2 months here seems like it has been 6 months at least. When we look back to staging and Philadelphia it seems like years ago now. I think because we are being brainwashed with so much stuff and have experienced so much in just 2 months. It's actually quite amazing.
I forgot to mention that I received more shots in my left shoulder last week for Hepatitus and influenza. I think the total is up to 47 needles to this point. I also forgot to mention that on Friday we had emotional health day. It was 4 hours of first aid and stress-coping mechanisms. The one good thing that came out of it was I won some mouthwash playing health jeopardy.
Saturday night I watched the top 100 best songs of the 80's on VH-1 and educated Marina about classic songs from the 80's. I'm not sure I agree that Bon Jovi "Livin on a Prayer" should be #1 though I was happy to see Duran Duran in the top 5. That was a blast even though I pissed little Nikita off because I prevented him from watching his cartoons. I watch maybe a total of 1 hor of television a month here and this was my time dammit!
Yesterday rocked! I went to Jonathan's apartment with James and out tech teacher Andrey and we watched over 5 hours of "Lost". I can't believe how much better the season got since I left. I didn't even miss it until now. I only need to watch the final 2 episodes of the season now. The only problem is, we don't know if Jonathan will receive another shipment before we leave Chernihiv. I HAVE TO SEE THE FINALE!!! I will go on record once again by saying that this is the best show to have ever graced a television set..."Six Feet Under" is not far behind.
I have also been reading Mick Foley's new book that J.J. sent me. It's actually quite an interesting read going behind the scenes of professional wrestling (Yeah, I'm a nerd like that). It's also been really great reading those magazines everyone has mailed out. I also talked to my brother and his family last night which was great.
Here's a funny story. I was walking back from Jonathan's place last night and a huge storm came from nowhere. I took cover under this huge tree because I had my laptop with me and no umbrella. As I'm standing there I notice 2 younger guys speaking English next to me. I ask them where they were from and they freaked out at the sound of an English voice. It turns out they were Mormon missionaries traveling Ukraine and one of them was from Billings, MT. You don't see that every day here. They were nice guys and didn't try to push the church on me so I applaud them.
We just finished language class and I am about to head home to finish up the manual I have been working on. My host family is home today as is the rest of the country because low and behold yesterday was another holiday here....the holy trinity. When a holiday falls on a Sunday, everyone gets Monday off work. That sucks for us because our project group had planned on visiting some organizations and hand-delivering invitations to our event.
That's all I got.
Hi Cassandra!!!
Happy Birthday, Mar!!! (if you ever read this)
Monday, May 28, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
This Week's Pictures
This was the monestary we hiked to on Tuesday. You enter the back of it and there is a huge maze under it. 
Brian and Geoffrey descending into the unknown.
These are human remains from monks who lived underground. Good stuff, huh?
Exiting the caves...that whole expeience obviously freaked me out a little.
I thought this was a really cool monument. I wasn't a huge fan of climbing 800 steps in the unbearable heat with a 100 lb backpack on, but perhaps it was all worth it.
We stumbled upon a great cafe where we enjoyed an ice-cold beer.
and finally....my treasures from my parents, JJ and Shawna. Thanks and I love you all!!!Weekly Report
A lot of people keep asking how much news I get about the U.S. Here's my answer. I hear the Bulls are doing okay. I have no frickin' idea what is happening back home and it's kinda nice.
Some statistics: the stomach meter has officially dropped again to 30%. For the last week, my stomach has been on edge. It could have been the river fish I ate that the medical officers warned us not to eat or perhaps the sewage water I swam in; there are so many options.
For 2 weeks this country has been experiencing record high temperatures. From what I gather, it usually only gets this hot for about 1 week in July. Seeing how nobody has fans or a/c, I am slowly melting away as my lovely friend Kelly pointed out. To give you an idea, I pound about 2 2liters of water every day and I think I've urinated once all week.
I finally received all my packages from the PC ffice and took them home Thursday. The microwave popcorn was a hit because they don't have that here. My family stared at the microwave in amazement like it was about to shoot out a million dollars. Beef jerky and red licorice was also a smash. I got 4 packages total (Mom, the DVD's did arrive...thanks) and I have included a picture here in which I show off my treasures. Wait, maybe that's why I am sick because my stomach doesn't recognize real food anymore.
So this week...a group of us went to the beach on the river. While I did not intend to swim in that mess of water, it was so hot I had to do it. The beach was a rather nasty experience all around.
Language class was good, but a lot of us are in a funk from our site visit and don't want to learn anymore. We are counting the days to the finish line. We had a tech session on Thursday and learned about the Ukrainian economy and the tax system out here. It was actually pretty interesting stuff.
