• Thursday, 31 March 2005

The last day of March is spent and so am I…

Last year on this date, Mark and I were hovering over my computer working hard on the last few sections of our application package for the Peace Corps. We submitted our application just as the clock struck midnight.

It struck us funny that our application was submitted on April Fool’s Day.

Here we are one year later, living with our host family in a small community in rural Ukraine, burning the midnight oil learning Russian.

Our cluster was the last one to complete placement interviews. In a few short weeks we will take the train to our site for a tentative visit. Most of the business team will be posted in less developed, smaller communities. Much like the military, postings are based on the needs of the organization, but of course our preferences are solicited too.

Some volunteers seem to have some definite expectations about their assignments. I came with an open mind and I welcome the adventure ahead. I have found it wise not to outline a future for myself. If I did, I suspect the outcome would be less interesting.

Ah yes – the interview was conducted sans shoes! 8-)

I am eager to do some writing, not in this journal, but on a couple pieces I have been working on in my mind. Currently I do not have time or energy for writing. The days pass too quickly and are filled with lessons and projects. I look forward to a time down the road when we no longer share a home with a host family and when we have more control of how we organize our days. This is a demanding time.

March came in like a lion (a small lion) in Chicago so will it go out like a lamb here in Ukraine? The skies have been bright and sunny and the air crisp all week. The lake is still iced over. The morning temperatures have been around 32 degrees all week, and in the 40’s by afternoon. I am told there will be lilacs in early May…

• Wednesday, 30 March 2005

Saint Oprah comes to Ukraine…

So why don’t I spell Kiev/Kyiv/Kyev the same way twice?

Well, I am an American learning to speak Russian while living in Ukraine. Depending on several factors (to whom I am speaking - Ukrainan or Russian - which alphabet I am using or whether the font is in print or cursive) I choose which spelling I will use. This does lead to some confusion. It also wrecks havoc on any confidence I have in my language skills. Sigh.

Ordering lunch yesterday (a Ukrainian experience) for example – words we may have recognized in ordinary print were presented in cursive where “t” takes on the appearance of “m”, the “d” looks like a “g”, and other letters also mysteriously change their basic shapes. I will spare you details, but trust me, it can be frustrating. And oh, by the way, there is NO word for frustrating in Russian…so you see what I am up against here!

Never mind though. What I really wanted to mention today is that the “Kyiv Post” published an article this week saying the Oprah Show will soon debut on Ukrainian TV. This is quite a surprise since, according to the article, Ukrainian audiences generally prefer Ukrainian or Russian programming. Western television shows are no longer a novelty. Even the steamy “Sex in the City” series doesn’t hold an audience here.

Oprah’s program airs in many places around the globe, including unlikely spots such as China, so she is obviously capable of overcoming cultural differences and charming audiences in any language. A chief reason Ukraine television executives have decided to give Oprah a try is that they can acquire the programs at such a low price. The popular Russian soap operas that air here are several hundred thousand dollars per episode.

Will Oprah Winfrey become a Ukrainian television icon? Perhaps – she represents a self-made woman and certainly that will influence some of the viewers opinions. She is also a nurturing and generous individual, qualities that are valued here in Ukraine.

So, we will see what happens. I certainly did not anticipate the possibility of watching my favorite daytime TV program during my Peace Corps tour, but it looks like it may happen. (Of course that depends on where I am posted and if I have access to television or even electricity…)

Long live Saint Oprah!

• Tuesday, 29 March 2005

Interviewing in my socks: cross-cultural differences are alive and well n Ukraine…

The job placement interview is tomorrow. We were advised that it really is not a traditional job interview, but more of a conversation regarding our skills and aspirations.

The information they ascertain will be used in the placement decisions.

Am I nervous? No not really, though it occurred to me today that I may feel at a disadvantage during the interview since I will likely be in my stocking feet. Yes I will be looking very professional from the ankles on up, but my feet will present a very different image. Not a very professional situation is it, but typical of life in Ukraine, or at least the life of a Peace Corps Trainee in Ukraine.

A word of explanation is called for I guess.

In Ukraine, it is customary to remove outdoor shoes when entering someone’s home. Many hosts will offer guests a pair of slippers to wear during their stay and of course guests sometimes simply walk about in their socks. In most professional settings (schools, offices, etc.), shoes stay on.

Our language classes are conducted in an apartment setting. When we arrive at class, we quickly take off our wraps and shoes before settling in to study. Our instructor wears slippers (rather formal ones) but the rest of us in our group tough it out in our socks.

