tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56326606096009280592024-03-13T02:00:48.074-07:00Where in the world?The adventures of an ESL professionaljiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-20048393919048967652012-09-11T00:40:00.002-07:002012-09-11T00:40:56.322-07:00Questions I've received about my Peace Corps essay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Hey, I'm trying to finish my application. I'm having a hard time writing
the essays. Do you have any advice for writing the Peace Corps essays? </i><br />
<br />
I suggest that you write several versions. Some of my earlier ones were
WAY too informal, and some were WAY too formal. I wanted to strike a
nice balance and find my voice, and overall make it sound like ME.<br /><br />I suggest an outline to keep you together.<br />
<br />
Here was my outline for <a href="http://teacherjulia.blogspot.kr/2007/08/my-peace-corps-essay.html" target="_blank">my Peace Corps essay</a>:<br /><br />1. My reason for teaching ESL--experiencing culture. <br />2. Why Peace Corps--personal<br />3. Why Peace Corps--professional<br /><br />It's
a tough balance--it's a little more than a job interview--it's two
years of your life. I kept in mind that they REALLY do want to know WHO
I AM so that they can determine IF I am a good fit and WHERE I would be
a good fit.<br /><br />Your essay should truly show an aspect of YOU. And
yet at the same time you can't forget that it's a job interview. And
memorable--if people in the office are discussing your essay, what will
they say? In mine, they can say "Hey, did you read the Saudi Arabian
essay?"<br /><br />They read hundreds of essays, so include SOMETHING to be
memorable. Something they can grab on to, or it will just be a generic
"OMG I <3 b="b" c="c" change="change" i="i" me="me" p="p" pc="pc" pick="pick" the="the" to="to" want="want" world="world"><br />
________________________________________________________________________________<br />
<i>is this the final version of the essay you submitted? i'm also having a
bit of trouble with my essays. your comments are helpful. </i><br />
<br />
This was my final submission! I was happy with it, as I felt it
reflected me, and was memorable. I recommend some personal anecdote.
Imagine if people in the PC office are talking about the different
essays--with mine they could say "the girl who went to the Saudi Arabian
dinner" instead of just "the girl who really really wants to join PC."<br />
<br />
________________________________________________________________________________<br />
<i>do you feel it is important to specify what exactly you want type of work you want to be doing?</i> <br />
<br />
I clarified the type of work I wanted to do because I clarified it on my
application. PC gives you a choice: you can tell them you want a
specific job but don't care about the country, that you don't care about
the job but you want a specific country, that you want a specific job
and a specific country, or that you don't care about either.<br /><br />I cared about the job, but didn't care about where I ended up, hence putting it in the essay.<br />
<br />
________________________________________________________________________________<br />
<i>Was curious what comments you might proffer regarding working with older
peace corps volunteers, tips, etc. I am 54 and completing my
application and would like considerable bluntness... </i><br />
<br />
I would decide where you want to go and don't want to go. Ukraine is
very tough on older volunteers--the weather, the stairs, etc. You should
also understand that in many countries there is serious ageism and
organizations may not want an older volunteer at their site, however the
time I knew about that, the gentleman involved was 70+.<br /><br />Some PCV groups have support groups for older volunteers. In Ukraine they had a senior support group.<br /><br />Also, the medical is fantastic.<br /><br />It's
also good to know that most volunteers are just out of college and some
don't have all the partying out of their system. I was in a weird age
group where I was too old for the partying, but too young to be going to
bed when the older volunteers were.<br /><br />Good luck to you! Peace Corps can be a really great choice for older volunteers!<br />
<br />
_________________________________________________________________________________<br />
<i>I am not sure if you posted this under another topic on the blog, but
did you ask to go to the Ukraine? Did they care about where you wanted
to go? </i><br />
<br />
I did not ask to go to Ukraine. I specifically said "I want an ESL job,
but don't care where I go." There are essentially four options:<br />1. You choose your job preference and not the country.<br />2. You choose your country preference and not the job.<br />3. You choose your job preference and country preference.<br />4. You choose "open" on both.<br /><br />When
you decide to state a preference, it may mean limiting your
opportunities in Peace Corps. I would not have gone had they told me I
had to dig wells or something. My background is in Education and I could
not afford the two years out of my career - I needed the experience.<br /><br />They
told me I would be a teacher trainer, then said they had 3 openings -
one was in Ukraine, one in Africa, and one in central Asia. I told them
my preference was: <br />1. Ukraine 2. Africa 3. Asia - mostly because of the job definition.<br /><br />Then I got my acceptance letter.<br /><br />I
*think* that when you restrict where you go that it potentially raises
some red flags - like - why DON'T you want to go there? I also think if
you sound reasonable and rational and not making a kneejerk reaction,
that you'll be okay.<br /><br />I didn't mind that I'd gotten Ukraine
because I really didn't care where I went. Some people DO care, but
either they don't want to admit it or they don't realize it. One of the
gals I knew was terribly disappointed that she had gotten Ukraine
because she imagined a more rural Peace Corps experience.<i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>-----------------------------------------------------------------</i><br />
<i>I am a soon to be graduated college student and after reading your essay
I fear that I don't have enough to offer in order to truly make a
difference while I'm out there. I will have BFA after graduation, with
minimal volunteer experience, but loads of traveling experience and a
strong desire to serve. What do you recommend I focus on in the essays? </i><br />
<br />
Focus on what you know, what your plans are, and again - do something to make yourself stand out. Ultimately they're looking for people who will stick with this for 2 years, so if you can demonstrate that within your essay that's great. I'd suggest mentioning what inspires you, what will help keep you there, etc. I'd also recommend you try to think about what "make a difference" means to you, because if what you're doing doesn't match your thinking, that can create problems. I mention it in my post <a href="http://teacherjulia.blogspot.kr/2010/10/advice-about-peace-corps-from-rpcv.html" target="_blank">"Advice from a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer."</a><i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>_________________________________________________________________________________</i><br />
<i>The Peace Corps requires two essays. One about why you want to do it and
one about an experience you had working with people of another culture.
Did you write this second one or was it not required or something? </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I wrote it but couldn't find it to post it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>I really don't have additional tips for your essays other than stand out, be yourself, and make a good impression. Good luck to you. </b><br />
<br />
<br /></3></div>
jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-13149582703668639152012-03-25T08:58:00.000-07:002012-03-25T08:58:07.211-07:00Cat Adventures in Ukraine<i>I just realized I'd never posted this article, so I'm sharing it now. I wrote this 5/11/08 for the Peace Corps Newsletter. Hope you enjoy!</i><br />
<br />
Cat Adventures in Ukraine<br />
<br />
I am a cat person. Not to the extent that I strive to become a crazy cat lady, but were I to become one it would be a nice consolidation prize. I have been sans cat for the past several years, with only my roommates to fill this void. Not exactly them per se, but rather the pets that they had. One roommate had two cats, which worked marvelously until she went a bit mad and got rid of everything of value to her, including her friends, and got a rat. My next house was entirely without pets, but I'm sure would have continued the rat tradition because they were the filthiest pigs I'd ever lived with. To finish out the year of the rat, the final apartment I lived in had two rats in it, of the pet variety, and they were absolutely sweet and loveable, but still, not cats.<br />
<br />
So after settling into my apartment in Zhytomyr, I decided it was high time to get a cat. I live in Alley-Cat Alley, so it occurred to me that I should abduct a cat off the street (more on that later), but I also realized that I love cats rather than kittens, and the transition from filthy dumpster to not-always filthy apartment might prove more difficult than it was worth. So I went into a pet store and asked the woman working there if she knew someone who had an older cat that needed a home. I think I may have literally said "you know someone with old cat not want? I want old cat. Not from street." Thankfully this message came through and I was hooked up with a gal who had a cat that needed a home.<br />
<br />
Waiting for my cat proved to be an adventure. I had asked the woman if I needed a package for the cat and she said no, so I half expected to be greeted by a woman simply holding a cat. Or perhaps the cat would be in a box. Either way I was surprised when a young Ukrainian walked up to me holding a small babushka's bag. She opened it and big eyes peered up at me. I thanked her and rushed home to let the cat out of the bag.<br />
<br />
Once out, I had to get food and litter, so I let the cat acclimate to my house while I fetched its supplies. The cat pulled a David Kot-erfield on me and disappeared itself. The first time I found it when I lifted up the seat of my couch and there was the cat. Then I simply couldn't find it. I nick-named the cat Waldo.<br />
<br />
One morning, while preparing breakfast, a tuft of fur fell from the heavens. I looked up and there was my cat, now freaking out because I was in the same room with it. At this point in our relationship, my cat had only greeted me with hisses when approached, though otherwise completely silent, and this time was no different. As my refrigerator is, logically, in my hallway near the door, I left the kitchen to grab some breakfasty foods. I heard my cat jump down, and when I went back into the kitchen my cat was presented with a new dilemma―it was in the same room with me! The solution was, clearly, to run behind the gas stove.<br />
<br />
I opened the windows a small bit to let fresh air in while cooking. I went back and forth between the living room and kitchen a few times, ate my food, shut the windows and went to work. When I got home I passed through Alley-Cat Alley and was shocked to see my cat hanging out with the pack of dumpster cats!<br />
<br />
I put down my bags and ran after Waldo three-year-old style: hands straight in front of me saying "kitty kitty kitty." After chasing him around for several minutes, I caught him. I asked some random Ukrainian to help me carry my bags, as my arms were full of cat. I let the cat go in my house and he immediately ran into the kitchen and attempted to jump out the closed window. Aha! That was how he'd gotten out before. He was mewling up a storm and running around desperate to get out. After watching him spray my walls, I called the vet and made an appointment to get him fixed.. Waldo wouldn't stop mewling, but he would now let me pet him. It was amazing how much he'd changed in those five hours outside. He was like a whole new cat. A spraying, mewling cat, but a cat who would let me pet him and who would sit in my lap and who would eat all his food down in a wolfing manner. After wearing himself out with loud meows for several hours, Waldo went to sleep on the couch.<br />
<br />
That's when my cat came out of hiding and stared at this cat and then at me as if to say "who the hell is that?"<br />
<br />
I almost decided to get the big tom cat who happened to look exactly like my cat fixed. I imagined him telling his friends "Worst. Abduction. Ever. First she kidnapped me, then she cut off my balls." But really, he wore me down with all his loud mewling and stinky spraying and I let him out.<br />
<br />
My cat has finally come out of hiding and she and I are getting along well. Either that or she has Stockholm Syndrome, but I'm okay with either scenario. I renamed her, partly because I realized she was a girl―after she went into heat, and partly because "Waldo" isn't the easiest name to say. Her new name is Мяу-Мяу (Meow-Meow).jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-35276365704346081302010-10-19T07:41:00.000-07:002010-10-19T09:36:05.520-07:00Advice about Peace Corps from an RPCVThe single most often asked question I get about Peace Corps, and the one I remember asking is: <span style="font-style:italic;">I always hear all these great stories and experiences. I want to hear the bad stuff. The things that might make me crazy and regret my decision. So please let me have it.</span><br /><br />So here is my answer:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Red Tape</span><br />Make no mistake, you are joining a government organization. This means that there are policies that WILL NOT make sense to you. There are restrictions you MUST adhere to. There are forms and more forms and more forms. This is frustrating. One policy is that if you are out of the country during a weekend, this counts as your yearly vacation time. "But why should it count if weekends don't usually count????" That's what most volunteers complain about. What they don't realize is that they are volunteers 24/7. This means that if they're away from their sites and in the country, they're STILL PCVs. They're STILL representing the country. As soon as you leave, you stop representing America to your host country. Still, this red tape is annoying to many volunteers.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID3040/images/red_tape.jpg"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Down Time</span><br />It amuses me so much to hear future volunteers talk about how much they'll do at their site. They get the idea that they'll land in country and everyone will be so excited to see them and they'll have so many projects and be so busy. The reality is that a LOT of Peace Corps is the down time. In Ukraine the wintertime is harsh. It feels like it gets dark at 4pm, people stay inside, it's freezing cold. And you find yourself at home sitting, doing nothing. "I'll go visit my neighbors!" Well, what if they're suspicious of you and want you to leave them alone? (Yes, this happened to me). I personally watched a lot of tv. Some people read a lot of books. Others called their friends. Regardless, you will find your self with a LOT of time on your hands. Peace Corps is NOT just about doing your job. It's about living in the country.