Christmas with the Luongos

Christmas has come and gone with the speed of light. Thankfully. Not that we do a lot of fussing and visiting and Christmas-like things but we're all agreed that the retail industry makes us want to puke. What ever happened to what the season is really all about? I found myself refusing to watch television...even the news...because I was tired of hearing how well or bad the retail industry was faring. Huh.  Call me Scroogette. In my family we give joke gifts, dollar store junk or hand-made silly stuff. It's all good for a laugh and then afterward we donate most of it to the Salvation Army. I'm happy to report that there were no shortages of "chicken" gifts again.

The Luongo Family

Brother Dave with his dollar store "bling" teeth

I love this! A gift from my brother

A gift from my Nephew Matt. He bought a kids puzzle at the dollar store and did his own masterpiece on the reverse side...brilliant!

My "power" ring. Catwoman and I made quite a team, along with brother Dave, to win this year's Trivial Pursuit game.

Matt having a bit of fun with the detached hand I gave him.

What's Next?

I'd like to think that for all my efforts I would be hearing about a position soon but it seems as if in todays' world things just don't happen as fast as they used to. Imagine that! While the world is faster than ever, I seem to have been kept waiting for a long long time. Huh.

Firstly I'd like to point out once again the totally unprofessional practice of not acknowledging a job applicant...whether with good news or bad. I think this is what makes the waiting so much longer. That said I did have a wee but of luck in the past 2 weeks as I had 3 job interviews.

The first interview was with the Department of Homeland Security...by far the most interesting position yet. It would mean a good job with a decent pay and with a real future. A place to grow and stay forever grounded. I like this in a job. It's something rare today and also something I've never had before. It's been 2 weeks and still I haven't heard anything but I'd like to think that being the holidays things will be put off for a time.

The second interview was the job I had been hoping for, albeit a temporary one. Unfortunately that job was completely different from the one I had applied to! The job description led me to believe I would be working with the students from RISD doing community projects. It turned out to be totally administrative. Not what I had expected at all.

The third job was in my own city...for the position of Animal Control Officer. That interview was a bit strange. Firstly, it felt like a cattle call. One interview was scheduled after another. We candidates were sitting in the hall pondering our fates together. Huh. When it my turn I had my pen and notes in hand and was ready for interview. I sat in a time office with 3 people. One sat behind me doing God knows what and two people faced me. One was a handsome police sergeant who was very interested in what I had to say, and the other, an old women from the personnel department in city hall. As soon as I sat down she insisted I re-read the job description and placed it in front of me. I told her I had already read it before I came in. She insisted again. At this point I showed her my copy of the description and repeated that I had already looked at it...just before coming into the office. She asked me to talk about myself and about why I was interested in the position. I explained I was drawn to it because it involved education and outreach. At this she said it was not part of the job so I pointed it out in the job description. Huh. Then I talked about educating the public about where to bring pets in an emergency. Again she said it wouldn't be my job to do this. Thankfully, Handsome stepped into the conversation and told me education and outreach is part of the job (albeit a small part) but they had only begun to figure out the programming of it all. Of course, I told him, I was bringing my expertise in project development to the position and he liked the idea. The women eventually apologized to me. I think she was a bit embarrassed. She was so concerned that I understand the position at hand that she never gave it a good going over herself! I had a feeling that they had been interviewing for quite a while and that a good amount of the candidates didn't know what they were walking into and she was just plain exhausted.

That's it on the job front. 129 resumes/cover letters/applications thus far.

Huh.

Keeping me Posted

I've been getting daily posts regarding Ukraine and the protests happening in the capital city via the newspaper and the radio. I am proud of the Ukrainian people bold enough to stand up to the corrupt administration.  They are peacefully venting their frustrations...no matter what you may see on TV or on the internet, any violence that has taken place was instigated by the government. They had put their own hooligans among the crowd to make it seem like the opposition were at fault...not true!!!!

Last night the police again attempted to tear down the barricades and went away without succeeding. The people are steadfast in their resolve and I am happy to say that Ukrainian people are  strong in their convictions and will not back down. It is truly a wonderful sight and my only regret is that I am not in the country anymore to bear witness to this historical happening.

