Starting to be comfortable

Добре день! 

Я отлична! Как дела? 

Hello all!

    All is still well here in Ukraine.  I feel like I have adjusted to all the big stuff though I still have a lot to learn about the culture and the way things work here.  I think that by the end of my PC service (27 months) I will never feel uncomfortable in any situation ever again.  Every day, we are forced to leave our comfort zones far behind and do something we have never done before.  For example, interacting with the community without being able to speak.  Brutal but fun and exciting at the same time - we won't get better if we don't try.  Or talking to important government officials with the communication skills of a 2nd grader.  Or having to explain to shocked Ukrainians that no, not all Americans are this tall and that I really don't know Brad Pitt or any other celebrities.  The list goes on and on though I can already feel things getting easier as I learn the language, culture, and way of life. 

    This week, in addition to the massive amounts of language training, we had to assess the needs of our little village.  Since internet is not common in our community, we decided to send out a survey via the kids at the local school.  This turned out to be quite the ordeal.  First, we had to come up with 4 possible projects that would benefit the community (we already had some in mind). Second, write up the survey in Russian.  This was my task which thanks to Google Translator - was relatively easy if not a little time consuming.  We had someone proofread it a few times.  Then we went to the neighboring city to print off some copies because our town does not have a printer or a copier.  This is where we had some difficulties, we had to go to 3 different internet houses to find a place with both a printer and a copier.  This might not sound that difficult but keep in my that we had to do this in Russian and using a USB drive that has all the folders in English.  Luckily, I saw someone I knew that spoke both English and Russian so we were able to get the job done in about an hour.  lol  Anywho, that is done now and we should get the results back on Monday.  That story probably is not as cool to you readers as it is to me  lol   my bad. 

    Moving on....I have not had time to be homesick yet because there is too much going on to think about home but I have had some crazy dreams of home.  For example, I had a dream last night that lasted hours where I was at work and trying to figure out a crazy trade with a client (thanks for your help Joel.  lol).  This was a long, vivid, and very involved dream where I may or may not have sleepwalked.  lol  That would be tough to explain with my limited Russian.  Luckily, I don't think anyone saw me.  That dream got me thinkin about work and all my former coworkers.   We had some good times.  Dan with his mastery of the passive aggressive phone call - lol.  The Andrei and Todd show was always hilarious (don't shoot yourself in the face Andrei).  Jeff with his clapping and random funny stories. Making fun of Lee with John.  Tatton's conservative arguments.  Ken when he gets a "live one".  Instant messaging with the Wood-man.  And the many fun times at the Skybox.  Stef, Trev, Tanner, Jason, Hatch, Luke, and everyone else - I could go on but I think I will spare the 2 other people that actually read this blog.  lol   I definitely miss the Fam too - especially the L-man.  Joining the PC is not without it's costs.  You exchange memories with friends and Family, a stable job/income/life, and everything comfortable/familiar for adventure, self knowledge, the chance to do something for someone else/give back/make a difference, and the opportunity to learn more about the world/life in general.  For me, I felt like I needed to do something like this.  I would not be happy going down the route I was on for the rest of my life - at least not at this point.  That was a bit of a ramble.

    Anywho,  back to life in Ukraine.  I can now speak in both future and past tense. You can't imagine how awesome this is unless you have lived in an environment without any English.  I can finally say where I have been and what I am going to do.  Language breakthrough.  Right now I am at a café in Chernigiv havin a beer and attempting to skype with my parents - no mic - extremely frustrating - should have a  mic soon.    Sooooo, I will leave you with...

Conor's Noteworthy Noteables:

1.  Just got back from a 3 hour walk out to the boonies.  Scenic landscapes.   Awesome

2.  Video skype with the fam

3.  Playing cards with my cluster mates and trying out the local brews

4.  Typing up a survey in Russian and distributing it to an entire village via school kids. 

5.  A Маняак was loose in Chernigiv (Maniac escaped from a insane asylum and beheaded 3 people) - they caught him.  I am fine.  Though my quiet little village made the perfect backdrop to a horror movie.  lol

6.  I now know the public transportation to some degree. 

7.  The crazy dogs charged my friend - he made out ok but it is still an issue. 

8.  The extreme hilarity that results from learning the Russian language with a group of good friends that are going through the same challenges that you are.  (it is hard to believe we have only known eachother for 3 weeks) 
That is all for now. If I think of more noteables, I will post them.
Everyone keep on keeping on.

 Walking in the forest a few min from our houses.  (click on the photo to see large version)

Meeting with the Chernigiv library

Relaxing after a long day

A New Day - A New Way

Hello All,

    This has been another extremely busy week.  We have been working round the clock on learning Russian.  It is a difficult language but when we actually communicate with members of the community it really pays off.  Plus - most people in the community seem to enjoy listening to us speak even if they don't understand what we are saying.  In order to become part of the community, we have been taking part in as many community activities as possible.  Without integrating in the community - it would be almost impossible to pull of a satisfactory project. 

