Independence

I didn't mean for my last entry to land on the 4th of July, i.e. Independence Day. However, after opening an email this morning with the following message, I reconsidered.

The message was from some of my Ukrainian colleagues:
Happy Birthday of your great country! In many ways independence is one of the most important and symbolic things for what the USA is all about. For us, Ukrainians, it is very important to learn about independence (from our American friends and colleagues, too,) and experience real independence here in Ukraine! May your home and your heart shine with the warm light of freedom.

It moved me a bit to see "independence" from this angle. I also choose to see "independence" on a personal level. I vow to maintain my desire to "create my own reality" independent of what kind of social pressures my country presents. On our international flight, on the headphones, I heard a Stevie Wonder song: "Don't you worry 'bout a thing. . . ". I found myself bopping and rocking in the plane seat (with my seatbelt fastened, of course!). I realized that I hadn't done that for a while . . . and it felt good to have the freedom to do so. I am now listening to "oldies" on the radio - it is great to hear them again and they seem to represent the kind of freedom I like - the freedom to express and feel good about it.

Ukraine did have its effects on me. There, I felt like people could really see who I am; I can't really describe it, but I really felt free being myself and training teachers with my personality full-throttle (well almost). It gave me such perspective on who I am and who I want to continue to be. I have been back in the US for less than a week and I find myself still digging in my purse to find exact change for shop clerks, standing in line closely behind the person in front of me, reprimanding myself for not bringing my own bag to the grocery store, and rolling through stop signs . . . little things I became familiar with in my previous life :)

Now in New Mexico, Joe and I have eaten at the Frontier Restaurant twice, we've loaded up on our favorite food items at Trader Joe's, and we've already hit a couple of garage sales (I bought a shirt for fifty cents!). I've run into a gal I used to work with when I waited tables way-back-when, and yesterday I found myself driving on the freeway right along side of my friend Carol (waving at her madly through the tinted windows of my mom's car - duh! No wonder she couldn't recognize us at first!). Also, when my mom and I were buying cosmetics (the Dr. Hauschka ones I've been craving) we saw Ali MacGraw (remember the actress from 1970's Love Story?). She was buying some products at the register, and my mom started up a conversation about me being freshly back from Ukraine. Ali said, "Oh did you get any facials while you were over there? I hear they are WON-der-ful!" I said "no", but then I rambled on about how my friend Melissa used to get great massages in Ukraine. Speaking of rambling . . . how am I doing? Not bad, I'll bet. Happy travels and keep in touch!

"Everybody's got a thing . . . But some don't know how to handle it . . .
Everybody needs a change . . . A chance to check out the new . . ." - Stevie Wonder

Like any good "telenovela" . . .

. . . my stay in Ukraine must come to an end. I can still remember the first time I actually became addicted to a Mexican soap opera - it was called "Sin Ti" (Without You). I didn't realize that unlike American soap operas that go on and on forever, Mexican soaps or "telenovelas" actually come to an end after a few months with all the loose ends getting neatly tied up. I feel kind of like that here in Ukraine these days. It has been so pleasant and challenging professionally, that I didn't really realize that time was passing so quickly.

In the "final episodes" the loose ends seem to be finding closure:

• One of the teachers just received the permission she has been waiting to get from a publisher to use a textbook excerpt in her article


• I just received a copy of a journal with an article I submitted for publication months ago
  
• Teachers I haven't seen for a while have been coming by to say goodbye, leave me thank you letters, stuffed animals, and flowers


• The last few boxes we shipped home (including "Quilty") that have been flying over Europe for weeks have found their way to my mom's house
  
• I gave my last interview to TESOL-Ukraine for inclusion in their newsletter
  
• My friends from Dnipropetrovsk just happened to to be in town for my last workshop and I was able to spend time with them
  
• Our two favorite channels on the satellite just went ka-put


• I finally the found the perfect Ukrainian souvenir I have been searching for for my mom
  
• I had a wonderful farewell party in which teachers sang, they shared teaching ideas, we had a raffle, people made speeches, drank champagne, and I got lots of sweet gifts.

Tomorrow morning early early we will fly out of Kyiv. Everyone asks me, "When are you coming back?" It is hard to say that I have a full-time job back in the States with both a Fall and Spring timetable already scheduled; I even know that I will be teaching Advanced and High-Intermediate students. But I always add that you never know . . . I will make every effort to stay a world citizen even though I'll be living in America.

On one last note, speaking of closure, the Ukrainian Observer, an English language magazine published here came out with a funny short piece called "Only in America." It made me laugh (and cry a little too!) to read it while I thought about once again having the things I haven't missed at all for the last year: a car, a clothes-dryer, an oven, a bathtub, a dishwasher, a disposal, and a mail-box full of catalogs.

I'll post again once I get home. . . stay tuned for impressions of my return!

