Germany, First Impressions

I woke up on the bus to frozen fields, fog and mist, flying by on the right. The left had Volkswagens, BMWs, Mercedes and Porsches. The roads were silky smooth. When we passed construction sites, the resting equipment was lined up perfectly in rows, angled slightly, accurate to the angle of the front tires. I got a nice tour of Eastern Germany, stopping in many cities before reaching Stuttgart. Super fast train up to Heidelberg, and my holidays officially begun.

Holidays Begin

Everything wrapped up nicely at the end of the semester, aside from my grant budget spiraling out of control in correlation with inflation and the global financial crisis.

I got on the bus, and sat there, 5 hours to cross the border out of Ukraine and into the European Union. The Ukrainian check point involved cash exchanging hands, the Polish bag searches and sniffing dogs. Visas were scrutinized, stamps were stamped, but finally, we made it onto the much smoother roads of Poland (about equal smoothness to NM).

My neighbor until Dresden was an older Russian lady, who loved to talk and taught me some more Russian. It was amusing when we hit a word that I couldn’t understand and she couldn’t remember how to say in Ukrainian, because she would turn around and ask the neighbors all around how to translate that word. So the whole bus listened to our conversation (Ukrainians don’t talk much on public transportation and the movies hadn’t started (we had automatic tv screens fold down from the roof, like a Boeing) and generally silence prevailed) and learned lots about the strange American who was living in Ukraine.

Stuff

 I always try to be positive, but sometimes things outside of my control are truly frustrating. I don't have the willpower to compose a well organized argument, so I'll just let frustrations flow, numbered for easy scanning when you get tired of reading whining.

1.     Bribing and cheating in universities is alive and well. Students buy course papers, buy attendance records and it's fairly easy to buy a diploma. The reasons go far beyond laziness. The quality of many classes is fairly low, and the grading system is absolutely opaque. Some classes the professor reads out of a book and the students copy down notes. Some others students are asked to present their HW on the board, only to be told that there is only one correct way to do this. Grading is up to each professor's discretion. There is no requirement to publish rubrics or expectations at the beginning of the semester, and no requirement to disclose a student's mark to that student until after the course has been completed. I'm speaking about two universities in Lviv, and not about the entire Ukrainian higher education system. What worries me is that these universities are well respected and rank high in Ukraine. It goes beyond academics. Bribes are expected to reserve dorm rooms, and even get spots in certain classes.

2.     It's not all bad news; I finally figured out that classroom discipline depends very heavily on giving daily grades. So, really good that I figured this out. Really bad that it took me so long. There's a great Ukrainian word for this process, дійшло, which translates to something like "it finally soaked through my skull".

3.     Workplace attitudes especially among higher ups are negative. It's just work, no reason to worry so much about it, and everyone would be much happier if there was some humor added to the stress. It's almost like there is some job description that says "this is a serious position, it requires a serious disposition, no smiling allowed".  

4.     I hate when people tell me to take off my hat. This goes back to second grade when mom told me that Quakers have a long tradition of not taking off their hat for royalty, to demonstrate the equality of all mankind. Of course this always gets me in trouble in school. In high school it got me sent to the principles office and into a long philosophical discussion about how agreements require concessions on both sides, and both teaching and learning in a school requires a common code of conduct, which can even include clothing. Anyway, it was freezing yesterday in school, and I just buzzed my head so it felt particularly cold. It was late in the day, and the students were only taking a test, so I had my wool hat on as I wondered the classroom making sure they weren't cheating. My former host mom/boss/assistant principle walks in a chews out the students for missing on of her classes. Then just now she finds me and says "make sure I never see you wearing a hat in school again", as if somebody told me that there is a no hat rule in school (I could have assumed it). I do respect her for not telling me in front of students, but what really gets me is that women are allowed to wear hats, but men aren't. I really have to pick my battles, and this one I won't fight, but it gets under my skin.

5.     My bus to Stuttgart is 27 hours. Actually this is a positive, because I'm going to Germany and will escape some of the above for a while. So yeah, that's it. Now I'm going to be positive. I must get lunch, go to a parents meeting, teach the ecology club about water pollution, meet with director about the aids training in February, pay rent, check post office, go to Ukrainian tutoring, make dinner and do it all again tomorrow. Three days till holidays! Sweetness.

It's not rocket science

A study done by The Ukrainian Center for AIDS Prevention just released
some really interesting findings. "A nationally representative sample
of 6841 women age 15-49 and 3178 men age 15-49 were interviewed. This
represents a response rate of 92% for women and 90% for men. This
first part is hard numbers from the national registry for May 2007,
which records 5909 new cases of HIV in Ukraine in that one month.
While Intravenous Drug Use still accounts for slightly more HIV
spread, unprotected heterosexual contact is about to pass it.
IDU new cases in May, 2007; 42.7%, 2468 individuals.
Heterosexual contact new cases in May, 2007; 39.0%, 2256 individuals.
This is especially alarming because only 10 years ago, over 70% of
new cases were a result of IDU. HIV has jumped from a very high risk
group of individuals to a relatively normal segment of the Ukrainian
population; heterosexually active individuals who don't use condoms.

Also this week I showed A Closer Walk about HIV and the world in
general. The film is already getting older, but still enlightening in
its examination of HIV around the world. It's especially valuable to
show here because there is a 14 minute segment on Ukraine, though
unfortunately it only focuses on the IDU problem. The most powerful
part of the film for me was hearing Paul Farmer explain how stopping
and reversing huge epidemics is not very complicated. The medical
science exists and needs only be implemented. Behavioral changes have
been identified and must likewise only be enacted. HIV is relatively
hard to spread. If you have sex, use a condom. If you use drugs, don't
share needles. Yes some cultural complications arise, but overall,
duh.

There was a huge segment on women's rights, and how the world's
continued ignorance of women's rights and education is a huge factor
in the spread of HIV. Indian women, for example, are under huge
pressure to have babies once married, and even if they know their
husband is HIV positive, women will often choose to have a baby and
get the virus (as well as possibly giving it to their baby) rather
than be forced into divorce, poverty and shame.

Back to Ukraine and that study. Higher risk sex is defined as sex in
the proceeding 12 months with a partner who is neither a spouse nor a
co-inhabitant. 33% of respondents had had higher risk sex in the last
12 months and of that group, only 56% used a condom. That seems bad to
me. Anybody know USA rates?

Now, why did we put up all those notes all over school explaining how
the virus does not transmit? -94% of those surveyed would keep it a
secret if a family member was infected.
Three quarters of those surveyed would take care of a family member
who is HIV positive.
84% would not buy fresh vegetables from a shopkeeper who has HIV.
63% say that a female teacher with HIV (no symptoms) should not be
allowed to continue teaching.

And then the good news, more than 85% of those under 50 years old
agree that children age 12-14 should be taught about using a condom to
avoid HIV. That's where my job comes in, because even the health
teacher I work with is reluctant to bring condoms and explicit
language into the classroom. In health classes they talk about the
basics, but nothing like we do in the US (talk about sex, buy condom,
check date, get erection, roll condom on right way all the way to the
base of penis leaving space at the tip for semen, ejaculate, withdraw
before penis shrinks holding base of condom, remove away from vagina
and dispose of condom). Those sorts of specifics are just ignored, but
with aids, trail and error is not an option. So we are going to have
professionals start it with a session in February, and see how they do
condom demonstrations, keep kids learning even if they are giggling
and blushing, and provide effective education. That's what I wrote the
grant for, to bring in those educators, provide materials and
hopefully get sexual education up and running here in Velyki Mosty and
in the surrounding 5 villages. Ideally we can train some 9th and 10th
grade students to do the trainings and then go with them as they
conduct HIV prevention trainings.

