Baseball, Fighting, and Confusion

3 weeks have passed since school has started, and though it seems like it has been longer, I can't believe it is almost October!

The first couple weeks have been filled with confusion, small talk trying to get to know the teachers and staff at the school, and  a miracle.  The Director put me in contact with the football trainer of Kremenets, and he agreed to help me start a girls' football team at my school.  Not only did he just do that, he has been picking me up 3 days a week to go play with the college/institute boys and girls at the stadium in the center.  It is awesome because it is has been a great/easy way to make friends and, there is nothing I like better than to go outside and play soccer.  (football is soccer here, if you have not caught on to that yet...)

Besides the soccer deal I got going on, everything else is pretty much at a standstill.  I am having a difficult time getting English Club launched simply because of schedule conflicts.Overall the "work" related aspect of my service has been an "odd" 3 weeks with confrontations, mis-communications, traveling, and figuring things out slowly but surely.  But I can reassure you that me hanging out with the kids, playing, etc.  is very successful (I guess that is kind of my job?)--I am not too sure...

Kremenets Internat Little League team 

Lucky for me, there is a little league baseball tournament this weekend.  Vasyl Tarasko is the Director of Little League baseball in Ukraine. He is from America but is Ukrainian and came here around 20 or so years ago.  It was awesome being a part of his "project" and I think it is awesome how he went back to his roots to help improve the lives of the younger generation.


Saturday the kids had a lottery raffle for baseball hats, shirts, balls, mits, etc.  Of course, there is always that one special kid you spot out right at the beginning and he becomes your "secret" favorite.   Well this boy, Tolik, proved his special place in my heart.  Each kid received a raffle ticket-- then, all those raffle tickets were used as the order of who got to pick an item.  Vasyl went through the numbers 2 rounds and was about to start going on the third.  I looked at Tolik and he had that "why wasn't my number called looked?" and I knew something was up.  Finally, I asked him how many times he got to pick an item and he told me 1.  He was just sitting there not saying anything, already grateful for what he got the first time.  I was on a mission to make sure he got to get at least a baseball hat. I told Vasyl and Samantha (another PCV) what was up, so when Samantha started calling out numbers, She just called out Tolik's so that he could get a baseball hat.  She then found Tolik's number on the table (it never made it back in the bag), so we put it back in the bag just in time for the "surprise presents" raffle. When Vasyl pulled out the ticket-- It was Tolik's!!!  He recieved a Poland/Ukraine EuroCup scarf, a Boston Red Sox hat, Yankees hat, 2 baseballs, batting gloves, and a new glove.  At first I thought he Vasyl rigged  it because he felt bad, but he really did pull out the missing number!

Tolik opening his surprise box

Anyways, he was the happiest kid ever!  And I was happy too!  He thought I was his fairy godmother for doing something!  I love when the appreciative, polite, and happy kids get things!!

Fiesty girls- they are great! 

So the baseball teams stayed in the dorms too, and was it exciting!!  There was so much going on this weekend for everyone--I loved it!    Yesterday the teams were all leaving but, the team from Luhansk, Lutuhyne wasn't leaving until 1am to catch a 3 am train so I got to hang out with all the internat kids, Tolik, and his teammates. I guess I have now faced reality with what really goes on in some of these kids lives.  There was so much fighting I didn't know what to do!  I physically had to break up 3 fights yesterday and finally had the most ridiculous conversation with about 15-20 kids telling them that it is SO not cool to fight-- but I had no idea how to say fight, so I just acted it out.... I am not too sure how affective that was- but at least I know I should practice some disciplinary Ukrainian.  I just threatened to take my soccer ball and not play with them anymore.  It seemed to work-- and at dinner the ones involved got in trouble by the teachers on duty so they were not allowed to go outside after dinner.  I thought--GOOD!  It was bad.  Anytime someone accidentally got hit with a ball or didn't get their way, they would start crying and act out in fighting.  So that is my next project-- teaching them how to handle their quick angered emotions and not retaliating with violence.

So to wrap it up-- Everything is going well!  I know that with time, I will find my place here and will feel the comfort of "being home".  And I have decided that I hope to have a soccer girl and a baseball boy someday.  God willing.  :)

Until Next Time,


Play Ball!

