Time to put this ish under lock down! So I moved the blog folks!!

www.rachelinukraine.wordpress.com

Come follow me there and email me for the password

rsavereux@gmail.com

Quick Month Wrap Up Newspaper article about my English Club It has been about a month since my last update. The weather here for the month of August was not as bad as July in my opinion...However, maybe that is because I broke down and bought a new fan. I started an English club here in the town’s library. It gives me a chance to meet some of the youth here in the community. The first lesson was just a basic overview and a get to know each other session, because I had no idea of what level the kids were going to be at. I have students from 6-13 or so. They are a great group of kids. The older kids help out a lot and I make sure to keep it challenging for them. I also ask them to help the younger kids in turn helps them as well. School starts up here in about a week so we are scheduling our 4th class right now. The Librarian Tanya has also asked me to teach classes on healthy lifestyles. This is what I am really looking forward to and might try to turn it into and after school activity. I really love the Librarian and how active she really wants to be apart of the ideas I have. She took the liberty to write and article about me in the newspaper and I was extremely flattered by this. I am eagerly thinking about ways I can help out the library in anyway to show appreciation for their help and kindness.

Nameless and I. Chillin' on the computer!

I also have a new cat. Nameless because nothing is seems to fit and settle in just yet. It is adorable and the cuddliest cat ever. It is nice to come home to for sure. :)

Condoms anyone?? Kovcheg - is the name of the rock concert that took place in my Rayon this last weekend or so. It reminded me a lot of the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington. A stage right on the water, amazing bands...however the turnout is what was missing. It is a concert that is aimed at youth and the fight against smoking, HIV/AIDS and narcotics. I am really interesting in being more deeply involved the following year as a potential secondary project. My office bought and handed out over 1,000 condoms, that's a success in my book!

Bazaar Yesterday I went to the market in the larger town nearby called Новодністровськ (Novodnestrovsk) with my director. It was a chance for me to get clothes that actually fit since I have lost about 2 sizes since I have been here. (40lbs to be exact) I swim in all my clothes, which is nice, but frustrating at the same time. The ride there was crazy. When we left my town, the bus was already jammed pack, no more seats or standing room. But 5min down the road at the next bus stop what happened you ask....the driver stopped and people rushed the doors. I have never felt so claustrophobic..well except the one time at the Monk Caves in Kyiv..but that is another story... Ok..So not only is this the biggest shopping area within 100miles or so, but I totally forgot that it was the weekend before the kids go back to school. So there were hundreds of kids and anxious moms all searching for the perfect school materials and clothes. Frustrated and tired moms watching their daughters try on clothes that were way too expensive..I even heard "Do you want one expensive pair of jeans or a few less expensive ones?" The reply, sad eyes included, "I want these"... Mom, "Bodja Mee" (my god my god.)

There is no such thing as shyness or embarrassment at these bazaars when it comes to clothes shopping. You do not get to discreetly shop around on your own, you need help from the people that work there. So this is usually how it went down…We walk up to a booth, my director asks, “can you show us jeans in her size?” Then you get looked up and down, slightly groped, asked to turn around and then are handed what the expert suggest is the best size for you. You are then escorted behind a curtain that might as well not be there because it is open on all the other sides and facing the men’s shopping area. The culture here is tight clothes and oh yeah tighter, which I do not mind so much, but I am not loosing my comfort requirement however. So I asked for one size bigger and TaDa! A match. I ask about the length and if there is anything shorter and the response was for me to find big heels. Makes sense since I am the weird one in Flip Flops and flats all the time. In the end I bought the jeans (220Hrv or roughly $25 or so). I also bought a Chainick which is a contraption to boil water for chai or coffee, but was given a good idea from Katelyn, another PCV, to use the hot water to wash my clothes in too! Always lookin for those kinda hints.

Once finished at the bazaar my director told me I should try calling the PCV that lives in Novodnestrovsk named Joe. The two of us have been trying to meet up but have not had matching schedules. I called and this time it worked. We met up with him and he walked us to the bus station. My director exclaimed to me once on the bus, “He does exist!” She has recently been calling him a phantom since I always was proclaiming that there was another American in the city over, but she never had met him.

