In Between Times

Since I'm embarking on my next great travel adventure tomorrow, I thought it might be good to fill in with what I've been generally up to since my Bukovyna trip at the end of January.

Basically, I had a bunch of misunderstandings with my university that made life really complicated. We had disagreements over my schedule. They wanted me to teach three three-hour night classes each week, and nothing else. I said this was unacceptable to me for many reasons, not least of which that it is hard enough to have any sort of life in a foreign country, let alone try to do it while working nights and twiddling your thumbs all day while everyone else is working. It was also a problem because the class they wanted me to teach on Thursday nights was at the exact same time as Mila's English Club in the center which I try to go and help with. Apparently they had never expected that I might object to this schedule, so it became a huge fiasco complete with crying on my part and some really un-called-for insults to my character on their part.

So I had to get the Fulbright Ukraine office in Kyiv involved. The new Fulbright director was really helpful though, and (I hope) everything is straightened out now. I think the biggest problem was that norms for scheduling work and norms for the relationship between employees and employers are very different between the U.S. and Ukraine.

This was compounded by the fact that I was sick for about a week after coming back from Chernivtsi-- I think all those nights of poor sleep, sleeping on trains, sleeping in a dorm room at the hostel, and spending lots of time in enclosed spaces with lots of people just did me in. Whatever, for my first week back in Vinnytsia I was basically useless.

Was really glad I bought that Carpathian Herb tea in Kosiv! Kinda just looks like someone went outside and grabbed a handful of leaves though, doesn't it? :)

Does your herb tea have grass, sticks, berries, and flowers? Because mine does.

 In the midst of the scheduling mess, I took a weekend trip to Kyiv for the Fulbright mid-year orientation. This is for those who are only doing half-year Fulbrights, or for those who for whatever reason didn't come to Ukraine until January-- and then for those of us who are already here and would like to meet the new people. It was no big problem for me to go, since Vinnytsia is not far from Kyiv by train (about 2 1/2 hours if you take the fast train). As it turned out, most of the current Fulbrighters had decided not to come-- just about the only out-of-towners who came into Kyiv for this were me and Joel, who traveled all the way from L'viv. This worked out marvelously for our though, because it meant Fulbright could afford to pay our full accommodations which it would not have been able to do if more people had come.

Joel and I met up on Friday, stowed our bags at the hotel, and had time for a little sightseeing before we joined everyone else for the reception in the evening. Since neither of us had been to Kyiv's legendary Lavra, we decided to head there. The conditions for this trip weren't really ideal, though-- it was pouring down rain, and so foggy you could barely see across the street. So while my photos aren't actually informative, they are pretty haunting.

I couldn't believe how ridiculously foggy it was. This is the entrance to the park with a Holodomor memorial.

Fortunately we were able to follow the signs and maps, because the Lavra is a "main tourist object"

Because we were so late in the day, we only got to see one set of caves. But it was neat to wander around and take pictures of the churches, too.

 

Down the hill to the caves

I love the flying buttresses

Like the liberty bell, but newer. Hahaha

Really impressive artwork on this one. I don't know how it survives the elements.

We were soaked through after that excursion!

On Saturday night, after our orientation was over, we went back out with a few other Fulbrighters to meet one of my Ukrainian friends, Mykola, from the ESS (the one with the cute baby!).

During our seminar, I watched the rain change over to snow through the window. By the time we got to Maydan Nezalezhnosti, people had already built snowmen. Or as they're known in Ukraine, snow grandmas.

The bar was busy that evening and had to break out some old glasses...

The next morning, I got up to meet my friend Halya (another of my former students from ESS) for church.

After Mass, there was a Christmas concert! "And you'll be starting Lent this week!" Halya laughed.

(I wanted to put in a video of the concert here, but it seems that every time I try to insert a video, blogger crashes! They really should do something about that.)

If you look closely, you can see that these pillows are actually made out of tile! Pretty cool. I wanted to take more pictures of the artwork, but my camera battery died :(

Back in Vinnytsia, I tried helping Anna with her English club on Tuesday afternoons. It's not for me-- she works with much younger kids who know almost no English, and anyway I'm starting up an English club of my own that night at my university.

