There’s never a dull moment in Zap city. False! There are so
many dull moments but there are also incredible experiences all the time to
break them up.
На пример
Waiting for the Marshrutka = Pretty dull
Hand washing clothes = Mind numbing
Studying Russian = Interesting but still tedious
Waiting for water to boil = Yes this is a very large portion
of my day and also very lackluster
Always being at least a little sweaty = Although not
necessarily dull, I thought it deserved mentioning
Playing a full out two hour soccer game with some Ukrainians
who have been playing their whole lives, now that’ll get your heart pumping.
Speaking Russian in front of a group of thirty local
business people. I’m so glad I love public speaking and I owe so much to
certain professors who pushed me to find comfort in the uncomfortable (Shout
out to Steve, Ed, and Mrs. Grambling. Thanks guys!). If I hadn’t developed that
skill then I would be on my sixth bottle of something good by now.
Taking a nice hour and a half walk down to the beach when a massive thunderstorm rolls in. What else to do but hunker down next to the local street food stand and enjoy 75 cent beers for the duration. After half an hour of speaking english in Ukraine you are bound to be noticed by the locals and spoken to in learned English phrases and really fast Russian. I love these encounters and it's actually when I feel most comfortable using my language. This entire two year experience will succeed or fail based on the interactions I have with the locals and the ability to integrate.
Going out to visit the local Ukrainian football team on a
hunch and then volunteering to help out once a week. I’m as shocked as anyone
but these kids have ordered pads and balls off eBay and taught themselves how
to play the sport that has given me so much.
The Zaporozhye
Cossacks
Meeting fellow PCV’s in the area is always a mind erasing good time.
Walking around the market every couple days to buy fresh
produce and see what oddities are on display. So far this is one of my favorite
things about living here. The bazar is a focal part of life and everyone in the
country knows that big box supermarkets can’t match the price or quality of
local farmers. Produce is just stupid cheap right now so I will list a few of
the items I buy pretty regularly. UAH is the Ukrainian currency but I will also
list it in USD. Also, Ukraine is on the metric system so everything is sold by
the kilo, gram or liter.
$1 = ≈ 8 UAH
1 kilo = 2.2 pounds
100 grams = 3.53 ounces
Tomatoes 6-7 UAH per kilo $0.36 per pound
Cucumbers 2.50 UAH per kilo $0.14 per pound
Zucchini 1.75 UAH per kilo $0.10 per pound
Watermelon 1.50
UAH per kilo $0.09
per pound
Potatoes 4-5 UAH per kilo $0.25
per pound
Apricots 4 UAH per kilo $0.23
per pound
Raspberries 13
UAH per kilo $0.74 per pound
Carrots 4-5 UAH per kilo $0.26
per pound
Pinto beans 26 UAH per kilo $1.48
per pound
Beer (store) 7 UAH per liter $0.43 per pint
Beer (bar) 10 UAH per ½ liter $1.25 per pint
Vodka 30 UAH per ½ liter $3.75 per bottle
Needless to say I have been cooking up a storm. I can’t
afford to go out to restaurants very often so I don’t have a choice but it is
wonderful that I have all the fresh produce available right now.
MUSIC
Music is what keeps me sane. I listen to it all day,
everyday. I’ve always had really broad taste in music but I find something I
like and rarely put effort into finding new stuff. Since moving to Zap my
speaker is being put to the test. I am always playing something in the
background so I am burning through my music pretty quick. Lately I have been
looking into artists and genres that are new to me and I am delightfully
surprised with some of the stuff I have come across. I think my favorite genre
right now is blues inspired rock but I’m sure I will be on something new by the
time my next update comes out.
Please send me suggestions on
bands worth listening to as well as some of your favorite stuff from them.
Recently discovered bands/artists that have made it onto my
playlists
Alabama Shakes
The Strokes
Kid Cudi
Cream
Bon Iver
Cage the Elephant
Океан Ельзи
Jack White
Modest Mouse
The Shouting
Matches
Wilco
Care Package
I now have a shipping address so my first care package from
my parents is in the mail. Over the past couple months a few people have
mentioned wanting to send something.
Just so it’s clear nobody
is under any obligations to send me stuff, ever. However I do always love
stuff from America so if you would like to support me then please
email/facebook me and I will send you my address and what kinds of stuff I am
in need of. It’s usually some form of hot sauce, seasoning packets, peanut
butter or anything else fun that is only sold stateside.
Peace Corps Volunteers are treated similar to active
military so the Post Office gives special rates. I think it only costs about a
dollar a pound to ship to Ukraine.
That’s it for now so as
always here are my pictures.
We took an excursion out to the legendary Cossack island and spent the day walking around and seeing the sites.
My working partner (Vika) with her husband and daughter.
We took an excursion out to the legendary Cossack island and spent the day walking around and seeing the sites.
