·
Friday,
28 October 2005
Cooking with
Gas…Living Vicariously…
It is mid-morning. I hear the
steady rhythm of my upstairs neighbor’s kitchen knife pounding the counter as
she chop, chop, chops cabbage for a pot of soup.
Perhaps she is chopping some other vegetable or is preparing something
besides soup, but I know that almost any soup or dish prepared in a Ukrainian
kitchen probably has some cabbage in it and a bowl of soup is a part on most
Ukrainian meals. So I imagine her
industriously chopping cabbage.
When we lived with our host-family, we would wake to the sounds of T.
chopping vegetables at 5 AM. By the time
we were called to breakfast at 7 AM, the smells rolling out of the kitchen
would make the saliva flow. T. makes the
most wonderful soups and usually the main ingredients do not vary much:
cabbage, carrots, onions, garlic, and chicken are a good start to any soup. Oh yes - add a dollop of fresh sour
cream! Her simple, tasty soups set the
standard for the remainder of my life here in
It is a brisk, gray day. A hearty
soup would be a good meal teemed with some of the crusty dark rye bread that is
a staple here. A glass of Crimean wine
would complete the meal nicely. My
thoughts turn to a favorite of mine: Russian Vegetable Pie – a dish I used to
cook in
Now that we finally have a new tank of gas for our range, we can begin to
cook a bit more.
For several weeks Mark has been certain we would run out of gas at any
moment. There is no gauge on the tank so
it is a matter of guessing.
I am not as concerned as my spouse because, frankly, I could live quite
happily on coffee and muesli (oat cereal), black bread, cheese, tomatoes,
cheese, yogurt and so forth. No stove
required! (We make coffee with an
electric hotpot and a French-press, so no problems!) Mark, on the other hand, has a passion for
cooking and longs to create, as well as to dine, on real meals. I am a more reluctant cook (but a grateful
diner).
There is no science to this process of obtaining a new tank. A delivery truck makes sporadic visits to the
neighborhood, but there is no way to know when or if he will arrive. (He rings a small bell to announce his
arrival – charming, but not very effective.)
Car owners can take their tanks to a station and have it refilled. A large wrench, a special kind of wrench, is
necessary to install or remove the tank.
How long does a tank last?
“Oh, about two months,” says Ludmila, Mark’s Director. I wonder how often and how much she
cooks. Her husband graciously helps us
obtain a new tank and installs it in our kitchen.
So we have gas and I can cook.
No, because, in truth, I am afraid of lighting the gas range.
The huge orange bottle of gas poses a threat to me. The idea of striking a match to light the gas
paralyzes me. It torches when it lights
and makes loud, abrasive sounds. My
vivid imagination paints a blood, guts and gore pictures of us splattered
across the ceiling of our cozy kitchen.
I have yet, in fact, to use the stove.
Not only am I afraid of the gas; it burns my eyes.
I suspect as the weather becomes colder and the days grow shorter, I will
overcome my reticence (no, it is fear) of the beast and begin to cook a few
things. Someday I imagine I will close
the kitchen door and put something in the oven to bake as I spread out my
papers and writing projects on the kitchen table. The window will steam up and the room will be
cozy and inviting when Mark arrives home from is days at the library or his
tutoring sessions across town. Good
smells will greet him as he fumbles with the skeleton key and the lock.
But for now, I avoid the range and the scary orange gas tank in the
corner of the kitchen. I am content with
eavesdropping on the meal preparations upstairs and I know my spouse will come
home and happily cook up a delightful meal while we discuss the events of the
day.
I will sit near the fire extinguisher, just in case.
Hmmm, the chopping upstairs has stopped – just a matter of time now before
the sweet smells of savory soup waft through the open window!
·
Thursday,
27 October 2005
No Heat for
Five Years…Hyper-Inflation…Bank Failure…
Last night at English Club, I was reminded of what younger Ukrainians
have been through.
From 1992-1997 the city of
The city provides heat throughout the community through a system of pipes
and hot water. During those years of
hyper-inflation, homes and businesses throughout this city had no heat. Other utilities were intermittent or
nonexistent too.
