Musings of an Ukraine Traveler

Dear All, 

Good morning. Yesterday our weather was sunny and mild. Today the temperature has dropped, the wind has come up and the towels that I hung on the balcony  have icicles hanging from them. Reminds me of Oklahoma and mom hanging clothes on those cold days. Sometimes I helped, I think, because I can remember the wind whipping everything.

 It has been a quiet week as the schools were closed last week and will be closed this week due to flu epidemic. The students will make it up on a couple of Saturdays and a couple of doubling days. Teachers have had to go in everyday for about 3-4 hours. Like faculties anywhere, they bring in food. Here it is mostly tort, candy, sallow (raw fat), pickles, pickled tomatoes and one thing no faculty in the states could do--vodka, wine and cognac! I was supposed to have taught my ecology units all week at school number three, but will have to do it after the 8th. I have gone to the office everyday but I have mainly studied my Russian and prepared materials for the classes.

 Therese, the other PCV here had to fly out to America yesterday as her mother is dying. She has kind of been expecting it, but still what a tough thing to do. She's only been here a month but I miss her already even though we only see each other about once a week. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

The most exciting event this week was the neutering of Rah Rah. He has been extremely active and some nights he meows a lot and goes to the balcony door or the apartment door so I'm thinking his hormones are getting way too active and he might start spraying any day. Besides the vet had told me that he should be at least 9 months old and by my figuring he is at least that if not 10 months. If you remember, my vet runs a little Kiosk that sells all kinds of pet stuff. Natasha called and set up the appointment. The vet comes to my apartment at 5:00 pm. Yes the surgery was here in my apartment.

 I am thinking kitchen table, but he says to me no the coffee table is fine and that he just needs a cover or a towel for it. Now this guy is tall, about 6' 3" at least and my coffee table is low. I cover the table with a towel and then proceed to hold Rah still while the vet gives him the anesthetic but Rah is strong!!!! and he did not like that needle going into his butt. The vet made sure that I understood that the most dangerous part of the surgery was the anesthetic, but the chances were small etc, etc. I put him down while the vet got his tools out and washed up. Rah staggered around for about 10 minutes and finally lay down. Only time I helped was when Rah was reacting and I held him while the vet put him under more. Ok guys I watched but remember I helped Russ castrate a pig and there was no anesthetic! The vet is very competent and finished within an hour with everything. He charged me 30 griven. I actually thought I had misunderstood. That's about 6 US dollars!

 All evening  Rah slept so heavily and wakened a few times to stagger piteously around when he woke so that he could be close to me. I was feeling so sorry for him and kept thinking oh maybe I shouldn't have. He slept with me that night as he always does, but he snuggled deep in the covers up against me. Poor thing!  Ha! He was fully recovered in less than 24 hours and back to bouncing and climbing on and off of everything!  I was able to powder his butt one time with medication. After that no way Jose! The one thing he didn't do last night, which he has done every night this past week and may start again tonight, is dive bombing me. Just after I finish reading and turn out the lights, Rah has started this game of climbing up to the top of the rug that hangs over my bed. For a few seconds he poises himself and then drops full force onto me and bounces on off to the floor. He does it about 3 times from different positions. It doesn't hurt me and I laugh and then tell him to knock it off which he does.

 It looks like this is the last weekend I will be at home in February. This coming weekend I am going to Vinnytsia for a "Body and Soul" get together with other PCs of yoga, food and mediation. The weekend after that I am going to Kosiv which is in the Carpathians for Valentines Day. Besides having fun sledding, maybe cross country skiing, I will also be finding out about establishing credit unions. Seems that LEAP headquarters in Vermont is suggesting that we start one here in Korostyshiv. My coordinator Zhanna will come down too although not with me. The last weekend I will only be gone on Saturday the 28th for a meeting in Kyiv of the HIV/AIDS Working Group. Then the next weekend, as some of you know, I will leave on the 5th to join Claudia and Ken in Lisbon. When I get back on the 11th, I will be glad to have the weekend to recover from jet lag which is pretty severe coming back this way. 