I am hooked on playing badmitton lately. Yesterday, Hung-Chee, my host family and I walked to a different beach which was a lot nicer than the one on Wednesday. I soaked up some rays and then we went home and drank vodka, listened to music and played cards.
Tomorrow we are watching 7 episodes of "Lost" and I am more excited about that than anything else. I don't think the finale is included in there though. Tonight I am watching "Shrek the Third" in Russian and I also want to check out Pirates 3 at some point. I am also stoked about the news that a group of us are going to Kyiv next weekend for a music festival. It tuns out I won't go all summer without a good concert afterall. There are a bunch of bands, but only one band I know from the states.
My site situation is still the same. I'm trying not to think about it too much. I am focusing on our project for the time being. When that is over, I will make the big decision. /i am writing up a manual on interviewing basics and sample interview questions and then need to get it to a translator. I am working on a powerpoint presentation for our seminar as well.
Happy Birthday, Dad & TJ!
Some statistics: the stomach meter has officially dropped again to 30%. For the last week, my stomach has been on edge. It could have been the river fish I ate that the medical officers warned us not to eat or perhaps the sewage water I swam in; there are so many options.
For 2 weeks this country has been experiencing record high temperatures. From what I gather, it usually only gets this hot for about 1 week in July. Seeing how nobody has fans or a/c, I am slowly melting away as my lovely friend Kelly pointed out. To give you an idea, I pound about 2 2liters of water every day and I think I've urinated once all week.
I finally received all my packages from the PC ffice and took them home Thursday. The microwave popcorn was a hit because they don't have that here. My family stared at the microwave in amazement like it was about to shoot out a million dollars. Beef jerky and red licorice was also a smash. I got 4 packages total (Mom, the DVD's did arrive...thanks) and I have included a picture here in which I show off my treasures. Wait, maybe that's why I am sick because my stomach doesn't recognize real food anymore.
So this week...a group of us went to the beach on the river. While I did not intend to swim in that mess of water, it was so hot I had to do it. The beach was a rather nasty experience all around.
Language class was good, but a lot of us are in a funk from our site visit and don't want to learn anymore. We are counting the days to the finish line. We had a tech session on Thursday and learned about the Ukrainian economy and the tax system out here. It was actually pretty interesting stuff.
I am hooked on playing badmitton lately. Yesterday, Hung-Chee, my host family and I walked to a different beach which was a lot nicer than the one on Wednesday. I soaked up some rays and then we went home and drank vodka, listened to music and played cards.
Tomorrow we are watching 7 episodes of "Lost" and I am more excited about that than anything else. I don't think the finale is included in there though. Tonight I am watching "Shrek the Third" in Russian and I also want to check out Pirates 3 at some point. I am also stoked about the news that a group of us are going to Kyiv next weekend for a music festival. It tuns out I won't go all summer without a good concert afterall. There are a bunch of bands, but only one band I know from the states.
My site situation is still the same. I'm trying not to think about it too much. I am focusing on our project for the time being. When that is over, I will make the big decision. /i am writing up a manual on interviewing basics and sample interview questions and then need to get it to a translator. I am working on a powerpoint presentation for our seminar as well.
Happy Birthday, Dad & TJ!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Lotsa Pictures For You
For those of you that think I am exaggerating about what I eat here, I took this picture of a cookbook that was on our kitchen table before I left. Mmmmmm.
This is Jim from Schaumburg, IL. It is completely crazy that he grew up literally down the street from where I grew up. He's a really great guy for a Sox fan, but then again, all guys from the the Chicago burbs are...right? Check out the killer sunset in this picture.
The dock at sunset at the beginning of the party at Prolosok.
The dock later in the evening.
Matthew, Me, Geoffrey and Brian at the bonfire party. Matthew catches a lot of crap for looking like the late great Chris Farley.
Cards the next morning as we wait for our bus to pick us up. Geoffrey taught us a Russian card game called Durok that I am now hooked on. The guy in the blue shirt is Nathan and the guy in the white shirt is Stephen. They were my roommates in Prolosok.
This is a crappy picture of what a typical train car looks like. I slept on the top right bunk.
This will be my room for 1 month when I return. Those that know me well realize I need a fan :)
This is Gara the boxer I live and sneeze with. She eats strictly oatmeal and chicken bones. 
Tanya (new host mom), me, and Marina (my counterpart or partner) at the library I will work at....maybe.
This is Marina conducting a class similar to what I would be doing on Sundays there.
My office and desk.
This is the group of volunteers in my city and surrounding areas minus about 5 of them.
Kherson has a huge ship-building industry with tons of docking bays.