The interviews tomorrow will be held in the apartment. I am wondering what the protocol will be. Will the interviewer waltz into the apartment wearing amazing Ukrainian spike heels or will she slip off her shoes and conduct the interview in stocking feet.

Here is my guess: once inside, she will remove her outdoor shoes and don a pair of professional shoes. This is not typical. Everyone removes shoes when entering a home. I will keep you posted.

Cross-cultural differences are alive and well here in Ukraine.

• Monday, 28 March 2005

Time Changes, Buses, Subways and Cities…

We were up early on this bright Sunday morning and arrived at the bus station well before our 7:40 bus was scheduled to depart. The air was bright, the sky blue and the promise of a mild day brought out crowds of people. Apparently all of them wanted to take advantage of the fine day to travel to Kiev.

Mark strode up to the ticket window and uttered the magic Russian phrase that should have been rewarded with two tickets for Kiev, only to be met with a rapid-fire barrage of Ukrainian. Before we could decipher what she was saying, another official arrived and began her own assault on us. After several minutes of gesturing and exhausting our limited vocabulary, we determined the bus was full and the next available bus would not depart for an hour.

We strolled across the street to while away some time at the busy Sunday bazaar. When we returned, the bus station was even more crowded. The two officials saw us coming and made a point to advice us that here would be no seats on the next bus and we would have to wait yet another hour.

K. is a stop on the route to the capital city. If we lived at the end of the line, we would have a chance at getting on the bus and maybe we would even have a seat. What happens is all the seats are filled at stops in the outlying towns so when the bus to Kiev pulls in at K. there are no seats available. The bus stops, passengers step off and sip tea or catch a smoke and then board again and head off to Kiev, leaving us behind. The busses that arrived and departed without us were packed with no standing room either.

We entertained ourselves watching the local hungry dog population work the crowds. Venders sold hot dogs and the persistent, tail-waggers often scored a few bites from generous animal-lovers who, like us, waited to board the bus. We watched the Babushkas enjoying the warm sunshine as they sold sunflower seeds to passengers.

At 9:30, after a long wait and with the help of the two women at the bus station, we finally managed to get tickets and board a bus for the city. We had hopped to be in Kiev by 9:15, but our spirits were not dampened.

After an hour on the bus we stepped off the vehicle and headed underground to the Metro station for the next stage of our adventure.

I am grateful for my experiences with the T and the El and also the subway systems in Madrid and Paris. The Kiev Metro is a modern, efficient system and many people take advantage of it. For those unfamiliar with the Cyrillic alphabet and/or the Ukrainian language, the challenge is big and the opportunities to get lost or confused are a very real. With our smattering of Russian and our confidence and common-sense, we managed to make our way to the appropriate stop, make the change to the red line and then once again disembark at the right place.

We boarded the longest escalator I have ever seen and were carried up, up, up for several minutes. According to a classmate, the subway system here was designed to serve as a fallout shelter. We finally emerged from the dark cavern and found ourselves in a stunning city made even more beautiful by the brilliant Spring sunshine.

We proceeded on with the first item on our agenda which was to find the Peace Corps office. During our 5 minute walk to the building, we ran into three of the trainees who arrived here in Ukraine with us. Of course we spent several minutes sharing many of the details of life in our village and how we felt about our training and our language classes, etc.

It was during the course of this conversation we discovered that it was an hour later than we thought it was. At 2 AM on Sunday morning the clocks sprang forward. Our clock did not, so instead, we lost an hour of our short day in beautiful Kiev. This also helped explain why there was no bus available when we arrived at the bus station earlier that day. So here it was 1230 and we were really only just arriving in Kiev.

We trundled up the steps at the PCV lounge and enjoyed the opportunity to use the computers there. We visited with other volunteers and also swapped a few paperback books. Next time we visit, we will take advantage of the opportunity to take a hot shower (a rare treat for many volunteers here).

After we accomplished our business, we set out to explore the city a bit.

We walked past churches, museums, a theater and university buildings. The architecture and the colors of these grand buildings is stunning. This ancient city is vital and alive and has a special charm I already love. This is a city designed to delight the senses.

On Sundays, traffic on the main avenue of the city is blocked and the street becomes a spacious pedestrian mall. (I wonder what this wide boulevard must be like on a business day?) On this early Spring day, the crowds of walkers were jubilant and happy to be out and about without heavy wraps and hats. The willowy, beautiful Ukrainian women walked about donned in dangerously-tall, spike-heeled boot and dramatic, short skirts. They are confident, poised, elegant and distant looking. They define sophistication.