A peaceful visit to Kiev with other PCV's

Snow Day

Yes, I do live in Rhode Island!

Ukraine in Turmoil

I wanted to put in my two cents and say how proud I am of those brave Ukrainian people in Kiev who are standing up to the government. After backing out on a promise to sign an agreement with the European Union, President Yanukovych claims that the EU deal was a bad one. Ha! I think Vladimir Putin had a great deal to do with this turn-about and right now about 100,000 people are mighty pissed off and are demonstrating in Independence Square in Kiev. As well, about two hours ago I read a news report that approximately 200 people took over city hall! Hooray for Ukrainians standing up for their rights as citizens! Long live INDEPENDENT Ukraine!

The News

Some people say bad things come in three...but would you believe, good things do as well? Seriously. This week popped up three interesting prospective job opportunities...and all in the space of just six days.

The first opportunity came up last Friday. I was perusing the AmeriCorps website and discovered a job tailor-made for me. I would be working in the Center for Student Involvement at RI School of Design. The job would have me working with students in the community outreach sector. WOW!
Art and community!  My job would be to work with art students to "build a culture of service and professional development at RISD that ripples out to surrounding agencies, organizations, and community members". Hmm. Sounds like a great job to me! The downside is that it will only last for one year...and I'd be right back where I started...unemployed. If I could see the future and know that this job would lead to another, I wouldn't hesitate. I wouldn't even consider taking another job in this case.

The second opportunity came on Wednesday morning while I was in the middle of helping out mom with our Thanksgiving meal preparation. The phone rang and who should it be but the Department of Homeland Security?  They wanted me to email my transcripts and set up a phone interview. The  position is for an Immigration Analyst in the Asylum Division out in Queens, NY. WOW!  I've been applying to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services within the Department of Homeland Security since I went to Washington DC in August. I had met a young women at the Peace Corps career conference who worked as a Refugee Officer in DC in this division who told me she loved her job. She talked a lot about it and it really sparked my interest in working with refugees and/or new immigrants seeking asylum in America. I've been applying for jobs since then and have finally heard back from someone!!! The difference between the first job and the second, is that I can have a prolonged career with the Federal Government. There is room for advancement in the DHS and this could quite literally, be my last job. (I have been saying that my next job would be my last job...so perhaps...maybe...yeah).

The third spark of opportunity came in the mail just after the phone call from DHS. It was a letter from the City of Warwick directing me report to the Warwick Police Department on December 5th to take a written exam for the position of Animal Control Officer. There are two reasons I had applied for this job...the first one being the welfare of animals. Even in our enlightened times there are still people in America who abuse animals and I am passionate about protecting them. The second reason is that I would be able to do community outreach. This would be the best part of the job because I love designing and implementing programs that educate. How cool would this be? Plus the benefits for working in my city are pretty ridiculous.

So, now I have a bit of a dilemma. I have listed the jobs in the order they came in but as I look at them now, they are in the order of preference too. The first job, as I stated earlier, is perfect for me but the drawback is that is only temporary. The second job is something that I have been hoping for because I could really make a difference in peoples lives and it has lots of room for advancement. The trouble with this job, however, is that I don't know if I will be free to suggest improvements or changes in projects and programming because the government has a certain way they like things to be done and with lots of rules and regulations. Would they listen to my ideas for change, improvement or otherwise or would I simply be another cog in the wheel of the government machine? The third job appeals to me on the levels I already mention but I have an inkling of how thinks work in my city on the local level. City workers oftentimes have a bad reputation of being overpaid and underworked. Fortunately, there are many who do work hard and serve a purpose in our city government but are non-the-less lumped in with the rest. Our city also has a reputation of being overly man-friendly. I have heard that it's a boys club in our city government and women have a hard time voicing their ideas or getting anything done. For those of you who know me really well...can you see me putting up with that nonsense?  Laugh. Out. Loud.

I'll just have to wait and see and I will keep you posted.  Happy shopping for all you nutty people.

Not (yet) Finding my Place in the World.

I've been officially home from serving in the Peace Corps for 6 months now. I've been officially looking for a job for close to 13 months. And I look every day...all over the world. Needless to say I have looked at practically every avenue available.

