Hey loyal readers~
I am so sorry for leaving you disappointed the last several days. I know I promised to update you all on the details of my Easter celebration (which was awesome by the way) and I have not updated since then! My work at the orphanage has increased lately now that I am getting ready to start my data collection. All my internet time has gone to planning for that, reading literature from science journals and planning my upcoming travels. Tomorrow I leave Artemivsk to do some traveling around Ukraine. I won't return for three weeks so much of my time has been spent packing and making other arrangements. Tomorrow my journey will be begin by taking a 2 hours bus ride to Donetsk-the nearest large city- where I will board an overnight train to Kyiv. I arrive in Kyiv Tues. morning and will spend the day with some other Fulbrighters until we board another overnight train to the south-western city of Ivano-Frankivsk. We will stay there from Wed. to Sun. for a Fulbright Graduate Student Retreat and Symposium. We will do some sight seeing and cultural excursions as well as present our initial research findings at some local universities. After Sunday I will head back to Kyiv until my flight leaves early early on wed. morning to take me back to St. Louis for a short visit with my husband and our families. I am so excited to see Jeff especially; it has been hard to be away without the comfort of easy internet access to call or email whenever we want to. I will return to Kyiv on the 5th of May and will stay with a Fulbright friend for a couple days. Then over the weekend she and I will go to L'viv, a large city on the westernmost border of Ukraine. I was invited to go there and meet a Fulbright Scholar who specializes in disability rights. He works with a rehabilitation center in L'viv that is highly progressive for Ukraine and they are working together to create autism-friendly classroom environments. I hope I will learn much from them that I can then share with organizations in my community on the eastern side of the country. I will finally return to Artemivsk on May 12. I don't know what my access to internet will be like but if I get the chance I will share some pictures with you of my travels and of my Easter celebration. Take care all of you and thank you for reading!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Good Friday in Ukraine
Last night was Good friday for us and I was invited at the last minute to go to a traditional Ukrainian Cuisine restaurant with Britt the Peace Corp volunteer who has been here in Artemivsk for the last 2 years. She and I had only met once before (the first week I got here) and hadn't been able to meet up since because she travels a lot for her Peace Corp project. Anyway she invited me to dinner with some friends and it was the craziest collection of people...Britt from the States who speaks fluent Russian, Vlad from Ukraine (Artemivsk) who speaks fairly fluent English, Ana and her mother Mary from Ireland (Ana is part of the European Volunteer Service and has been here 6 months but will leave next week) who also speak English fluently (but with an awesome Irish accent), and finally Yulia from Artemivsk who also speaks fluent English. We stayed so long and ate so much that we closed the place....literally all the staff members were hovering around our table sort of just waiting for us to ask for the check and then when we left the restaurant and Britt tried to quickly run back in to use the restroom they had already locked up behind us! Ha! Probably all anxious to get home for Easter festivities.
I had the most interesting conversations at this table with people from three different countries...we talked about Easter traditions and shared in an Irish tradition by sharing a large hollow chocolate egg that Ana's mother had brought for her for the holiday....you should have seen the faces around the table as Britt and I described the "easter egg hunt" talking about plastic eggs and giant rabbits with baskets....it was priceless! Ana also had a box of Cadbury cream eggs which she shared with the table (even gave one to our pre-teen waiter whose sour face indicated that he was in need of a sugar rush from some friendly foreigners). Britt and I ordered a traditional Ukrainian dish called verianki...they are basically giant dumplings that are steamed (so they are super fluffy) and stuffed with mashed potatoes and bits of bacon meat). This was my frist time trying them and I am officially hooked now. Britt and I were so in love with our verianki that we actually asked for doggie bags...something our Ukrainian friends Vlad and Yulia said "is just not done!" However our cadbury cream egg must have done the trick to sweeten up our sullen teenager of a waiter because after dissapearing to who knows where he came back with two tiny plastic carryout dishes and Britt and I rejoiced in a way that firmly identified us as American foreigners :) As I type now I am looking forward to enjoying my leftover pockets of potatoey goodness when I go home for lunch!
