Time Passing

 I will be leaving here next week to journey home for Christmas. I am finding it hard to believe that I haven't seen my family in so long. I really miss them and look forward to next Friday night when the plane touches down in Boston.

Time passes quickly here in my new life. I have been here 9 months already. It seems like just yesterday I arrived here. It's been an adventure, that's for sure. Life is still good, although I do have some tough days. Today was one of those days.

Being a teacher in a secondary school in the days before Christmas can be difficult. The students are restless and who can blame them? Most of them work hard and are looking forward to the holidays and some time off. Anyway, this afternoon I was teaching a class and I felt like no one was listening to me. I can't think of anything more frustrating than trying to teach a lesson no one is interested in. It's hard not to take things personal, so I felt pretty bad.

Later in the afternoon I met with the Girls Club and tried to put on my best teacher face, but it didn't work. The lesson was less than satisfying and I ended up losing it. Thank goodness for my girls!  They are all so wonderful and kind. They made me feel better by telling me how in my own way am a special person. I just love them all. They are "Phenomenal Women".

Thanksgiving in Lviv

Last weekend I traveled to Western Ukraine to the beautiful City of Lviv to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my fellow PCV's Michelle and Blakely, plus other assorted folks that Michelle either works or is acquainted with. Michelle and I went shopping at the bizarre, cooked a few chickens, made some awesome stuffing (considering neither Michelle nor I knew how to make it!) and potatoes. Blakely made a pasta dish and everyone else brought something to eat or drink. The dinner was wonderful, the evening fun, and everyone enjoyed the traditional foods we made. It was the first American Thanksgiving dinner for most everyone and it was well received.

Lviv is so different from the rest of Ukraine it's hard to believe you are even in an Eastern European country. As I was leaving I was thinking that I had to go "back to Ukraine".

Lviv reminded me so much of Brasov, Romania with it's cobbled streets and ancient architecture. It's historic churches and buildings date from the 13th century. In recent history it was spared some of the invasions and wars that destroyed other Ukrainian cities. It was also part of the Habsberg empire for about 150 years, which is well represented in the wonderful architecture.

The train ride to Lviv was 18 hours each way. It may seem exceedingly long, but getting on the train at 6pm when it's already dark out gives you a false sense of "lateness" and within a few hours the noise and rhythm of the movement lulls you into a sense of comfort and warmth in the compartment and soon puts you to sleep. Unfortunately, I only had about 30 hours to visit and I was right back on the train home the next evening. Next time I plan at least a 2 day visit. It's a long way to go for 1 night, but I wouldn't have missed it for all the tea in Ukraine!

3 Happy Campers

Blakely on top of the Tower

Thanksgiving Dinner at Michelle's Apartment

Untitled

Walking South on Sovietskya Street at Sunset

Gives new meaning to socks standing up on their own!
(The wash froze on the balcony today)

Not what you think!
(I am making homemade lemon extract...I can't buy extracts here!)

It's been a While...

It has been some time since I have posted, but I will blame that on the fact that nothing much is happening these days and sometimes that old adage "No News is Good News" is appropriate. Like now.

I am sailing through my days with working at the lyceum, doing domestic chores, running my 4 clubs, and lesson planning. It sounds like a lot but it's not, really. I also am attempting to set into motion a few projects that I have been working on and hope to see come to pass by the time the summer begins.

The first project I started back in June was to try to convince my community library that they needed to come into the 21st century with the idea that they could have a place that the residents of the city could come and enjoy, much like our American libraries. The idea that we could apply for some grants for computer equipment appealed to the director, so I did a lot of research on this wonderful American-Ukrainian organization called Bibliomist. They offer grants of all kinds for libraries to take advantage of, with one of them being a grant to get 10 computers, a few printers and scanners and some webcams for free for any library who fits the criteria. They had to do a lot of work to apply for this grant...making sure the space they would provide for the equipment was in compliance with the grants specifications, make sure they had a "tech" person on hand, and at least 3 volunteers who would hold classes or just help folks learn how to use the internet and/or computers. It was a lot of work and effort but I am really happy to announce that they have completed the work and sent in the grant papers.  Now we wait for some (hopefully) good news!