It is said that in order to find work it is necessary to market yourself in ways that you never would have in times past. This includes full disclosure of yourself in practically every way imaginable to entire world via the internet. It's also important to network. I actually attended a lecture in Washington DC on the fine art of networking. It was really informative. I guess to get yourself a job anywhere now you have to use networking tools such as Linkin and Facebook. These tools I have mastered and still...not even a nibble. Most importantly, face-to-face networking is supposed to get you to the place you need to go. Problem is, where should I go to network?

I never leave the house.

I guess if I had a community of like-minded people it would be a good place to start. If I want to work in the world of finance, I would need to find some kind of lecture or support group for bankers. Same goes for government work and art work or any other type of work. So what ends up happening is, it is not WHAT you know, but WHO you know.

I have always taken exception to this. Living in a small state like Rhode Island, everyone knows everyone, right? It's really true...and if you don't know someone outright, you know their cousin, or their cousin's cousin's wife. The trouble with this is, I have never known anyone who could actually be in a position to help me. Of course, everyone has advice. Some if it good, some not so good.

"Who do I have to f**k to off this boat" ?

The other day I watched one of the Alien films for the 134th time. My hero, Lieutenant Ripley was a clone of herself in the final film "Alien Resurrection". Towards the end of the film she said something that has been resonating in my head ever since. This line reflects my exact feelings these past few weeks and God help me it's crude but I just can't help myself. I want to scream this from the rooftops for all the world to hear...and just perhaps someone will wake up and take notice of my dilemma.

                                                                                        

The Positive Side of Things

Well, after reading my last blog post I could feel the negative energy flowing from the page so I decided to write again to counter that with something positive.

Although still uncertain where my future will lead me, I have taken some steps to occupy my time and also try to improve my chances of getting work. I have taken courses, some free and some not, to try to sweeten the deal should someone wish to take a chance on me. In the field of community development, I took an awesome e-learning course given by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Managing Gender-based Violence Programs in Emergencies. It was not only an interesting and easy to follow course, it was extremely informative and eye-opening. I recommend it to everyone. Here is the link so do not hesitate to check it out. https://extranet.unfpa.org/Apps/GBVinEmergencies/index.html

The next course I took was an online TEFL/TESOL certificate course. I have been on the fence for years about this type of learning and have done a lot of research on it. I found that there are so many websites offering these courses and the only difference I could find was the price. I thought that because I already worked for 3 years as an ESL/TEFL teacher I could easily fall back on teaching English if nothing turned up for me elsewhere but the truth of the matter is that 99% of these openings require a certificate! So, I started to research online programs again and came away just as confused as always....which course, how many hours, how much money....it made me nuts! I decided to go the cheapest route possible and put "Cheap TEFL courses" into a search engine and lo and behold, I found myself with something I had not expected at all....a Groupon!  For $69 I could get myself a 160 hour TEFL course...$69!! Before swallowing this however, I needed to do some more research into it as I didn't want to walk into a scam. I found everything I needed to know on the Lonely Planet website. For over an hour a read an on-going message board about this course. I found that there was 1 negative guy, 1 idiot (this person claimed that the site was poor because of all the spelling errors...what I found was that it was British English and absolutely correct by their standards) and all the rest of the people chiming in had nothing but positive things to say about it. In particular, one woman was a long-time teacher who was moving to another country and thought she could teach English as a way to supplement her income. Her comments were positive, upbeat, and she really liked the course and this impressed me the most, being a teacher myself. I took the bait, took the course, and got my certificate...in 2 weeks!  I have to tell you that it was not as easy as I thought it would be. I figured since I was already an experienced TEFL teacher, it would be a breeze. Not even close. So, I did get through it and am pleased and happy, because now I can begin looking for a teaching job overseas.

For the Groupon: http://www.groupon.com/browse/chicago?lat=41.8781136&lng=-87.62979819999998&address=Chicago,+IL,+USA&query=TEFL+course&locale=en_US

For the course: http://www.tesolexpressonline.com/

So, that's that. I have a back up plan and I feel much better now.

The Edge of Madness

It has been a while since I wrote, I know, but I didn't want to write anything negative because that is how I have been feeling lately. I am no longer able to keep this all to myself for fear of going mad and I thought it was time to let it all out.