On the cold winter nights with bitter winds whipping across the
No heat was only one chilling symptom of a larger problem. During those years, the banks failed. They failed more than once.
There was no money. People with
government jobs (teachers, postal workers, street cleaners, etc) did not get
paid for ten months. When they did get
paid, their paychecks were docked in an effort to find a way out of this devastating
economic crisis. Then no one got paid.
Imagine going for ten months with no money coming in. Imagine going from day to day, not knowing
when or if you might get paid. Imagine
being cold and hungry 24 hours a day for weeks and months on end. Imagine raising children, caring for aging
parents and yourself under these circumstances.
Imagine if you were already unemployed at the start of this crisis.
Communism probably looked good in retrospect during those early years of
independence from the
We hear almost daily about the Great Patriotic War (WWII) and its impact
on life in
We also hear about the hideous famine Stalin imposed on the Ukrainian
people back in 1932-1933 when he forced the Collective Farm policy on this
nation – Stalin used starvation to “break the backs” of the farmers: close to
ten-million Ukrainians starved to death as a direct result of this initiative. At the same time
This history has been suppressed. When
Khrushchev “purged” Stalin in his 1956 secret speech, he did not even mention
this hideous crime, but later in 1970 devotes a chapter of his book “Khrushchev
Remembers” to the imposed famine in
We hear of other brutal historic events that shape the psyche of these
people of “the Borderlands”.
Yes, we hear about these historic events often, but this more recent
experience is not easy to speak of.
We seldom hear about the years of hyper-inflation. Perhaps it is too painful to speak of it –
the wounds have not healed and speaking of it is like picking a scab and
watching the blood flow. Maybe it is too
soon for people to speak freely about the more recent events of the early years
following independence from the
I am chilled and feel raw thinking about what it must have been like to
even get out of bed each morning during those years with no heat, no cash, and
no promise of a future.
On Tuesday I wrote some rambling thoughts in this journal concerning how
frugal and careful people are about their choices. I wrote about how conspicuous and
uncomfortable I feel when I make a purchase that is inconsistent with the
values of my neighbors here.
Unemployment is high here.
Corruption at higher levels is evident.
People are eager to live the “good life” they see on television, in
movies and magazines. People are afraid
of banks and still tend to react by squirreling money away in their homes. They have experience dealing with
duplicity. It is not easy to trust.
The conversation last night about hyper-inflation less than a decade in
the past reminds me that though this country has suffered a long history
battling starvation and oppression, they still live with the threat in more
recent times.
The Ukrainian people astound me with their ability to rise above these
kinds of events and find joy in life.
They are a generous people and they sing often. When it is time to eat, they do not just eat,
they dine.
Despite all the hardships she has lived through in her lifetime, the
woman next door feeds her dozen cats twice each day and gave me a geranium for
my windowsill,
·
Wednesday,
26 October 2005
Death can come at any minute, in any way.
We do not know what is in store tomorrow, or,
Whether there is a tomorrow, or even a tonight!
But still, we have the golden present.
Now we are alive and kicking.
What should we do now?
Love all, serve all."
-
Swami
Satchidananda
The “golden present” – what a gift!
Of course that is not what the phrase extracted from the quote above
means, but isn’t each day really a gift, which we can open with enthusiasm and
excitement and acknowledge with joy?
Even if we don’t feel inclined to like the gift, we can be grateful to
our maker for thinking of us! Give
thanks rejoice…life is good!
What I am
Reading…
I finished reading “Mango Elephants in the Sun” by Susana Herrera.
This book has its moments. Peace
Corps Volunteers will relate to it because it is about one woman’s experience
at a Peace Corps assignment in
I have started Marina Lewycka’s novel “A Short History of Tractors in
Ukrainian” and can not put it down.
Despite the reference to tractors, this is actually a delightful novel. The Ukrainian step-mother is a rather cruel
caricature of people from this country, but looking past that aspect, the book
offers some amusing reading. It is light reading and of particular
interest to me for obvious reasons: it concerns
The tale takes place in
More on Books
& English Club…
I will have to set aside my reading for English Club tonight. The topic is books. The original topic suggested by the English
teachers was “the book I take everywhere”.
I wonder if my Russian phrase book qualifies?