That's all I got today. Now back to Ukrainian study, because I'm
determined to beat Caitlin's LPI score this time. So many great books
waiting to be read on my shelf, but no time. Grammar and vocabulary
here I come.

Mud Running

I don't plan to push off of each step, but rather to flow over the
ground, keeping my cg's trajectory stable and steady, minimizing all
centrifugal acceleration. Winter should really be called mud season,
as should spring and autumn here. It's not that there are more dirt
roads than NM, it's just the soil type. Perhaps the roads here aren't
prepared, more of just scars in the earth. The mud builds up on my
shoes, flinging off in all directions, slippery, variable in
consistency. When possible I run on the grass next to the trail/road.
Running shoes are getting old again, so road running is not advisable.
Achilles seems to be doing better, but that could just be the complete
absence of soccer.

Working on organizing a huge amount of pedagogical notes and
activities I received onto my flash drive. File names are all messed
up, and some are just silly with the procedures for the lesson plan in
a different pdf than kids part of the lesson plan; Eliminating
duplicates, organizing, planning so that I can apply rimes of great
activities and communicative games to my classroom. Next I will get my
printer working, so that I can print stuff out at home, then copy it
on my way to school, and become a more effective teacher, with
materials to use in my classes. Chalkboards and textbooks are nice,
but kids respect printouts, pictures, cartoons and cards much more.

All this English stuff is nice, but the healthy lifestyles classes
still feel more important. This whole past week was coined "health
week", and kids from many classes made posters about everything from
smoking to chemical spill procedures. My kids of course did HIV/AIDS
posters and effectively plastered the school with little slips of
paper giving examples of how HIV does not transmit. "HIV does not pass
through sweat"; HIV does not pass through spit"; HIV does not….kisses,
hugs, sharing dishes, toilet seats, combs, coughing, phlegm and so on.
Most of the older kids know how it transmits, but it's important to
remember how it doesn't to eliminate fear, stigma and discrimination.

Winter here begins December 1st.

Thanksgiving came and went. Wonderful gathering out on the very border of Poland. Curtis'last days in Ukraine. Had turkey, stuffing and lots of other ukrainian dishes. Talked with Silas and Mom. Good holiday, much better than last year when I didn't even take off. Crazy that it's my second thanksgiving in Ukraine.

Grant came off nicely. Will hear in about a week of it's success. I hope.

Was late today for the open lesson in my ecology club. I hate being late. Some sort of military/police exercise stopped all the roads as I was trying get back from Lviv. Only 6 min late, but that's not good when other teachers and principles are observing. At least the lesson went well.

Still no internet at home.
will call the guy again tonight.
computers at school closing
must go
yo

First snow

Makes the cold weather worth every chill.
Trying to write my first real grant.
Will just copy it here when I finish.
Might get internet in my apartment later this week.
Thanksgiving will have turkey this week.
Chris has the unfortunate turkey identified
it's still alive right now and we're hoping he doesn't develop an attachment in the last 3 days of intensive feeding.
Then back to work on friday
monday is international aids day
ribbon to buy and cut and staple
signs and posters to tape up
the prevalance rate in Ukraine is estimated to be 1.6%
Go here to see for yourself.
There is no condom education in school
the last travelling educators to give presentations in my school about the aids epidemic in ukriane left the kids with the message that since condoms can fail, you can't trust them.

Today..

What was the other story I wanted to tell? Something about when the
transmission dropped out of the bus I was riding on, and I ended up
standing on a windy cold roadside in the wind for 2 hours watching
trucks full of sugar beats rumble past and hoping that the next rain
shower would miss. Everybody else on the bus was headed for a big
city, and it was not long before a bus came that would get them there
in a round about way. I however was headed for a little town.

Now, why do I write so rarely in my blog? This semester I have decided
to be a good teacher. Last semester I was ok, but there is a big
difference between those designations. That difference is defined by
preparation time. I have the spirit, I love the kids, I'm not afraid
to do ridiculous things to keep my kids engaged, but all those things
take planning so that I can implement them.

On top of that, I've been preparing HIV/AIDS lessons for the health
classes and helping out with the Tolerance program in the EuroClub and
preparing for international Aids memorial day in 9 days and writing a
grant to train some of my students to be trainers and go to village
schools and conduct trainings.

Now, need permission to take off for thanksgiving...

Ballot Journey

New Mexico sent my absentee ballot so that it arrived in Ukraine exactly one week before the election. Mail back to New Mexico takes at least two weeks, so I needed to get it to Kyiv where the wonderful folks at the PC office would DHL it for me(I love inventing new verbs). The only problem was how to get it to the office there, not that Ukrainian mail is extremely slow (2-3 days to cross the country) but anything going into the PC office has to pass through security, the same security that embassy mail goes through. Anthrax sniffing, bomb testing, paper cut proofing… That normally takes a week. Luckily, my friend Curtis was headed that direction the day after I received my ballot. Unfortunately he lives 3.5 hours away. How to solve this problem? But of course had the ballot to the driver of the bus that goes through his town with $2. He told me he would be there at 17.30 and for my friend to meet the bus then. I called Curtis and he graciously agreed, the bus was on time to the minute, and later that evening Curtis carried the ballot with his own hands through the metal detector into the office in Kyiv. I hope they counted it after such a journey.

November 3rd, another creative title

My director observed one class which did not go super well. It was Monday morning a few weeks ago. On Mondays there are announcements before the first bell down in the main hallway. Often the announcements go beyond the beginning of first class. I was already upstairs in my office and went to the classroom 10 min before class but it was still locked. At 9:05 the class was unlocked and we all went in. My lesson involved new vocabulary then used to fill in the blanks in a Shevchenko poem. Since I didn't have a chance to print a copy of this poem for every student, I had to put it up on the chalk board which took another 5 minutes. During this time, the director of the school walked in and planted herself in the back of the class.

 

The presentation of vocabulary went well, directors presence in the back of the class guaranteed perfect discipline. Then applying these words in the poem also went smoothly, with the students speaking English and understanding the context in which the words are used. And then the bell rang. Yes, time management failed.

 

The director afterwards told me frankly that from a pedagogical standpoint, the lesson was not effective because it did not include all 4 skills (writing, reading, listening, speaking) and it involved no visible evaluation of the students.

 

The most painful step came tonight when after the teachers conference, the director asked me and the teachers I work with to stay late. We did and she went over the fact that we need to have matching conspecti for each lesson and cover all 4 skills plus evaluation. Then it came out that I was much more effective with the younger students because of my emphasis on speaking and listening. Also younger students often see me as such a cool dude that I have no discipline problems and I can easily keep the whole class engaged.

 

I am here to focus on communication. This is more than combining the skill of listening with the skill of speaking. Communication involves interpretation of what you hear and an ability to fill an information gap with the language that is in your active vocabulary. The best way to do this is through real life simulation. Communication in real life happens in small groups, most often pairs. Thus it would seem simple to give pairs of students basic outlines, dialogs, situations or other communication tasks and have them work and practice together. However, students want to sit in class and do nothing, at least when they are in 8^th grade or above. I try to make every activity relate to their personal life, something with sports, Ukrainians, cars, news, real life stuff, but even so, if I do not enforce my tasks with grades, students will not do them.

 

This for me as a home-schooled student is baffling. Why when you are given a chance to learn English from an American for free doing interesting and different activities rather than working straight from a 1960s book would you not take advantage of it? I went to high school just to play soccer and then realized while sitting in class waiting for soccer practice that this was a great opportunity to learn. The teachers found all these great resources, then stood up in front of us telling us how to understand it, then assigned homework which allowed us to use new information. Information combined with application created knowledge.

