This past weekend was our annual winter retreat. This year we went to Alushta, in Crimea, where we had sharing/reporting sessions as well as time for relaxation and fellowship. Pictured here is the current MCC Former Soviet Union team.
From February 8-20 we had guests. My mom, dad, younger brother and sister made the trip to see a glimpse of our life here. For all but mom, it started out with a first commercial airline experience; and that was probably only the beginning of a long list of “firsts” for each of them. The most significant “firsts,” in my opinion, would mainly involve transportation and food. They took their first overnight train rides as well as many trips on packed trolley buses and marshrutkas (fixed-route minibuses). They grudgingly ate their first salo (cured pig fat, which is on the third plate behind the napkins in the photo) and caviar along with more enthusiastically trying a wide variety of traditional Ukrainian cuisines. Laura and I were very impressed with their willingness to try new things.
We introduced them to many of the important people in our lives - from our language teacher, Marina, to our DCU friends Nikolai and
We supported the local economy by buying a lot of souvenirs, including the traditional Ukrainian “stacking family” dolls, soccer jerseys and, Laura’s favorite, wooden bracelets. It is always interesting to see what more “common” grocery store items people take home as souvenirs. This time it was Zhivchik (apple-echinacea flavored soda) and an assortment of interestingly-flavored teas and chocolate bars. I couldn’t convince Jayne that the fish-net stockings that Ukrainian young women wear would make good gifts for her 8th grade friends (I thought that would make some fun waves at
It was difficult to say our “good byes” at the airport, but we will be seeing them all again relatively soon… they left one day more than six months before our scheduled departure. Now we have to make the shift back from ragamuffin tour guides to semi-qualified service workers.
Dave
On Saturday my Upper-Intermediate students came to class and said to me, “Yesterday was the day of the marmot.” “Marmot?” I asked. Marmot? What are they trying to say? “In America,” they said, “it was the day of the marmot.” My mind raced to come up with any English words that might have a similar pronunciation. Many times students use words they’ve looked up in the dictionary or read in a book, and I don’t recognize them right away because they’re mispronounced. When this happens, my mind immediately kicks into fast gear as I try to think of the word as quickly as I can, to limit their humiliation because of my lack of understanding. And then it clicked. Somewhere in the back of my head (probably thanks to PBS’s Kratts’ Kreatures) appeared a picture of a marmot. A groundhog! Yes! It was Groundhog’s Day yesterday! They weren’t mispronouncing anything, their dictionary had just given them a strange translation. Or probably an official one, as opposed to the word “groundhog.” After I finally figured it out, there were smiles all around. We discussed the strange nature of the American groundhog’s role on February 2, and continued with the lesson.
Such scenarios take place almost every class period, and I’ve realized that I’m especially enjoying my students this semester. They’re interesting people, and highly motivated to learn and speak English. And while I’ve enjoyed my students since the beginning of my time here, this semester I’m finally feeling like a real teacher who knows the material backward and forward. Now, after two years of teaching it over and over again, I finally feel like I’ve learned it myself. No wonder it takes students so long to get it all straight.
English grammar does not come easy to a native speaker. We know what sounds right, but not the reason why. As soon as I stepped off the plane, I could tell you what’s right and wrong, but when asked to explain why, I was found buried in the “Grammar Reference” section at the back of the textbook. And students here want and need to know why, because they don’t just learn how to speak English from hearing it spoken by others around them. Not in Donetsk, Ukraine. So, with the help of my fellow teachers, and after reading over it time and again, I’m weaning myself from the Grammar Reference. It’s a good feeling.
The sign that this was all coming together for me came when I realized that as I spoke English at certain times, I would think of the rule for why I used that verb tense at that particular time. i.e., “Oh, I used the past perfect tense there, because the one action happened before another action in the past.” Or “That’s an example of first conditional.” Yikes. These thought patterns brought me to the realization that my fate as an English nerd was forever sealed. I guess that’s not a big surprise anyway. I don’t mind as long as I’m becoming a more competent teacher.
Laura
While riding the bus in 
We spread out several sheets of newspaper on the coffee table and got started. Extracting edible from inedible is quite an involved process, requiring several steps. I will spare you the details. The meat is rather tasty; Dima says especially if it is “somewhat fresh.” Enjoying a couple fish together is a social activity… sort of like fondue back home. For those of you who are interested, I have posted a before and after picture, taken at the demonstration I did for Laura. The next level in my learning will be to replicate the process on a bus.
Dave
It’s official—Laura and I will be moving to
I have withdrawn my applications from the other programs that we were considering. I have spent a lot of time and effort in communication with schools. It was very difficult for us to withdraw the apps, after I spent so much time filling them out and Laura spent so much time proofreading them and making them at least somewhat coherent. We are happy to have the decision made already.
A friend of mine told me that it’s pretty common for people in our shoes - near the end of our MCC term - to “check-out six months early.” It is our hope that, with the decision already made, we will be able to focus on our responsibilities here. The urge is always there to talk the ear off of anyone willing to listen to my future plans. But seriously, people here have much more interesting things to think and talk about.
The Chinese New Year is almost upon us, and this year, according to the calendar, is the year of the pig. In Ukraine, we’ve already celebrated both the New Year and the old New Year (according to the old calendar) and the pigs are on full display. For some reason, the animals of the Chinese zodiac are big here. Whole stalls at the market were dedicated to pig trinkets of all varieties, and pigs were also frequently spotted on New Years cards. Stuffed pigs dangle from rearview mirrors of taxis and buses. I realized how big the animal thing was when a student told me that she was born in the year of the pig, so this was going to be a good year for her. And then she asked me what animal represented the year I was born in. I had to admit I had no idea, and explained to the class that in the States the only time most people think about the Chinese zodiac is when they’re reading their placemat while waiting for their food at a Chinese restaurant. That explanation got me blank looks all around, and I decided that later I would look up my animal. It’s a monkey.
I hadn’t realized it before, but the animal of the year even determines what kind of gifts you give and receive for New Years. This became apparent as I un-decorated our Christmas tree this year – ornaments given to us over the past three New Years have been in the form of roosters, dogs and pigs, the featured animals of the last three consecutive years. A line of pig trinkets, given to me by students this year, now stand on a shelf in our livingroom. Last year it was a collection of dogs, although they have all found new homes by now, to make room for the pigs. Next year we can look forward to the year of the rat. Glad we’re going to miss those ornaments.