Other topics we spoek about included the recent suicide bombers in the Moscow metro (which then led to a discussion about racism and stereotyping about Muslim people...which then led to a discussion about racism and prejudice about African Americans...). Mary and I had a side conversation about the differences in choosing a college in the US vs. Ireland. They do it on a lottery system...everyone takes the same exams and fills out the same application and then you rank your top three choices. You are placed in a University based on a points system that fluctuates by demand for that University your particular year. She explained how they pay for college and was shocked when I shared how much my private US university cost even with grants and scholarships.
We talked about business practices in Ukraine (and the lack of honesty surrounding them) and all the holidays they have here (I have already had 3 long weekends here because of holiday celebrations...many of which are religious and yet everyone takes a day off work no matter if they are religious). The Ukrainians at the table explained that they thought it was because when Ukraine was part of the Russian empire people weren't allowed to celebrate Ukrainian holidays (especially religious ones) and so now that they are independent they celebrate them as grandly as they can. There is also some undertone of fear that maybe someday they will be controlled again and so they better celebrate now while they can and create some long lasting memories. It is a collective understanding that I imagine rivals the feeling Americans had on Independence Day in 2002.
It was a really fun evening and now I have more people here that speak english to be friends with! Britt will leave in just 6 more weeks and then a new volunteer will come...hopefully someone nice...it is a shame she is leaving so soon but after being here almost 2 years I am sure she is anxious to get home.
Today I am going to try and make an easter dessert for my friends here (something my mom always used to make-rice crispy birds nests) you should check my blog in the next few days to see pictures of the baking extravaganza....also yesterday I cut open a coconut all by myself....who would have thought the first time I would cut open a coconut it would be winter in eastern europe!
I had the most interesting conversations at this table with people from three different countries...we talked about Easter traditions and shared in an Irish tradition by sharing a large hollow chocolate egg that Ana's mother had brought for her for the holiday....you should have seen the faces around the table as Britt and I described the "easter egg hunt" talking about plastic eggs and giant rabbits with baskets....it was priceless! Ana also had a box of Cadbury cream eggs which she shared with the table (even gave one to our pre-teen waiter whose sour face indicated that he was in need of a sugar rush from some friendly foreigners). Britt and I ordered a traditional Ukrainian dish called verianki...they are basically giant dumplings that are steamed (so they are super fluffy) and stuffed with mashed potatoes and bits of bacon meat). This was my frist time trying them and I am officially hooked now. Britt and I were so in love with our verianki that we actually asked for doggie bags...something our Ukrainian friends Vlad and Yulia said "is just not done!" However our cadbury cream egg must have done the trick to sweeten up our sullen teenager of a waiter because after dissapearing to who knows where he came back with two tiny plastic carryout dishes and Britt and I rejoiced in a way that firmly identified us as American foreigners :) As I type now I am looking forward to enjoying my leftover pockets of potatoey goodness when I go home for lunch!
Other topics we spoek about included the recent suicide bombers in the Moscow metro (which then led to a discussion about racism and stereotyping about Muslim people...which then led to a discussion about racism and prejudice about African Americans...). Mary and I had a side conversation about the differences in choosing a college in the US vs. Ireland. They do it on a lottery system...everyone takes the same exams and fills out the same application and then you rank your top three choices. You are placed in a University based on a points system that fluctuates by demand for that University your particular year. She explained how they pay for college and was shocked when I shared how much my private US university cost even with grants and scholarships.
We talked about business practices in Ukraine (and the lack of honesty surrounding them) and all the holidays they have here (I have already had 3 long weekends here because of holiday celebrations...many of which are religious and yet everyone takes a day off work no matter if they are religious). The Ukrainians at the table explained that they thought it was because when Ukraine was part of the Russian empire people weren't allowed to celebrate Ukrainian holidays (especially religious ones) and so now that they are independent they celebrate them as grandly as they can. There is also some undertone of fear that maybe someday they will be controlled again and so they better celebrate now while they can and create some long lasting memories. It is a collective understanding that I imagine rivals the feeling Americans had on Independence Day in 2002.
