Monthly Archives: October 2015

09 October, 2015

I have had a number of people ask me about the specifics of my job at the school (the center, the school, Education & Rehab Center, special school….we’re know by many names here).  Initially, I responded with “I haven’t a clue” because I was given some very broad guidelines and naturally, things have shifted as I’ve observed people and practices here… and put their work into the local cultural context.

This isn’t an American system and it would be unrealistic to try to set them up to that standard. But there are strengths here and opportunities to build upon them – and that is essentially what I plan to do this year. How?  Good question. I’m still figuring that out.

But I have lots of ideas.

I was speaking with Vera, the head of non-academic training (extracurricular activities and social development…there really isn’t a good translation for her role here). Anyhow, I was talking about how it would be good to promote more life skills training (independent living skills training). Because while they get little bits of this, there isn’t an actual curriculum. And so I impressed on them the importance of starting early to learn “home and life” skills as a way to build up confidence and the ability to be more independent after graduation if a job were ever to be available to them. I have had similar conversations with other staff here and they mostly look at me with a sad pity, because there is almost nothing available to kids after graduation…and their thinking is not to set them up for failure. Vera on the other hand, understood my point about building up a foundation of skills so that when things do change here, these guys will be ready for it. She told me she had some ideas and maybe we could talk more about it later.

And then two days ago she surprised me by showing me the plan in action. (Day p’yatʹ/high five Vera!!)

She had set up food preparation classes for kids at all ages, who were spread out in various places around the school. First she showed me the girls of the 6^th or 7^th grade who were having a ‘cook off’ of light desserts. The youngest kids were celebrating bees and making a fruit salad with honey and yogurt. They were learning how to safely cut fruit and make equal sizes, and how to balance the different fruits for better nutrition. And then other groups cycled in, making salads and fancy little appetizers (depending on their age and skill level).

Those with greater intellectual disabilities were given ready-made cookies that they dusted with powdered sugar and dolloped with jam. Each class worked well as a group and shared and helped each other. I was so impressed with their team efforts. There was laughter and powdered sugar flying everywhere, and naturally we had to sample everything. (I set aside my germ/hygiene issues a lot here. If I didn’t I’d lose my mind).

I noticed one of the small kids in the ‘bee’ group struggling with a knife because of his contracted dominant hand and I suddenly remembered the adaptive silverware I’d thrown into my luggage…sitting on a shelf in my office. So I brought it down to the boy who found it amazing that you could bend utensils to fit the shape of your hand – no matter the shape of your hand. The other kids were looking on eagerly so after a bit I passed the fork, knife and spoon along to others and everyone gave it a ‘go’. The best part? When one of the kids without physical disabilities was struggling to use the spoon (which was curved at a 90 degree angle at that point), the boy who first used it stopped to help her. The kid who always receives help for once had a chance to give it. And he didn’t think twice about it.

And in that small moment, I felt so full of joy and pride that I nearly cried.

But, with perfect comedic timing, I was hit on the side of the face with a big blog of honey-yogurt by someone who entirely missed the fruit bowl.  And everyone laughed, including me.

…….

That was a very good day. And I love interacting with the children but for the most part I serve an administrative function and spend my days holed up in a tiny cold office with inconsistent Wi-Fi. I am helping to develop a five year strategic plan, and am creating training programs on a range of topics for the teachers, health care staff, and (eventually) for parents.

I met with several people from the Ministry of Education who were visiting here this past week and they asked me if I would lead a round table discussion on best practices in education & rehabilitation for all 15 schools that serve students with disabilities in our region. There was no proper answer other than “Yes, I would be happy to do that” although I gulped audibly at the time. I seriously wonder what I’ve gotten myself into. I did ask to visit some of the other schools to see what they’re like. Someone said to me “Do you really want to go there? They are very sad places. I think you would not like it”.  I understand that most of these schools are actually orphanages and more typical of what I was expecting to find here. But that’s exactly why I need to see them. I need to understand their needs before talking about what’s possible in terms of services and supports. The other schools are not near the city of Ternopil but are scattered in small villages throughout the region (imagine a large rural county in your state). I just discovered this weekend that there is a Peace Corps volunteer in one of these orphanages in my region and I’m hoping to start by visiting her school…and then teaming up so she can help me navigate the rest.

