Have I already been back in the US for ten days? How strange, that time seems to be going quickly during my visit here. My adjustment to Western/US life continues. Sometimes when I am at the store (Target, grocery) with my sister or my mom, I just want to look at all of the products [...]
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I woke up this morning to an e-mail about my blog post, “Getting Out”. It seems that a few PCVs who are still in Ukraine have taken issue with it, and reported it to PC. I was asked to either password protect my blog or be more “culturally sensitive” in my entries. A few people [...]
To pick up where I left off in my last blog…I realized as I was sitting there waiting for my flight that the ticket person to whom I brought my second bag did not put a claim tag on it – she just sent it down the conveyor belt. Maybe, I thought, there would be [...]
This past week has been a week of decompression, which I did not realize but I needed. I was spending the week at a friend’s apartment in Kiev – he works for the embassy, so when I was in the apartment, it was like being in the U.S. However, when I stepped outside, I was [...]
There comes a time in each PCV’s service when she says goodbye to her community, colleagues, and friends. For me, that time came last week, during my final week in Kirovograd. I have to admit, I was disappointed at how the goodbyes started. I had told my primary organization more than three weeks in advance [...]
One of the easiest ways for PCVs in Ukraine to integrate into their communities is the banya. It is a ritual which includes nakedness, steam, heat, food, and alcohol (though not all at once). I have, in my two-plus years here, read many an account and Facebook status that talk about peoples’ experiences at the [...]
Our third morning in Crimea was one of transport – back to Simferopol, to drop off our things and meet another PCV who lives in a nearby village. While we were waiting for him, we passed by a woman selling chebureki (also spelled chiburekki), and even though we had had our breakfast already, we had [...]
Last summer, I had the chance to spend a few weeks in Sudak, on Crimea. Unfortunately, because it was a work-related thing, I was in Sudak for the entire time, and did not get to see any other parts of Crimea, which I really wanted to do. As my time in Ukraine has quickly been [...]
Yesterday was YomHaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. It occurs on the 27th day of Nissan, which is a constant, but on the Gregorian calendar, the date changes. This year, YomHaShoah was from sundown on April 18th to sundown on April 19th. The intent of this day being recognized is so that the world does not [...]
This morning I read a commentary on CNN, called “Take a risk and put your true self out there”. The commentary is about the author’s research into human behavior, and, more specifically, into the trait of authenticity. She argues that authenticity “has become one of those buzzwords that we love to hate,” and that it [...]
One of the questions you get as a Volunteer who is on her way out (as of today, I return to the US in 38 days) is “what are you doing to do next/where are you going now?” It is not a question that most of us love. This is a topic that came up [...]
Sometimes it helps to know someone is there and is willing to be the fool. This time, I was the fool. Literally – as in going to Odessa for the annual April 1st celebration. It started with a phone call last week – a friend was supposed to go to Budapest, and found out when [...]
As I sit here in my coat, watching the snow come down outside (and double-checking my calendar that it is indeed March 27), I cannot help but be a bit distracted. It is cold, the heat has been turned off, and the only thing I can think of is “when do I get to be [...]
Last week I began preparing for the end of my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine. Between closing out my SPA grant, having a final physical exam, going to the dentist, and attending my group’s Close of Service Conference, the fact that I am leaving this country in eight weeks is starting to [...]
It is well-known that Julius Caesar had a bit of trouble around the Ides of March – ignoring the warning a seer had given him, he went to the Senate and was stabbed 23 times, most notably by his best friend. That’s what I call a bad day. For me, so far today, the Ides [...]
Today is a fabulous holiday that, sadly, is little-recognized in the United States – International Women’s Day. It is, however, recognized, and celebrated, in Ukraine. Unlike Mother’s Day, International Women’s Day does not just celebrate women with children – it is to recognize ALL women, in all of our fabulousness. Most people do not know [...]
After last week, when the act of communication seemed to pose some difficulty, today felt like one of the days where you place a big check in the “win” column. More than a year ago, I went with one of the librarians to PEPFAR training in Kiev, and afterward tried to write a program for [...]
