It's the Most Wonderful (Cheapest) Time of the Year

Although the rain hasn't stopped for more than an hour at a time in the past week, it's still summer vacation here in Ukraine and that means life is good! I trudged swiftly walked through the mud and rain this morning and made the 15 minute trek to the bazaar. I was on a mission, and have been looking forward to the bazaar all week long. For me, the bazaar more than a place to be seen (although my students once compared seeing me at the bazaar to a celebrity sighting). Rather, it's a place to catch up briefly with my colleagues, run into my students, and of course meet their parents. I usually talk to their parents in Ukrainian, and then speak to the students in English so they can show off to their parents. Moms and Dads always get a kick out of their child speaking to an American in English. Their faces are priceless.

In Kolky, we only have our bazaar on Sunday mornings and it's where you can find the best deals of produce, meat, dairy products, cleaning supplies, toiletries, clothes...practically anything. We also have базарчик (bazaarchick) or little bazaar everyday on the street but that only consists of babucias selling milk and random seasonal produce, usually overpriced. I usually only go to the bazaar for produce and meat and the occasional box of laundry soap, but there are quite a few options of clothes, shoes, coats, underwear, etc. in case I ever feel like trying any or all of that behind a mesh curtain in the middle of the busy marketplace. I really wanted to take and post photos of my bazaar, but the rain stopped me. When it's beautiful and sunny you'll be the first to see.

Someone asked me recently how food prices compare in the States. Well, seeing how I haven't been in the States in almost a year, I don't quite know what you pay for milk and eggs these days so you'll have to do the comparing with my list below. Mind you these are summer prices for fruits and veggies, and they go a lot higher in the winter time, but for peak season, here's what I'm paying.

8 hryvnia (UAH) = 1 US Dollar (USD)
4 hryvnia (UAH) = 50 cents
--
Tomatoes: 1 kilo = 3 UAH ($0.38)
Onions: 1 kilo = 4 UAH  ($0.50)
Carrots: 1 kilo = 5 UAH ($0.63)
Peppers: 1 kilo = 4 UAH ($0.50)
Eggplant: 1 kilo = 4 UAH ($0.50)
Cucumbers: 3 kilo!!! = 5 UAH ($0.63)
Watermelon: 1 kilo = 10 UAH ($1.25)
Milk: 1.5 Liters = 6 UAH ($0.75)
Eggs: 10 eggs = 6 UAH ($0.75)
Bread: 1 loaf = 1-3 UAH ($0.13-38)
Cheese: 250 grams = 20 UAH ($2.50) - I splurge on cheese so this is actually a little expensive.
Coke: 1 Can = 4 UAH ($0.50)
Laundry Soap: 1 box/450 grams =12 UAH ($1.50)
Shaving Cream: 1 can = 40 UAH ($5)
Deodorant: 1 stick = 20 UAH ($2.50)

I think a big thing that I've learned this summer is to appreciate my fruits and vegetables, because in the winter they are either too expensive to buy or nonexistent. For about 3 weeks there were strawberries, and then they were gone because strawberry season was over. Then came random assortments of other berries, and then poof they were gone. I don't have the luxury or budget to eat these things year around and soon enough it will be back to root vegetables all over again. But for now, I will bask in the glory of fresh produce, and take cover from the rain by becoming a vegetarian for a while. Not because I'm now leading a meatless lifestyle, but rather I'm too full from my veggie omelet to even think about frying up some pork. 

Happy Summer to me! (This is before the BBQ Sauce!)

Can you say less than $5?!

Summer in the Fast Lane

I really is hard to believe that July is almost over. A wise man (my Peace Corps Peer Advisor) once said, "Winter in Ukraine is the down payment for the best Summer you'll ever have." This words have been ringing true ever since Final Bell.

