Peel Your Teeth

Zim filling the dumpling dough with spiced apples, while Harmony rolled.

Hello all!

Though it might be hard to discern from today's posting title, our topic of the day was actually food and preparation of dishes for vocabulary building. We learned that the same word is used for peeling carrots as
"brushing" your teeth. Since apparently you are merely peeling off a layer of plaque, I suppose this makes sense! However, one must chop vegetables and cut wood. However, "Super Soup" is funny in both languages, so that's a win. But, first things first - the visitation!

Dignitaries and Tea
 So we naturally needed to buy groceries for cooking, and also had to make sure we were stocked up on cookies and tea/coffee. We had the country director come and visit, and we could tell that he'd been looking at his print out. Especially since he not only told us, but also accidentally left his packet behind when he left...He and his second in command, a lady Ukrainian-native filled us in on odd facts about Roshen brand chocolate (the country's premier maker who has been a politician and other such nefarious positions). Apparently the chocolatier gave Russia's P-man's advisor a good talking to about Russian media spreading a rumor that they were making tainted chocolate (with the EU joining proposition sitting on the table, things have become a little tense,to put it lightly, in the trade world between Ukraine and Russia).

We were also encouraged to share stories, and so several misadventures spilled out for their enjoyment. When warned about the bathroom, the Ukrainian lady informed me that she had locked herself in that very room previously!! So that made me feel better as well! It was a lovely time, and nice that he makes the effort to at least briefly visit each group as we are settling in. He had to run to a meeting with the president of the Ukrainian professional soccer federation, as they are looking to partner on events at games that would involve free HIV testing.

борщ and вареники
So, that was our menu today. Contrary to what I had believed before coming to Ukraine, borscht is not only made from beets. In fact, the only thing that seems to differentiate the two is that soup does not contain beets. Curly took the lead (and yes, it is a challenge to have two alpha cooks in a kitchen, especially with 3 other people in a very limited space!) and after some intense discussion of the recipe (which was feasible only in some aspects), we were soon all hard at work and having a good time. Sparta enjoyed pestering us with questions about what we were doing in Ukrainian (we had just "learned" verbs for mixing, chopping, shaping dough, etc) and we had to be quite creative with our limited resources. Thankfully, Hugo 

Hugo, Who made this especially pouty face especially for his blog debut

Or is possibly just sad because his Babuysa wouldn't let him shower again...

brought his potato peeler, measuring cups and spoons. So that was great for measuring flour for the apple dumplings and peeling the potatoes. The food turned out stupendously. I'd had my doubts about not using bouillon, but I'd eat Curly's borscht any day! We also got compliments from our technical advisor and Sparta. (Who, upon discovering he indeed did not have sour cream for the borscht, ran out and bought some!) So we were pretty proud of ourselves. Unfortunately, I think I got a bit overheated in the kitchen, and after lunch did not feel the best. However, I perked up about an hour after getting home. I am sure that cultural shock is due to set in soon, and I am promising myself to take it one day at a time! Luckily, my days are structured, I genuinely enjoy my clustermates and teacher, and I find the work so far rewarding.

I have two more picture for you (Curly kept dancing around to her iPad as I was taking them of her, and so they were blurry, but there is also a better one of Harmony with Zim!).

Hope all is well!

Steph

Wedding Saga Continued...

Hi all,

So I have some disappointing news...as I was leaving my tutoring session with Sparta yesterday, I asked him about one of the wedding traditions, which led to a rather awkward conversation in defining cross-dressing and the ultimate realization that this wedding was chocked full of regional charm. So, not everyone gets a week of wedding. Which probably for the best, as I would suppose one would end up spending a few years otherwise engaged in attempting to not be a functional alcoholic due to all the wedding vodka consumption - to say nothing of the odd glass of champagne, beer and wines of all variety as well!...on to the cross dressing!

