Andy and Sara photos

Our guests have gone and things are quiet around here, as we recover from colds, probably caught while tramping around Kiev in the freezing weather. Andy and Sara's visit was a great extension to our holidays and we don't really want to get back to work again. Such is life. The picture on the left is in front of the Christmas tree in Kiev's Independence Square, where so many people pitched their tents during the Orange Revolution last year. The second is St. Vladimir's church, where we mingled with the worshippers on Ukrainian Christmas Day.

Visitors!

Since last Thursday we've been enjoying our visitors from Minnesota - Andy and Sara, Dave's brother and sister-in-law. We met them in Kiev and spent a few days there touring the city - visiting the many beautiful Orthodox churches, riding the metro, and stopping in at cafes for coffee and tea when our hands and feet got too cold. Now we're back in Donestk and our visitors are getting a taste of our life here. Yesterday we went to a Russian banya - a great cultural tradition (hot sauna, then jumping into an ice-cold pool, then back to the sauna again). It cleared the sinuses, and was a good time. Dave and I decided we should do that more often - not just when guests come. Classes have started again and the holiday celebrations are pretty much over for the rest of the world, but we're still celebrating with Andy and Sara. We'll post some pictures later.

Laura

New Year's 2006

This year we wanted to do something special New Year’s Eve. Brian and Verena Enns (our new coworkers in Zaporozhye) were visiting us and we decided that it would be enjoyable to “bring in the New Year” in Lenin Square, in the center of Donetsk.

Neither Laura nor I had ever been anywhere resembling Times Square for such an event, and this may have been as close as we will ever come. While they did not have a large ball dropping to start the New Year, we knew when it came. There were fireworks everywhere. Some of the people celebrating in the square probably had a little too much to drink, and that probably hindered their ability to actually wait until midnight. That was good, because it served as a countdown of sorts. At midnight, we watched several large fireworks displays. It felt safe, even though debris was falling on us and inebriated people were dancing, singing, and shooting off their own moderate shows in our very close proximity.

Everyone seemed to be happy, as New Year’s is the big holiday every year for the majority of Ukrainians. It is the one time of the year when the markets seem to be overrun with fireworks and other nonessential products. And we know now that people are buying them.

Dave

Christmas

Christmas seems like a long time ago, and it’s been a fun holiday. Holiday festivities finally picked up at DCU during the last week before Western Christmas. Although we had to teach Saturday English classes on Christmas Eve morning, we spent the evening with Americans friends and enjoyed a typical holiday feast. We thought December 25 was just going to be an ordinary Sunday in church, since Ukrainians generally celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7. But we were happily surprised to hear a couple Christmas-themed sermons, and enjoyed singing Joy to the World and Silent Night.

Our guests for Christmas evening were the Konoplitsky’s, a couple from church. We made another traditional Christmas dinner, and had fun describing the different dishes to our guests, most of which were unfamiliar to them. At one point in the evening the conversation switched to peanut butter, and we produced our imported jar for them to sample this foreign food for the first time. (They said they had wanted to try it ever since they saw Brad Pitt eating it in “Meet Joe Black.” Such are the cultural influences American movies have in the rest of the world). It was a fun but tiring night as we concentrated as hard as we could to understand and be understood in Russian. By the end, a lot was going over our heads. But it didn’t seem to matter too much.

Laura

Yarmarka

Last week things finally began to feel Christmasy at DCU, and it began with an event we hadn’t observed before, a yarmarka. It was sort of a craft fair/bake sale. We didn’t really know what to expect beforehand, but since I was feeling like I needed a boost to get into the Christmas spirit, I decided to bake some cookies. And then the next day, we baked some more. All told, I think Dave and I baked more than 100 cookies for the sale. I was a little nervous that they would think that I was crazy and trying to earn big bucks from a bake sale. But they liked my cookies, especially the gingerbread ones. My uncle and aunt, Dave and Shirl, had sent us a great package that included a gingerbread man cookie cutter, and since it was the only one I had, I went to town with gingerbread men, complete with frosting buttons and goofy smiles.

