Adam in Україна!

So things have been so crazy the last couple of weeks that I was unable to update my site. I'm now in Vancouver and am on the third hour of an updating marathon for all of you. There's quite a bit of info so it's probably a lot to take in in one go. This particular post is just a quick update for everyone.

Kiev was great! Unfortunately I didn't get many good photos as it was a little rainy. All I can say is I'd love to live in Kiev. What a great city!

The trip back to Vancouver was fine if a bit hectic as times. Erin and I were literally in the security line as the second final boarding call for our flight came on the P.A. in Toronto. Of course a new trainee was being given the ropes in the line I picked. And of course both of our bags got searched and also my boots. Somehow we managed to book it to our gate in record time. I literally deked and weaved in and out of the zoo called Pearson airport. All's well that end's well: we got on the flight! But our luggage was lost. I'm in Vancouver right now in the same scrubby and filthy sweat pants I wore for 20 hours straight. We're keeping our fingers crossed that our luggage will arrive soon.

But, we shouldn't complain too much. Some dufus screwed up the visas for the Ukrainians. As a result they had to wait 7 hours in the Kiev airport and then 24 hours in the Frankfurt airport. Poor suckers - they're going to be exhausted. We're expecting them this afternoon.

I have a couple of videos that I took in the Kiev opera house during the ballet. They're pretty goofy and stupid but check them out if you want.

( Kiev Ballet )

So now that we're in Canada the program dynamic has changed completely. It will certainly be less of an adventure then it was in Ukraine. I hope it will be as fulfilling for me as it was in Ukraine. But, I don't expect this. What I do expect is that I can make it as fulfilling for Misha as I possibly can. Wish me luck...

So the night of January 13th was our last night in Ostroh. Honestly, I had no idea it would be so emotional for me and when the time finally came for me to get on the bus to Kiev it felt like a punch in the gut. My host mother and host brother were crying as I left and it was all I could do just to keep from crying myself. I made a connection with some great people in Ostroh and it's so difficult to leave them so suddenly.

But it wasn't all sadness and tears. We also threw a farewell party where I (yes me) and others were involved in a Ukrainian dance.


( Farewell to Ostroh )

Saying good-bye was awfully difficult. For the Ukrainians it was especially difficult as many of them have never been away from their families or girl/boyfriends for a long time. I left Ostroh with mixed feelings. In one way I was glad to be seeing Canada again. But mostly I was so sad. I was not ready to go. Now I am left with an amount of melancholy because I have no idea whether I will see these people again. But this melancholy is a direct result of my enormously fantastic experience in Ostroh. I wouldn't have it any other way...

First off. I don't think I can say enough good things about Misha's family. I was absolutely bombarded with hospitality. In fact, at times I was overwhelmed because I immediately treated like family and I think I would be always immensely thankful that I was able to experience Christmas with Misha.

I spent 3.5 days in Kolomyya and it was rich in experience, laughter, and goodwill. I hope to God I will have the chance to meet Misha's family and family friends again because they are wonderful, wonderful people. So I have some good pictures and a few good stories...


( Orthodox Xmas )

The trip to Kolomyya was far far too short. I left with somewhat of a heavy heart. Misha is extraordinarily lucky to have such a great family, and I am privileged to have spent time with the

So for Orthodox Xmas all of us were able to spend the dinner with our Ukrainian counterparts. Misha lives in Kolomyya which is 8 or 16 hours away depending on what route you take. It's a beautiful city close to the Carpathian mountains.




However, for some unexplained reason (the ticket system in Ukraine not always the most reliable) Misha and I were utterly unsuccessful in buying a ticket in our numerous attempts in the weeks prior. But Misha promised me we would go to Kolomyya and we did...

( Travelling to Kolomyya )

Ok well New Year's Eve was a blast!

