The Summer 'Recap'

Well, it’s been a long time, and a lot’s happened this past summer. I know a lot of you aren’t big fans of the ‘recap’, but I feel one’s necessary to even begin to move forward. Unfortunately there’s not one major theme that can tie everything together. But my summer has definitely been one for the books, and lived up to every expectation I had.

I began in early June by holding a leadership school for the 5^th through 8^th grades at my school. My site mate Mattison helped me out, and we conducted short lessons and activities on leadership. The lessons went ok, except for one day the kids were just stubborn and massive pains. The setup wasn’t ideal – around 50 kids at a time stuck in an auditorium on the first days of summer break. Luckily the lessons only lasted about 45 minutes. It was the first time I and my school found something major to work together on, and the first time I think they really took me seriously. I actually felt their appreciation, which is a big success.

Through a lucky miscommunication and an executive decision by my director, I got ‘stuck’ babysitting the 1^st through 5^th graders during their school day camp. At first it was assumed I was incapable of handling the rugrats in Russian for 4 hours a day. But they don’t realize I operate on around a 5^th grade level, and there are plenty of different ways to communicate besides words. I had a blast and got to know the kids that had more or less been hidden from me due to reservations based on my language abilities. It was a ton of fun and most likely opened up some opportunities. Most of all, I garnered more approval from my school.

Then there was some blissful time off. I went out to Lviv and got to see the Polish side of Ukraine which was really Western and beautiful in contrast to the stark, Soviet East. I got to go rock climbing and camping. Me and Mattison put our bikes to work as evidenced by the necessity to allot 30 extra minutes every ride for repairs. We probably found every swimmable pond in a 30 mile radius.

Then I took off for Russia. I met up with a group from my church in Ringgold down in the Caucasus Mountains and helped with a summer camp. I got to really practice my Russian and put my Peace Corps training to use while teaching football and ultimate Frisbee. The camp site was beautiful, right next to a river and in view of snow capped peaks. I made some amazing friends and really felt like I was with brothers and sisters. No floods this time, but a nasty stomach virus spread through all the Americans, starting with me. I was lucky just to suffer for one night, but there was one moment where I looked around and lonelily wondered where all the Americans had gone. They were all holed up in the hotel on the premises of the conference center where we had our meals and meetings. Luckily everybody was healthy enough to travel to Moscow and on to home.

Moscow was excellent. Did the typical tourist stuff with the group around Red Square. Then I spent some time with an acquaintance in one of the outer areas of the city. I hoped she would just let me explore on my own and let me rest from my exhausting time in the mountains. No. She wanted to show me her favorite parks, both of which were massive and nowhere near her apartment. But they were amazing and beautiful and she was a brilliant guide. I finally got the gist of Moscow summer life with people lolling about on the grass, playing sports, strolling at glacial paces I find impossible to mimic. Muscovites love their parks and cherish the sun. As for resting, my hostess graciously allowed me to nap for a couple of hours in a park since her apartment was too hot, and then took me to the gym at 10pm. Around midnight we had coffee, then we went to the grocery store. I was exhausted and ready to pass out, and she finally let me go to sleep. The next day I took a marvelously air conditioned speed train to St. Petersburg.

In St. Petersburg I ran myself ragged. In the 5 days I spent there I probably saw what most people would comfortably see in a week and a half. But with the basic absence total darkness, it was too hard not to lounge in a park reading a book past 10pm. I missed most of my meals except when I could grab a little street food, started my day early, and collapsed late. St. Petersburg is a baroque Disney World. Luckily, baroque is my favorite style, and I just couldn’t get enough. The palaces located away from the city looked like fairy tales with sprawling English gardens. The czars really didn’t get the concept of modesty. My only issue with St. Pete was that it was so disjointed and difficult to get around. It wasn’t a very cohesive city, like Moscow. But then again, it wasn’t planned to be. Of note, I ate all of my meals in wonderful fast food restaurants I haven’t set foot in for over a year. Pizza Hut, Subway, KFC, just to name a few. The best ones were the restaurants that had drink machines that would let you fill your cup with as much ice as you wanted, a phenomenon I’m not sure exists anywhere in Ukraine. You might think it’s sad or pathetic that I didn’t go for more native cuisine, but let’s be honest. I eat borsch every day at school, and it really doesn’t get more complex than that. Forgive me for going for comfort rather than the norm.

I came back to Ukraine and had a couple weeks to recover before I began work at a couple of camps. However, the camp for which I was the activities director got canceled at the very last minute due to soviet style extortion. I was disappointed, but it gave me some more time to relax, like I needed it. I went out to central Ukraine for Camp LEAD, which was focused on leadership, as the name implies. I worked like a dog to explain concepts like stigma and discrimination to high schoolers, but they were troopers and I wanted to bring them all back to my school with me. I had a blast and got lots of much needed practice teaching in front of a classroom.

Then school started. Having met with my director and assistant director, it seems we’ve finally struck middle ground for what the school wants from me. They realize my limitations, but understand it’s not a lack of effort. So they are finally making concessions that will hopefully lead to a more successful semester. I’m also working on a grant to create a communications center for the school where they can write newspapers and record radio broadcasts. The thought of their American bringing them money has definitely increased my approval rating.

Then out of the ashes Camp HEAL came back into existence. It had to be scaled back, but it was still a great success and I got to perform the duties I was so looking forward to. As was Camp LEAD, Camp HEAL was extremely exhausting. But this time I was working with university students and developed some closer relationships, especially since their English was excellent. Camp HEAL covered some major topics such as leadership, HIV/AIDS biology and transmission, human trafficking, and healthy lifestyles. The participants also had to write, film, and produce a 30 second PSA about a topic from the camp. To test students’ comprehension of topics, we had them prepare a lesson plan from one of the topics covered at the camp and teach it to other students from their university. The camp only lasted 3.5 days, but it was intense and left some lasting impressions on the students. Plus, they now know tons of ridiculous games I and the other counselors taught them. So it wasn’t all work and no play.

This summer, as you probably heard me complain, was unbearably hot. I don’t understand how a place that experiences -20 F temperatures in winter can see sustained +100 F temperatures in the summer. Believe me, the infrastructure is better designed to handle -20 than +100. But the temperature quickly dropped. Now we’re in the 50s and 60s everyday, much to my dismay. I love fall, but not in September. At this rate it’s going to snow in October, and that’s not okay. We’re making the best of it. Me and Mattison put in 140 miles on the bikes this weekend, thanks to a 70 mile group ride which featured some Dutch people and a trip down into a massive salt mine. We’re even trying to pretend it’s still warm enough to swim, going for quick dips in ponds after warming rides. We’re not really convincing ourselves well though. It’s not cool when things go numb. So now my life is heading back to order now that all the camps are over and school has started back. But I’m on the downward slope – 10 months to go!