Merry Christmas

My extended family!

I'm settling into my site, getting a feel for my school and slowly teaching those closest to me that drinking water (instead of compote or tea) is indeed not the end of the world. However, the whole argument that the body needs fat, especially butter, for the "organism" to process the food through the stomach, has yet to be refuted. One thing at a time.

I'm utterly amazed by the warmth and hospitality of my community. Everyone that I've spoken with has shown sincere interest in me and has taken steps to make me feel welcome and a part of the community. The teachers at my school are awesome. It is also a "women's collective," in that I think there are two men in the physical education department and that is it. The teachers and I have started to joke too, which I consider a strong sign of friendship and trust. I'm really thankful for this environment.

Friday, as the rest of the world knows, was Christmas for the non-Orthodox. The Orthodox Christmas is the 6th/7th of January. However, Ukrainians in a way celebrate 4 Christmases: Saint Nicholas's Day, New Years, Christmas, Old Christmas (Julian Calendar).

My family and school did an amazing job at making sure I didn't feel lonely or sad on Christmas day. When I woke up in the morning, there were presents around my bed from all the members of my family that my landlady had preciously put there in the night. Let me tell you, the presents were the most beautifully wrapped I've ever seen. The women in my family beat the mall ladies any day.
When I got to school, my staff told me I didn't have to work for the day, which kind of annoyed me because I couldn't think of anything else to do. In the end, I did observe all the classes I could. I got to observe the young learners too, who were about seven years old. They were adorable. The women's collective got me a beautiful gift too, very Hummelesque. The director of the school, who is a dreamy instructor of Russian language and literature, gave me a book (in Ukrainian) about holy sites in Ukraine.

When I came home from school, my landlady had started prepping for a feast. All afternoon we made vareneky, while I sometimes played with her grandson. He's really funny. He's currently obsessed with geography and has a dvd that he likes to watch about the solar-system. I bought a ball that looks like a globe during training for my lessons. I brought it out for us to play with. He was so excited to put it up against a lamp and show me how half of the world was day and the other half is night (he's four) and then continued to point at different continents. He's really smart. I pointed to a map earlier in the week and told him about my friends who live in different countries. He showed me where they were on my ball.


I'm typing in my room right now. I'm distracted by my window. There is a funeral procession going on. Not that I really want to attend a funeral, but the ceremony looks beautiful. About eighty or so people walked by. The priest was in the front singing, carrying a large cross. The family was carrying the open casket, a lot of lace. In the back of the procession was a band; a base drum two or three trumpets and a trombone. I've seen this band before, they're in some pictures of my landlady's daughter's wedding from the early nineties. I'm going to try to befriend them.

Aight, I'll post this sometime today. My landlady has arranged for the landline to be turned back on (she uses her cellphone). I should have internet in my bedroom sometime after the new year! It's hard to imagine how accessible Skype dates and the New York Times are going to be pretty soon.

This week will be raucous. New Years is a very big deal in the Ukraine. Because of the quarantine, schools are in session until the 31st. However, I think the majority of people are so uninspired by having classes this week that it might turn out to be a series of field days. I shall see.

my extended family + my counterpart

First Impressions

I’m really happy with my site.

I’m in a village in the Odeska Oblast, not far from the Moldovan border. From what I’ve gathered, it’s a pretty old village that was possibly settled by a prince or duke. There used to be a large Jewish community; now the town is mainly a mixture of Ukrainian, Russian, and Moldovan speakers, though I was told today (my first day at school!/written on Monday) that there are some Bulgarian and German families too.

I’m in a home-stay, which is less common than it used to be for Peace Corps volunteers. I’m living with a great woman who is retired and has 3 grandchildren that live nearby. The home-stay definitely raises a lot of issues as far as privacy and how much I want to sacrifice how I define myself as an individual and an independent one. But, I think these struggles are greatly outweighed by the benefits of the experience, including being part of a family and the constant exposure to language. With time, I’m sure I can win some of the battles as our cultural differences surface and I have a chance to express why my way of going about things is indeed with reason. I should note that all things that I find bothersome are done out of love and genuine interest for my well-being. I translate it as overbearing and accepting of heart disease.

As I’ve been here for three full days, I went to school on Monday with my counterpart. I was immediately impressed with the upkeep of the school and the strength of the students in their studies. The segregation between cities and villages as far as access to educational resources and opportunities is a problem for Ukraine, which is one reason why Peace Corps agreed to place volunteers in more rural areas. I can make so many tangents from this statement, but will chose to wait awhile and see. I look forward to feeling comfortable in the school. I think it’s going to be a very interesting and enriching experience for all involved, however obvious of a statement this might seem.