Misha and I spent New Years at the Pizzeria with a bunch of his friends. Of course before we left to the event we had a host-family dinner. This involved the usual suspects of salads, sausage, holodets, and vodka. With some difficulty we managed to tear ourselves away from our family and limped into the Pizzeria, where we had salads, sausage, holodets, and vodka. In fact, Andrij (Misha's friend) poured everyone shots on the flimsiest of pretexts.

Also everyone in the Pizzeria were given several dangerous firecracker thingys that spewed confetti all over the place. As a result, our food and hair were covered with paper and our ears were left ringing. After the Pizzeria we all went to the town square, where essentially the whole town was dancing and singing around this giant Xmas tree. It was quite fun!

Needless to say, the night quickly turned ridiculous. For part of the night I remembered to take pictures so here are some of them!

( New Year's Eve in Ostroh )

I know that some of the Canadian participants gave my site address to their families. I'm not sure if any of their relatives still check up on this site - but in case they do here's a picture showing that everyone is fine and well!



So! Merry Christmas to everyone! Since Orthodox Christmas is on January 7, December 25 is no big deal over here. But, all of us Canadians decided to take on the task of making a Canadian Christmas dinner. We owe Erin a big thanks because she took on the task of organizing the dinner.

My job was to make scallop potatoes...for 20 friggin people!!! We bought 60 potatoes for 2.50 dollars! I tell you, if you ever want a successful dinner for your Ukrainian guests just make a good potato dish.

We actually took over 4 house's ovens to cook everything. I spent a good amount of time running back and forth with various dishes, marginally stressed out that I would screw something up. But all went well.

All of us managed to cram in at this seriously deficient table. The dinner was excellent, and we had such a good night. I was very homesick during the day, but once the festivities started I felt much better. I also managed to call home and caught almost my whole family so it was great to hear their voices.

( Christmas in Ostroh )

I have to say I was so happy with our dinner and the festivities in general. After dinner I experienced another first. The sink wasn't working properly, so I washed dishes in the upstairs bathtub. We also ran out of dish soap, but after Clare insisted that there was no real difference between dish soap and shampoo I used someone's shampoo to clean the rest. It worked!

Well I hope everyone else had a great Christmas. This year I'm lucky enough to have two, and starting today I begin my fast in preparation for Ukrainian Christmas...

So for some reason in this past month I have participated in four giant feasts. Two of Misha's friends (Andrij and Kolya) celebrated their birthdays. Also, St. Katrusia and St. Nicholas days were included in this month - my host-daughter and host-father respectively share those names. For every one of these days I have been treated to much food and also much vodka. In all of them I was 'lucky' enough to be able to sample some holodets (the infamous meat jello). If you're curious this is a picture of it:



It's awful.

Actually I also encountered another dish that I didn't like very much. The best way to describe this one is 'snot mushrooms'. It's literally mushrooms covered with this phlegm like substance. When you grab a mushroom out of the bowl you take with it a trail of slime - much like a slug. But to tell you the truth I'd take snot mushrooms any day over meat jello.

Putting those minor issues aside, I was very touched every time I was invited to one of these events. These people don't know me, but I was treated like family. In the case of Misha's friends they made such an effort to speak in English, which I know can be very tiring and frustrating. I find myself often stunned by the seemingly endless supply of hospitality that Ukrainians extend to me.

( Feasts! )

My host-mother said my parents would think I wasn't treated well if I didn't come back a little heavier in the midriff. Mission accomplished.

Of course none of these feasts can compare in importance to the one of Christmas. Well actually that's the next post - as I definitely ate my face off this Xmas.

Hey hey!

Well I'm back from L'Viv - and holy crap was that a beautiful city! The centre of town is gorgeous and is full of very old and picturesque architecture. It would have been fantastic if that was where our hotel was, but we stayed in Soviet Bloc housing central. Literally, the only thing around our 'hotel' was apartment buildings, road, and these tiny little stores that are more like stands that sell everything one may need while taking a tour of the dismal neighbourhood: snacks, drinks, beer, and vodka.