Epictetus said, “it is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows.” I was reminded of that once again this morning, during a trip to the university. Overall, things at the university go without any problems – I go there and conduct guest lectures, sometimes help with special events, and sometimes [...]
A mere two weeks ago I was staying at my friend’s apartment to cat sit, and to take advantage of her heat, because it was so cold. In the last week, it snowed three times. Then a few days ago, the meltdown started. One day I went outside and felt that the breeze was not [...]
My life in Kirovograd has become what a person could call routine – I work at the library three days a week, at the Technical University one day a week, and most of the time at the Technical College part of a day as well. On Saturdays I usually help out my friends S & [...]
For the first time in 30 years, the Black Sea froze in Ukraine. That’s how cold it is here. What’s been going on since my last post? Well, a friend of mine braved the weather and visited me (a long overdue visit it was, but she had motivation to come, since I had a gift [...]
It’s cold in Ukraine. It is cold enough that many of the village and primary schools are cancelling classes because it is too cold for students to walk to school. It is cold enough that many of the parents of my friends’ students (they have an English language school) called on Saturday morning to say [...]
I am now sitting in my room in Kirovograd – how quickly we go, in our day and age, from one time zone and type of climate to another one. My flight left at 6 a.m. Bangkok time. Well, that is when it was scheduled to leave, anyway. After getting up at 2 a.m. (not [...]
Yesterday and today I did a couple of typical “tourist” activities in Chiang Mai – yesterday it was a day-long tour to Chiang Rai, the Golden Triangle, and to visit a Karen hill tribe. What it meant was a lot of time in the vehicle, and not as much time as I would have liked [...]
How can a person top spending a day with the elephants? A person cannot, so I decided to spend today exploring Chiang Mai a bit. Something about Chiang Mai – it is a jumping-off point for many different activities – from elephant days to jungle treks, cooking and massage schools, and many others. Chiang Mai [...]
Today was the day I had been looking forward to since I knew I was coming to Thailand – a day with elephants! Upon the recommendation of a Peace Corps Thailand Volunteer, I decided to go with a program at Woody Elephant Training rather than some of the others that are available (and there are [...]
While I was in Bangkok and deciding how to come to Chiang Mai, I took the shortest route – by air. The fare I got was not much more than the train would have been (or the same as a first-class compartment would have cost) but I decided to save myself the equivalent of a [...]
As of today, I have been in Bangkok for 35 days. The original idea is that I would come here and be in Bangkok for up to a week, then go to Chiang Mai for a week, then back to Ukraine. Funny how things never happen quite the way we think or plan that they [...]
As of today, I have been in Bangkok a month. I know this for a fact because I am currently sitting in the hospital, waiting for my appointment in which the hospital will assist me in renewing my visa. I got an e-mail yesterday from my counterpart, asking why I have been keeping silent. Well, [...]
A couple of posts ago, I mentioned another Volunteer who is also in Bangkok for a similar reason as I am. He has been doing well but spends most of his time in his room, reading, watching movies or TV shows he downloads, etc. – mostly because his mobility is somewhat compromised. Well, compromised or [...]
Being away from family and friends during the holiday season is nothing new to me – as a matter of fact, I have been away from them a number of times over the course of my adult life. Nevertheless, this time I am in a tropical climate, in a country where most people do not [...]
In case anyone who reads my blog is wondering, yes I am still in Bangkok but I have not posted anything in a few days because I have been laying low. After my eight-hour walk, I had seen most everything I was interested in seeing here, and the more I go out and do things, [...]
This was written on the evening of December 19th… Last night I decided that I was going to at last visit The Grand Palace today. All materials suggest that a person arrive early in order to avoid the crowds – one book said “if you arrive at 8:30 a.m. when the gates first open, you [...]
This was written on the evening of December 17 - One of the things I wanted to do while visiting Bangkok was to visit a floating market. However, I wanted to avoid one of the canned tours to a market that is more about catering to tourists than to Thais. So I considered myself lucky [...]
