“Ukrained” definition: essentially, culture shock. More specifically, when a Peace Corps Volunteer living in Ukraine experiences a sort of cultural misunderstanding or incident resulting in awkwardness, discomfort, embarrassment and/or surprise.
You know you’ve been “Ukrained” when...
... you misinterpret what a man says and end up riding an hour on a marshrutka (minibus) in the wrong direction.
... you agree to help a man hold a chicken only to soon find out you’ve become an accomplice in its beheading.
... you go to rinse the soapy clothes soaking in the tub, and the water goes out.
... the bus you are riding dies, so you shrug and get out to push-start it with the rest of the guys.
... your school director tells you you’ll have to deliver a speech (in Russian) about teaching healthy lifestyles to Ukrainian youth - with only an hour notice.
... you forget the “sh” change when telling people “I write.” Which means you just told an audience, inevitably of fellow teachers, that “I pee.”
... you know, personally, the cow where you get your milk. And have stepped in the (massive) piles of poop it’s left in your yard.
... you sign 40 autographs at a school with 35 students.
... fishnet hose, a mini-skirt, and stilettos look completely appropriate and maybe even stylish for a 14-year old at school.
... learning that the words “I have a son or daughter” means more than just “I have a son or daughter.”
... you show up at a classroom to give a lesson, then the teacher dismisses the students you were supposed to teach because she didn’t get the memo.
... you are told to wear sportivni odezhda (sports attire) and show up in a T-shirt, baggy jeans and sneakers - only to find everyone else wearing sequined tank tops, tight skinny jeans and high heels.
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