Back in the USSR

OK, we're not really in the Soviet Union, but so much of what we are seeing in Crimea is a throw-back to the old days. Some of the street vendors tell the prices in "rubles" (they don't use them here in Ukraine anymore!!). We are staying in a beach town called Alushta which is just up the coast from Yalta (where we were in December). The water is pretty and fresh (Black Sea) and the beach, although a bit rocky (smooth small rocks not jagged ones), is full of tourists. There is a strong Russian vibe with many ethnic Russian people and not much of any traditional Ukrainian feel. Not to mention, "CCCP" items are all-the-rage (that is USSR stuff) and you can find the "CCCP Disco", "CCCP ice cream", "CCCP t-shirts". CCCP standing for United Soviet Socialist Republics, by the way. You don't see these things in Kyiv and definitely not Western Ukraine!

We are staying in a type of resort called a "sanitorium" (yet another one of those words that doesn't get translated when people speak English). It's actually 'sanitoriya' in Russian and they are all over the coast of Crimea. The particulary one we are staying in was the "sanitorium" for the Soviet Army when they needed to 'take a rest'. It consists of leafy grounds with a guard that checks you in and out of the gate (making sure you are wearing a shirt on the sanitorium grounds if you are a woman!), many square concrete buildings with motel or dormitory-style rooms (the buildings are called "corpus" - we happen to be staying in "corpus one" - check out the view from our 6th floor balcony), and 'activities' and 'services' availabe like tennis, ping pong, billiards, massages, and cafeteria. Some great examples of the "socialist realism" manifest themselves in the fountains, sculptures, and architecture. It is directly uphill from the beach, so although our view is pretty, we get quite a workout coming back to the room. The classroom I train in is on-site (also quite a downhill incline from our "corpus").

We have been to the beach, each sanitorium having a special entry to the beach. We can walk about 15 minutes down the hill through the grounds and reach the "beach" that "belongs" to our sanitorium. We have to show our 'cards' and they let us hang out on the beach. It actually has chairs to lie on, and I bought a raft to float around. Not any surf as it is a sea, so we have just been trying to soak up a few rays. We are at a high latitude, something like Calgary, Canada, so no one tends to get burned that quickly or severely.

There is a boardwalk that reminds me of Coney Island (even though I've never been there!). They have booths with games, peanuts, beer, bacon-flavored popcorn, and the same street food I grew to love in Luhansk. There are people everywhere paying for novelty pictures with a racoon, in Catherine-the-Great costumes, with monkeys, eagles, and even two Black men dressed a natives. Quite an interesting time warp feeling.

The Summer Institute on Academic Writing is going well; the participants are great. We are going out for a group (30 participants) get together for ice cream and wine. It should be fun. The last day is tomorrow - off to Kyiv on Saturday. Our final days in Ukraine are approaching!

Socialist Realism

The trip to Luhansk, where the 8th Annual American Studies Institute was held, was great. I got back last night after a week-long training that hosted teachers from throughout Ukraine. I saw many familiar faces among the participants as active teachers tend to apply for as many programs as they can. Luhansk looked much different than it did in February, and the weather was wonderfully warm. I took long walks every morning before the seminars started and took lots of pictures of the "Socialist Realism" that is so much a part of this area.

Socialist Realism was the style of art approved by the Soviet Union to "further the goals of socialism and communism" according to Wikipedia. It is prevalent in Luhansk and most statues of old-style "heroes" such as Lenin are still standing. It may be because the area was very active in WWII and maybe people are proud of their history. The people are pretty friendly and I, surprisingly, found a few strangers who spoke English. One girl, who sold me a phone card, helped me put the minutes on the phone and explained how I can do it myself in the future!

The street food in Luhansk is yummy. They have little huts around town called "Blinok" where you can get crepes filled with anything from chicken and cheese to strawberries and chocolate. They also have "Cheburek" and "Pirozhki" which are fried bread-like snacks filled with cheese, sausage, potatoes, or liver. I didn't try the liver one, but the cheese ones are delicious (if you are sure not to get the sweet cheese, but the "sirom").

The plane we took was much bigger and better than the tiny one we took back in February. The difference was that we flew into Donetsk, another city in the east, and then hired a car to drive us to Luhansk. It was much quicker than taking the train, and the plane inspired much more confidence; also, the flight schedule was much more reasonable. On the way back to Donetsk after the institute, we took a detour to one of the famous monasteries. The tour was very quick, but the location was so picturesque with the church situated on a cliff overlooking the river.

Now, I'm back in Kyiv, happy to see Joe again, and ready to fly out again next weekend to Crimea to co-teach a week-long Academic Writing Institute. Did I mention that Crimea is on the Black Sea and our classes finish by 1pm? Splash!

"Dacha" road, take me home...

OK, so I'm trying to be clever with a song title again... but the main themes here are "dacha", a word meaning 'summer home' which is another one of those words that is not translated when people speak English, and countryside.

