JFK for 24 hours

Our plane landed about 8:30, far too late for our 7pm connection to Seattle. The couple next to me on the flight were trying to get to Seattle as well, where their pregnant daughter lives. I assured them as best I could, that I would stay with them in New York and help them with customs and finding a new flight. At some point they told me they were not Ukrainian but Moldavians, and spoke Russian and Romany, not Ukrainian nor English, but we were able to piece some phrases together. Their daughter Violet was pregnant, and they were going to stay with her and her husband for several months;they hadn't seen her for 5 years! Prior to this they were working in Israel; Natalie was some kind of nurse or worked in a hospital and Sasha drove a truck--I think that's what they said. Though we were separated at customs, we were able to meet up again soon, and a good thing, too. The airport there is huge and confusing enough for natives, let alone those who don't speak or read English. We headed to terminal 8 where United lay, to try to arrange new flights yet when we took the subway there, we were redirected back, on the subway again to terminal 4, to the Aerosvit counter because United said it was their delay that caused us miss the United flight. Back and forth, back and forth--yikes! To complicate matters, my ticket looked much different from my friends'; theirs was handwritten in Cyrillic and looked much less official. When we returned to Aerosvit, they had closed for the evening, so we took the subway back to terminal 8 and United and were then told that we had to wait until the morning to get our flights rebooked. Really, they were less than pleasant, though I realize they must have had their fill of stranded, panicky passengers that day. We asked about getting some cots to sleep on as we saw many passengers bedded down in the ticketing area, and we were told that "they" would be coming through with more cots after the ticket area closed for the night. We waited and waited, then finally asked someone with a United uniform on (after the area had definitely closed) when and where the additional cots were coming. He said, "they" must have run out. So, Natalie and Sasha bedded down with me on two 3x6 foot area rugs (which, though filthy, was some padding for the hard airport tile). After yet another trip through the subway to get some food from terminal 4 and then back, we settled down for a few hours rest, but certainly not sleep. Every once in a while I'd catch myself thinking someone was watching me, and then I realized we were lying next to a full size poster with a man looking at us. Unnerving on severe lack of sleep. In the morning we were able to rebook flights (again being separated as I now had a carry-on with liquids --Vodka from Duty Free in Borispol-- that I had to check). I hurriedly had to pack it as best I could and hoped it would survive the handling. We then reunited for the rest of the day, killing time back in terminal 4 where there were shops and food. Most of the day was spent wandering around looking in overpriced shops or having short, semi-translated conversations. As we sat in the food court much of the day, I saw them watching how frequently the staff came through to wipe tables, mop up spills and empty the trash. At one point Sasha gestured toward the worker, turned to me and said, "America. Good!" with a broad grin. Knowing what I had seen of the littering problem in Ukraine, I totally understood.
Finally, our evening flight rolled around and we had an uneventful flight; Sasha had borrowed my phone to notify his daughter about the change of plans, and I had spoken with her as well. Near midnight, we collected luggage and then kept an eye out for their daughter. When both the daughter and her husband came, they tried to persuade me to spend the night at their one bedroom apartment, as my flight to Pullman was not until the next morning, but I didn't want to infringe on their family reunion, so I declined. Instead, they helped gather my luggage and parked me near the ticket counter I would need for checking luggage the next morning. We hugged good-bye, as we'd been through quite the journey together, and soon I found an all night Starbuck's (of course, it was Seattle, after all) around the corner. There I found myself on a bench where I had to listen to a surreal blend of blaring top 40 pop music blasting from the kitchen area and cool but loud as well "Starbuck's jazz and easy listening" tunes in the customer seating area. Finally at 2pm, the barista took a break, where she locked several of us in behind the chain curtain, turned off the top 40 music at my request, and left for an hour. I think I caught some shut-eye then!
The next morning I was uneventfully able to change my ticket and check my bags once again, and finally arrived back in Pullman, Sunday morning at 11:30, having begun my Odyssey on Wednesday, leaving Novoukrainka after school. What an amazing trip! I met the most phenomenal people: sweet, caring, funny, hard-working, and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my host Lyudmila Talashkevych! I love you and miss you already!