Mark suggested we broaden the topic, but certainly if there are people
who have a book they take everywhere, they may share their thoughts about
it.
It will be interesting to listen to this topic. It has been my experience that people of
Russian heritage value books and revere authors. I have engaged in several conversations about
books, and was grateful I have read widely and appreciate literature, because
their reading choices were not casual ones!
I feel like I am in deep water when the topic of reading comes up with
Ukrainians.
I am wise enough to ask questions and let them speak rather than reveal
the limitations of my understanding. Of
course the language barrier helps me hide too!
Actually, I have read, with pleasure, many of the Russian authors
(Tolstoy, Chekhov, Dostoyevsky, Nabokov, etc. – I need to read Pushkin, whose
style inspired Tolstoy to begins “Anna Karenina”!) and I have read a large selection of French
literature too (Flaubert, Balzac, Proust, et al).
Flashbacks on My
Stateside Bookshelves Far Away…
Besides Russian, French and Spanish authors, on my stateside bookshelves
sadly collecting dust as they wait for my return, are a wide range of novels
and literature (Mark has his own preferences and a large collection of his own,
many of them from the science fiction genre).
There are no quick romance novels, thrillers or mysteries on my
shelves.
I tend to read by author. I select
a book for whatever compelling reason, read it and then wonder about the
author’s other works. I generally focus
on one author and then eventually move on when a reference or recommendation
intrigues me enough to deviate from my path.
I seem to often choose books from the early to middle part of the
Twentieth Century. I enjoy Hemmingway,
Fitzgerald, Cather, Steinbeck, Dreiser, and other American writers of that
era. Oh and the author of the classic,
“Giants in the Earth”…I have many books about pioneer life.
I also have affection for a few contemporary authors so you will find
most of these authors’ works on my shelves:
Ann Tyler, John Irving, Amy Tan, Barbara Kingsolver, to name a random
few.
James Michener fascinated me when I was younger and I would say he had a
direct influence on me. He opened my
eyes to the world in a way that allowed me to step out into that big world and
carve out a life for myself. It is
probably not his writing style, but his topics that appeal to me. (We have lived in many of the locations in
which his novels take place, which adds to my interest level, ie:
Some random authors pop up on the shelves as the result of
recommendations by National Public Radio (NPR) or family and friends.
And there are the wonderful selections I’ve collected as the result of “Saint”
Oprah’s Book Club. (She does a
remarkable job choosing challenging and pertinent novels…what an impact she has
on the book club trade with her marketing skills. Even more significant, she is successful at
getting American women to read good books!)
I have a “woman’s” section of what could be categorized as feminist
works. Next to it on my shelves are many
books about women’s role in the military.
I have many books about things Chinese and by Chinese and some Japanese
authors. “The Good Earth” planted seeds
that influenced my lifelong reading tastes.
Children’s books intrigue me. Many
are in my collection because of the delightful artwork, but some inspire me
with their prose and simple answers to the complicated questions of life. I re-read “The Little Prince” often and learn
from it each time I open its cover. I am
living the lessons from “The Velveteen Rabbit,” growing older and having the fur
loved off of me.
Young people’s books too – The Narnia series, and the original Little
House series on the Prairie series are still favorites, along with Alcott’s
work and Dickens…
There is poetry too…sigh…I miss my musty old books and will have to wait
20 months to see them again…
A few more categories dominate my choices.
I majored in psychology so there are many books on human behavior (Weisel,
and other holocaust writings) and these lead to some self-help tomes (“The
Artist’s Way” is fun and useful and so is “Drawing from the Right Side of the
Brain”) and then, because I spent much time teaching training and management
functions (accredited through CCAF), I have many books on management and
training. (The One Minute Manager series
is there and one of them is autographed by the author whom I met at a
conference in
Then there are the travel books…and my books on Christian Science (Mary
Baker Eddy’s works) and religion in general…oh and art (& crafts) books…and
my collection of architecture and design books concerning small spaces…and….well…there
are many more..
I miss my personal library.
I cannot imagine a home without books.
Our first purchase for our tiny flat here in
I have been here less than a month and those new bookshelves are rapidly
filling, despite the limited access to books in English.