On the ride home my director told me (not for the first or second time) “Rachel, I love you, Але я не знаю, чому але так.” ( I do not know why but I do) I first of all love that she says it to me in English because she does not speak any, unless it is a French cognate. Second of all, I am just as amused with her as she is of me, and I love the honesty behind the saying. “I do not know why, but I do.” It just makes me happy and laugh every time…

@ Kovcheg Olha and I @ Kovcheg Alla my Counterpart Irya my Director

Group photoKids (and man) sidewalk competitionOk so not really TV, BUT the news paper and internet. The other week we had a sidewalk chalk art competition. The task at hand, draw your best anti-narcotic statement. I was asked to oversee and help the kids brainstorm creative and artistic ideas. I had many, but the girls wanted nothing to do with my ideas, they were on a roll and the boys were more interested in asking me about Triple H and John Cena. They freakin LOVE WWE here. The boys needed some ideas so I suggested, "Moshleevo, palm/yhat/nick?" Which means, "Maybe a Tombstone?" They loved it. My other suggestion was a skull and crossbones..but they just wanted to finish and talk about wrestling. However, my knowledge on the subject relates back to when The Rock Dwayne Johnson was popular. Come on now...I am not that old, but they had no idea who the hell I was talking about. I dare to mention Hulk Hogan right??

Here are the links to the two websites I make an appearance in:

http://gromady.cv.ua/sk/news/17523/

http://gromady.cv.ua/sk/news/17482/

Talking about myself @ campAnti-Smoking ClassI also taught a lesson on smoking at a nearby summer camp. I arrived at the camp pumped to present to a small class sized group (20-35 maybe). All the kids where in a large formation around the campfire discussing the plan for the rest of the day. That was 2min before I almost passed out, because the sentence that soon followed threw me for a...well you will see. "And now we are all heading to the auditorium to hear a presentation from an American volunteer about smoking." Wh-wh--whaat? I have materials and a plan for 20-30. I would otherwise be up for it, but there is seriously no waaaay I could use my lesson for more that 150 kids! In the end, I just ended up giving a small presentation about myself and life in America. "Oo bac ya pitanya pro ameritsee? boodlaska spitaita meni." (do you have questions about America? please ask me.) Insert cricket noises here...wait I take that back one kid yelled, "Hello, I am Igor" in English from the back. Laughs. At the end, the campers formed a line and gave me high fives, some putting to use the English they know. "Thank you." "Goodbye" "How are you?" ...All went well, it was my first SOLO lesson I have taught here in Ukraine. However, I swear... every driver that I have been in a car with so far drives 100mph on windy, potholey roads. (Bez(without) seat belts might I add) It was a nice new car so I was wondering where all the shock and/or absorbers (or whatever they are called) went, but it was evident that they were left in the pothole on the third turn from town. There also lies my stomach and those 2 liters of water I drink in a day in the form of sweat...RIP

Ok, so in reality it has been almost 4 months but I have been at site for 1/24 months. Accomplishment. Gotta hold on to those feelings. Life and adjustment has been going great so far. I work on the third floor of the administration building with 34C weather and no AC. :) "Rachel, why do you sweat? Here drink this hot tea, it will help." I drink about 2 liters of water a day, but more for healthy reasons than thirst. They think I am crazy not to drink 4 cups of coffee or chai in a day, but I am stickin' firm to good ol' agwah. The woman who works in the bistro everyday asks me, "How much water have you drank today? Me..1 liter..how about you Rachel?" It's is her favorite question, besides, "When are you going to get your clothes taken in? They are so big, too big!" Running, Yoga, 2 liters of water per day and a diet filled with veggies will do that to ya I guess. At work I really do not accomplish very much, I sit, I talk, I brainstorm, I watch liters of Chai be had. However, the real work gets done at home where I have a computer and internet. Maybe I will work on getting that in the office. Sooo...I met with the Mayor and discussed my ideas and knocked over a big potted plant upon exiting his office...Klassno Rachel. I also am in works to starting an English club at the Library. My prospective students range in ages 7- 28 years old, so I am thinking about a split class for sure, but who knows, it depends on their language levels. So far there is one guy that I have met that speaks any English in my town. He is the son of the woman that owns the Bistro I mentioned earlier. It is nice sometimes to relax the brain and just speak English. When I visited a friend in her town not far from mine I said, "I am so exhausted and we did not barely do anything today." In which she said, "It's the language." DUH Rachel! It is mentally tiring at times, and I never even stopped to think about it. So anyways, I leave it there for now and here are some picture that I took (and one that my new little friend and possible English student) took. :)

