, it's a bit more Democracy vs. Communism, although that perhaps is also too harsh. Western Ukraine is fiercely nationalistic, speaking Ukrainian language and very much looking to Europe and America. Southern and Eastern Ukraine is more Russian speaking (which is why I am speaking Russian and also why I am surprised that I just got chastised here at the internet cafe when I asked the gentleman at the counter to slow down because I don't speak much Russian and he said that he could speak in English because we are in Ukraine and not Russia. Doh, I felt like an ass). The East seems to be interested in keeping ties to Russia, and the East is where most of the industry lies.

I'm not saying that one way is better than the other, or that one will succeed and the other will fail--I'm saying that the people right now are passionate about what is going on, and that it's an exciting time to sit on the sidelines and watch what is happening, which is exactly what we got to do during our ceremony. When the speaker said (in English) that Ukrainians should be looking to Kyiv as the capital of the country and not Moscow the woman next to me, from outside of Kharkiv, to the east, just threw up her hands and said "better!" in Russian to me. I saw one woman put her hands over her ears and from the above balcony where host families sat I could hear what sounded like applause.

Sometimes I wish that Americans could get so worked up over something that goes beyond capitalism versus capitalism...

Reunited and it Feels so....Strange

Monday morning we gathered up all our stuff, ordered some taxis and headed to where we were to meet with PC bus back to Pro.

We were the last cluster to get on the bus (out of 4 total) and we were immediately told that there was no room for our belongings in the luggage compartments at the bottom of the bus and that we'd have to haul it on the bus, along with our link groups belongings. That was not fun, but the male PCT's proved yet again to be gentlemen (well, at leas our link gentlemen) and helped get everything on the bus and we were off.

I sat next to a clustermate and we shared my ipod listening to tunes as we arrived back to the first place we stayed in Ukraine, and for the first time since then we would be seeing the whole group, not just our half. I was excited about seeing old friends again and curious about seeing others, but still sad that the homesaty and language lessons were over. I was thankful to the tunes and the joyous company I had to share.

We arrived in the afternoon and got all the bags off the bus and shelped them closer to the doors. We had some small training things that evening and then had an opportunity to hang out with everyone.

While I did enjoy getting an chance to hang out, the atmosphere at this training place just always seems to suck the life out of people and make them behave in ways that are beneath their character. Unfortuantely, I feel into this trap, not by drinking or anything else like that, but simply just by caring too much about what was going on around me to put things into perspective. It made for an honestly crappy holiday. Thankfully, we will not have to go back their until February, and while it will still be a large group, I'm trying to reevaulate ways of keeping my sanity in the sanatorium (no, I'm not kidding, that is what they call Soviet resorts).

Last Night in K---

Sunday had arrived, the last day with my training group and my beloved host family. A clustermate and I went to the internet to check e-mail one last time before we headed out to Prolisok.

After that was done, it was time to get a few errands done and return home. My clustermates and I had a lot of packing to do and I knew that most of it would not get done until late (or the next morning.)

My host family had friends over who kept bringing over bottles of sweet red wine and demanding me to drink to the bottom. We danced to all sorts of songs and just made merriment.

The next morning I got up, said goodbye to Maxim and Sveta said that she'd return to say goodbye. She came back and we had one more cup of tea before we said our final goodbyes and I finished getting ready. I'd be lying if I didn't say that it wasn't emotional. Both of us were trying not to cry and I promised to come and visit, which I honestly wish I could do immediately. They made a point of making me feel comfortable and invited me to many things. Sveta's knowledge of English was amazing and will be sorely missed. I loved that they were such a socail family who had many friends- I got to know a lot of people in town and truthfully felt like it was my home.

I will never forget my time spent their and how wonderul it was to be in such a supportive environment. I am very grateful to my clustermates, PC teachers, and to all our host families who took such great care of us. I miss you all.

Season's Greetings

Well, on Monday morning I am off from training and will not have internet access for the next week until sometime after Christmas and the Winter holidays, so I want to wish all of you a very safe and very warm holiday season where you can rest, relax, and enjoy the company of your loved ones.