There are street musicians and a few outdoor cafes are serving drinks. This area of the city promises to be a wonderful place to people watch and linger over coffee. Street venders hawked flowers and small amusements for children. When the trees sprout leaves and flowers bloom, this walk will be truly delightful.

As the afternoon waned, we reluctantly headed underground to catch the subway to the bus station. Once we boarded the bus, I dozed a bit and had to shake off my dreams when we arrived in our sleepy, rural village where we hiked past the chickens, stepping over mud puddles, dodged scruffy stray dogs to get home in time to dine on our host family’s’ wonderful borscht and black bread.

• Saturday, 26 March 2005

To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything.

Thomas Merton -Thoughts in Solitude

Yesterday was Good Friday, but not here in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church follows a different calendar so Good Friday and Easter will be acknowledged in May. I guess the Easter Bunny won’t be visiting us here tomorrow.

During the Soviet era religion was not tolerated and here in our village there are no real churches. I have read there has been a resurgence of people interested in religion. In some Ukrainian communities the Easter celebration is quite important. People take baskets of food to the church to be blessed and there is a tradition of coloring eggs using an elaborate method that produces works of art.

I learned about what life in a communist country is like as the cross-cultural trainer presented material on the history of Ukraine. Until the last decade, the history of Ukraine has been colored by whoever controlled this beautiful land. The name Ukraine actually means border land and as such, the country was annexed by many different countries over the years. The Ukrainian people could not share their own history because whoever ruled them imposed their own history on the country. During the Soviet era, the history books reflected the politics and opinions of the USSR. It is only now Ukrainians can begin to piece together the events that comprise their unique history.

There are significant events that were never shared during the Soviet years. One of the most disturbing stories had to do with Stalin engineering a food shortage that resulted in the starvation of 10 million Ukrainians. Since Ukraine is a rich farmland, this is particularly amazing. Our cross-cultural trainer and two other PC host country representatives shared personal stories on what it was like to live under communist rule. There were tales of relatives sent to Siberia and people disappearing. We learned about the effects of hyper-inflation and the events surrounding the Chernobyl incident. The one hour session expanded to three hours as we discussed the historic events that shape this country we call home for the next two years.

We did not linger after the session since we had to catch the mid-afternoon bus back to K. It would have been nice to visit the bazaar in O. but we wanted to get back to K before sunset. Unfortunately there is nothing to do on this fine Saturday night in the village. The town where the other trainees are has some nightlife. Here in K, people watch TV I guess. (At our host’s home, the TV is in their bedroom so it is not an option for us. The trainees here in K. are getting a bit restless for social activities.

We plan to get up early tomorrow and head to Kiev to explore the big city a bit. This will be our first venture on the Kiev Metro. I am fairly comfortable with negotiating transportation issues, but it is a challenge to read the signs. The signs are in Cyrillic alphabet and they are written in Ukrainian. We are studying Russian, so we are familiar with the Cyrillic alphabet, but Ukrainian is not the same as Russian. Ukrainian and Russian words have so many letters so it is hard to quickly read a sign in passing.

Kiev is has been around 1,500 years (twice as old as Moscow). It is a beautiful city with a remarkable history. I look forward to visiting in May (That’s when we swear in as actual Peace Corps Volunteers) because the lilacs will be in bloom and the streets will be filled with people enjoying Spring.

• Friday, 25 March 2005

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tonight the full moon shines down on our small village. I can see it from the kitchen window, glinting off the frozen lake that is the last bit of winter to give way to Spring here in Ukraine. Across the valley on the opposite hillside, dogs bark and share messages with one another. I try to imagine what the view will belike in just a few weeks when buds will turn into leaves and the lake will be liquid again. The change from Winter to Spring is like looking at old B&W snapshots from the Fifties and then opening an album of bright colored photos taken more recently.

This has been a long week. Learning is hard work. Being flexible is too. I have often said it takes considerable character to remain genuinely cheerful and pleasant under duress. While we are not truly in duress, we are in stressful circumstances. The five Americans in our training site are isolated by our limited language skills. We also are beginning to miss the comforts of home and friends, family and pets – all far away.

We live with host families and dine with them each day. In America we seldom eat the same meal twice in a row and how often do we dine on fish soup or borscht for breakfast? Even our exercise routines are disrupted. It is interesting to observe how other people cope with their situations. Privacy is limited and so are choices.

Of course in a few months we will begin to feel at home here, but these initial stages are significant. People deal with stress in many different ways.

