Andrew

Last week marked another first for us. We said goodbye to Andrew, our nearest MCC coworker, as he finished up his three-year term. He was a social worker in a children’s home in Makeevka (the neighboring city) and is headed to Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena to study clinical psychology.

Needless to say, we are missing him. His Russian was unbelievable, yet he was never arrogant about it to us, his coworkers that could never seem to get more than a three-word sentence. Small or large, we learned something every time that we spent time with him. And it was easy to see that the kids (and workers) at the home had a great deal of respect for him and all that he did. He was very deliberate in his work and was able to make a definite impact at the Good Shepherd Children’s Home.

When we signed up for our three-year term, we thought: “Wow, that’s a long time.” But now that we are almost 8 months into it, and have heard Andrew talk about how quickly his time went, three years does not seem like such a long time. Like Andrew, we hope to make an impact as well as develop many quality relationships here. At the same time we are starting to realize that 3 years could almost be considered a short-term mission trip.

Dave

Spring Rain

Last Thursday we were so happy to experience our first thunderstorm in Ukraine. Actually it was the first significant rainfall that we have experienced since getting the garden planted and therefore it was a real Godsend. We went to language lesson and it seemed like a typical sunny day, but while we were there it started to pour. Luckily Marina had an extra umbrella to aid us on our trip home.

Now I must admit that I was really excited. The pitter-patter of rain on the bus roof was a beautiful melody. I was in a different world and remained there as I exited the bus. The roads are far from well engineered so avoiding the traffic spray is a real task. I was successful as I sprinted across the road, but I had not thought through the process of stopping. I slipped and fell into a large area of mud and my backside was quite covered. Fortunately there was a large crowd of fifteen to twenty people there to witness the show. Welcome to reality.

It has rained every day since then and my excitement (as well as that of my garden) has not ceased. Fortunately I have started to look more closely where I am going.

Dave

Language

At our last language lesson, I got into an argument with Marina. While I must admit that it was not the first, I think it was the first heated one. We take tests that I find somewhat subjective because, based on context, it seems that more than one answer would work. Anyway, I don’t know why I found (find) that so frustrating, but I guess I didn’t (don’t) want to get the question wrong (I can be a bit stubborn at times).

For a bit of context, in Russian there are an unbelievable number of verbs of motion, and they are all used in different ways. You have to determine a countless number of things before you decide which to use: how are you going there, did you go there, are you going there, do you regularly go there, do you intend to go there, are you going and coming back, … and on and on.

I forced Marina to give me the speech that she has given me so many times I am able to repeat it myself. “There are two stages to learning Russian. First we have to let the language form our thoughts, then we can use the language to express our thoughts.” While I don’t understand the mentality behind why instead of directly translating “it is raining” it is appropriate to say the English equivalent of, “rain walks.” At this point in time I just have to accept that as the way it is. It is so hard to not translate everything word for word from English but maybe someday I will be able to use words the way I want to use them.

Dave

Ukrainian Picnic

On Wednesday everyone who works at the university (and their families) gathered for the annual end-of-the-year picnic. We met in the parking lot at 9 a.m. and headed to a grassy, partially wooded area near a lake about 10 minutes away. Earlier we had been told that this event was to last all day, and we were curious what we would do to occupy ourselves all day. But there turned out to be no shortage of activities. As soon as the caravan arrived, food was unpacked and the fire started. “Sheshlik” is pork marinated in mayonnaise, seasonings and onions, skewered and grilled over hot coals and is a staple of Ukrainian picnics. At our picnic, there was sheshlik in abundance. I think we had three rounds of over the course of the day. When we weren’t eating, people played volleyball, kicked around a soccer ball, swam and visited. Dave brought his baseball gloves and ball and was delighted to have children lining up to play catch with him. Baseball is not a common sport here, but after a few tips on how to catch with a glove, Dave and the kids played catch for all morning.

Before we went to the picnic we were somewhat skeptical about how much fun a mandatory all-day picnic would be. I have to admit that the negative attitudes of a few westerners who weren’t in favor of an all-day picnic had rubbed off on me, and I wasn’t completely convinced that the day would be enjoyable. Happily, I was proven wrong. It was refreshing to be part of a group of people who came with no other purpose than to spend time together all day. Everyone came together and left together, with no one leaving early to get some work done or making excuses for not devoting a whole day to having fun. The day went quickly and Dave and I agreed that we really like picnics Ukrainian-style.