I last left off setting sail for my Cruise of the Baltic Sea which was incredible. The Lindholms warmly welcomed me into their family for the week and together with their family friends (and friends from camp), The Balks, we enjoyed some time cruising together. I've been on a cruise before so I know what ship life is like, but I really wasn't expecting such reverse culture shock. The amount of food that I had been dreaming about in Kolky was all of the sudden at my fingertips and in abundance. The desire to be around supportive friends from home had become a reality and the wanderlust to travel and see new sites was actually happening...all at once. It was a little overwhelming, but in the best way possible. I'd have to say that Helsinki was my favorite city, even though our time there was brief and that I most want to return to Copenhagen because it seemed that we explored not even half of it. Photos can be found by clicking Cruisin' the Baltics - 2011. It will take you to an open Facebook album of all the photos from the cruise! Check it out and if you have any questions or the link doesn't work, e-mail me! (benjamin.hogue@gmail.com)

After I returned from the Cruise, I went to Ukrainian Language Refresher camp not far from Kolky in a old, but very nice Soviet style sanatorium, now retreat center. It was 4 days of Language and elective classes, playing frisbee and volleyball with friends, swimming in the lake, and just hanging out. The free food was nice, as was the refresher and brush up on this crazy language, but it really reminded me of being back in college, sitting with friends at every meal, hanging out in each others rooms, and attending the occasional class. I have some pretty awesome friends in Peace Corps, and I was glad to be in the same place with most of them, even if it was a quick four days.

The day after Language Refresher, Douglas Teschner, the Director of Peace Corps Ukraine, came to Kolky for a quick site visit. I gave him a tour of my school, my apartment, and a trip around my village, all of which he was very impressed with. I think he liked my kitchen/bathroom combo the best! It made me so proud to show off my life here, as well as show off the people I work with including my Counterpart and School Director. Hopefully Doug can come back when school is in session so I can show off my excellent students, too!

The next day I was headed to Greece to meet up with Stephanie and Wes Sullivan, dear friends from Cal Lu! It meant a lot that they wanted to meet me somewhere and travel together, and we really couldn't have chosen a better place. Simply put, Greece was amazing. The people, the food, the sites, the experiences, the beaches and on and on and on. We explored Athens, Rhodes, and Santorini together before I reluctantly headed home. I posted photos of that trip too, so check them out in My Greece Photo Album! Each of our destinations was so unique and I can wait to go hopping around the other islands sometime in the future. Wes and Steph are expert travelers and even better friends and I would have to say, thanks to them, Greece is going to be my favorite week of Summer 2011. Thanks again for an amazing trip!

Now a little bit of down time in Kolky, focusing on project planning and implementation. I've been setting aside time for goal setting and hopefully can meet with my Counterparts soon to discuss them. I leave for Buffalo Farm Camp on August 7 for two weeks and I'll be even more off the gird than before. I'll be sure to blog about happenings around Kolky and the adventures I find myself in before then though. Now I'm going to meditate to the rhythm of a nice summer afternoon shower and read President Obama words about how audacious hope can be.

I would love Summer Updates from all of you, if you find the time. It always means a lot to hear from friends and family, and I cannot thank all of you enough for the support I constantly receive.

Setting Sail!

Mr. Benjamin as Prince Roman from Kolky and
Lena, my Language Teacher in Training
who had a new group Swearing in!

Tonight I leave on the train to Kyiv and tomorrow I fly to Oslo to board my cruise on Saturday! I will sleep on a train tonight, at a Latvian airport tomorrow, and a bed on a boat on Saturday...what is my life!? I'm really excited to see Kirsten and the entire Lindholm clan, plus a few friends of theirs. And I guess I'm a little excited to spend some time at sea and exploring new places as well! I'm not exactly sure of when I'll be at the following locations, but here's a rough itinerary: Oslo, Norway --> St. Petersburg, Russia --> Helsinki, Finland --> Copenhagen, Denmark --> Oslo, Sweden. I'll return on the 4th of July and head straight to Ukrainian Language Refresher until the 10th. On the 14th I leave for Greece, but I'm not trying to get too ahead of myself just yet.                                                     

Life hasn't really slowed down since I got back from Kyiv. I've been playing football and Frisbee with student/friends, doing laundry like a mad man, giving my flat a deep clean, and packing. I think this is the most my life has been 'in-order' in a while, but I think it's just the calm before the storm. Here are a few photos from this week. Notice (the last three) what I woke up to this morning. Usually it's a rooster giving a holler, but not today...                                                                                                                          

Prayers would be apprecaited for safe travels. I'll post when I return!                                                                                                                                                      Peace be the journey.

A HUGE PC Birthday Cake! Happy 50th!

Celebrating:
1) Summer;
2) Not being the Newbies;
3) 1/3 of Service Completed! (9 months!?!?!

Grace, Asia, and Egle with their mojitos

Jon, Ashley, and Myself

Taras Shevchenko and his namesake park on a beautiful day.
"Борітеся - поборете,
Вам Бог помагає,
За вас слава, за вас правда
І воля святая!"
~Т.Г. Шевченко

 "Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions,
slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures."
-- John F. Kennedy

An interesting wake up call

Drive through window!