Of course today and tomorrow I will be especially thinking about my special daughter, Delaine. The doctor is going to induce labor and I shall have a granddaughter for a Valentine's gift. Please keep both in your hearts and send out special blessings for their safety and health. 

Thanks for your emails and support. I will write again next week.

Dear family and friends, 

Well it has been an exciting week and an unusual one. Exciting in that Callie Langerman was born Sunday night as you all know by now and interesting because of a bus ride and the weather here. Let me preface my stories with the fact that I am learning a new Russian phrase "mne vezla" I'm lucky.

 I'll start with my bus ride to Kyiv last Monday. It was cold although not bitter so I wore my long johns, my heavy wool sweater, wool coat, mittens, hat and heavy snow boots. Was doubting about wearing the heavy wool sweater until I reached the volkzal and my bus pulled in with the window on the passenger side gone! I thought mne vezla. Well the driver and his assistant proceeded to use wire and a blanket to fill in the gap which they did with great expertise. Then they proceeded to Kyiv with the heater cranked up. Mne ne vezla! It was quite warm. But the snow boots with their ice trax were wonderful on the ice and in the slush. (Last summer my friend Wini rode a bus in which the driver's window blew out. It was raining and the assistant held an umbrella over the driver for the next 40 kilometers until they reached a town for replacing the windshield).

 Thursday about 2:00 I headed for the volkzal again to make my trip to Vinnytsia. We had had light snow every day and night for the past week. It was cold, but not as cold as in your part of the woods. It was winter. On Thursday morning however, it started misting and by 2 water was standing everywhere on top of the ice as the ground was still frozen. Dressed in my new short winter parka and traveling clothes, I strapped on my backpack, pulled on my snow boots and headed out. Just as I reached the station, where the taxis are usually parked, I thought to myself, "mne vesla. I made it without slipping and falling." Right then my left foot plunged into a hole under the ice and muddy water. I flipped on my back (mne vezla that the backpack was on) and there I was like an overturned turtle with my legs and arms flailing around. A kind man pulled me to my feet and chagrined and with mud on my rear and up to my knee, I bought my ticket. Was able to dry off easily during the 4 hour trip.

 Friday morning a warm wind blew into Ukraine and the whole country started to melt! By the time I left Vinnytsia this morning there were only patches of snow in shaded areas where 3 days before there were vast fields of non ending snow about 6-7 inches deep. It was 3 days of spring with the accompanying slush, water and run off. The ground actually thawed enough to absorb most of the water. The thaw didn't stop the ice fishermen who just sat between the leads of water very confidently! We know it won't last. Just hope the city doesn't decide to turn off the heat as its still winter. 

On Saturday, 8 women from our group had a "Body and Soul" Day in Vinnytsia. We started with an hour of yoga, then two hours in the sauna, with honey and salt rubs. The hotel suite  that the PCMO had reserved was large, beautiful and the large sauna area was connected directly to the suite. For lunch, we went across the street to Alice's apartment and had a wonderful lunch of home-made chicken soup, cheese, bread and wine. After lunch we went back to the suite and Alice who is an art therapist directed us in making valentines. It was wonderful and relaxing. While we were doing that, Linda, the PCMO, was at the apartment of Kelly making two huge lasagnas from scratch--one meat, one vegetarian--and a fresh spinach salad. After making our valentines, cleaning up the suite, we rode the tram to Kelley's and had wonderful dinner and continued our de stressing. Mne vezla!

 Tomorrow, it's back to work and I am hoping that since the schools are back in session that I will be called to start teaching my ecology lessons. That's all my news for now.  