A couple teachers recently took Joe and me on an outing to an outdoor museum on the outskirts of Kyiv. It was very open and peaceful with representative cottages from the different regions of Ukraine. We saw some singers perform folks songs . . . incredible costumes and faces reflecting hard lives and many changes over the years. Also, after one of our friends told the potter that I was a guest from America, I suddenly became the apprentice for a sort of demonstration. I was asked to don a traditional straw hat and change into a Ukrainian blouse . . . very authentic! So after I made my candlestick holder, Mr. Potter (yes Harry has made his way to this part of the world and so has Jennifer Lopez which makes for inter-cultural joke opportunities), showed me a photo of himself hobnobbing with the current president, Viktor Yushenko (a.k.a. Viktor-West). I didn't know I ran in such hip circles...

The next day, Lilia, a Ukrainian friend who works at the US Embassy and helps me a ton professionally, invited us to her "dacha." We got to meet her sister and brother-in-law and charming Vitya, short for Viktor. He was such a cutie! He loves leaving Kyiv for the weekend and playing at the "dacha", rolling around on the grass, watching dad make shashleek (ka-bobs), running through the garden sprinkler, and pretending to drive the car (he even shifts). He is only four years old... but oh-so-clever. We even read a book together with him helping me with my Russian and me asking questions in English. It was so beautiful in the countryside which was less than an hour outside of Kyiv.

Tomorrow I'm headed to the far east... the same place I went in February, Luhansk. The event is a week-long training on American Studies. I'll be joined by Fulbrighters and embassy folk. . . . I'll present on organizing U.S.-style moderated discussions and integrating U.S.-style communication strategies into English language classrooms.

Dog Days of Summer?

It may not be summer yet, but this heat wave has got everyone out in force with very few clothes on. Yesterday I went to the "island" which lies directly across the river from our apartment. You can get there on foot by crossing a footbridge which spans the river. On the other side is a beach... yes, a beach! I have heard some say that it is far too dirty to swim, but I saw quite a few bathing in the water. Someone told us today that they use the "frog test". If you see a live frog, then it's safe to go in the water. We saw both a live and a dead one. I spent time on the island with a Ukrainian friend sketching foresty things. Inland from the "beach" are lots of trees and benches where one can have a picnic. It was charming to look at, but the weather was muggy and hot. This heat wave brought the temperature up to 95 degrees today! Most people don't think of high temperatures when they think of Kyiv. We have finally gotten rid of the mosquitoes by getting a fan allowing us to close the windows at night. Joe says he "is in heaven" (relatively speaking, of course).

The dogs are out too. Kyiv happens to have the healthiest stray population I have ever seen. Most of them are pretty fit looking and not afraid of humans. I think people treat them better than in most countries. I have never seen them be aggressive either. However, recently there was an article in the Kyiv post that says that animal control is not organized or even existant here. When we got home today from an outing, one guy (this time I mean a dog - although in the past it has been a wino) was sprawled on the concrete first-floor level of the stairwell. He looked up from the darkness blinking as we climbed up to our second-floor flat. They are pretty-darned cute, smart, and full of personality. We have even seen packs that regulary hang out together. Cesar Millan was right!

Dnipropetrovsk: Secret City

OK, Let's talk about the "secret city" that foreigners were not allowed anywhere near until 1989... this is where the Soviet Space Center was located which was very closely guarded. Now, in the same building, the Ukrainians are working on a project called "Sea Launch" ("A project not for war, but for peace," one of the teachers told us.) Dnipropetrovsk (Duh-NEE-pro-pe-TROVSK), the main city of the oblast of the same name and third biggest city in Ukraine, has a history of industry and manufacturing. The banks of the Dnipro River - a more southern part of the same river we live near - provide for a striking night view with lights and factories on the other side.

I presented at "Secondary School #22", which includes K-12 here; the term "primary school" doesn't exist for some reason. I guess its because all school kids are in the same building. Well the teachers that attended my workshops were not only from that school, but from schools up to an hour away. They were a great audience and did all the "interaction" in a very warm room without a complaint. In fact, it got up to almost 90 degrees fahrenheit that day! In Kyiv right now it is in the 80's. Talk about a heat wave . . . we have no A/C in our apartment.

The 300-mile train trip was pleasant and allowed us to see the landscape and farmland southeast of Kyiv. Dnipropetrovsk still maintains a strong Russian influence with everyone speaking Russian, Soviet monuments still prominantly displayed, and tanks and military equipment in the parks. I caught a few youths conversing on a "mortar". They had started to move away after I said (in good Russian) "Mozhna Fotagrafiravat?". Then, they lit up when I garbled (in bad Russian) that I wanted to take a picture of 'them', not the 'mortar'. An unusually striking site in Dnipropetrovsk was a collection of 11th century statues that had been unearthed in different parts of Ukraine and brought to a kind of small park near the National History Museum. It felt very special there even though it was right in the center of town; people didn't seem to know if this "monument" even had a name or not... The figures looked very 'proud' and 'happy' to be on display. I really liked that place and haven't seen anything like it anywhere else.

Now, back in Kyiv, we are sweating. The heat wave is supposed to break on Thursday. Hope so. The sun comes up at 5am and sets at 8:40pm (remember back in December when it set around 4pm?). I guess our latitude causes the days to get really long and really short depending on the season.