So I was officially sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer 1 week ago and it already feels like it was months ago. So much as happened since…but that will go under another blog heading. The worst was having to say goodbye to my 3rd grandmother Lydia. The last night and the last morning were moments filled with waiting for the inevitable. Over these last few months I feel as if Lydia and I have fulfilled needs for each other that will not be fully uncovered for either of us in the near future. There is so much to say about our relationship, yet not enough words to describe the ease and the normality of our short and meaningful time together. The last few days we actually spent struggling with each other. Over the last few months she has been really good about learning to know that I do not eat as much as she would like to force down my thought, however she made more food in the last 3 days I spent with her than she did the whole time I was there. I felt 5 again when she would not let me leave the table without finishing my food. It was a strange struggle of her treating me like I was her own toddler daughter and me an independent woman that knows when enough is enough. I talked with my language teacher and he told me what I already knew. This was just her way of trying to cope, take care of me and send me off to my new home with a full belly. The morning of departure was filled with with a lot of different emotions. #1 Nerves -of trying to repack all of my freaking crap and a new 20lbs of Peace Corps materials! #2 Butterflies- Once again I am heading out on a whole new journey! A new home, a new city and for my official title of VOLUNTEER to take place. #3 Sadness- Sad to say goodbye to my outhouse…I feel like we have been though so much..I was even scared to use you one late night so I resorted to other ‘places’ but It will never happen again….My Neighbors and their dog John Kennedy helped me with my luggage down the street to wait for the bus. All the animals, even the one cat I took under my wing and Lydia and I started calling my “Deetee” or kid, were all there surreally waiting for me as well…it was strange but perfectly fitting.( I feel as if so many of the experiences I have had so far, should only happen in movies….) Lastly it all ended like it began…except this time instead of saying hello to strangers, we were saying goodbye to family…and my host mom Lydia sent us of in style with a bottle of champagne that she received for her 65th birthday that she was waiting for a special occasion to open.

Not too bad right? The sad thing is, I have access to internet that is only a 5-10min walk away. I think it was hard for me at first to sum up everything that has been going on in few words. I guess a good place to start it to talk about my living situation.

I live in a town that consists of approximately 7,800 people. Compared to other people in group 38, I think that is somewhere in the middle. Some are living in towns that are 1,000 or less and there are others living in big cities with McDonalds and more luxuries. I feel very lucky that I have the middle of the road experience. I am not experiencing culture shock to the extreme, however I am developing quad strength from outhouses and bucket showers.

My host family consists of Lidia, a Babusia. At first I was secretly hoping for a big family, but it has been more that anything I could wish for to live with her. She has such a sense of humor and is always loosing her glasses. She is a massage therapist to one of our neighbors and has already taken good care when I felt sick not to long ago. Anytime she is in the kitchen I try to be in there with her. The other day we made Varenyky and it was sososososo good. I have tea with every meal and she always sends me to school with lunch even though I told her that she is not suppose to. She has a field of garlic growing in the back yard right now and we just planted potatoes the other day. She also grows Tulips and Daffodils. I went to the cemetery with her on the Sunday after Easter. It is a day where you bring food and eat with your family and it is certainly a day that I will always remember. It was moving to see how she took the time to put flowers around her mother and brothers grave. She was not alone, the whole entire town participated in meeting with their families.

Other than that I have taken in a love for all the animals. Everyone has an ankle nipper hiding behind their fences on guard, but there are also a lot of street animals too. At my house, my Babusia has one cat named Masik (which apparently is the name of almost everyone's cat in this town since it translates into 'big cat'). She also feeds and takes care of all the other cats in the area as well. The other morning as I went outside to use the bathroom, I saw that my neighbor was in our yard. When I walked over I saw her looking up into the tree at her baby kitten. Below was a killer German Shepard that was hungry for some fresh meat. I walked to the other side of the yard and yelled at the dog to distract him. I literally thought I was going to die when he charged at me, but it was all in efforts to save a cat. Luckily the cat scurried down and the woman thanked me and said a lot of stuff I did not understand (not uncommon) and went home. Besides that cat, the same family also has a dog, who is my FAVORITE, named John Kennedy...It suits him too.