As the Little Prince says, “What is essential is invisible to the eye.” I would say though, that much of what is
essential can be found between the covers of some book somewhere.
Well, back to the history of tractors… I have to see how it ends before I
head off to English Club!
·
Tuesday,
25 October 2005
Joy does not simply happen to us.
We have to choose joy
And keep choosing it every day.
-
Henri Nouwen
There is an expression I use often lately: “We will be here only two
years.”
And what do I mean by this phrase?
Mark is becoming good at interpreting my body language and intonation
when I utter this phrase.
Usually I mean, we can do without that __________ (fill in the blank with
some charming item or even some rather basic household utensil) because we will
be here only two years and we have what we need. We can tough it out. We can make do.
Sometimes when I utter the phrase, the word “but” and the words that
follow, are simply implied. “Yes, we
will be here only two years, BUT we need to (Choose one of the following) a.)
enjoy our life, b.) be comfortable, c.) live like real human beings, d.)
_________.
Sometimes it is a challenge to decide which direction to go. Usually we choose to do without.
Our flat came with an assortment of chipped dishes and odd tea cups. We have what we need to survive. Being practical people and people who are
living on a Peace Corps Volunteer’s allowance, we are keenly aware that we have
the necessary items to maintain our home for the next two years.
As I wash these dishes, I look at them and try to think grateful
thoughts. I am even becoming a bit fond
of some of these sad little bowls. I
have a favorite. It is old and has
character. When Mark serves up a meal, I
always hope I will get that special bowl.
But some days, some days, some days I want to go to the bazaar and choose
some dishes of my very own. I want to
choose.
I use dishes as an example, because I am fond of them and I am always inclined
to purchase charming orphaned bowls and small colorful plates whenever I see
them. If you have visited our home in
the USA, you see that though we have lived a rather transient lifestyle (I
almost said “live like gypsies” but I am sure some people would be upset about
that term and the whole conversation would digress into some other topic about political
correctness, etc…but, I digress…)…as I was sating, yes… we live a rather
transient lifestyle, yet back in America we have accumulated a vast collection
of delightful bowls and small cheery plates.
I get so much simple satisfaction in choosing which bowls and plates to
use as I go through the routine of setting table. Despite all our moves, these fragile treasures
are lovingly packed and are a part of what makes our house feel like a
home.
Our previous international moves have been associated with organizations
that kindly moved our belongings at the close of an assignment. The dilemma was not such an issue.
So here we are in
Yes, we are here for only two years and we can get by on less. We can simplify. We observe how our neighbors live. We live respectfully.
PCVs may choose to spend money from their savings on things that will
bring them comfort or joy. Some pay for
cable TV or purchase new appliances for their flats. Routine purchases seem like conspicuous
consumption here.
Of course it is wise to be comfortable and to make choices that enrich
life. I am not against simple pleasures,
but often our choices draw fire from local people.
“Those rich Americans…” and you can probably imagine what kind of remarks
would complete that sentence.
Just being an American takes on a new meaning when you are the only real
American they have ever met.
Our first host family uses old newspaper for toilet tissue and unplugs
their refrigerator during the winter months to save on electricity. Their dishes are mismatched and chipped.
They live joyfully though. Meals are
hearty and there is singing at the dinner table. Nikolai hugs Tamara and winks at her often. He encouraged Mark to hug and kiss me.
People are frugal in a way we do not see in
When we first arrived here Mark wanted to buy some hangers for our shirts
and blouses. One of Mark’s acquaintances
from work was with us at the bazaar and decided to help us shop. What should have been a simple purchase
suddenly became a very tiring and demanding shopping episode and we came home
with no hangers. Hangers cost about 20
cents apiece.
People here consider their purchases carefully. They shop around. They have no qualms about asking how much
you paid for an item and will also inform you that you have paid too much.
Of course people like to be helpful.
We recently bought a loaf of the wonderful black rye bread that is
available everywhere here. A woman whom
we have met saw us standing at the bus stop and made a bee-line to us. “You paid too much for that bread. They charge too much in that store. You should not shop there,” she said.
We paid about 3 cents more for that bread than we would have paid
elsewhere.
