My Roomate is a Jerk.

For those of you who didn't know I got a roommate here in Ukraine a couple months ago and this blog is just for me to vent about him because, frankly; there can be no doubt, my roommate is a jerk. I've never met such a finicky fella. He's always eating and not just his food, but the stuff I cook for myself. Whenever I'm cooking eggs, he huddles around the pan like he's entitled to it. What's with this guy? He's always sleeping, cruising around town for chicas or eating; seriously that's all he does. Right now he's passed out while I'm typing this, it's 3:00...pm.

I thought having a roommate wouldn't be such a hassle, I mean he's good company every once in awhile. Girls love him. He's one of those guys that has to duck behind trees or hide under tables to avoid the senioritas. If I thought I could take him to the bar with me, I would for that reason alone. I guess I can understand why, he does what he wants and forgets the rest. He's got that James Dean attitude about him which explains why he's kind of a lousy roommate. I don't know. Get this, he'll walk around the room and if I have stuff lying on a table near the edge, he'll just knock it off. There's no reason for this except he thought it would be interesting or funny to watch it fall! He has no respect for my possessions. He's already destroyed my bed/couch that isn't a futon. He does seem happy though... maybe I could learn something from him.

Perhaps I care too much what others think, always tip toeing around other people's perspectives until I can't take anymore of their opinion. Truly, I'm a mat for some people and as a result people treat me that way, my roommate's no different. We've watched movies and he just falls asleep wherever he's laying, even if it's my bed. I have to wake him up and move him out so that I can go to bed. In the morning he's so loud, I usually wake up and see him walking around, more than once pawing at the alarm clock, eventually knocking it off the table.

Perhaps the worst part is no one seems to see this except me. My neighbors all love him. They feed him fish and chicken when he's wandering around the apartment building, they'll give him a little milk to help wash it down too! I wouldn't be surprised to see him dunk oreos in there if I thought for minute we could buy them in our town. He's always hanging out around the apartment, partly because he's totally unemployable but partly because what could someone pay him for? I know there are guys like him that have become actors or joined some act on the road or a circus and I mean he's handsome enough to get into show business but I don't know if he's got the talent or the smarts. I'm pretty sure he'd need some manager to usher him between gigs and take care of his every need just to get a decent performance out of him. Pretty soon he'd just be doing it for the girls and food.

Did I mention his grooming habits? It's unbelievable, for someone who takes a ton of baths it's a sheer feet of willpower to smell as funky as he does. He's always slicking his hair back with those furry mitts of his (did I mention he's hairy? He's really hairy, he's got that long hair look but it works for him I guess, I'm not gonna hold someone's love of a long mane after all, I love my beard.) The problem is I find his hair everywhere, on clothes, the couch, even the kitchen counter! Oddly enough I don't see it in the bath tub.

When I said everyone loves him, I should clarify that. It's only my friends that he takes offense to. Whenever I invite someone into my apartment he thinks it's hilarious to surprise them when they aren't looking. When I had a bunch of volunteers crash at my apartment before Big Bang I told them straight up "He's an animal and he'll bite you." Of course when I brought cute girls back to my apartment he turns into a big cuddly, the girls couldn't stop remarking what a cutie he was. He is quite handsome, I think it's that hair of his.

He sure does seem happy though. He knows what he wants and he goes for it. He does what he has to. He eats as much as he wants and even though he's a little pudgy nobody really cares. He sleeps as much as he wants even if it's just a quick nap attack here or there. He gets his exercise in during the day being a social butterfly, tom-cattin' around town doing who knows what. I really should follow him to find out but I, unlike him have a job and responsibilities. I mean one of us has to pay the rent and so far that's always been me. My landlord doesn't seem to care that he hasn't chipped in. He'd probably get kicked out if I showed my landlord the couch but I couldn't do that.

At the end of the day I appreciate his company, even if it's lousy company. Despite living with me for about five months his English is still piss poor. I don't know about his Ukrainian because he doesn't speak it in front of me. Between the internet and I...I think he might be illiterate, which is why I'm venting this way. Honestly, I've never seen read anything! Not so much as a label. I saw him chewing on some iodine pills one day. I asked him what he was doing but he just ignored me and strutted out of the room. I don't know. Maybe he was embarrassed that I called him out on his illiteracy or his weird tendency to chew on things that should not be chewed. Alas, I'm getting away from the point.

He's not the best company, but he's something. In a country where everything takes far more effort than it would in America, it's nice to have someone simple to come home to. I understand my roommate, honestly, he only cares about sleeping, cruising for chicas and eating me out of house and home... and I respect that. There's no pretenses with this guy, he's a straight shooter and he never pretends to be something he's not. He'd be a great life coach, if only he had a life...but then again; he has the life. He has the life. Here's a picture of my roommate.

He is handsome isn't he?

Recap 2 - First Winter

After the swearing-in ceremony we all spent a night in Kiev and then left the next day. I left Kiev around 7 and arrived in Haivoron near midnight, I didn't know it at the time but the bus pulled over in Uman and from there we got a ride from my Counterpart's friend Vitaly, who is actually a Gorodki national champion.