The yarmarka was quick but fun. Ukrainians do very good handiwork, so there was cross-stitching and embroidery galore. Also lots of cookies and even some Ukrainian vereniki – dumplings filled with cabbage, meat, cottage cheese or potatoes. In the center of the room, two students led children’s games and competitions, which ranged from seeing who could eat a whole lemon the fastest to racing to diaper and wrap up a baby doll in the neatest and most attractive way. (Two male DCU students competed in that contest, for the entertainment of the women and girls looking on). And then after about an hour and a half, it was over. The food was all gone, the games were finished, so we all went home. I was a little surprised that it was over so fast, but it was still a good time and was a good start to celebrating Christmas at DCU.

Laura

Basketball at the Center

At around 4 in the afternoon every Monday and Thursday I head to the Good Shepherd Center in Makeevka. It is an orphanage that currently houses 32 children, ages 5-15. Andrew Geddert (an MCC worker) was there full-time until June, but his replacement has not yet been found. He worked there full-time, and was a psychologist of sorts. I could not fill his job description, but I go there anyway. I go mainly to play basketball, but also to spend some time with the kids (and maybe give the staffers a little more peace and quiet for a few hours).

Usually 7-10 kids show up, with varying degrees of skill and motivation. It is interesting to note that the two girls who regularly show up are two of the best players there. I usually try to convince them to do some drills at the beginning but, like all the basketball players I have ever met, all they want to do is scrimmage. I also like this part of our “practices” because that is when I am able to play as well. I keep a whistle in my mouth, but I rarely blow it because it is more fun to just play, and let them play.

I have heard that Good Shepherd is one of two Christian orphanages in Ukraine (but this may not be completely accurate–my Russian is not great and I am sure it is difficult to really know all the orphanages in the country). By any means, I have thought a lot about the jobs of the people at the center. They are paid little to be everything to these 32 kids: parents, teachers, role models, friends, … And I imagine with so many kids and so few “educators” and “assistants,” they have their work cut out for them. While it sometimes seems a bit loud and unruly there, I am amazed at how well behaved the kids are. It is a really great place. I am glad to contribute the little that I do and hope to continue this throughout my time here.

Christmas Tree

Saturday Dave and I went shopping for a Christmas tree. Last year we didn’t have one and since we’ll be around Donestk for Western Christmas this year, we thought we should invest in one. We were looking for a small artificial tree, small enough to fit on our living room windowsill next to Petey and his cage. In Ukraine, it’s a little early for such activities. Though I feel like it’s time to play Christmas CDs and decorate the house, I’m in the minority. The main winter holiday celebrated here is New Years, and Christmas follows on Jan. 7, according to the Eastern Orthodox calendar. Also, although the Western glitz and commercialism is making its way here, it’s not as prominent as at home. So whereas at home by the day after Thanksgiving stores are full of Christmas products, houses and buildings are decorated with lights, and Christmas music plays on the radio, here there’s not much to indicate that Christmas is coming until later in December. Because it’s so early, real Christmas trees aren’t on sale yet. However, after searching three big stores, we found our fake tree, plus lights and decorations to go with it.
Yesterday night it was interesting to see the various reactions of our prayer group students to our decorations. Most were surprised and a little confused that we seemed to be excited about decorating so early. One student in our group wished us a Happy New Year, so it gave us the opportunity to explain that to us, the decorations were Christmas decorations, and Christmas was less than a month away. To them, they were New Years decorations, a New Years tree, etc. It’s still hard for me to grasp that holiday traditions originally associated with Christmas were transferred by the Soviets from a religious holiday (Christmas) to a secular holiday (New Years), and that they stuck, even after communism is gone. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising, Soviet cultural influences still exist here in virtually every other area of life as well.

Laura