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcaW8PtRqrk6Tqw0dLCn2Rb5NLfV-BasVgQqOXGP6a26HefA9rv3A74bd66TOCMF_wfvFX4v1kMfvuzB-z99rQXO9Tfl2myO4C1J_9bmvkzc2zk1APTq5hnGGSRs2TMBHkVE9zMtakcY/s1600/boredcat-isbored.jpg"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Not properly utilized/not being NEEDED</span><br />Sadly, this has happened to many a volunteer. In some cases the site just doesn't want the person to do ANYTHING but their job, which in Ukraine means teaching English. Even though the volunteer may have grant writing experience, the site may not care. The volunteer may find that the host country nationals, while SAYING they wanted to help or get something done, may not actually have any follow through. Additionally, many volunteers feel like their skills and talents are going to waste. They have a lot of experience working on computers or with adults, and end up teaching children. This leads to a lot of frustration. Additionally, many felt like "Ukraine doesn't really NEED our help!" and they ended up leaving, wishing they'd been selected for a country that REALLY needed help.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Not appreciated</span><br />When you leave your home, your friends, and your country for two years, it's not unreasonable to think that you'll be appreciated. Your host country will welcome you, you'll be a celebrity, people will thank you, and you will have made a difference. But what if you end up in a town like my friend, whose neighbors kept telling her things like "You need to stop buying so many raisins" or "Stop running. It's dangerous for your health" or worse: they wouldn't allow her to help the students who were preparing for English tests. Imagine being bullied by people whose language you barely speak, who will reluctantly help you if at all, and who seem to feel you are more of a hassle than you are worth. This is not the experience of all volunteers, but I know more than one volunteer who has fallen victim to this.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Not the experience you expected</span><br />This one hit several volunteers hard when they were told they were going to Ukraine. There was a crestfallen look as they read their acceptance letter. Either because they were hoping for a proper third world experience, or they felt like this would be "Peace Corps Lite", or they were sad that so much technology (cell phones and computers and tv, oh my!) would be available. They had this idea of a rural living situation and got a post-soviet country. Or they hoped they would be working with their hands and instead were teaching children English.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Nothing to show</span><br />This one is very specific to the ESL job. When you build wells, you have something to show for it. You can look on your work and be very satisfied. When you plant crops, you have something very tangible and empirical that you can look at and say "See, I'm making a difference." With education it's nearly impossible to do. You DON'T see the results right away. You end up NOT feeling like you've really done anything. There is no proof of your efforts.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Being ON all the time</span><br />Some Volunteers never fully relax. They have this "I'm representing the United States and all Americans" thing going on all the time. They don't ever yell or show they're upset. They don't feel comfortable saying NO when men in their town ask for their phone numbers. They don't ever really make friends because they are not really people--they're representations of people.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.1to7.net/images/ph_spotlight.jpg"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Loneliness</span><br />This one is huge. This one got me. I had a million volunteers around me and I felt utterly alone. I was tired of just being able to say "I have a family. I have a mother. I have a father." etc and not really connecting with anyone. Even though at times it felt like "Hey, people are people!" other times I would be shocked at how utterly different we were, and that made me feel very alone. A friend of mine had literally no one in her town who was even close to her age. When the young people would come into town they wanted nothing to do with her. They were small town people not used to changes in their lives and didn't know how to incorporate this new, strange gal.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Other</span><br />For me, the absolute hardest part of Peace Corps was the other volunteers. Before I offend everyone I have made friends with, let me clarify. I was in a country where volunteers had to be warned about alcohol abuse, as it was a very serious issue. Most volunteers were either fresh out of college or were seniors, and I fell in that awkward age of 30s. I absolutely hated the drinking parties and college frat feel that seemed to arise whenever volunteers got together. I absolutely made wonderful friends there, but I couldn't stand the party mentality. For me, it had no place in Peace Corps. I did have a reputation of being overly serious and caring too much about my job. In fact, every time I talked to volunteers I would talk about projects or ESL or teaching. I was there to do a job and was very very annoyed when volunteers would "cut loose." At one point I found myself at a party where the volunteers were SO LOUD that the Ukrainian police came, took everyone's passports, then agreed to accept a bribe to make this "go away." Which should be fine, except that a few volunteers were SO ANGRY about this CORRUPT SYSTEM and being loud and belligerent and being total JERKS. I have little patience for this. I wouldn't be surprised to know that many volunteers there didn't care for me, but honestly I don't care. I spent nearly all my time with my Ukrainian friends and hanging out with them.<br /><br />These are what I feel were the worst things about Peace Corps where *I* was assigned. Your miles may vary, especially depending on the country you are assigned. For me, it was a really great experience, one I wouldn't change for the world. I was very lucky for a few reasons: I met some very outstanding Ukrainians who were absolutely ready to work, I met many Ukrainian women my age who spoke English, I felt comfortable being myself--I realized that I wasn't doing the US any favors by not being myself, I had a background in Education, so for me, having no "results" was absolutely no issue, I was properly utilized and appreciated at my site, and I personally loved all the down time.<br /><br />I'm sure that these would be very different for people who are in Africa, but many will remain the same regardless. Just remember--the less developed the country, the more time you will have to spend on JUST LIVING. Getting water, getting and preparing food, etc.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxgjJ-dx4ut_CyakPya8TG-0Xtm6DEKP7aYoALUt80-2T0JfQonrv7Kmp2xtN9dB7YkTiXaT9Erw1Xt-vjpq-eSKrP1R7DleCU5NeldSuXEBQm0awtS5ZQQgiN14hV37M4OGgfwPqWMAg/s1600/washing.gif"><br /><br />Peace Corps is a very rewarding site, and truly the inflexible will not make it far. People drop out all the time. They realize it's just not for them for a multitude of reasons. But many times it's because they're absolutely inflexible. One girl quit after she was told where she'd be living. She went to visit and said "I'm done" because they couldn't accommodate her religion. Others would cry when they were told they'd be living in the East, or had to learn Russian or had to learn Ukrainian. It was as though they'd used up their whole notion of "flexibility" right before they landed in the country, then were absolutely rigid when they got there. Frankly, a lot of that made me absolutely sick to my stomach and made me fairly angry.<br /><br />So my advice: put down on the application countries you DON'T want to go with. If you'd feel disappointed working in a 2nd world country, tell Peace Corps you don't want to go there. If you heard you'd be in Ukraine and that would bring tears to your eyes, tell PC you don't want to go there. You get my point of view. Your viewpoint will be colored when you get there, you'll be looking for reasons to hate it and back up your point of view, and you'll probably leave during training.<br /><br />Good luck to you. I adored my time in Peace Corps, and hopefully this will help you in your journey. I am by no means an expert, I just try to be a bit observant and listen to what the volunteers I KNEW were complaining about. Just remember: BE FLEXIBLE! It will serve you well.jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-43801890663897468322010-02-27T04:12:00.000-08:002010-02-27T04:18:08.130-08:00Operation: Legal KittyI have been having kitty related stress lately. The apartment complex I was to stay in in Korea has a no cats allowed rule. I worried about this, and I even considered sneaking her in. <br /><br />After discussing it with my company, they talked with the landlord's wife. First she said no. Then said it was because cats make so much noise. I told them my cat is SO QUIET! and my company kept wearing her down. Finally she said yes, but her husband said no. Twice. Then today I got this news: <br /><br /><i>They finally called me today, and told me that she could bring the cat (Dr. Kim also talked to them), but if the residents complain, they can't allow her to have the cat there. Julia said her cat is so calm and does not make any noise at all. As long as she's careful when she brings her outside.</i><br /><br />HOORAY!!! I am so excited about this!<br /><br />I also received news that my paperwork is being processed and that everything should be finished on March 8. Once the paperwork is finished I will book an appointment with the Korean consulate in Seattle and then get my airline ticket! SO EXCITING!<br /><br />So yes, I will be heading to Korea VERY SOON and I will be legally taking my kitty with me! YAY!jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-68427138192831493172010-02-21T20:16:00.000-08:002010-02-21T20:34:09.547-08:00Preparing to leave: WardrobeThe wardrobe takes careful consideration when you are going overseas for a set amount of years and are not given money for relocation.<br /><br />You want to account for the weather, professional and personal, casual and dressy, etc.<br /><br />I made the mistake of bringing a lot of shirts that were like this:<br /><img src="http://images.buyitsellit.com/1455008_290.jpg"><br /><br />The problem was that Ukraine ran hot and cold. So when it was cold I really wished I had two layers on. When it was hot I wished I could take one layer off or roll up the sleeves. A better solution would have been to go with two button up shirts and two sweaters or a sweater and a vest.<br /><br />Another problem I had was going too professional. Nearly all my clothes were professional and I had very few lounging clothes. SO STUPID! Who wants to hang out in their house in a button up shirt and slacks? That's what t-shirts are for! and pajama bottoms! When no one is coming around, comfort should be priority! Argh!<br /><br />So now that I'm packing for Korea I am trying to keep these things in mind. What can be layered. Can everything go with everything? Professional AND casual. Most of what I brought to Ukraine was clothes and books. Now I will be bringing very few books, less clothing, but still quite a bit of wearables.<br /><br />My place in Korea will be miniscule, but still, it's important to bring nice things that remind you of home. I will be bringing some artwork with me--small and portable, they don't take up a lot of space, they will look very nice on my walls, and they are very personal. <br /><br />I will be bringing three cross stitch projects: One I've started, one I intend to start, and one with a much lower level of difficulty just in case I want to do something different. That should be enough. I may bring some knitting needles, but no yarn.<br /><br />Thankfully I'm getting things like a Kindle, and I have my hard drives, so I don't have to lug dvds or music or books.<br /><br />Tomorrow we do a trial run of packing for Korea, just to see what kind of room we have. Then I'll make some choices and decide what should come with me and what should stay, going back into storage. <br /><br />Some things I *am* bringing that will take up some space: games and a frying pan. I am taking my cast iron skillet with me. I can handle a lot when it comes to kitchens: poor burners, no space, but having a skillet that SUCKS is not stress I want to handle. Good skillet is high on my MUST HAVEs. Really.<br /><br />I finally broke down and bought a gorillapod<br /><br /><img src="http://www.tantronics.co.uk/acatalog/joby_gorillapod_slr_zoom_technical.jpg"><br />It is a perfect tripod, and something I've had my eye on for 2+ years.<br /><br />Also bought: a small "day bag"<br /><img src="http://media.rei.com/media/bb/c50f82f8-2fcf-4bab-a1fa-66e9ee484e06.jpg"><br /><br />And a matching purse or a "city bag" as REI calls it<br /><img src="http://media.rei.com/media/qq/61aa7c7f-9185-4c95-8139-3df737e7ad95.jpg"><br /><br />And a pair of athletic shoes. So today was an astounding success. I was very happy with the outcome. Cheers!jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-22675600611446027212010-02-16T04:41:00.000-08:002010-02-16T04:47:34.368-08:00Got myself a new laptop caseWhen I was in Ukraine, my laptop case's strap broke. This meant always carrying it by hand. And sometimes it was VERY heavy, especially since I would put papers or books in with it. So I was thrilled when we came across this beauty:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.luggageamerica.com/images/RT-700%20LARGE.jpg" width="450" height="648" /><br /><br />So now I'll be able to fit my laptop in it AND everything else AND not rip my arm out of its socket!<br /><br />In paperwork news, my company received my paperwork and have begun processing it! Hooray! I told them I can't leave until March 1 at the earliest, but who knows how long it will actually be...I'll keep you updated!jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-37411964107484938892010-02-10T12:30:00.000-08:002010-10-19T09:20:15.912-07:00Diva CupShhh this isn't something women are supposed to talk about! BUT, let's talk about it anyway.<br /><br />Going to less populated places, or foreign countries, it can be really difficult to find the feminine hygiene product you favor (you are welcome to stop reading now:). I got around this by having my parents send me Insteads, which have been my preference for years now.<br /><br />Having someone send you products like these that you use on a regular basis isn't very practical. Not to mention expensive. Also, being a Seattle girl, I do have some green guilt, and thinking about all those products ending up in a landfill is really distressing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.squawkfox.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/diva_cup1.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 479px; height: 360px;" src="http://www.squawkfox.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/diva_cup1.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Introducing the Diva Cup! :) It's reusable, simple, and clean. You can wear it up to 12 hours no problem. You don't throw anything away, just wash and reuse. I had wanted to get mine for Peace Corps but I never got around to it. Now that I'm going to Korea I finally splurged and got it. $40 for an entire year. I can't believe I didn't get this earlier.