Skip to main content

Be Brave - Cultural Events


Birthday Dinner
"Cucumber Pizza"
This week was Mama Tanya's Birthday (she stays with Sasha and I on days when Marina works 8-8 or Lyosha works in Kiev). We went to Mama Tanya's house where she lives with her parents because her mothers health is declining. Their house is in Chernihiv near St. Trinity Monastery and I was "warned" before we arrived that the house wasn't pretty because they built it in sections and had recently added a "hot wall" (a hollow brick wall where a fire burns), I thought the house was great and pretty large. The table was full of food when we arrived and I was immediately told to sit down. Mama Ana, Mama Tanya's mom, is very hard of hearing because of her health issues but spoke to me all night. The real issue though was that everyone was speaking Russian and I have been learning Ukrainian and my skills are still rather poor. I smiled and nodded most of the night except the times when Marina wanted to translate things for me. Mama Ana made sure my plate was always full and I always had something to drink, she wanted to feed me more than anyone else so far and everyone wants to feed me. I am working very hard to eat or at least try everything that is put in front of me, so far it has worked out. This was until I ate liver. It was breaded and fried which made it taste a bit better but it was still rough and dry and not really something I want to eat again. I didn't ask what it was though because I was afraid to find out but Marina and Mama Tanya liked and told me what it was. My favorite new food was a cucumber/squash "pizza" that was rice, meet, onion, and a few other ingredients topped with cheese. When I told Mama Ana this she proceeded to tell me, step by step, how it is made. We also drank strawberry juice, which is delicious! I told them I loved that too and I was told that Mama Ana's garden grows the largest strawberries, almost as big as my fist! The strawberries that big get eaten as soon as they are picked in the summer. I ate some of the strawberries in the juice and they were delicious because Mama Ana has the best, biggest garden ever! She told me to come back in the summer and eat all of her produce. All in all it was a wonderful night where everyone laughed and I continued to smile and nod.
Trinity Monastery 

Teaching is slow going and planning is always hard. I will be teaching the 7th Form until December and there English is better than my Ukrainian even though our class topics are almost the same right now, food and kitchen items. The activities we are coming up with seem to work we are just not always as prepared as we should be and haven't quite gotten a handle of the resources the school has, which are limited. The hardest part, I think, is simply the classroom space, the desks are rather close together and large with students sitting in rows. This Thursday we will be giving out first grammar lesson and I am feeling pretty confident that I at least understand what I am teaching and have well planned activities to help the students understand the principles.
Defenders Day in Red Square, Chernihiv

*** October 14th was Defenders Day in Ukraine a holiday which is only two years old and celebrates the heroism of those who continue to defend Ukraine's independence and "territorial integrity"




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

After about a year long process applying and filling out forms I have made it to Ukraine and am ready to start learning. Throughout much of this time I have only known 3 things, 1) my departure date (August 19), 2) my field (TESOL English), and 3) my country (Ukraine). I still basically only know those 3 things but am now working quickly towards understand how I will serve in Ukraine. The Whirlwind Once PC gets going it is all a whirlwind. Less than 2 days in DC for a Pre-Service retreat then a day or so of travel then a 4-day training retreat and finally onto our first host families who kindly house us for 11 weeks of pre-service language, cultural, and technical training. I have been place with my language group in a small village outside of Chernigov. Language lessons began immediately and we haven't stopped. Today, being the first day of classes in our village, we wandered around asking people where different basic components of the community could be found. I understood ...
1 comment
Read more
Site Placement! Oh boy did I take a blog break! Since last I blogged I went to my site for a quick visit, finished PST, became and official volunteer, and lost my computer cord. Finishing up PST was crazy busy finalizing our plans for our final project which was a conference for teachers about adapting games to fit different knowledge levels. and working hard to learn more of the language. Then came swearing in in Kiyv, where I lost my computer cord and had a real excuse for not blogging. I have been at my permanent site for just over 3 months now and am really getting the hang of things. Our "classroom" covered in language posters December Swearing In with my Language Group and Instructors  I spent December observing classes at my site. It wasn't always fun but I certainly understood better how my teachers do things at my school. It was cold but not terribly, insulation doesn't seem to be especially efficient in Ukraine but they have mastered war...
Post a Comment
Read more

Easter Ukrainian Style

Woah! Easter is a big deal in Ukraine, it seems my Host Family has gone to church for a week straight! There is a lot involved in Easter and many Christians know and like any holiday Ukrainians seem to take it a bit more seriously, bringing up to a new level. Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter is when people bring a bouquet of pussy willows to church and after the church service everyone stands outside the church and their pussy willows are blessed.These pussy willows are kept for the year for protection. The week was then filled with baking and more church services and of course school. (The package my English Clubs sent was also received in Wyoming, yeah!) My Host Mom made cakes throughout the week and on Friday we made Paska, a special bread that is decorated for Easter. Sometimes they are frosted and they look like giant cupcakes and other are rounder and shorted with bread designs on top. Saturday is spent deep cleaning and adding the final touches the basket for Sunday. Af...
Post a Comment
Read more