Swearing-In and My New Home

I can’t believe 3 months have flown by so fast in Ukraine!

After a very busy week in Kyiv last week, I am now officially a Peace Corps Volunteer! The Swearing-In Conference was a week of informational sessions and excitement, as it was great to see old friends that I hadn’t seen since Staging and meet the other half of group 40 that arrived in Ukraine a week before me.

With Nicole, Avital and Colette.

Hanging out with Peter, Jonathan, Warren, Jun and a few new friends.

Shortly after we all arrived in Kyiv, we settled into the dorms. It was fun to be back on a university campus, I forgot how much fun living with roommates was! I was in the triple room of a suite that connected with a double room and bathroom.

My awesome roommates, Deedra and Nicole.

Alison, Katie and Bri in the dorms.

After lunch on our first day, they had announcements of where all the Trainees in group 40 would be working in Ukraine! There are 86 volunteers in group 40, and we are now spread out all over the country. My site is located on the eastern side of Ukraine, in Kharkiv Oblast. Here is a glance at the map of all of our sites.

I am on a purple post-it note in a teal colored oblast.

We also got to meet our Ukrainian Counterparts for the first time. Counterparts are typically future colleagues, so for us TEFL volunteers that means that our Counterparts also teach at the same school that we will be working in. For Community and Youth development volunteers, Counterparts are usually involved in a volunteer’s primary organization.

My Counterpart Alina and I with my friend Melanie and her Counterpart, by the flags on stage.

We also had an informational session about all of the different “working groups” that are within Peace Corps Ukraine, such as the Volunteer Advisory Committee, Gender and Development (GAD) Council, Technology for Development, Healthy Lifestyles, Multicultural Awareness Council (MAC), HIV/AIDS Awareness, Environmental Working Group, and Special Needs Working Group.

My super awesome peer advisor Sasha came to Swearing-In to represent MAC and GAD.

On Wednesday evening, we had a little concert as Peter Yarrow from “Peter, Paul and Mary” came and performed live on stage. He was joined by Kurt Hagamann, a PCV from our group who is awesome at playing the sax.

Peter playing on stage with our Country Director Douglas Teschner and Kurt.

Not to be outdone, Warren shared his lovely piano skills.

 The actual Swearing-In Ceremony took place on Thursday, and many host families came to watch their Trainees become Volunteers.

My training cluster and linked cluster (minus Monica) with our country director.

Repping the ATL with Dara and Nathan.

With my suitemates Deedra, Melanie and Natalie.

 We also said goodbye to our dear Language Facilitator and Technical Facilitator. Without Larysa and Vika (our two Language Facilitators), I would not have learned enough Russian to score at the Intermediate High level. And our Technical Facilitator Ludmyla was immensely helpful in providing guidance on how to plan and structure our English lessons.

With Luda, Larysa and two of the host families from my training town.

Heather, Nathan and I with Vika.

Moving into my new town was a little bit crazy since my train arrived at 6:30 in the morning. It was snowing outside on top of the already existing 4 inches of snow on the ground. Luckily a few people met us at the train tracks, including my school Director, her husband, and my fellow PCV site-mate. They were a great help with my luggage and drove me to my new apartment. My new apartment is great, it is a furnished 1 bedroom apartment with a kitchen and bathroom (including a regular shower with running hot/cold water and a clothes washing machine!). I am also lucky to have lots of pots, pans, dishes and a full size refrigerator in my kitchen. Here is a photo tour of my new home.

My bedroom/living room. I sleep on a flip-down sofa.

This is the other half of my bedroom, with a flip-out table and 3-ft tall teddy bear.

I have a balcony, which will be nice for hanging out in the summer.

The view from my kitchen.

Washing machines look a little different here in Ukraine! Don't worry, my landlady showed me how to use this one.

My kitchen (sorry for the unpacking/cooking mess).

The view from my balcony... check out how icy the streets are!

 I can't believe Christmas is right around the corner! This will be my first Christmas without my family, but hopefully I will be able to spend it with some of my new friends here. Happy holidays to everyone!

Updated Packing List!

Today I met up with Kseniya, another PCV in the Bay area.We went to lunch in downtown Livermore, which was a quaint few blocks of shops and restaurants that reminded me of Athens, GA. Kseniya is super cool, she just graduated from the University of Hawaii with a degree in Psychology. She is actually a native Russian speaker so I got to practice a little Russian outside of Rosetta Stone with her and her mom.

Kseniya and I went to the local Dollar store for some random stuff, the store turned out to be a treasure trove of goodies with an aisle dedicated to teaching supplies, all for just $1! I bought some small picture frames and framed some postcards, like Sasha (my Peer Advisor) recommended... they look super classy!