 

Next semester I will start teaching even younger students becoming even more like a living pronunciation guide. I will be lucky to keep my 8^th graders and most likely work with 2^nd-7^th grade. I can't help but feel like a failure. I wonder if I could have done better. It is really good that my school is so strict in enforcing the planning and everything else, but it has also crimped my potential in the older forms. The students of 8^th-11^th grade do not have the capability to communicate in English. They can translate, and retell texts, and transcribe, but not communicate. For me to teach this skill would require going backward, and using much easier and simpler themes rather than the books they currently use. If a student cannot tell me in full sentences what they did during fall break, how on earth can they answer and ask questions about the future of the English language? Or Ukrainian's space and rocket scientists?

 

It's not necessarily bad. The younger students do learn by ear much faster, and generally have a much higher opinion of movement based learning and games, which are super effective. Maybe my time here will be more effective teaching younger students. I will also try to focus some frustration into my ecology club (Sixteen 6-8th graders who are doing a lesson on decomposition times and recycling tomorrow), teaching and getting good materials into the biology classes on HIV/AIDS, and hopefully getting involved in the EuroClub' tolerance project.

 

The EuroClub has a volunteer from Poland come every week and he took them to a 5 day camp and some other workshops in Lviv. He is a volunteer with European ???? organization and will be here for a year. He also teaches some in Lviv because he only comes out to Velyki Mosty once a week. Anyway, he has been doing great stuff with discrimination, stigma, xenophobia, racism, all focused around the theme of tolerance. Hopefully we'll become friends because his English is pretty good and he likes football.

 

Ahh well, I got home at 8pm and am so discouraged and frustrated that I just ate cabbage and plopped down in front of a movie. I don't want to do any thinking. I need to plan for tomorrow, so I'll probably sleep a bit less and wake up early to plan, but I don't want to do anything tonight.

That's all for now.

Trash moved from River banks to dump.

October 11th, draft

This Saturday, October 11th, 2008, 40 Velyki Mosty students, adults and teachers embarked to cleanup the banks of their river Rata. The first part of the project involved cleaning up 10 cubic meters of trash along the river, putting it into a truck and taking it to the dump. The second achievement was raising awareness and preventing further littering in the future. The woodworking teacher at school was able to provide 6 anti-littering signs to post on trees where people most often enjoy their chashlyk and fishing. This project was initiated and organized by a group of two students and one school boy. They had attended a summer camp which focused on small project design and management. They wish to thank the school, factory and city council for all it’s help in their endeavors. They are already planning their next project for April, possibly involving tree planting.

Successes
10 cubic meters of trash cleaned up and moved to dump in the woods.
Participation of students, mayor and teachers.
Wooden lacquered signs with ecological slogans posted on 6 trees near the river.

Unfulfilled dreams.
Not all the trash was cleaned up
The small details in the action plan were not clear (what to pick up, which bottles could be recycled, how many piles for the truck, and overall plan of action, prize distribution…
There was no participation by adults other than teachers and the mayor.

October 21

Pepper season has passed without me getting any canned (sealed in jars to save for the long dark months when all fresh fruit and vegetables are out of my budget) but cabbage season is still going roaring. Last night I had my first experience with a big grater grating huge amounts of cabbage and carrots to mix with salt and spices which will now sit for 3 days before being brought to a boil and sealed in jars. Now that I know exactly how to do this, I may try a few kilos myself, though I sure wish it was with peppers or pickles rather than cabbage. The 3 days does not even approach sauerkraut stink and I have come to like the taste of cabbage, especially with all that salt.

I have a lot left to learn about teaching. Last week I had the assistant principle sit in on a class and this week the principle sat in. Both women had useful suggestions on how to improve my lessons. I need to stop making excuses for various shortcomings and work within the system that exists here. Difficult printer access sucks because getting each kid things that he can hold and touch becomes too much work. Kids pay so much more attention if there is some material besides chalkboard and book. I don't understand why, but I think it appeals to the way our species actually learns, easily apparent in any baby. Pick something up, look at it, smell it, taste it, figure out how to use it. I don't know why these instincts must be called upon to learn past continuous tense but even just making flash cards helps immensely.

I still have social/lingual trouble with the difference between thy and you (informal vs. formal personal pronouns). Verbs also conjugate according to this distinction. It is largely a matter of age, and if someone is considerably older than me (+>10) then I use formal. But then sometimes older people call me by the formal out of respect, or because I'm American. When a certain familiarity is reached then informal can be used regardless of the age. The most difficult has been enforcing my students calling me by the formal, because that where some of my control comes from, the difference between them and me. It rubs the wrong way against my quakerness and also against how I remember my best teachers, who treated me as an equal. It's amazing how foreign this built in inequality feels, and how recently it left our own language. I hope we can get rid of capitalization soon, but I'm not too confident. I wonder silently if this is one of those connections between culture and language which might explain certain major differences like parenting authoritarianism.

Planning a camping/cabin trip with other teachers for fall break next week. I will go to longest cave in Europe before that this weekend with my friends from training. My language has gotten rusty as I've been lazy about studying this last month. I never really got back into my routine after summer ended. Ok, time for one more class, a difficult one because nobody, including these 10^th graders still want to be in school at 3pm. Then my ecological club of 6-8^th graders which is lots of fun will do activities concerning "Leave no Trace". Then Ukrainian tutoring before dinner, studying, reading, violin, writing and bed. Not that much time left in the day.

My blog is always last on my internet 'to do' list

That combined with far less free time this semester accounts for how rare my posts have become.

This saturday I helped clean the river banks in Velyki Mosty with 35 students, 3 teachers, Curtis and the Mayor. This cleanup was organized by the students I took to camp this summer and was generally a success. While we have not yet completed the evaluation, we cleaned up 8 cubic meters of trash and recycled over 200 beer bottles (no other type of glass is recyclable, yet). It was cool to see how the director of the factory gave us money for trash bags, gloves and cookies, the mayor gave us more bags, gloves and a truck, and the school allowed us to recruit students for labor and make no littering signs with the woodworking teacher. Overall a solid small grassroots project. Our next action is already planned for April, and will include tree planting with the cleanup.

Soccer regular season is over, but we are playing in a post season tournament. So much for achilles rest. But the weather has been beautiful, and yesterday I could almost ignore how rusty I was while limping around the goffer pocked field and just enjoy the sunny autum breeze. we won 4-2 thanks to our golie stopping two penalties, one of which I committed. It's also really nice to have that base of friends, sitting up in the pizza place on sunday night rather than getting ready for monday.

Teaching is going alot better this semester. I have completely given up trying to teach out of the book or with methods that the teachers here already use. What's the point of doing that if I'm supposed to introduce new methods. Besides english, i'm teaching or helping to teach sexed, which right now is limited to HIV/AIDS education. We've done exercises on personal impact, now are doing in depth biology, and next will have a unit on stigma and discrimination.

Then I have my other community project dreams, revamping the youth center or getting computers and internet for the public library. Maybe I can turn the old abandoned school building into a community center. Of course saying that I will be the agent of change is an exageration. As I learned very clearly from the cleanup project, the most I can realy do is connect resources in favorable ways. I can't create things or actions from thin air, but I can forge connections and think about problem solving with existing solutions with a unique outsider's perspective.

So this feeling of productiveness, variety of projects and activities has really made V. Mosty feel like home. I'm still reluctant to buy anything, such as a desk lamp, carrot scraper or second plate, but I think this month I will overcome those feelings of impermanence, even as I pass the 'less than one year to go, I'm not really counting any more' mark. It's odd to see how the experiences of volunteers really start to diverge at this point. Some keep counting and don't really get settled. Others have decided to go home after this first year. I'm lucky enough to be on the other side, really taking advantage of the opportunities that having food, rent and a job opens up. That's all for this month. I've got to write an article about our cleanup for a newspaper up in Chervonograd (in Ukrainian, uh oh). Also got to write a letter to a bunch of environmental nonprofits on behalf of the working group that I'm co-heading. The Environmental working group is a volunteer group works to provide and distribute resources to educators, runs an environmental summer camp (or a few this next summer) and works to get other environmental projects off the ground. I'm kind of the talking head, trying to make sure everyone is clear on what they signed up to do and making relatively meaningless executive decisions coin toss style.