My office is in a wing of the school with the school psychologist, speech-language therapists, and a social worker (I think that’s her role anyway!). So it is a bright area and the children are in an out all day. I’m at the end of the hall so only really see them all if I’m passing through. Naturally I try to do that as often as possible.

It’s a cheery part of the building and has a comfy open area that offers both therapeutic and social supports. So you’re just as likely to see staff members taking a tea break together there as you are kids hanging out in their free time.

 

One of my favorite things are the ribbon canopies that hang from the ceiling in our wing. You can see them in some of the pics. Kids enjoy the tactile sensation of the soft ribbons and especially like lying on a giant bean bag under the canopy. It’s a little bit like a secret fort, right in the middle of school. And let’s face it: who hasn’t wanted a secret hideaway in their own workplace at one time or another.

There are lots of school events, too. So one minute I’ll be hiding in my office thinking about goals and objectives and proposal development…and then next I’m being dragged out to watch kids singing in traditional costume. I never really know what to expect so I just roll with whatever they throw at me (including honey-yogurt!).

I was just informed that next week there will be an Olympiad with various events for the kids. And I am expected to prepare my own toga for the event.

That’s right…a toga.  Augh…..

28 Sept, 2015

Peace Corps volunteers are awesome people. Really. They are just everyday Americans who decided to take time out of their lives to do something good in the world. And they work really hard at it – for basically the cost of living wherever they’ve been sent. Volunteers are also really supportive of one another so when I was invited to join a small group of them meeting in the city of Lviv for its annual Coffee Festival I felt like I was just asked to hang out with the cool kids. Naturally I jumped at the chance….nice people…English speakers….coffee… what’s not to love about that? They had me at ‘coffee’!

Celyse is another volunteer from my region and she was part of the original Peace Corps group that was evacuated during the start of the war here. Like many others, Celyse wanted to come back to Ukraine to finish her service and support the people here during a time of great hardship.

Because she originally began her service as a traditional 2-year volunteer, she was given the benefit of three months of intensive language training at the start of her work. As you might imagine, I am both envious of and highly dependent on her skills when we are together. Being able to go away for a full weekend with someone like that made the trip much easier for me to navigate, and way more fun in general. She’s not only smart, she’s fun to be around. She works at a NGO/non-profit org focused on the prevention of human trafficking…how cool is that?

Our train left Ternopil at 6am. It was a third class sleeper car, coming from somewhere in the east and most of the people on the train were in fact, still sleeping. It felt a little bit like the night bus in one of the Harry Potter films, with loud snoring and stinky feet sticking out in all directions. The train was very crowded and Celyse and I weren’t able to book seats together – we were in the same train car but at opposite ends. So in the semi-darkness she helped me to find my ‘seat’, which in fact was an upper bunk. I stared blankly at her and asked how I was supposed to get up there without disturbing anyone. She suggested I step onto the bed below me being careful not to step on the person sleeping there and launch myself up as fast as possible. So I threw my bag up, vaulted over the edge and built myself a little nest.

About an hour later, the lights came on in the train and everyone started to get up and undress (literally) and wash up next to their bunk. Here’s a shot of the bunk across from mine. Note the roll of toilet paper… one learns very quickly to always carry some with you because there is no guarantee any will be available when it’s needed…especially in a public place. I’m convinced that’s part of the reason why women carry such large purses here.

We arrived at 8:30am to a gray and drizzly day but didn’t let that permeate our mood one bit. Celyse had been to Lviv once before and knew the general direction we needed to go to get to our hostel.

 

 

Check out their website… I am in love with the chicken logo!

A few other volunteers had arrived the evening before and were already in the hostel so we nudged them up and out for a morning round of coffee. There was, after all, a coffee festival in town.