Since I came home life has been a bit empty. I miss the Peace Corps and I have a lot of time on my hands since I am still unemployed after all this time. What have I been doing? I spend between 2-4 hours every day doing all things "jobs". Looking and applying for work, revamping yet another resume or CV, honing job skills and trying to remember the skills I possess but have forgotten about and doing lots of reading and research on all things "jobs".

I began my search for employment way back in the spring of 2006. I was just about finished with grad school and I got lucky when I landed a (very) part time teaching gig with Worcester State University teaching one class per week. I loved this job. It was the best damned job I ever had. It was everything I ever wanted in a career except for one thing...more hours. I spent 3 years there teaching this one class. I had the freedom to design and execute anything I wanted. I found out I was born to teach...that I had an inborn ability to give knowledge to people that they never before possessed. WSU is a liberal arts college and at that time art was a minor. There were no "art" students...just people looking to gain some necessary credits toward their degree. Most of them didn't know anything about art and frankly, most didn't care much either. By the time the semester ended I had students thanking me for the class. Thanking me! I've never been able to duplicate this feeling since that time.

During this time I was a very busy artist...I had a  thriving studio practice, exhibitions happening all over the place and I had started a cultural book exchange with an artist in Romania. It was around this time things started to go down hill. Let me briefly outline it. First, my best and oldest friend in world passed away. She was 50. Next, at the end of 2009, WSU cancelled my course, which was a real blow because this job paid for my studio. I found a series of part time work and began teaching classes in my studio but it was a real struggle but I continued applying for work where I could. To top things off, my beloved kitty passed away in October of that year. Harley was 17 years old and the love of my life. Seriously.

The following year was difficult too, as I suffered a series of setbacks. More job losses, pain and hospitalization, and yet another terrible loss...the death of my other kitty, Cookie. She was 13 years old. As well, my mom had broken her ankle and I had to leave a temporary job to take care of her, resulting in the temporary loss of my unemployment benefits. Talk about stress! The job search culminated in my having to close my studio practice, as I was completely unemployed by the end of 2010. Not such a great year, although I did travel with an exhibition to Romania which was pretty great considering everything I went through. It may not sound so bad but I have left out so much of what transpired in that year. I wish I had blogged about what was happening in my life at this time. It was emotional, difficult, and so stressful I can't begin to explain it. Suffice it to say it put me in the hospital where I was discovered to have 6 ulcers. Not good.

The following two years proved to be an amazing life-changing experience as I had been invited to serve in the Peace Corps. I started "The Pecking Order" when I decided to join the Peace Corps and it follows my adventures from application to acceptance to adventures. The Peace Corps was the best thing that ever happened to me. It not only led me to understand my full potential, it allowed me to do so while helping other people. An absolutely unbelievable experience.

Having said all this, I also realize that the Peace Corps could lead to a great job. Everything I had heard, read, or been told points to this as absolute fact. I started my job search again near the end of my service. In October of 2012, I began to do all things "jobs" once again. Revamping, researching, locating and applying for work. Since that time I have applied for 64 positions. From these 64 applications perhaps 15 have sent me a formal rejection letter. I'd like to thank these people for rejecting me. Seriously. It shows me that they are paying attention. It shows that they appreciate all the time and effort I put into applying. I don't know what has happened over the years that makes it okay to be unprofessional. I believe that a simple "thanks but no thanks' is absolutely appropriate. I don't give a rat's ass that 200 +/- people have applied for one job. If an organization can't be bothered to acknowledge that I put lots of time and effort into researching and applying to them, it tells me that perhaps that they are not the place for me after all.

So here I sit. It is one year since the time I started my job search and 7 years since I worked a full time job. Since them I have lost my apartment, studio, friends, jobs, cats, cars, and at times, even my self esteem. Now I am well on my way to losing my mind. I don't think I have it in me to keep doing this so will say this in closing: my next job will be my last job so it had better be a good one.

Ukrainian Project Completed

After coming home from Ukraine on May 17, I was a bit lazy and didn't get any work done at all. Not having a studio at the moment adds to my laziness but I finally got off my ass and created the project I started last January. "My Ukraine" is a testament to all the friends and family that I left behind while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer since March of 2011.

