Fun fact: which country was the first in the [modern] world to attempt a total prohibition on alcohol sales? Answer next entry, whenever that may be...
This week has been a series of endings, goodbyes, and last whatevers. Monday was our last Russian language lesson. Tuesday had our language proficiency interviews, to ensure we know enough Russian to, at the very least, survive on our own. On Wednesday we visited the town administration again to thank them for allowing us to work in the schools in Vasilkov, and we also had a thank-you dinner for our host mothers. On Thursday, we had a last meeting and dinner with the 2 teachers we've worked closely with, Ludmillia Nikolaivna and Irina Ivanonva. Yesterday, I went to Kiev for part of the day, and I'm back there right now, at a McDonald's with my laptop. Gotta love free wi-fi. There's a basketball game on the TV nearby. It looks like some kind of European professional league, so it's probably 2nd rate college players from the US who didn't want to find a real job. There's too many black players for it to be a Russian league, but the game's definitely in Ukraine.
On Monday, I'll be going to Kiev again for the entire week--leaving Vasilkov for good. I'll also finally find out where I'm going for the next 2 years, 3-4 days before I leave for there.
My experience in Vasylkov has been almost entirely positive. My host family was great. The people I worked with every day, Americans and Ukrainians, were great. The town itself was great. Everyone I met was friendly, polite, and interested in me--why on earth would an American want to work in Ukraine? I'm really thankful for everything so far--Спасибо за всё!
It's hard for me to comprehend how quickly time has moved. Less than three months ago, I was packing to leave for 2 years or more, with almost everything I own crammed into 2 rooms in my parents' house in Atlanta. Six months ago, I was in staff training at Camp Chief Ouray in the Rockies in Colorado for my job as Daily Program Director. Twelve months ago, I was finishing my history thesis on Anglo-German relations before World War I and preparing for my last semester in college. Now, I'm preparing for 2 years or more of teaching English in some Russian-speaking part of Ukraine after an intensive 2.5 month training where I went from having no real idea how to teach and knowing 3 words of Russian (да, нет, и водка) to feeling comfortable planning lessons and teaching on my own to feeling comfortable enough to live on my own in a town where no one speaks English, только Русский, иногда Украиский. I think we've had the equivalent to 4-5 semesters of university-level Russian in 70 days or so. It's surprising how much of a language you can learn with 4 hours a day of lessons and a home that only speaks that language. I can understand most of what Russian leaders Vladimir Putin or Dmitri Medvedev say when they're shown on TV here.
I'm actually enjoying winter so far here. It first snowed the last weekend of November, and December began with daily highs below 20 Farenheit, but it warmed up this week and everything melted, which was actually worse than the frigid weather. It's below freezing again now and snows lightly off and on. I actually kind of like it, as long as the wind isn't too bad.
I suppose I'm ready for what the next months bring, then. I hope to be able to post some pictures here soon. Talk to you all soon!
Showing posts with label Kiev. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kiev. Show all posts
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Khappy Khalloveen
EDIT (Nov 1)
My attempt to evade drunk babushka was disastrous. As I was closing the door to my room, she appeared and told me in Surzhyk to come to the kitchen. She grabbed my arm. In the kitchen, she produced a small bottle of vodka and soon enough, there were 2 shot glasses of Russian vodka on the table. Thankfully, Olga and I said I couldn't, since I hadn't eaten yet. After some kasha and kolbasa were on the table, we had a few toasts. She asked me (very, very loudly) "Sprechen sie Deutsch?" Apparently she was in the Soviet military in Germany for some time. This whole time, Olga was grinning behind her and making the Russian/Ukrainian sign for being drunk/wanting a drink, which is flicking your neck, and pointing at her. She left, eventually, but not before saying something about wishing my family well--mother, father, wife, and girlfriend. Yes, and. Shortly after Olga came in with a handwritten note that said (in Russian), She's an alcoholic. She's 66 years old.
Another Sunday night in Vasylkov.
Today, my host nephew Taras (age 7) was wearing a Spiderman costume without explanation. I assume it had something to do with Halloween--Ukrainians know about it but don't really celebrate--but my family never made any reference to it and acted normally otherwise. Maybe he just wanted to wear it.
Daylight savings time for Europe ended today, which means 3 things. 1) Clocks moved back an hour, meaning more sleep for me, B) Since US DST doesn't end until Nov. 7, for the next week we are only 6 hours ahead of the east coast, and 3) it gets dark at 5 PM now. And in December, it will be dark here by 4:30. Going to be interesting.
Yesterday, I spent most of the day in Kiev. To get there is about a 30 minute bus ride, costing 8grv ($1), followed by a metro ride for about 3 stops. In less than 1 hour I can be in the heart downtown Kiev from my apartment for about $1.25. Kiev is great--what you'd expect in almost any European city, only without Western European prices. It has everything from Ukrainian and Russian chain restaurants to, of course, McDonald's and Domino's Pizza (with delivery drivers--on motorcycles).
