Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone! I hope this email finds you all enjoying the holiday season, spending lots of time with friends and family and resting a little, too. Brace yourself for this one, it's a doosey!
As for me, things here in Ukraine are, as usual, crazy and unknown. But that's the life of a volunteer :) On Dec 18, my cluster and I left our training village, Mryn, for a short stay in Kyiv before our swearing-in ceremony. It was a bittersweet occasion. We had such a great experience training in Mryn and really connected with the community and our families. Our community project was a HUGE success, too. We held a fundraising concert for the school because they desperately need to buy new furniture and chalkboards. Our technical trainer Tanya and the vice principal of extra-curr. activities helped us organize the performers and prepare everything. The local gas plant band (yes, the gas plant has their own band) played for free and their involvement dew in people from all age groups. Plus we sang one song in Ukrainian while wearing traditional costumes. We were worried about no one showing up for the event so we only printed 300 tickets. Well, word must have gotten out that the Americans were going to be singing because almost 500 people showed up! People were standing along the side walls and in the back, anywhere they could squeeze in, and believe me, Ukrainians know how to squeeze into any place they need to (ex. a small bus meant for 25 people in the US can hold 50 in Ukraine, plus a few planks of wood and 15 duffle bags, no problem). In all we made 931 hrv that night and all of it went to the school. The look on the principal's face was priceless! He never seemed that interested in us before the concert but after he was so thankful. We just wanted to show the community that it is possible to fundraise and they don't have to be afraid to try new things. Hopefully the school will continue to host more events like it.
I was really looking forward to getting to my permanent site with my wonderful host family and finally starting work at school (not to mention starting the 2 year countdown, only 722 days to go :) After 2 days of policy and administrative wrap-up sessions our coordinators arrived at Prolisok for their own mini conference. And on Dec 21 we drove into Kyiv to the Teacher's House (a big educational building) for the ceremony. The US Ambassador Taylor met with us again to update us on some of the political things that have been going on in Ukraine, including the Prime Minister's visit to Washington D.C. which ended up being very positive. Our PC Country Director spoke to us and gave us a few last minute pieces of advice. She and her husband were volunteers with group 17 in UA and now she is the director. We had a lunch break so I and a few girls ran over to the delicious pizzeria before other people could get there. We made our way back not in any rush, but as soon as we walked in the door one of the PC admin grabbed me and told me they had been waiting for me to do a TV interview! My host mom had come with other families from Mryn and I am pretty sure she told the news journalist that she wanted to be interviewed and that they should interview me too. There is a saying here (and the US too?) that the man is the head but the woman is the neck and she tells the head which way to turn. Well my host mom is the woman they made this saying after. It's great because she can get anything done that you need, but I definitely had no idea that also included TV interviews. Anyway, they stood me and my interpreter in front of the camera and started asking questions. I talked about what it was like to be a volunteer and how I became one, living with a host family, what I like about Ukraine, etc. Then after I was talking to my mom, trying to figure out if she had set it up and the camera man was following us around. It was kind of awkward because when I speak Ukrainian I speak really slow and make a lot of gestures to further express what I am trying to say. But never the less, I was the American representative for PC Ukraine Group 31 that night on the evening news. Right now I'm trying to get a copy of the interview and if I do, I'll send it home to share with you all. I talked with the PC Training Director about it later that night and apparently channel 5 that interviewed me was the channel that represented the "Orange Movement" a few years back. The government would send out memos to the media to sensor what they would broadcast or print and Ch. 5 was the first to reject those directions and broadcast the real news.