This was written last night… As today is my seventh day in Bangkok, I decided it was time to take a day trip to a nearby area, which a couple of PCVs had recommended I visit, especially when they heard of my interest/hobby, photography. So yesterday I got instructions on how to find a minivan [...]
So what exciting things have I been up to in the past couple of days? Not a whole lot! Yesterday I had some “business” to do in the first part of the day, then decided to head toward the Grand Palace. Well, I learned that taking a bus in certain parts of this city is [...]
There are two main reasons for people to come to Bangkok – medical tourism and shopping (I am ignoring the small number of people who come for sex tourism). In the past four days, I have learned more about the shopping reason. This city is a consumer’s heaven. Everywhere I go, there is either a [...]
At the moment it is 4:15 p.m. Bangkok time on December 10th. I wrote this last night but was unable to post it until now: I am loving Bangkok. So far, the city has provided me with diversity in my transportation (skyline/ell, metro underground, bus, tuk tuk, water taxi); language (I lost count of how [...]
So at the time I was writing my first post this morning, I was supposed to be calling the Peace Corps doctors here, and I am blaming jet lag and three bad hours of sleep I had for the fact that I did not…but yikes. I got an e-mail, attempts to reach me on my [...]
After a 9-1/2 hour flight, I arrived at 4:30 a.m. local time in Bangkok. As usual with any sort of transportation, getting here was certainly interesting (though perhaps it should not have been). I had thought, “I am sure we won’t have a full flight – after all, just how many people fly from Bangkok [...]
Another year has passed and it was time to celebrate another birthday. Although this was not a milestone birthday (unlike last year), I celebrated it in style this time (though not without a mishap). On Friday night I was eagerly awaiting my friend’s arrival. She was schlepping all the way across the oblast to spend [...]
It has been a busy week. For me, that means it has been a good week. The week started out normally, with me at the library, but as I knew what was coming, I tried to prepare (as much as a procrastinator can). Tuesday I started with two hours of Russian tutoring, then I had [...]
Last week when I was at the Technical College, the teacher with whom I work brought in someone from a local “psychology center”. She was there to conduct a session on visualization. I sat there while she explained to the students what they should do – use the magazines they were provided with to find [...]
Lately it has seemed like I have had a whole slew of learning experiences, and it has kind of felt like even though I have lived here for 21 months, I know nothing about this culture in which I live. Example one – a year and a half ago, when I arrived in Kirovograd, I [...]
I arrived in Kiev on Tuesday evening, with a two-fold purpose – to conduct training on Westlaw at the Rada, and to visit Peace Corps for a flu shot. Though to be honest, the flu shot was a by-the-way – my real purpose was to conduct the training and, I thought, touch base with some [...]
The other day, an English teacher from the Pedagogical University asked me why in English we say “the Ukraine” instead of simply “Ukraine”. I told her that I honestly did not know, as in my view, Ukraine is the name of the country, and calling it “the Ukraine” would be akin to saying “the France” [...]
Today was one of those days that was unusual, interesting, a little bit exhausting…which means it is one of those days that I felt was a good one. It started with tea at Sasha and Alyona’s, before we headed out to the opening of two more Bibliomist centers; one in a Rayon center called Oleksandriya [...]
As most people who know me know, I listen to podcasts, one of which is “On Being” from National Public Radio. The host, Krista Tippett, is fabulous – I envy her for her job because she gets to talk to some really interesting people, and I can only imagine the personal development and satisfaction she [...]
It has been a rough time lately. Without going into great detail, I will just say I have been a bit down. Luckily, I recently have become friends with a couple who have brought some light back into my life. Even though I have been down and I am not the most outgoing person, they [...]
I realized this morning that it has been a week since I last wrote in my blog. This is usually indicative of my being out of town (I wish) or of the fact that I have not really had much to write about. Not that nothing has happened. Life has continued its daily routine, but [...]
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