I've Noticed

I used to say "I speak Ukrainian" [proud/optimistic] and now I say "I speak Ukrainian" [le sigh/defeated].

Independence Day

Happy Independence Day, Ukraine! Proud to be here to celebrate your 20th anniversary.

Summer Recap: June

I spent the first week of June going into my school and occupying myself with small tasks for the morning. It was expected that I be there, and it was more of a time for me to go in and be seen because I didn't have much to do. I cleaned my office, and tried to make things take longer by doing them left-handed, but mostly I just read and studied Ukrainian a bit.

The second week of June I headed to the city of Izyum (изюм, it means "raisin" in Russian) in Kharkiv oblast with my friend Shannon for an arts day camp. It was a really nice, relaxed camp and I met a few other really cool volunteers. There were six volunteers total, and the two volunteers who lived in Izyum are a married couple. We'd head to school at around 10am and split our 30 or so kids into three groups. Throughout the week, we learned about Mexico and mexican culture, made piñatas, drew charcoal portraits, made found art sculptures, collages, and learned how to dance the macarena. We were finished everyday by 2pm or so and would head back to their apartment and hang out and relax. Shannon came back to my house with me and kept me company for a couple days before heading back to her site.

 I really like Kharkiv's train station. It's the prettiest one I've been in, with areas to sit outside and fountains.

 Pretty grates.

 Izyum

 Arty garbage cans.

 We took cover under this sculpture when it started to rain.

 The walk up the hill to the monument.

 You know you're in the east when...

 It started to rain again, so we took shelter under a tank. This is my friend Shannon, checking out the inside of the tank.

 More weaponry.

 The final monument.

 Note the Russian and Ukrainian flags in the distance.

 The finale.

 Some of the ancient babushka stones. Disregard the water droplet in the corner of the photo.

 I really like these.

The third week of June, one of my friends and former cluster mates came to visit me all the way from Lviv! It was nice to have another American to hang out with, especially when one of the female shop keepers would burst into giggles when he and I walked into the store where she works. Fun times.

Then at the end of June, I traveled to Kyiv to meet up with my parents! It was nice to see them for the first time in nine months or so. More on this in my next post.

I'll Make It Easy For You

"Killing more people than the First World War on all sides put together, the famine of 1932-3 was, and still is, one of the most under-reported atrocities of human history, a fact that contributes powerfully to Ukraine's persistent sense of victimisation."
-Anna Reid, The Borderland

Please, educate yourself.

United Human Rights Council

The History Place

Askold Krushelnycky

Holodomor (literally, 'death by hunger' in Ukrainian)

In Case You Felt Like Being Depressed Today

While I was working at the last camp I was at, near Odessa, there was also a large group of orphans staying at the same facility. It was interesting being around such a large group of kids who, as far as I could tell, didn't really have adult supervision and who are probably used to living like that.

It seems like there's almost a prison mentality. All the boys look like they work out constantly. The kids would walk around the cafeteria, taking extra food off of plates and taking stacks of sliced bread, or pouring sugar into little plastic containers they brought with them to take back to their rooms. They walk around without shoes a lot. They seem to beat up on each other pretty frequently. It was pretty depressing.

So I googled Ukrainian orphanages and here's what I found out:

• 100,000 orphans live in Ukraine’s 450 orphanages (about 225 children in each facility)
• 100,000 more children are on the streets because the orphanages are full
• 10% of orphans commit suicide after leaving the orphanage before their 18th birthday (they "graduate" between the ages of 16 and 18)
• 60% of the girls end up in prostitution
• 70% of the boys end up in crime
• Only 27% are able to find work
• 80-90% of orphans are social orphans. They have parents but they are unable to care for their children due to alcohol, drugs, abuse, etc. or are in prison.

This also made me appreciate that the orphanage in my village is a smaller facility, where all of my kids seem well cared for and relatively well adjusted.

Non-PC Post

This is a good article about President Gee and all the shenanigans going on at OSU, which I've only been peripherally aware of.

It also reminded me that football season is coming up and how much I miss watching games. Anyone want to ship me a tv with the magical capabilities of broadcasting OSU games? That'd be great, thanks.

Same Old, Same Old

If you want to read up on the current political situation in Ukraine, here are some good links:

Ex-Leader of Ukraine Is Held for Contempt; Activists See Purge in Progress

Judge Keeps Ukraine Opposition Leader Jailed, Sparking Protest and Petitions

Ukraine: Court Denies Appeal of Jailed Former Prime Minister

A World Champion Who Could Be a Contender in Ukraine

 

Vitali Klitschko. This is not what most Ukrainian men look like... unfortunately. 

Geography Lesson

I was at a festival recently that was held at the same facility as the camp I was working, and saw the word "Бессарабська" (Bessarabian) and had no idea what that meant. I was reminded of it while reading this article, that mentions a Bessarabian fortress. So I looked it up.

Bessarabian: a region in eastern Europe between the Dniester and Prut rivers. It was part of Romania 1918–40, but now lies in Moldova and Ukraine.

Also, in case you hadn't noticed, I am a slacker and haven't posted anything since the beginning of summer. I'll be making it up to you over the next few days!