Beets, They're Nature's Candy Don't Ya Know

Hey guys. I wish you knew how bad I want all of you to see the city I'm living in. I feel like I've stepped back in time, sort of. Culturally, I live in Mayberry. I went to the police station to get some info and watched as they booked two drunk old men with whom they joked and didn't even handcuff. And from the looks of things, that's about as bad as it gets in terms of crime around here. I'm sure there are rare cases of violence, but I think they're the exception. I'm yet to see a police officer on patrol. It's honestly comforting to live in a present day romanticized version of Southern American culture pre 1980. Kids ride their bikes all day and play in the myriad of playgrounds. Mom's stroll together pushing their babies. Everybody's outside, frantically cleaning, planting, and painting. They welcome spring on a grand scale here. It is their reward after such long winters.

Training continues to be rough. Tons of language, but lots of technical as well. This week alone we observed two classes, met with the Department of Family, and planted 'Trees of Friendship' at the Creative Center. The tree planting was interesting as we expected the event to be ceremonial. We ended up planting a small forest behind the center, along with a ceremonial tree out front. On top of all that, we each have planned a lesson which we will teach in a Ukranian classroom next Thursday, in Russian. I've got 7th grade. Yay. There is also 3 hours of Russian every day, with 1.5 hours of tutoring once a week. Ok, enough whining.

I was lucky to attend Orthodox mass with my host family last Sunday. It was just like the Orthodox mass I attended in Atlanta, which of course made me homesick. It made me really wish I understood the language so I could participate. The church was beautiful. It was wooden and painted a pastel blue. Of course icons were everywhere, none of which matched. Saint Gregory is the church's patron saint so he showed up everywhere. It was Palm Sunday, which for this church is Willow Sunday. I didn't figure this out until after the service. I kept wondering why my host mom put strange branches in my hand when we walked in the church. Now they're in a vase in my room. The singing was beautiful, and the language sounded its fullest. If you want the southern accent at it's finest, attend a Baptist church in south Georgia. Italian is best heard at the Vatican. Orthodox mass displays Russian at its greatest. I can't wait to be able to pray in Russian. The only thing that sort of surprised me about the service was that the priest heard confession before the service. This happened in public, with the priest covering the confessee's head with a shawl and putting his ear underneath. He would then pray over the confessee. It actually seemed really cool.

I continually find little nuances in my domestication that are lacking. I realized the other day that I've never hung laundry on a line before. There is apparently a right and wrong way to do it. Luckily my apartment in Atlanta lacked several modern conveniences so I could be comfortable with a few things, especially handwashing dishes. When I get to my site I'll probably have to handwash clothes and take bucket showers. But I've realized everything still gets done the same, even if it takes a little more time and effort. But it's nice, mind numbing work that makes me feel good.

In response to questions: My wardrobe is rather extensive compared to Ukrainians, and fellow volunteers. Though the other day, my host dad walked in to breakfast wearing the same exact outfit as me. I noticed he was wearing a different tie when he left. One of my cluster mates made fun of some of my jeans saying I looked European. Either way I still look really American. I do have to dress up most days, and on days we visit organizations I'm wearing tie and jacket. If you know me, then you know I kinda enjoy it. As for relaxing, I do a ton of reading like I said before. I've never put reading before TV, but I actually prefer it. Now I'm reading 'Away Down South' which discusses the identity of the American South and is really enlightening for Ukranian culture. They are similar in that both cultures are struggling out of an agrarian mindset to industrial/modern. I really want to write a paper on this topic right now. Sad. As for what I do for fun, there's not a whole lot of time, or a whole lot to do. We watched a movie as a cluster last week and went to a soccer match. Honestly, talking on the phone and using the internet are pretty sweet recreational activities.

This leads me to discuss Ukranian culture a little bit. They spend most of their time in their homes. Bars are unsafe, unpopular places that have terrible reputations. It's inappropriate to even be seen in a bar (sound familiar?). And people cook everything from scratch at home, which is often better than restaurants and cafes. So really, there's not much to do outside of class and my host family. And my cluster mates and I are always so worn out and sick of each other that the last thing we want to do is spend the rest of the night playing cards or uno.

Alright, long post. I hope you're still reading! But just know that everything is going well. I'm well taken care of and learning alot. Being from a small town in Georgia actually makes everything a little easier since the cultures match alot. I'm trying to control my expectations and just let myself be satisfied with "everything will be ok" -Jason Kofke. Till my next post, peace.