That about sums up my last month. This post is going to be really long. Now, can I get some pictures up also?

Autumnal Equinox, September 21st, 2008

Rain again. I am thankful that my body can still run, because without running, this weather would lead to depression. Writing in Californian FB font wishing for some SoCal weather, though I guess this is about right for NoCal.

Umbrellas are silly. If it is going to rain, I want to feel the cold stinging against my face, slight penetration of my old jacket at the shoulders, and full visibility of the racing low dark clouds. I am constantly annoyed by others' umbrellas as I am poked, hit, and bashed. People are blinded by them, stupefied by fear of dampness, unwilling or unknowing to lift them up and let me pass. I weave and duck my way through their colorful domes, laughing when gusts discombobulate their occupant's best efforts to stop nature with a shape that was meant to fly in the wind.

Children have unfathomable amounts of energy. Listening to the teacher less classroom next door, I cannot distinguish the myriad levels of social relations that unite the band in their war against authority.

I look forward to seeing my brothers in December. I dread the 9 hour days and 15 hour nights that are coming. At least there are lots of holiday celebrations and food.

I finally got gmail on my mobile phone. Pretty cool to have that ability, especially on days like today when the internet isn't working in school and Nathaniel is making his way toward me without a cell phone. Super happy that Nathaniel is visiting.

And just like that

the school year is off and running
18.5 hours of teaching
environmental cleanup project
euroclub
ecoclub
lots to do, days getting shorter
lost our last soccer game
played poorly
out of shape and achilles shredded
skipped the end of the year party because i'm tired of people trying to make me drink
you would think that they would get it by now
home now because i've been in school for almost 10 hours
time for some bean soup

rain

pretty much got my apartment set up

lots of dust since it was not lived in for a while before me

trying to dry laundry in a one room apartment when it's been raining for 5 days and will for another 5 days is proving problematic

the laundry is becoming worse smelling than it was to start thanks to mold.

still no teaching schedule

we'll see on monday

still looking for tent

can't find any of the two models i want anywhere

maybe I will end up ordering one and sending it to liam

want to get some camping in when the babina summer starts (indian summer here is called grandma summer)

Apples are cheep now

got to make some apple stuff

I think trying to dry them would be futile

Blog block.

I have so many things to write about when I'm not around a computer or don't want to turn it on, but then when I want to write something, I have nothing to say. So, like any communicative situation when there's really nothing worth saying, I'll start with small talk.

         The old classic, weather. Every day this week is 50F and raining. The weather prognosis says there might be slight relief on Saturday. I have been on and off with running and the weather feels colder and wetter on days that I don't get my blood moving with a morning run.

         Achilles still hurting, got a prescription for physical therapy but haven't gotten over there to actually sign up. Part of me is waiting for a schedule because I want the therapy to be part of a routine, something that will fit with a disciplined life of stretching, yoga, abs, running and healthy eating. Why am I so dependant on routines?

         So how is work going? I don't have any work yet. Still waiting for a schedule. The assistant principle in charge of assigning me classes had a meeting in the district center on Tuesday, and a birthday party to go to yesterday, so, still waiting.

         Saw "The Barber of Seville" Rossini Opera in Lviv last night. No super musical skills, but good energy and pretty funny. My new phone works great for Ukrainian, but having some coding troubles getting internet. The only page I can access on my phone is facebook, and the only one I want is gmail. I'll get it fixed eventually, and then I'll get the bigger memory card to have 2gb of music and pictures. Look out ipod, you could be replaced. It's nice that the phone can read all types of music files, I can put them on and off without itunes, and get them from other people through Bluetooth. New gadgets are so fun.

         The internet at my school keeps getting better, so I am reluctant to pay for internet through my phone at home, even though I do want to figure it out, just to have the ability, especially if I decide to apply for grad school.

         Well there is about to be a class in this computer classroom, so maybe I'll go check one of the other two. Really hope I get the biology and health classes that I have been promised.

         Why can't I think of anything entertaining to write on this blog? I guess that I have grown accustomed to all things Ukrainian so that I no longer find them entertaining. They just are. My life just is, and why would anyone want to read about that? I really hope Nathaniel makes it out here on his Europe wanderings. Other than that, I really just need to start teaching so I have some stuff to work on. Starting to feel useless.

Still waiting for a schedule

In fact all of the teachers are still waiting for a concrete schedule
This is how it is every year, i'm told, everything is up in the air the first two weeks. It's not for want of trying, the asistant principles work late into the night. I just wonder why they bring the students back to wait through the disorganized half productive classes before anyone really knows what kids they will have during the semester. Patience

potato harvest time

Got my first chance to dig potatoes yesterday
i think that's where the term 'back breaking work' comes from
the constant bending over to pick up the potatoes is tiring
but it was nice to be out in the sun and wind working and being productive
I only worked for about 4 hours.
got about 50kg of potatoes
I got a lot of chaff for mentioning that potatoes came from South America
they then started listing off all the things that people from the Ukrainian part of the USSR invented or created.

Why do farmers burn their fields?
It seems so wasteful
can somebody explain?
It was one of my jobs yesterday to clear the field of all the previously mowed fallow and pile it up so that it could be burned. I don't understand. They need more nitrogen?

I noticed that many families hire a tractor to turn the field and then just go pick up the potatoes
I was glad that I got to do the actual hoeing, but even more glad that I don't have to bend over that many times every day
time for my bus...
josef

Who am I

to ask you why my new smaller and not as luxurious apartment costs the same as the giant super furnished twice as big great view one I had before?

Respectfully, let me explain.

As an American, I value honesty, openness and information.

Do I suspect you of asking the same price and then pocketing some on the side. I didn't, until you gave no reason why the price is the same, and refused to give me the phone number of the actual landlord, so all my interactions have to go through you. 

 

You and our school are supposed to provide housing free of charge, and PC will help pay for utilities. PC is not supposed to pay the full rent amount.  Why do you require the teachers I work with to buy gas, water and electricity. Do you really think it makes their life easier to work with me in the classroom? In effect they have to pay to work with me. Why can't you use some of the school's general funds.  Surely $6/month is not too much to ask? Of course what exactly those funds are for and how they are spent is also a mystery.  Why the secrecy? Because nobody else will stand up to you? Because the parents respect a strong leader and prefer order over fairness? I really don't understand the system. If you will tell me, I will believe you. I am a trusting person.

 

I hope you don't get too offended when you read this. It is not meant as a personal affront. It is meant as a cultural clarification to explain why I dare to ask such questions and be so upfront. I would be more comfortable if everything was out in the open.  This school is on the right track. The quality of our students and their achievments show that. I believe that we can achieve even more with an increase in openess, free idea exchange and flexibility. Not only in monetary matters, but in academics as well.  Your young and old Ukrainian teachers have valuable ideas. Are you willing to try new things? Willing to create a two way street?

 

Yes, this letter reflects my immaturity, and yes, I have no idea how things are done here, and I should really mind my own buisness and keep my mouth shut. If only I could...

 

PS, I managed to find out why the price was the same buy asking my host dad, who asked his wife, who asked the you, and the info eventually trickled back down to me. Thank you for aswering that the old apartment was actually much more expensive than we paid, we were just getting a deal because I was an American, and the new apartment we actually had to talk down the price to what we are paying now. Inflation in the housing market since we are so close to Lviv and people who work there can live here and commute. Get ready for Suburbia...