More carrots please!

Hello from Kyiv!

I arrived in Kyiv this morning a little after 6 and decided to use the free internet and enjoy the quite of the PC Office before it gets flooded with Volunteers who are also in town. I'm in town (or I guess I should say big, big city) for the Group 41 Swearing-In Ceremony. Usually, there isn't an open invitation for Volunteers to come to Swearing-In, but this also has the 50th Celebration tied into it. A few of us were asked by the Office to dress up as Ukrainian Cossacks for the celebration, so leave it up to my school to send me with the costume of the famous Cossack from Kolky, Prince Roman. I'll dedicate a post to him in the near future, but he's pretty cool and has quite the costume, along with some heavy boots.

Yesterday was a big day for my 9A Form (I'm a Co-Homeroom teacher for them). They had their National English Exam that all 9th Formers must take at the end of the year. We worked very hard the last couple of months, and I was able to show some of the English Teachers ways to not only "teach to the test", but how to incorporate the test into everyday teaching. Here's a photo of (most) the class after they were finished. They are required to wear full suits to National Exams, but some brought a change of clothes so they could go to the river right after!

Most of my 9A form
Anastacia, other English Teacher in pink
and Ludmilla, other Homeroom Teacher, sitting down

I'll post stories from Swearing-In this weekend, along with photos Mr. Benjamin as Cossack Prince Roman. Leaving for my Cruise of the Baltic Sea next week, so I'll be sure to post before then!

Summer Daze

Summer Camp at school is consuming most of my day, but to call what I'm doing work makes me laugh. I read with some of my "Little Learners", play Frisbee, English games and dance with some of the Middle Schoolers, and play American Football with some of the older kids. And when I'm not "busy" I'm enjoying books on my hammock. Hard life, I know...

Last Friday, my friends Jon, Val, and Lauren came into Kolky for a nice relaxing weekend by the river. I didn't take nearly enough photos, mainly because we just hung out and didn't do anything too exciting. I love having guests, especially when they don't need to be entertained. But, we found some things to do...

Look Out Below!

We Did It!

Dancing at the Village Disco...Why Not!?

Enjoying a beautiful evening in my front yard!

Taking a Field Trip with my 5th Form on Thursday so I'll be sure to write about that soon. Not sure where we're going, or what we're doing, but such is life.

And Happy Belated Birthday to my Dad! My internet wasn't available during the weekend, but I woke up at 5:30 to send him a late night text! Вітаємо і З Днем Народження, Дерек Генріовч, мій тато! (Congratulations and Happy Birthday, Derek Henryovitch, my Dad!)

Ending school with a bang...and a few concerts!

If I can say one thing is for sure, Ukrainians know how to celebrate Graduation. It definitely lived up to all of the hype that everyone gave it the past couple of weeks.

Friday was Last Bell, a sort of closing ceremony for all of school. The band plays, teachers get lots of flowers, the students sing, and some of the 11th Formers asked teachers to do a Last Bell dance. I gladly participated, enjoyed all of the festivites. I even have 6 bouquets of flowers to show for it!

School Administration (Minus our Director), Mr. Mayor,
and some people from the Regional Offices telling us Kolky has one of the
best schools in Ukraine! Go Kolky Lyceum!

The best students in all of Ukraine!

 To close the Last Bell ceremony, it's tradition for a leaving 11th Former to put a soon-to-be 1st Former on his shoulders and carry her around as they ring the Last Bell together, symbolizing the beginning and end of school.

The Last Bell of the Year!

 Saturday is when the real fun begins...Graduation! The best way to describe it would be a mix between American Graduation and Prom. It had the ceremony, awards, and short speeches of a Graduation mixed in with elaborate (and expensive) dresses and hair styles, as well as a big dance party like you would find a Prom.

At 3 in the afternoon, all of the students, their parents and families, and some teachers gather at school to take photos and show off their new wardrobe additions.

Most of the 11th Formers before Graduation

Then, as a group, we parade through town arm-in-arm, while most of the village is out on the street cheering and checking out what everyone is wearing. We parade to the church, where all of the students are blessed, and give thanks for the accomplishments. In Orthodox churches, women must cover their heads to go inside. Probably one of the funniest things was seeing all of the girls, in the short and some revealing dresses, having to cover their heads to go into the church.

