Things I took for Granted....
The beginning of February marks my fourth month of being in Ukraine. A volunteer who is almost finished his service congratulated me by teling me I am 1/24th done. "That's like 7%," he encouraged me.
So while this time is short when looking at the overall goal, it's long enough to appreciate some things that I used to take for granted in America, but now sorely miss.
1) Washing Machines. Even if it meant hauling a month supply of laundry to Kip's or whatever the place was that almost caught fire while we were doing laundry, at least it was available.
Doing laundry by hand is a very difficult and strenuous task, especially compounded by the fact that my host family does not have a washing board. My hands and back hurt very quickly and there is not enough room no my radiator to dry a lot of things. I take to doing just socks, underwear, and long johns when I have A) time and B) hot water. Even something like a training trip that is coming up must be diligently prepared for, cleaning and gathering enough clean clothes to get me through a week a away from home.
Also, please realize that I never wear an entire outfit of "clean" clothes. Actually, I hardly wear anything that is truly clean, since my idea of handwashing is running hot water, putting in some soap, getting my clothes wet, sloshing them around a bit. Then comes rinse, wring, and dry.
2) Living in a country where people speak your language readily
Every day I realize how little I must have paid attention in language class as I am confronted with new verbs, combinations, questions, and so on. Honestly, I have no clue what anyone is takling about 80% of the time. Currently, I do not even have time to practice or develop it further, but my host mother assures me that everything will be beautiful and okay.
The other female volunteer in town once said that in America when you hear someone speaking English poorly, you assume that they are a foreigner, not an idiot, as they do here. I get scoffs and stares and very few people are willing to be sympathetic or anything other than disgusted.
Oh, if only England had done a better job at expanding her empire, I would not be at such a loss now.
3) Independence
Part of the reason I joined the P C in the first place was because I considered myself to be exceptionally independent. Now I realize that without some basic things that I took for granted, I am not really so independent afterall. #2, Language is a huge factor in this, but contributing factors are the host family, lack of my own transportation, different views on gender, and safety concerns.
Here I am very dependent--I am dependent on the Peace Corps, my university, the volunteers in the town and area, my host family, and basically the kindness of strangers. It takes a lot to get used to, and while I do hope that it will change over time, as I improve the language and get my own apartment, I do not think that these things will mean that I wil have completely gained my independence again.
4) Regular and Consistant Store Hours
Did you know that a lot of businesses close for lunch? Really, I only care about one particular business: the bank. Every damn time I need money (I have no bank card here, people) I have to go to the bank, bring my little bank document, and stand ni one line, then another, then walk around looking for the best exchange rate, which folks, is falling. Whie typically this "hassle" doesn't bother me, it just seems that every time *I* want to go to the bank (of which there is only one that we can use, and even in a town of over 500,000 people, this bank has only 1 location) its closed. Not for a holiday, but for lunch or repairs or somethign.
5) Free cell phone minutes
Anytime, any length, any day it costs money to talk on the phone. As a matter of fact, most volunteers do not talk on the phone, they only send text messages, which also cost money, but is cheaper than placing a phone call. I do not know why Ukraine has not yet caught on to the concept of plans or contracts, or maybe they have, but my language skills are so abysmal that I can't find that out. I do miss Alltel, and the ability to call and chat for as long as I want.
I have probably only received about 10-15 phone calls since I've moved to N--, which is a really depressing thought. Land lines are good to use for making local calls, but sadly, like the washing machine, my family does not have.
6) Relationships.
Enough said.
So while this time is short when looking at the overall goal, it's long enough to appreciate some things that I used to take for granted in America, but now sorely miss.
1) Washing Machines. Even if it meant hauling a month supply of laundry to Kip's or whatever the place was that almost caught fire while we were doing laundry, at least it was available.
Doing laundry by hand is a very difficult and strenuous task, especially compounded by the fact that my host family does not have a washing board. My hands and back hurt very quickly and there is not enough room no my radiator to dry a lot of things. I take to doing just socks, underwear, and long johns when I have A) time and B) hot water. Even something like a training trip that is coming up must be diligently prepared for, cleaning and gathering enough clean clothes to get me through a week a away from home.
Also, please realize that I never wear an entire outfit of "clean" clothes. Actually, I hardly wear anything that is truly clean, since my idea of handwashing is running hot water, putting in some soap, getting my clothes wet, sloshing them around a bit. Then comes rinse, wring, and dry.
2) Living in a country where people speak your language readily
Every day I realize how little I must have paid attention in language class as I am confronted with new verbs, combinations, questions, and so on. Honestly, I have no clue what anyone is takling about 80% of the time. Currently, I do not even have time to practice or develop it further, but my host mother assures me that everything will be beautiful and okay.
The other female volunteer in town once said that in America when you hear someone speaking English poorly, you assume that they are a foreigner, not an idiot, as they do here. I get scoffs and stares and very few people are willing to be sympathetic or anything other than disgusted.
Oh, if only England had done a better job at expanding her empire, I would not be at such a loss now.
3) Independence
Part of the reason I joined the P C in the first place was because I considered myself to be exceptionally independent. Now I realize that without some basic things that I took for granted, I am not really so independent afterall. #2, Language is a huge factor in this, but contributing factors are the host family, lack of my own transportation, different views on gender, and safety concerns.
Here I am very dependent--I am dependent on the Peace Corps, my university, the volunteers in the town and area, my host family, and basically the kindness of strangers. It takes a lot to get used to, and while I do hope that it will change over time, as I improve the language and get my own apartment, I do not think that these things will mean that I wil have completely gained my independence again.
4) Regular and Consistant Store Hours
Did you know that a lot of businesses close for lunch? Really, I only care about one particular business: the bank. Every damn time I need money (I have no bank card here, people) I have to go to the bank, bring my little bank document, and stand ni one line, then another, then walk around looking for the best exchange rate, which folks, is falling. Whie typically this "hassle" doesn't bother me, it just seems that every time *I* want to go to the bank (of which there is only one that we can use, and even in a town of over 500,000 people, this bank has only 1 location) its closed. Not for a holiday, but for lunch or repairs or somethign.
5) Free cell phone minutes
Anytime, any length, any day it costs money to talk on the phone. As a matter of fact, most volunteers do not talk on the phone, they only send text messages, which also cost money, but is cheaper than placing a phone call. I do not know why Ukraine has not yet caught on to the concept of plans or contracts, or maybe they have, but my language skills are so abysmal that I can't find that out. I do miss Alltel, and the ability to call and chat for as long as I want.
I have probably only received about 10-15 phone calls since I've moved to N--, which is a really depressing thought. Land lines are good to use for making local calls, but sadly, like the washing machine, my family does not have.
6) Relationships.
Enough said.
posted by Molly | 7:05 AM
3 Comments:
Thanks guys, seriously. I did sound like a whiny little b****, didn't I?
I am hoping that things pick up. I'll let you all know.
On behalf of British people everywhere, I apologise for us never invading eastern Europe!
rant as much as you want! You have to deal with your frustration somehow. i love you!
oh molly. i am a bad, bad friend. i haven't called yu yet. i promise i think about you a lot. i know that's no comfort. i will call you soon. love you.
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