Sorry about the flash.

I also picked up a nice map of the United States. I'm not sure why it has all the interstate highways on it, but at least it shows the states and capitals. I trimmed the blue border a little so it fits flat in my suitcase perfectly.

Like the purple shag carpet on the floor of my bedroom?

And since I didn't order the Oatmeal's Semicolon Poster (see this previous blog post), I also bought 2 posters with parts of speech and punctuation for my future classroom.

So in a frenzy of excitement, I sorted though all the clothes that I plan on bringing with me to Ukraine this evening and extensively updated my Packing List!  I reduced the number of button up dress shirts that I'm bringing, so I don't have to iron as much, and added some dresses instead (I'll be more comfortable in those anyways). My dresses are solid colors, knee-length and classy enough to wear to go to work (and then maybe out later that night). Here are my piles of clothes all over my bed. 

Thats right, working at American Eagle Outfitters taught me how to fold clothes into organized piles.

It is going to be fun fitting everything into my 2 suitcases! The good news is that I can basically fit all of my clothes into my red duffel bag (I tried), but I also have the black suitcase to spread out my clothes and other items like my yoga mat, sleeping bag, school supplies, toiletries, and my fleece blanket.

I hate how my luggage is UGA colors... I feel like a traitor. To Hell with Georgia! Okay, now I feel better. 

I also measured my luggage, after seeing an online discussion about the PCV's restrictions on the linear dimensions of our luggage. We are permitted to bring two suitcases with a combined linear dimension of 107" (sum of length + width+ height) and a total weight of 100 lbs, 50 lbs per bag. Apparently they will reimburse us for the checked baggage fees for the flight to Staging if we aren't able to convince the airlines to waive those fees. I haven't called United Airlines yet, but I saw on their website that they do waive their checked baggage fees for military personnel, so maybe I can talk them into waiving my fees. And yes, I know I'm not technically military personnel but if Verizon Wireless will suspend my phone under their military personnel exception, its worth a shot with the airlines. The only reason that I'm suspending my phone instead of canceling it for 2 years is that I want to be able to keep the same phone number (I've had the same number for the last 6 years and I love it).

Sasha reminded me to update the virus protection on my computer, just in case my computer gets infected with any files. Viruses are apparently common in Ukraine, she said that she unfortunately got a virus from a file that was on a flash drive (when her computer wasn't even connected to the internet!). I spent $20 and ordered the backup discs from Acer (for my Acer laptop) a few weeks ago and should be okay to reboot everything if needed (all my documents are backed up onto my external hard drive anyways since my old laptop crashed last year). I've got the installation files for Microsoft Office on my external hard drive with the product key too, so that is good to go as well. Hopefully I can avoid having to re-install everything, just because its a huge hassle. But spending $20 to have the backup discs just in case is better than having to run a pirated version of Windows... in Russian.

A Taste of Ukrainian Etiquette and Customs

I sent Sasha, my Peer Advisor, a list of questions about basic etiquette and cultural customs in Ukraine, since I researched these very same things before traveling to Singapore and China last summer. I googled Ukrainian Etiquette, and wasn't able to find all of the answers to my questions so I am glad to have such an awesome Peer Advisor to answer my questions!

1. Do they tip in Ukraine? Like are tips expected at restaurants, bars, taxi drivers, etc?

Yes, you usually tip around 10%. Not everyone does it, but the custom is appreciated. Depending on the place, tips could already be calculated into the wages... but really, throwing down an extra 50cents for a tip to make sure they have a good impression of Americans is worth it. 

 

Hryvnias are the official currency in Ukraine. 

 

2. Do they serve ice cubes in drinks? 

 

The tap water in Ukraine is not safe to drink, and ice cubes are typically made with tap water. They do not serve drinks with ice cubes there; so bring your own ice cube tray. People believe that super-cold drinks give you a cold or a sore throat, so you won't see ice cubes often (or ever). Anything they serve in restaurants will be safe to drink. 

 

Kvas, a traditional Ukrainian non-alcoholic brewed drink based on bread.

 

3. Is it considered polite or impolite to finish all of your food on your plate? 

 

This tends to vary by culture, like some people are offended if you don't finish your plate and some people find it offensive if you do finish your plate (meaning you are still hungry or something). You'll find that it's often impossible to finish everything on your plate! Ukrainins LOVE to feed their friends/family, so often times, they'll put a ton on your plate. So you may often leave a bit on your plate, simply because you can't stuff any more food into your stomach! 

 

I have no idea what this is-this is one of the results I got when I googled "Ukranian Food".