Other things that happened in the last month... hmmm...

I got my first lucky tram ticket...

The sum of the first three digits= the sum of the last three digits! It's good luck :)

I made some homemade borshch...

Домашний борщик з сметаной та хлів (homemade borshch with sour cream and bread)

Then, last week, I had a houseguest. Deborah, one of the other Fulbrighters who normally lives in Odessa but wants to do research in both that region and in this one, came to stay with me for a few days to start networking in Vinnytsia. Her visit was great-- I got to show her around the city, we ate at many of Vinnytsia's great (and comparatively cheap) restaurants, and she even took me to the central market and showed me how and where to buy the good stuff-- homemade cheese, smoked meat, fresh vegetables, and honey from the villages, and the cheapest and most delicious dried fruit you have ever eaten. I got honey, fresh cheese, some sausage, and a box of fresh dates. It was all phenomenal, and I am totally going back there all the time when the weather gets warmer.

Last Friday, March 8, was also International Womens' Day. This holiday is a big deal in Ukraine, with most businesses having a shortened day or a day off, and all men being expected to buy flowers and candy for every woman they know.

My Russian teacher, Inna, is a teacher of English and Russian at a school in one of the villages outside of Vinnytsia. Last Thursday, the day before Womens' Day, she invited Deborah and I to her school to see her children perform in their school show. These shows are kind of like a cross between a talent show and a recital-- students play music, dance, recite poetry, and so on. They were really impressive, and the school itself was beautiful-- relatively new, huge, and brightly painted and decorated.

The children sat in the auditorium waiting for the show to start

This little girl had an incredible voice. Also, I love her dress. So shiny!

Some of these costumes might look a little familiar...

There was a combination of folk dance and modern dance in their performances.

Inna herself sang a duet with one of her students. It was great, but again I can't post because Google apparently can't handle videos. After the concert, Deborah left for Odessa and I went out for dinner with the village school teachers. All in all, it was quite an experience.

On Womens' Day itself, Mila and Anna, two of the Peace Corps volunteers, came over and watched movies. Then on Saturday, I hosted an "American Movie Night" at my apartment and invited all my friends, both Ukrainian and American. Unfortunately there were only 3 guests this time, but I definitely will do it again because it seemed that everyone had a good time. Anna stayed with me both nights. So basically, I had a houseguest every night last week except Thursday! It was quite a long week. And now this week, it's back to lesson planning and preparing for my upcoming trip this weekend... Kharkiv! Stay tuned for updates about that adventure. :)

Ukrainian Christmas

On my last day in L'viv, I met Mariana at the bus station and we took the hour-and-a-half ride to her grandmother's village.

During my stay at her house, I never went hungry! Every moment I was being offered tea with pampukh, poppyseed bread, and cake, or enjoying an enormous meal. The first night, since it was Christmas Eve, we had the traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve meal of twelve courses; starting with garlic dipped in salt and pickled herring and ending with кутя (Kutya, a dish made with buckwheat, honey, poppyseed, and raisins). In between there were various vaguely familiar dishes of mushrooms, potatoes, stewed cabbage, and so on.

Early Christmas morning, Mariana and I got up and went to the village church for mass. Though crowded, it was a beautiful service. After a nap and a hearty lunch, we went on a short walk around the village and down to the river with Mariana's uncle.

The village was small, but pretty.

On the day after Christmas, we took the bus back to the city. Mariana's sister waited with us.

We waited a long time for the bus... it was really cold (-7* C/ 19* F)!

After the long bus ride back, I had to wait almost an hour for a bus into the city. At one point the correct bus came, but another was already stopped where I was waiting and I didn't see it in time to flag it down. By the time I made it to Charitie's apartment in the center, I was freezing!!!

Charitie and I went out to dinner at a new restaurant in L'viv with Russell and another L'viv Fulbrighter named Steven, to say goodbye to Russell, whose Fulbright term was up just a few days later. We also stopped by the Pampukh festival on Rynok square. Pampukh are traditional Ukrainian Christmas donuts, filled with various delicious things. Mariana's grandmother had made hers with poppyseed filling, but at the festival I was able to try one with apricot filling and one filled with cream. So good!!! This should totally be a tradition in America too.

