Chooma

Okay, I'm still trying to get over what I'd like to consider writer's block but most likely is nothing more than laziness. Or, I also like the excuse that it's hard for me to write in English now. I was hoping for the more "commentary on culture" type of tone for this, but whenever I stare at the screen my writing becomes quite serious and less entertaining.

This past week has greatly enhanced the "this is surreal" aspect of my time so far in Ukraine because of the flu. The country has declared an epidemic because of the number of cases and related deaths. On the one hand, the intensity of the flu is heightened because I've lost so much contact with what is going on in the rest of the world. Apparently, a number of places are suffering, including home. For us trainees in town, it caught us a little off-guard.

As with everything so far, this has been an extremely valuable learning experience for me in understanding individual and a culture's beliefs towards medicine, how illness spreads, and what sources of information are considered valuable. The flu has also created some interesting dialogue, where some consider it the plague (chooma) and others call it a tragedy by which politicians are gaining camera time during the election season.

The government placed a quarantine on large gatherings, meaning schools are closed, all events cancelled, and some transportation isn't working. Last Friday, it was announced that schools would be closed for three weeks. However, us trainees have been told that our school will have a meeting this Friday to discuss whether or not we'll be in session this upcoming Monday. I sincerely doubt it, in part because of the general fear expressed. Though Iunderstand the importance of the schools being closed, it does seem rather extreme. For one, there still are no cases in our town. If our town were to be hit by the flu, it would probably come later this week or early next week. Therefore not having school this week and last week (fall break) feels like a great loss. I've really enjoyed the in-class training that I've had. It's too bad such a large portion of my training won't take place now. With that, because the country is preoccupied, there are rumors that our placements are less certain or at least not as concrete as they would be (because schools are in effect not working for a month). Good thing Peace Corps is all about flexibility and opportunity.

Other areas of my life worth discussing? I'm truly happy with my host family, the food, and the general hospitality I've experienced. I'm so thankful for this opportunity. Lately my only frustrations are directly related to the feeling of a lack of control over my life during training. This feeling is to be expected, and will soon pass.

I'm totally rocking the varenyky. I recently acquired the movie "Twilight." I don't get it. Wouldn't vampires be really dehydrated if they only ate/drank blood? Why can they move at such extreme speeds and lift heavy things? It doesn't seem anatomical. With that, why would a vampire be attracted to a female? Can they procreate? I'm afraid I'm going to have to read the series, or ask Kasey and Amanda for their expertise.