I recently chose to purchase a broom at the supermarket rather than
trudge across town to the bazaar to comparison shop. I found myself feeling defensive about my
purchase knowing someone would ask me what I paid and would shake their head
and berate me for being such an imprudent shopper.
I felt very conspicuous walking home with my broom which I could have
purchase at the bazaar for 50 cents less.
(I could have bought two hangars or two trips on the marshutka or about
four pounds of potatoes for that difference!)
Of course people here make far less money than we do in
The learning curve on living simply is steep too.
But you know - we will be here for only two years.
·
Monday,
24 October 2005
The Doctor
Makes House Calls, Billiards & Hummers…
Here it is Monday
evening and I finally am sitting down to write - Mark came home early Friday
and brought me my daily "fix" of downloaded e-mail messages. He
usually checks mail late in the day because that's when mail arrives here. Since he came home early, my mailbox is not
very full. (When the business day is over here, it is just beginning in the
Mark came home early because the library director closed the library. She determined it was too cold at the library
and sent all employees home for the day. The city has not turned on
the heat yet. Last year there were
problems paying for heat. This year, the
library can close one day a week to save on fuel.
People supplement
the city heat with electric radiators, but it is a rather expensive solution
for many people. Eve when the heat is
on, flats and houses here are usually much cooler than what Americans are
accustomed to. Buildings are not
insulated nor are the windows energy efficient.
(Our flat has brand new windows which seal well –they were a wise
investment.)
The weekend warmed
up nicely. After a cold wet week (see my
journal earlier this week for some whining about getting my laundry dry -
between water & power outages and rain...sigh...)
Friday night we used the laptop as a DVD player and watched one of the 10
English-speaking DVDs we have with us - we watched "K-19, the
Widowmaker". It is excellent. The plot, based on a true
event, follows a crew of Russian sailors in a nuclear submarine as they go
through a hideous disaster just off the coast of
Saturday night we went out with several people for an evening of billiards.
Four Ukrainians (or should I say Crimeans?) and three Americans. Mark and
I were the old foggies of the group, but never felt like it
though everyone else was around 26.
The three men played Russian billiards and the women played eight ball
on the one American style table in the place. The two police officers who
were with us, took drink orders and then disappeared for a while. They
returned from the grocery store with several bottles of wine and some large
chocolate bars and bags of chips. There were stray dogs roaming through
the billiard hall which was in the basement of the prestigious Pushkin Theater
on
Mark managed to learn the Russian billiards game and beat the men several times
while I also was victorious at the women's table. Who knew we were pool
sharks? 8-)
Conversation was amusing since only two people in the group are really capable
of speaking both languages. We had
fun.
Once the police officers learned that I was a retired Air Force NCO they had
lots of questions and thought it was great fun to hear me talk about some of my
experiences. We did some jodies (marching cadences) and they
laughed. Jodies led to actual singing sooooo we ended up doing karaoke at
a street booth. (People love to sing here...If you come to visit, I recommend
you have a couple songs, ballads are especially popular, to share with people.)
On the walk back to our flat we saw a Hummer - pretty strange in a country
where not many people have cars. The
Hummer started a conversation about wealth and one of the police made
references to the "Mafia" here in Ukraine/Crimea...
FYI: One of the police officers plays trombone in a jazz group - we had fun
telling him about my sister Janeen who plays in the Circus Band and has a red
trombone.
We got invited to join them all for an evening of dancing next weekend.
Sunday we did our shopping at bazaar - I never tire of watching people at the
open air market. I take lots of photos and we buy too much stuff - Mark
hauled home about 45 pounds of veggies, etc......when you buy by weight, you
know exactly how many kilos you are toting!
Today the doctor from Peace Corps made a house call here and gave Mark and
another PCV avian-flu shots. He made a long trip to administer two
shots. His office is in
There are a couple articles about avian-flu below. It is a big deal here I guess, hence the
urgency about the shots. People eat lots of poultry here. The second short article below references a
boycott on American poultry - we heard about this when we arrived last year -
people had nothing nice to say about Purdue chickens...