That Video, Has such a Shame...
While looking over photos for the third day of the wedding, chickens featured prominently, along with some very awkward photos of rather disturbing cross-dressing. Including, or rather mainly, the inlaws, who got quite creative with their expression of gender. Lets just say I wouldn't want to eat several of the produce pieces that were modeled! When asked about a picture that showed the day being filmed, Leanne clattered into her tablet which spit out : that video has such a shame" and then : "Lawlessness". So I am guessing that got taped over, or perhaps simply burned!

4-7th Days
Honestly, it is pretty hard to trump day three of the festivities, but there was still more to come. The inlaws got duped in the pond at some point (explained with a vague comment about her husband being the youngest...?) and the bride bringing garbage to her maid of honor's house - to imply a sort of relatonship cleansing??? On the 5th day, they apparently break into friends houses and steal items, which they proceed to sell back to their friends the next day... Finally, on the 7th day they count their money and (of course) drink more vodka!!

And then I'm guessing they take go back to work with barely functioning livers.

Tomorrow
Tomorrow we are supposed to meet with the principal and also observe one of the actual school teachers do a typical lesson. After a debrief we will have language as usual. We have been having some challenging group dynamics, and are definitely "storming" right now. Of course, it will all come out all right in the end - one way or another. All my clustermates definitely have a lot of valuable skills and experiences to offer, and I have high hopes (and a few murderous thoughts through the last insanely-over committed last group) for the final project.


Anyhow, hope all is well,

Steph

Weddings, in a Nutshell

Hello all,

As I type, I am very much aware that I am missing the culminating event of the summer for Jack Pine Stables: the skill showcase. Hopefully everyone does their best and has fun. I have been promised pictures, and hopefully can share one or two soon. Meanwhile, my laptop has been rather uncooperative for pictures and poor Internet connection, but I shall press on nevertheless.

Why Weddings?
Well, it all started a while ago, with my host mother wanting me to bring my language teacher over to watch her wedding video with me to provide commentary. He wasn't too thrilled by this idea (matched only by level of embarrassment of actually asking him after several days of hounding!), and we settled on a plan to have me watch and write down any questions. However, then Hugo was invited to dinner. Leanne had already drilled me on him, and knew his name before anyone else in the group. She feels very sorry for his "deprived" situation, and last night I actually discovered why. Well, I actually learned a lot. Maybe even possibly too much. He arrived and she immediately said that she had a secret. Through the help of her translation program, she explained that she had wanted to host a boy, and her husband a girl. They then rock/paper/scissor-ed it out, with her winning. However, when Sparta informed her there was only one boy coming, she agreed the more spartan living conditions would be easier for a boy. So I was slightly chopped liver. I made the joke they would send me home and not Hugo, but apparently I have met at least basic expectations and they'll keep me.

Anyhow, we ended up looking at her wedding album before her friend the English teacher and husband came home to eat...which culminated in her and Hugo having 6 shots of vodka...oddly enough (by Ukrainian standards) her husband does not drink vodka, and she was happy to have a guy to drink with. I was not offered, but at is not really a path I want to explore. My low and abrupt tolerance would probably not do me credit. Thankfully Hugo is an archeologist, and has plenty of field experience....

On the First Day of the Wedding...
That's right! Weddings are apparently yet another thing we do wrong! Thankfully, not all traditions around world have been lost. On the first day they dress in what looks like typical western-world wedding garb- and Leanne looked GORGEOUS. They brought along a intricately designed loaf of decorated wedding bread, which got blessed by their mothers. They stood on what looked like a table runner, beautifully embroidered by Leanne, and got married by a priest. Next they headed to the Dnieper to take pictures and drink champagne. When the bottle was empty, they blew a wish in, along with a slip of paper and chucked it into the river. (Perhaps not the most ecologically-friendly practice, but quite romantic, no?) Then the real fun started. On the way back to the party, the groom must carry his bride across 3 (different, we clarified) bridges, including the vast Dnieper in this case. So that was impressive. Next? We DRINK!