My first cup of coffee was referred to as “Lviv-style” and was presented as a small, strong cup of dark roast coffee with a slice of lemon (sprinkled with sugar) and a shot of honey liquor. It was delicious…and the alcohol gave a nice boost to the strong coffee without punching you in the face or making you feel boozy. It’s all about the balance of flavors here.

Moving in a large group is always a challenge because you end up spending a lot of time standing in a loose circle trying to decide where to go. And by the time a decision has been made at least one person (usually two or three) has wandered off and we need to do a scouting expedition to find him/her. It’s a bit like trying to herd cats, but I was more than happy to be pulled along by others. Everything I saw was new and interesting and I used my standing around time to snap photos and people-watch and just take in the lushness of the city.

We found our way to a local arts & crafts bazaar where I was mesmerized by women hand-embroidering Vyshyvanka, the traditional clothing of Ukraine. Like snowflakes, no two appear the same. There are local symbols embedded in each design, and certain colors are used in different parts of the country to reflect their region as well as national pride. It’s a beautiful custom and the women I saw stitching were true artisans. The shirts are somewhat expensive by local standards but given the amount of hand work that goes into each of them, I think they are well worth it. I’m sure before I leave this year I will find one that suits me.

We had lunch outside at a Georgian restaurant, tucking under the awning to wait out a rainstorm. I had never had Georgian food before so relied on others for recommendations. Celyse and I ended up sharing a traditional dish called adjaruli-khachapuri, which looked kind of like a bread shaped into a canoe, filled with cheese and with an egg on top. The heat of the melted cheese cooks the egg slightly so that it’s warm and runny. To eat it you pulled a piece of bread from the outside and dipped it into the gooey insides. It was heavenly and we both agreed that next time we would each order one of our own.

 

  

 

Bellies full, we went off in search of the festival.

The main arena for the coffee festival was in an enclosed outdoor area with vendor booths selling both coffee and sweets. (And no, there wasn’t a Starbucks in sight). There were lots of coffee roasters there and options to try different types of beans. There were also a lot of different coffee drinks that I hadn’t seen before (coffee and orange juice with Irish Cream liquor, for example…better than it sounds).

We each tried a variety of coffees and wandered into an attached building to watch the barista contests that were held on a stage inside. These people take their coffee making skills very seriously but also seemed to have a lot of fun ‘one upping’ their competition with a few crazy moves thrown in. We mostly just milled around and enjoyed the atmosphere, while over-caffeinating ourselves throughout the afternoon.

We counterbalanced the excess of coffee with more wandering about and eventually more food. There is also a new microbrewery in Lviv, which is the first of its kind here. And as it turns out, the brew master is from Portland Oregon so there was some familiarity with the urban industrial style of the place. And it seems to be going over big in Lviv, based on the crowd there. I’ve never been much of a beer drinker, but since that’s the custom here I have adjusted my palate to make room, and find that I actually enjoy most of the beers I’ve tried. We lingered there awhile and enjoyed sharing stories…and trying different types of beer.

And of course that’s pretty much where the age difference between myself and most of the other volunteers became apparent – at least to me. After two beers, I was feeling pretty much ‘done’ for the night, but for the rest of the group, that was just the warm-up. So I sucked it up and we headed out to a few costume themed bars (they have a lot of them in Lviv) -and explored a greater array of liquor combinations.  Mostly I just listened to the incredible experiences each person had to share and thought about paths not taken when I was their age.

I hung in there as long as I could manage and then left with a few others to go back to the hostel – while the rest of them enjoyed a rare opportunity to hang out with their friends for longer. PC Volunteers work hard and don’t often have the luxury of a gathering like this so when they do get together they try to make the most of it. Once winter hits, travel will become more difficult for everyone, but especially those living in rural villages. So I was lucky to have arrived just as one of these events took place.

We returned on the train Sunday evening and my heart was full.

