Zap City

I’m back on the grid (somewhat),

It has been an action packed two weeks and I now have a reliable internet source in my office. I’m pretty much settled into my apartment in Zaporozhye and have started exploring the city. Zap is the 6^th largest city in Ukraine and a key industrial center. There is a huge river, the Dnieper, which flows through the center of town. On one side of the hydro electric Dam there is deep water and on the other side lies the Historic Cossack island. The city has over 800,000 people and I would guess more than a million if you include the surrounding suburbs.

It has been a hectic transition but I feel like I finally have my feet under me again. I work in an office with about 8 other people and my main counterpart is a truly awesome Ukrainian woman named Vika. I am still not exactly sure about all of my organizations activities but we deal largely with young adults who want to have a positive impact on the city of Zaporozhye. We are also partners with a business development NGO that works to improve small-medium size business opportunities in the area.

Everyone in my office speaks primarily Russian but they are kind enough to throw in some English when I give them my bewildered face. I thought I spoke decent Russian coming out of training but I quickly realized how much I have to learn. It is going to be a trying two years if I want to speak somewhat intelligibly in this incredibly difficult language. I have a good foundation and have the survival part under control. When it comes to operating in less straightforward conversations I am missing a ton in translation. Russian is an extremely precise language, so although I can somewhat communicate I know I am speaking incorrectly most of the time. To give an example, in English we say I will go ____ or I'm going ____, not so in Russian. First you need to know if you are in process or it is something that has or will be completed. Next is whether it is on foot or through some means of transportation. Is this a habitual trip or one time? Are you going to meet someone? Will you return? All these scenarios have different corresponding verbs of motion that I do not feel the tiniest bit comfortable in using. Luckily I have the best opportunity in the world to learn so I am thankful and plan on studying as much as possible. When else do you have the chance to learn a language surrounded by 50 million native speakers? 

Whenever I have free time I try to walk around and get a sense of where I am. So far I have been lost much more than I have been found. The city is truly stunning and I love that every time I step outside of my house it is a new adventure. Nothing here is easy and every day is a challenge. To be this far out of my comfort zone is something I can feel myself resisting but it gets better every day. I am really excited for what’s to come.

So given that I don’t have internet at my house I am going to switch my update schedule and post new stuff whenever I feel like it which will hopefully be about twice a month. Thanks to everyone who has supported me thus far and I have been so touched by all the people from my life who have reached out. Enjoy the pictures and I will see you later.

 Океан Ельзи concert, Ukrainian band I got to see in Chernihiv, I am officially a fan now

Shaktar/Шахтар is the futbol team from the Oblast to the East of me, Donetsk. I met these guys and they were really excited about how tall I am.

Last day in Chernihiv with the host family. I love being outdoors and this was the perfect way to end training.

I swam in that pond, I think that officially qualifies me as a Peace Corps volunteer.

It's a pretty common tradition here to put a lock on the bridge whenever you get married.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

So that's PST (Pre Service Training). Very interesting, still not sure exactly how I feel about it. I loved living in Chernigov and I learned an incredible amount in such a short time. I had a phenomenal host family that has taken me in and made me feel like I have a home even though I am 6,500 miles away from anything I have ever known. I will miss all the people I have grown close to and this great city. On the flip side I could not be more pumped about starting this next phase.

I had my language test on Wednesday and I performed up to my abilities. Of course I was nervous but I love pressure and I did just about as well as I could of hoped. I think my language level will be Intermediate-Mid but I may eek out the high classification, wait and see. Basically my language is at a point where I can talk about myself and introduce others. I can ask a variety of questions. I can handle simple transactions at the bank/post office/store/etc... If it is a straight forward give and take interaction I can handle it. I am still getting lost when people talk to me and string more than a few sentences together. I can usually gather a lot from context but as soon as I miss more then three words in a row my brain kind of shuts off. luckily I have two years to work on it with an entire country full of native speakers. Also, Peace Corps is kind enough to help pay for a tutor the entire time I'm in country.

Ok, So I know where I will live and work for the next two years. Drum roll please.................................

The beautiful and historic city of Zaporozhye. It is the Oblast center and 6th largest city in Ukraine. population of 750,000+. I haven't had much time to research but everyone I ask says it is a great place to spend the next two years. It is located in Southeast Ukraine on the banks of the Dnieper river. Map is provided below.

I also know a little bit about the organization I will work with. It is called Vidkrytyi Svit (Open World) Charitable Foundation. I am not exactly sure what they do but they were kind enough to give me an idea of the type of projects they would like me to work on.

• Trainings/Seminars on various topics including (Small business entrepreneurship, business planning, strategic planning, marketing, computer skills, and leadership)
• Assisting with organizational development (Strategic/Business planning, motivation, etc...)
• Volunteerism promotion
• Participation in summer camps for youth
• Business English for staff

I am freaking bouncing off the walls. I don't want to put the wagon before the horse but this seems like a wonderful fit for me. I think PC did an excellent job matching my skills to an organization's needs, while still keeping in mind my personal aspirations. That's all I will say about the org because I really don't know much else and I don't want to make assumptions.

I will travel to Kiev on Sunday for swearing in and then on Wednesday I board a train to Zaporozhye and begin the next chapter of my life. My org has an apartment set up for me but I don't know much else about my living situation. I am going to try to continue posting once a week but I need to figure out what day fits my schedule best. Wish me luck and I will start posting once I get settled and my head stops reeling. 

It's going to be really hard to sleep for the next week

                      

The city is located right on the river bank and it looks like I could travel to the Sea of Azov whenever I feel a little froggy. Zaporozhye is an important industrial center so there is a lot of transport to and from the area. 

Eastern Ukraine gets much less snowfall than North and West so that should make winters a little more bearable.  

Job description, I pulled out the key points in the paragraph above but I figured I would include it. This is pretty much the extent of my knowledge except for a few tid bits my regional manager gave to me at Site Placement.

Oh the Places You'll Go

The last week of PST is now upon me. I received a phone call from my director and now I know that I will live in either the Donets'k or Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Ukraine is divided into 24 Oblasts and the two I just mentioned are located in the absolute South Eastern corner of the state. I checked them out and Donets'k is the industrial center of the country and Zaporizhzhia was the home of the Cossacks and is supposed to have a very rich history. I will be happy wherever I go.

I have my LPI on Tuesday and then I am more or less done with training until Sunday. I plan on walking around Chernigov and exploring a few places. I will keep this short because I am beat up and it's late here. I have a meeting on Wednesday and then I should know the city I will live in and a little more about my Org. I will update on Wednesday/Thursday with all the new info.

For some reason the names didn't show up but I will live in one the two Oblasts in the bottom right corner of the map.

 What a difference two months can make.       Top: March 30th              Bottom: June 1st

Graffiti we spotted in Kiev

It's not that I'm lazy Bob, it's that I don't care. If I bust my ass and learn a few new verbs I don't see another dime. So tell me, Where's the motivation?

First futbol match since being in Europe. 

Fellow PCV and good friend Brian's birthday party.