Answers to your Most Burning Questions

Okay. Not quite.

It has become somewhat apparent to me though that I have not done a good enough job describing the training that we have all endured for these past few months. No, it hasn't been all drinking vodka, eating borsh, and goofing off. It's been a ton of work.

In the beginning, before we started our internship at the Pedagogical College, we had language classes for something like eight hours a day. This happened five days a week, in addition to various other smaller things that they wanted us to do. Saturdays have always been our Tech training days, and it wasn't until nearly the end that we found out that out of over 110 people, our tech sessions last the longest 1) because we are so far away from our link group that takes over an hour to get too, 2) because we ask questions and generally take it seriously, and 3) we all like each other and get on. So, that basically took up all day on Saturday. On Sunday, our free day, we generally would have some sort of planned excursion with our host families, which in a lot of ways I was really appreciative of. In retrospect, there might have only been one Sunday where I was able to sleep in and just relax for the entire day. Just once in three months.

After the working at the Pedagogical College started, free time decreased even more. While I was going through it, I never thought of it as all that stressful, since we still had time to do things like go out after lesson and have some tea at a cafe. But what I always forget is that I then didn't get home until after 10 or 11 at night.

It's been busy, and it has been fun, but it's mostly been a lot of work, and for what results I have yet to see. My Russian I know has improved. Not the leaps and bounds that I wanted it to, and I still can't really get on by myself anywhere, but I understand more, if not able to talk more. This will be a continuing process, though, I know.

The programming has helped me see teaching in new ways, and I am really looking forward to putting together my own courses once I get to site, even though I know that that within itself will be a great challenge, and one that you can all help out with by sending me American magazines of all kinds, or even burnt cds of current tv shows, etc. I know that a lot of people have been asking what, and it seems that those may be the kinds of things that are inexpensive to send and can really help my future university students learn something about American culture.

Having your every moment accounted for, be it in the classroom, or working, or even just being at home has really taken a toll---while I miss my teachers, my host family, and of course my cluster and link, I am really looking forward to site and making it home.

Countdown to becoming a real PCV!

Yes yes yes. I took the language test yesterday, and I will not know the results until we head out of our training cluster and back into the big group (which is a bit smaller now that some people have left early and whatnot), but of course, I want to pass. I have no idea how I did, but it wasn't horrible. That's all I know.

Today we did our community project, which involved buying and showing educational and English feature films to community schools. It seemed to go well, so I am happy that basically everything is over. Just the packing and saying goodbye that needs to happen.

We will leave here on Monday in the morning and head to the outskirts of Kiev. If all goes according to plans, we will be sworn in on the 22nd of December admist much publicity and fan fare. Supposedly, I will finally be on television, because it's that big of a deal.

This also means that the blog will be more dormant than it has been in awhile because I will be at the training place for about a week and will be heading down with my coordinator to my permanent site on Christmas. Yes, people, Christmas day spent on a train. I can't say that I've ever done that before, so while you are sitting down to your tasty dinners, opening gifts and enjoys the pleasantries of the season, think about me, sitting in a coupe with all my stuff, drinking a beer and looking out the window. I actually don't mind though, since Christmas is traditionally celebrated here on January 7th and New Year is the big holiday. Should be lots of fun, actually, and lots and lots of work.

I'm almost to the finish line, folks, thanks for keeping tabs on me and just reading.

Communication!!!

Sorry, I have been meaning to post--I bought a cell phone a little while ago and if anyone is actually interested in accruing high telephone bills through international communication, send me an e-mail and I'll give you the number!

Celebrity News Special Edition!

I have just heard from my Celebrity columnist, Ms. Cathy, that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are married. Does anyone have any details on this?

And for those of you who keep up on these things, yes, Condi was in town. I have no idea why though. All the news is either in Russian or Ukrainian.

The Banya

I love the banya.

I have had the pleasure of going to one in Saint Petersburg and also using one at a dacha, but could not wait to go to one here in Ukraine. This past Sunday my host mother and her friend took me to a private banya early in the morning to banya-it-up Ukraine style.