"My Ukraine (Tea Quilt #4)"  Used tea bags, thread, filler  36x36"

For my Loved Ones in Novomoskovsk

"My Ukraine" (Tea Quilt  #4) Used tea bags, thread, filler    36"x36"

The results of having tea with my dear friends and family in Ukraine. The project began in January with the arrival of empty tea bags from America. After all 300 bags were shared and dried out, I took them home with me and turned them into my latest project."My Ukraine" is a momument to all the people who came into my life while I was a volunteer in Novomoskovsk. I miss them all very much.

The Road Home

This blog entry is long overdue. I've been home for one week and I am just now getting around to writing about our final days in Ukraine. The last two weeks were really hectic in Novomoskovsk. Packing up the apartment and preparing for the journey home was quite a chore. Who knew a person could accumulate so much stuff in just 2 years? Needless to say it was a bit crazy and a lot of work.

After all was said and done the time came to pack up my most precious bundle...Miss Mouse...and head downstairs for the final goodbye to my neighbors. Waiting for me downstairs was Luba, Galena, and of course, Natasha....who had been helping me get all my bags down the stairs. One of the members of my English club had also arrived to say goodbye, which was such a pleasant surprise. I never expected to see Marina and was really happy she made the effort. It was 6 am and the sun was shining, which I considered to be a good omen since every other time I traveled out of my town it was pouring rain, freezing cold, or blistering hot! When I got downstairs Veronica and her brother were just pulling up when Natasha announced that she would be coming with us to the train station...which was simply the best surprise. It was so sad to say goodbye to everyone. Everyone was crying and I was such an emotional wreck...I had been crying for close to two weeks at this point and was just exhausted.

We got to the train and the time for saying goodbye to Natasha had arrived and it was just awful. She and I had become the best of friends...in fact, she was the first person I met when I came to my new community. I love her dearly but you know what? My Russian is terrible and she doesn't speak English, so it is really true that friendship knows no barriers. I now know that friendship without language can be as strong as with a common one.

Me and Natasha with her granddaughter Masha 2012

After a few days in Kiev with Veronica, running back and forth to the office to sign papers and then ringing the final bell, it was time to say goodbye. My emotions were just reeling...I was excited to return home, afraid for Miss Mouse traveling in the plane's cargo hold, and dreading leaving my Ukrainian daughter, Veronica. When the moment came to say goodbye at the airport I was sad and happy at the same time. So, needless to say, the time for leaving was bittersweet and to write about how I felt in that moment when we said goodbye is impossible to describe.

So I left my adopted country with a heavy heart but also with a pride I have never known before. I am proud of all I accomplished and know I will never forget any of my experiences or any of the people who have touched my life so deeply. Thank you Peace Corps...and thank you Ukraine!

In Kiev with Veronica

In Kiev

Getting ready to leave for the Airport



Miss Mouse and I

In the Peace Corps Office with Sam and Veronica

With Kathryn Herrera

Close of Service....Last Bell!

Saying Goodbye

Yesterday some of the members of my English clubs...friends all... threw me a going away party and today I had to say my final goodbyes to them. It was really difficult...in fact, this whole week has been. These wonderful people have made my time here memorable. I think without them I would have been very lonely. I appreciate all of them and now I know, they appreciate me too. One of the real hardened old-timers who I never thought would ever be positive for Ukraine's future surprised me by hugging me and thanking me for helping them. As I looked at him I realized he was crying and for a Ukrainian man to do this on the street is unheard of. Normally very stoic and militant, Vlad revealed another side of himself and I am honored.

 

 

FYI: Ukraine Stuff

Fact: A friend of mine submitted a letter of resignation and his boss wouldn't sign it. If he decides to leave anyway, his work history will be ruined because his quitting without "permission"will be written down in his "official workbook" and he will have a hard time finding a new job.

Fact: The Ukrainian people who did not live in or near Chernoble knew nothing about that horrible disaster until many many days had passed. In the words of my girl Veronica..."Can you imagine"?

Five for the Road

As I was puttering about the apartment this morning I heard my name being called from outside. I went out to the balcony and there is my neighbor Natasha holding up a box of my favorite tea. She came up to my place and gave me the tea...all five boxes! She said it is for me to take home to America. I am going to miss this dear sweet lady terribly.

