"Does the sun shine there?"

The above headline was one of the best questions I've fielded since telling people that I will be in Ukraine with the Peace Corps for two years. I welcome your questions, because I hope that this blog will serve as a cross-cultural exchange of sorts for anyone reading this.

For those of you who know me well, it won't come as a surprise that the question "Does the sun shine there?" came from my beloved sister, Amy. And since I will be teaching in Ukraine, it is probably fitting that I summon my best schoolteacher tone and remind you that there is no such thing as a stupid question. So ask away!

Please feel free to submit your questions through Facebook (if we are already friends) or through the handy "Comments" portion of this post. I'll do my best to add your questions and my answers to this entry.

Thanks! Andrea



* How long will you be in Ukraine?

Three months of intense language and job training and two years of service … Total = 27 months


* What are you going to do there?

During the school year, I will teach English as a foreign language at a Ukrainian university. It’s not clear what kind of English language proficiency my students will have before they take my class (or how proficient they will be after my class, for that matter…) Although I will know more details later, I am scheduled to teach about 18 hours each week. Some of those classes could also include U.S. history, culture or journalism. The Peace Corps also encourages us to work in our community and take on additional activities outside of class. This could range from hosting an English table at a local coffee shop to helping out at the university's student newspaper. Once school dismisses in May, it looks like I will spend most of the warm months working at one or more summer camps. These can range from teaching journalism skills to young Ukrainians to English and drama camps.


* What language do people speak in Ukraine?

Ukrainians can typically speak up to three languages. This is probably hard to believe because so many Americans, myself included, are monolingual. However, some Peace Corps literature says it's possible for a person to speak Ukrainian at home or on the street, use Russian in the office, and then type an email in English - all in the same day! Ukraine, as a country, can be split into two parts based on the language spoken there. The western half of the country speaks Ukrainian, and the eastern half speaks Russian. The country's official language is Ukrainian.

I’m not sure what language I will speak while in Ukraine. It’s possible that I will also end up speaking some combination of what is listed above. I’ve been told that about 40 percent of our training class (which has about 120 people) will learn Russian and the rest will learn Ukrainian.The good news? Both languages have similarities.

* Where will you live?

No, I will not be living in a mud hut. Unfortunately, that’s the most I can tell you with absolute authority. The rest is about as clear as … well… mud. Flexibility is something Peace Corps stresses throughout the application process as well as during training and service. They ask you to be flexible because you are often left without a lot of details. This is one of those times. I’ll update this section once I know exactly what’s going on. In the meantime, here’s what I think will happen based on various accounts I've read: The first three months during training I will live with a host family. I believe this will take place in or near the capital, Kyiv, which is in the northern part of the country. Then once I move to my site, I will likely live on my own (either in an apartment or the university dormitory). However, differing accounts have said that I will have the choice to continue living with a host family or to move out on my own, while others say that I will be able to live independently only if there are available apartments in town.

* Do you get paid?

Although a lady never discloses such a thing, I will earn what the Peace Corps considers a living wage for Ukraine. It's likely that I will make a pittance when compared to U.S. wages and yet still earn more than my Ukrainian counterparts (P.S. I'll let you know what it is like to be on the flip side of that dynamic.)


* Does the sun shine there?

Yes, Amy, it does -- and quite a lot. In fact the weather in Ukraine is apparently the two extremes -- hot summers and cold winters. It looks like my Midwestern upbringing is going to come in handy!