It was a really fun evening and now I have more people here that speak english to be friends with! Britt will leave in just 6 more weeks and then a new volunteer will come...hopefully someone nice...it is a shame she is leaving so soon but after being here almost 2 years I am sure she is anxious to get home.
Today I am going to try and make an easter dessert for my friends here (something my mom always used to make-rice crispy birds nests) you should check my blog in the next few days to see pictures of the baking extravaganza....also yesterday I cut open a coconut all by myself....who would have thought the first time I would cut open a coconut it would be winter in eastern europe!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Busy week!
Busy week for me this week!
I have still been in the orphanage every day and this week I got to shadow the small group of "linguist teachers." After observing them I can say that they are sort of a cross between a pediatric occupational therapist and speech therapist. I loved being with them since so much of what they do is exactly what I do with my patients back home. Since I worked with many children who also had speech delays I would often use techniques I learned from the speech therapists in my work. We definitely "spoke the same language" and I didn't feel the impact of a language barrier nearly as much this week. It may have been because these women are accustomed to speaking very very slowly and enunciating words with almost comical precision (who am I kidding...this is EXACTLY why the language barrier shrunk this week!). They also seemed to enjoy teaching me new words and correcting my pronunciation...."no no no Saritchka, not like that, like this!" HAHA!
They seemed just as interested as I did to discuss the similarities and differences between practices in Ukraine and in America. They seemed reluctant to let me go today but asked me to come back next week for some more conversations. Next week I am scheduled to spend time with the physiotherapists as well so they may end up being long days! I am excited!
Also this week my friend Margo (a gal I met in Omaha actually when I came on the Ukraine trip 4 years ago). How is this for a small world...she and I met 4 years ago when we both came to Artemivsk and then now she is a member of the Peace Corp in a town not too far from here. We got reconnected though the Peace Corp volunteer who is stationed in Artemivsk now. So now we talk on the phone all the time and when her old host family here invited her for Easter she came early and stayed with me for a few days. She came to the orphanage with me today and we had a blast playing with the children! It was fun to have someone around to speak english with at a normal speed and volume....when I do rarely speak english here in Artemivsk usually I have to speak slowly and enunciate and use simple words. Having her in my apartment felt just like a typical evening in the states!
I have still been in the orphanage every day and this week I got to shadow the small group of "linguist teachers." After observing them I can say that they are sort of a cross between a pediatric occupational therapist and speech therapist. I loved being with them since so much of what they do is exactly what I do with my patients back home. Since I worked with many children who also had speech delays I would often use techniques I learned from the speech therapists in my work. We definitely "spoke the same language" and I didn't feel the impact of a language barrier nearly as much this week. It may have been because these women are accustomed to speaking very very slowly and enunciating words with almost comical precision (who am I kidding...this is EXACTLY why the language barrier shrunk this week!). They also seemed to enjoy teaching me new words and correcting my pronunciation...."no no no Saritchka, not like that, like this!" HAHA!
They seemed just as interested as I did to discuss the similarities and differences between practices in Ukraine and in America. They seemed reluctant to let me go today but asked me to come back next week for some more conversations. Next week I am scheduled to spend time with the physiotherapists as well so they may end up being long days! I am excited!