After that we parade to the local "House of Culture" to have the Graduation ceremony.

Joining-in on the parade

The 3-hour ceremony is much more like a concert (...when in Ukraine) with a few short speeches. Students are awarded their diplomas and other Academic and Athletic awards. One tradition in Kolky is for the 10th Formers to "roast" the outgoing 11th Form class. They do small skits, sing songs they wrote, and even put up a slide show. I got a laugh out of it, and only understood about half! 

Some 4th Formers doing what they do best!

Two of my favorite 5th Formers - Ulyana and Volva

The 11th Formers close the ceremony with a Waltz that they practiced for weeks, and then a closing good-bye poem and song for the teachers. I even got an English shout-out from one of my favorite students, Tonya!

The 11th Formers final song!
(One of my favorite photos of the night!)

After the graduation ceremony ended (around 8 p.m.), the parade of new graduates moved to celebrate at the after party! We walked for a good 25 minutes to another village to a restaurant where the parents had decorated the whole room! There were tables for all the students to sit, and also for the teachers and parents. Food and drink was, of course, in abundance and I had a great time with my colleagues and students.

With Natalia Vasylivna -A Vice Principal, English Teacher, and one of my Counterparts!

The entire night consists of shots, eating, shots, dancing, shots...rinse, lather, and repeat. The students don't get vodka, but rather unlimited champagne. The dancing was a lot of fun, too and I think my students were surprised to see me bust some moves on the dance floor. What was also really cool was that the parents were just as into it! They had their own circle and really never stopped dancing either! By the end of the night, I had won a dancing competition and two awards: Best Teacher Dancer and Honorable Guest! I was pretty proud of myself.

Around 5 a.m., the whole parade moves back to Kolky and we walk to the bridge, about 20 minutes away. The entire class watches the sunrise and celebrate with more champagne and some sleepy cheering. I was exhausted but joined in on the fun until I b-lined straight to bed around 6:30 a.m.

Watching the sunrise at 5:30 from the bridge

Summer Camp at school has started, but I'm still unsure what that means. The first two days I sat at my desk for two hours and really did nothing, and today I'm going to an Awards Ceremony (Concert) with some students and teachers. We'll see what role I play in the whole Summer Camp scheme, but right now I'm content sipping coffee, listening to the birds, and enjoying life in Kolky. Hope all is well for you, too.

And this is where I'll be spending the my summer!

American Football and Bees

An exciting week here at Kolky Lyceum, mainly because it has been the last one of the year. Grades were due at the beginning of the week, so kids have been going crazy to do something other than classwork. I decided that I will play some American games with them, as long as I can "teach" about it first, and then play. Well it just so happens that one of my 9th Form All-Stars (they are my favorite class), Roma, has an American Football. Why does he have it? Because he bought it when he heard an American was going to teach at his school, and also so when he moves to America he will know how to play. Did I say he was an All-Star?

So with a little bit of an American Football lesson, and a lot of eager students ready to play, we took the field on Tuesday - ready for anything! Now the kids did a great job, but unfortunately for me, I taught them Ultimate Frisbee two weeks ago and they thought that the two games were essentially the same thing. Imagine a football game that doesn't really stop, has no downs, and the ball keeps changing sides depending on who picks up the incomplete pass or steals it out of the other teams hands. Oh bosha. After a lot of explaining and taking it slow, the students now know the rules and play pretty well. We took to the field yesterday during English Club and played a great game of co-ed two hand touch. When it's just boys, it's an all out knock-down brawl...just like they see on TV.

And if Football wasn't enough to make this already exciting week awesome, I have been gifted a...box of bees! WHAT?! There are a bunch of bees next to the student hostel where I live, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out whose they were. Well, apparently they are the lady that lives down the road and she came to the football game and called a timeout to tell me that one of them is mine. SCORE! I always had a subconscious desire for a box of bees, but haven't yet expressed that to anybody. I'm going to get more details once summer starts, but I think a lucrative honey business is on the way. For now, I just have to avoid my well during the day time, because they swarm me every time I get too close!

The Last Bell ceremony is today, and tomorrow is the School Leavers ceremony (Graduation). I'm really excited for these events and all they hype around school makes it all the more mysterious. I even got a coveted invitation to the after parties which not just everyone gets. Go Mr. Benjamin! Have a great weekend and I will be sure to post pictures of the festivities sometime soon!