A really cool building. It's difficult to see, but there are statues of children sitting along the roof.
This is Tanya enjoying a smoke. Personally, I love the Ukrainian in the background sleeping in his boat. My plan is to make friends with every boat-owner in the city.
Gotta love the European speedo action in this one.
One Step Up (...and two steps back)
Okay, I don't remember what I wrote last time so forgive me if I repeat myself.
I'm back in Chernihiv from my site visit to Kherson. It's mad hot here now (especially south on the Black Sea) and I've been dripping sweat now for about 5 days straight. In addition, I think I've lost so much weight that I am back to my Jr. high school weight class. Overall, my visit was fun. I got to experience 2 looooong train rides through pretty much the whole country, I met some really nice people, I saw some really cool things, but overall I came back pissed off.
I know in my last post I was happy with my site. However, after that post I had a meeting with my organization's director and she laid down some strict rules including not wanting me to work with other organizations. In a nutshell, I will a librarian for 2 years, edit their website, teach English every Sunday ALL DAY, and that about sums it up. I joined Peace Corps when they told me I could continue to work in my field, work in business development and do some good things for this country based off my resume. This library had a PC volunteer working for them in the past and the guy set the bar too high for me and it will be difficult to fill this golden boy's shoes. Perhaps his dream was to be a librarian, but mine is not. I did not say anything to my director, but complained at my site debriefing in Kyiv yesterday. He pretty much said to just go with it and see if things change. Now I am stuck with a major decision as to whether call it quits and be a dropout and focus on a decent career in the states again taking away 3 months of great experiences, or stick it out, move everything across the country and give it a shot. My head is floating a hundred different directions and right now I am just going to focus on my Chernihiv project and give that my all. When that is done in mid-June, I will know what my move will be.
So, with that said, it wasn't all bad of a trip. My host mom is an awesome cook!!! She took me to this market and we picked out this huge fish fresh from the Black Sea and they chopped up 2 huge steaks for us. She made some amazing salads and we had strawberries like I never had before. I had heard they were good here, but it was ridiculous how sweet they were. I think I dreamt about them last night. I was super allergic to her dog, but it was a sweetie. Monday, my host mom had to work so I hit the town and walked around for miles and miles with a 200 lb. backpack in about 98 degree heat. I walked down to the docking station where boats and crusie ships dock as this is a big tourist port city. Later that day I met up with some volunteers who live in the area and took the bus into town to meet the four of us. We had dinner and many beers and it was cool to hear about their experiences and advice. One of them is about to marry a Ukrainian he met here. We then went to the train station and that was it. Time really flew there. The city itself is rather shady. 75% of it is pure ghetto. We had drunks coming up to us and our neighborhood is very dirty. The other 25% is awesome. There is one street they block off to traffic and now it's nothing but fun bars and restaurants. The Black Sea is about an hour's bus ride, but Kherson sits on a huge river that connects the Black Sea to another huge sea. Therefore, half the city is surrounded by water, beaches, fishing, water skiing, swimming, etc.
I think I could live there no problem for 2 years, the people I met were really cool as well. My host Mom, Tanya, is learining English because her boyfriend and daughter live in Israel and they speak English. She is self-taught over 6 months all from a computer program...I was floored at how much she picked up just from me. In return, I learned more Russian in 2 days there than the entire time in class here. I feel really good about my language skills now. My counterpart, Marina, totally rocks and I really lucked out with her too. We are going to take a cruise down to Crimea in July for free because some friends of hers owns a yacht.
Once we got back to Kyiv Tuesday morning, we stopped into the PC office to debrief and then went site-seeing around the city again with Hung-Chee and Geoffrey. I truly love that city! I tried to pick up some gifts and souvenirs, but couldn't find the place I was at last time. I ended up just buying a Ukrainian soccer jersey. We took the 2 hour bus ride back to Chernihiv and I went home, ate and passed out from exhaustion.
Today was "reflection day" since half the people are not back yet. I had my movk Language Proficiency Interview and scored intermediate mid which is way better than I expected. The real test is the last week of training. These tests are basically sitting down and having a half hour conversation completely in Russian. After that, Brian, Geoffrey and I backpacked across the city to this monestary and we paid to explore these underground caves where monks used to live. It was a trip down there because it was huge and there were human skulls and bones to be stimbled upon. We then hiked to the river to meet up with some friends at a beer tent and relaxed in the shade. Now I am going home to play badmitton. Tomorrow after language class, we have a project meeting and then we are going to the beach to swim and hang out.
This is what my life has become.