Also this week my friend Margo (a gal I met in Omaha actually when I came on the Ukraine trip 4 years ago). How is this for a small world...she and I met 4 years ago when we both came to Artemivsk and then now she is a member of the Peace Corp in a town not too far from here. We got reconnected though the Peace Corp volunteer who is stationed in Artemivsk now. So now we talk on the phone all the time and when her old host family here invited her for Easter she came early and stayed with me for a few days. She came to the orphanage with me today and we had a blast playing with the children! It was fun to have someone around to speak english with at a normal speed and volume....when I do rarely speak english here in Artemivsk usually I have to speak slowly and enunciate and use simple words. Having her in my apartment felt just like a typical evening in the states!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
A day in the life
Today was a perfect example of a typical day in Ukraine. I woke up this morning with no particular plan for the day other than to recuperate from my mini-illness and prepare for work tomorrow. I finally ventured out at around 2:30 to go to the pharmacy and buy some headache medicine and then went to the market to pick up a few groceries. After the groceries I was on my way out and decided, "oh, maybe I will pop upstairs to the 'mall' and see if my friend Lena is working in her store." So I turn the corner and who do I see? Sasha, my friend and Lena's husband as he is buying a computer game at a small shop, we chit chat for a bit and I head upstairs to check Lena's store. Sure enough, as I round the corner I see her face light up and hear "Saritchka! eedee syouda!" (Sarah, come here). She is on the phone and it surprises me that suddenly I am hearing her say my name and talk about me to the caller...then I hear her tell this person 'Sarah will come to your house at 6 o' clock' ummm....she will? Still worried she motions to me to take a seat on a nearby stool and proceeds to pour me a cup of coffee (without bothering to ask if I'd care for any ;) and push a plate of chocolates my way saying 'eat eat.' She then hangs up the phone smiles and me and tells me she has invited me to her mother-in-laws' house for dinner and we will go together after I stay and hang out with her at work until she closes :) Haha, so now all of a sudden I have plans for the rest of the day that I had no idea about at the beginning of the day. So now I am at home after spending a lovely afternoon helping out at the store and practicing my language skills will customers, then having a lovely family meal with my favorite Ukrainians complete with delicious Georgian wine, toasts and special chocolates.
What a lovely day!
What a lovely day!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Tissues piled like clouds... Sickness on a sunny day...Feeling low indoors
The kids' germs finally caught up with me today...I spent last night tossing and turning fighting a wicked sinus headache and woke up early this morning feeling anything but refreshed. Spent the day trying to re-energize with chicken noodle soup (homemade :), orange juice, and some life-giving conversations with friends and family via Skype. I am still blowing my nose every few minutes but I do feel considerable better after connecting with some loved-ones. It is always especially nice to be reminded of how loved one is when one is not feeling well.
P.S. How many of you caught that my title today was a haiku? Feel free to brag about your genius in the comments section ;)
P.S. How many of you caught that my title today was a haiku? Feel free to brag about your genius in the comments section ;)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
more photos!
This is Sasha and Lena on their wedding day...if you don't know Sasha was my host brother when I came to Ukraine 4 years ago...he is all grown up now! ( I can say this because I am older than him ;)
This is Sasha and Lena's daughter Yeva, I have adopted her as my Ukrainian niece and spoil her rotten as is my right and privilege ;)
This is a pic from the special kindergarten/boarding school that I will start to work with in another few weeks. This was taken on the day of the school's recital for the 8th of March (National Women's Day and very big holiday here in Ukraine) Note the little guy in the middle with his classically ukrainian haircut of JUST long bangs...it is like the reverse mullet and is very popular here
Another picture of Sasha and Lena, this time taken during our own celebration of Women's day...Sasha took us to a fancy restaurant for dessert and dancing...we had such a blast and drank lots of delicious Ukrainian Champagne!
Spring is coming....maybe...hopefully....oh please, oh please come!!!!
So I thiiiiiiiink that spring might be on its way here to Ukraine...There are just the slightest signs of flower buds poking up through the ground and more and more now when I talk my daily strolls through the city I get to un-button my parka and let myself be cooled by the wind. It is all everyone can talk about here and I am more than willing to join the conversation :)
Yesterday I had a fun experience...I was invited by a private english teacher to join his class of 7th grade students as we discussed (in english of course) gift giving traditions in our respective countries. I learned so much from the children about what kinds of shops they can buy certain things in (apparently the post office here is more like a bookstore/magazine shop than it is just a vehicle for letters and packages). I also had fun watching their reactions to information about shops in the US...they were SHOCKED that our drugstores house things like film developing stations, makeup, toiletries, and -gasp- food! Their only idea of a drugstore here has strictly medication and nothing else. It was also hilarious when I described...wait for it.....a MALL to a room full of 7th grade ukrainian girls (only one boy in the class and I am pretty sure he was dozing off by that point). The excitement in the room as I described the glories of first, a mall and then....again wait for it....TARGET stores, was so thick you could almost taste it! haha! it was awesome...they all said they wanted to come to the US just to see a mall...I promised I would take pictures and send them...ha!