School has started, but I have not

I got a new phone which will let mу use gmail as soon as I set it up. It also understands Ukrainian, which means the end of blacked out texts. Goodnews. It may also let me get internet on my laptop if I use it as a modem. All these tricks require coordination between my mobile provider and the software on my phone which is sort of tricky because it is a brand new model, so my provider doesn't have the settings all worked out yet.

 

On sunday I missed a wide open goal from 2 meters out, just a supeк soft volley which the golie had no trouble blocking. It's better than slamming it over the cross bar, but still, come on. I'm pretty rusty, been skipping soccer practice because the less I play soccer the better my Achilles feels. I've been running this week and that seems to be helping my flexibility and the Achilles is no worse ofа for it. The auto correct feature on this version of MSword keeps making things into Russian words. Great.

 

First day of school was on Monday. Didn't prepare as much as I wanted, but I'll probably still have time this week seeing as I don't actually have a teaching schedule yet. In fact most teachers don't have a schedule yet, the kids are just getting their books, and man this would drive me crazy if I had any power.  Where is the efficiency, planning ahead and just do it attitude? Older americans say that stuff is slipping away in america too, but I am going to bring a boatload of it home with me, because it sure beats the alternative. Patience.

August 19th

The phone company which all the other volunteers use and which is half the price of any of the competitors does not work in my new apartment.  Just not enough altitude to get reception a little ways down the hill and on the second instead of fifth floor.  It's also the company which I use to call home, or anywhere international. Today I tried everywhere in my town, even the top of a climbing structure. Looks like I will need to keep looking for a sweet spot, or only use this sweet company when I go up to Chervonograd, down to Lviv, or just about anywhere besides my town.

 

Got to get some community mapping done and design this community survey to further focus our environmental cleanup project. I also am starting to dream big because I saw a truck filled with crushed plastic bottles drive through my town headed south. There has to be recycling somewhere, and that would be a cool thing to get started. I know recycling has some problems, especially plastic recycling, with huge energy costs, harmful air pollution and a poorer quality plastic in the end, but it seems better than the bottles just immediately going to the landfill…ahhem, I mean the pit in the forest or field.

 

I tried to set up physical therapy today, and the lady told me to come back tomorrow. Hmm.  I got to start running, especially without a set schedule right now, I'm falling back into my adolescent habits of staying up real late, sleeping in real late anв getting nothing done till after noon.  Can't waste that kind of daylight, especially since each day is getting so much shorter. Screw the pain, I'm going running tomorrow. I'll ice and stretch and take ibuprofen and just hope that the Achilles tendinitus goes away the same way that the plantar faciitus did. Time.

 

The weather has been beautiful. I'm going to miss this warmth so much in a few months. At least I got my hot water working today. Not that I'll use it for a while since I've come to enjoy a cold shower. Helps save water also. Bed time. It's nice having this computer to get some thoughts out every day. I can't forget about my real journal or violin though. I wonder how long you, the reader, will be able to keep up.  I know that I fell way behind in elo's blog and now don't even have a chance of catching up. So…I need to stop writing.

August 18th

Ok, almost have windows re-installed on my laptop (notebook in ukrainian).  Next will be microsoft office, then a slow filling out of other programs, since I have to find them all on cd. I was an idiot when I was trying to reorganize stuff on the computer that Brooks so kindly donated to me and moved some files that the computer needed for startup, so it couldn't find them.  Sam even warned me as I was doing it not to mess with it if I didn't know what it was.  Oh well, now I have more incentive to learn Russian since both the operating system and the whole office suite is in Russian.

 

I'm most excited to be able to watch movies, but being able to type lesson plans and generally have things organized in documents/folders. It's odd how I'm more likely to write stuff down if it's on a computer because my typing is so much faster than my penmanship. I hope the computer doesn't distract me from my violin.

 

The students and I who will attempt to start a trash cleanup program on the banks of our river. Ideally we'll get trash cans and an agreement with the city to empty them. Then we'll organize 3 cleanups a year combined with me teaching environmental lessons in the school and facebook/vkontakte groups. Doing a community project is not easy, but doing something is far better than only planning and talking. I can't wait to get started.

 

My spork broke. Curtis won't stop making fun of how his is titanium and still whole while mine is plastic and now in two pieces.

 

Thank you brooks, for the computer.

Sam, I miss your fresh perspectives.

I ate too much watermelon.

I need to sleep. Sure wish I could watch the Olympics.

Independence day

Yesterday was Ukrainian independence day

great time in Lviv, lots of people dressed up in army uniforms, scantily clad women selling cell phone contracts, priests, choirs and outdoor church services, rock concerts and the philharmonic sharing one outdoor stage

in usa we just celebrate independence, not really caring too much who we gained independence from

Here it is made very clear that ukraine escaped russia's cold and oppressive embrace

People express their nationality as defined in opposition to Russia, with hateful, violent graffiti, tshirt slogans and slang

maybe that's how we used to feel toward England, in 1803?

I sure hope russia doesn't try to make eastern ukraine succeed the way they're supporting northern georgia

then again as a pcv, i'm not supposed to express political opinions, oops

physical therapy

requires a prescription

just like the usa

the doctors are super overworked and underpaid

I waited for half an hour as the line to see the doctor got longer, and longer, and longer

and yet he didn't show up, rumors that a car crash kept him up at the hospital

which combined with the other doctor being on holiday...

but the masseuse was happy to see me

she said "how can we not cure our star american footballer? Hope to see you soon..."

I have some other blog entries on my flash drive, but no flash drive allowed at this internet club either

Why are all the tents sold out?

went running today, I can't just sit around all day

Got to find a plastic tub to do my laundry

new place only has a shower

i'm making apricot/white cherry jam, watching alot of lost, and generally waiting for the school year to start

maybe i'll get one more trip in before school

Sunday is independence day (unlike the USA, where we don't think of it in terms of us vs. great britain, here alot of nationalistic spirit comes out in antagonistic terms against russia.)

then thursday is a big religious holiday called praznik, not sure what that means

will report more later

now back to the tub search, want to get a new cell phone so i can get internet at home

and need to map out the river where we are planning the cleanup

if only google earth had airial photos of Velyki Mosty

probably do, back from soviet times, maybe still classified

is my absentee ballot going to get here?

back home, new place

old apartment vs. new apartment
pink bedroom--carpets on the wall
building built in 1979-vs1984
normal toilet--backwards display everthing on a shelf before flushing toilet
tub and sit down showers-stand up shower that makes the whole bathroom wet
big kitchen-small kitchen
2 frying pans-10 frying pans
nice flat queen size bed---lumpy fold out couch
great view in two directions--light pole and houses
fridge in the kitchen--fridge in the hall
machine that spins clothes and water--real washing machine not hooked up to anything (inoperative?)
full set of silverwhere--no butter knives
overall, satisfied with the new place, hopefully I can get the water heater working before cold weather
the windows are new, so there should be no draft
now what else was on my mind?

Beautiful weather

last day with Sam

feel sort of bad that I will send him on a train by himself back to Kyiv (arrives 2:53am), then he has to get the bus out to the airport, through customs and all the rest without knowing any ukrainian in a predawn postindustrial megalopolis

today was spent in and around Lviv

nice food, hot day, hotter transport

back to school on monday

moving apartments in 8 days

got stop collecting stuff

searching for a tent

had enough of the big canvas behemoth that i lived in this summer

pretty excited to watch some movies and tv shows now that I have a computer

hopefully I still read and play violin also

and now to find a yoga dvd

got to improve flexiblity

and want something to do each morning instead of running

achilles physical therapy starts in september

ok, what on earth is going on in the olympics?

Got to find cable

peace

 

 

Whirlwind Romania

Nice mountains
old buildings
villages, animals
I think I like peopleless wilderness better
more to come now that I have a computer
Thank you Brooks! and Sam for carrying it here
undecided about internet, but the computer is a start
off to cross the Carpathian Mountains, again...by train

So much fun!

