Three Weeks In (Oct.16, 2009)

It's been three weeks, and I'm not sure whether time has flown by quickly or if it feels more like three months. At any rate, today is my second opportunity to access the internet... thanks to the Cultural Center in Bareshivka. So, here is my long overdue update.




I am in my three-month training stage right now. So, technically I am still not a Peace Corps volunteer. I am a trainee. I get volunteer status if and when I complete my training, pass my language proficiency exam, and get sworn in. I live, study, and teach in a small village (about 3,000 people) in the Kyiv oblast. By train, I'm an hour or two away from Kiev; I'm hoping to make my first trip there this Sunday. Actually, Sunday is my only day off; we call it "reflection day." The rest of the week, I am learning Ukrainian (about 4 hours a day in a class of 5 students) and participating in a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) internship - studying the educational system here, learning TEFL methodology, and teaching English at the local shool. Peace Corps does an excellent job with the training. It's a lot of work, overwhelming at times, but I expect a big pay off. It's not easy to learn a foreign language, but it's necessary. And I'm picking it up.



I live in an apartment with my host mother. Just me and her. She's wonderful, and we get along very well with sign language and my occassional attempts to apply what my language teacher has taught me.

I am in this village with four other PC volunteers - all wonderful people with whom I am very fortunate to work. In our group, I am one of the lucky ones because I have hot running water. That's not the case for all five of us.



Culture shock! How do I describe it??? I could give you a list of all the new things that I see and like. I could give you another list, equally as long, of things that I see and don't like. But, I won't, because I am trying to practice non-judgment. Things are different, and that's neither good nor bad. At any rate, I am grateful for this experience and enrichened by this culture.



That will have to do it for now. Thank you to everyone who has sent me messages and comments. I may not be able to respond to all of them. But, I hope you know that they are all very much appreciated. I love to hear from people back home, it helps me feel connected.



Thomas