It was a rather big one, with a sitting area and TV where you can remove and hang up your clothing and what not. The next room had a long wood table with benches, where obviously you could drink and eat. There was a small but deep and cold swimming pool where you can jump in to cool off from the exhaustive heat. There was a showering area and of course, the banya itself, a sauna like room made out of wood with a weird kind of stove and several different levels--one to sit at and another to lay down and beat each other with sticks if you so desired. There were no sticks present here this time.

After getting down to business and sitting in the 90 degrees Celsius heated room (I could do the math, but why bother, I know that it's really freaking hot) we decided that it was too hot to stay for too long and took a dip in the pool. Afterwards we returned to the heat and then we decided that it was time for beer, accompanied with dried fish and some kind of flavored calimari. It was tasty. We repeated the process for a few times and it was all so relaxing and wonderful.

I really do love the banya and next week we will be going again, and I think that this time some of the Americans will accompany me, since they were somewhat afraid that it would not be clean, nice, or big, all of which it was.

The Banya

I love the banya.

I have had the pleasure of going to one in Saint Petersburg and also using one at a dacha, but could not wait to go to one here in Ukraine. This past Sunday my host mother and her friend took me to a private banya early in the morning to banya-it-up Ukraine style.

It was a rather big one, with a sitting area and TV where you can remove and hang up your clothing and what not. The next room had a long wood table with benches, where obviously you could drink and eat. There was a small but deep and cold swimming pool where you can jump in to cool off from the exhaustive heat. There was a showering area and of course, the banya itself, a sauna like room made out of wood with a weird kind of stove and several different levels--one to sit at and another to lay down and beat each other with sticks if you so desired. There were no sticks present here this time.

After getting down to business and sitting in the 90 degrees Celsius heated room (I could do the math, but why bother, I know that it's really freaking hot) we decided that it was too hot to stay for too long and took a dip in the pool. Afterwards we returned to the heat and then we decided that it was time for beer, accompanied with dried fish and some kind of flavored calimari. It was tasty. We repeated the process for a few times and it was all so relaxing and wonderful.

I really do love the banya and next week we will be going again, and I think that this time some of the Americans will accompany me, since they were somewhat afraid that it would not be clean, nice, or big, all of which it was.

You've Got Scabies

A few days after I returned from my site visiting and following training session outside of Kyiv, I noticed one evening, after having dinner, that the palm of my right hand was itching profusely. And that it was red. And upon closer inspection, it had little bumps all over it.

This obviously freaked me out, but I knew that I'd be going to "emotional health day" the next day (hey, I don't name these things or plan them, I simply attend and try to get the most out of them), and if it was still going on, I'd just simply as the Peace Corps doctors.

So when it was my turn to get more shots, I told Dr. Sasha about my hand and how it itched. He looked at them and said, "well, maybe you have a topical infection, a fungus, or scabies." "Scabies!?" I said!!! "Yes, scabies."

He then asked me if my house had any small children, and my thoughts went immediately to that little diseased and dirty five year old that lives in my home. The little thing that never washes his hands, picks up food and then puts it back, drinks right out of the carton, and always gives me food (with said unwashed hands) and expectently looks at me to eat it.

"Yes" I said.

The doctor then asked if we had any animals at home or if I had pet any lately. I replied no. For there are many a dog and pretty kitty in this fair land, but I sure as heck am not going to get tapeworm from them. But at the time I also saw little difference in the doctors question between a child and an animal.

He gave me some sort of fungal cream and told me to use it twice a day and that he'd call me to check up on my later.

I of course, didn't want to tell anyone about my condition, and as a result, told everyone that I had scabies. I just can't keep that kind of thing to myself for goodness sake. It's funny. The prospect of having such an infliction was humorous as well as horrible, so I had to let others know.

He called on Thanksgiving day, and thankfully, the itching had stopped and in fact I did not have scabies. But I didn't think that I could have. But it was still amusing.