It is getting dark early - the clocks roll back an hour this weekend so by 4:30
it will be night. We really should be in the same time zone as
1. FEAR SPREADS IN UKRAINE AS BIRD FLU ARISES IN NEIGHBORS
Natasha Lisova, Associated Press (AP), Hazhyn, Ukraine, Thu, Oct 20, 2005
HAZHYN, Ukraine - Bird flu hasn't reached Ukraine, but in this village where
chickens and geese run freely, residents are debating what to do if it reaches
them. They fear it's only a matter of time.
In the past week, the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu appeared in Romania, which
borders Ukraine to the south, and advanced into the European part of Russia,
which lies to Ukraine's east.
Slaughtering their flocks would be a big blow; domestic birds are an important
source of income and food in this impoverished ex-Soviet republic. So far,
there is no need.
But
The H5N1 strain has killed 60 people in
This country of 47 million has already strengthened controls over the poultry
industry, banned wild bird hunting and urged Ukrainians to keep their birds
inside - advice few appeared to be heeding.
In addition to fears of a human pandemic, Ukrainians were also concerned about
what they would eat. Poultry is often the only meat that many Ukrainians can
afford.
Lyudmila Muharskay, a top health official, said the Health Ministry was pushing
to increase the country's stockpiles of ordinary anti-flu medicine. Ukrainians in areas considered high-risk,
near the Romanian border and near wet lands where migratory birds are often
found, have already started receiving vaccinations.
Such shots are given to prevent more-common flustrains so that if a person gets
infected with the bird virus, there is no human flu strain inside the body to
mix with and create a dangerous hybrid. -30-
=====================================================
2. UKRAINIAN VETERINARY CHIEF RESIGNS AFTER BIRD FLU CRITICISM
Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, in Russian 1127 gmt 20 Oct 05
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Thu, Oct 20, 2005
KIEV - The head of the state department for veterinary medicine, Petro Verbytskyy,
has tendered his resignation.
"The resignation request has indeed been submitted," the
Interfax-Ukraine news agency has learnt at the Ministry of Agrarian Policy.
Verbytskyy wrote the letter of resignation of his own free will, providing no
reasons. The Cabinet of Ministers should take a decision on Verbytskyy's
resignation.
[Agricultural Policy Minister Oleksandr Baranivskyy has recently criticized Verbytskyy
for what he described as the state veterinary service's failure to take
necessary precautions against bird flu - see Kommersant-Ukraina,
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTE: Petro Verbytskyy has been a very controversial head of the
state department of veterinary medicine. He used several of his 'unusual'
and 'new' biological theories about the way the U.S. processes poultry meat and
its possible impact on the human body to effectively stop the import of U.S
poultry into Ukraine for several
years. Many persons who worked on this problem felt the real reason the
import of poultry was stopped did not have anything to do with the 'unusual'
and 'new' biological theories promoted and effectively used by Petro Verbytskyy
to stop the import of U.S. poultry. EDITOR
__________________________________________
3. Movie:Everything Is Illuminated
"Everything is Iluminated" opened in
station is actually in
·
Friday,
21 October 2005
Newsweek &
Baby Talk…
When Mark leaves for the library each morning, I remain at the breakfast
table, pour a second cup of coffee and indulge in reading a few articles from
the far-to-quickly-dwindling stack of Newsweek magazines. (PCVs in
The August 15th Newsweek features an engaging article on research
on how babies think. I read it with
interest. I was particularly interested
in the brief references to experiments exposing infants to foreign
languages.
It appears there must be an emotional connection to language learning for
infants to actually assimilate meaning. It
is the human element that provides this element. If the baby simply views an audio/video tape
they fail to learn. They consider it
“just another background noise, like a vacuum cleaner.”
I have wondered whether having the TV or radio on would help me integrate
what I read in my Russian studies and improve my vocabulary and
understanding. Radio is background noise
for the most part, but I have noticed that when I become familiar with a song
and like the rhythm and melody, I sometimes try to sing along. I master the words more easily and interact
when I hear the song. Perhaps the music
facilitates an emotional connection.
The practical application of what the article says is I need to get out
and talk to more people if I am to master the basics of this language. I guess, like most anything in life, success
has to do with emotional involvement and in my experience, emotional
involvement involves commitment.