Gorodki
Gorodki for those unfamiliar is a traditional Russian/Ukrainian sport that involves hurling a metal pipe at a stack of bricks. Haivoron is renowned for producing Gorodki champions...kind of like Texas and football. One of my 7th graders actually traveled to Crimea for a tournament which is where Vitaly (my counterpart's neighbor) is now for the same reason.

On Living with A Babushka

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the living conditions Peace Corps has established there are two options for all Peace Corps volunteers living overseas; to live with a host family or to live alone. Depending on housing situations in different countries/towns/villages, you may live alone (if you can find a place to live in) or you may live with a family. Living with Helena Vasylyvna had it's challenges and perks. If it hadn't been for her Haivoron, wouldn't have gotten a volunteer because there wouldn't have been a place for me to live. I owe her a debt of gratitude that I tried to repay in manual labor while I lived with her. Ultimately I knew I wanted to live by myself, this is something I told my counterpart when I met him and so about a month after living with H.V. I moved into my own Apartment.

Isolation
From September 27th to December 17th, I was constantly around other people. I met with my language teacher and cluster mates for about 5/6 hours a day, came up and worked around my host parent's house, ate dinner with the family and then I'd read a little and head to bed. To have a place of my own was wonderful, I'd come back from school/meetings, throw down my jacket on a chair, go grab a beer and relax by myself.

Personal time is tricky. I hated being home if it was Friday or Saturday night in the states, couldn't stand it, but here... here it's different. If I'm home Saturday night, I just enjoy the time to myself. The language barrier is difficult. I can communicate any of my needs, and given a little effort on both sides, I can understand almost everything said to me but it still requires effort. It's difficult to represent a country 24/7 which is why I'm so thankful for my down time. I've discovered the recluse within but he hasn't had a chance to really manifest himself because I make it a point to be available to the people in my town, in case they want to practice their English or hang out with an American. As a result I've got a couple Friends in town. I've got some friends who are teaching me how to curse, I play Volleyball with some, cards with others and so on. I've got a nice little niche carved out here so far. I've been able to find some really good people here, their kindness and generosity is something I try to repay whenever I can. I can't believe how many sentences I've started with the letter I. That's all for now.

Recap 1 - Teaching

Arriving at site was a great relief. To actually know where I would live for two years brought me a great sense of satisfaction. The kids were very nervous and shy, with each class I'd open up the discussion to questions and in every class all I got was "How old are you?", "Do you like Ukraine?" and "Where are you from?"

I quickly grew close to one class in particular; their English was and continues to be really great for their age, a testament to Victor's teaching prowess as well as their own enthusiasm. They took me for one of their own freely, without hesitation and made me feel welcome; something I'll always remember. Teaching them was one of my great pleasures last winter while I was still scrambling to get a feel for everything going on around me.

This isn't to say I didn't enjoy my other classes or even that I did enjoy my other classes. What makes this individual class so great is that it was a conglomeration of great students, great attitudes and aptitudes. I had other classes with great students, but there aren't many classes in the world that are as good as this one class. I'm thankful that in every class I was able to connect to at least some of the students.

I had to learn quickly to think on the fly and those first couple weeks at site greatly influenced how I would teach for the rest of my time here. I've become a fan of activities that require little preparation outside of class; instead I rely on activities and games that only require instructions or readily available materials. I've found that our books are pretty decent to get across the main idea of the lesson and then I usually juice up an activity or give it a little American flavor by altering some details.

One of the great challenges here has been teaching an entire class the same material. It's been my experience in some of my classes that we can have Olimpiad runner-ups learning the same material as kids who can't or refuse to speak more than basic introductory English. It takes practice and a sense of balance to keep all the kids busy all of the time. I assume it's like waiting tables, knowing when you've got to make the rounds, add more coffee, clearing plates, and the like. I was hesitant but giving the kids who really want to learn more work than the rest has worked out for me and for them, at least they aren't terribly bored in class while the other kids can work at a level that's appropriate for them.

I can't help but laugh at myself sometimes when I think about my current profession. When I was in High School trying to figure out what I'd do for a job my father said to me "You know I was a teacher, your mother was a teacher, your grandparents were teachers and your sister is a teacher. You should think about teaching; it's solid pay, summers off, you can live where ever you want and you'll always be able to find a job." I told him I didn't want to be a teacher. The same thing happened when I left for college and I told him a second time that I didn't want to be a teacher. When I got my invitation to be an English teacher I accepted it without hesitation because to be here as a PCV is a dream I've had ever since I lived in Nepal, there's nothing I'd rather be doing and I've realized that he's right. It's not a bad gig, I don't think I'll do it for the rest of my life, but I'm more than happy to do it now and to do it here.

Abandoned no more.

A couple months ago a good friend asked if I had abandoned this blog and the truth is yes and no... after all, I'm back now. Approaching the one year anniversary of my arrival in Ukraine finds me at an emotional purgatory. I am not the same person who left Virginia a year ago. A lot about me has changed, for the better or for the worse I can't be sure. Unlike most changes I can pinpoint exactly what was the catalyst for my perceptional 360*. I see the world as a much larger place, more unforgiving. I came here to change everything I didn't like about my life in the states and I've done that, just not in the ways I thought I would. I feel like a fool for leaving the people I loved thousands of miles away. I don't know if things would have gotten as bad as they did if I was in Virginia but the isolation takes a toll. My thoughts are all over the place. The following posts will bring you back up to speed with my life here.