The environmental camp was a huge success. We basically taught grassroots project design and the response was great. Add the sun every day, woods, lakes and rivers, great volunteers and a pinch of luck. Now i'm in Kyiv, Sam arrives tomorrow, staying with my first host family tonight. Is my flash drive dying if it's making sounds when working? Maybe putting it through the laundry did affect it?

The week of Interweb

My fourth internet session in one week. If only I was permitted to upload pictures...  It's pretty easy really, just 30 min north on a packed bus, a 10 minute walk and the internet club is nice before all the teenibopers come in to play online games in the afternoon.

 

Mainly this week is just resting between camps.  I've reaquainted with my violin, studied Ukrainian every day, read a few books including some Gogol short stories, and begun trying to use up my solid kitchen stocks (flour, sugar, salt, oil, oats, potatoes, lots of other grains).  It is now definite that I will be moving to a new apartment by September 1st.  Nobody knows where this new apartment will be.  My landlady's other daughter is coming back from a nearby village so that her son can attend our school, a bit better than the village school. Of course eating this stuff doesn't make sense in the fruit vegetable season, where everything else is fresh and cheep, so I'll probably just leave it in the apartment, or carry it to wherever I'm moving to. 

 

The kids I'm taking to the next camp (two girls from University and my most talented 7th grader, Dima) I'm working at don't have sleeping bags or pads yet and we're leaving on Monday.  I'm excited for this next camp because it is already well organized, and I know alot of the other volunteers who will be there, people who just get stuff done, in a cheerful manner, without complaining.

I'm teaching environmental ethics, I think I already said that.  Also have to come up with a bunch of icebreakers.

 

And right after that camp Sam is coming. Romania...?

Wow, a post in presentish tense

After returning from the lakes, I am quite happy to have a week in my town to unwind and clean clothes. I feel guilty seeing all of my neighbors and knowing that I have probably already travelled to more places in their own country than they will see in their whole life.  I had to restock my fridge, but think I may have gotten too much stuff seeing as I have other camp that starts in 6 days and I have to move out of my apartment at the end of August.  I should be working on my stores of grains and flour, so I don't have to move them.  I have not found another apartment yet, but it's really up to my school director anyway.  I have heard rumors that I will be moving into a building on her property, which is fine, but will not be nearly as convenient as living in the very center of town. 

 

I am reading some short stories by Gogol, known as a Russian author, he was actually born in Ukraine.

 

My violin playing is pretty rusty.

 

My soccer team lost again on Sunday, despite me being there.  We simply don't pass quickly enough. Many players were absent at weddings or on vacation.  This loss takes us out of first place in our league and sends us to tied with 5th.  I am really out of soccer shape, and the day after the game, I had trouble walking, mostly because of my achilles.  I've decided to start physical therapy but have to wait until after the camp season so I can complete a sesson uninterupted.

 

So, one more summer camp, taking three students from my town, teaching environmental ethics and leadership.  Then Sam will arrive and we will make a quick loop through Romania on a whirlwind tour.  Then it's time to report back to school for lesson planning, teachers meetings and remodling.  Hopefully I can avoid all fumes and work only on outside projects.

 

I'm excited for the olympics and need to find a tv to catch the running events.

 

What else is going on? I guess just a week to unwind a bit and get organized for the last part of summer.  How is time moving so fast?

Yet more fun, Shatsk Lakes National Park

If you look a map of Ukraine up in the northwest corner near the borders with Belarus and Poland, you will see some lakes.  These are filled with clear water and surrounded by forests.  A friend from language refresher invited me because he had been invited by some friends from his site.  The tent area was a bit dirty and stinky because people didn't use the dumpsters and the toilets were so gross that many people made their own out in the woods, so there is room for improvement.  The weather also didn't cooperate as we would have liked, only about 6 hours of sunshine the whole time.  But it was nice to hang out at camp, on the beach and in the forest.  We also walked 9km to a more secluded lake and found it to be much cleaner and if I go back, that's where I'll make camp.  I am now an expert at baking potatoes under a campfire. I know this is not very impressive.

Language Refresher, July 10-14

One of the best parts about Peace Corps is getting to learn another language.  It helps with the second and third goal the JFK layed out for PC.  'To give citizens in other countries an better understanding of americans and to give americans a better understanding of other peoples'.  The first goal is to provide trained men and women to increase technical capacity, and strong language skills obviously help in this respect also.  I've already mentioned that the initial 3 months of language training was excellent.  In continuing support of our language skills, PC Ukraine provides summer and winter language refreshers.  Basically a summer camp filled with classes and fun activities in Ukrainian.  The teaching was excellent, lots of 1on1 tutoring and generally fun activities including games with sticks, cooking, poetry, dancing, singing and acting.  I have nothing but good things to say about the experience and am completely psyched to continue my language study.  If I can get a good semester of study in this fall, I might start to study russian in the spring.  That would be cool, although just a start of course. 

 

I tried running again after a month of rest on my achilles.  Little improvement.  I timed a 4km run for the fun of it (I know, a great way to treat the achilles on the 4th day of running) and confirmed my suspicion that not running for a month really hurts fitness.  Awesome games of soccer and volleyball, historical movies, sauna+cold plunge, generally living the life.  Instead of going home after this vacation...

Survival Camp, July 1-9

I missed the first two days of digging pit toilets/compost pits and mowing grass and generally preparing a campsite in the wilderness for 50 people.  The camp was situated about 4km outside of Kosiv ontop of a ridge maybe 400 feet above the valley floor.  The first days of camp were pretty successful, but then the discipline started to slip, and there was a weekness in leadership which left many students feeling unfulfilled.  It was supposed to be an english only camp, but no one enforced this.  The morning excersises also stopped after the first few days.  However, there were many awesome things that happened.

 

On the third day we hiked up PipIvan, the 4th highest mountain in Ukraine.  While only slightly over 7000ft, the hike was really beautiful, winding through sparkling medows and dark enchanted forests (I will upload pictures, but this internet cafe does not allow uploading of any kind) for about 11km.  This was a long hike for our youngest campers (14yr olds) and I ended up on rear guard trying to keep them moving.  All went well to the top, we had a nice lunch at the old Polish observatory, and then gathered one bag of trash each to bring back down the mountain.  I could not believe how much trash was up there.  It would have filled two dumptrucks at least, and I felt that our 50 bag subtraction barely made a dent.  The way down our rear guard 14yr old girls got dehydrated most likely because they weren't drinking for fear of having to pee somewhere without cover (above treeline).  They also were sunburned and generally tired.  The 5 hours down the mountain was a test of patience, which I passed, thanks in a large part to Jim and Curtis, who joked, sang and walked every slow step down the mountain.

 

Jim and I also had some wicked boot skiing on a patch of north facing snow. It was a great patch of hard icy snow maybe 50m long that got steeper and steeper as it went down and ended in a boulder field. Curtis has videos which will appear on youtube?...

 

The bus ride home was fun because we sang almost the whole way. The number of traditional songs that Ukrainians know is one of the coolest things about their culture, and something that Americans can not compete with.

 

Teaching ecology lessons at the camp went ok, but I have nothing to brag about.  It could have gone better, that's for sure.

 

Another highlight was the Ivana Kupala celebration.  This literally means the bath of Ivan, and was an old pagan celebration involving young maidens, big fires, dancing and drinking given a saint's name and incorporated into the church calendar.  We hiked down to the river, cooked shashlik (shishkabob) while the girls all made flower wreaths and the boys wore white traditional dress shirts.  After eating, the wreaths were placed on the water with a candel floating in the center and sent downstream.  The boys all waited downstream to try to catch a wreath, this being symbolic of...Unfortuantely, the wreaths all got stuck in an eddy, and it was left to one forward thinking Jason to plunge into the water and pile all the wreaths onto his head.  Then there was jumping over the fire in pairs.  If your hands held together, than you would be set together for life, but if not...  So is it bad that I jumped over with students?  Overall a really fun night.