The next day we all headed out to our sites. It was really hard to say goodbye to my cluster mates. We had really grown close and built a strong support system for each other. But it was time for us to be individuals and head out on our own. I, my coordinator, Raisa Stepanivna (Rah-e-sah), and all of my luggage took the 3 hour bus ride to Pohrebyshche, my new home for the next 2 years. A note on the luggage: I brought over 2 big rolling duffels with extra room in them (BTW, no Ukrainian would ever consider buying luggage like mine), a traveling backpack and my computer bag. PC gave us at least 50lbs of binders, teaching, heath, safety and policy manuals, plus a huge "babushka" or grandma bag with a small heater, fire extinguisher and smoke detector. As If I didn't stand out enough! My host father and brother (both named Sasha) met us at the bus stop, thank goodness, and helped my get everything back to the house. It felt so good to finally be in Pohrebyshche and done with training. I will always have a special place in my heart for Mryn, but it was time for me to move on. Plus ever since my site visit I had been looking forward to my return so that I could finally attend church services, and with my host family no less. Like I had written previously, my family is Christian and they go to a Baptist church in town. Sunday morning we went to church together and I met the pastor, Anatoly, who was very excited to have me there. He was talking to me and I understood a little of what he was saying, but I just kept nodding my head in agreement. Services started with a prayer and then some singing, and I actually knew the first song! I couldn't remember all the words but it was one of the classic hymns so I just hummed along. From what I could understand, the sermon was about leading our children in the path of God. At the end of services the pastor was giving announcements and he mentioned my name, so I smiled and waved to everyone. But then my host brother leaned over and said that I had agreed to speak to the congregation before services and now was the time to do it! I took Sasha up there with me to help me translate, but ended up saying everything myself in Ukrainian :) I told them about what I will be doing here and how happy I was to attend church with them because I hadn't been in 3 months. And I told them to please ask me any questions they have so I can get to know them better and practice my Ukrainian. They were all so impressed with my ability to communicate with them, and frankly I was surprised myself. After services I talked with one girl, Tanya, who is 21 and she studied psychology at her university too. She was so sweet and I hope that we can become friends. All these things were falling into place at just the right time and in just the right way. I know it was all God. During all the prayers that morning I would pray on my own in my head in English, but I had to stop because thinking about all the crazy and awesome things God has provided for me was making me teary. I didn't want my first impression to be awkward there, so I just saved it for later when I could explain to my family what I was feeling. I told them about how everyone at my church back home has been praying for me, even when I wasn't even able to pray for myself. I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for all the prayers that have been sent up for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Ok, so on to this week really quickly. On Christmas morning I woke up and forgot that it was Christmas until I went to breakfast and my host father and sister gave me a Ukrainian Bible! They said they knew that my family was going to be celebrating together and didn't want me to feel left out. And that with a Ukrainian Bible I can practice my language and study with them later. At school I talked to 2 classes about Christmas in America and how my family celebrates it. Those 2 lessons really drove home the reality that I was not going to be with my family for Christmas and made me pretty homesick. Later I watched the little kids New Year's performances. Did I mention that they celebrate Christmas on Jan 7 because they use the Orthodox Calendar, and that's why I had forgotten that it was Christmas? The New Year celebration is much bigger here. I did get to talk to family back home later that night though, which was good and bad. When Grandma answered the phone and announced that it was me, I could here everyone in the background yelling and being so excited that I had called. After talking to everyone and running out of money on my phone, I had a lot of time to think, and cry, about what being away from home really meant and how I would respond to it. I'm learning a lot about Ukraine over here but I'm also learning about myself. I realized that family and friends were more important to me than I ever made them out to be back home. It's easy to take things for granted at home because everything is right there for you. But being thousands of miles away really gives you some perspective on things. Anyone who has ever been away at Christmas would agree with me on that point.
I know I have a lot of hard work ahead of me here, but I am given so much confidence by all the amazing connections God has laid before me here in this little Ukrainian town. I know I'm really hard on myself and that will be something I have to work on here, but I know that no matter what classes I have to teach or what projects I end up doing here I know that God will be with me the whole way. Thanks again for all the prayers...I hope that my updates show you how effective prayer is and what a difference it can make in a person's life. And thanks for reading my long letter :) Love you all!