At our usual lunch spot (the only place in town actually) one of our crew ordered an entrée that proved to be something they preferred not to eat. Rather than leave the rejected meal on the plate, we scooped it into a plastic cup and took it with us when we left. Later in the day we shared these leftovers with a couple stray animals who were very grateful for the meal.

I enjoy all the cats and dogs that roam the streets, though it is sad to see how thin some of them are and of course some of them have had difficult lives and it shows when they limp or walk with an unusual gait. They dart in and out of shop doors and the stalls at the local bazaar. Tails wag and dogs bark and people for the most part, just ignore them. There seems to be an affectionate tolerance of these creatures.

When we stopped behind the bus station to feed a scruffy, black, stray kitten that spends time on the steam pipes there, a woman peered out the window at us as Mark put the meat down by the cat. She smiled at us. I wondered what she thought of the strange American man in the cowboy hat feeding the tiny, little kitten.

I was glad to stroke the kitten and hear a small purr.

I miss my Zoë Mae and Mr. Bubba.

• Wednesday, 23 March 2005

Another day of training. Four hours of intense language training and then a couple hours break. We ate lunch at the local bar (there are really NO restaurants in town!) and then went for a walk in the bright Spring air.

At three we met the technical trainer for some coaching on our afternoon site visit. We visited a local hardware store and interviewed the owners about how business operates here in Ukraine. The husband and wife team that owns the store are delightful people. We peppered them with questions about tax structures, employee benefits, etc and then sat down to afternoon tea and sweets and continued the conversation. They seemed optimistic about recent changes to the tax system and spoke quite candidly about the challenges of running a small business. The optimism springs from the Orange Revolution.

• Tuesday, 22 March 2005

Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.

Shirley Chisholm

Mark is at the extracurricular Center observing the computer classes held there. This is the start of his internship project. I finished my interview with the woman running the Leadership Club earlier this afternoon so while he is off working, I am taking a beak here at our host’s home.

I hear N. working on the plumbing in the bathroom – always a delightful chore, no matter where you live.

I just realized this is actually the first time Mark and I have been apart in about 25 days. Our lives since we arrived at PC and began training have been scheduled and choreographed leaving little time to accomplish anything other than necessary tasks. Some of the more routine tasks become more challenging when done in a new setting with limiting factors like language, culture, money, time and availability all working against us. Fortunately we are both fairly even-tempered, calm and conscientious so we simply do what we must do and move on.

It is 4:30 and outside the sky is bright. The afternoons grow longer as Spring begins to finally creep into Ukraine. In a few weeks we will be able to sit in the sun after classes or internship activities and study in the fresh air. It is still below zero in the morning. Now that the snow is melting there seem to be more chickens, geese and other poultry out and about. It seems odd to see chickens foraging along the streets as we walk to and from class.

Russian classes continue to move forward at a rapid pace. Everyday we learn about a new rule of grammar which seems to cripple my ability to communicate since I become more self-conscious with each added nuance. Learning a language is humbling – a real character building experience. My short term goal is to simply be able to communicate my routine needs so I can be safe and healthy.

Today we had an observer from PC headquarters. We covered lots of material and are beginning to reach the phase where we can really make some sentences. Speaking them is another story though! We have an excellent language facilitator and I am grateful for her attitude and her teaching style.

• Monday, 21 March 2005

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Eleanor Roosevelt

No class this morning so time to do some laundry and study, study, study.

We stopped by the post office and challenged the local postal workers with our request to mail a letter to Malawi, Africa. This is a small town so they don’t often have such unusual requests and of course they are not accustomed to dealing with people outside the community. Completing this task was a good exercise of our fledgling Russian language skills. We eventually dropped the stamped letter in the mailbox. I hope my brother receives it.

The weather here continues to be very cold and blustery, but almost all the snow is gone. We walked along the lake on our way to class this afternoon. There are several fields adjacent to the lake and the earth is a rich, deep black. After the past few years in South Carolina, I am unaccustomed to seeing such fertile soil. There is an earthy smell that permeates the air. Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe. It is easy to see that people here in K. value the earth and treat it reverently. Every yard has fruit trees and grapevines and evidence of large gardens.

Tonight N. (our host) had his equipment set up in the kitchen so we got to see first hand how he makes his homebrew. I think it is illegal to make it, or maybe just to sell it. It is quite an operation. It was interesting hearing about the recipe and the logistics of the operation. Mark took a photo. A future home business?

We brought in our laundry when we came home from class. Several pieces were frozen. Now they are draped over the radiators in our two rooms. March is the start of spring here in Ukraine, but so far it still feels like winter.