My cluster (a group of 6 other trainees) and I arrived Borova Friday evening. Our cluster is going to be who I spend the next 3 months with learning Ukrainian language and culture. I also now have a cell phone because we stopped in Kyiv to get them before we went arrived at our sites. +380636135411 is the new phone number. I live with a Babushka who loves to feed me and take care of me. We also have an orange cat that looks like my cat Rajah. My Ukrainian cats name is Masik. Anyways..there is a lot to share including bucket baths...outhouses...food and more. But it will have to be later on when I have more time!

Love and Miss you all!

Departure day….The alarm rung..and I instantaneously feel anxious. I was fine up until then, but it really hit me that morning. I made sure I was finished packing and said goodbye to Mom and Ev. Curtis drove me to the airport and we found a parking space so that he could walk me in. I think that is when I had my biggest break down. Full on…tears and balling in the middle of a crowd. Something straight out of a movie is how it felt. I am going through security balling and then get pulled aside. I put my peanut butter in my carry-on. Why I did that?!? I do not know… but apparently it is a “cream”.I had a layover in Detriot, and who do I walk by?!?!?! Reverend Jesse Jackson!! Bahaha… Next stop was my final destination..Washington DC. I love Georgetown by the way. It is the coolest (but apparently outrageous pricing) place to live. I get to the hotel and check in and I ask if I have a roommate yet and he said that I did! I knocked on the door first, just in case and a woman named Lanae is my roomate. She is from Widby Island. (come to find there are 4 people from Washington here alone!) The mistake I made was not eating anything that day since I had a ½ english muffin for breakfast.Staging………I woke up feeling great. My roommate Lanea and I went to grab bagle for breakfast down the street. Once we went in I felt faint. I got sweaty, hot and started to feel nasty. I gave Lanae my money and asked her to buy it for me while I stepped outside. I could not eat any of it. I then remembered that I had not eaten anything since the previous morning. I start freaking out…and questioning myself, is Peace Corps right blahdy-blah….Long story short, my mom and Curtis both helped me out a lot by talking me through the situation. I forced some Luna Gels and a granola bar down my throat and felt better right away.

Staging was great. It was a little redundant, but great to meet new friends and previous volunteers. I decided to keep a low profile, bought Subway and headed back to the hotel to eat and do some Skyping.

Goodbye USA….The morning was Hectic today. Trying to repack is the WORST. I am soo sick of my luggage. All 77 of us loaded on to two buses. It was not too hectic. We drove to Dulles Airport and got through security and had about an hour or so to kill. This is the first time I actually felt hungry since leaving Seattle. I was going to so some final goodbye Skyping, but did not have the time. The plane ride was alright. It always gets worse at the end. I did not sleep a wink although I tried to the whole time. We Landed in Frankfurt and I started not feeling good again. We had to go through 2 security check points…2!!! Then the Waiting area we were in for our flight was not air-conditioned, had no water and had no bathrooms. Crazy! As soon as our plane reached cruising altitude, the line to the bathroom was ½ the plane length. The arrival to UkraineThe plane landed and we went straight through customs. Piece of cake. On the other side our country director greeted me and shook my hand with warm welcomes. Next came the nervous part. Did my luggage make it? After waiting and watching everyone leave with theirs, mine finally came. At this time, me and most of the others have been up for close to 24 hours.We boarded yet another bus that took us about 2 ½ hours north of Kyiv. I slept SOME of the way. I wish I was feeling better at this point so I could enjoy more of the scenery. I did wake up when we were about 20min away and saw some locals and children and houses. It started to become more real. Our ‘resort’ is an old building from the soviet era. I wish I knew the history.My two new roommates and I sat in the room for about an hour and headed to dinner. We walked into the dining hall area (separate building) and was welcomed in a traditional Ukrainian welcoming. They let us dig into some bread and salt. (SOOO salty.) I again…am SOO tired I am not even hungry, but I had to try it. Dinner was tomatoes, cucumbers, chicken and rice/pudding/mashed porridge? It was good. I ate just the chicken and cucumbers because I needed the veggies and protein…that made me start to feel a little better. After dinner we are now sitting in our rooms about to pass out.