I had tried to get my train ticket for the same day, but there hadn't been any available, so I had to stay an extra day in L'viv. It turned out to be good, though, because I didn't get into the city until evening and was tired and hungry. That night I slept in the same apartment I'd stayed in before I left for Mariana's, then the next day caught my train back to Vinnytsia. I was in platzkart, third class, sharing a car with a TON of high school students who had been on an excursion to L'viv and a few other places. Fortunately, the woman sitting next to me was their chaperone, and she was nice and chatted with me, assuring me she could understand me even though I was terribly mixing my Ukrainian and Russian at that point (starting to speak surzhyk like a native, haha).

It was such a relief to get home and rest! And Mariana's grandmother had sent home with me copious amounts of cake and poppyseed bread, along with five poppyseed pampukh. Om nom nom.

Back in Vinnytsia, I was finally able to take care of some important business that had been put off in my absence. With Tanya's help, I got my boots repaired (they'd been broken ever since I ran after the train when leaving for Turkey) and picked up the care package my parents had sent for Christmas, which had been waiting at the Meest office in Vinnytsia.

Words can't express how thrilled I was with this spread. God, I miss Dr. Pepper!!

I also met up with my student Tania a few times to help her with an application for IREX, which is a program that enables foreign students to study in the U.S. After one of our sessions working on her application, we took a walk around the city to enjoy the holiday decorations.

The main square was all decked out for the holidays. Even the hideous Soviet eyesore that is the administration building had been transformed into a magical winterscape.

In the park by the tower there had sprung up a Christmas Festival similar to the one I'd seen in L'viv.

Then we walked down the street to the main park, where the city's main Christmas tree was standing. In an earlier entry, I posted a picture of this tree being built. Now it was fully decorated, and rotating, too!

The giant tree even rotates!

At the base of the tree.

As we walked around enjoying the beautiful decorations, Tania and I bought some солодка вата-- cotton candy.

On another adventure, she helped me to buy my train tickets for my trip to Chernivtsi, and we walked all the way from the train station back to the center of town.

On the way, we passed the building of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

Outside the Ministry of Defense. This one's for Paul :)

 During the few weeks between these two crazy trips, I also did a little shopping with Karis. We went to the main bazaar and to the expo-center near my house to find some fleece-lined tights. I also did a lot of knitting. I made a hat!

...all of which was good, because I was about to embark on a my fantastic but extremely cold and crazy adventure to the Bukovyna region!

Shameless Plug: The Vinnytsia Khutory School Project

I'd like to take a moment to talk about something important: classroom materials.

Many classrooms in Ukraine lack textbooks altogether, and if they do have them, they are often outdated and inferior. New textbooks are not an option, as most Ukrainians cannot afford anywhere near the cost it would take to replace them.

My friend and Peace Corps volunteer Anna has put together this great project to help the students at her school in the Village of Vinnytsia Khutory (on the outskirts of my city) purchase new textbooks. The money will also help to renovate some rooms of the school which are in great disrepair, purchasing new windows to help keep the children warm during Ukraine's absurdly cold winters.

If I may, I'd like to ask you, my friends and family, to give a worthwhile Christmas gift to some Ukrainian kids this year, and donate a little money to her project.

If you'd like to read a little more about Anna's project, take a look at the Project's Facebook page.

To make a donation online, visit the Peace Corps Website here. Donations are, of course, tax deductible.

Thanks and Merry Christmas! :o)

More Winter "Fun"

Happy 12/12/12!

So I am now in the midst of the busiest week I've had in Vinnytsia so far. And in true Ukrainian form, these plans weren't altogether presented to me until Saturday. I already had committed to teaching a class today (Wednesday) afternoon and my regular class on Saturday afternoon... and this week, the Peace Corps is organizing a training for English Teachers in Vinnytsia and I was asked to present. That is tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon. Then last week Svitlana asked me to cover her class for her since she will be out of town, which is three hours long and is on Friday. Then Oleg's students accosted me in the hallway and asked if I would come back to their class. When I brought this up with him, he said that the only chance to do this would be on Friday morning. Then he scheduled a Russian lesson for me with Lena on Monday, and she asked me if I would also cover her three-hour evening class last night (Tuesday). Ack!