Tomorrow I have a meeting to attend – I will be working with a youth leadership group. My exact role is still vague, but I will begin to pinpoint what my internship contribution will be after the meeting tomorrow. One of the first requirements will be finding an available translator since language presents a problem.

• Sunday, 20 March 2005

A cold snap…

Sunday is drifting by in the way a Sunday should. It is easier to relax and enjoy the day because I know our work will not begin on Monday until noon. Our schedule is relaxed because language class is delayed Monday because two of our cluster-mates have a technical appointment Monday morning. Knowing we have no early morning commitments makes today even more relaxing than usual.

The shortwave radio spews out news and stories from BBC. The stories they choose to follow are more global and focus more on politics and economy. In USA, we rarely (never) listen to shortwave radio. In the other room, our hosts nap with the television chattering in the background.

Outdoors the air is cold and crisp. Earlier today we walked to the bazaar. It was cold and the air stung my face and fingertips. There were no pigs for sale today and no horse drawn carts. The wind spoke up occasionally and made itself unpopular with those of us who enjoy wandering the marketplace on Sundays. With Spring’s official start almost here, this cold spell is not appreciated by anyone. Vendors at the market displayed colorful packets of flower and vegetable seeds. The (amazing) fur hats that were retired this past week reappeared today. Faces and fingertips burned, but people still made their way to market make their purchases and to catch up on the local gossip. These are hearty people and they are social too.

Our morning adventure outdoors lasted little more than an hour. We purchased some cookies, a jar of instant coffee and an extension cord. We wandered around a bit and observed people, but the cold encouraged us to come home promptly.

The cold snap brought out venders selling fur hats and warm knitted items. One of the hat venders wore tall, fur mukluks unlike anything anyone else had on. I suspect he makes the hats in his booth and his personal boots are likely his own creation too. He did a brisk business today.

We came home to thaw out and spent several hours wrestling with the various cases and rules that govern the Russian language.

When our hosts came home from the bazaar, they had a large fish in their shopping bag. N. went outside and chopped the creature down to size. I did not go outside and observe N. in this process, but from the sound of the activity outside our window, it was heavy work or a very large fish.

T. actually made short work of preparing lunch. We dined on a variant of a tasty fish soup with a side of fish stew and a plate of sardines and onions. Dessert was a cherry pirogue. The homemade brew appeared again. There were toasts and by the end of the meal we had downed three shots. The alcohol relaxed us all and afternoon naps became the order of the day.

I am not, by nature, one who naps, but I napped today. I slept hard and woke late in the day. It is hard to shake off sleep and I am not comfortable with this loggy feeling.

As I write, the radio has moved from news stories to narrating a radio drama. The light is fading in the room. I can hear N. in the kitchen working on our evening meal. Usually T. cooks, but this afternoon, she is also napping.

I am slow to wake up. I feel the need to brush my teeth and splash water on my face, but as a guest it this house, I am loathe to walk through the kitchen and use the facilities. (It is disruptive to anyone in the kitchen to have someone use the bathroom – they always feel the need to leave if one of us uses the facilities – the door does not close properly so it is not surprising they choose to evacuate if one of us wanders in to use the bathroom. I am reminded of the downstairs bathroom at my parent’s home. They modified it during the last years they lived there so it was not a very private place.)

Wonderful smells drift into our room from the tiny kitchen across the corridor. After our leisurely lunch and the afternoon nap, I am not really ready for another meal, but the smells are inviting. Our Sunday meals in recent years are usually casual – we often eat a large, late lunch and then simply snack on popcorn on Sunday evening. When children were in our home, we made Sunday evening a game night, so the casual meal was part of the event. Popcorn is not readily available here in Ukraine, or at least it is not something most people are familiar with.

We were invited to dinner and now we are back in our cozy quarters. Monday morning is ours because cluster-mates have business so language class will not begin till after noon. The rest of the week is filled with classes and appointments so we will enjoy our morning off. Actually we still have homework to complete tomorrow, even though we have spent almost all day on our studies. The pace is fast here in Ukraine, at least for the PCTs in classes. There is also laundry to do – no machines here.

We hope to stop by the local church on Monday afternoon to see if we can get some Internet time. They have offered us time after 2 on Mondays and Thursday but we are in class until almost 6 so we may not be able to make this happen tomorrow. We have only received e-mail once and only had a couple brief notes and could not really send much last time. We hope to update our website and send some individual mail next time.