Good vegetable peeler...Games.... Day Planner...Dictionary... Pajamas... Bathing Suit...Koolaid or crystal light packets...SD memory cards...Journals

It is late and I am tired. I would talk more about what is new but I have a request for an updated list of things that I still need. The links are just examples/suggestions for guidance purposes! :)

Warm hat/beanies http://www.rei.com/product/770491 http://www.rei.com/product/791891

Lined, waterproof gloves and lightweight wool gloves http://www.rei.com/product/755628

Warm scarves

Thermal socks (smartwool are slim to wear with work shoes and are 100% wool mmm warm) http://www.rei.com/product/741850

Good vegetable peeler (virtually non-existent in Ukraine; the locals use a knife)

Shortwave radio for getting international news (BBC News!!)

Laptop

Games (Uno, Cribbage etc.)

Day planner 2010 2011 2012 (something good for my BIG hand writing)

U.S. map and Washington State Map (detailed to explain and use for reference)

Dictionary (simple and small)

Basic school supplies (pens, markers, colored pencils)

Pajamas (I do not have any warm pajamas. , I usually wear shorts and a tshirt to bed… Not ideal for Ukraine) http://www.rei.com/product/799178

Bathing suit

Koolaid or crystal light packets to make juice (any little thinks that give flavor from home is said to be highly recommended other ideas are welcome!)

SD memory cards

Plug adapter and voltage converters (need 2) http://www.rei.com/product/775149

Scissors and duct tape

Journals

So I think I am better off than I think I am...However there is still a ways to go. I am going underwear shopping tomorrow with my mom! I need more professional clothes, as teachers in the Ukraine wear dresses, pant suits or blouses and slacks. Other than that... here is what is on the list (donations gladly accepted):

Warm hat

Lined, waterproof gloves and lightweight wool gloves

Warm scarves

long underwear

thermal socks

Full-length, winter coat or parka with lining

Warm, waterproof boots that are dressy enough to wear with work clothes and large enough to wear with a pair of warm socks

Shortwave radio for getting international news

Durable, water-resistant, and inexpensive watch, with an alarm if possible; an extra battery

Reliable alarm clock that runs without electricity

Quick-drying travel towel

Compact sleeping bag (for traveling on trains and visiting Peace Corps friends)

Lightweight and heavyweight sweaters

Adidas track pants (the popular choice of Ukrainian men and women) ----thought that was funny

Moisturizing hand cream

Measuring cups and spoons with both metric and nonmetric markings

Good vegetable peeler (virtually non-existent in Ukraine; the locals use a knife)

Laptop computer

Games

Day planner

U.S. and world maps

Dictionary

Notecards and greeting cards

Country: Ukraine

Program: Youth Develoment

Dates of Service: June 24, 2010-June 24, 2012

Orientation: March 29-30, 2010

Pre-Service Training in Ukraine: March 31 - June 24, 2010

A lot has happened in the past week or so. The day after having my blood drawn to submit my Hep B test, I call the PACLAB and she said that the results were shipped off already. WOW! The next day my application staus said that my medical evaluation was complete and that a letter with their decision was in the mail. They know how to keep you on your toes. I decided I was not going to wait and called my recruiter in Seattle. To sum it up, she said congratulations and told me to go ahead and start calling my placement officer. I left a message and a woman called me back the next day. Long story short, and the end of the conversation she formally invited me to serve and said my invitation was in the mail! Monday (1/25/10) I got the 3 lb. invitation. I took it to Puyallup to open it with my mom. The description of my job while there is to address the growing gap between the development levels of young people in urban centers and those in rural and otherwise disadvantaged areas. It says that I will be placed at village secondary schools and cooperate with local partner organizations and work teaching classes on youth development-related topics, organizing extracurricular activities, community projects, preventing substance abuse and the spread of HIV, promoting healthy lifestyles and so much more is listed but I wont type it all.

Yay! I can not believe how fast this all happened. I was just nominated 3 months ago and now I leave in 59 days (or so). Crazzzzy!