My other project with the library involves getting them some free English literature books. They are excited that one day they may be able to offer their patrons a collection of English books to read, as they have told me that all the young people ask for them. I was really suprised at this! Anyway,  there are many free resources for second hand books from America, but the shipping, of course, is not free. I am working with the librarian at the youth library to bring these books here but there is no money and so I am attempting to get some grant money to cover the costs of shipping. It costs $100 for a 35 lb.box of books from this one organization, who would like to be in partnership with the library to keep the shipments up indefinately. I am going to try for a partnership grant, which gets donations from different sources from the USA. It will be posted on the Peace Corps website so I'll post that here if this grant gets approved.

I have also been working with a community partner here in my town and we have been trying to gets some projects off the ground together. We have an old and ugly electrical shed in our yard that he has wanted to paint for the longest time. When we met over the summer he asked me if I wanted to help him, but I told him I would only paint this if he agreed to make it a community project...and also if we could paint a mural or something on it.  He liked the idea and we have been working towards this goal. There were many hurdles. First, Dmitry had to get permission to paint this from the "powers that be". We also had to find out what kind of paint to use and talked to a local muralist. My job was trying to recruit the neighbors and my students to help but had absolutely no luck at all. It was a bit disappointing, but I suspect that when we start another project, folks will be more than happy to help. We have had many positive comments for our efforts.

Last weekend the work began, with the help of Dmitry's girlfriend, who just happens to be a painter. I was not able to participate the first day as I had English Club right at the time they wanted to start. This weekend we did a lot more and it was so cold we didn't finish. Here are the unfinished results....

Catalogues

It's a really exciting and very important day today!  I went to the post office to get some mail and I got quite a pleasant surprise...2 gorgeous catalogues from Romania! Daniela is working hard to continue our Cultural Book Exchange and the exhibition is still on the move. This is the reward for our efforts! Thank you Daniela!

Stuff

I haven't posted for a while, I know.  I've been meaning to but life gets in the way and you know how things are. The Peace Corps has it's high times...those instances when you feel like your rushing head first into something and the momentum is so incredible you feel like you're going to crash. Then it has it's low times...the times where you are thinking...what the heck am I doing here? For the most part, though, I think most of us stay in a "medium" time. You get to the point where you are settle into your site, start your job, get to know your city and neighbors, and then everything takes on a sort of "sameness". The crazyness wears off, as does the newness, and you are left in the middle ground. It's quite a comfortable place for many. I can enjoy it at times, but mostly I prefer the madness. The rushing, the busy-busy, the crazy "what's around the corner I don't know but pitch me in that direction" type of atmosphere. I thrive on that stuff. Things don't always happen fast enough for me, but I have been learning to go with the flow of things here in Ukraine although it is not always so easy.

I've started 4 clubs. I have a Community English Club that meets at the Youth Library on Sunday afternooons. We have between 7 and 15 members. There is a core group of 6 people that come every week, but I never know who is coming or how many will return after the first visit. Sometimes we have a full house, while at other times, it's just the 7 of us. So far it's been really great and I am amazed at the amount of people that speak English in my city. Even more amazing, is that the group members who have lived here their whole lives didn't know it either! At the Luceum, I have 2 English Clubs and  Girls Club. The "Girl Power Group" is my favorite. It's full of great fun, wonderous ideas, and many eye-opening lectures about the empowerment of women.

And now the news....

This radish on the right is the size of a radish you'd see in any supermarket around New England. The radish on the left I purchased from a street vender here...twice the size! Huge and delicious...what's up with that? I thought it was a mutant until...

These babies showed up on my doorstep a few days later. My friend and neighbor Natasia brought these Giant White Radishes to me from her brothers farm....woo..eee!

This is a Horse Chestnet. They are everywhere this time of year. If you're not careful, you can get hit with one falling off the tree. I brought this one in to watch it morph.