Letters to us take about two weeks to arrive I guess, but I doubt anyone has written to us. I miss my daily e-mail connections with various wonderful friends and family members. It was such a privilege to connect each day with so many good people and share hopes, dreams, plans…

We are busy these days during our training and transition, we have no time to be homesick, but in these moments when I find time to journal, I remember how much I enjoy hearing from loved ones. I take joy from my e-mail connections and learn so much from family and friends. I miss the interactions. I am grateful for friends and family and I know I could never be here if it were not for those people who encouraged me to follow my heart and my dreams. I am so thankful for the support. We are all in this world together, but we sometimes do not know how much we influence one another.

Mark is taking a break before we call it a night. He has put together the banjo parts he brought and is breaking in the strings. This involves playing bits and pieces of songs and plucking chords and then tuning and the more playing. It will be fun when he finally is ready to share some music with local people. Singing and music seem to be a big part of Ukrainian culture (according to my reading). The five-string banjo is very American, but when we lived in Spain we met a musician who could make the 5-string sing. Musical instruments are a wonderful way to open doors to new relationships.

(I think there is a 5-string banjo on the “Bering Strait” CD - those musicians are from Russia…)

• Saturday, 19 March 2005

Saturday stuff…

I wonder if younger toddlers ever tire of hearing the people around them speaking to them in a language they cannot really understand? Maybe that frustration would explain their occasional emotional outbursts. I have not reached that level yet, nor do I think I really will, but I do wonder if it may be the case. It is difficult to not be able to share thoughts and ideas with the people around me. My limited language skills do not keep me from communicating, but this limitation does reduce my efficiency and effectiveness. It may, however, enhance my creativity and develop my character.

I find it useful to be grateful for small victories. The language is a challenge. I do not expect to ever be a master of it, but I will have a healthy appreciation for it and for those people who have mastered it.

Outside the wind is once again howling and there is snow in the air. We have a quiet Saturday night ahead. Tomorrow we think we are going with our host family to visit their daughter on a farm near a community in the local area. We discussed this a while back, but have not heard details yet, but our language instructor assures us the plans stand.

After our morning cross-cultural training we had lunch with our host-mother. Her spouse was busy working on the car so she lingered with us as we dined. She is still on her diet so she did not eat the borsht, fried fish, fried mushrooms, mashed potatoes, black bread or cherry piroghy (sp?). She encouraged me to eat, eat, eat… She also decanted some of the home-made vodka and shared a couple shots with us.

After lunch Mark and I made a long walk around the town. This was our first real opportunity to explore a bit. After about a mile, the wind picked up and the snow began to flurry in earnest. We headed back home after about two miles of walking.

One of the neighbors arrived at the door shortly after we came inside. She came to purchase a bit of vodka from our hosts. Customers bring their own bottles and T. on N. decants it in the kitchen. This is not their only entrepreneurial venture: T. also sells Aire Flame cosmetics from a catalog.

Next week will be filled with activity. I have an appointment with the woman that runs the student leadership program locally. I will spend some time speaking with her (with a translator) and will probably work on a leadership project as part of my internship.

Each of us in our training cluster will have an internship project and as a group we will organize and implement a community event. This is in conjunction with our language and culture training, etc.

It looks like Mark will work with the computer folks at the extra-curricular center. They have a student of English on their staff. He teaches some of the computer classes so those two should have a good time sharing techno-geek information. The twelve weeks here in K. are busy ones.

We will have a visit from the PC deputy county director and also one of our cluster mentors this week, in addition to our technical site visits and our internship demands. Language classes and tutoring continue too. On Saturdays we have our cross-cultural training in a neighboring community.

Next Sunday we hope to take a trip to the capital (Kiev) so we are familiar with the transportation system and to sightsee a bit too. In April we will travel to our permanent sites for an orientation and will have to travel back to K. on our own so the trip to Kiev will be practice for traveling independently.

At the meeting this morning, one of the host family members indicated everyone in town knows us – the Americans’ with the hats… Mark and his cowboy hat and me with my shearing hat. The local people wear fur hats that would seem pretty exotic in America.

With snow falling outdoors and Saturday evening stretched out before us and no real plans, I think I may take the opportunity to nap. I am not much of a napper, but the long week, cold air, exercise and that bit of vodka at lunch may be just the combination to make me give napping a try. Later I will tackle some language lessons and maybe write a letter or two.

Later…

Dinner is over. We sat down to a repeat of lunch (pickle soup is actually wonderful). It is Saturday night so the meal started with a kick: samoran (the homemade vodka I mentioned earlier). We toasted and drank and then proceeded to eat. After the meal I encouraged T. to sing a few Ukrainian songs. I found I could hum along as she sang. The songs sound sad. Outside the wind is singing and a lonely cat joins in the songfest (spring is almost here and cats sing for their mates).

