Vacation Time !!

So.... we're off!

Ladies and Gents- you'll have to excuse the absence of blog entries for a couple of weeks while Arun and I head off to Kenya and Tanzania for a safari!

In honor of this event, I bought a new camera ... and a ginormous new telephoto lens.

Weeks of internet research and in-store agonizing led me to the decision to purchase the Canon EOS 40D. We got a great price at the local camera store- Paparazzi! The guys there were incredibly knowledgable, and while they were die-hard Nikonites, I feel very good about my decision. Ultimately it's the bokeh and the warmer color balance that won me over!

So yes- I'm going to be one of those people!

We'll be stopping off in London so Arun can satiate his craving for Indian food. And then onwards to Nairobi! A couple of days in Kenya and then the bulk of our time in Tanzania- visiting the Kilimanjaro area, Lake Manyara district, Ngoronogoro Crater and the Serengeti for the Great Migration.

Pictures and many blog entries when we return!

Adieu!

or I should say- Das Vidanya!

[And for those of you wondering- Yes, funny one-eyed expressions are directly correlated with the quality of pictures!]

Safety and Security

Don't get me wrong-Odessa is a very safe city.

However, the security at our building cracks me up!

We have two guards and a security gate at the entrance to our building complex. (And of course, a couple of lame dogs who seem to scare no one except Arun!)

About a month ago, they installed a security keypad on the door to our building unit. At first, they posted the sign with the code on the door: #4231
Ok- I thought- it'll be there for a week or so until everyone in the building memorizes it- and then they'll take it down.
Well- it's been over a month now, and the sign is still displayed!
Yeah... VERY secure!

But I guess it goes to show how terrified and fearful we are in the States, and often, rightly so.
Here- we hop in with strangers to get places, and display the security code for all-comers!~~

Underage Celebrations

I managed to have a bit of a culture shock when I walked into class on Monday.

I opened the doors to 8 giddy students; with Vera standing and cutting a small cake.

"Oh! A birthday cake- whose birthday is it?” I asked.
“Artem’s!” they replied in unison.

And then…. I noticed the champagne bottle.

Vera dutifully offered me the first slice of cake and handed me a plastic cup filled with champagne.
“Oh…” I flustered.

So yeah- I taught class with a sugar-high and a bit of a buzz.

Something I would never have anticipated doing in the States. And then too- I was sharing the moment with a group of 13-15 year olds! I learned quite a bit about the celebration of birthdays, though. Just as kids in America bring homemade cupcakes for their class, students here bring treats for their fellow classmates as well. I guess it’s the booze that’s the difference!

And so one by one all the students toasted Artem. I’ve learned that no celebration in Ukraine is complete without lifting ones glass over and over for toasts.
One student, (the class clown) wished Artem, “a lot of girls” while others had lovely wishes such as “a life filled with friends” or “a lot of happiness” etc.

At one point, I did blurt out to my group that, “This- I motioned, indicating the champagne glasses, “would NOT happen in America.”

Artem’s response, much to my amusement, was quite apt- “This is not America!”
It sure is not!

Construction....

Construction here seems to last FOREVER! There's a road that Arun and I take to walk to the gym or our favorite Thai Restaurant, Devarana... and I'm convinced it's in a perpetual state of construction. They dig it up.... then rebuild it.... then all of a sudden there's a water mane that explodes and floods the street.... so they dig it up again... and rebuild it. It's endless!


It's not just government construction that moves at a snail's pace. Most people that purchase an apartment (flat) get a shelled space in a building. So it's up to them to determine the layout. They choose where to put up walls, closets, windows, and decide on all the interior decor from baseboards to flooring to paint.

Most flats take between 3-4 years to complete. Yes, YEARS.
In the US- it's an average of about 6-9 months to build a 3,000 + square foot house. And if it's commercial property- it can be up and running in no time! But not here.
There are delays for permits. There are delays to obtain supplies. There are delays due to weather. There are delays due to worker-shortages.


Of course- if you have money, you can bribe officials and speed up the process. Permits can be obtained overnight (or maybe not at all!) and rare supplies shipped from Italy or other exotic locations can simply breeze through customs. That's one thing I hear all the time in Ukraine- if you have money- you can throw it at a problem and it will suddenly disappear!

Quarantine!

I learned an interesting bit of information from my students today. Turns out, every year around this time there is a Quarantine in school. This is due to the high incidence of flu, and in order to control the spread, schools simply shut down for a couple of weeks. One of my students, Kostya, said that their building is rather old and the heat is not working- which is why their school will be shut down for 3 weeks! He was very excited!