I was invited to return to the class in the future and I am really looking forward to it.
Work at the orphanage is still going well...I am in a room with little ones this week...the youngest is just 5 months and the oldest is just over 2 years. I am kind of surprised I am still healthy given that the kids I am working with this week are all fighting nasty chest colds and so far I have been peed on twice this week and puked on once (HA!) I love it though...there is one little boy that I am falling in love with right now....he is hard to describe but in a nutshell he is what you generally think of as autistic...over 2 years old, not talking, doesn't sit up by himsel (for those of you with medical knowledge this kid is the most hypotonic child I have ever held...no exaggeration here), makes strange motions with his head and hands, doesn't make eye contact very much..etc. They all kind of ignore him and let him "entertain himself" with his repetitive self-stimulatory behaviors. It is amazing (almost brings me to tears) what he will do if I actually try to engage him though...today I had him playing the most delightful game of catch. He had been "buried" in this little ball pit they have in the room by one of the caregivers and he was just spacing out and tossing ball after ball out of the pit and ignoring everyone's verbal commands to stop. So I went over and kind of caught a ball as he was tossing it out and sort of batted it back into his lap....he just stopped and started giggling in the most adorable way! This went on for about 10 min and progressed to the point of him actually trying to change the place he would throw so I would miss! He was making eye contact watching to see where I was going to block him next. All this cognition from a kid the caregivers all told me was mentally retarded...-sigh- I love my job.
Yesterday I had a fun experience...I was invited by a private english teacher to join his class of 7th grade students as we discussed (in english of course) gift giving traditions in our respective countries. I learned so much from the children about what kinds of shops they can buy certain things in (apparently the post office here is more like a bookstore/magazine shop than it is just a vehicle for letters and packages). I also had fun watching their reactions to information about shops in the US...they were SHOCKED that our drugstores house things like film developing stations, makeup, toiletries, and -gasp- food! Their only idea of a drugstore here has strictly medication and nothing else. It was also hilarious when I described...wait for it.....a MALL to a room full of 7th grade ukrainian girls (only one boy in the class and I am pretty sure he was dozing off by that point). The excitement in the room as I described the glories of first, a mall and then....again wait for it....TARGET stores, was so thick you could almost taste it! haha! it was awesome...they all said they wanted to come to the US just to see a mall...I promised I would take pictures and send them...ha!
I was invited to return to the class in the future and I am really looking forward to it.
Work at the orphanage is still going well...I am in a room with little ones this week...the youngest is just 5 months and the oldest is just over 2 years. I am kind of surprised I am still healthy given that the kids I am working with this week are all fighting nasty chest colds and so far I have been peed on twice this week and puked on once (HA!) I love it though...there is one little boy that I am falling in love with right now....he is hard to describe but in a nutshell he is what you generally think of as autistic...over 2 years old, not talking, doesn't sit up by himsel (for those of you with medical knowledge this kid is the most hypotonic child I have ever held...no exaggeration here), makes strange motions with his head and hands, doesn't make eye contact very much..etc. They all kind of ignore him and let him "entertain himself" with his repetitive self-stimulatory behaviors. It is amazing (almost brings me to tears) what he will do if I actually try to engage him though...today I had him playing the most delightful game of catch. He had been "buried" in this little ball pit they have in the room by one of the caregivers and he was just spacing out and tossing ball after ball out of the pit and ignoring everyone's verbal commands to stop. So I went over and kind of caught a ball as he was tossing it out and sort of batted it back into his lap....he just stopped and started giggling in the most adorable way! This went on for about 10 min and progressed to the point of him actually trying to change the place he would throw so I would miss! He was making eye contact watching to see where I was going to block him next. All this cognition from a kid the caregivers all told me was mentally retarded...-sigh- I love my job.
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