Going home via volcano April 16, 2010

We're sitting on the airport tarmac in Borispol after a nightmarish day of waiting and tension. My flight this morning was to leave at 6:20 am, so Lyuda and I got up at 3:20 in order to take a taxi at 3:40 to get to the airport by 4:20 check-in. Last night, though, we watched British news and heard of a volcano eruption in Iceland which was delaying all air traffic in western Europe and shutting down Heathrow. Lyuda assured me in various ways that this would not impact my travels, and when I asked if we should call the airport, she stated simply, "I do not have the number." and that was that. So, we rose, arrived at Borispol in the early morning quiet, left the taxi waiting at the curb so that Lyuda could then go from there to the downtown bus station. As we walked in, we immediately saw the board where all flights were canceled or delayed, mine until 4 pm. Lyuda was extremely upset, torn between leaving me and catching her taxi, knowing I had no Hryvnas left (though I had dollars) and there was a good chance I'd be stranded there with a canceled flight and no back-up plan. We wandered over to the food court area and settled me and my luggage next to some folks speaking English. Once she realized I had some people who might be able to help, I was able to persuade her to take the taxi. I sat down near this group: a British postal worker who had booked a flight through Ukrainian airlines (the two Ukrainians there were somewhat horrified that he'd deliberately pick this airline over western European ones, saying that no one did that unless all other options were closed), a Canadian--Clarence, a high school teacher of religious studies, and a young Ukrainian woman, Natalia,traveling to Miami for her first job in America who was speaking with another Ukrainian man who had just flown in from Denver and was killing time there before his bus later in the afternoon. We waited together for several hours--I,until 9 when I tried calling the Kiev contact number for IREX only to realize that this was a FAX number, and then called the US number, leaving a message in the middle of the night. Eventually, I called home, left a message, and soon Angus called me back. As KLM was the airline for Natalia, Clarence,and me, Natalia stood in the growing line, holding our places while we watched all the luggage. Finally, they opened the window at 11 am. Rumors were flying, more and more airports were closing every few minutes: Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, yet our departure on the screen stubbornly still displayed "4 pm, Delay" not canceled. For Natalia, the agent at the window said in so many Ukrainian words, "We can't help you", and turned her away. When I stepped up, filled with dread after having watched several other people get summarily dismissed or rebooked on flights several days later, I handed over my itinerary. She punched a few buttons and then told me "your agency has changed your flight to the 20th." I told her this was impossible and that I hadn't heard from anyone and that I was not allowed to stay longer. She briefly checked again and responded that she had me on a flight for later this afternoon. This all took place over about 3 minutes. Given that most around me had been told 48 hours to 4 days delay, I was astonished! Clarence eventually got on the same flight, sticking together through the Byzantine security and boarding procedures (3 separate times). Meanwhile, Bill the Brit I left waiting for Heathrow to open-- he was assured it would by 6 pm). He had been visiting his internet Ukrainian girlfriend for the first time; I hope this was worth it! Young Natalia, I hugged and tried to reassure her that she wouldn't lose the job awaiting her. I think it was on some kind of cruise ship and she was worried it would be gone by the time she was able to make it to the states. I felt terrible for her; I don't know what she was going to do. Another woman I had been waiting in line with was a Canadian trying to return with her husband, young son, and the newly adopted Ukrainian toddler. When she discovered I had a flight to New York today, she wanted on the same flight, but she had no visa for the toddler to go through the US so she had to wait for a flight straight to Canada. She had been in Uk, for 7 weeks already, 3 more than they'd initially planned for the adoption process.
Finally, Clarence and I made it into the boarding area, and by 1:15 we were through customs and security, just waiting to board our 1:35 flight. However, we didn't board until 2:15 and only departed at 3:45. By that time I realized that I would miss my connection in New York for Seattle. (I was originally to go Amsterdam, Seattle, Pullman, but now it was to be New York, Seattle, Pullman). The couple next to me seem to be on the same flight to Seattle (though they don't speak English and I had to pull out my phrasebook and do some pointing and hand gestures). They'll be sticking close to me when we deplane. I think we'll get to NY some time around 8 pm, and we'll have to figure out new flights then! I realize, of course, that I am indeed on the dreaded Ukrainian airlines we had all been joking about earlier.