Day 2: The Dirty Work
So, the next day when they get together, it is a time of some real family bonding...the mother-in-laws test the respect of their new children in a ver interesting way. First the bridegroom washes her legs, which she has generously smeared with earth. Then a second washing with vodka, and he presents her with new socks and boots. Then the bride must wash her mother in law's equally dirty face with water and vodka. Since they will likely live in close quarters with at least one half of their family for the rest of their lives, these are not particularly empty gestures...

Anyhow, I am flagging here, so you will have to stay tuned for the continuation, as there are still another FIVE MORE DAYS to cover...and some of it is pretty unbelievable, even after seeing the photos!!


Hope all is well,

Steph

Washing my Rainboots...

Hi all,

So it was another eventful day. We trooped over to the school, which is terrifically close to my host family's house. We got a tour of the school in English from some students, one of which is Curly's hostsister. We also got to poke our heads in some classes, and I got a wave from the twins. One of my clustermates, Harmony, caused a bit of a stir. She's a true blue Brooklyn-Eric, and is African American. Sine there is about zero pro cent racial diversity in terms of skin tone here, she soon attracted a gaggle of children. I have already been told I look Ukrainian ( which is sure to come with its own set of problems) but in a culture where individuality has long been considered a dangerous and undesirable trait, I would not want to trade her places and have much respect for her.

We also heard from some teachers - including Leanne's friend I met at dinner. We got a better idea of the functionality of the Ukrainian school system in practice .... And we thought we had budget issues! At least we Have a budget back home...here it is beg from parents! We also found out that soon it is (just reread this...clearly my syntax is already off!) a special holiday to celebrate teachers. A whole day of pampering! They come to school and get their hair cut, students do their nails, parents bring chocolate and nummy food for lunch. Meanwhile the top two forms take over teaching, which is probably to Really guarantee they get an understanding of how thankful they should be!!! We, alas, will probably not get to see this in practice, but it is a pretty cool concept!

Washing my Rainboots
So, I had heard about how fastidious Ukrainians are about keeping their shoes nice (they use portable baby wipes to clean them off as they enter buildings, for example) and this had given me pause in my contemplation of whether or not rainboots are exempt. I reasoned that since they are constantly getting dirty and stay in the mudroom, surely they don't require the same constant vigilance. I was wrong. Last night, as I went out to meet Curly on her way to my house to study, Leanne drew my attention to a demonstration of how to properly clean ones boots (/maybe all shoes???). They keep a basin the tub, and you place your shoes in it and use a sponge kept specially by the sink for this purpose. (I don't know what the other two larger sponges in the tub are for yet, and undoubtedly my language teacher, Sparta, would say "ask ask ask!" - but one day at a time!) thus, armed with the knowledge, I told her I would do it after I walked Curly home and she was satisfied. I did indeed wash my boots, and it was a mostly unremarkable experience.

Now, that's not a particularly exciting story, so I'm glad to say there is more. I discovered that there is also a second, equally important step in this process as I headed out the door today. It hinges on the fact that Rainboots are just as watertight on the inside as out...and splooshed my right foot as I made this observation. Had a good little puddle going on! Clearly I am not as competent as I'd like to think, and I am quite glad there were no witnesses!!

My Amazing Host Family
I will admit I was initially a little concerned that I was the only one not getting a tried-and-true host family, but I feel I have really lucked out. Tonight I spent HOURS studying with Leanne...she doublechecked my homework, and corrected some pronunciation: which was particularly helpful as I found out I was saying the verb "to sleep" as "prostitute" (also impressive as it does not have a verb action ending...). Which makes me think Sparta must be one hell of a poker player!! Additionally, between sleep and prostitute, I managed to also hit upon "to spit", so this could prove problematic.
She is also working on her English, so we joked that in 3 months we will just have our own hybrid language, instead of surjek (Russian/Ukrainian). And, of course, the children are already so dear that I'd throw myself at a bus for them. Slippery things, children...they slip so easily into your heart!

Anyhow, going to try to FaceTime with , my mom.

Hope all is well,

Steph