<br /><br />UPDATE: 10/20/10<br />I am extremely happy with my Diva Cup. It's sometimes a hassle boiling it after use, and if you're living with a host family that can be EXTREMELY difficult. Some of these issues are discussed here: <br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vAKpyw-R-po?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vAKpyw-R-po?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-7793150881307587312010-02-10T03:50:00.000-08:002010-02-16T04:49:48.877-08:00The waiting begins tomorrowToday I drove down to Olympia. My job in Korea requires I have a background check done and have an apostille. What is an apostille? I'm glad you asked. It's a bit like notarizing a notary. So after I went online to do a criminal background check for $15, I then had to print out the "your name does not match any known criminal names" page. After that I had to get it notarized by the Washington State Patrol. I could do this online, sending in payment there and then having it mailed to me, or I could go in in person and have it done within about an hour and a half.<br /><br />I picked the faster route and drove down. I got there around 1pm, turned in my form, paid the $5, then sat down and read my book until it was finished (the paperwork, not the book). Next, I drove to the Secretary of State building and paid them $15 to sign a piece of paper. All done!<br /><br />Tomorrow I FedEx all my paperwork in to Korea!<br /><br />I've been getting very excited about this. I signed up at two different expat forums and started making connections, including meeting one very nerdy girl who will play boardgames with me. I also contacted the KOTESOL organization and talked to them about being a part time Teacher Trainer with their organization. I looked at another organization called KATE (Korean Association of Teachers of English) and they have a call for publications, so I will be writing a paper in hopes they will accept it! I also have decided I'd like to volunteer at a thrift store on the army base. 20 hours a month volunteering=free pass to get on the army base, which gives me access to free sewing lessons!<br /><br />I am very excited about this. I am very much looking forward to doing well in my career.<br /><br />The cat costs will be high, though. I was looking online and some of the fees were as much as $250 for taking a cat on the plane. Sigh. She's coming with me, regardless. Because how can you refuse a face this cute?<br /><br /><img src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs177.snc3/20435_266142906654_507746654_3535936_7912833_n.jpg" / width=446 height=335>jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-13735677127515056812010-02-08T05:31:00.001-08:002010-02-08T06:51:16.122-08:00The next, new adventure: Seoul!Since January I have been applying to various ESL jobs. I had a few criteria I was aiming for:<br /><ol><li>A salary of around $3000 per month</li><li>Adult students, 18+</li><li>Located in Korea or the middle east</li><li>Airfare and housing paid</li></ol> I had an interview in January, shortly after applying for a teacher training job in Seoul. This phone interview went very well. I knew I would be working with the woman who was interviewing me--we would be colleagues, so I intentionally strove for a balance of professional and personal. For example, I asked questions about turnover rates in the company, and I also asked if the staff socialized in their off hours. I showed an interest both in the job and in the staff. We spoke for a very long time, and I was thrilled at how wonderful it seemed to go. She told me I should hear from her within a week or two.<br /><br />So I waited. Nothing.<br /><br />One important thing I learned from Ukraine is that the world moves at different speeds and urgency doesn't always translate. This is neither good nor bad, just important to note. While America often is very schedule and deadline focused, many other countries have a lackadaisical approach that seems to lack urgency. Knowing this, I was not concerned when I did not hear from them.<br /><br />For the next month I heard from the woman twice to tell me that the director had not yet made up his mind (great idiom, right?), but that she would let me know as soon as she could. So I waited, but began applying for other jobs.<br /><br />I've been unemployed since coming back to America. Money runs out, sadly. I had my heart set on the Middle East for a while, applied to several jobs there and waited to hear back from anyone.<br /><br />I got a job offer from South Korea and Saudi Arabia on the same day. This was unexpected, but it gave me a lot to think about. I know I would like to live both places within my life, both are very appealing to me, so I made a mental list:<br /><br /><pre>PRO - Saudi Arabia PRO - South Korea<br />good food some of my favorite food<br />better money more freedom<br />extra plane ticket home allowed to date<br /> friends and family can visit<br /> better job</pre><br /><br />Ultimately I ended up with South Korea, and I am excited about my job! Here are some of the nitty gritty details:<ol><li>20-25 hours a week teaching TESOL certification courses<br /></li><li>30 hours a week in the office<br /></li><li>4 weeks paid vacation<br /></li><li>free housing<br /></li></ol>Additionally, I'll be right on the metro line only 4 stops away from my work. Convenient, convenient, convenient. I am very much looking forward to this new adventure!<br /><br /><img src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs171.snc3/19835_294299961654_507746654_3640140_1712359_n.jpg" width="453" height="340" /><br /><i><sub>Miau Miau will get to rack up some frequent flier miles! Ukraine to America to South Korea!</sub></i><sub></sub><br /><br />For now I am waiting on paperwork. In order to proceed, I need to submit a Fedex package consisting of:<ol><li>3 visa sized pictures (35mm x 45mm)<br /></li><li>my original diplomas (this is very normal for Korea)<br /></li><li>current resume<br /></li><li>2 official transcripts from each school<br /></li><li>criminal background check with a special signature from someone in Olympia, WA<br /></li><li>signed contract<br /></li></ol>Thankfully a few weeks ago I contacted my schools and asked for 2 official transcripts already. I have all but one of them, and I expect the final ones tomorrow or Tuesday. I need to print the visa pictures, and I need to drive to Olympia tomorrow for the autograph. Beyond that I am finished. They'll fill out the paperwork and I'll make an appointment with someone in the Korean consulate in Seattle.<br /><br />I could leave in as little as 3 weeks. This is amazing.<br /><br />New language goals: read and speak Korean. Let's hope it doesn't mean I forget all of my Russian.<br /><br />Hope you enjoy my new adventures!jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-67014722430109489172010-02-08T05:15:00.000-08:002010-02-08T05:30:53.177-08:00Changes to my blogI will be making changes to my blog. <br /><br />1. MORE UPDATES! I had a very difficult time with Peace Corps's policy about blogging. All my blog postings had to be first sent to my regional manager who had to approve them. For some reason that step caused a huge mental block for me. Every entry I submitted was approved, but the fact that I had to take the step prevented me from posting as much as I would have liked. My goal will be to blog at least once per week. I also plan on adding more stories about Ukraine.<br /><br />2. MORE PICTURES! I went back and put a few pictures in to nearly every entry. I plan to upload and post pictures relevant to the journal entries. Pictures make things more interesting, break up the monotony of words, and are fun! Plus, it means I'd be uploading my pics to the Internet. Sadly, after coming home, my hard drive failed and I lost every picture I took in Ukraine. :( Uploading them will help prevent that from happening.<br /><br /><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs171.snc3/19835_294254586654_507746654_3640099_7756095_n.jpg" width="453" height="340"><br /><sub><i>See how much more interesting this is? :) It is I, at Beth's!</i></sub><br /><br />3. MORE ADVENTURES! While I do love sitting around and watching tv more than your average bear, it doesn't really make for interesting blog posts. So to remedy that, I shall have more adventures.<br /><br />4. MORE INFORMATION! I'm an English teacher and I find language fascinating. I find that in general most people don't have a strong level of awareness about their language. For example, if I asked you which idioms you use most, could you tell me? I know many of the ones I use a lot, such as "yanking my chain" or "on the fence" "pick you up (in a car)" or even "change my mind." They seem like "normal" English to most Americans, but they are idioms and their meanings are unintelligible unless you learned it as a phrase. I find this very interesting.<br /><br />5. MORE TAGS! Tags are useful and should be used!<br /><br />I hope you continue to read as I continue to write! Thank you again!jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-75984217195970419152010-02-08T02:55:00.000-08:002010-02-16T04:51:34.867-08:00Goodbye, UkraineI am no longer a Peace Corps Volunteer. I am now a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. Those four initials, RPCV, will follow me for the rest of my life. I will forever be an RPCV.<br /><br />I finished my Peace Corps service in November, 2009. I haven't written about it because I felt like my emotions have been too close to the surface.<br /><br />Leaving Peace Corps is not quite as simple as it should be. First, there is all the paperwork. They give you two papers that must be filled with signatures. These items range from: closing out your bank account, to getting your final dentist checkup, to receiving your plane ticket home. This is impossible to do in a single day. I started mine very early and thankfully finished very early.<br /><br />I am happy to say that before I left I was able to go to Lviv, finish my host sister's wedding cloth, and go to her wedding.<br /><br />Here is a picture of the finished wedding cloth. I had an incredible time finishing it. I had to teach myself hardanger (cut work) for the ends.<br /><br /><img src="http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs167.snc1/6252_124683176654_507746654_2559638_7043170_n.jpg"><br /><br />Here is a picture of me and my host sister at her wedding. Isn't she beautiful?<br /><br /><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs277.ash1/20435_230173491654_507746654_3362046_3283759_n.jpg" width=446 height=297><br /><br />Okay, back to the leaving part:<br /><br />Then there's the process of packing all your belongings. Difficult to do, but then begins the more difficult task of deciding what comes and what goes. You end up with so much STUFF. Thankfully there was a wonderful PCV who took ALL my clothes. You have to remember who gave you what so that you don't accidentally offer it back to the person. You lug the extra stuff to the Peace Corps office to leave for other PCVs. You say goodbye to your friends and colleagues. I ran around asking people about letters of recommendation.<br /><br />Then it's time.<br /><br />My final day was spent with my best friend in Ukraine, Maryna. My friend Ira and her helped me do the final packing and cleaning. The night before I'd gotten maybe 4 hours of sleep and I was exhausted. They let me sleep while they cleaned. It was amazing. We hung out, packed, weighed suitcases, repacked them, weighed them again, and finally finished.<br /><br />Going home, I was traveling with my cat. We went from Kyiv to Moscow, Moscow to New York, and New York to Seattle. My first flight was at 8:30am, so I hired a friend to drive me, Maryna, and Miau Miau to the airport. He came at 3 or 3:30 am and picked us up. We got to the airport, and Maryna waited with me until it was time for my flight. It was really great being with someone special on my last day. We really tried to stay positive. I miss her!<br /><br />Finally I got on the flight and sat with Miau Miau the whole way home. It was such a long ride. She was fairly scared, so she stayed in her carrier the whole way. She only drank a little bit when we got to New York, and she ate a TINY bit of salmon on the way to New York. Overall it was not so stressful. Traveling with a cat means you have to have the vet check her over, she has to have her vaccinations and have a kitty passport :) Getting her through customs was a breeze. Total cost for kitty: $150.<br /><br />Since "graduating" I've been living at home. I moved into my parents' house, stayed in Colorado for a month with friends, visited my grandmother and dad's side of the family for a week or two, and have been doing my best to see all my friends. I haven't been working, just living off of parents and Peace Corps funds. I have been going through my belongings, repacking, reducing, recycling, and selling. It's really nice to get rid of things, and amazing how much STUFF I've managed to save up over the years. I am enjoying and also stressing out about this process.<br /><br />While my Peace Corps adventures have come to a close, my life adventure has not. I am, after all, an ESL professional with a passion for living around the world. This blog has changed from "PC Ukraine" to "Where in the World?" It is no longer simply a chronicle of my journey through Peace Corps, but a journey throughout my career. As such, I changed the format of this blog just slightly, and I hope you will continue on with me. Thank you for all your support.jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-87705736533404113612009-08-04T08:40:00.000-07:002010-02-08T06:49:30.493-08:00Ukrainian party vs. American culture partyParty expectations in Ukraine are very different than they are in America. It's good to know this before you arrive to your first Ukrainian party, or before you invite your first Ukrainian to your party. The first is that Ukrainian parties are ALWAYS dinner parties, and they will expect a full meal.<br /><br />Arrive to the party with some sort of edible/drinkable gift, such as juice, chocolate, vodka, wine, etc. In the main room there will be a huge table in the middle set up with chairs/sofas/stools around it. All the food will be set on the table.<br /><br />Food that will always be present:<br /><br /> * a veggie plate with slices of cucumbers, tomatoes and sometimes green peppers<br /> * a platter of cut sausages and cheese<br /> * at least 2 kinds of mayonnaise based salads (such as krab+corn+chinese cabbage+mayo, or cabbage+peas+sausage+mayo, or eggs+onions+cheese+garlic+mayo, or apples+shrimp+egg+mayo) (oh, and those are real salads--I called my host sister up just now and asked her to tell me the ingredients for some standard mayo salads, so I wasn't being crazy with those).<br /> * Pickled herring<br /> * Sandwiches, consisting of single, small pieces of bread with any of the following on top: butter+cheese, butter+sausage, butter+sausage+cheese, caviar, mayo+small fishies<br /> * Shuba (a layered salad with the following ingredients in descending order: chopped egg, mayonaise, beets, egg, carrots, onion, and pickled herring).<br /><br /><img src="http://www.gastronom.ru/site_images/00000012/00024570.jpg"><br /><i><sub>Don't be fooled! Thar be fish in that thar salad.