11th day April 15, 2010

This morning we ate the breakfast food we'd bought at the supermarket where we'd stopped last night. This store was more similar to what we have at home, though many bins of food sat open, unlike all of our "sneeze guard" protected bulk foods. We took a couple of pictures while in there until the security guard came by, frowned and told us to put the cameras away. Vika made sure to recommend the best Ukrainian vodka. After breakfast we took a taxi to Vika's office (when the driver saw my ostrich feathers, he called us "Queens", and treated us so!) After a visit to Vika's journalist office, we collected our luggage Oleg brought for us when he drove in to the city for his University class. Luckily, we were across the street from the bus station and we had some help from Vika's office friend.
From there we took a 5 hour bus ride to Kiev, watching a Russian television series that reminded me of the movie Arthur; the dissolute rich boy falls for a peasant girl, but she straightens him out. Finally, we took one last taxi ride from the bus to the heart of the city. What a stunning view in the afternoon sun, with the gleaming church domes.
Once at the hotel (not the friendliest staff and less than stellar accommodations), we went down to the coffee shop for a bite before exploring the downtown. With no rain in site, we walked and walked around the main streets: Lenin's monument, Shevchenko in the park, lovely churches and plenty of wonderful shopping. The afternoon light was extraordinary, and the golden church domes were glorious. We even indulged in having our pictures taken in 19th century outfits next to an old fashioned carriage in the central plaza. What silly fun! Then more walking down to the side of the hill overlooking the main river and then swung back toward the hotel as the sun set.

10th day April 14, 2010

My last day in Novoukrainka! Today's workshop went more smoothly; I focused more on the 6+1 traits of writing and less on the literature strategies. We ate in the cafeteria instead of the restaurant. Lyuda told me that the cafeteria wasn't able to provide lunch for teachers for two days in a row, so that's why we went out yesterday. We lost one hour this morning as none of the visiting teachers came on time; I was told that because they come from the villages out of town, they want to go to the market (a large outdoor one near my hotel)when possible. So, we waited around for a while and I adjusted my lessons accordingly.
We left the building after lunch, stopping by a classroom to say goodbye and interrupting a lesson with the 7th formers. They began crowding around me to get my autograph, and I signed as many as I could until Lyuda pulled me away, keeping an eye on the teacher whose lesson I'd interrupted. Then as we went outside, the younger children began to do the same, holding out pens and scraps of paper as I made my way to the taxi, calling "Ieengreeed, Ieengreeed". I felt like a movie star, knowing I needed to go, but not wanting to disappoint the sweeties! Finally we were off, our luggage left at Lyuda's home for Oleg to bring with him to the city the next morning, and then to the bus station. We were to spend the afternoon on the bus to Kirovograd and then the evening at Vika's home there. The bus was quite nice, and large enough where the potholes weren't obvious, but it got hot and claustrophobic. On our arrival, we spent some time in a lovely park which also had an amusement section with rides, some caged big birds (such as peacocks), and food booths. We took the ferris wheel up to get a lookout over the city; Lyuda has taken her students on "excursions" here. Next we went shopping in a large department store, which is really just a large warehouse with separate merchants, kind of like an enclosed flea market. We tried on some lovely coats there, but I settled on a wonderful winter hat, which I love. We also looked at shoes. Many of the stylish women here wore killer heels (4 or more inches high). Even Lyuda's walking shoes were far too high for my comfort. While the price for these was similar to what I would pay at home, they are out of range for the average Ukrainian. Over and over on my trip I realized how expensive things are for them. I am spoiled. We met up with Vika, who gave us a great tour of the downtown area, the university and the student district, where we stopped for coffee. Much of this area has been renovated and the architecture is lovely. Finally, we called for a taxi to take us to Vika's home.
Vika and her husband have a charming home, which she has stylishly decorated. Lyuda tells me she has helped Vika work on much of the renovation, fixing leaks, putting up wallpaper, and retiling. Many of these homes have similar problems; I don't know if it is lack of good construction or lack of money for maintenance, but plumbing, tiling and heating are all in various states of disrepair or need, though both Vika's and Lyuda's homes are cozy and charming. The guest bed in Vika's home was the most comfortable one of my stay, though the big picture window let in enough light at 5 AM to wake me. I'm already missing Novoukrainka and am feeling sad that I've had to say goodbye to such an amazing experience.

