Surviving a Ukrainian winter, part II

As I mentioned earlier, New Years is one of the biggest holidays of the year for Ukrainians. Unfortunately, I had several plans that all ended up falling through. Here are the few things I can tell you:

• Ukrainian supermarkets are just as crazy as American stores on New Years’ Eve.

• If you buy a mop at one of these supermarkets on New Years’ Eve, Ukrainians will think you are very, very strange. (True story)

• Like Americans, Ukrainians also drink champagne at midnight.

• Ukrainians traditionally watch “Home Alone,” or “Ironia sutby ili z legkim parom,” at old Soviet romantic comedy on New Years’ Eve. This is their version of our “A Christmas Story” or “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Macaulay Culkin must be swimming in royalty money from this country.

• Ukrainians shot off fireworks until about 4 a.m. Ukrainian people LOVE to shoot off fireworks for almost any occasion. During training, my host-sister would say, “Someone is happy,” every time we would hear fireworks. Also, a popular toy among teenagers and pre-teens – fireworks. Yep.

Also, Ukrainians also observe, though to a far lesser degree, Old New Years.

• Ukraine used to follow the Gregorian calendar before adopting the Julian calendar. Under the Gregorian calendar, Ukrainians celebrated New Years on Jan. 13 and 14.

• This holiday is more popular in Ukrainian villages than in a city like Kremenchuk, so the following information does not include first-hand observations, only what I was told:

• On Jan. 13, young single women are supposed to go from door-to-door and sing songs. As you can imagine, their beautiful voices will help them ensnare their future husbands.

• Then sometime between Jan. 14, these young single women in the village often “lose” their front doors because they are taken off the hinges and removed. This, of course, helps to clear the way for her future husband.

• On Jan. 14, young single men are supposed to go from house to house and spread their seeds (no, not THAT way; I quite literally mean they are spreading grain and wheat seeds on the ground) on the front lawn and throughout the house for good luck, fortune and fertility for the New Year. Also, they are supposed to sprinkle this seed over the young single women. (At one volunteer’s school, the seeds were actually thrown at the women.)

I’ll keep you posted on Ukrainian holidays as I am able to experience them. Next up (I think) is Easter, and I’m told that drinking starts immediately after the sunrise service. Hmmm, sounds like something even Unofficial St. Patty’s can’t match!

Surviving a Ukrainian winter, part I

Just before coming to Ukraine, a current volunteer told me via e-mail that one of the hardest parts of my Peace Corps service would come just days after swearing-in as a volunteer. That time would be the holiday season, but at the time, I didn’t believe her.

Of course, she was right, so to combat my loneliness, I’ve tried to focus on my new environment, and learning what makes this city and country unique. I’ll add more as time goes on, but first, let’s focus on winter Ukrainian holidays:

• Kremenchuk doesn’t start playing Christmas carols in stores until December 26. So, until the day AFTER American Christmas, it really didn’t feel like Christmas at all. That’s because Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 6 and 7, according Eastern Orthodox traditions. I was fortunate to spend Ukrainian Christmas with the family of a student, and here’s what I learned:

• January 6 marks the last day of a 40-day fast that is supposed to include only unleavened foods (that’s the translated word, but I think we could equate this to a strict Catholic Lent). On that day, Ukrainians do not eat anything until sundown and are supposed to spend the evening in church.

• Also, on this day, children traditionally go from house to house (apartment) in a trick-or-treat fashion and ask for candy, but instead of wearing scary costumes, they don traditional Kossak garb. You can see a picture of two “trick or treaters,” who knocked on the door of fellow volunteer Jacob while I was visiting. They were excited to meet Americans and also took Jacob for being soft-hearted. They returned the next day in costume and asked for more candy.(Aren't these kids just cute a button??)
  

• January 7 is Ukrainian Christmas, but there are no Santa Claus or gift exchanges on this day. Instead, this is strictly a religious holiday. The family will gather and have a huge feast.

• When I asked (in Ukrainian, by the way) the student’s mother to tell me about Ukrainian Christmas traditions, she said that her family could not celebrate this religious holiday during Communist times. Only after the country declared its independence in 1991 did some, but sadly not all, Christmas traditions come back into Ukrainian households. Some, she said, were lost forever. Many Ukrainians do not celebrate this holiday. Here, New Years’ is the more important holiday.

• Here is a picture of the fabulous spread of food the mother prepared for us. From the bottom of the picture to the top -- The pitcher is filled with compote, which is a stewed fruit drink that tastes like delicious and natural Kool-Aid. The decanter contains homemade wine made by the grandfather who lives in a nearby village. There are several salads on the table but the one of note is the pinkish-colored one. That one is called a shuba, which literally translates as “fur coat.” The name actually means “herring under a fur coat” because the salty fish on the salad’s bottom layer is covered by layers of beets, mayonnaise and other tasty (or not so tasty) delights. It is a traditional layered Ukrainian salad that is very interesting and a dish that everyone should try once. To the left of the shuba is homemade varenky. It is amazing and I will pass along this recipe for those of you at home. Finally, at the very top of the photo is the main course – goose. I've never had goose like this, but it was delicious! Check out my Picasa photo page for more detailed pictures of the foods served at my Ukrainian Christmas dinner.