When night falls on this village, it is dark. I would not want to venture out at night this time of year. I wonder what it would be like to be a young volunteer eager to have a social life in this small community. During the winter months it would be difficult to go out. I imagine most social activities revolve around friends and family. As in America, many people merely sit down in front of the magic television and while away the cold winter evening, but younger people long for more adventure than that. There does not appear to be a discothèque in K. In the community where our link group is training, there are places for people to dance and socialize. Their experience in Ukraine will be different from those who live in more rural communities. I am content o have a quiet evening at “home”.

When the weather warms and the days grow longer, the evening streets will fill with people. We have been told that when spring comes, the street fill with people eager for romance. Like cooing doves, people nuzzle and kiss because romance is in the air. A stroll by the river, away from any lights, will be a chance for romance. After a long winter indoors in close quarters, people take to the outdoors with abandon. These hearty people who do their daily shopping outdoors all year round, really appreciate the joys of springtime.

I will keep you posted as the events of Spring in Ukraine develop. In the meantime the wind is howling – a last hurrah perhaps.

• Friday, 18 March 2005

Cooking cabbage…

The site visit yesterday provided an opportunity to visit the local business center where people go to register for unemployment benefits. We toured the facility and then spent some time with the director. As the discussion warmed up, the local media arrived to shoot a bit of video for the evening news.

The facility itself appeared to be well organized and was maintained well too. The question/answer period provided us with some insight into post Soviet practices.

The sky was bright and once again we got a taste of spring. We stopped at the Calgary Church facility to see if we could use their Internet access during our stay here in K. (The Deputy Mayor spoke to them on our half.) Two of our folks spent a little time catching up on e-mail and we three others decide to return another day since they can only really accommodate one person. We look forward to having time Monday to finally upload journal notes to our site and o send some e-mail.

Today we visited the bazaar enroute to class. Our mission was to purchase ingredients for our communal lunch. Since this exercise involves developing our Russian-speaking skills we decided to visit several venders rather than buying the items all at once. We each had a chance to ask for items and pay using local currency. It is challenging for newcomers to deal with local currency and to understand native speakers citing prices. An additional challenge for the PCT’s involves using kilograms and grams when buying produce, etc.

Our shopping experience was pleasant and we finished in short order. My shopping bag was filled with a bottle of oil, a cabbage, several cucumbers and some tomatoes. We stopped at the bread vendor and chose a large loaf of wonderful black bread. On the way out of the market I made an impulse purchase: a big, square, knit scarf like I see many of the older women (babushka’s) wearing. The lovely wool reminds me of a soft, grey kitten.

After two hours of Russian class we had interviews with the Training Manager from Kiev. It is already time for the first self evaluation. The training manager and coordinator used this opportunity to get feedback from each of us on how things are going at our site. The men in our group seemed to be the most vocal and each spent quite a bit of time behind closed doors during their individual interviews.

Time is flying by. By this time next month we will know what our permanent site will be. We will travel to our site and spend 3-5 days there for a preliminary visit. The return trip will be on our own so we will have some training on using train and bus transportation before we go.

We also learned that all of our original group is still here. We talked about attrition rates and causes.

After the training team left, we spent the afternoon preparing our lunch menu: borsht, salad, and a fried dessert made of cheese. There was lots of chopping and cutting. Mark, as usual, dazzled people with his ability to slice and dice – the man knows how to use a knife. We all poked fun at B. who had never chopped cabbage and found it to be quite demanding. Yesterday he had his first experience with doing laundry by hand – you can really develop strong arms and wrists wringing out clothes and chopping cabbage.

After the meal we lingered at the table. It was pleasant to just sit and talk a bit. Though the five of us in our cluster group and our facilitator spend lots of time together, we rarely stray far from the agenda to discuss our personal lives. We sat around the tiny kitchen table and talked for a bit.

Tomorrow we have a two hour cross-cultural session with our link-mates. They will visit us here. Several of our host family members will also be there. It should be a lively discussion and it will be a quite a crowd for K’s small apartment!

• Wednesday, 16 March 2005

Chickens and horses…

Another long day of training and I still have a challenging homework assignment ahead of me tonight.

Russian is a challenging language and it is indeed a character building exercise to live here without the ability to interact and converse. I have to keep reminding myself we are in an accelerated class and have actually learned a significant amount in our short time here in Ukraine.

