Over the Hill

So I finally feel like I’m getting the hang of training and the end is in sight, when I get sick. And it’s hitting everybody, link cluster included. Started on Wednesday with a runny nose. No big deal, I’ve had a runny nose for about 3 months, must just be allergies. After I drug myself out of bed for class on Tuesday, it became obvious I was going to dehydrate through my nose. After the first 30 minutes of my tutoring I pretty much forgot all Russian, and English for that matter. Then I had to go teach a class, then suffer through a few more hours of class. I was miserable. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a true sinus infection. But two Benadryl and 13 hours of sleep later I felt a little better. Now it has moved down into my chest, but luckily I can at least think clearly. It’s really hard to speak Russian with a stuffy head.

So, three more cultural experiences to note. First, my cluster and link cluster went to Peregova Museum outside of Kiev, which is an open air collection of art and architecture throughout Ukraine’s history. And when I say open air, I mean acres and acres of exhibits in what could be useful farmland. And lucky for us, there was a massive craft fair going on. Of course none of us get paid enough to buy anything, but I found a couple of cheap, non-breakable trinkets for souvenirs. There was also some folk dancing and singing that was reminiscent of any folk festival and craft fair back home. Except that it was Ukrainian of course. No clogging or square dancing. But there were fiddles and mandolins, with the occasional accordion thrown in. It was really an amazing day and it was cool to see the old style Ukrainian villages.

Second, my cluster was invited to a “Ukrainian Discotech” which benefitted a charity. By Ukrainian they meant dress up in traditional Ukrainian clothes and come hang out with a bunch of teenagers. It was so cool. We picked out costumes from the costume closet of the House of Creativity and went and partied like we were in high school. Of course we Americans were picked on to take part in several embarrassing games. But it was so great to see some of the students we teach outside of class taking part and leading such a positive event.

Finally, this past Saturday was Victory Day in Ukraine. It basically is celebrated similar to Veterans or Memorial Day in America. Of course it commemorates the victory of WWII. It is interesting to feel the significance of WWII here. What we don’t feel about WWII in America is the consequence of having our homeland dominated, then the pride of driving the conquerors out to their defeat. The war is still very tangible here. They even dub certain cities “Hero Cities” depending on their valor during the war. It also keeps Ukrainians connected with their Soviet neighbors and Soviet past, and rightly so. The day was celebrated with a ceremony at the WWII memorial in town, with families and friends of those killed in the war laying flowers on the names of their loved ones. That afternoon there was a concert at which several dance troupes and singing groups, mostly traditional and folk, performed, including my host father. Then everyone went out for picnics and made merry for the rest of the day. There were supposed to be fireworks that night but they never happened, so we just hung out by the memorial talking to people we knew. It became evident how quickly we have integrated in this city as we said hi and shook hands at every turn, and even conducted a little business. We may not pass for Ukrainians yet, but we certainly have a lot of friends.

Things are starting to pay off and I feel like doing this on my own at site might be possible. The language barrier no longer seems to affect classroom management and my lesson plans are getting better and easier. Now I need to focus on my teaching skills specifically. We’ve been getting around decently with our Russian, and are finding people who speak enough English to supplement our shortfalls. And all the meetings we had at the beginning of training are starting to pay dividends as we look for support in planning our camp and community project. We just passed the halfway mark at training, and I’m starting to feel a little confidence that I’ll make it through.