Grace and Peace,
Britt
P.S. Today we fixed my computer and now I can finally watch DVDs on it! Hallelujah! And yesterday my mom and coordinator took me to the bazaar to buy a warm winter coat. My "autumn" coat was not nearly enough for the kind of weather we have here. It's actually pretty funny how clueless I am as a Californian girl about cold weather. Now when I walk around town I will blend in a little more :)
As for me, things here in Ukraine are, as usual, crazy and unknown. But that's the life of a volunteer :) On Dec 18, my cluster and I left our training village, Mryn, for a short stay in Kyiv before our swearing-in ceremony. It was a bittersweet occasion. We had such a great experience training in Mryn and really connected with the community and our families. Our community project was a HUGE success, too. We held a fundraising concert for the school because they desperately need to buy new furniture and chalkboards. Our technical trainer Tanya and the vice principal of extra-curr. activities helped us organize the performers and prepare everything. The local gas plant band (yes, the gas plant has their own band) played for free and their involvement dew in people from all age groups. Plus we sang one song in Ukrainian while wearing traditional costumes. We were worried about no one showing up for the event so we only printed 300 tickets. Well, word must have gotten out that the Americans were going to be singing because almost 500 people showed up! People were standing along the side walls and in the back, anywhere they could squeeze in, and believe me, Ukrainians know how to squeeze into any place they need to (ex. a small bus meant for 25 people in the US can hold 50 in Ukraine, plus a few planks of wood and 15 duffle bags, no problem). In all we made 931 hrv that night and all of it went to the school. The look on the principal's face was priceless! He never seemed that interested in us before the concert but after he was so thankful. We just wanted to show the community that it is possible to fundraise and they don't have to be afraid to try new things. Hopefully the school will continue to host more events like it.
I was really looking forward to getting to my permanent site with my wonderful host family and finally starting work at school (not to mention starting the 2 year countdown, only 722 days to go :) After 2 days of policy and administrative wrap-up sessions our coordinators arrived at Prolisok for their own mini conference. And on Dec 21 we drove into Kyiv to the Teacher's House (a big educational building) for the ceremony. The US Ambassador Taylor met with us again to update us on some of the political things that have been going on in Ukraine, including the Prime Minister's visit to Washington D.C. which ended up being very positive. Our PC Country Director spoke to us and gave us a few last minute pieces of advice. She and her husband were volunteers with group 17 in UA and now she is the director. We had a lunch break so I and a few girls ran over to the delicious pizzeria before other people could get there. We made our way back not in any rush, but as soon as we walked in the door one of the PC admin grabbed me and told me they had been waiting for me to do a TV interview! My host mom had come with other families from Mryn and I am pretty sure she told the news journalist that she wanted to be interviewed and that they should interview me too. There is a saying here (and the US too?) that the man is the head but the woman is the neck and she tells the head which way to turn. Well my host mom is the woman they made this saying after. It's great because she can get anything done that you need, but I definitely had no idea that also included TV interviews. Anyway, they stood me and my interpreter in front of the camera and started asking questions. I talked about what it was like to be a volunteer and how I became one, living with a host family, what I like about Ukraine, etc. Then after I was talking to my mom, trying to figure out if she had set it up and the camera man was following us around. It was kind of awkward because when I speak Ukrainian I speak really slow and make a lot of gestures to further express what I am trying to say. But never the less, I was the American representative for PC Ukraine Group 31 that night on the evening news. Right now I'm trying to get a copy of the interview and if I do, I'll send it home to share with you all. I talked with the PC Training Director about it later that night and apparently channel 5 that interviewed me was the channel that represented the "Orange Movement" a few years back. The government would send out memos to the media to sensor what they would broadcast or print and Ch. 5 was the first to reject those directions and broadcast the real news.
