Who, What, When, Where, and Why
September 25, 2019
I guess now that it's been a week, it's about time I give an update on my life! I have had this very specific goal to come spend at least a few months in Ukraine for about a year, but so many obstacles have raised themselves that I think the closer it got, the less real it actually felt. Imagine my surprise when I was ACTUALLY a week from leaving and realized I had been under preparing and underselling this experience for like, six months, and now had less than seven days to get myself ready to go!
People always have a lot of questions when I say I'm going to Ukraine, the most common being, "why Ukraine?"
While humorous to me, this is a valid question, so today I'm going to answer the five big Ws on this trip.
The simplest questions first:
WHERE am I and WHEN will I be back?
I am living in this little town called Vyshenki, about 21 miles outside of Kyiv. The last time I was in Ukraine was in March 2018, but at that time I was in Lviv, which is far on the other side of the country. It's a beautiful countryside. In this short week I've already learned so much about the people and their socio-economic situation.
I left the US on September 16 and I'll be back sometime in December! I haven't quite worked out the best way to drag out these travels as I come home 😊
I guess now that it's been a week, it's about time I give an update on my life! I have had this very specific goal to come spend at least a few months in Ukraine for about a year, but so many obstacles have raised themselves that I think the closer it got, the less real it actually felt. Imagine my surprise when I was ACTUALLY a week from leaving and realized I had been under preparing and underselling this experience for like, six months, and now had less than seven days to get myself ready to go!
People always have a lot of questions when I say I'm going to Ukraine, the most common being, "why Ukraine?"
While humorous to me, this is a valid question, so today I'm going to answer the five big Ws on this trip.
The simplest questions first:
WHERE am I and WHEN will I be back?
I am living in this little town called Vyshenki, about 21 miles outside of Kyiv. The last time I was in Ukraine was in March 2018, but at that time I was in Lviv, which is far on the other side of the country. It's a beautiful countryside. In this short week I've already learned so much about the people and their socio-economic situation.
I left the US on September 16 and I'll be back sometime in December! I haven't quite worked out the best way to drag out these travels as I come home 😊
WHO am I with and WHAT am I doing here?
I found an amazing woman that loves language running a private English language school. She grew up speaking Russian and Ukrainian, and is now fluent in English and French as well. She runs the school from her home but an amazing home it is! This home is beautiful and has an old feel, and the classrooms have a lot of thought and intention put into them. The children here go to a normal school during the day, and then come here for supplemental English lessons. The different classes span ages from first grade to tenth grade and English levels as low as zero experience and as high as B1. I teach about seven different classes and take days off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
I've taught in some kind of capacity since I was about 12 years old, so this is a fun return to my roots.
I haven't taught consistently since graduating college, though, so this has been an invigorating way to connect back with myself after such a whirlwind of a year.
I found an amazing woman that loves language running a private English language school. She grew up speaking Russian and Ukrainian, and is now fluent in English and French as well. She runs the school from her home but an amazing home it is! This home is beautiful and has an old feel, and the classrooms have a lot of thought and intention put into them. The children here go to a normal school during the day, and then come here for supplemental English lessons. The different classes span ages from first grade to tenth grade and English levels as low as zero experience and as high as B1. I teach about seven different classes and take days off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
I've taught in some kind of capacity since I was about 12 years old, so this is a fun return to my roots.
I haven't taught consistently since graduating college, though, so this has been an invigorating way to connect back with myself after such a whirlwind of a year.
Elena, my host, is the woman next to me.
The others in the photo are other teachers that are here for a short gap Elena needed filled unexpectedly.
We live here with her husband and her mother. They are an amazing family. Very real, gracious, patient, and loving. Elena attended school and has been learning English for 15 years. Her husband and mom only began being exposed to the language when they decided to try hosting teachers for their school in 2016. They have picked up a good, basic, ability to speak. Elena's mother Natalie makes most of our food here. It is all fresh from the garden and just amazing. It's a bit of a shock on my Western system, because I did NOT eat this cleanly back home, so this is just another perk of experiencing this amazing family.
My favorite part of being here is the Russian immersion and lessons. When there are other teachers that speak English around in the kitchen or wherever we tend to fall into English, but when it's just me and one or two of the family members, they speak only Russian and force me into it. This practice is an amazing gift since I haven't really studied Russian in almost two years now!
The others in the photo are other teachers that are here for a short gap Elena needed filled unexpectedly.
We live here with her husband and her mother. They are an amazing family. Very real, gracious, patient, and loving. Elena attended school and has been learning English for 15 years. Her husband and mom only began being exposed to the language when they decided to try hosting teachers for their school in 2016. They have picked up a good, basic, ability to speak. Elena's mother Natalie makes most of our food here. It is all fresh from the garden and just amazing. It's a bit of a shock on my Western system, because I did NOT eat this cleanly back home, so this is just another perk of experiencing this amazing family.
My favorite part of being here is the Russian immersion and lessons. When there are other teachers that speak English around in the kitchen or wherever we tend to fall into English, but when it's just me and one or two of the family members, they speak only Russian and force me into it. This practice is an amazing gift since I haven't really studied Russian in almost two years now!
Finally, the WHY.
I began studying Russia because of high school debate back in 2011. Ukraine became of particular interest to me when the Maidan protests regarding the East/West debate in Ukrainian politics began set spark in 2014. After that, all of my Russian language teachers were from Ukraine, and it remained in my head. I traveled to Lviv in the spring of 2018 as part of a paper I was writing at the time gauging the opinions of those in Western Ukraine regarding the conflict in the East. I loved Lviv instantly and have always wanted to come back and explore more of the country.
I was actually accepted into the Peace Corps to come teach English for two years in Ukraine. I would have left this past August for that assignment. Unfortunately, given the recent nature of my remission, they denied my medical clearance and pulled their offer. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. I took some time, dusted myself off, and then found a different way to make it to Ukraine. These three months are obviously not the same as two years, but it's a good start to brush up my language skills and try and figure out what I want.
I began studying Russia because of high school debate back in 2011. Ukraine became of particular interest to me when the Maidan protests regarding the East/West debate in Ukrainian politics began set spark in 2014. After that, all of my Russian language teachers were from Ukraine, and it remained in my head. I traveled to Lviv in the spring of 2018 as part of a paper I was writing at the time gauging the opinions of those in Western Ukraine regarding the conflict in the East. I loved Lviv instantly and have always wanted to come back and explore more of the country.
I was actually accepted into the Peace Corps to come teach English for two years in Ukraine. I would have left this past August for that assignment. Unfortunately, given the recent nature of my remission, they denied my medical clearance and pulled their offer. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. I took some time, dusted myself off, and then found a different way to make it to Ukraine. These three months are obviously not the same as two years, but it's a good start to brush up my language skills and try and figure out what I want.
Bonus: HOW am I doing here?
I won't lie, I have bad days sometimes, just like back home. But the pain has been very minimal and manageable. The hardest thing has been the fatigue and amount of sleep my body currently requires, especially as the weather changes and there are more rainy days. The schedule here is set up perfectly for my needs, though, and the family here has been beyond amazing in their understanding. I am so happy here.
This year has held so many false starts and so much change.
I finally feel like I have some room to breathe. To heal while also feeling like I'm making progress in life. This is an amazing chance to learn even more about the world and myself and I don't take that for granted for a second.
Love you all!