</i></sub><br /><br /> * Flattened, fried chicken or fish<br /> * Galuptsi (meat rolled up in cooked cabbage leaves)<br /> * Hot chicken or cutlets<br /> * Some hot potato dish, such as mashed potatoes<br /> * Bottles of vodka, a pear soda which they call "water," congac or wine<br /><br /><img src="http://cs139.vkontakte.ru/u14335097/32419931/x_613fe856.jpg" width="453" height="340"><br /><i><sub>The food keeps coming and you keep staying in the same place</i></sub><br /><br />At the beginning of the party you would choose your spot around the table. This will be your place for the entire evening, so choose your companions wisely! You will then sit, eat, and talk. That is the party. Food would come out in stages, there would be tons of toasts, you'd be totally full, tipsy, and have made great friends.<br /><br />Near the end of the party, your hostess would ask if you would like coffee or tea (black or green). Along with your coffee or tea you'd get sweet dishes, which may include cake, chocolate, or cookies. You will NEVER be served sweet things without coffee or tea. According to my Ukrainian friends, they're just not tasty without tea or coffee. So your slice of birthday cake (well, they don't really do "birthday cakes") will be accompanied by tea. :)<br /><br />That's the standard Ukrainian party.<br /><br />My parties, however, are nothing like this. As an American English teacher, I like to have parties that are high on culture and low on drinking. My parties are a great place to practice English, learn a little about American culture, and do some fun activities! My parties in Ukraine have been very successful, and they're something I plan to continue in whatever country I'm in, so I thought I'd share my party prep ideas.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step One: Choose a theme</span><br />This step is crucial. If you're doing a holiday party, the theme chooses itself. Go all out and embrace that holiday. If you're doing a birthday party or a non-holiday party, it's important to select a good theme. It will drive everything else: the music, the food (to some extent), the costumes (if you're doing that), the games, etc.<br /><br />My theme this year is Flora and Fauna.<br /><br />My party is a costume party. Everyone is expected to come in costumes and bring food and drink to share. In Ukraine none of these are typical, so I make sure to tell them via sms. I also teach them the word "potluck" :)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step Two: Choose the decorations/your costume</span><br />For my party this year I'm dressing up as a lounge jaguar :) I have my awesome jaguar-print pjs, will do makeup and make ears and a tail to go along with this and I'm done. For decorations, I bought some self sticking, dark green scotch paper that I will cut into long, wavy grass and stick on the walls, along with flowers, butterflies, etc. I'm making a bumblebee pinata, and the like.<br /><br /><img src="http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs138.snc1/5892_114401986654_507746654_2417943_8141866_n.jpg"><br /><i><sub>First time doing cat makeup! Pretty darn good if I say so myself!</i></sub><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step Three: Choose the activities</span><br />For me, this is what really drives things. This is the part I very much enjoy, and something that makes my parties stand out. If you have an awesome theme and awesome decorations, sure you can just let the party be, but if you want something great for non-native speakers, something that will give them a chance to practice English/learn about American culture, this is super important. Plus, it's fun for native speakers as well.<br /><br /> * Songs. I like to pick some songs to teach that fit with the theme. For my V-day party I picked "The Riddle Song," "Love Me Tender," "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and "All You Need is Love." I print lyrics, my friend plays guitar, and we all sing together. For my Flora & Fauna party I think we're going to do "Jeremiah was a bullfrog," and not sure which else yet.<br /><br /> * Crafts. This is something new for me, but it worked really well at my Valentine's day party. I gave everyone the tools for making V-Day cards. That way we could hang out, people could chat, work on crafts, and have something to show for their night. For the Flora & Fauna I'm doing origami!<br /><br /> * Games. I like doing things like scavenger hunts or pictionary or taboo. For V-day we did a kissing game--one partner had a bright lipstick on and had to kiss their partner on the face as many times possible within 15 seconds. We then counted kiss marks. Another game was for a partnership to open a candybar together with their hands behind their backs. :)<br /><br /><img src="http://cs585.vkontakte.ru/u14335097/80171730/x_a602df60.jpg" width="453" height="300"><br /><i><sub>The girls are counting how many lipstick marks Daniel has on his face</i></sub><br /><br /> * Food. By asking people to bring food/drinks to share, you ensure that you will have enough food, but not TOO MUCH food. I like to provide something theme-y like heart shaped cookies or red/pink foods for V-Day, or traditional Thanksgiving food for T-Day. You can do fun things like serve eggnog or spiced wine at a Christmas party, green beer at St Patty's day, etc. The more "traditional" or theme related, the more fun it is.<br /> * Etc. For Halloween I'll do things like bobbing for apples, pumpkin carving and the like. On Valentine's Day, we composed proverbs about Love--I provided the word LOVE+a random word. They came up with gems like "LOVE is a HOUSE I want to live in always" and "LOVE is like WINE--it makes you feel good and you want more." <br /><br />I teach people the word "mingle" and show them how to do it (really, they don't usually do it amongst themselves). I also occasionally like to have prizes to encourage certain behaviors. Want people to have fabulous outfits? Give a prize for best costume. Want people to put lots of effort into a game? Give a prize to the winner. It helps to let people know that ahead of time. Also, if you really want everyone in a costume, provide for those who have come without costume--for my party I'll have animal hats/masks for them to wear.<br /><br />I make sure to tell people early, then a week before, then a day or two before. People are very forgetful, so it helps to have an initial invite and then two reminders. I also don't have drinking at my party. If someone wants to bring alcohol, they can, but I ask them to bring nothing stronger than wine, champagne, or beer. I like showing them how to make mimosas. :)<br /><br />That, my friends, is something that takes up a fair bit of my energy in Peace Corps. So far I've thrown about 6 of these parties, and they get better and better. At my Valentine's day party I even had my English club put on a play! :) As you can see, it fits Peace Corps's 2nd goal very well, which is to teach host country nationals more about America and Americans. I put a fair bit of time and myself into these parties, and I've even seen results--I went to a girl's birthday party and she'd pushed the table to the side of the room and had activities! It was really great. People were surprised, but they had a great time.<br /><br />Other things I've learned: If your party is big, it can be a great idea to have responsible friends take on this role: emcee, dj, bartender, even host. If you do want to have a bar, I recommend making a SINGLE party drink based on a SINGLE kind of alcohol. For my "high school stereotypes" party in America, we made a punch. For my "runway models" party in America I made the mistake of wanting a full bar, and as a result, half my budget went to alcohol. If I did it again I would serve just mimosas, and invite people to bring other alcohols. I also like to give people the opportunity to do different things. If the space is large enough, I like to have a quiet room for conversations, a louder room for games, a dance floor, etc.<br /><br />Enjoy!jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-79596834858493770992009-03-10T16:25:00.001-07:002010-02-08T03:38:36.733-08:00I designed a Ukrainian wedding cloth!Okay, so I'm really excited: my host sister is getting married this fall. It is common for the bride to stitch herself a breadcloth--a long table-runner looking thing, with decorations on the two edges. I offered to do her bread cloth, and she was very excited. Then she said she'd rather me do their "good luck" cloth, or something like that. It is used during the wedding--laid on the floor and the bride and groom run to see who is the first to step on it. Whoever does will supposedly have the control in the marriage. I am so thankful for the links to Ukrainian patterns, because tonight the both of us came up with some designs for her cloth! Yes, yes, that is the Tree of Gondor on the top of one. We're going to see which her fiancee likes, but I'm REALLY hoping for the geeky version ;) <br /><br />This is a rough draft mockup. It was us piecing together designs, so the proportions aren't exact, but it gave us a good idea.<br /><br />NOW, there is one thing "wrong" on this. I plan to do the ends in a handstitched lace, which would REPLACE the greenish border at the bottom, but would be essentially the same design. Whichever design is chosen will be stitched on both ends of a long cloth. In the middle will be a ukrainian saying meaning: for happiness, for love (or something like that).<br />With the tree:<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/38sX-RnzmAycVOFTSJSWaA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9tpD24Dv8OM/SbbulsxNMiI/AAAAAAAAFds/gGyYrB41kog/s400/cloth%20with%20tree.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/waxpoetic/StrokeOfMidnight?feat=embedwebsite">Stroke of Midnight</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Without the tree:<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WikjBkS4id-YtSG6TYXawA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_9tpD24Dv8OM/SbbumOrs-AI/AAAAAAAAFd0/fyVBKOB3CTo/s400/cloth%20without%20tree.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/waxpoetic/StrokeOfMidnight?feat=embedwebsite">Stroke of Midnight</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />[edited to add the following]<br /><br />The wedding cloth was finished, though a little later than I'd hoped. Still, it was finished in time for the wedding. It turns out that the wedding cloth is what the bride and groom stand on as they are getting married. It literally covers the wedding altar, and as such, it has a very special place in the hearts of the couple; here is a picture of the final piece. I taught myself hardanger for this. Hardanger is the cutwork on the ends that makes it look like lace:<br /><br /><img src="http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs167.snc1/6252_124683176654_507746654_2559638_7043170_n.jpg">jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-13987684855911160722009-03-10T14:59:00.000-07:002010-02-08T03:52:56.735-08:00A fairly normal day in Ukraine (but a bit spendy!)Today was a really fun day. On the docket for the day: picking up my boots, getting my clothes repaired (oh crap—now I am forgetting my English—do we say “repaired” for clothes?) <br /><br />My boots are pretty sweet. I found a place that does custom boots. They will make nearly anything you want for a decent price—for me a “decent price” is less than $100. This is one price I absolutely compare with American prices, because I’m planning to take these puppies home with me! So this pair is knee high with the Battlestar Galactica logo stitched into the sides—specifically the phoenix/angel from the logo. <br /><br /><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_9tpD24Dv8OM/Sc5CzS6a2ZI/AAAAAAAAFnI/I8hV9ktceZ4/s640/%D0%98%D0%B7%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5%20026.jpg" width="512" height="384"><br /><sub><i>The boots in question</sub></i><br /><br />So my friend Maryna and I plan to meet at 11:30 near the tank. Every town in Ukraine as “A Tank” as a monument to some war or victory or historical event. History isn’t my strong suit. We were both late, as usual. I had a baba bag with me—a very large, plastic, zippered bag that the locals carry. It had all my clothes to be repaired in it. I was wearing a pair of black slacks and tennis shoes and my winter coat because the weather didn’t look too bad. Man was I wrong. <br /><br />While waiting for Maryna, I was happy to spot my favorite lady near the tank. She sells Piroshki. These are amazing. They’re (I think) potato dough with cabbage, potatoes, or meat inside, that are then deep fried. OMG DELICIOUS. I like the potato ones. So I ate that while waiting for Maryna. <br /><br />It was then I realized that a) I hadn’t called the lady to confirm that I was coming b) I didn’t have her number c) I didn’t have her address. Oh well. We’d been there before and decided to wing it. We knew which marshrutka to take (a marshrutka is like a cross between a van and a short bus), so we waited. While waiting we saw a poster for So You Think You Can Dance, the Ukrainian version (something like Танцюють Всi). Turns out they were performing in Zhytomyr the next day!!!! I LOVE SYTYCD, and even though I had never seen the Ukrainian version, I knew it would be just as good. <br /><br />So we get on the marshrutka and make our way to the boot lady’s house, only to find out she wasn’t there. Maryna had the woman’s daughter’s number, so we called and the lady said they would be ready on Tuesday. *sigh* So we made our way to the tailor. <br /><br />Maryna thinks I’m lazy, I think, because I don’t repair small holes that happen in the seams of my clothes. J Whatever. I’d rather have a professional do it. I dropped off a bag of mine that had been splitting open, my jeans that needed to be hemmed, two sweaters with holes in the armpits, a coat whose zipper kept popping open and whose pockets needed mending, a pair of pants that had a hole, and my coat whose liner was literally in tatters. Total price 185 griven (around $20). Not too bad. SPENDY for a Peace Corps budget, but that’s what I get for waiting and having them pile up.<br /><br />We went to the bazaar and I got one of my favorite foods—galuptsi with carrots. It is usually meat that is wrapped in cooked cabbage leaves, but this kind is basically spiced carrots wrapped in cabbage leaves. DELICIOUS. It was around this time that it REALLY started snowing. BIG FATTIE FLAKES. And the ground was solid mud. I’m in the city, but do we have awesome, mud-free sidewalks here? Nope. So it was snowing really hard and completely muddy. The snow felt a bit like rain, as well. I departed from Maryna and walked to the theatre, where SYTYCD would be performing, and met Tanya. By this time my right foot was COMPLETELY soaked. Blarg.<br /><br />I found out that not only were there seats available, but there were GOOD seats available! So I bought a ticket—just one, because sadly my friends were unavailable. It is nice to have a friend there when you’re negotiating something like that—I did negotiate the ticket sale myself, but I had a backup translator.