I noticed these locks on the bridge over the river for the first time a few weeks ago. Amazing that I never noticed them before!  The locks symbolize a couples love for each other. I was told it is common to see these all over Ukraine. Young couples commit to each other and "lock" in their relationship.

Both sides of the bridge was covered with all kinds of locks. Some were simplyewith the couples name hand-written, and some were extrememly elaborate, like this one on the left. It was clear that some of the locks have been here for many many years.

And now for the silly side of things....I caught one of my students writing with this tiny pencil stub.                    

Miss Mouse in a box...which end is which?

Happy Birthday Novomoskovsk!

Woke up to a flurry of activity in the square this morning. Hmm, no...that's wrong. Actually, it all started yesterday morning at 4am when the men started to erect the stage. At first I didn't know what the clanging was, but when the sun came up I saw them and remembered that the town was celebrating it's 67th birthday this weekend. I was told it is an international fair, but when I went to down to see, it was all Ukrainian fare. This was most likely simple mis-communication. Folks have really put a lot of time and effort into setting up their displays, which run the gamut from quirky to garish.  It was really crowded but I managed to see it all. There were performers, musicians, venders selling food and handicrafts, and lots of kids stuff. There were beer tents, yummy deserts, fresh honey and fruits, and wonderful breads to buy. In fact, the breads were too pretty to eat! I've included a picture below.


There were very few handmade items which surprised me. I saw one woman sewing and tying twine to make these really simple dolls that had a nice rustic charm to them. They were not overly expensive which came as a big surprise. Another woman crocheted some beautiful parasols and scarves, while another made interesting woven decorative items. The quality of these things was really wonderful. There were many venders selling the same types of cheap goods most likely made in China or Turkey. It was a real shame because it's the same stuff you can find anyplace. In one area they had two men carving wooden spoons. The quality of the spoons they were selling and the skill which the men had were worlds apart. After walking around and seeing that many venders sold these same type of carved items I realized that this was their 'hook' to get folks to buy. I don't want to be unkind and say it was a cheap trick but...

The music was great...there were traditional Ukrainian bands, a pan flute player that was really awesome, and of course, the stage was a hive of activity with traditional chorals. It was wonderful until the different venues begans playing all at once and the cacophony of noise became unbearable.

All in all, it was a nice festival, but I think the day will be a long one for me. I've mentioned before that noise rises up from the square and I am dead center of all the activity, and it's super loud in my apartment. The music and fireworks will continue on into the evening so I am preparing for a very late night. Ukraine sure knows how to put on a party...Happy Birthday Novomoskovsk!

Bread Art

More Bread Art

Reproduction of our city square



Folded Paper Swan



Carved Pumpkins



Homemade Carnival Dart Game




Our Trinity Cathedral (match sticks)



Living Vegetables



"Bird Seed" (made of sunflower seeds)



Gummy Heaven

I am a gummy girl. When I received a care package form home last month there was a package of gummy worms from my brother. That was thoughtful, I can tell you. I never expected to see any more gummys for a while but as I was standing in line at the market I saw a package of what looked like candy. I couldn't see inside the package but I had a sneaky suspicion it was something worth checking out so I reached over and squeezed the package.  You guessed it...gummys!  I'd know that squishy feeling anywhere!  I bought a package and rushed home with my prize. Upon tearing open the package I got much more than I bargained for. Not only were they gummy zoo animals, which I had never seen before, but there was a prize inside! Like in the bygone days of the "good" Cracker Jack prizes, the gummy prize has finally come into its own. Inside was a very cool magnet which I now proudly display on my refrigerator. Gummys rule, my friends. Gummys rule.

Elephant, Monkey, Bear, Lion

Novomoskovsk Art

I was walking around the city today looking for a copy shop and came across some cool stuff. Of course, the weirder it is, the more I like it. 

The first image is on the front of my building and it reads "Today's Children". The second was on someone's back bumper parked in my back lot. This one cracked me up, while the first made me a little sad.