Friday, June 5, 2009
At Home
Greetings from stateside! Our last day in Ukraine was May 1, and was preceded by several weeks of farewell gatherings and events. We taught our last classes, gave our final final exams, and said goodbye to fellow Peace Corps volunteers, to students and co-teachers, to dear host families, to special friends, and officially to the Peace Corps. We were feted at a memorable afternoon gathering at Peter's university at which more than 80 students came to say goodbye and present gifts. This was followed by a lunch with the 15 teachers and administrators we'd worked with, and included the tradition of going around the table to offer eloquent, sometimes tearful, toasts. We were honored and touched. Our last visits with our two host families were bittersweet and wonderful. When we got to the 8:30 pm train that would take us away from our city for the last time, a dozen locals came to see us off, including regulars from our English club, members of our extended host family, and co-teachers and their families who've become special friends. We left with feelings of sadness and satisfaction, and many connections that we intend to maintain across the miles. Our wonderful and talented 19-year-old Russian tutor, who has never been on an airplane before, will be coming here to spend the summer with us. Especially since she was so helpful to us, we are excited to show her our neck of the woods here, and help her experience much of what the US has to offer. In a way, our Peace Corps service continues.
Friday, February 13, 2009
It's Official
Our last day in Ukraine will be May 1. It’s hard to believe that our two-plus years is almost over. Here are some Ukrainian "cultural moments" we've grown to appreciate.
Fireworks - Most weekends, and sometimes during the week, we can hear and view fireworks from our ninth-floor apartment window. It’s a tradition to set them off to celebrate weddings, which typically occur on Fridays and Saturdays, and for birthdays, which can be any night. They’re now a part of everyday life that we enjoy and will miss.
Beets - We have a newfound appreciation for beets. Their stunning color, healthful contents, and ubiquity here have made us fond of them. Ukrainians like to make a beet salad dressed with lots of mayonnaise. We like them grated fresh with a simple vinaigrette, or in our version of Ukrainian borsch, which most Ukrainians think doesn’t measure up, but we like it.
Root Vegetables in Soil - Whether purchased at modern grocery stores, at the central market, or from a cute little babushka on a street corner, vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and beets are sold with lots of the soil they grew in still attached. It's also not unusual to have little feathers or other nest remnants attached to eggs.
Escorting Your Guests - At the end of an evening, Ukrainian hosts have a lovely tradition of walking their dinner guests, not just to the door, but to the street, at least, if not to the bus stop, which can be several blocks away. Since most Ukrainians that we’ve gotten to know live in high-rise apartment buildings, as hosts at the end of an evening they always walk with us down to the front door of the building. We have been walked several blocks to our bus stop home. Once we were escorted all the way home in the dark by one nice family (parents and 12-year-old son), a distance of a dozen long blocks or more that took probably 30 minutes. It took us a while to catch on. Our first dinner guests (probably offended) were bid farewell at our front door. Eventually we’ve figured it out, and enjoy the leisurely stroll at the end of a visit.
Fireworks - Most weekends, and sometimes during the week, we can hear and view fireworks from our ninth-floor apartment window. It’s a tradition to set them off to celebrate weddings, which typically occur on Fridays and Saturdays, and for birthdays, which can be any night. They’re now a part of everyday life that we enjoy and will miss.
Beets - We have a newfound appreciation for beets. Their stunning color, healthful contents, and ubiquity here have made us fond of them. Ukrainians like to make a beet salad dressed with lots of mayonnaise. We like them grated fresh with a simple vinaigrette, or in our version of Ukrainian borsch, which most Ukrainians think doesn’t measure up, but we like it.
Root Vegetables in Soil - Whether purchased at modern grocery stores, at the central market, or from a cute little babushka on a street corner, vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and beets are sold with lots of the soil they grew in still attached. It's also not unusual to have little feathers or other nest remnants attached to eggs.
Escorting Your Guests - At the end of an evening, Ukrainian hosts have a lovely tradition of walking their dinner guests, not just to the door, but to the street, at least, if not to the bus stop, which can be several blocks away. Since most Ukrainians that we’ve gotten to know live in high-rise apartment buildings, as hosts at the end of an evening they always walk with us down to the front door of the building. We have been walked several blocks to our bus stop home. Once we were escorted all the way home in the dark by one nice family (parents and 12-year-old son), a distance of a dozen long blocks or more that took probably 30 minutes. It took us a while to catch on. Our first dinner guests (probably offended) were bid farewell at our front door. Eventually we’ve figured it out, and enjoy the leisurely stroll at the end of a visit.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Happy 2009!
We’re back in Ukraine after a too short two-week holiday visit home to Seattle. The unusually cold and snowy weather there truncated and slowed the pace of our visiting, but it was good to be home nonetheless.
Our time here is quickly winding down. When university classes begin again the first week of February, we’ll have three months remaining. Most of the courses we’ll be teaching are again repeats of last year’s, so only minimal tweaking will be necessary for preparation. We’re currently battling nasty colds and an intermittent or excruciatingly slow Internet connection, but want to take this opportunity to wish all a very Happy New Year!
Our time here is quickly winding down. When university classes begin again the first week of February, we’ll have three months remaining. Most of the courses we’ll be teaching are again repeats of last year’s, so only minimal tweaking will be necessary for preparation. We’re currently battling nasty colds and an intermittent or excruciatingly slow Internet connection, but want to take this opportunity to wish all a very Happy New Year!
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