Interesting bit of Public Health policy!

Incidentally, if you're curious about the holidays in Ukraine- there are a total of 9 official national holidays and here they are:

January 1st- New Years

January 7th- Orthodox Christmas

March 8th- International Women's Day

April 17-20th- Orthodox Easter

May 1-2nd - Labor Day

May 9th- Victory Day

June 8th- Orthodox Pentecost

June 28th- Constitution Day

August 24th- Ukrainian Independence Day.

It's rather interesting because the big holiday season in the states is between November and December, and in Ukraine- there's not a single holiday during those months!

Education in Ukraine

Since I've entered the teaching field, I've been learning quite a bit about the education system in Ukraine. And it's quite different from the US, so I thought it would be an interesting entry.
The structure is as follows:

Nursery accepts children from 3 months to 3 years of age.
Kindergarten accepts enrollment from 3 years of age to 6. It's what we consider 'pre-school.'
Elementary is from ages 6 to 10.
Lower Secondary is from ages 10 to 15.

There are no 'districts' here. You are free to send your children to any school- but of course, convenience plays a large factor in the school one chooses.

The next phase of schooling is Upper Secondary from ages 15-18. This is a 'general academic' route. And one obtains a "matriculation certificate" upon completion. One can also choose a Vocational Secondary School or a Specialized School option from ages 15-20.

Higher Education is after age 18- which is rather similar to the States in that you can choose to go to college after finishing high school. To enter higher secondary schools, there are two factors taken into consideration- one's performance in secondary school (like a gpa) and the scores from an entrance exam (like the SATs.) It is heavily weighted towards the entrance exams.

Other interesting facts:

• The school year begins in March in Ukraine
• There is a numerical grading system from 1-12 in secondary schools and 1-5 in higher secondary schools
• There are two 'mediums' of study- all subjects being taught in either 'Russian-Medium' or 'Ukrainian Medium'
• From elementary levels- Russian, English and Ukrainian languages are mandatory
  In Higher-Secondary, an additional language is introduced- French, German etc.
• Ukraine has 100% literacy, 15% of the population complete higher secondary
• Education is free of cost (unless one wishes to attend a private higher secondary school)
• There is no such thing as 'recess.' Breaks are generally 10 minutes and kids must stay indoors.
• The education system falls under the Ministry of Education
• 70% of children attend Ukrainian-medium schools
• Singing the National Anthem is mandatory twice a day in school- at the start and at closure
• Students stand when a teacher enters the classroom, and stand to address the teacher
• Most parents fork over money for after-school education - tuition for english, is THE most common.
  

A Day In Ukrainian Life- Part III

It makes sense to follow up the grocery shopping experience with the restaurant experience. So here goes Part III!

Restaurants are usually a luxury for locals. And so they are either used as a place to simply have tea and lounge for hours... or FEAST with friends for a special event.

There are a few things that have really stood out in my mind as being QUITE different from the restaurant experience in the States.

• There's rarely a person dedicated to greeting and escorting at the front. You usually walk in and sit down wherever you want.
• The wait staff will generally help you with your coat and hang it up for you and then provide you with menus.
• Waiters generally wear the garb depicting the restaurant genre... the music is often random though!
• There are NO pre-placed settings... nor is there silverware pre-wrapped in a napkin.
• There are usually TV's in restaurants- whether it's an upscale place or mid-range. And generally- it's playing either Russian MTV or Fashion TV (don't ask!)
• Depending on what you order- you get place-settings and silverware. This means that you do not get a spoon if you didn't order a soup. Arun and I often share and this tends to baffle the waiters! They don't know WHERE to put the soup spoon!
• Food arrives depending on whatever is ready first. We have sometimes been served a fried rice ... and then a soup.... and then an entree. Usually, you're pretty safe with salads coming out first- but everything else is a free-for-all.
• Your entree may arrive before your companions. And Ukrainian tradition dictates that if you're lucky enough to get your food first- you start!
• Service is generally aloof. There's no one that comes by every few minutes to 'check' on you and ask you if everything's ok. Getting a waiter's attention after the food gets delivered is often an ordeal! However- they are quick to remove napkins and empty plates. Arun has had to GRAB a plate back because he wasn't quite done MANY times! haha. They tend to leave him alone after the first time!
• At the closure of each entree- the entire place setting is replaced. This... I really like!
• Americans are usually pretty antsy to wrap up a meal. You want your check- you want to put down your credit card and you want to head out. Ending a meal in Ukraine is usually the longest part! People love to lounge around. So Arun and I usually struggle to try to mime for our check... and between that point and leaving.... usually 20 minutes!
• The check always comes in a nifty container- and with two pieces of gum! (They don't do mints here!)
• Whether or not a restaurant accepts credit-cards is hit-or-miss. And Arun's favorite thing? Tipping is entirely optional, and in fact, generally not expected.

