Odessa for New Years? Of Course! ... Um, Maybe Not.

I have been inundating my readers with numerous blog posts that I hadn't had time to write previously. I now have the time because I am on the break between semesters, and we will have no classes until the 8th of January!

For this time off, many great and wondrous plans were made. All of us English teachers would head off to Odessa for five days of fun in the big city! I was all for it. Getting to better know my coworkers and integrating more into the group seemed like a positive goal. These teachers all arrived in Ukraine on December 1st and had already had the opportunity to bond and work together on schedules and other such projects concerning our teaching. As one of the two that had arrived on the 21st, I was an outsider and had a bit of catching up to do relationship-wise. Interestingly, I was also seen as linked to the other male teacher who arrived the same day I did. All the other teachers assumed that I knew him and was friends with him! This is not true, and it took a bit of work to convince the others of it.

I had purchased a non-refundable Airbnb, tickets on the night train both to and from Kyiv, and had arranged to ride to/from Kyiv with the company driver. We were to leave Saturday afternoon after the meeting. Unfortunately, I came to my senses. The experience of the party the previous night and a slight blow-up at a coworker who was just attempting to help explain something, showed me that I had not been listening to my body. I had been pushing myself too hard and become overwhelmed. I had not taken the time to relax, to take in all the changes that have been happening, or to just get some alone time. I cancelled all my tickets and decided not to go!

While the loss of just over $200 was a big blow to me, I do not regret what I did. I would not have been good company for the other English teachers, and I would probably have felt left out as well (separate train cabin, separate Airbnb, not necessarily part of the group, etc). Staying has allowed me some alone time. I have been able to sleep, catch up on some old movies, video chat with VIPs ;) , and to see some of the nothingness of rural Ukraine. For instance, my walk to Olvesk would never had happened if I were with all the others. No one in their right mind is going to walk 20 Km one-way in the snow and cold to see if something is open. The benefits of the trees, solitude, slowness, and beauty are far too often overlooked these days in favor of convenience. I needed some of the former; it is great that I have finally been able to give myself the opportunity to get it!

Party Night!

Friday morning the English teachers entered the teachers lounge wondering what the day would bring. We knew that it would not be a normal day: there were no classes, and there were many distinguished visitors coming to the school. As we sat at one of the desks discussing whatever mundane topic happened to come up with one of the bilingual Ukrainian English teachers, another teacher (the geography teacher I think) came up collecting money. It was at this time we found out about, and were invited to, the teachers' end of the year party.

These parties are apparently very popular among Ukrainians and are similar to our "Corporate parties" in US businesses. Apparently each part of the school has their own: the kitchen staff, the janitorial staff, the teachers, etc. The English teachers said we would think about it and give them our answer later that day (it would cost 350 hryvnia, so there were already those who would say no immediately). I, for one, wanted to go.

When we talked it over, it turned out that the other guy teacher (one other has since arrived) would go if I went, but none of the other teachers wanted to even entertain the idea of going. They were just going to send a response saying that none of us were going without actually consulting with us guys first! I did manage to get my wishes out before they could, so I was able to send a message saying I was going.

The time had been moved forward by about an hour and many of the teachers who were going to go backed out at the last minute. I am not quite sure why that happened, but perhaps it was that there was a 9am meeting Saturday morning that we were all required to attend. Either way, instead of a bus we were told we would be taking, we went in a couple of cars instead. Also, the price had increased from 350 to 400 UAH! While that is only about $16.90, it seemed like a steep increase ... and then I saw the spread!

There were meat dishes, lots of different types of fish, some vegetables, and drinks. There were many speeches, and then much rejoicing (i.e. dancing)! I was not too fond of the dancing, in general, but there were parts that were fun. Mainly, people would dance around in a circle, so it was a bit more organized in that way than what one would experience elsewhere. They introduced my colleague and I to a couple of traditional Ukrainian dances which were quite exciting. The other teachers were incredibly welcoming, but it was difficult talking with them given the language barrier. I am working on it, but not anywhere near where I need to be as of yet.

Unfortunately, there was a bit too much imbibing on the part of my colleague, so he made some of the same mistakes that would be made at a Christmas party in the US... I was a bit embarrassed to be linked with him at those moments :( .  When we left, we took a taxi with 3 other teachers. This meant that one of them was sitting on my lap for the entire 30 - 40 minute trip back home. Conversations, which I didn't understand, were in abundance, and more embarrassing remarks were made by my colleague. We finally arrived home, and the Ukrainian teachers told us that the fair for the taxi was a gift from the school (I was able to look that up later).

Definitely a night to remember ... I just hope they haven't linked my colleague and I together too closely. Our behaviors are so different, and I don't want to be known by his! (I made it to the meeting on Saturday, so I was doing something right!)

Teaching in Radowell

I have posted about my recent arrival in Ukraine, but I haven't talked about my teaching experiences, and teaching is the main reason I have come! It may seem like an oversite, but I assure you, this is not the case.

We have spent most of the time I have been here trying to get things set up so that we could start teaching. When we were finally able to do that to the satisfaction of at least the school principal, we had two days of regular teaching. Then there were meetings, presentations, plays, science fairs, etc for us to attend (or not) and try to make sense of. The plays were actually interesting and well done, even if I wasn't able to completely understand what was going on.

The science fair was fascinating! The equipment and material the students have access to is outstanding, for the most part. One of the people there was a local engineer who showed us these new devices that measured various pressures, temperatures, and other such stuff and were hooked up to a computer to display it digitally. It was the only one that was done by a professional.