9th day April 13, 2010

Today I had my workshop for district teachers. The first of two (one for tomorrow as well). I can't say I feel great about it, as I think the English language teachers had difficulty seeing how some of the strategies I used could be applied to their lessons, which seem mostly to focus on straight memorization and no critical thinking or discussion. They were polite and tried some of the activities with a measure of bewilderment. I'll make some adjustments that Lyuda and I spoke about afterward and hopefully tomorrow's group will get more out of it. I think that the fact that I am an English literature and writing teacher trying to give foreign language teachers some strategies is difficult, let alone the translation element. I felt that many of these teachers did not have as strong of English skills as does Lyuda.
In the afternoon, Lyuda's 5th and 7th forms performed some English language skits and songs about springtime. The students were delightful-- so wanting to do their best, so proud of their lovely costumes. Afterward, the visiting teachers, Lyuda and I all took a shuttle bus downtown to "The Olymp", the same restaurant as last night, for a genuine feast: borsh, of course, two kinds of salad (with lots of mayo as usual--their salads are not green salads as we would expect, but more like our potato and pasta, rather heavy, usually with peas and/or carrots), a chicken and mushroom dish, and a main course of chicken and mashed potatoes, wine and coffee or tea.
After everyone left, we went around the corner to the little office supply store (I still can't get used to the lack of visibility of businesses. You never know what is inside any building you walk into.)and bought more supplies for tomorrow's workshop. One of the things we should be grateful for in our school is that we have basics like paper and copy machines. Lyuda had to print everything on her home computer and had to buy all the workshop materials with grant money.
From there, we visited the district office, where Lyudmila made sure to tell me to notice how they were paid to sit around and do nothing but tell others how to do their jobs in the schools. In the large, open room with about a half dozen desks, there were only three people there. They spoke with me for quite awhile, mostly admiring the 4 or 5 phrases I have learned in Ukrainian and laughing at my complete inability to pronounce "hryvna", their word for their money. Next, we visited the public library "for adults only". There I was shown their "resource room" which came in 2001 from American grant money: 3 computers, a printer, and free internet access. They were rightly proud of it!
Finally, we returned to Lyuda's home, relaxing with some Bailey's (her favorite) and MORE chocolate. We planned the changes to the workshop and discussed the next 48 hours as I would be leaving Novoukrainka soon. Packing, transportation, luggage, etc. until Oleg returned from his classes in Kirovograd. I wish I'd been able to spend more time with Oleg, but he was gone these two weeks for his recertification coursework. He's a sweet man, but Lyuda lovingly chastises him for not remembering his English from his school days and that if he had studied and practiced more he could speak with me and travel to America as she has.