Spring is in the air. Today on our walk to class we observed many chickens out and about, enjoying the morning sun and pecking at patches of black earth that are beginning to show through under the blanket of snow. People are wearing lighter jackets and are beginning to retire their fur hats. Typically, it is the young people who are quick to remove their hats. Young women are donning short skirts to welcome spring.

A horse drawn cart followed us down Main Street today.

Tomorrow we have several hours of Russian class and then another site visit. We will also compose a menu for our cooking exercise for Friday. Part of our language/culture class includes preparing a meal. This means we must put together a menu, shop for ingredients and then work together to prepare a meal. This is a particularly useful exercise for people who have never dealt with the metric system (how many grams/kilos do I buy?) or cooked on a European gas range. Of course we will use the language in order to shop and we will have the opportunity to use local currency too.

This Saturday the cluster at U. will take the bus here and visit our site for a few hours. They are having a more urban experience there. Our lovely rural community will seem like “Green Acres” to them. This really is a lovely site and is more conducive to study and work than theirs is. (We are envious of their Internet access though!)

• Tuesday 15 March 2005

Banduras, singing and tea…

Language classes started early today so we could accommodate and afternoon with our technical coordinator. After five hours of Russian training we had the opportunity to visit to the Extra-Curricular Center here in K.

This facility is separate from the school system, yet provides the kinds of activities one may find in an American school system. They have a small staff, yet manage to serve over 600 young people and seem to do an outstanding job.

The director devoted a couple hours to our visit so we had a good opportunity to ask questions and tour the facility. She is very enthusiastic about the programs the center offers and after our tour, we could see why.

Before we started our tour, we were serenaded by one of the instructors played traditional Ukrainian songs on the bandura and sang for us while we sipped tea and ate cookies. We also listened to one of his students as he performed on this amazing instrument. There are so many strings! Playing a laud requires so much dedication and significant dexterity.

On the tour we heard several singers, viewed children putting on a puppet play, and observed the art club students painting and drama students practicing for a performance. We also spent some time with the sewing club and the knitting club. We ended our tour in the computer lab. They are very proud of this facility, and aspire to have Internet access someday. There are financial issues and infra-structure issues to deal with before that dream can be realized.

Mark collected video on our digital camera – we may be able to use this for our internship project or maybe just add some of it to our website later.

Late in the afternoon, we returned home to complete the daily homework assignment.

No time to relax.

• Monday, 14 March 2005

Medical Day…

Our cluster made another visit to the other site today. This time we gathered at the language instructors’ apartment for a day with the nurses. These two women are hospitable and professional. They gave us immunizations (I got 3), provided us with first aid training, nourished us with food (homemade lentil soup) and also took time to listen to our various concerns and observations. They had a definite agenda, but these women also found ways to use the occasion to educate us on the culture and help us keep our vision broad.

Each of the ten trainees has different needs and concerns. We each are having a different experience too. Since many of the trainees are younger and single, part of the training focused on sexual issues. It was interesting to listen to the dialog on this topic. I found myself wondering how many of the people in our entire group may find themselves married before this 27 month adventure ends.

We checked our e-mail and found only one personal message. It is hard to find an empty e-mail box.

We had only a brief visit to the Internet café and it was frustrating because we still cannot upload our journals or access our e-mail address book soooo I left there feeling very far from home and a bit blue. We miss family and friends and have not even seen a newspaper or heard any news since we arrived.

The late afternoon bus ride home proved to be more crowded than on our Saturday trip. We remained standing for the 45 minute trip. At each stop people from the rear of the bus had to squeeze past us on their way to the front.

Home in time to eat dinner and tackle the homework before heading off to bed.

• Sunday, 13 March 2005

We walked to the bazaar at about 8 and already it was crowded. Ukrainian women are always attentive to their looks and even a visit to the open air market finds them mindful of how they are dressed so they strut about in furs and dangerous looking spike heeled boots. Men wear black leather jackets. Since the weather was spring-like today, the fur hats were left behind and replaced by less impressive headgear. No one ventures out without a hat during snow season. (If you dare to, certainly one of the omniscient, all-powerful babushkas will set you straight on the matter!)

As we headed into the market, I heard a loud squeal and realized the man walking past me carried a small pig in the pillowcase he had in his hand. When we arrived in the market we saw several crates containing plump, pink piggies. Several cars were backed in and the trunks were open – inside each vehicle were several fat little pigs nestled in a warm bed of straw. Some venders brought their goods to market in horse drawn carts. There were rabbits and chickens for sale too.