 

4. Is it common for people to buy a Brita water filter to filter their tap water into drinking water? Is that filtered water safe enough to drink? 

 

Many PCVs in Ukraine just boil water every night, let it cool overnight, then put it through the filter in the morning. It's a great system, and saves lots of money. Peace Corps calculates water in your living allowance, but you can save that money for travel or other expenses like shopping :-)

 

 

This looks like the water filter that I had while in college, loved that thing. 

 

5. Since many people smoke in Ukraine, will I be peer pressured to smoke? (I've never smoked a cigarette in my life and plan on avoiding it if I can.) 

 

If you don't smoke, you don't smoke; they'll understand. And along those lines, if you just say you don't like to drink, you won't really have to drink. So don't feel pressured to engage in anything that you wouldn't normally!

 

I'm definitely a non-smoker. 

  

6. Can you stream videos on Hulu or Youtube in Ukraine?  

 

It's totally possible to stream videos here! Many volunteers use skype to keep in touch with fam and friends. Internet works differently in different towns; your host family may not have internet, but most PCVs have access to the internet regularly at their permanent sites after Training. 

 

The Ukrainian Parliment is frequently on the news in Ukraine. 

Only 10 more days until I leave for Staging in Washington DC! I hope my North Face snow boots and Swiss Army Knife arrive in the mail this week. And I guess that means I need to go find somewhere to get a flu shot soon... apparently we are supposed to get our flu shots (with H1N1 vaccine) before we arrive at Staging. 

Gifts for My Ukrainian Host Family and Friends

Almost every Peace Corps packing list has advised us to bring along some gifts for our host family in Ukraine, and for the friends that we will meet along our journey. Many PCVs also give gifts to their Ukrainian counterparts at their school or in their workplace. The packing lists that I have read have recommended small things that are made in the USA or souvenir-type trinkets like shotglasses, magnets, postcards, puzzles, hats, ties, small scented body lotions, stickers, etc.The gifts are expected to be generic, and apparently Ukrainians really enjoy things from your hometown or with pictures of life in the United States.

So I went down to Chinatown here in San Francisco last weekend to do a little souvenir shopping. You really can't beat Chinatown's prices for things like this... shotglasses that were $1 in Chinatown would sell for like $4.99 just a few blocks away in Union Square. And Ukrainians love shotglasses since they are useful and some people even collect them as a hobby. I bought some San Francisco shotglasses, magnets and keychains. I also bought a bunch of postcards and I have some New York City postcards from our family trip as well. Sasha, my Peer Advisor, recommended that I go buy a few cheap frames to frame some of the postcards. She says that framed postcards actually look classy and are nice gifts - she gave one to her coworker and Sasha's coworker keeps it on her wardrobe in her living room!

While I was downtown with my family, we ate dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. I forgot the name of it, should have grabbed a business card or something. My sister ordered a Create-Your-Own-Pizza dish, which she thought meant that she just picked the toppings for it. She picked tomatoes, meatballs, and mushrooms. To her surprise, our waiter brought out the raw pizza dough, tomato sauce, cheese, and toppings for her to actually put the pizza together herself! She was really excited and here is a picture of her pizza creation!

I picked up some cheap puzzles and flashcards at Target. One of the puzzles is a map of the United States and the other one is of a $1 dollar bill. The flashcards are US History and Presidents.... two things that I need to brush up on myself! I can use these in the classroom for activities and games with my students. Its also recommended that we bring some dice and the card game Uno to play number games with.

My sister wanted to go to the Niketown store in Union Square, so we went inside. They were giving away some free Nike Silly Bandz to promote something, so I grabbed a handful of those to give to the high schoolers (or kids) that I teach in Ukraine. I have no idea if they are popular there, but I'm sure they will be since my sister is in high school and pretty much obsessed with them.

We also saw a Rolls Royce outside of Chinatown. There was a wedding at a church on Grant Street, and the drive had rolled out a red carpet leading from the church doors right up to the Rolls Royce. So fancy :)

 Another exciting thing is that my Russian/English Pocket Dictionary came in the mail yesterday! It is not as pocket-sized as I thought it would be... its about 2 inches thick. But the reviews of it online said that it was a good dictionary to have. Plus I bought it pretty cheap on Amazon.com, so I think it will be worth its size and weight that it takes up in my luggage. I was proud of myself when I was able to translate the Cyrillic font on the spine to "Anglo-Russki".

