Walking around on the ice has been treacherous, but I've had even more unsettling culture shock in the past few days. Besides teaching conversational lessons, I also teach "conversation club", which is basically a space for students to converse as much as possible without the restraints of the class structure and with me as a mediator. We have a booklet to guide our topics, one per day, on everything ranging from "marriage" to "genetics" to, god knows why, "insurance". Two days ago the topic was "men and women", and yesterday's was "cultural stereotypes". Of course, since I'm interested in the critical theory of these topics, that's where they ended up. So I had three sessions of gender issues discussion on Sunday, during which many (though not all) male and female students expressed an opinion of female inferiority in some way. For example, one young woman said that maybe there are fewer women scientists because women are less capable of concentrating on one thing for a long period of time. Ironically, she is studying to be a doctor. The worst, however, was one young man who came into a class late and I asked to comment on the topic of whether gender differences are biological or socialized. His response was something like "all men are more intelligent than women biologically". Wow. I didn't know what to say to something so dramatic and explicit (and not to mention WRONG), even though in retrospect there are many things I wish I had said. Even after class he approached me and insisted that his statement was a fact. In cultural stereotypes yesterday there was subtler discrimination expressed by a particular fellow, this time towards women and homosexuals. And then this man got into a heated argument about the government's involvement in stereotypes with a classmate. All in all, those two days were very emotionally draining from dealing with high tension and discrimination, in particular towards my own identity as a woman. I think I also felt shaken up because it was reminder from a new angle that I'm really not in San Francisco anymore. Needless to say, I was very relieved that conversation club moved on to the topic of "pets" today.
On a lighter note, I would like to put in a couple of words about actually walking around on the ice. Every trip on foot has ranged from comical to embarrassing. And I'm still blown away by how well locals deal with it. Although I have seen some fall, they're more likely to use the ice to slide quickly and effortlessly along their way. Which blows my mind. Even more incomprehensible is that women are still walking around in heels. (And sometimes in miniskirts, too...). Since either walking on heels or ice usually requires all of my concentration, doing both simultaneously sounds like my chance to become acquainted with the Ukrainian health care system. Which leads me to believe that these stylish locals must have some trick. I thought that maybe the heels act as spikes that stick in the ice, and someone else mentioned that heels have less surface area to reduce the amount of not-pushing-off the ground one has to do. This is clearly a question for science. In any case, as with most things in life, you never really appreciate friction until it's gone.
Despite bruised hips and egos, we are learning how to walk differently. I even think I'm sore from developing new muscles for walking on ice. Here's what I've learned:
Take small, slow steps
Watch where you step
It's easier to lift your hip to move your foot forward instead of pushing off the ground
Waiving your arms by your side really does help
It's hard to explain using words, so here's a demonstration from the world's best ice-walkers:
Although, to be honest, this next video made me feel a lot better about my own struggle (even the sounds are similar):
Wowza, have the past few days here been Slavic whirlwind of new people and experiences. I had my first grocery shopping experience, filled with a delightful assortment of dairy products and surprisingly wholesome produce. I made my own borscht, that really doesn't live up to my mom's. I even snuck in an intense conversation on politics and religion with the conservative fellow who will soon be moving out of my room. I've certainly hit the ground running on this trip.
On Saturday night I went out with the other English teachers I'd been training with. We went to a bar by Freedom Square, one of the most salient landmarks of Kharkiv. This particular bar boasts meter-tall, ice-core, beer-... glasses? dispensers? But that was the least interesting part of the night. Much more entertaining were the locals dancing wildly on the lack-of-dancefloor between the tables and the musicians/comedians/m.c. One man in particular more than made up for his lack of physical charisma by his equal lack of inhibition paired with staggering (literally) endurance. Hopefully I will have a video for you soon (I still haven't found my camera cord :P)........
In other news, I have started teaching! It's been a pretty intense couple days. I've started eight of my classes, and will have more starting on Sunday. I was doing great with remembering names until my fourth class, and by my sixth class I stopped remembering anything that happened altogether. It's really exhausting to be so extroverted for such long periods of time as well. A couple of my students have attitude problems and will sit there rolling their eyes and sighing, which makes me worry that I'm teaching badly. Many, though, are really positive and hard-working and encouraging. I definitely have a lot to learn in all aspects of teaching.
In other news, here's a short guide to orienting yourself in unfamiliar places. You know you're in Eastern Europe when:
you have to run the bathroom sink and shower head simultaneously in order to have a hot shower
there are no fat free dairy products in the grocery store
your school's bathroom stalls don't have doors (and forget about toilet bowls. Toilet paper? What would a toilet want with paper??)
your school registers students by hand
you can buy condensed milk in a squeeze-out bag
children are allowed in bars
1 degree celsius is SO WARM
the elevator of your 7-story apartment building has buttons for ten floors...
street food is AMAZING even when it's cold and no longer fresh
Kharkiv!! Yaaay!! We found out Thursday after several tense moments of anticipation. Before finding out, Erika and I agreed: this placement would change the rest of our lives. Although the melodrama may have been unnecessary, I was legitimately nervous. And then sad. I have a problem with getting close to people in that I can do it almost too easily. The past week of living in Kiev has seemed like a whole month, during which time I bonded to greater or lesser degrees with most of my new peers. There's something about being thrown together with a small group of strangers into a foreign culture that makes all of them become your best friend within 45 minutes. The past week has been a saga, complete with a beginning, middle, and end, doused in drama, intrigue, conflict, and resolution. Well, at least by some stretch of the imagination. I am genuinely quite sad to have moved away from most of my new friends. But on the other hand, that means I'll be much more motivated to make friends with locals.