Finding my Place in the World...

I am so close to understanding what I want to do…what I NEED to do. I can feel it…taste it…it is virtually exploding in my brain. Art…Girl Power…Change-Making…Hope Giving…can I fashion a career out of this? Can I go home and start an art-for-girls group?  Perhaps a non-profit that would take a young woman in hand and give her the tools she needs to be powerful? Can I start local and end up global?  Do I have the courage?  Do I have the strength? Is it enough to have the idea? I have had many ideas in my lifetime but have never been able to go through with the plan because of lack of money.

It is not enough that my heart is in the right place.

I need money in the right place.

 

New Tea Quilt on the Horizon

My friend Manette sent me 300 tea bags (the empty kind...) so I could have tea with my Ukrainian friends and colleagues. I saved all the bags and when I get home I will begin constructing the quilt. I am playing with the idea of quilting the national folk art pattern seen all over Ukraine.


Tea bags drying on the clothes line
 

Traditional Ukrainian x-stitch pattern

One from the Heart

My community English club (well, Veronica, actually) is planning a huge goodbye blowout for me and it is supposed to be a surprise, but of course there are no surprises here. I know when it is and where it is and I am going to have to act like I had no idea it was going on....ha!

SO...I've been wondering what to give to my community groups and couldn't think of anything because they have just given me so much. How can I repay them for the past two years? They have given me their trust and friendship and respect and what could I possibly give to them that would mean just as much? Well, after a lot thought I knew it was a gift that could not be bought, so decided to give them one from the heart.

Marshmallows at Midnight

I am leaving Ukraine in 4 short weeks and I feel as if I have so much to do and won't have enough time to do it in...and I can't understand WHY I feel this way! Yes, there's a ton of Peace Corps paperwork and documents but nothing I can't handle...but for some reason it feels overwhelming.

For a while I was worried about getting Miss Mouse home and that was stressful. It took about a week and a half but the office finally found a plane that would take us home. Unfortunately I can't get close to home but must land in NYC.  It's about money, time of year etc...there are so many crazy factors involved with flying an animal. After my flight was confirmed I set about trying to find a way from NYC to Providence. No planes from JFK to Greene at that time a night. Buses and trains do not allow animals unless they are service animals. Huh. I could have rent a car but after all the traveling did I really want to take a chance driving while exhausted? (I did this once a few years back. I drove with school mates from NYC to Connecticut, then drove myself home from there. At the time I was living in West Gloucester, just over the state line. I was so tired I got pulled over at midnight in the little town of Putnam, CT for failure to "drive right". The cop thought I was drunk...said I was driving over the center line...what center line?  This is a rinky-dink town about 2 miles long! So, happy not to have gotten a ticket, I went on my way and resolved never to drive that tired again. So, after a few days of wondering how the heck we would get home, my nephew stepped up to the plate and said he'd pick me up. He must love me a lot because we're talking Friday night traffic into Queens. Gotta love family!

This may not seem like a lot stress, but for the past 2 months I have been working towards getting Miss Mouse ready to fly home. There is a crazy amount of things to do...international pet passport (yes...Miss Mouse has a passport now), locator chip inserted under the skin of her neck, vaccinations, and documents, documents, and more documents. The hardest part to all this was/is trying to find the correct information. No one knows their job so I end up talking to 4 vets plus several government officials. It's all so maddening and who would have thought it would be so hard to adopt a cat?  It's like I am trying to take home a child or something.

All this stress has led to loss of sleep. So much so that I find myself getting up in the middle of the night doing strange things. Last week I got up and retrieved a small pillow from the couch and stuck it under my bed pillows putting me in a very uncomfortable sleeping position. When I woke up the next morning the little thing was on the floor and if not for that I would have forgotten the whole incident.

A few days after that I woke up in the middle of the night again to use the bathroom and afterward made my way into the kitchen to eat some marshmallows. I would have forgotten this too but when I got up the next day and went to turn on the laptop, there was a note on it that said "marshmallows at midnight". Not exactly sure what I wrote that for but figured it would be a good blog title.