<br /><br />Tanya went with me on the marshrutka home, and I had to walk across this nasty mud field to get to my house. By the time I got home, both shoes were covered in mud, my socks were soaked through with mudwater, and my pants were really wet at the bottom. Lovely. And tomorrow night—I’ll be going to see AWESOME DANCING!!!! WOOT!jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-39139347099499862282009-03-02T04:21:00.000-08:002010-02-08T03:55:30.151-08:00Танцюють Всi! (Ukrainian "So You Think You Can Dance")On Saturday I found out that Tantsuyut Vsi (Танцюють Всi) was on tour in Zhytomyr and was performing on Sunday. Next day. Tantsuyut Vsi is Ukraine's So You Think You Can Dance. I lovelovelove SYTYCD So much, and I was really bummed that in America tickets always sold out very quickly. Day before I figured I didn't have a chance of getting a ticket. Well, I was wrong, and I got a fabulous seat--4th row! It was 200 griven (a little more than $20). A lot for my Peace Corps budget, but well worth it. I've come to the conclusion that some things in life are worth paying a little extra for--tickets for a close row to something you love--worth it.<br /><br /><img src="http://dance.stb.ua/files/d_video/dance_anons.jpg"><br /><br />Here is my play by play of Танцюють Всi along with videos from their website!<br /><br />I dressed in my Wonder Woman gear--Wonder Woman boots that I had custom made for me here in Ukraine, red/white purse, and white undershirt/red overshirt. I found my way to the fourth row, and sat next to Alla, a woman I met right then and there. We talked about dance, she told me her daughter wasn't interested in coming, and that this was her second event. We had a fun time talking.<br /><br />It was supposed to start at 7pm, but it was closer to 7:15 when they actually started.<br /><br />Everyone came out dressed like the Nut Cracker--the red and white soldier outfits. It was really exciting to watch, and the host participated in the dance! It was so different seeing in real life--you could focus on whomever you wanted, and you could really get the energy from the dancers! <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/2208">This video shows a show opening</a> that looked exactly like what we had.<br /><br />The dance after that was a 2-guy dance with Oleksander and Sasha. <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/759">It was a swing/tap dance number</a> <b>if you only watch a few, this is completely worth watching</b>. I could completely see Tranji doing it.<br /><br />After that, they transitioned to a <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/325">freaking sweet Argentinian tango piece</a> with Colya and Toni. Amazing. She came in sweeping the floor and he was a douchey customer at a table. RED HOT!This one is way hotter than any other Argentinian tango I've seen on the American SYTYCD. Actually, it may just be regular tango.<br /><br />This was followed by a <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/445">pretty, contemporary dance</a> with Michael and Dasha.<br /><br />Sasha and Mariam did a really fun <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/365">hip hop number</a> to Rama Lama Bang Bang. <br /><br />There was a super sweet number here using a table--I originally thought it would be a rip off of the table dance from the American version, but it wasn't--and it kicked ass, but I can't find any video.<br /><br />A group number! This is one of my favorites: <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/2437">GLADIATORS!</a> <b>If you only see one number, this is the one to see</b><br /><br />Max and Olya did a pretty cool <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/396">contemporary number</a> where she has a mirror and he's trying to get in the way of her mirror.<br /><br />Olexander and Tonya did <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/273"> my favorite swing number!</a><br /><br />Zhenya and Maria did an <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/344">emotional waltz</a>. Not sure if I totally got the story, but it looked like she received some letter saying he was going off to war.<br /><br /><a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/719">A super fun and funky group contemporary number</a> where everyone was dressed as bugs. They came out from the audience! It was really cool!<br /><br />Masha and Denis did a fun <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/222">modern dance number</a> where she was dressed as a violin and he was the violinist.<br /><br />Max and Toni did this really cool <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/397">"voodoo horror" jazz piece</a>. They made fun use of a cauldron and voodoo doll.<br /><br />I'm really bummed that I can't find these next two dances as videos. The first was a women's only number. They were dressed as flappers and they danced to All That Jazz.<br /><br />Then the men came out, dressed as 30's gangsters and did a dance to Wild Wild West.<br /><br />Dasha and Michael did a <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/374">Broadway Vampire number</a> to KISS by Tom Jones.<br /><br />Sasha and Vika came out and did a cool <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/360">JIVE number that started out on a couch</a><br /><br />Olya and Olexander had a super emotional <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/340">modern number</a> that has what appears to be a cool storyline: he dies in a car crash and she is left to mourn him.<br /><br />They had two other cool numbers in here. The first was a group number that was set to the sound of wind and it was a contemporary number. Pretty sweet.<br /><br />Then there was a really really strange number with these aliens? two people were dressed in blue latex and danced with dress forms. I didn't really understand it, but it was entertaining.<br /><br />Olya and Colya did a <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/684">freaking amazing jive</a> to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.<br /><br />Dasha and Michael did a super sweet <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/265">contemporary horror dance</a>. Very fun! The song was "Remember horror number?"<br /><br />Another fun <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/2448">group dance!</a> This one was a sort of "Adam"/garden of eden story? Maybe? It's weird and totally fun and done to Santogold - You'll Find A Way (Switch & Sinden Remix)<br /><br />I WISH I COULD FIND THIS VIDEO! It was AMAZING! It was a quickstep to Puttin on the Ritz.<br /><br />Zhenia and Mariam danced a <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/343">Jazz number</a> that was--no joke--her cast as a Dominatrix.<br /><br /><a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/2209">This group dance</a> was MUCH BETTER in person...The entire beginning is LOST in this video! What you can't see is that everyone is lined side by side, and one by one they start doing very mechanical movements. AWESOME dance, but poor videography.<br /><br />Masha and Denis did a very <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/2240">dramatic modern number</a> about a prince and a princess on their wedding night! VERY dramatic!<br /><br />Victoria and Martin did a really cool <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/2246">smooth contemporary dance number</a>. She started out sitting on a chair, but her partner was under a sheet, and so she stood up and started dancing with her partner covered in a sheet. Very cool effect.<br /><br />Dasha and Michael <a href="http://dance.stb.ua/video/266">danced a tango</a> that started with them standing on two chairs! Cool use of the chairs!<br /><br />Finally, they had a big band number that was really fun, and again, no video.<br /><br />The absolute last thing they did was bring out a cake to celebrate Oleksander's 21st birthday--and they smashed it in his face, then they had a cake fight on stage.<br /><br />It was really really amazing and I'm really glad I went.jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-72673995044849476202008-10-06T04:00:00.001-07:002010-02-08T03:58:47.035-08:00What the heck do you do in Peace Corps?I teach at a Teacher Training Institute. This last year I’ve taught such classes as:<br /><br />Creative Writing, Teaching Speaking, Teaching Reading, Teaching Writing, Teaching Listening, Teaching Country Studies, Teaching Young Learners, etc.<br /><br />My students are all English Teachers from Ukraine. Every five years they are required to take recertification courses at my institute. The first time they go, they are there for one month. The next time they go, they go for three different weeks spread throughout the year.<br /><br />So what do I do? These are teachers of English, with experience in teaching English. I do feel qualified to teach them because I have had methodological training in school. And, more importantly, I have life experience—a lifetime of classes in American schools, where the teaching is approached differently. I also know such songs as "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" and "Goin' on a Bear Hunt" and "There Was an Old Lady" and "The Wheels on the Bus." So for me, my role here is to give a little bit of methodology, and give a lot of new ideas that they can adapt and use in their classrooms.<br /><br />So here’s an example of a class I’ve taught and will teach again: Teaching Country Studies.<br /><br /><b>Teachers Will Be Able to:<br />Participate in experiential learning activities for teaching Country Studies to their Students<br />Modify and Adapt activities for their classrooms</b><br /><br />Those are the basic TWBATs I have for all my classes. I’m a big fan of experiential learning, which means that you learn by experiencing it rather than just talking about it.<br /><b>Warm up: Finish the sentence</b><br /><i>Each Teacher gets a slip of paper. They will anonymously finish the sentence:<br />Is it true that Americans_______________________<br />Trainer will collect. Trainer will sort and read and answer at the end of the session. </i><br /><br />For this class I try to give them a little information that they can’t get in the classroom, as well as a taste of several kinds of activities, so I set up three “booths” with samples of the activities. During my class they are not expected to finish all the activities, merely get a taste of them. I emphasize that so that they don’t get frustrated about not having enough time <br /><br /><b> Station Activity 1: Map Work </b><br /><br /><b>ACTIVITY 1A: Spell and Find</b><br /><br /><i>Teachers are given their own un-labeled map of the US that they are to write on, a reference map labeled with all fifty states, a reference sheet of the fifty states and their capitals, and the following Scrabble Tiles:<br />A-2, C, D-2, E-2, G, H, I-2, L, M, N-3, O-2, P, R, S, T-2, U, V, W, Y<br /><br />Teachers must:<br />a) form as many states’ names as possible using those tiles. <br />b) color in the state on HO1 (unlabeled map), using a blue highlighter</i><br /><br /><b>ACTIVITY 1B: Name that Shape </b><br /><br /><i>Teachers are given a labeled map of the United States, a reference sheet of the fifty states and their capitals, and shapes of unidentified states.<br /><br />Teachers must <br />a) identify the states by shape<br />b) mark where the capital is on their map<br />c) write in the name of the capital.</i><br /><br />Why did I pick these activities? For me, it’s just showing different ideas of things you can do with a map. Even more, it helps prevent training “answer robots,” students who simply look for the answer and repeat and cannot put together two pieces of information logically. It also uses different strengths: linguistic strengths (spelling words), as well as special intelligences (picture smarts).<br /><br /><b>ACTIVITY 2: Design a flag and quarter for Washington State</b><br /><br /><i>Teachers will design a flag and quarter for Washington State, using important symbols and information about Washington State.</i><br /><br />Here, teachers are reading about Washington state, using art to show understanding, and putting together information. Again, moving away from being Answer Robots.<br /><br /><b> ACTIVITY 3: Seattle Festivals Logic Problem</b><br /><br /><i>Teachers are given a logic problem I created about four different festivals in Seattle: Gay Pride, Bumbershoot, Folklife, and The Freemont Solstice Festival. They are to fill in a chart telling which friend went to which festival, which month it was in, and what sort of festival it was.</i><br /><br />Here, I’m using a logic problem to teach about the different festivals. The idea here is that they can put together information and have students read about it in creative ways. Again, using a different strength, this time logic and reasoning.<br /><br /><b>ACTIVITY 4: Jeopardy game</b><br /><br />Now teachers play a small Jeopardy game based on information given in the class. This is not so they can play, but rather so they can learn HOW to play a Jeopardy game.<br /><br /><b>ACTIVITY 5: Is it true that Americans _________ followup</b><br /><br /><i>At this time I address all the questions that the Ukrainian teachers have put down about Americans. Most of the questions I get are based on food, personality, and work such as <br /><br />Is it true that Americans have only one or two weeks of vacations?<br />Is it true that Americans don't like to speak about their problems (they do it with doctors or psychologists only)?<br />Is it true that Americans always smile?<br />Is it true that Americans eat fast food 3 times a day?</i><br /><br />So you can see, when I’m teaching, I’m not simply teaching ABOUT America, I’m giving techniques for teaching about them—ones that many of them have never seen. And yet I’m still giving some extra information, such as: that handout on Washington State. And addressing common questions they usually have about Americans.<br /><br />My job is tricky, because I’m not just teaching, but I’m teaching about teaching. It’s made it very interesting—not duplicating teaching techniques, how to give different information, how to collaborate, etc. I’d never done teacher training before, but I’m getting great experience doing it. And it does help that I do the same lessons again and again.<br /><br />The final thing I do is that I make all my lesson plans and information available to all teachers, which is very time consuming. It’s one thing to make a lesson plan; quite another thing to write it in a presentable way for teachers taking your classes. I have to make the directions understandable to Ukrainian teachers, not just myself, so vague notes on how to do it are not acceptable, and neither is simply writing down “Do the Hokey Pokey”—because most Ukrainians have never played The Hokey Pokey and I need to write down directions for how to do it, since it’s not just for me. I’m also often giving lesson plans to teachers who have been doing this for 10-20 years, so I’d better have something great so they don’t feel like I’m wasting their time.<br /><br />So that’s what I do for my Peace Corps “job.” I do teach less than most of the other volunteers, but as you can see, my time is really put into developing materials and presentation of said materials. There are more bits and pieces, but that’s my standard daily job. Hope you enjoyed it!jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-14815255057822539292008-10-06T03:56:00.000-07:002010-02-08T04:12:11.015-08:00One year in UkraineWow. It doesn’t seem like yesterday that I arrived, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it’s been a year.