 This student project dealt with the effects on amperage and voltage when you raise or lower the resistance. I didn't get much more than that out of it as the person acting as an interpreter for me had gone somewhere else.

This was a selection of materials that have been purchased for the school that could also be purchased by individuals. The company also sells them to schools in the US (they had the mandatory sales representative there who spoke a bit of English).

 This project dealt with optics and how colors change when a multi-colored object is spun quickly, and how they are affected by distance.

 This is a demonstration of the wave pattern in which the balls are all released at the same time and start swinging back and forth like a snake.

 This is another optical "experiment". It shows how the eye works using lights to show where on the eye the image would fall. You can set the lights to show you different ages, and then show how lenses move the image to the correct area of the brain allowing for "corrected vision".

 This was one that really surprised me. This microscope is hooked up to the computer in order to show what one would see if they were to look into the microscope itself!








To the left of the computer is what appears to be a traditional microscope, but it has its own digital screen as well!! Where were such things when I was going to school?

 These were at the same place as the microscopes. The various specimens were interesting to look at to see what sorts of things the students were studying. I told them that the rat was for dinner. It took a couple of attempts before they understood, but their reaction was well worth it!

 This was fun to watch. They didn't explain anything at all about it, but my guess is that this was centrifugal force at work. One would take one of the small, metal balls and place it at the top of the ramp, let it go and watch it go around the loop and into the net at the bottom.

It was a lot of fun watching a small child attempt to do it. They couldn't even get the ball to start down the first part of the ramp. He appeared to be having a good time, nonetheless.

And, of course, what science fair would be complete without the classic earth, moon, seasons model? This is made to spin and show you the position of the moon, the earth, and the sun in relation to each other at every season and partial season. Being interactive gave this one a high rating by some of the younger attendees.







The science fair was a success, and afterward, I made my way over to the hotel (guesthouse) restaurant for a little lunch. Some of the students from school were there. One group were the children of one of the workers of the hotel. We (another teacher and I) invited the four of them (the children and the mother) to sit with us. We talked about what they did at school and after school and other easy topics that helped them practice their English. When they left, a boy (one of my students) from another group of students got my attention. He was sitting with three girls I had seem previously but don't have in any of my classes. He asked me for 3 hryvnias. Of course I took the opportunity to go over and ask him a bunch of questions about it!

He said that I should give it to him as a present. Then he offered to give me a french fry for it ... when I still did not give him the money, he offered me 3 french fries! All this time, the girls were telling me not to give him money. Once an unfamiliar elderly man walked in, and the boy asked him for money as well. I finally told my student that I was poor and didn't have any money. He looked at me and gave me a french fry saying "my gift for you." The girl sitting next to where I was standing offered me ketchup! This whole encounter took approximately 10 minutes, and there was much laughter throughout. The best times definitely come outside of class!!

Ukraine: Recent Experiences Layed Out

To start out, to all the English grammarians out there, the use of the archaic "layed" was intentional and not a mistake! That is all. (Perhaps "End of line" would be better here?)

As many already know, or could have guessed, I am in Ukraine! It is a lovely country with a deep history. I have been in Ukraine previously having visited a couple of major cities: Lviv and Kharkiv (Kharkov). Very few people spoke English, and it was a bit difficult to get around. I decided to not learn from those experiences and come back ... to a village no less!

My arrival at the airport in Kyiv was not exceptionally glamourous or eventful, fortunately. I made it through passport control with little interaction ... I filled out the immigration paper that one generally fills out when they arrive at the airport internationally, but they had no wish to see it. I am not sure why it was there if they didn't expect one to fill it out. Maybe it was just for those who had a visa or something!

I was met upon arrival by a non-English speaking driver who held up a sign with my name. He took me to the hotel the company had arranged for me. It was a nice hotel that apparently has a nice breakfast included in the price. Unfortunately, the next day I would be required to do a health check-up, so I would be unable to put that information to good use.

I attempted to take a walk around the neighborhood, but I was too tired to do anything of consequence and returned to the hotel to get some rest. I plugged in something I had brought with me without previously looking at it to make sure that it was like most of my devices: dual voltage, and I blew a fuse/circuit. I was able to bring myself to call to report it, but I don't think they believed me. They said they would tell someone and send them up, but no one ever came, and the lights were off for the duration. It seems that I have to break something in Ukraine when I come :)

Yesterday, I went to the next town over to see what it was like and if anything was open. I had no idea as to when the bus went, so I decided to walk there instead. I figured it would be a nice walk through the countryside and as it is only 20km, it shouldn't be too bad. I forgot that I would probably have to walk back as well.

Cobblestone road on the way to/from Olvesk.

After arriving, I walked around town. A large number of shops were closed, but there were still quite a few small markets that were not. I picked up a few small things that I have no idea what to do with, but it was good to actually buy something ;)

Small bridge upon entering Olvesk.

The walk home was a long and arduous one. I was sore, I was tired, and I wasn't exactly sure where I was going. Along the way, I had a couple of people stop and, I think, offer me rides. One person stopped and asked me for directions; always a bit awkward when you don't speak the language. About 6km out, a guy in a white van/truck who had passed me going the other way, stopped and asked where I was going. I told him Radowell, and he asked a few more questions I didn't understand, and then asked if I worked at the school in Radowell. I told him yes. He apparently lives in Radowell, and he drove me to where he was going (maybe a half kilometer from where I live), and let me out there. From the looks of the place, I would say he is a milkman. I just wish I had known enough of the language to be able to talk with him along the way (I think ;) ).

The road frequently interferes with the potholes.

The vast nothingness one sees between villages.