    

    We planted trees on Tuesday with the kids from the local school.  This was very cool and after a while the kids started talking to us and I think everyone had a good time.  We had to haul water from a nearby river for the planting process and at one point a kid started to play music for everyone (System of a Down: Sugar).  Good ole globalization - for better or for worse.  Very random.  It was nice to have some exercise, pitch in, and have a stereotypical Peace Corps experience.  Earlier today (Sat), the community had a cleanup day called "Soobodenick" where members of the community met in front of the school and cleaned an area of town.  We definitely scored some more points in the community by working hand in hand with the locals.  It was fun and interesting.  We cleaned out the old school buildings that have been vacant for a # of years and some of the buildings were almost 200 years old.  At one point, I was lifting a heavy bag full of really old books with this older man and felt like I was getting a good workout.  Then I looked over and the man was only using one hand to carry his half of the bag and was using his other hand to smoke a cigarette (without a filter).  I was impressed.  Maybe there is something to this whole eating raw fat thing  lol 

    Throughout the week we were in and out of the neighboring city with technical trainings and had a meeting with a town official to discuss possible projects.  I am starting to feel comfortable with the public transportation and am glad I don't have issues with claustrophobia. The meetings/trainings were great - Informative stuff and it looks like yours truly will be conducting an English Club which should be fun.  It will be interesting to see who shows up and will probably help me learn Russian as well.   This is another way to get to know a community and thus better understand the needs of the community.  We are still deciding on what our big Community Development project will be and with all the meetings/language class/ and community activities - we have not been able to draft a proper Project Plan.  That will come in time.  It is awesome to think about my job description. I have to 1-Learn Russian 2-integrate in the community 3-develop and implement a project that will benefit the community 4-cultural exchange 5-work any side projects I would like.  Truly awesome!  When I think about it, I have been working very hard and am gone just about from sunup to sundown working and am thoroughly exhausted at the end of the day but I absolutely love the work.  Fantastic

    Before arriving in Ukraine I was warned by multiple people that have been to Ukraine or currently live here; about the vodka drinking.  It is big part of the culture here and a big problem for most communities as well.  As a PCT we need to make sure we keep up appearances and absolutely cannot drink too much.  I spoke to multiple current volunteers that have been here for over a year and the consensus is that guys have to drink vodka from time to time in order to properly integrate.  It can be challenging though because when someone opens a bottle of Vodka you are expected to finish the entire bottle (some bottles don't have a reattach able top).  You need to have a strategy on how to politely turn down shots before the night begins.  On Easter I did have a minimal amount of vodka with my host bro and some neighbors and I immediately saw the benefit.  People don't talk to strangers here but after one shot of vodka - you are no longer strangers.  I had neighbors that would not reply to my greetings when passing in the street the day before (not rude - just a cultural difference) - but the day after having one shot with them, they would stop, shake my hand, and chat.  Lucky for me, I am quite large and can handle a shot or two. 

That's enough for now.  I gotta study. 

Conor's Noteworthy Noteables:

1.  Made some friends and changed some minds about Americans

2.  Bought some pants using my Russian Skillz (They actually fit)

3.  Walked out into the countryside and truly was in the middle of nowhere

4.  Met an older gentleman that initially seemed to hate me just because I am American but after a drink and some conversation (in Russian) we were friends.  He even invited me to his house next holiday (there are like 5 holidays per month)

5.  Explored an old vacant school (200+ years old)

6.  Met with more local government officials to discuss the needs of the community.

7.  Cooked Borsch with my cluster mates (see photo)

8.  Had to buy ingredients for Borsch at the bazaar:  Carpoosta, Markove, and Kooreetsa (Cabbage, carrots, and chicken).  Had to haul around a 6 lb cabbage all around the city and to my tech training lol  The locals seemed to think it was normal though. 
If you want to see a different perspective click on "view my complete profile" on the right and you can see some of the blogs that I follow (fellow Ukraine PCV blogs)

Keep on keeping on! 

Peace!

The Community getting ready for Sooboatnick (town cleanup day)

Tree Planting Crew

My House

My Cluster: Amy, John, Kim, Me, Natasha (language facilitator), Cassie

The Language Facilitator's house where we learn Russian

Me at the Bazzar

All is well!

Hello everyone!

First of all - I now that I am a PC trainee - I need to make sure all my blog material is culturally sensitive and appropriate for all audiences. That said, I will try to accurately describe some of the awesome experiences I have been having so that you guys have an idea about what's going on in my life. And thank you everyone for your nice comments on my previous blog

This is the first time I have had access to internet in Ukraine and my battery is dying lol So I have to make this quick. I live in a tiny little village outside of Chernihiv, Ukraine - I cannot give the name of the exact village for security purposes. Everything is going great - I have been speaking Russian / pointing and gesturing every day. Everything is new and exciting. We arrived in Ukraine 9 days ago and stayed at a old Soviet Era retreat / resort. Ever since we arrived, it has been nonstop Russian, Cultural, and tech training. We stayed at the resort for 2 nights while we went over some of the basics of PC life and met each other. The PC staff is great. They are extremely supportive and helpful - I feel lucky to be part of this program. The resort itself was very interesting with only about half the rooms remodeled and the other half still vacant (the entire resort was left abandoned for a # of years after the collapse of the USSR).