<br /><br />October 1, 2007 I stepped off that plane into blistering hot heat. We were greeted by a sign in English saying “Welcome to Ukraine,” and we were greeted by friendly smiles from Peace Corps staff, friendly smiles that are still dear to my heart. It was unseasonably warm in Kyiv, and we were all dying while waiting on the bus. We were herded, eyes unseeing, ears unhearing, into our pre-training site. Everything was strange, the faces, the policies, the billboards. It was all novel—the Cyrillic signs, people speaking in an unfamiliar language, people selling things by the side of the road, the cars driving like they were in the Pole Position game, the layouts of the stores, the prices, the inability to communicate.<br /><br />It was all novel because it was all new and interesting and WOW this was why we signed up for Peace Corps.<br /><br />We were given our languages—I was given Russian, and some people rejoiced, while others complained. Our first day of language class—given the letters of our names and asked to make it into our names. <br /><br />Д Ж У Л И Я<br /><br />None familiar but that little Y, which wasn't a Y, but an OO. I couldn't spell my own name: Джулия. Overwhelming! Being taught to say “My name is” and ask “What is your name?” Running to the really cute security guard and asking him “Как вас завут?” KAK VAC ZAVOOT? Then giggling like crazy fangirls when he told us, then promptly forgetting because our brains short circuited at having spoken to a really good looking dude in a foreign language. <br /><br />One year ago. Rumors of who was going where. Whispers of “So and so already knows about her family.” Talk of possibilities. I vaguely remember the presentation. I remember Vova’s funny talk about the Village with Town-like qualities, and Larissa’s talk of Chernigov with bellydancing. I remember being told I would be in Chernigov.<br /><br />I remember how much luggage I had. WAY more than anyone in our group. A comical amount of luggage. I remember hauling it to the busses. I remember finally getting on our busses. I remember really really really having to pee and everyone filing into an LCF’s apartment to use the bathroom before heading to Chernigov. I wonder what the babushkas in the building thought—20 Americans stomping up the stairs and waiting in a line to go into this little apartment.<br /><br />I remember getting to Chernigov. My host mother, Alla, was there. She was a large, stern-looking woman. I remember being intimidated and timid and so I stayed on the bus and helped people get their luggage. Finally got to her and felt embarrassed about all my luggage. Proudly said Меня завут Джулия MENYA ZAVOOT JULIA and her saying her name, then having literally nothing else to say other than hello. So I stayed silent. She seemed so serious, and I wondered what she thought of me. I wondered if she was happy to see me, because she didn’t smile. I wondered if she was irritated by my luggage, since we had to STUFF it into the taxi. I wondered if she was weirded out by this stranger living in her home who didn’t speak a lick of the language.<br /><br /><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs204.snc1/7133_138551006654_507746654_2727898_6693339_n.jpg" width="453" height="339"><br /><sub><i>My host mother, Alla</sub></i><br /><br />I remember the first meal. Some of the food was good, some was not so great, but there was too much of it. I remember feeling overwhelmed, and wanting to make a good impression, and forcing myself to overeat because I didn’t know how to say no politely. My host sister was shy, but she spoke English, which helped. Perhaps a bit too much. She was 17 and from the village, and only now do I believe I understand who she was in relation to my host mom—I think she was my host mom’s cousin’s daughter.<br /><br />I remember doing charades to ask when to be woken up. I remember in the morning being walked to my class, which was very close. I remember being taught to say “I have a family. I have a mother. I have a father. I have a sister. Do you have a family?” I was introduced to Yulia, my host mother’s friend’s daughter. Yulia was my age and she couldn’t stop laughing at how ridiculous I sounded—and I did. “DO YOU HAVE A FAMILY?” sounds pretty funny, no matter how you say it. I remember my host mother asking me something, which sounded like “Do you need a magazine?” And I thought “I don’t need a magazine, I have one.” Later I realized she was asking if I needed to go to the store—the word “Magazine” means “Store” in Russian.<br /><br />I remember enjoying language classes, and we had so many. I remember feeling frustrated and anxious and not making friends during training. I remember just feeling overwhelmed. I also remember the feelings of giving up near the end. Then came swearing in.<br /><br />We met our counterparts, we met the US Ambassador. <br /><br /><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs204.snc1/7133_138550931654_507746654_2727890_227622_n.jpg" width="453" height="300"><br /><sub><i>My counterpart, Iryna</sub></i><br /><br />We swore in. I was proud to be an American that day. Taking the oath that all of us take:<br /><br />I, Julia Johansen, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge my duties in the Peace Corps of the United States of America, serving Ukraine to the best of my abilities and demonstrating the respect and consideration due its people. So help me God.<br /><br />This past year has been packed.<br /><br />I’ve made several lifelong friends—some best friends, both Ukrainian and American. I’ve come to have some favorite Ukrainian foods that I KNOW I will miss back in the US. I’ve learned to live and thrive within my community. I’ve learned that the more you know of a language the more you realize you don’t know. I’ve learned to speak Russian—enough to have conversations, but not enough to be able to tell my landlord properly that the pilot light on my kalonka keeps going out. I got a beautiful Ukrainian cat who is the perfect mixture of ornry and sweet. I have an apartment that I’m only ashamed to show people when it looks like a homeless person has been living here. I’ve settled into good routines. I filled out my first grant. I found great organizations and great people to work with. I’ve found what it is to be a Peace Corps Volunteer.<br /><br />And you know, I’ve had it so much easier than many PCVs. So much so that I often hesitate to complain about having to take bucket baths in my modern bathroom, or that I have to walk through a small field of mud, or that my apartment feels cold. No one gossips about what I bought, or how much money I spend on shampoo. I, in general, have consistent hot water, I can use the water from my tap, and I even have water after midnight. I can throw my toilet paper in the toilet, and my toilet is in the same room as my bathtub. I have Internet in my apartment. My town sells pesto and hot sauce and bento boxes and bleu cheese.<br /><br />And yet there is still a need. I am a Peace Corps Volunteer, and this has been one interesting year in my life.jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-12727939143171804652008-09-10T12:17:00.000-07:002010-02-08T04:13:22.709-08:00For your viewing pleasureThe first Russian song I learned! It's by a band called Kino and the singer is Victor Tsoi. It's catchy, melodic, and easy!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1VwXeW_nuLs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1VwXeW_nuLs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />День как день,<br />Только ты почему-то грустишь.<br />И вокруг всё поют,<br />Только ты один молчишь.<br /><br />Потерял аппетит<br />И не хочешь сходить в кино.<br />Ты идёшь в магазин,<br />Чтобы купить вино.<br /><br />Солнце светит, и растёт трава,<br />Но тебе она не нужна.<br />Всё не так, и всё не то,<br />Когда твоя девушка больна,<br />Когда больна...<br /><br />Ты идёшь в магазин,<br />Головою поник,<br />Как будто иссяк<br />Чистый горный родник.<br /><br />Она где-то лежит,<br />Ест мёд и пьёт аспирин,<br />И вот ты идёшь<br />На вечеринку один.<br /><br />Солнце светит, и растёт трава,<br />Но тебе она не нужна.<br />Всё не так, и всё не то,<br />Когда твоя девушка больна.<br />На вечеринку один,<br />Когда твоя девушка больна.jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-48250495516529116072008-09-10T12:11:00.000-07:002010-02-08T04:14:03.344-08:00Culture ShockYour emotional reserves, which are what help you have that thick skin, are what help you not react to cultural moments. They are what you draw upon in order to be culturally appropriate, culturally sensitive, and that all-knowing, wise, open-minded American. They help you deal with people staring or people pointing to you, or a whole marshrutka full of people talking about the American and what do you think she's doing here and and she doesn't understand Russian (I DO!), etc. Not that that last thing happened recently.<br /><br />The emotional reserves start to go away as you are bombarded by new culture, loss of freedom, loss of language, stress of language learning, not being able to talk to your best friend, not being able to eat food you love and are familiar with, being treated like you are three years old, being around Americans you may not like, getting trained in your job and having to do homework, having someone else tie your shoes for you (yes, this happened to me), being treated like a 3-year-old, having your personal space invaded, and your body space invaded.<br /><br />Your emotional reserves can deal with any of those things, but the result of being bombarded by all these things all at once for an extended period of time drains them. You lose that thick skin. Things start to bother you that would ordinarily not bother you. You become a bit more emotionally frayed and you react more. Because those emotional reserves are tapped—they're too busy trying to deal with the big stuff that the little stuff seeps through.<br /><br />I knew this would happen. During our training, they showed us a video of the negative things that could happen, specifically sexual harassment. A woman in the video told about how she was sexually harassed every day with all the cat calls and sexual comments tossed at her as she walked down the street every day. One gal in our group made the comment that was pretty much along the lines of: "She should be more culturally sensitive. That's just part of Latino culture, and she shouldn't apply American standards to their culture." Or something close to that. I remember thinking at the time that the girl in our training girl had no idea what she was talking about, because something happening day after day has *got* to wear at you.<br /><br />It's like someone touching you. That's fine. But now imagine them touching you in the same spot again and again and again. Where you could first shrug it off, now it's a point of contention and irritation and you JUST WANT THEM TO STOP. I knew this at the beginning of training.<br /><br />And yet I was completely shocked when culture shock hit me. I remember it so clearly. A girl in my language lesson snapped at me. It was Halloween, only 31 days after getting into Ukraine. Only 31 days of Peace Corps training. Only 31 days of using up those emotional reserves. The comment ate at me all day. It made me angry and sick and more angry. For some reason, around 11pm, I just started bawling. I tried to call my best friend in America, but my phone had no money on it, which made me cry harder, and I had no idea why, which made me cry even harder. And not some stoic lady-like cry—this was an "8-year-old-who-just-got-spanked-and-now-can't-go-to-the-sleepover cry. There was nothing I could put my finger on--not any one thing, except for some stupid little comment, and I sure as hell knew one small comment didn't cause this reaction.<br /><br />I probably sobbed for three hours that night. It really sucked. My own emotional reaction shocked me--I haven't bawled that hard in a while--I'm 32 and kinda thought I was past that.<br /><br />Things that really helped me: Peace Corps's booklet called "A Few Minor Adjustments," which addresses culture shock. It really helped. REALLY. Also, making friends that I really liked and who I could call and talk to, because previously I had felt very alone being amongst so many Americans and not really having a close friend.<br /><br />It hit me that hard again, about 6 months in country. It was late at night and I started to just feel SO ALONE. I went to the disco, hoping that just being around people would make me feel better, but it made me feel more alone, and I called America, sobbing at the disco. I just couldn't stop crying. It sucked.<br /><br />I hate being shocked at my own emotional reactions. I hate when they take me unawares. I was shocked at myself the first time I screamed at my host sister (17 year olds!!!). I was shocked at myself when I got angry at every little thing. I was shocked at myself by how dismayed I was at having fried eggs with TOO MUCH OIL. And yet, when those reserves are drained, you are the emotional equivalent of a car without shocks on a rocky road.<br /><br />I consider myself lucky--two emotional breakdowns in 11 months. For six months it's been smooth sailing, and I'm in a position to have built up those emotional reserves. I have autonomy, I have friends, I have people close to me, I can communicate, I have internet (woo hoo!). But I also know it's likely that I'll have at least one or two more of these moments.<br /><br />The following is a metaphor I wrote about culture shock:<br /><br /> <br /><br />I'd wanted to swim in the ocean for about 10 years. More precisely, I wanted to be flown in a helicopter out in the middle of the ocean, be dropped out far enough that I couldn't see the land, then I wanted to swim to shore.<br /><br />I'd read all the books about what to do, what to take, and how to do it. I had my shark repellent, my space sticks energy sticks, and even a flare for if it got really bad. Gearing up for this moment, I practiced every day in the swimming pool, and I was totally pumped. I'd even read first-hand accounts from people who had done precisely this same thing. I even knew what emotions I would likely be feeling and how to deal with them.<br /><br />I was prepared. Everything was ready. I was ready. Completely. <br /><br />They flew me in a helicopter, told me exactly what to do if I needed help, then I made the leap into that huge ocean. I watched the helicopter fly away, and I started to swim. I was feeling strong and awesome. Everything was going according to plan.<br /><br />Then I started to get a little tired, and I felt something bump my foot. The smell of the salt water was getting to me, and I was starting to get a sunburn. I realized that as much as I had prepared, NOTHING could have prepared me for that feeling of being in the middle of the ocean all alone and not being able to see shore. I started to feel overwhelmed by all the water around me and how alone I felt, but I pushed it off, knowing I couldn't feel this way because I had prepared. But what I hadn't prepared for was my very own emotional reaction to everything. As much as my brain was ready, my emotions weren't, and after much pushing down, the emotions overwhelmed me.<br /><br />It finally passed and I pressed on. The dream and the realization of that dream driving me further. Most of the time I'm fine and it's under control, but every now and then, the vastness of the sea gets to me.jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-71757505855774186352008-02-13T00:16:00.000-08:002011-08-10T05:37:56.998-07:00My favorite Ukrainian songsThese songs are REALLY catchy.