As for now, the process continues. Oh...bureaucracy. Last Wednesday I received an e-mail stating that my application status has been updated. I never thought I would be so excited to see '!HOLD on your application' in bright red letters. It means they are finally working on my application. The following Saturday I received a letter in the mail from the Peace Corps. I was at work so I got a call from my Dad. He was worried it was a rejection letter due to its size. Nah, I knew it wasn't. The story is....I was tested for Hep B (surface antibody and core) but not the surface ANTIGEN. Hmm. I soooo badly wanted to be in the 15% who turn their application in correctly the first time, but nope. Next time maybe! Haha ;) The Monday after I received the letter, or as I would like to call it, today, I woke up and tried getting in touch with my Doc that performed all the labs. Apparently they took MLK day off. Since I have absolutely no patience and wanted to get this test sent in right away, I called my Mom and she said look into PACLABS. I called the closest one to me and I am more than happy that I went this route. Sara, the receptionist/phlebotomist was amazing. She was so happy to hear about the Peace Corps, and was thrilled to be of help and said to come in right away. It was no more than a 5min drive to the office building and the room contains a desk and a injection blood draw chair. She was so friendly and happy to help me. I told her about my last Doctor visit and they left me looking like a crack addict. She laughed at me and said, "Well I guess it's a good thing that you don't know a lot about drugs, because you don't shoot up crack." (Guess I should have paid more attention in my Alcohol and Drug Studies class, however I do not remember a How to Shoot up Drugs Properly chapter in my textbook. Moral of the story is, I have had only one speed bump, phlebotomists are much better than RNs at Doctors offices (and they love to brag about it too) and I am neither a crack nor cocaine addict.

Big Ass Bruise Video

I have been dentally cleared! All smiles here. :D Special shout-out to the dentist office that did my complete exam for free. (it helps when your step-mom is the office manager...thanks Sharon!) Now I am just axiously waiting to be medically cleared! I think that this whole Peace Corps 'thing' really hit me on New Years Eve. Curtis and I counted down the seconds at the Space Needle together..it was amazing to say the least. In the first few moments of the fireworks display I started to cry. I think I realized that 2010 is going to be a BIG year for me. The feeling that I have is the same feeling I felt when I read my acceptance letters from college. Excited, nervous, intimidated....But I am ready...I am getting more and more pumped and am feeling confident! :D

The offices in Washington D.C. received my medical packet yesterday! I have been checking the Peace Corps website constantly and looking through my e-mails to make sure nothing fell into the junk bin. It took a week for my packet to get there. I was getting a little worried, thinking about all the information about me that is in that packet...people could not only steal my identity, but there is so much information about be in there you could clone me. However, I heard about the blizzards that were happening in D.C. and I went as far as to check a local D.C. news station to see what was going on. The news website said that federal buildings were closed which would mean the Peace Corps offices were closed. So in fact, a week for the mail to get there, and to be checked in is very good. Now I hope that my double, triple and quadruple reviewing of my packet has paid off and that they do not need any further information from me. Only 15% of Peace Corps applicants turn in their packets correctly the first time. Crazy right?!?

"When President Kennedy founded the Peace Corps in 1961, he saw it as a bold experiment in public service that would unite our nation's highest ideals with a pragmatic approach to bettering the lives of ordinary people around the world. He also saw it as an investment in our own future, in an increasingly interdependent world. In the years since, it's paid off many times over." -William Clinton

Today I mailed off my Peace Corps medical clearance package. Thankfully I did not have to pay for postage on that sucker because it weighed 8.9lbs. I started the long application process in August of 2009 and as long as they do not want anything else from me...I am done and am waiting for medical clearance and a formal invitation. (Checking my e-mail and application status will consume my life for the next few weeks) As of right now I have been nominated by my Peace Corps recruiter to serve in Eastern Europe and work as a volunteer in Youth Development. Departure is set for sometime in March 2010. However, the Peace Corps and several other volunteers have told me to expect the unexpected....I might end up in Asia next summer. I'm just along for the ride.

For those that do not know, Peace Corps is a 27 month long experience that sends Americans to other countries and has three broad goals

1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.

2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.

3.Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

The Peace Corps only goes into countries that have invited them, and only performs tasks that they have been asked to do.