Accent game

I play an ongoing game with myself when out in public, and speaking to strangers in Russian. It’s a test of my Russian communication ability, and a way of encouraging myself to work on my language skills. Whether or not I win is based on the response of those I talk to. Here’s how it goes:

1. I say something in Russian.
2. If whomever I talk to listens to what I say, then tries to respond in their broken English, I lose. This means they can tell I’m a bumbling American. Which I don’t like to be. And it usually insults my knowledge of Russian, since many Ukrainians don’t know much more than their numbers and basic greetings in English.
3. If the listener simply responds to me in Russian and goes on his/her way, then it’s a draw. (This is the most common response. I take it to mean that they can hear my accent, but aren’t interested enough to ask about it or try their English skills.)
4. If the person listens, responds to my question, then asks if I’m Polish, Czech or from another Eastern European country, then I win. That means (to me) that although they hear that I have an accent, it is not obvious that it’s an American accent, and I’m a little closer to being, if still a foreigner, a foreigner with a difficult-to-recognize accent. Maybe even a Slavic-sounding accent. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen very often.

I really don’t know why I care about what my accent sounds like, or why I don’t like to be identified with an American accent. I guess it’s the ever-present desire to fit in. Instead, as an English teacher, I probably should be happy for the people who get to practice their English on me – it’s probably exciting for them. I doubt they get the opportunity very often.

Laura

New Feathered Friend

We’ve welcomed a new pet into our lives for the summer – Sonny. Sonny is a cockatiel who belongs to an American family who’s in the States for the summer. Since we already had Petey, we agreed that having one more bird wouldn’t make much difference. So far they're are getting along well, although Petey seems more enthusiastic about their relationship than Sonny. He frequently hops over to Sonny’s cage to play with his toys, while Sonny indifferently moves to the opposite side of the cage. Sonny is more people-tame than Petey, so he’s actually likes to hang out with us - especially when we watch movies. It's a nice contrast to Petey, who’s scared to death of us. In the photo, Sonny’s in the foreground.

Superstitions

Something that’s very prevalent in Ukrainian culture is belief in superstitions. Superstitions affect many parts of life and people take them quite seriously, so as a foreigner, you need to be aware. Never buy an even number of flowers for someone, except for a sad occasion like a funeral – it’s bad luck. Don’t whistle inside, you’ll lose your money. Don’t shake hands over a doorway, it’s bad luck, etc.

The other day in my English class my students were learning “first conditional” sentence structure, i.e. If/will statements. If you eat 10 hot dogs, you will get sick. If you toss a penny in a fountain, you’ll have good luck. Perfect for superstitions. So I gave them a list of American superstitions and we talked about them. Then they wrote down their own Ukrainian/Russian superstitions, and shared with the class. The activity could’ve lasted all afternoon. Even after the written lists were exhausted, the superstitions kept coming. If you meet a person with an empty bucket, you’ll lose your money. If you sit on the corner of a table, you won’t get married. If you forget something and go back home to get it, you’ll have bad luck. If a pilot says goodbye to his friends, he won’t come back. And on and on.

So here was my golden opportunity to ask for clarity about a few “superstitions” that had proved to be particularly strange to me. So I asked about my favorite – If a woman sits on concrete (such as a step or ledge), she won’t have kids. (Apparently they say your ovaries will freeze). The prevalence of belief in this superstition was experienced firsthand by friends of mine who were sitting on the steps at the train station, enjoying the nice warm weather, when a babushka scared them away with her fury. I figured this was maybe a superstition of the older generation and that my young, intelligent, educated students could give me some background. My students’ explanation? “That’s not a superstition, it’s medical advice.”

Ok, so I won’t be sitting on cold concrete anytime soon. But hopefully my students know first conditional.

Laura

Graduation day

Tuesday was DCU graduation. Members of the very first Theological English class I taught here at DCU were among the graduates, as were many members of our prayer group, so we had a greater connection to the grads than last year. Graduation festivities include a big meal in the cafeteria for all who attend graduation, and an evening party in which the grads break out their formal wear. This year a drama was part of the production – well done, and fun to see our co-workers and friends show their acting talent. Now begins my full-time work with the Summer English program. Saturday is my last community English class, then I can spend all my time on summer program plans. So far we have a good team lined up – 27 native English speakers joining us from the States, Australia, Canada and Great Britain. (We could still use more if anyone’s interested!). We’re hoping for 200 total students during our intensive summer session, which runs throughout the month of July.

Laura

Retreat in Crimea

This blog is a bit belated. We spent the second week of May near Yalta in Crimea (southern Ukraine) with the rest of the MCC Europe team, at summer retreat. Although the setting was beautiful - our balcony overlooked the Black Sea - the weather was cold. Perhaps ok, though, since most of our time was spent inside in meetings. We had a good time nevertheless - it's always fun to connect with other MCCers from other places. It was also great to see a different side of Ukraine - mountains, winding roads and the sea, compared with plains, coal mines and smoke-belching factories. As everyone back in Donetsk advised, we breathed deeply and got our fill of fresh Crimean air. A few photos:


Even though it was freezing cold and cloudy, Dave and David Martin (Serbia) had to take a dip in the Black Sea, just to say they'd done it.

At a scenic spot along the coast.

The "Swallow's Nest" castle near Yalta.

Greenhouse Harvest I

We returned from retreat and I was pleased to find that the greenhouse looking good. Most of the plants are around 5.5' tall and we have already harvested over 200lbs. It is rather exciting.

Flowers in bags

One interesting cultural trend in Ukraine (and certain other Eastern European countries) is that everyone carries plastic bags. Women have a purse, plus a plastic bag to carry whatever doesn’t fit in the purse. Men also carry them. Shoulder bags, briefcases and backpacks are around, but not as popular as the plastic bag. And it can’t be any bag. Usually they’re bags made of more durable plastic than a typical plastic grocery bag, with name brands and bright colors printed on them – Calvin Klein is a big one, also Boss. Some say random English words and phrases like “Scotch Whiskey” or “Thanks We Invite.” The grocery stores all sell them, for a few kopecks more than the ordinary plastic shopping bags that you get with your groceries. You can also buy them at the market, where whole kiosks are devoted only to plastic bags. It’s no small task to pick the right one, since you can use it for several months before it wears out. Durable nylon-weave bags are also available to tote your stuff around, but are generally only appropriate for pensioners to carry. The rest of us should strive to be more stylish.

Anyway, as people carry their bags around, I’ve noticed that you can tell what season it is by what sort of plant or flower is sticking out of their bags. In general, Ukrainians have especially green thumbs, so plants and flowers are very important – both indoors and out. Daffodils bring the first signs of spring. On Easter weekend pussy willows and weeping willow branches seemed to be the greenery of choice. The first few weeks in May are full of holidays, so tulips are especially plentiful these days. After that will be lilacs, then daisies and other summer flowers. Meanwhile, flowers are interspersed with young trees, rose bushes and garden transplants like tomatoes, all of them peeking out of the plastic bags. Fall brings mums, which last into October. Then at Christmas, evergreen boughs are common, on their way to a decorative centerpiece at a holiday celebration. Bagged plans are pretty scarce in January, February and March – I guess then it’s too cold to carry plants very far in a bag. So my bag-watching tells me it’s spring again, and I’m happy that it’s finally here.

Laura