<br />
<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHItqFxGYcU">А.Р.М.И.Я - Мы сделали это</a> This WILL get stuck in your head.
<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3LnMrdcuk4">LILU - Будь ближе</a> Fun video. Pop.
<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNwNNDHjs5g">Алиби: Мелодия дождя</a> Soft, melodic.
<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n90T0iL3ALg">Юлия Войс "Где ты, мой ангел"</a> Generically good.
<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hpqj9EpmeQ">Тина Кароль "Полюс притяжения"</a> Beautiful voice.
<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en2WFgewrrY">Марта-Цветок</a> Seriously, check out her outfit. Crazy.
<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPjhZZ2THzw">Ирина Билык Нас Нет</a> The video plays like a movie
<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r5NIF5d7A0">Потап и Настя Каменских - Не пара (uncensored)</a> Russian Hip-Hop. This video has naked women, so don't watch if you're easily offended. Great song.
<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZUvVYJOZME">Потап и Настя Каменских - VNATURE (uncensored)</a> More Russian Hip-Hop, more naked women. Great song, though.
<br /><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=0M9ZiQuuuGc">Потап, Дядя Вадя и Ugo - Наташа</a> More hiphop. Sans boobies.jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-49590938953909209392007-11-23T05:44:00.001-08:002010-02-08T04:16:00.952-08:0011.16.07 choresLast night I hung out with my new host family for a while. It's funny and irrational, but there's this part of me that thinks: You shouldn't talk about your other family with this family. What can I say--I'm a one family kinda gal! I'm cheating on one family with another. ah ha haha. I know it's stupid, and I talk about them anyway.<br /><br />It started snowing last night. It's still snowing. I walked in the deep snow with my host dad. He's a really nice guy and I covet his bag. It's like this tiny little briefcase. Big enough to stick letters and keys and money in and yet smaller than a woman's purse and bigger than a wallet. I covet it. He's a really cool guy. Last night he took me around town to run errands. I needed to get my pants mended, to change some money, go to the internet club, and to the post office.<br /><br />First we went to get my pants mended. My pants were waaay too long. Seriously. The reason these women wear 10 inch heels is so their pants hems aren't dragging in mud! I'm a shorty and my pants were always getting muddy. So for a mere 12G I was able to get them mended. I never would have found this place on my own. First, it's out in nowhereland. By a big bazaar and around a corner. I think I saw Lady and the Tramp there. Not the movie, the actual dogs. That's how hidden it was. So we rounded this corner in an alley and walked up these dark stairs. Had I been there by myself I would have sworn the building was closed, that no one had ever been there, that it was abandoned. Nope. We walked through the dark, up a few flights of stairs and through a door and BAM, there was light. He asked for a woman and we were led through a hallway, passing open doors filled with women, clothes, and sewing machines. It was awesome.<br /><br />We finally met the woman and she had me put on my pants-to-be-altered. She marked them with white chalk and I took them off, put on my jeans, and handed my pants to her. She asked me a question about the hem--how I wanted it to look, and I got to bust out with my favorite phrase: Vso ravno. It means everything is the same-or-I don't care. She smiled and told my host dad they'd be done in about 40 minutes. So we went to do other tasks.<br /><br />We went to attempt to change money. I emphasize attempt. If you come to Ukraine, DON'T FOLD YOUR DOLLARS! Seriously. They have this super fancy checking machine that has stages. The first stage is to put it under this security camera. Then they run it through an auto machine. If it is too folded it won't even pass the first stage. If it's too folded and somehow passes stage one, it won't go through the auto machine. We went to two places. The first took two of my one dollar bills but not my 10. The second place took my other one, but not my 10. I'm going to try ironing it. Grrr. I covet my host dad's brief-purse.<br /><br />So the next was the post office. You'll be happy to know that, just like in America, they're slow. It's like a slice of home life. We waited and waited. I finally sent something out. A letter to my best gal pal in the US, and one to my language teacher who is leaving our group. It said in Russian: Thank you. You are good teacher. After I get apartment, I want to invite you and your wife to be guests. I will cook!<br /><br />I'm proud of my language skills.<br /><br />So now I'm at work, in my short pants and ready for my workshop. More about that later.jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-87840381721727572007-11-23T05:43:00.001-08:002010-02-08T04:16:39.833-08:0011.15.07 English ClubsToday I went to an English Club here in Zhytomyr. My host sister was going and invited me along. I was really excited about this opportunity because part of the site assessment is seeing what the resources are, seeing what's happening in the community, etc. My host sister mentioned it was religious and my first question was: Mormon? Of course!<br /><br />So we walk to this apartment. It's just started snowing slightly, there's mud everywhere, and we're cold. We walk inside the apartment and it's even colder than outside, and the floors look like they have colored contact paper on them. It's very 70s. And no one takes off their shoes, hence the scotch-guarding. We meet the two elders: Elder Paulsen and (ack! I can't remember the Ukrainian man's name). My host sister and I are the only two there to start with, and I'm asking questions about Mormons in Ukraine (they're the only two in Zhytomyr) and about his service, how they advertise, how they don't make it seem sleezy (come to my apartment and learn English, young woman), etc.<br /><br />There ended up being a total of four students and one grandfather who came. E.Paulsen did the "invent your own country" lesson, which I've done before. The group decides their name, what their business is, what their language is, etc. Afterward I couldn't help but do my job. Seriously. I couldn't just go. So I asked him my Teacher Trainer questions: What did you like about this lesson? What would you have changed about it? I gave him some suggestions as well: put the chairs in a circle so they can see each other when they are speaking. Read up on the communicative method so that it's more student focused rather than teacher focused. Have a section on the board to leave up new words. And point with a pen rather than your finger. Seriously. In Ukraine, the teachers don't point to the board with their fingers. I have no idea why. But his Ukrainian partner totally nodded. ha ha ha.<br /><br />So yeah, scoping out my site and found the Mormons. Rulz.jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-16825883235555932662007-11-23T05:42:00.000-08:002010-02-08T04:22:24.512-08:0011.15.07 coat shoppingI went on an adventure the other day. My host sister and I had looked at coats at the big bazaar and on Saturday night my mother called to tell me she had put some money in my account for me to use to buy a coat and boots. So on Sunday my host sister was working and I couldn't find a single person to go with me. I decided to go it on my own.<br /><br />I knew the direction, and I knew where to catch the bus. I was able to ask the woman standing at the stop which bus went there (I was also able to understand her). It was getting pretty nasty out--my coat was covered in slush, because it was sort of snow-raining or rain-snowing or slushing. Take your pick. I learned that umbrellas are awesome when it snows. Who knew? So I'm waiting for the bus in the slush with my umbrella. I get on the bus and while on the bus I'm able to ask the bus driver if the next stop is mine (it was), and I get off the bus at the big church and bazaar.<br /><br />I slush my way over to the bazaar, with a vague notion of which way the coat woman was. I pass by the mayo-pizza vendors, stopping to buy a potato perogie. I get into the bazaar and can't find the coat woman. I walk up and down the aisles, looking at the different coat fashions, for about half an hour.<br /><br /><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v343/221/102/507746654/n507746654_1034964_5993.jpg" width="453" height="339"><br /><i><sub>The Ukrainian Bazaar in winter</i></sub><br /><br />Ukrainian coats are interesting. Ukrainian women LOVE fur <s>or at least fake fur</s> <i>[They really do love their real fur]</i>. They also love lots of buckles and shineys on their coats. It's great. They also love leather. Leather + fur + sparkley buckles = Ukrainian love. I really love just looking. I did find my way into a different section. I've decided that Ukrainian bazaars are a living thing. A shy living thing. Know how turtles hide their heads and feet and tail? Well the bazaars are a bit like that. Unless you know there's more there you think that's it. Then you wander for a bit--waiting, and the turtle pokes its head out and you find a big pocket of the bazaar you would have sworn wasn't there. Either that or it's fairies messing with me.<br /><br />So I found the pocket with the coat lady. I bought the coat I'd been eyeing--it was 350 griven, then I found a boot vendor. The bazaar fairies were kind to me that day. Have I explained about Ukrainian boots? They are knee high, covered in buckles and sequins, and have 10 inch stilleto heels. Or at least that's how it looks. Also, the women have stick legs, small feet, and no concept of sore feet. So I happen to find the one pair of short boots with no heels and are big enough to fit me. It was a miracle. A Christmas miracle. They are full of fake fur, so my feet are WARM! And they were only 125g. Awesome.<br /><br /><img src="http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs224.snc1/7133_138550431654_507746654_2727820_5880426_n.jpg" width="453" height="339"><br /><sub><i>Me with my coat</sub></i><br /><br />I then went over to the yarn booth. At home, buying yarn is a relatively straightforward thing. You do have many options, but in general everything is laid out for you and you can touch and see everything. The yarn booth at the bazaar is different. It's more like a drive through. All the yarn is behind the counter, the woman speaks another language, and it's a gamble. I told her I wanted yarn to go with my coat (which is red and black) and I wanted thick, not thin. This sounds like there were no problems. It took me 20 minutes between her helping other people and me grabbing my dictionary and looking up words. She picked out a somewhat fuzzy black/red yarn. I thought it was too similar and I asked if I should have a different color. She and the other Ukrainian woman were emphatic that THIS was the right color. ХОРОШО <i>horosho, which means "good"</i>. So I bought two of them and went on my merry way.<br /><br />Check and mate.jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-77131044459255906342007-11-23T05:39:00.000-08:002010-02-08T04:32:09.351-08:0011.14.07 New Family, New TownAfter six weeks, Peace Corps has all its trainees go for a site visit. During this time we meet the family we will live with for one month, we meet our Ukrainian counterpart (the teacher we will work with closely for the next two years), and we get to see our workplace. We are gone from our original site for about a week, we get to bond with one another and then go to our sites, then come back together for a few days and then back on to our sites.<br /><br />I didn't realize how necessary this was. Mixing it up a little. Training is strange--you are in this small little bubble, you are learning language, you see the same people every day all day, you just need a change of pace. You need to see the friends you left at Orientation, you just need a break. Plus, you get to know where you'll be, and that's really exciting, or nerve wracking, depending on how you look at it.<br /><br />Site placement is this big "hush hush" event. They keep it "top secret" until we all get together and they reveal it in front of everyone. That said, a handful of people will always know ahead of time--Peace Corps tells current volunteers who is coming to their areas, they have it in their office, etc. Some people are very upset that others know their sites, others, like me, don't care.<br /><br />So yesterday I got up really early to go over to McDonalds, since that's where the marshrootka to Kyiv is. I was waiting for my friend--we were going to go together, and we were supposed to meet at 8. Well, in the hustle and bustle of packing excitement, host mom excitement, I ended up somehow leaving my house at 7am! I got there 45 minutes early. And waited in the freezing cold. yep, it was a great morning. Did I mention that there was about 4 or 5 inches of snow on the ground? Yeah.<br /><br />He arrives at 8, as planned, and a few other volunteers came as well. We grabbed some snacks for the road and got in to the marshrootka. They told us to pack lightly, since we would be gone for 8 days and had to transport our own stuff. I was worried about my one bag + laptop bag + plastic bag. I stopped worrying when one volunteer showed up with a suitcase big enough to smuggle a small family across the border. We were all chatting and having fun, then settled in for the trip. Which involves being antisocial and listening to music. For me, it usually involves sleep.<br /><br />I honestly can't remember if I slept. Yesterday feels a bit blurry. I remember looking at the scenery. Ukraine is full of amazingly bright colors. Blues and greens, reds and oranges. It's really pretty when all the fences are lined up and there is a parade of bright colors that passes you. It's a nice contrast to the snow everywhere. So maybe I slept. Probably I slept. But I don't remember.