Laura

Odessa Trip

This past weekend, Danic and I were fortunate enough to be able to visit Odessa. The purpose of our trip was to look at and learn about greenhouses there (and I was able to enjoy new scenery). It seems that almost everyone with a yard has a greenhouse there while there are less than a handful of greenhouses in the Donetsk area. Even though this is the case, we have done some climate comparisons and think it should work here. We hope to move forward with plans to build a greenhouse at DCU.

The planned first planting of our cucumbers or tomatos is next February and, while it seems like that is a long way off, if we don't start now it won't get done. Pictured are some cucumbers growing in one of Danic's uncles' greenhouses (we visited Danic's father's greenhouses and those of two of his uncles). This greenhouse is 30x10m and produces 50-120 kg of cucumbers daily (5-9 metric tons in a season).

It is an exciting project and we have much to learn, both from people here and from people in the West. We hope to use materials that are readily available here, but also incorporate information and technology that has been implemented in the West. Initially we hope to provide vegetables to the cafeteria here and eventually we would like to project to generate income. The three people we visited have been using the greenhouse as their families' sources of income for 20+ years. It was really neat to hear each of them talk about it as one is a pastor, one works for a mission and the third has been handicapped for the past 25 years.

We were advised that, while a wooden-framed greenhouse will last anywhere from 5-12 years, it is possible to find old (often unused) galvanized steel frames ("hoops") that will last indefinately. We have to be willing to search the mainly-deserted collective farms in the area. I find this possibility very exciting because (unlike much of the Soviet construction I have seen) the greenhouses we looked at with these frames look like they will actually last... and I may get to explore some collective farms, which I find fascinating.

Dave

Tiller

After looking around Donetsk and Dneiperpetrovsk, I had given up on finding a tiller here. I tilled up a small amount of land with a spade and I was planning on finding a tiller in North America or Europe and having it sent here for next year. I was very excited to when we stumbled across a company in Odessa that sells (rebuilt) Kubota and Yanmar tillers. Now I hope to make the trip again to buy it and pick it up later this summer.

Dave

Graduation Day

The DCU school year is now officially complete – graduation was held yesterday and the festivities lasted into the night. The ceremony began at ten, and I donned my cap and gown and sat with the other professors on stage through the two-hour ceremony. I didn’t catch everything, but my ever-faithful colleague Yana was next to me, translating the important things. It was very hot, so I was grateful for the bottle of cold soda not-so-discreetly passed among students and professors on stage during the ceremony. The atmosphere was quite casual, with photographers frequently walking on stage and taking close-up shots of the graduates. I had prepared for a three-hour ceremony, according to reports of last year, so two hours was a refreshing surprise. At the end of the ceremony the graduates released doves on the steps of the administration building, and then spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying a couple special meals in the cafeteria (chocolate bars for dessert!) and hanging out with family. In the evening, everyone again converged in the chapel for the annual “graduation party,” which is a talent/awards show that involves anyone who wants to participate. One of the organizers began asking two months ago if Dave and I would prepare an act for the evening. Since we are the token American couple who lives and works on campus, we are frequently singled out in such ways. However, we didn’t come up with much. Although we probably didn’t think as hard as we should have, we figured we should give it at least a year as observers, and then know what to expect for next year. Meanwhile, we enjoyed everyone else’s talent.

This week campus has gotten progressively quieter every day, but our work continues. Saturday English classes end this week, and planning for Summer English Intensive in July will fill my days from now until then.

Laura

Weather Report

It is warm here. People have told us that it has been “unseasonably warm” but I wonder if that is simply because it is our first summer here and we don’t know any better. It has been mid to upper 90’s for more than the past week. It gets down to the 70’s at night (which is a pleasant change from Phoenix). Needless to say our windows are always open and our little oscillating fan is trying to move the air.

Something that I have found somewhat strange is that people here don’t seem to drink nearly as much water as we are used to. At lunch, people drink one small cup of tea or compote (juice-like beverage) and that is it. I rush home from the cafeteria and get out the water. When I have had people helping me, they have never seemed to want any water. If I were them, I would be dehydrated in an hour.

It has not rained since the 18th of April and things are really looking dry. We have read and heard that Donetsk does not get a lot of rain in the summer and the grass is always brown by mid August. Strangely that is already the case now, on June 1. However, with the “unseasonably” warm temperatures and a cold front on the way, it seems that we may actually get a thunderstorm. The garden will welcome any moisture that it gets. I have been watering a lot with a watering can and it would prefer slightly less use.

Dave