Like many things in Ukraine, drinking was a part of the meal. The mother’s boyfriend joined us for dinner and we did many cheers (he took shots of cognac and I sipped the homemade wine). He knew a handful of English words, including “drink!”

The long-awaited first post from site!

Kremenchoooook!

I'm sorry for the loooong break in posts, but I'm back and at my permanent site and officially a Peace Corps volunteer. Now that I have some permanency in my life, I hope to update this blog more frequently.

Editor's Note: Due to Peace Corps rules, I have to submit all public blog posts for prior review before I can publish them. As much as the prospect of prior review chafes at my journalistic soul, I can understand their reasons because Ukraine is an incredibly wired country, and I wouldn't want to inadvertently offend any Ukrainians who might stumble across this blog.

Although I have no plans to do this, it is possible that I will have to make this blog password-protected if the bureaucracy becomes too overwhelming. I hope that I can keep this blog open for all (any?) of my friends and family who still care to know what I'm doing over here as well as for any prospective volunteers who have questions about my work here or about Peace Corps. In fact, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, and – excuse the teacher here – there are NO stupid questions!

A NEW CITY

I started this post with a very funny word, “Kremenchuk.” This is actually the name of the city that I now call home. “Kremenchoook!” is what the bus drivers in Kyiv relentlessly shout to people sitting in the bus or train station in hopes of snagging them as passengers to our fair city. Although fun to hear once or twice, I'm told that it can be quite annoying while waiting three hours for a bus or train that, in fact, will not go to Kremenchuk.

My city is located on the banks of the Dniper River about 3.5 hours southeast of Kyiv. The city is home to about 230,000 people and is considered the industrial and educational hub of the region. I will write more about the city itself in a separate post. Since arriving, there have been either six inches of snow on the ground or a slippery ice-slush combination that cuts into any potential explorations. Spring cannot come soon enough!

Thanks to the teachers at my school, here's what I do know about Kremenchuk: In Soviet times, the city was bustling with activity because the major factories in town did many exports to Russia and around the world. Today, these factories still export goods to Russia but the numbers have dropped dramatically. Also, one of the factories in town is a confectionery that makes Ukrainian chocolates! When they are making a new batch of candies, the air nearby smells heavenly.

A NEW HOME

You're probably dying to know my living situation, right? Well, first I will tell you how my regional manager pitched it to me before I arrived. She said I would be living in the school's hostel and would likely share a floor with teenage girls. She was smart to tell us about our living situations after we re-read the Peace Corps' Core Values, including the one that stressed flexibility. All I could picture were scenes I would be able to use in the young adult novel I would be able to write over the next two years. I was already mulling titles like, “The Ukrainian Days of Our Lives,” or maybe, “Gossip Girl: Kremenchuk.”

But my regional manager should consider a career in politics, because I think she was trying only to lower my expectations so that when I arrived I would be pleasantly surprised – and I was.

My “dorm room” is comparable to a small American efficiency, and if I'm being honest, I've lived in worse apartments in the States. I have my own bathroom and kitchen as well as an all-purpose room that functions as my bedroom, office and TV room. Yes, that also means that I do have a TV, but I can’t get it to work.

Everything in the apartment appears to be less than a year old with one exception – my hot plate. Many of you know that I enjoy cooking. It's one of my hobbies and now over the next two years, I have a culinary challenge to conquer – cooking an entire meal on a single hot plate. This device is by far the oldest thing in my apartment, including me. The temperature control knob now works, but I've learned that it is far easier to control a dish's temperature by simply lifting it off the burner, rather than to fiddle with a knob that simultaneously burns my finger and my dinner.

Oh, and I do live on the same floor as the teenage girls, but in a completely separate wing. It looks like I'll have to hold off on that young adult novel.

A NEW JOB

I have been assigned to work at the Teachers' Training College and Lyceum here, and in the coming semester, I will split my workload and teach two classes in the college and two in the lyceum. I will provide more updates on this as I get them, but Ukrainians aren't big on planning – but more on that in another blog post.

Now, I can't even begin to explain the Ukrainian school system to you, because simply put, it's confusing. I'll just give you what you need to know: My school's lyceum is the equivalent of an American high school and most students, who are considered gifted and come from nearby villages, are between 14 and 16 years old.
During the lyceum years, the students are encouraged to choose a concentration.

This structure reminds me of picking a minor in college. For example, students may choose an emphasis in English. They will still take their required courses but also will take more advanced classes in English.

Even though American high school students can choose specialized classes as well, Ukrainians take this decision very seriously. One 15-year-old student in class told me that she hadn't decided on a specialty yet, to which her teacher promptly responded, “Well it is high time that you make this decision, because you must decide what you will do with your future.” It was jarring to hear this because in America, college students will change majors three or four times and many adults still don't know what they will do with their future. Heck, some days I'm not even sure that I know how to answer this question.

Because I arrived in Kremenchuk with one week left in the first semester, I was only able to visit classes in the lyceum, but I will teach my first college classes this week and will report back shortly. As I understand it, the college trains students to become future teachers and each student chooses a specialty, which is similar to a college major. These specialties can be in English, computers, and others. Most students graduate when they are about 18 or 19 years old with a certificate that qualifies them to teach in Ukrainian schools.

That's all for today, but I hope that this will whet your appetite for what I hope will be many more blog posts – and exciting stories – to come!