On Sunday, though, I was free to go out and have some fun with Tanya and her husband. We went out to the Mega-Mall and went bowling. The bowling alley felt just like being in America, right down to the carpet. The only real difference? They give you not just shoes here, but also socks! Interesting.

After bowling we went shopping, and I was finally able to buy a fleece blanket to wrap myself in when sitting around my apartment, as well as a good sharp knife. Tanya and her husband also bought me a beautiful Christmas ornament, which I look forward to putting on my tree back in the States!

Then we drove around town a little to look at the Christmas decorations, which was a lot of fun. I have a deal with Vasa-- I try to speak Russian and he tries to speak English, and Tanya helps us both-- so I got in some language practice, too :) Then we went to a Ukrainian restaurant for dinner.

The wooden building in the snow made me feel like I was in the Carpathians for real :P

We ate a dinner of fried potato dumplings stuffed with mushrooms; salat made of eggs, cucumbers, green onions, and ham; and shashlyk. Mmmmmm so tasty!!!

Mmmm... Shashlyk with dipping sauce. Дуже смачно!

So at least I had an enjoyable and relaxing evening before embarking on this crazy week!

Then today, my power went out around 11:30 am. I thought nothing of it, since power has gone out a couple of times before and the weather is kind of crappy (it just keeps snowing and snowing and snowing!) But then I went out to the grocery store, and discovered that I could not take my trash to the dumpsters down the hill because the sidewalk beyond my building had been roped off. There was an ambulance and some construction equipment, and even a TV news crew. When I got to the end of the street, I discovered there was a policeman blocking it-- the whole street was closed. I did not realize what had happened until I got back from my trip to the grocery store: under the weight of the snow, THE NEIGHBOR'S ROOF HAD CAVED IN.

Holy. Crap.

So my power (and thus my heat) was out all day. I left early for my class, wanting to charge my computer at the university... but there was a car accident and the tram was stuck for quite a while. I barely arrived in time for the class.

Like an idiot, I decided to walk home in the dark and the driving snow. The whole way I kept praying that my electricity and heat would be on when I got home. The street was open again, which was a good sign. But when I got to my building, it was dark. So I stopped outside to turn on the flashlight which is built into most Ukrainian cell phones (for pretty much this exact reason), because it was pitch black in the staircase. But literally right as I stepped in the door, the lights came back on. Thank God!

So, that's more than enough adventures for me today. Tomorrow I present at the Teacher Training. Never a dull moment around here!

Also, 9 more days until Turkey!

A Trip to McDonalds: A Beth and Karis Adventure

Yesterday, with the assistance of Karis, I finally made a trip to the Vinnytsia McDonalds (the one nearest my house, that is-- Vinnytsia has two!) The place was crowded, and there was a children's birthday party going on in the party room-- we heard them singing "Happy Birthday" in English and were amused. Also, lots of small children in snowsuits. Too cute!

It's true what they say about McDonalds in foreign countries though. The food actually looks like the pictures.

Look at the sheer un-squishedness of this bun!!! I ask you!!

It was nice to eat some fake cheese for once. I've missed it. Also, beef. I've missed beef.

We also made a cat-friend. This cat was just hanging around in the McDonalds, rubbing up against my legs as I was eating.

He (or she) decided to clean him/herself right as I snapped this shot.

Interesting.

In other news, snowmageddon has come. Here is the weather forecast as of yesterday:

As you can see, the apocalypse is truly nigh. In the words of one of my Ukrainian friends: "Welcome to Ukraine."

It's snowing now, even as I write this. This is what I woke up to this morning:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...!

And playing with my new camera, an artsy shot that makes my backyard look like a toy train set.

Yesterday as I was walking in the park, I found some men building- yes, building- a Christmas tree.

I'm not sure if you can tell, but they were literally pulling apart pine trees to get the fronds to make a giant one. Pretty cool!