After the resort it was time to move into our home stays (HS). This was pretty stressful with all the unknowns and limited vocabulary. I now live in a small village in North East Ukraine with chickens / cows / goats / farms the works. Very cool and peaceful - perfect community to learn Russian and try out some community development strategies. I live with a Babushka in a quiet little house with a large garden in the back that provides an estimated 95% of what we eat. Her son comes to visit from time to time and is quite the character (in a good way). We all get along great though communication is definitely a challenge. The son mentioned that was in the army and served in Iraq for 8 months in the beginning of the war - I would have liked to discuss this with him in detail but PCVs are not allowed to discuss politics in any capacity (understandable).

The first weekend we were with our HS was Easter weekend which is a huge deal in Ukraine. I woke up at 2 am Sunday morning to walk to church with my host mom where I would spend the next 3 hours. I assumed my cluster (the 4 other trainees in the same community) would also be there but I ended up being the only one. This was one hell of a cultural experience for my 4th day in Country. The entire village was there and I was the first and only American most of these people have ever met and nobody spoke a single word of English. It was awesome! I did not know half of what was going on so I tried to "blend in" as much as possible lol or I should say - I tried not to make an ass of myself because everyone was watching "the huge American". After an hour or two of listening to the priest (the only other bearded person in the church) the packed church went outside and circled the church with candles. The Priest then walked through the crowd with incense and a brush like instrument to fling holy water on the people of the community (probably a better way to phrase that-:-)) It was a very interesting experience and I tried my best to thank the community and my HM though I am not sure if the message was clear or not. Definitely need more Russian skillz. My HM definitely appreciated me going and I earned some brownie points with the community (integration points if you will). I was at the church from 2 am tell around 6 am then walked home and went to sleep tell around 9:30. My HB (host bro) came over this point and drove me around Chirnihiv which was very cool of him. We then proceeded to chop firewood for a good ole fashioned BBQ, Ukrainian style. My HM, HB, and neighbors seemed to get a kick out of "the American" chopping firewood but so did I so it was all good. It is important to me that they see me making an honest effort to help and to get to know everyone. Lots of laughter and little understanding of what was going on but I am sure that will come with time. Some of the misunderstandings we have had so far have been downright hilarious for all parties involved. We finished up the BBQ by having a shot of Vodka in Ukrainian tradition.

The week following the BBQ was full of extensive language class and technical training. The PC definitely does not mess around - we have been extremely busy from sun up to sun down. With the help of a translator, we have already started the community mapping process where we assess the needs, resources, and general information about the community (this town has been around since at least the stone age complete with stone age artifacts). We have even had a meeting with the town administration and the Principal / teachers of the local school. We have quite a few possible community development projects in mind and will probably meet with the town leader next week to hammer down the specifics.

Well, I have been going on and on for a while now and I feel like I have not even scratched the surface on what is going on but alas I have work to do. So I bid you ado and leave you with my latest installment of Conor's Noteworthly Noteables:

1 - One word "Salo" (uncooked pork fat) I ate a pound of is the first night I was here. That night I could hear my heart beat (keep tickin little feller)

2 - Vodka with my HB next to a really old painting of Stalin. (Only had 1 shot)

3 - Rode a Mashootka (public transportation) during rush hour and now know what a sardine feels like

4 - Walking around the Soviet Resort one crisp Ukrainian morning and just taking it all in - lots of history.

5 - Trying all the fresh, homegrown, and delicious Ukrainian food.

6 - Getting tons of caring emails and messages from my peeps back home.

7 - Being constantly amazed at how awesome it is to be a PCT (Peace Corps trainee)

8 - Having to walk everywhere and loving every minute of it

9 - Sending a text to my bro, uncle, and sister from a farm in the middle of nowhere (I think only Fer got the message)

10 - Watching a Steven Segal movie with my HM in Russian - awesome! (It was probably better if I don't know what they are saying)
11- A mouse got to my only American chocolate that I was saving for a rainy day.  : (   Oh well, Ukraine has some pretty awesome chocolate.
12- I walked a fellow PCT home and after she went inside, the puppy that was following us got mauled by two large dogs.  The Pup lost a lot of blood and I thought for sure it was not going to make it.  I called a fellow PCT for help figuring out the word for "Vet" but after a few min a babushka came by and picked up the dog.  I tried to explain what happened with hand gestures and my limited vocab - I think she understood.  I was happy to see the pup the next day still alive and well if not a little shaken.  The dogs here can be a bit brutal.

PS My clustermate John also has a blog if you want to see a different perspective. THATVG.COM
Also, I had to change the comment settings on my blog so that if you leave a comment I first need to approve it before it will be published on the blog. This is to prevent any inappropriate material from finding its way to my blog.

My Cell Phone # +38 0636926021 (Skype is the most popular way to get a hold of me and is free for me: -))

PHOTO 2 - My Cluster (Me, Amy, Kim, Cassie, John)