A Day In Ukrainian Life- Part II

Let's talk grocery-shopping. In the States- it's all fairly standardized. You can go to Kroger's or Albertson's and the like... and maybe if you're feeling fancy- Whole Food's. And every once in awhile, you make it to a farmer's market.


Here, in Odessa. There are a lot more in-betweens. And even the 'average' grocery store experience is considerably different than in the States.


Allow me to illustrate a shopping experience in our neighborhood Cilpo (which would be the equivalent of a chain store like Vons or something. Mid-range prices, standardized, and convenient)

• At the entrance- there are rows of lockers. This allows people to put away their bulky bags and things for their shopping convenience.


• You can grab a shopping cart or a basket and both are MUCH smaller than what we have in the States. People just don't stock up on groceries like we do in the States!


• In the produce area, you pick out your items, place them in a bag and then HAND them to an individual who weighs it and puts a price tag on the bag for you!


• Produce, bread etc. are generally delivered on Wednesdays. That's why there's a mad dash to the store on these days and if you're late... well- you may not get certain items later in the week!


• Like in the States, there are cooked food items that is sold. Fried chicken, coleslaw and the like. We have generally opted away from such choices.


• At check-out, they will ask you if you want to purchase a plastic bag. Yes... purchase. Most people are rather conscientious and bring their own plastic bag, and they proceed to bag their own items. We generally forget, and buy the bag for about 25 cents. It's really a good environmental policy!


• There's generally a manager or employee at the exit who will check your receipt to ensure that you have paid.

What's perhaps more interesting is the fact that most people do NOT purchase their groceries from stores like these. Instead, they opt to purchase most of their groceries from 'markets' that are generally located on the sidewalk (often in front of the large stores.) These are where the really good produce is sold! Carrots still have dirt on them.... apples are incredibly fresh. In fact, it didn't take us long to realize that food from the market goes bad a LOT faster! We learned quickly, and tend not to 'stock up' as much anymore! The prices are generally VERY affordable. These aren't specialized "farmer's markets"- they are there everyday. It's not a special outing. People just grab stuff on their way back from work. It's lovely!


And much like the rest of Europe- there are separate stands for fruit... and separate stands for meat... and separate stands for fish.

Every once in awhile, a home-baker will come to the market and sell pastries. I ALWAYS stop for one lady who brings the most amazing custard-filled chocolate pastries. She sells out VERY quickly!

So that's it! Groceries... Ukrainian style!

A Day In Ukrainian Life- Part 1

Don't call this woman 'Babushka!'

I've decided to start a 'series.' Small experiences in daily life- explained in full-detail to expose all the subtle nuances in culture in Ukraine.
I'll open with the subject of Greetings.

A fascinating aspect of Ukrainian culture is terminology.
All women- from anywhere from 5 years old to old age is referred to as 'diyavochka' which literally translates to 'girl.'

When Arun first arrived, he tried to get the attention of a middle-aged waitress by calling her 'babushka' and she was completely offended! Babushka is not really utilized AT all, and is considered rather derogatory. However, calling a grandmother babushka is completely fine.

I guess the universal term of 'diyavochka' takes away the factor of trying to determine someone's age or marital status. It's the equivalent of, "girl" "lady" "Ms" "Miss" and "hey you" all at once.
If someone's trying to get a waitress' attention, they'll shout, "Diyavochka!"
If someone is trying to address me, they'll say, "Diyavochka...." which basically takes the place of 'excuse me'
If someone is yelling to their small daughter, they'll call for her with "Diyavochka" and then scold her for running off...
It's rather universal!
The actual terminology for 'woman' is 'Zenshina' but I have NEVER heard it used.
And men or 'Moshina' are never called out in the same way. In fact, when men are addressing one another or trying to get each other's attention, there's no real prelude. They just start talking.

Beyond terminology, here's another aspect of Ukrainian greetings:

In a business setting, Ukrainians are very formal- they shake hands- with women and with men. There's no gender bias. Every once in awhile, someone will kiss a ladies hand. Perhaps in a show of gallantry.

In an informal setting, Ukrainains greet one another "French style" air-kissing on the cheek. I've seen it done just on one cheek- a well as two. Sometimes I've seen people yank someone back for a third... I guess it's preference?

In a VERY informal setting, I've seen people kiss quickly on the lips. And this DOES include men with men!