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.