Top 10 Questions Answered!

1. Aren’t you going to freeze to death?

No, I can handle the cold. In fact, there is snow in the United States too. I’m sorry if my coat isn’t balky enough or my hat furry enough, REI keeps on selling me on this “smart wool” technology. I know it’s very difficult to believe, but some thin fabrics can be warm.

2. Your mother let you go?

Yes, as long as she keeps the right to visit me. She didn’t abandon me, either.

3. Are you of Irish blood?

I guess the freckles gave me away, heh?

4. So, you aren’t married yet?

Um, no. I’d say I’m not qualified, but that really can’t be translated.

5. What’s up with you and Slavic languages?

Coincidence. I’ll be ready to move on eventually.

6. Why do you look so sad/tired?

Sorry, it’s the “Wenger face.” We always look this way; don’t take it personally. Also, if you were placed into a different society without anyone to lean on, you’d get exhausted too.

7. What do you normally eat?

You don’t really want to know. If I explained to you in detail my diet, and that I was a quasi-vegan this time last year, you’d probably de-friend me.

8. Why aren’t you eating more?

Hunger is not my greatest fear; there are worse things than feeling hungry. Plus, I just ate about 6 days worth of calories in that dinner we just had.

9. What’s your patronymic?

Sadly, I don’t have one. I’ve got a middle name, but if it makes you more comfortable I can go by Sara Alanovna.

10. So, you’re a Libra, right?

I guess so, does that explain my appearance? What does the Orthodox calendar say about me for 2010?

Swearing-In

Training Group

Mathew and I

Leaving Training Site

update

I'm at site. Email me at saraelainewenger@gmail.com for my address and phone number (or just check facebook). I'm overwhelmed by the fact that my neighbors have wifi and I'm invited to use it whenever. I don't know how to use the internet anymore without lists of things I must accomplish/find out in 15 minute increments. At least the 5 year old boy at the house is very good at distracting me from typing.

Tea Cosy

I just have to share the beauty of this tea cosy. As a token of appreciation, one of the counterparts gave one to Rachel that she had made, along with the sweetest knitted slippers I've ever seen. I really want to start an etsy account for her, but apparently the teacher doesn't seem interested in that.

End of Training

It's hard to believe that next week is our last week at our training sites. Someday, I hope to better understand how time moves so slowly in the beginning and then weeks seem like mere hours towards the end. I have a friend who wrote an interesting essay about this subject. He came up with a formula as to how a year seems so much longer when you're younger. Maybe I'll consult him.

This week we wrapped up our school work, teaching our last classes and conducting our last English Club. I can't stress how valuable the in-class training has been. Today after my last class, I got to speak for a few minutes with my counterpart (the teacher I've been working with). I thanked him for his valuable insight and critique. In return, he said that he had learned a lot from me, as a native speaker, and that he would like to use some of my approaches in his lessons. It was the greatest complement I could've received.

Next week trainees will be taking a few tests and saying goodbyes. On the 14th, we'll all meet in Kyiv. On that day, we'll also get our site placements. It's hard to wait all these weeks for this announcement. Any time anyone starts a sentence with, "I know where" or "I have information," my heart jumps. It's a cruel process. At the end of that week, around the 18th, I'll be moving to my site. I will try to establish communication as soon as I can about where my site is, possibly a new phone number depending on the available services, and an address. I might not have running water or heat, but I'm determined to get an internet provider for Christmas.

There's a lot I'd like to share, but alas I'm too lazy at the moment and think it's best to review how I should express some of my daily frustrations and revelations. I hope that soon I'll start having some time in the day for reflection.

Politically Incorrect

Being part of Peace Corps, politics is definitely a no-go area. However, it's really hard to avoid not talking about it at all when the Ukrainian presidential elections coming up in January are everywhere. I've been able to eavesdrop onto some good conversations and delicately ask for some opinions about the candidates. I recommend that you look at sites such as Radio Free Europe and Kyiv Post to get a feel; a lot of interesting debates are occuring.

This week, two candidates (on separate nights) held free concerts in town. Luckily, or sort of unfortunately, the concerts were held outside the Palace of Culture which is right next to my apartment. So, I've been able to listen to a lot of Ukrainain pop for free from my window. On Sunday, I dropped by a concert sponsored by Yulia's camp. I hope this doesn't get me in trouble with Peace Corps, since we're supposed to avoid any large gatherings. In my defense, it was right outside of my window, I had to walk by it to get to the grocery store, and it was a free concert (not a rally). No one knows there was an American participant, well until now.