<br /><br />We get to Kyiv and get on the metro and take it over to our stop, then transfer to another marshrootka. We end up at our little "soviet era" hotel. A couple of volunteers are on one of the balconies and we all shout greetings to one another. Several volunteers are down in the lobby, along with mail (I had no idea how much it FEELS like mail = love, but it does!), and check in. We get to choose our own roommates, but there are three to a room. I check in and put down Suzy as my roommate, as planned, and go up to the room to drop off my stuff.<br /><br />The room is small but adequate. There are great big windows, so we got a great view of the snow, and a balcony, three beds, a small end table, a dresser for our clothes, and a bathroom. I staked out a bed and went on the balcony and saw Suzy's group. I shout to her, as I am an American and must let the world know, and run downstairs. The situation is now Social +3 and rising. We choose another girl to room with and all settle our stuff in.<br /><br />That night we have our dinner and after dinner The Site Placement. Ukraine is a huge country, and we placed all 80something of us all around that country. One friend of mine got Odessa, another ended up in Crimea, and I got my site: Zhytomyr. They placed the rest of the groups, which was really hard to pay attention to, as my body was constantly reminding me that I'd had quite a bit to drink. Funny how ceremonies seem that much longer when you have a pressing need.<br /><br />So, Zhytomyr. What did I know about Zhytomyr? Nothing. I'm a pretty ignorant person when it comes to world geography/politics/history, etc. Ask me anything about Joss Whedon or Battlestar Galactica, and I'm your gal. Ask me to tell you anything about parts of the world and I really don't know. I did find out many of the LCFs are from Zhytomyr, which is really neat, and our Adopt a Cluster person is about 30 minutes from there, and it's about 2 hours away from Kyiv. Score! The really funny thing is this: before I shipped out for Peace Corps--after I was given my job title and country, I looked up Teacher Trainer blogs online. And I came across one from a guy named Daniel. Sure enough, I have his old site. How ironic is that?<br /><br />We received a piece of paper telling us a little bit: the name of the institute we'd be working at, the name of the person we'd be working with, the approximate population, etc. Suzy's was <5,000. Mine was 100,000-500,000. Or how I like to say it: it's 100,000 give or take 400,000. <br /><br />We had a break and then met with our regional manager. She's an amazing woman and very funny. There are people who say things to you like: tell me if you have any problems, but the real feeling is that you wouldn't bother. Then there are people who tell you to report any problems and go on to say things like "if there is a problem with food, with family, with site, with X, with Y" and they really let you know that they want things to go well. This woman is the second kind. Which I really appreciate. You want to know that the person you'll be reporting to for the next few years really cares. I lucked out.<br /><br />So during the meeting we met all the people who will be in our region--I think there are 10 or 12 of us. Thankfully I really like the people there. We also found out who our host families are going to be: names, ages, and pets. So my family consists of a mom and dad, both early 40s, and a 19 year old daughter and 17 year old son. Totally sweet.<br /><br />The meetings were finally over and we were able to relax. One of the volunteers had contacted me earlier and mentioned she was having a Firefly withdrawal. Firefly is the name of one of the best tv shows ever made, and I'm a big fan. So I brought both the tv show and the movie that was made about it: Serenity. So we're downstairs waiting for one of our friends to get back. I start having a conversation about Star Trek with one of the gals, and we're geeking out chatting about Klingons and Next Generation and I invite her to watch Serenity with us.<br /><br />We head up to my room and it's cold. Really cold. I set up my laptop and get the movie ready. My friend comes back with two beers for sharing, and we all huddle around the room. We are decked out with blankets and coats and flip off the lights and watch Serenity together. Really, this was a moment of perfect happiness for me. I've felt a bit isolated and like I haven't fit in, and this was a moment when I was doing what I loved and people were doing it with me because they wanted to hang out with me. It was really amazing. Plus, I got to do one of my other favorite things: introduce my favorite tv shows to new people. Three people in the room had never seen Firefly. It was awesome. When it was finished, B and I watched an episode of Angel. It was such a great night.<br /><br />Sadly, sleep wasn't so amazing. Our room was FREEZING. I slept with my coat on. My warm winter coat and scarf. I had my cuddle blanket with me and I slept with it over my head. I woke up in the morning exhausted, yet in good spirits because I really like the gals I shared a room with. We were deciding on showers. We then decided we'd rather stay in our warm clothes than get undressed and take a maybe-warm shower.<br /><br />I've learned a few things about myself since coming to Ukraine. First, I learned that I'd rather be stinky than be cold. Really. If I had to take a freezing cold bucket bath, I'd limit my bathing to once a week. Probably. Second, I learned that if you sleep in the clothes you're going to wear the next day it builds up heat and you can be warm throughout the day. I'd rather keep on the shirt I wore to bed last night than change into a freezing cold new shirt. It's a strategy. If I'm going to wear this long sleeved shirt under my sweater, I'll wear it at night in a freezing cold place. It's an excellent strategy. I also have learned that I enjoy comfort. I was listening to other people's stories, and while they're fascinating, I am so thankful that I don't have an "interesting" life, full of outhouses and bucket baths. <br /><br />One of the women who currently lives in Chernigov with me is going to be living in Zhytomyr as well. She's studying Russian as well, and she's an older volunteer. I suggested to her that we have dinner parties in Zhytomyr, and her response was an enthusiastic YES! I also asked her if she were interested in studying Russian together, and again, a YES!<br /><br />After having felt so left out of things in Chernigov, it was really nice to have my invitation accepted enthusiastically. When we left to go to Zhytomyr we started talking, and we were having similar experiences within Chernigov, and it was really nice to bond that way. I'm really happy that she's going to be in the same city with me. I'm really happy about it--she's very nice and kind, and has a very interesting life. Plus, she's totally interested in having Sunday brunches and doing trips to Kyiv, etc. I'm really excited.<br /><br />So we get into Zhytomyr and I'm greeted by a beautiful young woman and a man. First I'm confused--I wonder if she's my counterpart or host family. She's my host sister and the man is my host father. Things are a little overwhelming and I forget all my manners--like saying that it's very nice to meet you. We're waiting for the other woman's people to meet her, so we're waiting around and unsure of what's happening, then her counterpart shows up and we hug goodbye.<br /><br />Peace Corps Trainees get really nervous about host families. And it's natural. What's this family going to be like? Will they like me? Will they be nice? Where will I be living. It's easy to forget that they have the EXACT same thing going on. They get butterflies and nervous--will the volunteer like us, will she like our cooking, will she like our house, will she be nice and talk to us? It's just as stressful for them as it is for us. I am happy to say that I am really happy with my host family and where I'll be staying. It's one thing to feel like a guest and another thing to feel like family. Feeling like a guest means you feel apart. You are honored, but you are separate. I want something closer.<br /><br />When I came into the house I was given a small tour. There is a really large living room with a tv in it, my bedroom has a desk and a computer and big comfortable hide-a-bed chair and large wardrobe. The walls are a bright cheery yellow, with small geometric designs on them. There is a large window and green and white curtains. The floors are hardwood with rugs over them. There is a washing machine in the bathroom along with a shower/tub. There is a toilet room, and the mother/father's room. The kitchen is near the front door. It's really nice. The mother was talking really fast in Russian and the daughter was translating. You could tell she was excited nervous and was trying to make a good impression. She was showing me where things were in the kitchen--honey, cooking things, dishes, etc. Then she did the thing that made me feel very included. She had me help set the table and put things on the table. She included me. It felt really nice. Then she said I was family. I don't think I could have asked for a nicer new family to stay with.<br /><br /><img src="http://cs139.vkontakte.ru/u14335097/32640488/x_38bebc70.jpg" width="453" height="301.5"><br /><sub><i>My Ukrainian family!</sub></i><br /><br />For dinner I had borsch (they'd had some borsch already), and we all ate potatoes and cucumbers and bread. I told them I love to try everything even though I don't enjoy all foods. So I tried all her food and really enjoyed it! We had some wine and shots of vodka. Apparently it's a Ukrainian tradition to have every third toast to be for women. So the father and the brother stood up and toasted to the women, orating nicely. It was really great. After food I brought out my atlas and was showing about Washington. We were talking about differences in America. Apparently Daniel had been to or was from Florida and said that crocodiles/alligators weren't so scary, etc. I said that that was normal for him, but I live in Washington where these don't live and they're very scary to me. I feel like part of my "job" here is to show the diversity of America. They asked me if it was a tradition that Americans don't talk while they eat. I told her it might be true in some houses, but in my house in America we always talk and eat. "How was your day? How was work?"<br /><br />I grabbed my laptop and started showing pictures. I showed pictures of Chernigov and the mother said "you should take pictures of more pretty things." This was in response to taking pictures of "normal" or "not so pretty" things, like the route I walk to work. I thought I gave an excellent answer. I told her that I wanted to show my friends and family things they can't see in a book. I want to show them my every day life. I want them to feel like they are there. And sure enough, after all the pictures the daughter told me that the mother had said that even though she had never been to Chernigiv she felt like she had been. I told her that was exactly what I wanted.<br /><br />The room I'm staying in here is the brother's old room. While I live here he's living with his grandmother, who lives close. He's currently a student. The mother said he is enjoying his independence! The daughter sleeps in the living room, and the parents in the other bedroom. I've really learned a lot about Ukrainians in the six weeks I've been here. I've learned that if you are in their inner circle, they will share everything with you. Even their last piece of bread. It's a true "we" culture, and they take care of people. Of course, it's also expected that this be reciprocated, so getting things for the family or giving gifts, or buying food to share is a great way to give back. Chocolates or wine, or small gifts really go a long way. I love buying flowers--it makes me feel like I'm giving to everyone. I've also learned that Ukrainians are very tidy. Their spaces tend to be smaller, so it's usual for someone to sleep in the living room or to get beds that turn into chairs/couches. Because of this, it's essential to keep things tidy--because everyone shares space. Along those lines, everything has multiple uses. Chairs are also storage spaces, knives are potato and carrot peelers, that Hugo Boss plastic bag is used for carrying things to work, etc. I've also learned that Americans generate a LOT of trash. In a Ukrainian home there may be one garbage can (or two--one in the bathroom for toilet paper) and it's SMALL. It's about the size we'd use as a bathroom trash can. Bedrooms don't have trash cans. I also found that I generated as much (if not more) trash than the entire family combined. And I have no idea how.jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632660609600928059.post-89886156235878433602007-11-23T05:32:00.000-08:002010-02-08T04:32:58.118-08:0010.14.07 poopI'm not as mature as you'd think.<br /><br />Today I helped my host mom make borsch. Well, she made it and I watched, wrote down directions and took pictures (recipe to follow!!!). Part of the process is making chicken broth, which involved chopping up a whole chicken into about five or six sections and boiling it in a pot of water and skimming off the scum. While she was stirring it up I noticed something funky--it was a part of the chicken that looked green. I pointed at it and she said "poop."<br /><br />I'm totally not kidding.<br /><br />A smile involuntarily erupted on my face and I said "Poop?" trying to hold back laugher. She said it again "POOP." and then pointed at my belly and said "JULIA POOP".<br /><br />That's when I lost it.<br /><br />I started laughing and couldn't stop. She started speaking in Russian and her speech was riddled with Poop. This was how it sounded to me:<br /><br />"ajigojaijgPOOPjaiojigoajPOOPjapogijpsPOOPajogaiopPOOP."<br /><br />At this point I was bent over and tears were streaming out my eyes and I was practically convulsing with laughter every time she said POOP.<br /><br />Turns out POOP means belly button, but when talking about Chickens, it means the stomach.jiujiubjj.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12666336021631856083noreply@blogger.com0