The Culture of
Running Water…
According to a sidebar in my Russian phrasebook, sinks in this part of
the world often do not have plugs. This
is not because people do not wash in them, but it reflects a prevalent attitude
that running water is more healthful than bathing in a basin of water.
Apparently the people they refer to have running water available.
·
Thursday,
20 October 2005
Rain Outside
& No Water Inside…
It looks like rain again today.
It is Thursday and Tuesday’s early morning laundry (most of our towels) is
still dripping, dripping, dripping on the clothesline in the garden.
Oh well, without water we don’t really need the towels right?
Managing laundry is obviously going to be a challenge during the rainy
season and throughout the winter.
No washer and dryer in the flat and no laundromats or dry cleaners in the
community. Perhaps this is a viable
economic development project it his country where people love stylish clothes
and take such care to look good!
I drew an extra bucket of emergency water this morning. There has been no water the past two
days.
I may be a slow learner, but two days in a row without water may indicate
a pattern.
(Hmmmm, a laundromat may face problems with unreliable water and power
sources – make a note of that as a limiting factor for any economic development
project.)
So far I have lucked out on the personal hygiene aspects on this intermittent
waterless situation so my hair and I are fresh and clean.
The PCV “Look”…
Long before we arrived here I began perusing PCV blogs and online
journals. The photos they post often
reflect a certain “look” which no doubt has to do with water supply
challenges.
One of the obvious adjustments for PCVs seems to be in appearance. Traveling light and learning to cope with
challenges like reliable water and power supplies, climate and availability of products
make compromises necessary. The learning
curve is steep.
Yes, vanity may suffer during this experience in being flexible and
learning to cope. Individuals who once
were the epitome of professional appearance now find themselves satisfied to be
simply clean and neat. It can be
humbling.
While we learn to cope and adjust, our host-country peers amaze us with
their ability to walk through a rainstorm and still show up well groomed, shoes
shined and hair styled, while the American counterpart appears mud-covered,
frizzy-haired and certainly not in stylish clothing since many PCVs show up in
country with clothes more well suited to a camping trip rather than a
professional setting.
Of course I am poking some fun at the PCVs, but it seems like many of
them prepare for their assignments by shopping at REI, LL Bean and other
outfitters…you can almost pick a PCV out in a crowd by the kind of hiking
sandal they are wearing! Here in
Labels &
the Living Room…
All over our flat there are little yellow sticky labels indicating the
Russian words for various items, ie: window, curtain, door, wall, bed, etc. I wonder how many of the folks in our
training group have a décor that includes similar labels.
This concept of labeling household items is part of many early language
learning programs. I am really past that
stage in my Russian studies, but spent a few hours yesterday refreshing my
memory on some very basic lessons and found this exercise to be rather
therapeutic.
I am sure the workman was impressed (or maybe puzzled) to see the
telephone and refrigerator labeled in Russian.
Our living room walls resemble a cross between a kindergarten classroom
and a military command post. In lieu of
art, the bare walls of our living space are covered with maps of
There are, of course, photos from friends and family in the
And of course there are the labels.
Which reminds me…I should be studying my Russian right now…
Paka!
·
Wednesday,
19 October 2005
Midmorning
Coffee Break…
I am sipping coffee from a mug I picked up in Kyiv. It is a lovely blue and is an American style
coffee mug.
Returned PC Volunteers and current Volunteers advised us - coffee is not
available here. At gatherings there will
always be tea and there may be a jar of instant Nescafe for those aberrant
folks who choose to forgo tea. (I
shudder to even label instant powders as coffee!)
My spouse and I are diehard coffee aficionados so when we packed for our
move to this part of the world, we packed accordingly. We stashed a French press pot and many bricks
of our favorite coffee into our limited baggage allotment. (Our favorite comforts see to weigh most and
with only 100 pounds authorized per person, there are limits to the coffee and
books one can reasonably carry.)
Settled now in
So, this “Maxwell House-wife” is happily sipping said coffee after an
exciting morning of doing a bucket or two of laundry, sweeping floors, dusting
furniture, washing dishes and generally making sure our cozy nest remains
pleasant.
Coffee is making headway here. Located near the checkout n many stores I
have frequented since my return to
Packaging is everything, or at least it can be useful in enticing
buyers. In this culture, no home is
without a handy electric teakettle.