Unrelated

So I go in Pinterest a lot during my free time, and I just saw a quote saying " Eat to live but, don't live to eat" and when I read this I said to myself, and to Caitlyn "I DISAGREE"!!!  Some of my best memories in life come from food.  There are some foods I will NEVER want to try, and some that I a DYING to try.  Food is delicious, and I think that it is totally fine to want to live so that you can eat more.  Yes, I probably have a food problem, but who doesn't!?  I love to eat, and I know for a fact that if I knew I was going to die in a week it will be spent with everyone I love eating delicious food all day long. 

So take this Pinterest and all you thin-spiration quotes!

I will post a real post about the updates/ events going on in my life when I have "time"

Until Next Time,
Chow down on some delicious grub!

First Bell

"The essence of Frazer's achievements was that he saw the need to stand outside his own culture to understand other cultures."

Sir James George Frazer (social anthropologist)

Before I came to Ukraine, I made a photo calendar on Shutterfly filled with pictures of friends and family back home.  Because I could only do it for 18 months, I decided to start September 2011 (today)!!!  Each month I included photos that reminded me of that month along with one of my favorite quotes from the book Simply Living.  It so happens that the quote above was this months selected favorite.  

Today was the First Bell.   In Ukraine, school is started off every year with a First Bell.   Today at 9am, children, parents, and faculty members all gathered in front of school ready to welcome the first day  along with welcoming the first time school children.  Here you could see all the children in their fine attire along with a bunch of beautiful and colorful flowers in their hands waiting to give to their teachers.  At this ceremony/parade (whatever you want to call it), a first form girl sits on the shoulders of an 11th form boy and rings the symbolic First Bell signifying the start of the school year.  Along with this, there were a lot of other festivities pertaining to the First form (grade), and the 11th form. This year is a very special year for my school, not only because I am here (joke), but because this year is the 50th anniversary of the school. We have completed the new "Performing Arts Center", and boy does it look beautiful!!!  We are also trying to hurry up to finish the museum of the school's history before October 15th (the anniversary date).   I will post pictures of these rooms as soon as I take the photos of them! 

Honestly, today was overall a good day, but it was probably one of the most awkward days of my entire life.  Now I have always been in awkward moments and it is no big deal to me, but today was awkward and frustrating. There is something about being the new kid on the block but being the new kid on the block that doesn't speak the native language is something entirely different.  Now I put on that smile and say "добрий день"  to all those people I pass, but Ukrainians are so hard to read by their facial expressions... I mean come on-- slap a smile on for me or something!!    So after not knowing what was going on the entire day and just being stared at with that straight face of theirs for about 4 hours, it got a tad bit frustrating.  BUT--- Kids always save the day.  I went back to my room once a teacher told me I could, and once I got there,  I did not like the way the day ended... I thought to myself "what the He!! just happened?"  So I decided to go for round 2.  I grabbed my bag and my camera and walked outside and walked up to a group of students and they all started shouting "Hello" "What is your name"  "how age you" etc. (pauses were filled with laughter) and I responded in Ukrainian which they absolutely got a kick out of... and then we became friends-- Just like that!  Viola!  Easy! Done!  Kids rock!  I wish everyone had that care free and friendly mentality that children have... at what age do we start losing that attitude, anyways??

Now, everyday I may need to remind myself whenever I feel any kind of frustration or negativity as to why I am here.  But that is OK because I have come up with a system to counteract those feeling.  That system is: every time I start to feel that frustration or negativity, I need to look at the bigger picture, I need to come up with at least 2 positives about that situation, and I need to think again what my intentions are on being here and think of things I can do better to turn those intentions into actions and behaviors.

This month's quote from my 18 month photo calendar ties in well for today's feelings.   I joined the Peace Corps to step outside my own culture and comfort zone to experience and understand another culture.  I knew coming here that it would probably be more culturally challenging, for me personally, than to go back to Africa.  But, today is a little reminder that I have so much more to learn here. I have not fully gotten an understanding of the culture hence my frustration and stress on not knowing what is going on.  So, here it is.   Cheers to the start of a wonderful new school year.  May this year be filled with children learning more than just the basic curriculum, and may it be filled with me learning more about Ukrainian culture, myself, and us as a people and a global community.  May it be filled with new friendships and wonderful memories!  

Until Next Time,

Bonne Chance,  бажаю успіху, and good luck!