Short and Sweet

The countdown begins.  It is officially 22 days until I find out where I will be placed in Ukraine for my 2 year service, and 25 days when I swear in to become a Peace Corps Volunteer.

I feel like this past week is the week where relationships are finally started to be created.  The first 7 weeks was filled with lesson planning, classes, homework, meeting, etc.  and now that school is coming to an end with no more classes to teach, I have had some time to actually go out in the community and hang out with the kids playing a friendly game of football.

some of the boys I play football with- watching the adults play

I am the person who strongly believes that everything happens for a reason.  I am so thankful for all those years I devoted to soccer.  I have had several people ask me hear as to whether or not I missed playing.  It always caught me by surprise too because I have not really thought about it. But I guess when I first stopped playing competitively, I sometimes felt like I wasted all those years of hard work or that I quit too soon, but really I just started playing a different kind of game, and everyone around the world calls it football. These past couple years I have had the opportunity to connect with kids from around the world by the simple action of kicking a ball.  The nice plus about all those years spent playing soccer is that I am actually half decent (although I am Really REALLY rusty) and the kids enjoy playing with me.  In the town of Kulykivka, there is not one single girls' football team, and it is really weird to see a girl play.  So when I go out on to the field and I am playing with new people, they literally give me a straight up confused look, and even that doesn't describe how funny their faces look.  For all those who know me on the field, all it takes is that one little dance step fake that gets them all to go "OOOOOOOOO" and start actually play.  Anyways, to give everyone the answer to "Do you miss playing?"  The answer is HECK NO.  I am still to this day playing the game I love but am working with kids while I am doing it, and I would not change that in a million years to play competitively.


But to make the title of this blog true to it's name, I will let you all know (which is probably just my grandmother and mom) what are the highlights to my day and the highlights to the past 2 weeks here in Ukraine.

Highlights of a typical day here

our stick figured bodies acting out our Ukrainian dance

• Everyday I walk down my street, there is a dog I named Spot who sprints towards me and then rolls over right by my feet wanting a belly rub.  Apparently the 20 seconds of a belly rub is totally worth it to him to spring a 50 yard dash.  
• Saying Hello to all the Babusyas and Deduces on my street as the respond with something I don't understand or an offer of a shot of vodka.
• My Mamma's home cooked meals every night
• language class being over
• being able to have a 20 minute conversation with my host Mamma without Katya having to "paracladeet" (translate)
• saying hello to the kids/ playing football or some kind of tag/hide and seek game (I still have not fully understood all the rules that they tried explaining to me a million times).
• Ukrainian dance lessons

The "Cool" things I have done in the past 2 weeks

This is Matt Brady in the catacombs everyone!

• 2 weeks ago was Victory Day where we celebrated the victory of WWII and gave our respects and thanks to the veterans. I went to the parade in Kulykivka, and though it wasn't as big as the big cities, it was really neat to see how patriotic this country is.
• I taught my last class (first class by myself, here) to 6th grade.  Taught them environment/ littering/ the 3 Rs/ decomposition.  Though in the beginning I was hoping that the class would be cancelled and I was afraid the whole lesson would go terribly wrong because I didn't have any Ukrainian translations except for the definitions of the material I was teaching.  But, it turned out to be my best lesson, the most fun, and most comfortable.  My Ukrainian language is also well enough where I can make simple commands and get my point across, so it was perfect!  They even LOVED making litter art!!!
• I went clubbing with my host Mamma, and 2 other clustermates and their host moms in Chernihiv.... It was an interesting experience, but NEVER AGAIN.
• English club, I think, is overall successful.  Simon and I are working with 7th grade and the other 3 clustermates are working with 10th grade.  Our 7th grade kids are so into baseball, and Simon and I have been really enjoyed teaching them the game.   It was really neat to see how big of a mess it was the first week, and this past Friday, we actually somewhat played a game.... (making progress= GREAT!)
• After PST University for Youth Development Trainees, I went with the "Kozelets Cluster" to the catacombs.  It was super neat!!  I was also fooled into a joke, which was really funny.  There is a circular part of the catacombs that has a really good acoustic sound, and as we were walking out, I was staring at these 2 girls standing around the circle. She then told us to stand around to fill the circle. This is how the dialog went once we completed the circle:
• Girl:  Do you see?
• Kym (Kozelets girl):  No I don't...
• 2 Girls:  hhhhmmmmmmm (they started to hum--which actually sounded pretty cool)
• Matt Brady:  starts humming too!!
• Me:  Attempted to humm and burst out into laughter.  (I tried keeping my cool so I literally shove my sweatshirt in my mouth, try to refrain from peeing my pants, as well as, figuring out a way to breathe.  Seriously, it was dark, I had no idea what was going on, and I felt soo disrespectful and my laughter was out of control.... I blame it on Matt's humming.
• Me:  I walk away and say "vbachte"- Sorry
• Girl:  It is ok........  *10 seconds pass after me feeling like a terribly rude person*   In a no accent way: It is a joke.
  