I feel like my network expanded exponentially between the volunteers and their Ukrainian friends, and friends of friends. One week earlier my world was only a city block wide and now there’s entire community that I can lean on when I need to. And that has made all the difference. Here’s my favorite pic of the weekend, just a bunch of Peace Corps volunteers  enjoying walking in the rain on their way to nowhere in particular. It sort of sums the whole relaxing weekend.

28 Sept., 2015

I thought you might be interested in seeing more of my apartment. You know, besides my bathtub and washing machine.  First, let me describe my area. I live within the city of Ternopil, but in a bedroom community about half an hour from the city center (by bus). I live in a Soviet-era apartment block – as many people in this region do. And I am surrounded by scores of these buildings, which sometimes makes it tricky to navigate since they all look so similar. But I’m slowly finding my way…mostly using graffiti as my landmarks.

My street address is Kyivs’ka St 8/46, Ternopil and I encourage you to look it up on Google Maps. Here’s a quick overhead look.

See all those rows and squiggly lines? Each of those is a 12 story square brick building. Each one uglier than the next. My apartment is found through the second doorway of my complex. It looks like this:

It doesn’t exactly scream homey, does it? Too bad I didn’t capture the big dog that sleeps in the dirt behind the bench, or the smell of rotting garbage. But you can imagine for yourself.  Inside the locked doorway  there are stairs. The first thing you notice is how dark it is. If you’re coming to the building during the daytime or early evening, you will see a shaft of light between the first and second floor.  If you come home at night, you’re in total, eerie darkness. I see light fixtures on each floor and have asked about them.  Apparently the lightbulbs are stolen from them as soon as they’re put in so nobody bothers anymore. (I took these photos midday when the sun was at its brightest).

The second thing you notice is the smell. It’s an odd, yet distinct, combination of kasha and urine. It kind of hits you in the back of your sinuses as you reach the first floor landing.

Note the floor number drawn on with a red Sharpie.

 

Here’s my mailbox, on the second floor. Don’t ever send me something here. I would never, ever get it.

I have the luxury of a small elevator in my building but I only use it if I’m carrying lots of heavy items and the stairs are too hard to navigate. The elevator is dark and creepy and would be right at home in a low-budget slasher film.

  

 

I live on the third floor…. In a very dark corner. It’s usually so dark in fact that I have to use a flashlight to find the keyhole.

On a positive, note, it’s quite secure. In fact, I have two locked doors!

Once inside my apartment, it’s actually warm and well-lit. I am extremely lucky in that I have my own apartment and it is quite spacious, especially by Ukrainian standards. The décor looks nothing like the outside. There is an entry way covered in a wallpaper of pink roses, complete with smoked-glass sliding doors that cover my coat closet and living room when extended.

I have a separate living room, with a balcony. But before you say ‘ooooh…balcony!’ you should know it’s a squat cement space designed to hang your laundry to dry. American balconies serve a different purpose.

L-shaped sofa can sleep two semi-comfortably, in case you’re wondering.

No, the TV does not get English channels. But I try to watch the news in Ukrainian. Some days I even (sort of) understand it.

My not-so lovely but very functional balcony.

The Bedroom is pretty nondescript. A bed, a table, a chair and a closet. The cord snaking its way down the floor is actually my internet connection. So naturally I spend a lot of attached to the end of it.

You’ve seen enough of my bathroom, but here’s a ‘happy ending’ shot of both rooms, now that the pipes are in order.

The bathroom floor is heated!

The kitchen is my favorite space….mostly because of the cheery wallpaper depicting a hilly scene in which I imagine Julie Andrews appearing, singing “The Hills are Alive….” It has possibly been re-enacted in her absence as well (but I admit nothing on the record).  I love the little red stove, despite the fact that the oven doesn’t work.  The amenities are simple, but I have all that I need.

From this side of the apartment building I have a lovely view of the trees along the main road. Half a block down there are little shops and vendors lining the streets but on this end it’s relatively quiet.

 

 

So there you have it. Home sweet home. There’s plenty of space for visitors and you’re more than welcome to come. Just saying….