Adopt-A-Cluster
Did you know PC has it's own adoption agency? Every year older groups in Ukraine are given an opportunity to adopt a new group in the same program. With the invasion of Group 31 it was my groups turn to adopt our very own cluster and tell them about life and work in Ukraine.
One of my clustermates and I decided to do this together and asked for our old TCF's cluster (you can read about her in Oct., Nov., and Dec. of last year). At different points in training we went up to meet with them, visiting the university were Gogol studied (and where they are currently teaching) and talk to them about what their site visit will be like.
While I believe that this sort of "mentorship" is extremely important and useful, I selfishly was only excited about seeing my teacher again, who I adore and respect very much. It was great to talk to her and tell her all about what has been going on with me personally over the last year. I was probably the one from the cluster that was the closest to her, as well, so I am sort of doted on. I don't complain.
Along with meeting new trainee's and seeing my TCF, I also got to stay with a host family again. This was not the part I was looking forward to. Well, that and buying the komfortnaya electrichka ticket to the cluster nearby Kyiv.
I have been in Ukraine a year and speak an embarrassing amount of Russian, so I was dreading not understanding anything for several days. The woman turned out to be quite pleasant and made some mighty fkoosna borsht. She talked my ear off as it was and took great pains to be understood. We looked at pictures of her daughters' weddings and of family gatherings. She also tried to make me comfortable (and I was) and did not say anything when I came home later than 10pm. I certainly felt bad about that, but my main function was to talk to the volunteers. I wondered what that experience would have been like if I had had a second host famly like that one.
One that also was very much in the loop of the other trainee's families, who I heard telling someone else's host moom that I too had a cough, and would comment to me the next morning that I must be better because I was not coughing, or blowing my nose as often.
But little did that matter, I was soon off to the Saturday session to prepare them for site visit and then back on the electrichka back to Kyiv and then home. For the first time in all of my service, I was actually looking forward to going home. Training was a fun place to visit. Not to stay.
One of my clustermates and I decided to do this together and asked for our old TCF's cluster (you can read about her in Oct., Nov., and Dec. of last year). At different points in training we went up to meet with them, visiting the university were Gogol studied (and where they are currently teaching) and talk to them about what their site visit will be like.
While I believe that this sort of "mentorship" is extremely important and useful, I selfishly was only excited about seeing my teacher again, who I adore and respect very much. It was great to talk to her and tell her all about what has been going on with me personally over the last year. I was probably the one from the cluster that was the closest to her, as well, so I am sort of doted on. I don't complain.
Along with meeting new trainee's and seeing my TCF, I also got to stay with a host family again. This was not the part I was looking forward to. Well, that and buying the komfortnaya electrichka ticket to the cluster nearby Kyiv.
I have been in Ukraine a year and speak an embarrassing amount of Russian, so I was dreading not understanding anything for several days. The woman turned out to be quite pleasant and made some mighty fkoosna borsht. She talked my ear off as it was and took great pains to be understood. We looked at pictures of her daughters' weddings and of family gatherings. She also tried to make me comfortable (and I was) and did not say anything when I came home later than 10pm. I certainly felt bad about that, but my main function was to talk to the volunteers. I wondered what that experience would have been like if I had had a second host famly like that one.
One that also was very much in the loop of the other trainee's families, who I heard telling someone else's host moom that I too had a cough, and would comment to me the next morning that I must be better because I was not coughing, or blowing my nose as often.
But little did that matter, I was soon off to the Saturday session to prepare them for site visit and then back on the electrichka back to Kyiv and then home. For the first time in all of my service, I was actually looking forward to going home. Training was a fun place to visit. Not to stay.
posted by Molly | 4:12 AM
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