But the main point of the trip was not to visit L'viv, it was to have a mid-point project session where the group analyzes how things have gone so far and how to solve any problems. I can tell you that with any group of people problems will arise even after a month. This is especially true when you have people from two different countries. In our group there are some issues between counterparts and with group dynamics, but I think they are manageable and overall our group is pretty damn healthy. Again, I'm not so used to some of the activities we do as sometimes I feel as if I'm in high school again. But when it's all said and done I have to admit they serve a purpose at making our group much more functional.

I can say my Ukrainian is getting better. I was able to barter with the market vendors on prices which was fun. The driving in the city is a friggin zoo. Our driver was pulling the most out of control manoeuvres with the rickety clankety bus we were in. Don't ever, ever use a crosswalk without checking and double-checking, and then running for your life across the street.

I don't really know what else to say except visit L'viv - it's gorgeous. I wish I had more time in the city. Well I guess I can always come back some other time....

( Tour! )

All in all the trip went well. I didn't get as much sleep as I required. This was made apparent when I jerked awake on the bus ride home with a string of saliva connecting my mouth to my shirt front. The trip was too short but I can say I was glad to be back in Ostroh. It was weird, the feeling of me looking forward to coming back was almost (I say almost!) like how I feel when I come home to my parent's house in Canada.

I actually do want to go back sometime. I hope I get the chance.

Last weekend a bunch of us went to Rivne which is a moderate sized city one hour away from Ostroh. I had left with the intention of buying Xmas presents for my family but of course got sidetracked on the way. Soon after we arrived (and after I chowed down on a breakfast of olives, bread, sausage, and a strange cheese) a young dude approached us. He asked if we were Canadians and it turns out he was on this program for 2002-2003. His name was Vasil and he was from Rivne so he took us on a little tour. The interested are invited clicking on the link below for a short and inadequate picture tour of the city.

( Tour! )

This week I'm in Lviv for 4 days. I hear the city is beautiful and quite a big city. Hopefully I'll have a chance to do some exploring and maybe finally get those presents!!

Yesterday night I sent a semi-smug e-mail to my family about how I'm loving all the food here and how I shovel it all down gladly. Naturally, this morning I encountered my first dish that I couldn't stomach. The best way to describe it is 'Meat Jello'. Basically it's chicken entombed in this once clear jelly that has been stained grey by the meat. I think it was the texture that got to me. As I bit into my mouthful salty jelly burst into my entire mouth, which when mixed with cold cold chicken is a leathful combination. But all things considered, it's only one dish so far.

The past 2 weeks has brought me to some interesting corners of Ostroh. Our group has visited a daycare class, almost every Ostroh ruin, and a combined elementary and a high school.

The tour of Ostroh was very interesting to me. We started by visiting an very old synagogue that was in complete ruins. Ostroh once had a thriving Jewish population, but after the German occupation many if not most were killed. As well, I believe many Jewish people left Ukriaine for Israel after the formation of that country. My host father has told me that there is now only 3 Jewish families left in Ostroh. At one time the synagogue was gorgeous and very famous. When it was built the reigning authorities were Catholic and decreed that it could not be higher then any churches in the town. As a result, the synagogue was built very deep in the ground to allow for a high and beautiful chamber inside. From a celebrated synagogue the structure was used as a horse stable and now as a place of refuse. In Ostroh there is also a very famous and historical Jewish cemetary. However, after the Second World War the Soviet authorities removed all the tombstones and turned it into a park. Touring these places was a little surreal and I'm not quite sure what effect they've had on me. I've read that before the Second World War there were not only many Jews, but also Czechs and Poles and I constantly catch myself wondering what sort of place Ostroh would be if those people were still here.

But Ostroh also had many other interesting ruins, as it once was one of the largest cities in Ukraine and was surrounded by a formidable wall and gateway system. In fact one of these gateway is a few houses down from my street (Tatarska) and is called the Tatar gateway.


( click here for pics! )