As many of you know, in addition to teaching English as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I am also involved in youth development work in my community, with a focus on healthy lifestyles. In that vein, my Ukrainian counterparts and I … Continue reading →

Greetings from the hinterlands! Winter has finally arrived, and it’s in fine form, dumping snow on my little town and temperatures hover around 20 degrees, dipping into the single digits every three days or so. While it is admittedly beautiful, … Continue reading →

When you sign up for the Peace Corps, you are, to some extent, aware of the challenges you’ll face. You have to learn a foreign language, integrate with a community, and live in an unfamiliar and strange (at least at … Continue reading →

There is something undeniably breathtaking about a starry sky. Particularly when there’s not a cloud to be seen…oh and the temperature is hovering around 18 degrees and is literally taking away your ability to breathe. (All part and parcel of … Continue reading →

From the homework files of sixth form: Underneath a picture of one girl offering an apple to another: “What about eating people?” (this answer appeared in three separate notebooks, so either they did the homework together, or there’s a burgeoning … Continue reading →

Yesterday I woke up at 5:50, sleepily changed into my running gear, and headed out. The mechanics of my run were normal – I hit my stride and set out, winding through the park, once around the stadium track then … Continue reading →

A few weeks ago, in the midst of the general hubbub of summertime, the main overhead light in my bedroom blew out, with a suitably shocking popping sound. I bought replacements for the light bulbs, only to discover that something … Continue reading →

The setting: Gori, Georgia (the one in the Caucauses) – the birthplace of none other than Stalin. Dramatis personæ: Two tall, blonde, adventurous American Peace  Corps Volunteers (myself and Linnea), and a taciturn Russian armed guard/soldier. The story: Two Peace … Continue reading →

And one "oh by the way"...I notice that one can wear bell-bottoms while riding this particular bike as it does have a chain guard to prevent attire from becoming attached to the bike thus causing an event similar to the one you experienced while crossing a dry creek bed in an earlier life. Stay safe /tln/

Dear Peace Corps volunteer I notice that your bicycle, while equipped with seat, potato grid over rear tire, reflector in front and on wheels for side visibility at night, a apparent bell to ring when approaching intersections or foot traffic, does not have a kick stand. Perhaps you could acquire one from ebay as I feel that it is essential that one be able to stand a bike upright when it is in park mode. Stay safe. /tln/

I love summer in Ukraine. However, since arriving back at site at the tail end of June (following a pan-Ukrainian exploration with my wonderfully awesome maternal unit – oh the stories I could tell…) it’s been raining. Every. Single. Day. … Continue reading →

[...] post by Amanda Lucille var addthis_language = 'en'; Filed under Uncategorized Reading/Writing Workshops [...]

I did almost the same thing with the word flour! I asked for 2 kilos of 'torment' [мУка] instead of 'flour' [мукА].

Loved this. If I weren't so selfish, I'd send you my copy of Don and Alleen Nilsen's wonderful "Pronunciation Contrasts in English." (Not only is the book amazingly useful, but Don was my thesis chair and the book is probably out of print.) The Nilsens accurately predict, by the sounds native to any included language, what those English language learners will struggle to pronounce. Then you turn to the appropriate pages and get a whole page of pairs like "ship--sheep" to help students practice hearing and pronouncing the distinctions. The Nilsens are newly retired. I loved their reports of humorous English around the world. They spent quite a while in Afghanistan many years ago, where they saw signs like "Flowers and Buckets," meaning bouquets. They've probably published all the examples I heard them tell. They're the most prolific humor scholars I can imagine, and they'd enjoy your experiences.

Lost in translation: A few weeks  ago I was working on the following construction with one of my fifth form classes -  “Subject + (am/is/are) + going to + Verb” Here are some of the gems my kids came up … Continue reading →

Awesome post. So great to hear the "real" experience -- good and not-so-good.

Make no bones about it – serving in the Peace Corps can be frustrating. There are big frustrations. There are countless little setbacks. But. But. Then there are the victories. The moments in which what you’re doing, why you’re doing … Continue reading →

Today I walked by some of my 6th and 7th form students playing soccer in the parking lot/field in front of my building. I smiled and nodded, and then overheard one boy saying to the group in general “Look there … Continue reading →

And finally, Spring. It’s been a long winter. Quite long. But that’s all over now! The sun is shining down on Ukraine, and everything is green and in bloom. For months people have been assuring me that Ukraine in the … Continue reading →

Me: “Hello!” CP: “Hello Amanda. Hello. How are you?” Me: “I’m okay. I’m a little better today.” CP: “A little better? Hm. [...] Tomorrow I think you will not come to school. Because it is very… hot. I mean… it … Continue reading →

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Love the Crazy Pizza idea -- I'll definitely do it when I get to food! Yeah, figure out the fact that my 7B class is waay better than the 7A pupils... OH Ukraine!

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Week 1 – Impressions of my new home (this was written after my first week at site… when I get the time – and the Internet – I’ll update some more!) Where: Khaliavyn, a small and (of course) charming village … Continue reading →

What gives value to travel is fear. It is the fact that, at a certain moment, when we are so far from our own country…we are seized by a vague fear, and an instinctive desire to go back to the … Continue reading →

“But you’ll be home for Christmas, right?” No, I will not be home for Christmas this year (and possibly not next year, but that remains to be seen.) “I mean they aren’t going to make you stay there for Christmas…” … Continue reading →

"You're moving where?" "Ukraine." "Oh! Communists, right?" Nope! Not anymore (arguably not ever, but that's an argument for another time.) Continue reading →

I leave for Peace Corps Staging in roughly 22 days, so I believe it is high time for me to explain a little more about where I’m going and what I’m doing for all of you non-PCers out there (especially … Continue reading →

The official (well, provisionally official) Facebook page for Peace Corps Ukraine – Group 39 can be found here. The Ukrainian phrase flashcard saga continues apace… and I keep promising myself that I will begin brushing up on my Russian ASAP. Fingers crossed I fulfill my promises. It might be too soon for a staging countdown… [...]

I’ve dreamed of serving in the Peace Corps since I was very young.

It’s official! I’ve been invited to serve as a Secondary Education TEFL Teacher Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine, staging September 17th, 2010. Pre-Service Training starts in Ukraine on September 19th, 2010. I am so unbelievably happy words really can’t express. So they’ll have to wait. Best of luck to everyone still in the process of [...]