  So I know this doesn't really seem like a great story, but if you were there, you would have understood.  it was really neat to get fooled, in such a cool way! 

Anywho,  I have a lot more, but I can't think right now.  

So until next day, 

Put a smile on and enjoy the day!

weekly update

I am back in action on trying to give a blog update once a week with PST.    Though the weeks fly by in a blink of an eye, a lot happens (The actual week flies by, but language class on the other hand, does not).

A lot has been happening at home both good and bad, but I just wanted to let 3 of my great friends Briana, Katelin, and Kirsten know that I am SUPER bummed I missed (Briana)/ missing (Kate and Kirt) your big 2-1, but don’t you worry—I have been practicing a traditional Ukrainian dance to perform for you via youtube (shall be released in about 4 weeks, so stay tuned). 

I told the dance choreographer that I wanted to do something “cool”, other than what were already doing so, I mimicked the hand/leg slapping “stomp the yard” Ukrainian style dance moves.   Apparently it is STRICTLY for men (and I was informed that the gypsies dance like that…—HELLO?!?!  That is what I am talking about! For all of you who thought I was “gypsie-esk”, you are now correct!  I love to dance like a gypsie!!

Dance classes are for sure the highlight of my week.  It is a great stress reliever, culture experience, and just all around FUN!  I am not the lightest person on my feet, but I am working on it. J 

Anyways….

caviar, and delicious food!

Last Monday was the Ukrainian holiday “Heropki”.   I got the pleasure to join my whole host family at the cemetery.  This holiday happens about a week after Easter and it is meant to celebrate ancestors.  At first when I understood that I was going to the cemetery to have a picnic, I was confused, but it was a really cool thing to experience!  The whole town was practically there and everyone brought out their delicious foods: cutlets, pasca bread, delicious veggies, caviar, vodka, wine, and more!  I spent it by “deduyce’s” grave and 2 other people in the family.  The family would lay brightly colored flowers with some Easter eggs, chocolates, and a shot of vodka on the tombstone.  Now that is what I call “pour one out for the homies!”  It was a celebration with everyone and the whole time I had a great warm fuzzy feeling thinking about Grandpa Roth.  This day is not to grieve of them being gone but to celebrate the time that you got to spend with them and to pay your respects, and even though Grandpa Roth’s grave wasn’t there, I sure dedicated this experience to him.  

Celebrating Haropki at the cemetery 

This week I have also dedicated every night to learning how to cook Ukrainian dishes with my host mom.  I have learned how to make Ukrainian “Mamma Inna Style” Borsch, Zapinka, and Plov (pilaf) this week.  The cool thing is, when I realized it was Cinco de Mayo, I was bummin’ out about not being able to eat Mexican food.  I have already been dreaming about food for the past 6 nights, I didn’t want it to be another dream filled with a Mexican buffet with all the hot sauce you can imagine!  I was determined to make some kind of “Mexican” dish.  Going grocery shopping here is way different than in the U.S.   You need to know what store has what, and if you don’t know how to say exactly what you want, good luck because they get everything for you ANNND  they don’t even have everything out on display for you to see.  I came up with the idea to attempt to make enchiladas.  Because of my lack of knowledge on how to cook “Ukrainian” meat (yes it is WAAAAYYY different than buying meat in the store back home), I decided to make vegetarian enchiladas—This was risky especially since my Tato was home and he LOVES meat!  Anyways, to make this short story—well, short,   I went to the bazaar spent 5 minutes trying to direct the lady’s finger to the can of beans that I wanted saying I want the “red can” while everything around it is red as well was not very helpful.  After making a full circle trying to find  “LaVash” which is pretty freakin close to flour tortillas, I was unsuccessful and left the bazaar with all the ladies in the corner laughing at me… (and I have no idea why).  Luckily, my “friend” Sasha was “following” me and once I got out of the store he told me that I could go to the meat shop and find “LaVash” there.  So I said SCORE!

  I went to the meat shop got all the rest of my ingredients and headed home.  I have never actually made enchiladas myself, and cooking in a Ukrainian kitchen is a tad bit different than cooking in my kitchen back home.  Luckily my mamma wanted to learn how to make Enchiladas, so I explained to her in my butchered Ukrainian, how Enchiladas are supposed to taste and how they look along with the general concept of how to make them.  She is a BOMB-ARSE cook, and it was SO cool to make enchiladas with her because she gave me tons of cooking tips while I gave her a new dish.  They turned out Freakin’ amazing and I whooped out my Tapitio sauce and explained to them that they needed to put it on their enchiladas.  It was bomb diggidy, and bean-plentiful.   We are planning on making it again before I leave (but with meat for Tato—and I specified chicken).

As for everything else, all is the same.  

So until next time,

I hope the sun keep sunshinin’ and your face smilin’

Love, Mo

I apologize for all typos in here, I know I should look over what I write, but there is just not enough time right now to do so. I am hoping the internet doesn't shut down in the next 30 seconds!