Two Dollars A Day-It's Your Anniversary!
I can not believe that it was only a year ago that I got my acceptance packet in the mail that told me where I was going: Ukraine. It all seems like yesterday.
I remember that moment very clearly as the huge packet was waiting at the top of the stairs for me and how I waited until I was completely comfortable before opening it up. The fact that I had been waiting since October for that moemnt meant I could easily wait a few more minutes (to get something to drink, use the bathroom, etc) before the question was answered: Where was I going?
I guess that I can also be completely truthful now about it too--I was disappointed. Ukraine did not have the same exotic appeal as Bulgaria or Romania or even Moldova. It wouldn't pose as many challenges as Macedonia or Albania. Simply put, it just wasn't one of the countries I imagined myself in. Heck, I mean, I knew all about Yushchenko and the Orange Revolution!
But now I can't really imagine being anywhere else, especially because I do have things like running water, hot water, indoor plumbing and so on. I live in a big great city and work with students I enjoy. I am surrounded by volunteers I adore and had a leg up in language during the first few months. I have certainly done well here, and owing most of that to pure luck of the draw, I guess.
I remember my life a year4 ago as well, when I had easy access to things like TV, cable, a car, friends, family, etc. I am not really even tempted to return to that. I miss those things, for sure, but would not trade this experience for anything.
I am already wondering about the second Anniversary of Two Dollars A Day, about where I will be (still here?), what I'll be diong, and if I'll still be enjoying it all as I am now.
In honor of this occassion, I would like to solicit your responses. I want to know your thoughts about the blog, what sorts of things you'd like to hear about, and of course, my faltering use of the English language. Write away. I love your comments, as they are mostly what keep me (and TDAD) going.
I remember that moment very clearly as the huge packet was waiting at the top of the stairs for me and how I waited until I was completely comfortable before opening it up. The fact that I had been waiting since October for that moemnt meant I could easily wait a few more minutes (to get something to drink, use the bathroom, etc) before the question was answered: Where was I going?
I guess that I can also be completely truthful now about it too--I was disappointed. Ukraine did not have the same exotic appeal as Bulgaria or Romania or even Moldova. It wouldn't pose as many challenges as Macedonia or Albania. Simply put, it just wasn't one of the countries I imagined myself in. Heck, I mean, I knew all about Yushchenko and the Orange Revolution!
But now I can't really imagine being anywhere else, especially because I do have things like running water, hot water, indoor plumbing and so on. I live in a big great city and work with students I enjoy. I am surrounded by volunteers I adore and had a leg up in language during the first few months. I have certainly done well here, and owing most of that to pure luck of the draw, I guess.
I remember my life a year4 ago as well, when I had easy access to things like TV, cable, a car, friends, family, etc. I am not really even tempted to return to that. I miss those things, for sure, but would not trade this experience for anything.
I am already wondering about the second Anniversary of Two Dollars A Day, about where I will be (still here?), what I'll be diong, and if I'll still be enjoying it all as I am now.
In honor of this occassion, I would like to solicit your responses. I want to know your thoughts about the blog, what sorts of things you'd like to hear about, and of course, my faltering use of the English language. Write away. I love your comments, as they are mostly what keep me (and TDAD) going.
posted by Molly | 8:39 AM
6 Comments:
Obviously, anything I would want to specifically hear about would be of highly subjective interest. For instance, how do Ukrainians view WW2? I know they dont much like the Russians in the most Ukrainian bits of the country, but how do they feel about the Germans? What about feelings towards the Ukranian battalions who fought against the Soviets, or the Partisans who fought against the Nazis? Is it still a bit dividing line the way it is in some European countries? What about Ukraines part in the Final Solution? That might be a tricky one to ask about. Dont get anyones backs up on my account.
I know most Ukranian cities, and most of the Crimea, were completely plowed under in the war- is there any evidence of that left? What about museums? Are the exhibits noticably nationalistic and biased the way those in Belgrade were?
You already know that I want to hear about the Crimea, especially what kind of tourism they have for the battle sites, and if you are allowed up the hill of Inkermann these days (it used to have a Soviet listening post on top, so no go for many years).
Also, do they sell Ukraine army surplus around the place?
And you should post more stuff in general. The blog is great, but you need to neglect your students and post more stuff for us foreigners.
-eoin
wow Eoin. It's a tall order. All I can tell you is basically from what I observe around town here.
For instance, there is a bar called "Bunker" here that has both Nazi and USSR armies paraphenielia all over the place. I see swastikas graffitted here and there too. It's like the young people have no consciousness of how the Nazis literally RAPED Ukraine, even taking the TOP SOIL back to Germany.
What I do know is that there are essentially burial grounds all over the place for people who died.
People don't seem to hate Germans, like for instance the way that I heard them talked about in St. Petersburg, they do tend to see a difference between Nazi Germany and Germany today. Probably in part because they want people to see a distinction between USSR and Ukraine.
As for Russia, it does depend on where you live AND what language you speak. It's a huge topic of debate here. I live in Russified Ukraine for the most part.
I, unfortunately, do not have the knowledge or the basic use of the language to answer these questions, but can try and find out, as it is interesting. When I go to Crimea (sometime this summer, I hope) I can check out the other sites and see what info I can come up with.
Thanks for writing and thanks for reading.
Oh and the army stuff--you can find a lot of soviet army stuff-- the Ukrainian army might be harder to find- but I'll check
Have you heard of a place called Babi Yar (in English, obviously)? I think it is a bit outside Kyiv.
-e
Yes, I have. I wanted to go there, but have not been able to yet. Another volunteer (who I forwarded your questions to, btw, he's up on that shit) I know went there and commented that it is nothing more than really a big open park that has a lot of kids playing on it. I think that there is really only a small little plaque somewhere that says what happened there, but if memory serves me well, it doesn't even mention anything about it being JEWS, just people. Although I could be confusing it with another site where something similar happened, as Babi Yar is only 1 of MANY places where Jews were slaughtered here in Ukraine.
Indeed, Babi Yar is only one of many places. However, it is THE place, where perhaps over 180,000 people (not all Jews, but mostly Jews) were slaughtered in Ukraine. As far as I have read, it is just a big sandy area, that was popular as a picnic spot even before the war. The Germans just picked it because it had a natural hole in the ground that was easily filled in- why waste extra effort digging what nature had provided? At that point they were not thinking about ever having to disguise "the evidence". It was only later in the war, when the Russians started to push the German line back, that they considered what had happened at Katyn (in Poland) and sent a few squads in to clear up the mess. The guys that did the killing were mostly Ukrainian, BTW, overseen by a few German 'special' policemen. This was the pattern for the Einsatzgruppen across the eastern front.
Thats by the by. It is THE final solution spot in the Ukraine, because it was near a big city, near rail links, and (not so popular) near no-one that really cared what happened to a bunch of Jews. I think that any further info you would care to know about this event would be better conveyed in email. I can tell you that I know far more about it than most people care to hear. Its one of those things that I am glad I know about, but have never been able to communicate to anyone, because, really, who gives a shit?
-e
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