 

Camp ended up being a really good learning experience for how to make camp better in the future.  Only two of us American  will still be in Ukraine when it is time for the same camp next year. Hopefully we can make it more survival oriented and less gourme cooking for 50 people over a campfire.  Each group of 2 americans and 6 ukrainians had to cook four meals each.  This involved a long treck into town, carrying tons of stuff back up the mountain, and a lot of potatoe peeling.  In the future, if the camp is called survival camp, the food needs to be plain and boring, much less work and maybe only one resuply trip into town. Just a thought.

 

The Journey home June 27th-29th

The three of us bought round trip train tickets from Poprad, Slovakia to Budapest because they were cheeper than the one way.  So I used nina's and my return tickets to get to Zita's house and again all the way back to Kosice, Slovakia.  From there I took the bus back to Uzhgorod, retracing my steps back to Lviv and Velyki Mosty.  It was a long journey including a long conversation with a Ukrainian journalist who was absolutely pissed at the slow progress of Ukraine and wished he had been born in another country.  He thought that it was a mistake have drawn the borders in a way that put Uzhgorod in Ukraine rather than Slovakia.  His English was excellent and indeed he did not remind me of many Ukrainian men I have met.  Then there was a huge downpour of rain and hail which I waited out hunched up inside of an atm.  Unfortunately my boney but was not lucky enough to punch the keypad in a way to make money come out.  When I finally got back to my site on Saturday, I decided to stay through my soccer game on sunday and the European Championships Final and go to my next camp a day late on Monday morning.  The trip down through Ivano Frankivsk made me miss the fast trains in Slovakia and Hungary alot.  How does it take 6 hours to go 200km?  Hmm, this brings me almost to July, with 4 minutes of internet left...

Budapest and Mezokovesd

is completely modern. It was also really hot. Cool buildings, museums, castles, and baths.  Those pesky turks who ruled here for 700 years left public baths in almost every city.  It is a cool shade of culture and empires and conqering history.  The events and sights seen in Budapest are too numerous to mention.  The exchange rate was interesting and very confusing in math.  I bought some new clothes with the fashion advice of Claire and Nina (the first clothes I had bought myself since high school) and was glad not to know exactly how much they cost.  I also accidently bought a cd when we were dancing on the grass at an outdoor impromptu band performance because I though I was giving a 100 bill, not a 1000 bill.  It was dark, ok, and it's really only about $10, I think...

That same night/morning, Claire and Nina finally got a taxi to take them to the airport (though I think again they used their exchange rate to profit on us americans) and I took the train out to Zita's town in Eastern Hungary.  Her town is called Mezokovesd and is as hard to say as it is to spell.  It was a completely different world out in the agricultural village town system than Budapest, but still what seemed to me to be a very prosperous country.  Zita and her family were great hosts, showing me the whole town and surounding countryside, and nieghboring castle town and going to more Turkish baths (we couldn't swim because we didn't have swim caps) and local wine and teaching me how to play tennis and yeah, one packed awesome 24 hours. 

The highest point in the Carpathians

High Tatras national park looks almost like the Tetons.  The trails are well marked and well populated with tourists from all over europe.  There is a system of huts to sleep in much like the AT in america.  We only went for a day hike and didn't summit anything mainly because we packed way to little water.  The coolest part was as soon as we got off the bus in a little town called Nova Lesna at the base of the mountains, these kids playing in the park invited us back to their house where they had a few extra bedrooms for travellers just like us.  It was very affordable, and I got so excited that I accepted the grandmother's dinner offer also, much to the chagrin of my fellow travellers who were not nearly so accustomed to a diet consisting of cabbage and meat.  I thought the food was fine, but it was by no means subtle.  Ok, I think this brings my blog up to sometime in late June.  What did we do next???

American Women in Velyki Mosty

After another long border crossing (come on EU, let Ukraine in) we (Claire Nina and I) made it back to my city-like village.  It was nice to have a more relaxing day, and highlights included blueberry picking, swimming in the river and making banana bread for Ira's birthday.  Unfortunately, by the time we got to her house on a trail which didn't really exist, we forgot to sing her happy birthday. 

 

The next day we explored Lviv, it was cool to see new reactions to things that had become routine for me.  I saw my second ballet and made a complete fool of myself trying out some dancing moves afterwords.

 

That night we took a train to Uzhgorod, a border city mixing Ukrainian, Hungarian, Roma, Romanian  and Slovakian cultures.  Most poeple there seem to think of themselves as more European than Ukrainian.  We could see the mountains in the distance, but didn't have time to get out there.  It was nice to stay in a hotel with a stand up shower.

 

The next day we crossed the border to Slovakia.  Everybody was bringing things they bought in Ukriane across the border to resell at higher prices.  Trying to understand what one dude on the bus was trying to get us to take for him until we crossed the border provided an introduction to Melanie, a Switzerlandian girl who was brave enough to travel Ukraine by herself.

 

Slovakia was absolutely beautiful, the same rustic feeling as Ukraine, but cleaner somehow.  Maybe it was the addition of trash cans in public places, or maybe a growing recycling industry, but it was nice to see a really clean country.

Krakow, way back when

I will try to update a crazy summer in a series of out of date, surely inaccurate and probably dreadfully insufficient posts.  Starting where I left off.

 

Krakow, June 16^th and 17th.  My bus arrived earlier than I thought it would.  I had time to kill and a bladder to empty before Claire and Nina would arrive at 9:30.  The only problem was Central Europe's obsession with pay toilets.  It was not expensive, but I had no local currency, so, beginning to move into the pain stage of bladder control, I found an atm and got some money.  Went back to the bathroom,  but my money was too big and the toilet lady could not give me change for such a large bill, so, back upstairs to find some breakfast and break the bill.  It all worked out in the end, but I wish that some public funding could go to free toilets in all big cities.  It would make metros and city parks so much better smelling.

            As the train stopped, I happened to be standing exactly outside the window of the train car that Nina and Claire were in. 

            The night on the bus made me quite tired.  Krakow is beautiful, castles, churches, dragons, rivers.  Only one night in the hostel.  Day two out to Auschwitz and Birkinau.  Overwhelming death and sadness.  Almost dulling to the senses, especially walking through a room full of shoes, human hair and a reconstructed gas chamber.  The sense of memory is strong, but I think I feel more touched by the synagogue I walk past everyday in my town, a more relatable level of history, where the actual reality is imaginable, horrible and terrible, but not overwhelming.  No more internet time here.  Next entry, Claire and Nina's visit to Lviv and Velyki Mosty.

away from internet

I promise to update everyone about at least some of the adventures (lots of camping, and swimming) I've been having on Saturday.  I'm home for one day now and headed up to some national park with lakes tomorrow morning. Saturday, blog update.  Got it.