The next day we all headed out to our sites. It was really hard to say goodbye to my cluster mates. We had really grown close and built a strong support system for each other. But it was time for us to be individuals and head out on our own. I, my coordinator, Raisa Stepanivna (Rah-e-sah), and all of my luggage took the 3 hour bus ride to Pohrebyshche, my new home for the next 2 years. A note on the luggage: I brought over 2 big rolling duffels with extra room in them (BTW, no Ukrainian would ever consider buying luggage like mine), a traveling backpack and my computer bag. PC gave us at least 50lbs of binders, teaching, heath, safety and policy manuals, plus a huge "babushka" or grandma bag with a small heater, fire extinguisher and smoke detector. As If I didn't stand out enough! My host father and brother (both named Sasha) met us at the bus stop, thank goodness, and helped my get everything back to the house. It felt so good to finally be in Pohrebyshche and done with training. I will always have a special place in my heart for Mryn, but it was time for me to move on. Plus ever since my site visit I had been looking forward to my return so that I could finally attend church services, and with my host family no less. Like I had written previously, my family is Christian and they go to a Baptist church in town. Sunday morning we went to church together and I met the pastor, Anatoly, who was very excited to have me there. He was talking to me and I understood a little of what he was saying, but I just kept nodding my head in agreement. Services started with a prayer and then some singing, and I actually knew the first song! I couldn't remember all the words but it was one of the classic hymns so I just hummed along. From what I could understand, the sermon was about leading our children in the path of God. At the end of services the pastor was giving announcements and he mentioned my name, so I smiled and waved to everyone. But then my host brother leaned over and said that I had agreed to speak to the congregation before services and now was the time to do it! I took Sasha up there with me to help me translate, but ended up saying everything myself in Ukrainian :) I told them about what I will be doing here and how happy I was to attend church with them because I hadn't been in 3 months. And I told them to please ask me any questions they have so I can get to know them better and practice my Ukrainian. They were all so impressed with my ability to communicate with them, and frankly I was surprised myself. After services I talked with one girl, Tanya, who is 21 and she studied psychology at her university too. She was so sweet and I hope that we can become friends. All these things were falling into place at just the right time and in just the right way. I know it was all God. During all the prayers that morning I would pray on my own in my head in English, but I had to stop because thinking about all the crazy and awesome things God has provided for me was making me teary. I didn't want my first impression to be awkward there, so I just saved it for later when I could explain to my family what I was feeling. I told them about how everyone at my church back home has been praying for me, even when I wasn't even able to pray for myself. I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for all the prayers that have been sent up for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Ok, so on to this week really quickly. On Christmas morning I woke up and forgot that it was Christmas until I went to breakfast and my host father and sister gave me a Ukrainian Bible! They said they knew that my family was going to be celebrating together and didn't want me to feel left out. And that with a Ukrainian Bible I can practice my language and study with them later. At school I talked to 2 classes about Christmas in America and how my family celebrates it. Those 2 lessons really drove home the reality that I was not going to be with my family for Christmas and made me pretty homesick. Later I watched the little kids New Year's performances. Did I mention that they celebrate Christmas on Jan 7 because they use the Orthodox Calendar, and that's why I had forgotten that it was Christmas? The New Year celebration is much bigger here. I did get to talk to family back home later that night though, which was good and bad. When Grandma answered the phone and announced that it was me, I could here everyone in the background yelling and being so excited that I had called. After talking to everyone and running out of money on my phone, I had a lot of time to think, and cry, about what being away from home really meant and how I would respond to it. I'm learning a lot about Ukraine over here but I'm also learning about myself. I realized that family and friends were more important to me than I ever made them out to be back home. It's easy to take things for granted at home because everything is right there for you. But being thousands of miles away really gives you some perspective on things. Anyone who has ever been away at Christmas would agree with me on that point.
I know I have a lot of hard work ahead of me here, but I am given so much confidence by all the amazing connections God has laid before me here in this little Ukrainian town. I know I'm really hard on myself and that will be something I have to work on here, but I know that no matter what classes I have to teach or what projects I end up doing here I know that God will be with me the whole way. Thanks again for all the prayers...I hope that my updates show you how effective prayer is and what a difference it can make in a person's life. And thanks for reading my long letter :) Love you all!
Grace and Peace,
Britt
P.S. Today we fixed my computer and now I can finally watch DVDs on it! Hallelujah! And yesterday my mom and coordinator took me to the bazaar to buy a warm winter coat. My "autumn" coat was not nearly enough for the kind of weather we have here. It's actually pretty funny how clueless I am as a Californian girl about cold weather. Now when I walk around town I will blend in a little more :)
posted by Brittany at
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