The winter holiday starts for me today and, as I've droned on and on about, it'll be extra grand as I'll be reunited with the best travel partner in the world, my hubby! We're starting out with the most Christmas-y of Christmases in Germany (Bavaria, to be exact), then heading back to Ukraine for a whirlwind of New Years and Orthodox Christmas celebrations in Kiev and Lviv, before heading back to my humble abode here in Lugansk.
Here's wishing all of you the best holiday season ever from Eastern Europe! See you in 2012!
As with every month with the Access English Program here in Lugansk (which gives under-privelaged high school students an opportunity to improve their English and American cultural knowledge all while interacting with a native speaker), it's time for our December cultural event! Hmmm...December cultural event...what could we possibly do for that?
Yup, American Christmas madness (with a few Ukrainian goodies and touches thrown in) was the theme of the evening!
In Ukraine, all of the "Christmasy" stuff that we're familiar with happens for them on New Year's instead (thanks to the atheist Soviet regimen basically outlawing actual Christmas back in the day, and instead pushing for the more secular New Year's as the time to party--today, New Year's is the biggest celebration in Ukraine). Now that the country is no longer under the Soviet's Scrooge-ness, Christmas has regained it's popularity (although it's celebrated here on January 7th), but has yet to surpass what New Year's has become here. Interesting!
To start off our celebrations, I gave a Power Point presentation on a ton of Christmas traditions that we celebrate in America: Christmas card writing, candy cane and gingerbread men eating, hanging stockings and trimming trees (of course, it's a New Year's Tree here), decorating houses with lights, Christmas shopping, family dinners, Christmas morning, etc. For each tradition, the students had to tell how it is similar or different from New Year's/Christmas traditions in Ukraine so that I could get a little cultural schooling as well!
Afterwards, some of the kids had a brilliant and dramatic oral interpretation of a Christmas poem in English! Talented ones, they are:
And I surprised all of them with some genuine candy canes straight from America (thanks to Jacob's Aunt Elaine for the thoughtful shipment). Can you believe that it was their first time gnawing on a good 'ol candy cane? I told them that when they grow up, they are personally responsible for getting candy canes imported into Ukraine! Major homework assignment.
Finally, it was time for that most traditional time of the evening when we all make psychedelic paper snowflakes:
Armed with Christmas goodies, chocolates, and ornaments, we're very merry:
Another event, another reminder that it's only T-minus one day until my Christmas awaits me in Germany, and then again back in Ukraine!
My 5th year university students are finishing up their regular formal classes next week, and will be lost in thesis-writing and practicums next semester. Although I only got the chance to get to know them for one semester, I had such a great time talking about some wild topics with them in English. They are, after all, the future translators and interpreters of Ukraine, so they're pretty darn good!
For our final soiree, they surprised me with an awesome morning feast of open-faced sandwiches, finger foods, casserole, and...SUSHI! Have I mentioned that sushi is huge, HUGE here? No? Well, remind me to tell you about the time I went to a Ukrainian sushi restaurant. No really, it's a good one. Also, my students are obsessed with making and eating sushi. I had no idea I would leave Japan to come to Soviet Sushi Land, but here I am!
Anyway, I digress. The delicious spread (apologies for point-and-shoot pics):
The other teacher who co-teaches the class and who is a FANTASTIC cook:
A little holiday entertainment (note attempted chopstick usage):
And, our fab looking group...I think I blend in quite nicely for being 30!
This was such a good group of young adults, and I'm really going to miss teaching them next semester. On a good note, however, this goodbye means only TWO DAYS until I'm off on a jet plane to Germany where I'll finally get to have some Christmas adventures with my husband again. Counting down the hours...
My immune system is a matter of pride for me. I spend most of my days during the year feeling just fine and dandy, basking in all of my "health = wealth" glory.
And then that dreaded time--usually about once a year (usually about this time of year)--hits.
Getting sick in a foreign country, while every bit as annoying and uncomfortable, is a little more interesting than back on the familiar home-turf. When co-workers and neighbors come running with their long-"proven" advice on how to beat the crud, it almost always proves to be something a little unusual, especially where folk remedies are concerned. And Ukraine has some goodies.