Instant products that require a dash of hot water are quite popular and
convenient for lunching or teatime breaks (note: they do have teatime breaks
and take them very seriously here).
Coffee is edging in through machine too.
I observed a coffee vending machine in the entry to the
supermarket. For a few kopecks (not sure
of the cost) coffee drinks are served up in a small plastic cup.
So coffee is catching on or catching up here. Now if we can just get the locals to serve it
in a coffee mug instead of a dainty tea cup or a tiny espresso cup!
Things PCV
Visitors Could/Should Bring When They Visit Other PCVs…
Just some random thoughts on what fellow PCVs could bring along when they
visit other PCVs (besides the obligatory bottle of dry red wine I solicit from
all my guests!)…
·
Tuesday,
18 October 2005
We are
Powerless!
0830: I pour soap powder into two buckets and reach
for the water nozzle in the shower. The
power goes out. The lights go
immediately and the music from the radio seems to linger a few beats
longer. By the time the music stops
resonating, the refrigerator coughs to a stop, and I realize that we have no
power.
In the absolute silence of the moment, I hear my laptop in the next room
adjusting itself to the situation. It
makes a distinctive crackling sound as the battery takes over. On reduced power, the screen takes on a bluer
tone and everything on the screen appears darker.
Now what? I think my power is
connected to the store next door. If
their freezers fail, so do my lights. I
wait.
Plans for my immediate projects require power: cold water to do laundry,
hot water to shower and do dishes and lights to guide me in the dim, windowless
entry hallway where I hurriedly stacked clothes and personal items which need
to find a home in the new closet.
Through the wall, I hear voices in the store. Soon they will resolve this situation. Or perhaps it is neighborhood wide.
Yesterday, rain kept people out of the streets somewhat. This morning the sun is bright, but the air
has a bite to it. I look out the window
and see only one person on the streets.
He wears a stocking cap. This is
a first this season – an adult wearing a knit cap. Up till now the only cool weather wear I have
seen has been in the form of fall fashion.
The young women are eager to wear their dramatic fall coats and
aggressive-looking boots with stiletto heels and pointy toes. The weather has not forced people to don
serious cold weather attire yet.
I pour coffee from the thermos and remember to be grateful that I was not
in the midst of the shower when the power went off. Standing in the dark shower stall with a head
full of shampoo with only cold water (or no water) would be a rough start to
the day.
I think about friend T’s place (see notes on our weekend guest’s recent
visit). He hauls water up from a well;
he uses coal to heat his home and his water.
He has an outhouse. He has no
shower or bathroom.
There are no sounds now. The
voices from the store are silent.
Outside there are no people or cars.
From my windows I see no dogs and only two cats. Usually there are several dogs happily
cruising the neighborhood on their morning rounds looking for food and friendly
pats. By now I can usually count twenty cats;
at this hour, they usually stretch out or curl up in sunny spots having
completed their morning ablutions.
The city has not turned on the heat yet this season. The flat was chilly and damp last night. We
slept under the duvet, grateful for the warm feathers inside.
I wonder if people snapped on electric heaters in their flats this
morning to take the edge off the chill.
The price of these small heaters has come down and there are more
available each year. We have seen young
couples walking home from the local store carrying small electric
radiators.
The demands for power may exceed the supply.
I pull on a sweater. The sun is
coming out and the sky is bright.
No Water Now…
1000: My radio sings
to me again and Ivan (our sad, old Soviet refrigerator), hums and coughs along
with the music.
The power is on, but there is no water now.
I managed to eke out enough water to scrub some towels before the water
supply tapped out.
Towels are soaking in suds, waiting, waiting, waiting.
Years of training have aught me to expect the unexpected so we have
several bottles of emergency water cleverly stashed in our tiny flat, just in
case. Four large plastic water bottles
currently comprise the legs for our improvised coffee table. They are hidden by a tablecloth that gives
our creative solution a bit more elegance or at least allows us the illusion of
it.
We have emergency candles in our flat and carry small flashlights with us
for a variety of uses including unexpected power outages and dark streets with
open manholes and packs of dogs and other surprises.