I'm back in Chernihiv from my site visit to Kherson. It's mad hot here now (especially south on the Black Sea) and I've been dripping sweat now for about 5 days straight. In addition, I think I've lost so much weight that I am back to my Jr. high school weight class. Overall, my visit was fun. I got to experience 2 looooong train rides through pretty much the whole country, I met some really nice people, I saw some really cool things, but overall I came back pissed off.
I know in my last post I was happy with my site. However, after that post I had a meeting with my organization's director and she laid down some strict rules including not wanting me to work with other organizations. In a nutshell, I will a librarian for 2 years, edit their website, teach English every Sunday ALL DAY, and that about sums it up. I joined Peace Corps when they told me I could continue to work in my field, work in business development and do some good things for this country based off my resume. This library had a PC volunteer working for them in the past and the guy set the bar too high for me and it will be difficult to fill this golden boy's shoes. Perhaps his dream was to be a librarian, but mine is not. I did not say anything to my director, but complained at my site debriefing in Kyiv yesterday. He pretty much said to just go with it and see if things change. Now I am stuck with a major decision as to whether call it quits and be a dropout and focus on a decent career in the states again taking away 3 months of great experiences, or stick it out, move everything across the country and give it a shot. My head is floating a hundred different directions and right now I am just going to focus on my Chernihiv project and give that my all. When that is done in mid-June, I will know what my move will be.
So, with that said, it wasn't all bad of a trip. My host mom is an awesome cook!!! She took me to this market and we picked out this huge fish fresh from the Black Sea and they chopped up 2 huge steaks for us. She made some amazing salads and we had strawberries like I never had before. I had heard they were good here, but it was ridiculous how sweet they were. I think I dreamt about them last night. I was super allergic to her dog, but it was a sweetie. Monday, my host mom had to work so I hit the town and walked around for miles and miles with a 200 lb. backpack in about 98 degree heat. I walked down to the docking station where boats and crusie ships dock as this is a big tourist port city. Later that day I met up with some volunteers who live in the area and took the bus into town to meet the four of us. We had dinner and many beers and it was cool to hear about their experiences and advice. One of them is about to marry a Ukrainian he met here. We then went to the train station and that was it. Time really flew there. The city itself is rather shady. 75% of it is pure ghetto. We had drunks coming up to us and our neighborhood is very dirty. The other 25% is awesome. There is one street they block off to traffic and now it's nothing but fun bars and restaurants. The Black Sea is about an hour's bus ride, but Kherson sits on a huge river that connects the Black Sea to another huge sea. Therefore, half the city is surrounded by water, beaches, fishing, water skiing, swimming, etc.
I think I could live there no problem for 2 years, the people I met were really cool as well. My host Mom, Tanya, is learining English because her boyfriend and daughter live in Israel and they speak English. She is self-taught over 6 months all from a computer program...I was floored at how much she picked up just from me. In return, I learned more Russian in 2 days there than the entire time in class here. I feel really good about my language skills now. My counterpart, Marina, totally rocks and I really lucked out with her too. We are going to take a cruise down to Crimea in July for free because some friends of hers owns a yacht.
Once we got back to Kyiv Tuesday morning, we stopped into the PC office to debrief and then went site-seeing around the city again with Hung-Chee and Geoffrey. I truly love that city! I tried to pick up some gifts and souvenirs, but couldn't find the place I was at last time. I ended up just buying a Ukrainian soccer jersey. We took the 2 hour bus ride back to Chernihiv and I went home, ate and passed out from exhaustion.
Today was "reflection day" since half the people are not back yet. I had my movk Language Proficiency Interview and scored intermediate mid which is way better than I expected. The real test is the last week of training. These tests are basically sitting down and having a half hour conversation completely in Russian. After that, Brian, Geoffrey and I backpacked across the city to this monestary and we paid to explore these underground caves where monks used to live. It was a trip down there because it was huge and there were human skulls and bones to be stimbled upon. We then hiked to the river to meet up with some friends at a beer tent and relaxed in the shade. Now I am going home to play badmitton. Tomorrow after language class, we have a project meeting and then we are going to the beach to swim and hang out.
This is what my life has become.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
I Made It
We got to Kherson at around 10am. The train ride was long, but very cool. We all shared a cozy (cozy meaning uncomfortable) room and I had the top bunk in a scorching hot room. The last 2 days have been super hot and I have been sweating for about 2 days straight now. They don't have air conditioning in this country so I hope you all realize how lucky you are and think of me once in a while.