8th day April 12, 2010

An incredibly busy day, with many lessons about my school and visitors from other classes joining in. Children doubled the class sizes and spilled over into the aisles-- changing lesson plans at the last minute and looking for electric cords, which are in short supply here. (Lyuda had to rent a projector screen and a television, whereas I supplied the laptop and projector brought from the states). Having rented the TV and DVD player, it took 20 minutes to get set up, with the remote difficult to work, but we could only show 10 minutes of the DVD about US National parks. That was frustrating and didn't go as well as we would have hoped. Nevertheless, we know everything isn't going to go perfectly as planned, and both Lyuda and I are flexible!
At the end of class with the 7th form, I handed out some Easter candy I'd brought (Peeps), which they seemed to enjoy. I wanted to bring something different than just chocolate. I felt pulled in all directions today--sent to eat lunch by myself when Lyuda had a teacher's meeting. She didn't get any lunch at all and has been so busy running around trying to get everything organized. She's worked so hard, I really appreciate all that she's done! Finally after lunch, we took the 7th formers to the "food products plant" where they make breakfast cereal (Kasha-- meusli)Once we were allowed in, it was very interesting, but when we first arrived they kept us standing outside in the cold for about 10 minutes while waiting for the appropriate approval or something. Beurocracy!It was quite cold and drizzly all day, and Lyudmila kept checking to see if I was chilled. The cold made me really wish for a convenient washroom-- if I could change one thing about this country it would be the availability of modern bathroom facilities!
After the tour, we went to Lyuda's home for a snack of smoked fish, kasha and tea. As we warmed up, we planned the parent meeting for this evening about a "Healthy Way of Life." I was to do a Powerpoint presentation about American food and eating habits and the students had some ideas to share. About 12 mothers came to the school, but it got off to a tense start when they began arguing about the school uniform. In their presentations, all of the students emphasized eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, though I haven't seen much of that in the meals I've eaten. Certainly the most common vegetable is the cabbage in the omnipresent Borsh soup. Also, students understand that fast food is not healthy, but they have no access to it here, only in the big cities, so it really is an exotic luxury they may only have a few times a year. Later we (Lyuda and I) met up with the Peace Corps volunteer Natalie at the restaurant (I think it's the only one in town)and had a lovely meal. Small world, Natalie is from the Portland/Vancouver area and knows Moscow.

7th day, April 11, 2010

This morning on the train from Lviv, we spoke with another guest worker; this man works in Poland, and he was on a two day journey to his home in southern Ukraine. Lyuda says many people work abroad and often don't see much of their families, as there are no jobs in Ukraine. Even her son Sasha works as a dance teacher in Moscow, not Ukraine.
On our way to Novoukrainka (we changed trains somewhere!), we met Vika, Lyuda's daughter, in Kirovograd. She is delightful, sweet and full of smiles and jokes. She obviously loves her mother very much. A journalist, she has lived in Kirovograd for 13 years. When we arrived, Lyuda's husband Oleg picked us up at the station and from there we went to several cemeteries for ancestor day. One where Lyuda's father (2005) and the next was in the village where her mother (2001) lay. Many people were there from the village;this is a social event that occurs within two weeks after Easter, and the yerd was crowded with well-wishers. We spent about 1 1/2 hours there, eating a standing picnic next to the grave, from a little table attached to the fence which surrounds each plot. People lay elaborate artificial flowered arrangements as well as food and sweets on the ground in memoriam. Wine, a sweet one they call church wine, and vodka, again. We met several of Lyuda's old school mates. We placed flowers on the crosses, as they stand at the site, they put the small bags of sweets and Easter bread, but then when they leave they find someone who knew the deceased relative, and give them the sweets and a hand towel for men or a small scarf for women. I don't know if I'm conveying this exactly right. We also visited Lyuda's granny's grave and her uncle's, then we drove to another cemetery to where her brother was buried, outside of Novoukrainka (2005)Her father and brother died within a month of each other and she misses them greatly.
After this we went out to the sanitorium where we filled many large water jugs with mineral water free from the faucet within the building. No one was around, and I wondered whether everyone does this. Certainly the tap water is undrinkable.