Travelling

Krakow, Lviv, Velyki Mosty, Uzhgorod, Nova Vesela, and Budapest tomorrow

so many amazing experiences

will write later

cloudy, cool, aimless

Camp continues. Today was the Mr. Camp competition to match the Ms.
Camp competition last week. There were introductions, physical tests,
dancing, cooking questions and questions about how the modern husband
should act. I am not all here today, too much sleep combined with no
running (decided that the weekend in Kyiv combined with the upcoming
days in Krakow are a great excuse not to run for a few weeks, and
already my Achilles feels better, although I am starting to feel fat
and lazy. Should I go to soccer practice today? If I don't, I might
be really rusty for the game on Sunday) has left me with lights on and
nobody home. And then today there was really nothing to do. After
the morning game show thing, there was lunch, then a break dance
competition. Now I'm sitting around trying to get internet to send in
my lesson plans for the upcoming camp and see if Nina-Claire managed
to get off the plane on their Prague layover. Their plan was to only
have carryon baggage so they could make their Europe loop by arriving
in Prague and departing from Budapest even though their tickets were
round trip NYC-Budapest.
I cut my shin on a plow yesterday while crossing the river Rata in
the back of a bumpy horse drawn wagon while 18-wheelers and old soviet
cars sped around us on the narrow bridge. Distracted by truck
threatening to overrun us from behind, I lost my balance and fell into
the horse-drawn-plow which was sharing the back of the wagon with me.
Whodathought plows were so sharp. No pain on my soccer hardened shin,
but the blood started pouring immediately. I could see the bone as
Ira cleaned the cut when I arrived at Ukrainian tutoring. It stopped
bleeding overnight, but now has started to trickle again, down my leg
and into my shoe.
Just today I learned that I will miss a tour of the local castles
with the 7th grade class because I will be in Krakow next week. The
planning may happen ahead of time, but I never find out things until
right before they happen. I didn't even know there were castles
around here. Ok, maybe I'll try the internet again.

Why are we here?

Why does pc send volunteers to Ukraine? Everytime I come to Kyiv and see giant cars, new apartments, food prices I question why she needs peace corps. I guess there are some alterior motives that the state department has for sending us here. There are also great things we can do because we have so much more resources than our counterparts in Africa. But even so, that doubt never leaves.

Doctor confirmed today that I have achilles tendonitis, and recommended that I take 3 weeks without excersises that strain my achilles. This along with ice followed by heat and physical therapy if I can find it in my town. And 800mg ibprofen/day. If my plantar fasciitis went away, my achilles tendonitis should also go away. I just don't want to wait and I certainly don't want to stop playing soccer and running. I'm already down to 20 miles/week and 2 days of soccer, how much less could I do and maintain happiness/sanity? My upcoming travelling will certainly help.

On Saturday, I'll go to my neighboring oblast to meet Curtis and some other friends and cook shashlik(meet on sticks) in the forest. Then on Sunday, I'll catch my soccer game on my way to Krakow to meet Claire and Nina. The three Americans will procede to Lviv and other points south in Ukraine before making our way to Budapest. I'm really looking forward to sharing my new country and home now that the weather is beautiful and the vegetables and fruit are almost ripe, well, I guess they're really not even close to ripe yet.

I missed daycamp today with my doctors appointment in Kyiv. 4 more days of camp hanging out with my 6th graders and trying to remember camp games I havn't already shown them. Maybe we'll get to go to the forest and do a scavenger hunt. I don't know what I was going to say further about that.

So much time with computers this weekend, yet somehow not too much work accomplished. The environmental working group was productive, getting a lot of useful lesson plans and resources up on google docs where everyone can access them, but my preparations for camp have been procrastinated all day today. I need to write one more lesson plan, write a few paragraphs for the newsletter and a blurb for the weekly pc email. The deadline is really next weekend, so it didn't feel that urgent, even though my computer use may be dangerously small. I guess it was worth having a relaxing day to do what I wanted on the internet, between my two emails, facebook, couchsurfing, blogging, runnerunner, news and achilles research, I guess it was not completely useless.

The new pc office in Kyiv is really nice, shower, kitchen, lounge, and computer lab. Again, not what I imagined the pc to be like. On Saturday night I stayed with 14other environmentally oriented volunteers after our meeting in Kyiv in a 3 room apartment which cost $175 for the night. The floor with couch cushions was actually pretty nice.

On Sunday night I went down to visit Patrick about an hour south of Kyiv, nice town though way different than mine because it sits on the main highway. Tonight I will spend on the train on my way back home, kind of nice to get both travel and lodging in the same ticket. When the times work out so perfectly (10pm-6am), I don't mind that the train goes so slowly.

I'm watching another beautiful sunset outside the open window, weather so far equalling Seattle last June, but they say it will get hotter. Off to take a shower with water pressure before I walk to the train station.

A long time waiting...for them to upload

Motorcycle club stopping for lunch in the park outside my kitchen window.

The walk across town with my co-workers to Olena's welcome to the world party.

Another Olena comes into the world, amazing silver colored eyes. Iryna is my Ukrainian tutor and Olena is her 3rd child.

Graduation and the Day of our Town

Also the first day of summer! 

 

Friday was the last day of official classes.

Saturday was graduation for the 11th formers (high school ends at 11th grade here) and the weather was perfect as they had thier ceremony out in front of the school.  The major differences between my high school graduation and theirs were...

They didn't have to wear silly robes.

They played the national anthem twice rather than once.

Three students marched with the flag.

All the students marched around the square three times for good luck.

The orthodox priest gave a long speach and everyone crossed themselves multiple times.

Everyone let a baloon float into the air instead of throwing hats when the ceremony was over.

There were many more flowers here, many of my students gave them to me, other teachers got them, graduates got them, young kids, everyone.

There were many awards anounced, from the region, oblast, school, and other organizations.

The military band played a little award jingle for every award.

Only half of the students had University spots, the other half still awaiting test dates and other hurdles.

That's all I can think of, it seemed pretty normal all in all.

 

Sunday I let myself sleep in, waking up yesterday for graduation was a violation of my normal Saturday policy.

The day of Velyki Mosty started around 12 with speaches, a band, awards and dancing in the center park.  I was momentarily jealous watching the group of young people break dancing thinking how much cooler they are than me.  Then I realized that there are things I can do that they can't, and if I really wanted to learn to break dance, I could be good at that also, although I would probably have to sacrifice something else. Not that I want to start break dancing, but I do want to have a strong body and many of those moves showed body control, strength and flexability of which I am jealous. 

 

Then the celebrations moved to the stadium for the young soccer game, then my soccer game (we won 2-0, starting to realize that we are the only city in a division of villages).  Immediatily after my game, fake trees, tall obstacles, flaming hoops, bags with drugs and coats hiding guns were spread across the field.  It was a dog show with the german shepards from the local border patrol base. The highlight was watching them take down suspects who tried to run (wearing protective clothing of course).  I wonder what the wounds would look like if you were taken down by a german shepard wearing only a tee shirt?  It was cool to have my host dad there explaining the personalities of all the dogs I was watching because he is the veternarian for the base and knows all of them.

 

After the dog show, I stopped to do some tourniques (like pullups but you pull yourself up, invert, sticking your feet straight into the air and then rotate all the way around the bar before lowering yourself down) on the way home for dinner and a shower.  At first when my host brother showed them to me I couldn't do any.  Now my record is 3. I'm determined to do 10 by the end of July.  Back to the stadium to watch the band, felt decidedly alone because everyone was having picknics out on the field with their families and, well, I didn't have one there.

 

So I went back to my apartment to eat chocolate cake while listening to harry potter (talk about comfort eating/emotioal safe zone/reality escape) and eventually regained the social courage (because everybody knows me, everybody looks, points, says something to their neighbor about who I am, why I'm alone and what I do (I am starting to relate to Harry Potter, except I don't have two friends)) to go back out and see the fireworks instead of just falling asleep in my apartment.  Glad I did, found some of the soccer team (they were completely drunk) to watch the fireworks with and then danced for a few hours with the English teachers.  The band on the roof of the lockerrooms played an interesting mix of Ukrainian folk music, European disco and American pop while virtually the whole city danced in the dirt parking lot of the stadium (I was glad we weren't on the other side of the lockerrooms trampling the grass).

 

Today my achilles is especially sore, probably from dancing, and I am hobbling around school getting ready for the summer camp which starts tomorrow. Played games with my 6th form for a few hours this morning.  Now time to get some actual plans written up. #1, capture the flag...