The number one thing I was told, by numerous people, was to get some малена (raspberry) jam and add it to a hot cup of tea. For some reason, the tea and the jam are supposed to induce sweating to sweat out the toxins. What's the mysterious cold-fighting powers of raspberry jam that have eluded us North Americans all these years?
Along with the jam, I'm also supposed to add a few slices of lemon and some honey to the tea. And along with that, eating a bowl of каша (known to us Westerners as porridge or oatmeal) with heavy cream and a huge ol' pat of butter is also said to be a cold-combatant here. I suspect it's due more to comfort-calories than anything else, but who am I to argue with tradition?
When word started to spread that I was sick, I was also presented with a bag full of this:
The best-guess translation from those trying to explain to me what it was is a bunch of dried "lime" leaves and flowers. So, yeah...could pretty much be anything. What I'm supposed to do is boil the leaves and flowers for a few minutes...
...and then let it cool until it turns red. Add honey, and drink!
Perhaps the most unusual advice was for my general all-around health (not to mention shiny hair and glowing skin): a few raw quail eggs a day!
Luckily for me, these babies are cheap and plentiful around these parts! Healthy heart and fabulous hair, here I come~
And those, to summarize, are the best of Ukrainian home remedies for the dreadful winter cold. Who knew getting sick could be such a cultural learning experience!? Or, as my boss stated, "You could just forget all of that and have a few shots of cognac instead. Why do you think I'm the only one here not sick?"
Ahh, the fabulous деруни (pronounced "deruny), or simple Ukrainian potato pancakes. These babies are usually served as a main when no meat is served (which, I gotta say, is rare here!), but they are often served as sides as well. Talk about easy (like, 100 times faster to make than when I made borscht), deruny only require a few ingredients (potatoes, onion, egg, flour, and сметана, or sour cream) and a little bit of prep before frying away to your heart's content!
Originally, the potatoes and onion are supposed to be shredded into a fine pulp, but the "star-side" of my grater was infinitely rusted and probably had one too many tales to tell if it could, so I opted for the chunkier shredded solution. Still tasty, but I prefer how they're traditionally prepared, so a new grater for me is in the near future (yes, it really IS this glamorous living and working abroad)!
I love a culture that loves its heavy and soured creams! And I love deruny. It's a win-win all around here, folks!
For a pretty good recipe on making deruny (and other awesome Ukrainian dishes), head here.
Upon returning from my Thanksgiving vacation in Kiev, my supervisor here at the university said that it would not be right if we didn't have our own Thanksgiving celebration among the English teachers in our department. With that, some chocolate bars and a bottle of Soviet champagne (the staple of all of our events) was brought out! Definitely my most unique Thanksgiving celebration to date! I for one am definitely grateful for these fabulous co-workers and our intercultural work environment!
And, as if two Thanksgiving celebrations weren't enough, we gathered together this week with our high school students who are a part of the Access English Microscholarship Program for yet another feast (you can check out our Halloween party in October and read more about the program here). These kids are always so much fun to be around...the textbook demands of grammar-translated English hasn't engulfed them yet, and most of them are eager to interact and improve their communicative English as best as they can!
After my presentation, and a few surprises from the students, it was time to eat our Ukrainian take on turkey and stuffing: chicken and mashed potatoes!
At least one of the lunch-ladies seemed okay with the extra overtime work:
To finish the evening, and force encourage the kids to do at least one more English-related activity, we had everyone write what they are thankful for on paper leaves to add to our "Thankful Tree!"
Having three opportunities to fully celebrate and share Thanksgiving here in Ukraine, I've really had the chance to realize just how unique this holiday is! I mean, one single day that greatly contributes to the obesity rates of one of the fattest countries in the world under the pretense of historical folly and gratitude-giving? Genius, America! Man, how I love my quirky country!
I've said it once (already) on this blog, and I'll say it again: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We truly do have so much!