Representing the Diversity of Americans in Ukraine

One of the things that worries me about moving to Ukraine is how my Peace Corps Placement Officer asked me if I would be able to handle any racial stereotypes or prejudice against Asians. I am looking forward to representing the diversity of Americans in Ukraine. Diversity is such a huge buzzword everywhere now, from schools to the workplace. One of the core expectations of the Peace Corps is to show the world that Americans are not all white (pardon me for saying that straight up rather than using Caucasian, the more politically correct word), and I am proud to have that opportunity during my service.

I read online that I might frequently get stopped by police and asked to present my documents (just like profiling in Arizona). So I need to be prepared to explain my Asian heritage and how I was born and raised in the United States. Questions like "where are your parents from" and "what kind of Asian are you" are not new to me. In fact, questions like these are fairly normal, I get them all the time in the States. I also get classic questions like "do you speak Asian" and sometimes I got lots of stares from people when I'm in the South... cultural attitudes in the South are still very different from living in California where there is plenty of diversity. Of course, some people in the South also tend to assume that all Californians are super crunchy liberal greenpeace hippies but that is a whole other story.

Sasha, my Peace Corps Peer Advisor, reassured me that the prejudice and discrimination in Ukraine towards Asians is really not that bad. Since all volunteers have to keep their documents on their person at all times, presenting proper identification shouldn't be an issue if I do get stopped by police. However, she mentioned that I probably will get stopped more often than the "white" volunteers. Other times, I might be confused for a Chinese exchange student. This is pretty understandable since if you've never been exposed to diversity, it will be hard for you to expect anything outside of the norm. Apparently Ukrainians overall have a relatively positive outlook toward Asians and Americans, so I think it really won't be that bad.

I think it is interesting when people stereotype me... like when I'd walk around the Athletic Association building at Georgia Tech and the football players would ask me if I was a math tutor (or a cheerleader). Stereotypes are just stereotypes, and I'm always glad to show people that they are not necessarily true.

Just for fun, here is a list of things that I actually do that are really "asian":

1. Take my shoes off when I walk into a house. But many other cultures do this as well, like Ukraine!

2. Play the violin. Okay, I know this is almost equivalent to playing the piano but my hands weren't quite big enough to span an octave on the piano when I was 5, so my mom started me on the violin instead.

3. Save all the plastic grocery bags that I've ever gotten from places like Walmart and hoard them underneath the kitchen sink. I probably reuse about 10% of those bags for the mini trash cans in my room and then always throw the other 589446812 of them out when I move out of an apartment.

4. I date white guys. Here is a great article about this stereotype, from a book by Christian Landers' (adapted from his blog) called "Stuff White People Like".

5. Spin my pen or pencil around in my right hand during class. If you've never seen this, you need to pay more attention to the Asians in your classes. Watch closely, they all know how to do it.

Image courtesy of ehow.com's "How to Spin a Pencil Around Your Thumb".

Honorable mention to the above list: I majored in engineering. I tried to switch to Public Policy once my freshman year (when I decided I wanted to be a lawyer) and my parents refused to keep paying for me to attend such a strong engineering school. Then I switched to Industrial Engineering, which was actually a great fit for me and my interests in working with people and yet still crunching numbers. So now I'm considering pursuing public interest law after the Peace Corps, rather than IP (intellectual property) law. And I'm one of the only PCV's in my group that has an engineering degree, everyone else has liberal artsy stuff like American Studies (what is that? is that like history?). Anyways, only 14 more days until Staging in Washington DC!

Ukraine Culture and Customs

Since I am essentially moving to Ukraine for the next two years, I have been doing a little research on what to expect from the people and what living there will be like. I went to lunch yesterday with my dad and a co-worker of his that was from Ukraine and we had some great discussions about Ukrainian culture and traditions. I really enjoyed hearing his comparisons between life in Ukraine and life here in the United States. I attended a RPCV potluck near Berkley last weekend, and while I was there I was fortunate enough to meet a very nice PCV that just returned from Ukraine last December. She was very helpful and candid and telling me what to expect over there. Coupled with what I've read online and learned from other people, here is a list of things that I've learned about Ukraine so far (in no particular order).

Disclaimer: I have no real proof whether any of the following is accurate or not, just word of mouth and various internet resources. 

