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