Hello everyone, 

I know it has been two weeks since I last wrote so I will try to catch you up and at the same time not make this too long and involved. Let's start with travel first. A week ago Thursday, I hopped on the bus to Vinnytsia to have a Valentine dinner with some fellow PCVs, and then from there to go to a celebration set up by a PCV to promote green tourismin in Kosiv which is way south between Ivano-Frankisiv and Chernivtsi . I brought along my laptop as I was going to help a PCV in Vinnytsia with a program. The dinner was great fun, but my friend didn't show up for the computer work. I was leaving at 10 pm for an overnight bus ride to Kosiv and didn't want to take my laptop so left it with friend, Holly intending to pick it back up on my way home.

 Kosiv is a true Ukrainian town and oh so beautiful. There is a ski resort and a Saturday bazaar of Hutzul craft. A large contingent of young group 23 came down and stayed in a house with no heat and an outhouse. They spent their weekend drinking so I guess didn't feel the cold. About 6 of us from 24 were there and except for me and Regine, the rest stayed in a very nice bed and breakfast. Regine and I stayed in the Hotel Hutzul. It is one of the most beautiful hotels in Ukraine and it looked out on the Carpathians. There was snow of course. The staff was so attentive, the restaurant, internet cafe. I really relaxed. I read, toured the town, went to the bazaar and spent money and our group met for lunches and dinner at local restaurants. I am going back in spring. I will have pictures etc on the web site later.

When Sunday came, the hotel van took me to Chernivtsi to get a bus to Vinnytsia. That's where my troubles began. The driver, an elderly, quiet, very polite man did his best to get me there on time. First, the militia (police) stopped him and checked all his papers--I think the post had nothing to do on Sunday morning. Then he had to find the station. When we got there, he took his job so seriously that he insisted he buy the ticket. When I saw him go in the wrong door and look entirely befuddled I realized he had never bought a ticket before. In the meantime, the bus pulled out from the platform! So I missed one bus. The driver bought me a ticket for 12:50 about 2 hours from then. I stuck it in my pocket and sat down and talked with a wonderful Ukrainian man from Moldova. Time for my bus. Presuming that the bus would say Vinnytsia--big mistake, presumption in Ukraine-- I headed for the platform. Looked and looked, couldn't find it and when I finally did decide to ask (second big mistake, not asking) I found out that bus had left. It was the Simferopol bus! Panic! The next bus was at 9 in the evening so I decided to skip Vinnytsia and go home. Got a bus out about 4 and arrived home at 11:30 pm on a very nice bus. While I was waiting the man from Maldova and I resumed our discussion of Bush, smoking, farming, families, etc. He gave me a glass of the best homemade wine from his vineyard and a roll. We had become so connected that I wanted to hug him when it was time for us to leave. He felt the same but he like all really nice Ukrainian men, he grabbed my hand and kissed it.

Couldn't get back to Vinnytsia to get my computer til this last Friday afternoon. When I got it back Saturday morning and downloaded my messages I had 238. Although 80 percent were spam there were still lots of others that I needed to answer.

Now for my other news. On Tuesday, the 10th, my coordinator told me that my landlady said I would have to vacate my flat by the end of the month. Seems she had been trying to browbeat my coordinator into paying $200 *USD a month. The woman is nuts! PC pays $50 and that is considered expensive. Then when Zhanna wouldn't concede to that she wants me to et her some expensive medications from the states. Zippo.  Then she says well I'm going to sell it so she needs me out.

Got to tell you I was really deflated and discouraged. Natasha and Asya were infuriated and besides themselves. Anyway they started working on it while I was gone and they got me an apartment right next door!  Number 10. But at first all I knew was that I couldn't get into that flat until April 1st so when I got home from Kosiv, I started packing and looking at the possibility of living with the Druhalchucks for a month. I had quite a bit done. When Natasha asked what I was doing and I told her she said, "oh,no. We worked it out with Luda. She will prorate the rent until she sells it and that may take all month. Besides, we are going to move you. You just relax!" Mne vesla!  So I unpacked some things! The new apartment is supposed to be much better. I haven't seen it but the others have. I do know it has new plastic water pipes so I should have plenty of pressure and the toilet works all the time too so Yura won't have to constantly keep fixing it!