My counterpart or partner(Marina)picked me up at the train staion and the four of us purchased our return ticket for Sunday night. We then went our separate ways and she took me directly to my new organization. My counterpart is awesome. She is a divorced single mother, 28 years old, and she speaks basic English. I met my host mother whose name is Tatiana (or Tanya for short) who is also very nice, but apparently we are living with a huge boxer (the dog, not Mike Tyson). I went on a tour of the building and met about 20 people here whose names I can't pronounce. All I know is I had to kick my Russian into 3rd gear because nobody here speaks English except Marina. I do know that only one male works here and he is the driver. It might be a looooong 2 years. For the most part, everyone is really nice. We walked around downtown and ate lunch at the local pizzaria. Now we have one hour to kill before I go to see my new home. I have internet at my desk and this is a pretty sweet set-up. Tomorrow I need to be back here at 8am to begin discussing my projects in detail. It sounds liek right now, I need to finish developing their website, put on seminars on the English culture for the community and build the library through donations. I also need to start a film club and English club. Apparently there was a former volunteer who worked here and set the bar pretty high for me so I have some big shoes to fill.
Gotta run.
My counterpart or partner(Marina)picked me up at the train staion and the four of us purchased our return ticket for Sunday night. We then went our separate ways and she took me directly to my new organization. My counterpart is awesome. She is a divorced single mother, 28 years old, and she speaks basic English. I met my host mother whose name is Tatiana (or Tanya for short) who is also very nice, but apparently we are living with a huge boxer (the dog, not Mike Tyson). I went on a tour of the building and met about 20 people here whose names I can't pronounce. All I know is I had to kick my Russian into 3rd gear because nobody here speaks English except Marina. I do know that only one male works here and he is the driver. It might be a looooong 2 years. For the most part, everyone is really nice. We walked around downtown and ate lunch at the local pizzaria. Now we have one hour to kill before I go to see my new home. I have internet at my desk and this is a pretty sweet set-up. Tomorrow I need to be back here at 8am to begin discussing my projects in detail. It sounds liek right now, I need to finish developing their website, put on seminars on the English culture for the community and build the library through donations. I also need to start a film club and English club. Apparently there was a former volunteer who worked here and set the bar pretty high for me so I have some big shoes to fill.
Gotta run.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Time To Blog
We got to Prolosok (AKA: Prolosuck) yesterday afternoon. Prolosok is the place we spent our first 3 days in Ukraine just south of Kyiv. We had our site announcement ceremony. How did it go? FRICKIN' AWESOME! ...at least on paper. They answered all my requests. I am going to a city called Kherson (pronounced "Hersone"). It is in Southern Ukraine right on the Black Sea just above Crimea and across the bay from Odessa. The weather is supposed to be perfect there this time of year. It is a port city of about 400,000 people. It is a big agriculture and ship building city. That's about all I know. There are 3 other volunteers going with me: Peter and Marcia who are an older married couple and Leah who is about 23...I think. I'm super excited to head south.
Last night we all started a bonfire on the beach at Prolosok and had a little party. It was awesome to see everyone again, but now we are all going separate ways..at least for a week.
I am currently at the Peace Corps headquarters in Kyiv and we are wasting time until we leave for the train station. We then hop on a 13-hour train ride and we will meet our partner (the person who takes care of us there). I guess my host family is a middle-aged female and her friend. She works at my host organization. My host organization (the place where most of my work is focused and I am stationed) is a childrens' library. I will be developeing their website, starting a film club and an English club as well as finding time to work in H.R. with employment centers and other organizations. Here at the Peace Corps office I tracked down my 2 packages from J.J and Shawna...both were loaded with food, books, games, and tons of other stuff. Perfect timing and I'm eternally grateful to you both!
I'm off to check out my new home now. I have internet at my host organization so I will be able to blog once I'm there most likely, but tons of pictures will follow when I return to Chernihiv.
Mom, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! I love you tons!!!!!
Last night we all started a bonfire on the beach at Prolosok and had a little party. It was awesome to see everyone again, but now we are all going separate ways..at least for a week.
I am currently at the Peace Corps headquarters in Kyiv and we are wasting time until we leave for the train station. We then hop on a 13-hour train ride and we will meet our partner (the person who takes care of us there). I guess my host family is a middle-aged female and her friend. She works at my host organization. My host organization (the place where most of my work is focused and I am stationed) is a childrens' library. I will be developeing their website, starting a film club and an English club as well as finding time to work in H.R. with employment centers and other organizations. Here at the Peace Corps office I tracked down my 2 packages from J.J and Shawna...both were loaded with food, books, games, and tons of other stuff. Perfect timing and I'm eternally grateful to you both!
I'm off to check out my new home now. I have internet at my host organization so I will be able to blog once I'm there most likely, but tons of pictures will follow when I return to Chernihiv.
Mom, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! I love you tons!!!!!
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