So after days of theoretical and practical training, followed by nights exploring Kiev's bars all together, Olga sat us down and told us each our placements. It was about 4:30. Turned out, our tickets out of Kiev were in six hours. Since I'd never really unpacked, this time constraint wasn't so much a practical problem as much it was just discombobulating. And although we'd been promised a sleep train, we went in an overnight bus. Don't get me wrong: I always look forward to nine hours of exploring the sleeping potential of various human pretzel positions. What could be the perfect pose: curled up sideways with my feet crammed between the two seats? head against the window with feet draped over the seats in front? head in between the seats, right foot against the window, left in the aisle? Unfortunately, I'll never know. Once we arrived, we were informed that one of the people who had lived in the apartment Jodie and I were to share hadn't left yet. So I am sleeping on Jodie's couch for the next couple of weeks.
I really like the apartment, though. It's light and, although actually small, it feels spacious. Figuring out the hot water was an adventure (turns out the sink faucet and shower head have to be on simultaneously for enough water to be used to start the water heater), but I came here looking for adventure, right? And it's a five minute walk to work. Our regional program director is darling and seems to be bending over backward to make everyone happy (although this explains why I'm on the couch so that Stanley can stay longer :P). Last night we even met one of the teachers who was already here and she showed us around. The city is really beautiful, and I'm excited to live here.
I wanted to put some pictures up but I can't find my camera cord! :( Hopefully I'll find it soon. Just imagine lots of snow.... In the meantime, here's a picture of where I live (the tiny "A" in the middle of the screen):
...somehow. There were moments when I had serious doubts. Verbal eloquence is beyond me at the moment, so to avoid sentences here are several lists to describe my trip:
Lowlights list:
Saying goodbye to my mom and Chris at the airport :'(
Upon check-in at SFO, finding out I might not be let into Ukraine without a return ticket
Forgetting to print and bring my work contract
Having to pay overweight for my plump luggage
Going back through security before each of three flights
Almost having my knitting needles confiscated at the Warsaw airport.... Worst. Moment. Ever.
My program guide arriving 45 minutes late, which I wouldn't mind if I didn't worry I'd be stranded
Highlights list:
Sleeping on the long flight from Chicago to Warsaw
Hearing a lot of Russian
A little boy who rolled his r's so beautifully while speaking Russian
First babushka sighting
Sitting next to a Lithuanian on one flight
Chicago accents
Being let into Ukraine even without a return ticket
Not losing my luggage at Kiev
Other list:
So many fur coats
How TSA handles security for women wearing religious headscarves
The high heels Ukrainian women wear in the snow...
The very different type of physical contact between people in Eastern Europe
Picture list:
Keeping distracted during the first layover..........
Poland! Seen from the plane
My first sight of Ukraine, from the plane during taxi. That's all snow!
These are just some impressions and experiences that I may expand on later. It's exciting to be here, although I miss everyone at home terribly. :'( I wish I could be in multiple places at once!
How do you prepare for 2/3 of a year in a country you've never been to, where you don't know anyone, and where you don't speak the language? Now it's easy! Follow this simple, step-by-step guide:
Don't panic
Pack everything you could possibly ever need. It's okay if you need seven suitcases to do this
Unpack
Repack only the bare minimum of professional clothing, casual clothing, and winter clothing. Don't use more than one suitcase
Fit as much floss as you can in the suitcase (floss can be exPENsive abroad)
In a small carry-on suitcase, pack comforting things, including but not limited to:
yummy tea
yummy chocolate
a good book
knitting
sweatpants
favorite blanket
pecan pie
mom
Therese Gould
Pace distractedly
Spend at least four hours locating, disentangling, and assembling all necessary electronic accessories (chargers, cords, etc.) and stuff them into one of the bags
Make a list of the awesome things you want to do while there, including but not limited to:
taking dance classes
working at the embassy
volunteering at a local orphanage
studying the local cooking
running for mayor
finding cures for all major diseases
Hold a ceremonial good-bye with stuffed animals, bed, and snack cupboard
Go into last-minute denial and knit five hats
Make a list of all the family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, acquaintances, and passers-by that you'll miss. Send them all loving facebook messages before you'll have to be sending them facebook messages from a different country.
Have a last-hurrah-night-out with your friends! Dance so hard that your soreness will distract you from the discomfort of the plane seats, and tire yourself enough that you'll be asleep before take-off (but hopefully after getting onto the plane)
For more information on packing techniques, please refer to the insightful Jenna Marbles (I apologize for the swearing: while not necessary for successful packing, some people find it very instrumental).
So that's about where I'm at right now, with 5 days to take-off. Turns out that an old friend from middle/high school will be coming with me which is very comforting. At least I'll have someone on my side if the American English Center turns out to be a branch of the Ukrainian mafia. Not that that's a real concern, but it will be nice to have a friend in the same country at least. Hopefully my next post will be from Kiev!