Today, I slept until around noon, enjoyed a breakfast of potatoes, cabbage, and pork, and then caught up on some work. I went for a run today in my neighborhood--the weather was great, clear skies and around 14 Celsius. The sight of an American in shorts running around for no apparent reason caught a few stares, mostly from old men (who chuckled), teenage girls (who giggled, blushed, and stared), and young children, who started running with me for about 100 meters until I guess they either got tired or bored.
My Russian has made leaps and bounds since I last wrote here. I can now comfortably talk about things in the past, present, and future--Russian only has 3 tenses. The rest will come soon, I hope.
And now I am done. I will be eating soon. And, more importantly, I am going to hide in my room because the old lady who occasionally barges into our apartment, очень синая (very drunk), has returned. She is very loud and babbles away in Surzhyk, the patois of Ukrainian and Russian favored by uneducated Ukrainians in central Ukraine. I really just don't want to smell vodka and menthol cigarettes right now and be subjected to questions about whether I have a wife (why don't you), and am I looking for one (you want a Ukrainian one? I'll find one for you!)
The best of Ukrainian humor, translated
Heaven is a British house, a Ukrainian wife, an American salary, and Chinese food. Hell is a Chinese house, an American wife, a Ukrainian salary, and British food.
эндрю шелл
My attempt to evade drunk babushka was disastrous. As I was closing the door to my room, she appeared and told me in Surzhyk to come to the kitchen. She grabbed my arm. In the kitchen, she produced a small bottle of vodka and soon enough, there were 2 shot glasses of Russian vodka on the table. Thankfully, Olga and I said I couldn't, since I hadn't eaten yet. After some kasha and kolbasa were on the table, we had a few toasts. She asked me (very, very loudly) "Sprechen sie Deutsch?" Apparently she was in the Soviet military in Germany for some time. This whole time, Olga was grinning behind her and making the Russian/Ukrainian sign for being drunk/wanting a drink, which is flicking your neck, and pointing at her. She left, eventually, but not before saying something about wishing my family well--mother, father, wife, and girlfriend. Yes, and. Shortly after Olga came in with a handwritten note that said (in Russian), She's an alcoholic. She's 66 years old.
Another Sunday night in Vasylkov.
Today, my host nephew Taras (age 7) was wearing a Spiderman costume without explanation. I assume it had something to do with Halloween--Ukrainians know about it but don't really celebrate--but my family never made any reference to it and acted normally otherwise. Maybe he just wanted to wear it.
Daylight savings time for Europe ended today, which means 3 things. 1) Clocks moved back an hour, meaning more sleep for me, B) Since US DST doesn't end until Nov. 7, for the next week we are only 6 hours ahead of the east coast, and 3) it gets dark at 5 PM now. And in December, it will be dark here by 4:30. Going to be interesting.
Yesterday, I spent most of the day in Kiev. To get there is about a 30 minute bus ride, costing 8grv ($1), followed by a metro ride for about 3 stops. In less than 1 hour I can be in the heart downtown Kiev from my apartment for about $1.25. Kiev is great--what you'd expect in almost any European city, only without Western European prices. It has everything from Ukrainian and Russian chain restaurants to, of course, McDonald's and Domino's Pizza (with delivery drivers--on motorcycles).
Today, I slept until around noon, enjoyed a breakfast of potatoes, cabbage, and pork, and then caught up on some work. I went for a run today in my neighborhood--the weather was great, clear skies and around 14 Celsius. The sight of an American in shorts running around for no apparent reason caught a few stares, mostly from old men (who chuckled), teenage girls (who giggled, blushed, and stared), and young children, who started running with me for about 100 meters until I guess they either got tired or bored.
My Russian has made leaps and bounds since I last wrote here. I can now comfortably talk about things in the past, present, and future--Russian only has 3 tenses. The rest will come soon, I hope.
And now I am done. I will be eating soon. And, more importantly, I am going to hide in my room because the old lady who occasionally barges into our apartment, очень синая (very drunk), has returned. She is very loud and babbles away in Surzhyk, the patois of Ukrainian and Russian favored by uneducated Ukrainians in central Ukraine. I really just don't want to smell vodka and menthol cigarettes right now and be subjected to questions about whether I have a wife (why don't you), and am I looking for one (you want a Ukrainian one? I'll find one for you!)
The best of Ukrainian humor, translated
Heaven is a British house, a Ukrainian wife, an American salary, and Chinese food. Hell is a Chinese house, an American wife, a Ukrainian salary, and British food.
эндрю шелл
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