1. People will stare at me like they've never seen Asians before. In their defense, they also stare at all foreigners. I was told a story of how the Asians and African-Americans did not even last through Training by a RPCV from Poland who served in the mid 1990s, I am hoping that it has gotten better since then. This doesn't seem to faze me as much, since I'm used to stares and explaining where my parents are from and how I was born and raised in the United States.
2. The eastern side of Ukraine speaks more Russian and has more of a Russian influence, since it borders Russia. The western side of the country tends to be more Ukrainian. However, since Ukrainian is the national language of the country, all the street signs and business transactions are in Ukrainian but everyone usually speaks both languages anyways.
3. Ukrainians do not smile when they walk around on the streets... but they are apparently very friendly once you get to know them, unlike Americans who only form superficial relationships (meaning apparently different perspectives and standards of relationships are to be expected in Eastern Europe).
4. Many law enforcement officials actually expect you to offer them a bribe and you can sort-of bargain with them... as in, I only have $X.XX, is that enough to keep me from being arrested? I am not so sure how well this will work or if this is even true.
5. Just like in China, some places will have Turkish-style squat toilets, and not all will have toilet paper so be prepared to carry around the little packets of tissues that they sell as toilet paper. It is also common for people spit in the streets, and be wary of  pick pockets - thieves will slit the bottom of your purse to steal from you while you walk around markets and on trains.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Football (soccer) is very popular in Ukraine. Since I'm going to be living in Eastern Europe for 2 years, I figure I might as well learn how to play. So I bought a sweet pair of pink and black Addidas cleats to play football in, and I'll probably bring my Chelsea FC jersey and Stuttgart jersey just for fun. Ukraine is hosting the 2012 European Football Championship, so maybe I can go volunteer as a translator!
   
   
   
   
    
7. One strange stereotypical Ukrainian dish is called salo. It is essentially cured pork fat that is sliced thinly and sometimes spiced with pepper and it is about as common as borscht (beet soup). 

8. Apparently there are restaurants that serve sushi and Chinese food, but they are not very popular. And I've been warned to be careful about eating raw fish in their sushi, since it might not be as fresh or as sanitary as it is here in the United States. 
9. Vodka is used as a cure-all medicine. For example, it may be poured straight from the bottle and rubbed directly on your skin to increase circulation in sore muscles.
10. Flowers are nice to bring as a small present or show of gratitude, but they only give flowers in odd numbers. Even numbers are reserved for funerals. 
11. It is considered bad luck to shake hands across the threshold of a door. And it is custom to take your gloves off when shaking hands.
12. It is common for people to spend extravagant amounts of money on their clothes, for keeping a fashionable appearance is very important even if you are just going to the grocery store. For example, if even if someone only earns the equivalent of $500 a per month, they may still be wearing a very fashionable $500 pair of boots. Women wear stiletto heels everywhere, including in ice and snow (so they don't use ice grippers like Yak Trax).
    
    
    
    
    
13. Do not expect to ride in any elevators. Most of the apartment and office buildings do not have elevators. Therefore, if I get a bike, I'll have to carry it up the stairs to my apartment.... I will probably not be riding a bike. Plus I doubt people ride bikes in ice and snow. 
14. Not all of Ukraine gets snow, the south side of Ukraine is along the Black sea and actually has a lot of beaches and resorts that are popular during the summer. 
15. Almost any driver in Ukraine will be willing to give you a ride somewhere for a fee. This sounds quite scary, since it means people hitchhike around in random cars rather than official taxis. But I was advised that this is quite normal, you just have to use your judgment and common sense. And when I asked if they would kidnap me or take advantage of me as a young woman, I was told that this option is typically safer when you are not traveling alone. 
16. People in Ukraine drink a lot of black tea, not just vodka. Tea is a gesture of welcome and served in many homes. Many people also drink coffee but don't expect to see a Starbucks on every corner.
17. In Ukraine, school is typically taught in Ukrainian but this will vary according to the city or town. Students typically go to the same school and always have classes with the same group of people from when they are in kindergarten to when they finish secondary school. It is not that common for people to move or switch schools. This is definitely different from my own experience growing up - my family moved around a lot so I went to 10 different schools before 7th grade and I went to two different high schools.
18. Women wear always lots of makeup. I have been told not to be surprised if my Ukrainian counterparts or co-workers suggest that I wear more makeup or give me more makeup as small gifts. Apparently local stores sell a lot of Mary Kay and Avon makeup so you can buy almost everything there, I bought another Revlon eyeliner pen and some new Clinique mascara to bring to Ukraine.
19. The water is not typically safe to drink, many Ukrainians will boil their tap water to sanitize it or simply buy bottled water. I think the Peace Corps includes purchasing bottled waters when they calculate and budget our living allowance.
20. You can buy a washing machine in Ukraine! This is not very common though so it will be expensive, most people still wash their clothes by hand and hang them out to dry on a clothesline. 

  And guess what? I finally got contacted by my Peer Advisor today, her name is Sasha and she is a current PCV in Ukraine. She is Japanese and I just sent her a bunch of my questions about packing and what to expect there. So hopefully she gets back to me soon, then I will post some more of my thoughts about packing and preparing for Ukraine :)