Miss Mouse (International Jet Setter)

Peace Corps Proud

Peace Corps Ukraine

Having said this before I like to reiterate how much in awe I am of the staff here in Ukraine. I also wanted to say how much I will miss my regional manager, Natasha Nikoleyeva, who is absolutely wonderful and caring in every way.  She and the others in the Kiev office show such kindness and respect for all the volunteers here. It takes a lot of patience to deal with 300 Americans (500 when I first came) and the staff do an amazing job. Thank you Peace Corps Ukraine!

Natasha and I

In the News

Once again our English clubs have made the papers...and the radio! The Novomoskovsk website also carried the story and it can be translated using the web. http://nmsk.dp.ua/ (Second article) The article talks about the library's English clubs (Open Borders) and the availability of English books and movies. I am very proud!

The End is Near

Last weeks's COS conference has come and gone and I am reminded of how impossible a task it must seem to take care of so many volunteers coming in to and going out of, a country of service. Our group (Group 41) had 96 volunteers at the conference and most of us are heading out within a few weeks of each other. (I say most because there are 17 people extending their service...a record number I am told!) Hat's off to the the staff of Peace Corps Ukraine for the all hard work and dedication you all have for helping us transition into and out of service. (And for all the big and little things in between). None of us can do the work we do for Ukraine without your help! THANK YOU!

It's the Little Things

I was in Chernihiv all this week for my COS (Close of Service) conference. Chernihiv is northwest of Novomoskovsk yet impossible reach as the crow flies. Getting there would require a bus to Dnipropetrovsk, a train to Kiev, a bus to Chernihiv, and another bus to the hotel. Phew. That’s a lot of traveling for me. It was like going from Providence to Montpelier via Albany.

 I don’t know how it happens that I love to travel but hate the going. I used to love travelling. There was a time when the most fun for me was in the getting to and the coming back from. Now I find it is simply exhausting. I think the part I hate the most is the not sleeping part. If I am away from my apartment and sleeping on a train or a hotel bed or where ever…I just can’t seem to get to sleep.  This made the conference long and boring and all I could think of wanting to do is lay down for a nap.

 When I joined the Peace Corps I was told about all the possible challenges I would face. I could live in a village of 100 people and have no indoor plumbing. The heating system could be a central wood or coal stove that needed to be stoked by hand every 2 hours. I could end up living on a farm where the closest source of food was the chickens and cows or what ever else needed to be slaughtered. I could have perhaps ended up in a place where no one spoke English at all (I think the scariest thing because my Russian skills are so bad). I could be isolated. I could get depressed. I could get homesick. The potential challenges and hardships I could have possibly faced were endless. There are thousands of things that were told to me but mainly it is the small things that really get to you in the end. And no one ever said anything about the little things.

          The trains are so hot it’s like sleeping in a 250 degree oven.

• The trains are so cold it’s like sleeping in a freezer.
• Back-breaking seats on public transit.
• Overcrowded public transit
• Overheated route taxis.
• The public toilets are…no, I am NOT going there.
• Cabbage cabbage and more cabbage.
• The time it takes me to drive from Providence to New York? 4 hours. That same distance by train from Dnipropetrovsk? 8 hours. (Sometimes 9).
• Going to the post office scares the shit out of me.
• Ditto the hair dresser.
• No warning when the water will be shut off. Or the electricity.
• I can walk faster than a bus.
• People bumping into you or slamming a door in your face with no apology.
• The homeless animals (I feel this is a BIG thing but thought it needed a mention)
• And the biggest little challenge of all: How much does that train ticket cost?

    

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I'm on my way Home

Having been on haitus from the studio for the past two years I thought perhaps to make my reappearence here, as I will be returning home to America in about 7 weeks. I have been keeping another blog about my adventures with the Peace Corps in Ukraine but now I think it is a good time to segue back onto the studio blog.
http://peacecorpschick.blogspot.com/
I haven't had a lot of time to do any work in Ukraine (other than Peace Corps work, that is), but I did manage to keep up with the Cultural Book Exchange and following are a few pages I have worked on since I have been at my site in Novomoskovsk. All of the work I have finished here is based on the concept of language. I have had a difficult time learning Russian and it is perhaps the hardest thing about living in Ukraine. Not being very good at the common language in one's own community can leave a person feeling isolated and to combat this feeling I created these pages in order to express and overcome my frustration. I call this work "BabelRuss"