I am really keeping busy at work with teaching classes, preparing grants and looking at implementing other projects. Still studying the language hard. Some days I feel like I really have got it and then others I feel like I am a total idiot. I least I know I am "normal" (In Russian the last syllable is accented and very broad.) By the way, the man from Maldova and I spoke in Russian all that time. Hardly any snow here now, but the temperatures have really dropped. Quite a lot of sun so it is a lot like Idaho.

I love and miss all of you. I am looking forward to seeing Claudia and Ken in Lisbon in two weeks. Then Joyce and Jim will be here in May. And then home in June! Will keep you updated

Dear all, 

What a morning it has been! I told you last week that everything had been arranged so that I could stay here in my flat until the other was available. True, but little did I know the greediness and whatever else her problem is of my now former landlady. On Thursday evening she called my coordinator who called Natasha and told them that she was coming today, Sunday, to take out all her things and her furniture. My coordinator told her for me that she needed to come at 1 pm so that I would have time to finish packing out my things. I was in a panic because no furniture meant no bed, no table, no dishes, no utensils, no bedding. All of these things have to be furnished by the landlord according to the agreement with PC. Natasha and Asya assured me that they would set me up with what I needed--that I was not to buy anything. They had a mattress that would be fine. Little did I know that the bed and dishes would be the least of my issues. 

Saturday evening, Luda calls again and says she's so sick and her daughter will come but she has to come at 11 am. Wini had spent the weekend so she and I are eating breakfast at 8:30 when Luda sends word they are coming at 9:00. They did with 4 men and 2 young women and Luda. They hit the apartment like storm troopers! Asya was helping me watch my stuff most of which I had packed and set on one side of the bedroom. I had my books and lots of stuff in the hanging bookcases there and had put my dry foods and my few glasses and cups that I have in the kitchen cupboard. I had my cloths, computer, TV in the closet.

 Guess what? They took everything!!!!!!   Bookcases, kitchen cupboards, drapes and the rods and attachments, all the rugs and the refrigerator. I was absolutely devastated. She did leave the stove. Natasha told me that the only reason she didn't take the overhead light fixtures was that they belonged to the previous owner--sometimes they even take the tub, toilet, etc. My bathroom was left intact.Once they were done, Luda starts to mop! I almost literally threw her ass out! I looked around and not a stool, not a fork, nothing, not even a small shitty towel rack was left. Once they were out the door, I broke down. Asya comforted me then took me to their apartment where Natasha forbade me to cry and told me that they were going to "arrange one room" for me--where did I want the bed?" 

Then they began. While I mopped the floor, they hauled in a rug for the living room; then a table for my computer and TV; they brought over 3 of their chairs; dishes, utensils, and a new sauce pan. After I mopped, I was ordered to bring food that needed to be in frig to their apartment. One entire shelf had been cleared just for my food. Yura put together an old small table for my kitchen. Natasha used a large board and we put it on the box in which my TV had come so I had place for setting things and draining dishes. Then I was given a key to their apartment and told to come when I needed food or anything else. Later Yura installed a curtain rod in my room and Natasha hung curtains! What touched me the most was that instead off the mattress that they told me they had stored, they brought Asya's bed in and set it up in the living room so now I can lie in bed, watch TV and or study! Remember that phrase "mne vezla" I am truly lucky. They kept apologizing because the things they gave me were old!

I have arranged my things. Rah Rah has explored new territory and of course is now curled up on the bed/couch napping while I write this. I have an "arranged room" comfy and warm; a place to shelter me for this next month until the new flat is ready. Most of all, I am overwhelmed by such wonderful loving friends that did not nor would let me succumb to bitterness at the very greedy and rather vindictive Luda.  She did not have to take the furniture out yet; she chose to make everything as uncomfortable for me; for Zhanna and for the Druhalchuks as she could.

  Thanks for listening to me vent. Love to each of you my family and my friends