Ukraine Part 3

Hello again to all! Bonjour a tous!
December is here, and I am back in Canada. The month of November was the busiest of the Ukrainian phase. That said, at work, I didn't do much in the last part of the Ukrainian phase. We only taught once if I remember correctly. Nadia and I did, however, make a poster to display in the school. It showed the maps of Canada and Ukraine with the origins of all program participants, as well as some statistics of each country: population, area, currency, etc. We finished the poster at the end of November and presented it to the school on our last working day. For the EAD on November 4, the topic was UN Millenium Development Goals as related to health. For the CAD on the 5th, we cleaned the area around one of the churches. We continued with dance classes on Friday afternoons during November (as preparation for our farewell concert on December 3. Twice I went to help clean the inside of one of the Orthodox churches (on Sundays). I kept with my workout schedule pretty well except for 2 weeks before the farewell concert when I was very busy. Since my back was still feeling very well, I kept running at the track. Sasha and I hosted the EAD on December 2, so I spent a lot of time during the last couple weeks of November researching and preparing for that. The EAD on November 11 was about mental health. On the 12th, we did another clean-up, this time of the area along a river. My counterpart, Sasha, had his birthday on November 13. We all celebrated by going out for pizza, and then a surprise camp fire by the lake in the city. It was fun. The following day, the EAD was about physical activity, and as part of the day, we all played a game of soccer. Then there was dance on Friday. For the CAD on the 19th, we played with kindergarten children. That night at home, we had a family dinner (although our host father couldn't make it). Even our two host sisters were there. I made shepherd's pie (paté chinois). After, Sasha, our host sisters and I played pool. On the 20th, some of us volunteers helped some high school students plant trees. On November 25, I acted in a play in Ostroh. It was "international night" at the Academy. It took an effort to memorise my lines, but I did it. In addition, two other teammates performed a song with piano and vocals, and the whole team performed "Hakuna Matata." In the play, I played a Canadian volunteer who falls in love with a Ukrainian girl studying in Ostroh. It was fun. The swimming pool finally opened in November, and I was able to go a few times once I got a pass. On the 22nd, I went to a sauna in Netishyn with some other teammates. What you do is alternate between the sauna and a cold bath. The EAD on the 25th was about relaxation. On the evening of Sunday the 28th, we held a potluck dinner with our host families to show our appreciation for them. I made meat pie (tourtiere). Winter arrived in Netishyn in December, with snow and cold. (But it is warmer here in Mission, which is very close to the U.S. border.) We had our phase "debrief" on the 29th and 30th, at which we discussed and reflected on various aspects of the program (like we did at the mid-project retreat). Sasha and I led the EAD on December 2 (on Disabilities), and it went very well. We focused on defining disability, discussing the challenges faced by persons with disabilities, and rights and inclusion. The farewell concert was on Friday the 3rd. It was a lot of fun. Again, there was a play, in which I was a volunteer who was in court for being "too good." In the end, luckily, I was found not guilty! I also played the Beatles' "Yesterday" on harmonica. Our Ukrainian folk dance went well. Sasha also played the violin. He is very good at it. The next day, Sasha and I went to Poninka (his home town) for a second time. We stayed there until Monday the 6th. The 7th was our last night in Netishyn. The next day, we rode the bus to Kyiv, where we stayed until Friday the 10th. In Kyiv I saw Independence Square (the site of the famous Orange Revolution), a book market, and saw the statue and church of St. Olga, the first Christian of Rus. I also fell ill while in Kyiv, and I have been sick since. What started as a cold is now bronchitis. (I went to the doctor yesterday, and am now taking anti-biotics. I should be healthy in another 5 days or so.) We left Ukraine on Friday the 10th, flying to Frankfurt and then Vancouver. The team stayed in Vancouver until Monday the 14th. I was sick and jetlagged, but I did ride the Skytrain, walked to Gas Town, China Town, GM Place, English Bay, and Stanley Park. It's a nice downtown. We also met as a team to discuss phase goals and the city of Mission. We rode a bus to Mission on the 14th, and our new host families prepared a potluck supper for us. Sasha and I are staying with the Marucas. We have a host mother, Line, host father, Angelo, and a 4-year old host brother Marc-Anthony. They are very friendly. This week the team met to discuss participant responibilities and to plan EADs. (Sasha and I will present alternative medicine on January 17.) The city of Mission has a population similar to Netishyn (about 38 000), but it is much more sprawled out than Netishyn, with few high rises and many houses. So we usually have to take a bus to get around. But the landscape is beautifual. The mountains are very close. There is a leisure centre with a gym, swimming pool, and ice arena, and we all have passes! One accomplishment this week was submitting and sending away my applications for a Master's to the University of Ottawa and McGill University. (If I am successful, I will begin next September.) This past week and this coming week, I am volunteering at the Canadian Cancer Society office in Mission with about 8 other participants. So far, we've been selling tickets for a draw, the proceeds going to help kids with cancer. On Thursday, the team went at city hall and met some department heads and got a tour of the facility. I went to the local Catholic church yesterday for mass. There is a Ukrainian-Canadian community in Netishyn, and today I went with some others to the local Ukrainian Orthodox church. It was very nice. That's it for the last month and a bit.
mc
Pictures: 1. The Ukrainian participants at Starbucks for the first time in Vancouver, 2. My new host brother Marc at my home in Mission, 3. My counterpart/roommate Sasha in Stanley Park, Vancouver, 4. From left to right: Bogdan, Olichka, Saad, Nastia (behind Saad), Olia, Ania and Vasyl playing in Stanley Park, 5. Statue of St. Olga with the two Olgas on our team (Olia and Olichka) in Kyiv, 6. Me by the "steam clock tower" in Gas Town, Vancouver, 7. Me with my host sisters and mother in Netishyn, and 8. Independence Square in Kyiv.