So my birthday is commin' up...

I know a burning question in all y'alls minds right now is, "what to get Mr. Matt for his birthday?", well I have a potential answer that'll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside to boot.

I'm currently fundraising for a grant project I've started for my community. In a nutshell, it's to ideally create a new English textbook and resource center as well as updated needed technology in my small school.

My project can be found through the Peace Corps Donation page and seraching for my project code:

 www.peacecorps.gov/donate

343-358

Literally any bit you can donate will help towards realizing this project. Not to mention donations can be tax-deductable.

If you have any further qusetions, feel free to let me know via email and I'll try to get back to you in a timely fashion. Feel free to share this with friends or family that you feel might be interested in also supporting my community.

Here are some of the kids you'd be assisting for most of their public education!

Again, thanks for your support!

ATTENTION: Poltava Leadership Camp in need of some Amurican Assistance

Just a quick update seeing how I'm failing at the whole blog posting this recently.

But... there is a camp is in the works for students (including my own) from all over my oblast, Poltava that will take place this summer. It hopes to facilitate leadership and help develop project design and implementation skills for future leaders of Ukraine (aka my students and others in da best oblast).

So... if this catches you eye and you got some bucks to spare (however big or small), feel free to pop on by to this link:

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projdetail&projdesc=343-307

The directors of the camp are a pair of cool cats and some of my good peeps (sad attempt at an Easter pun) in country right now. 

So please, any and all assistance that is possible would be awesome. 

holla back дід мороз

cultural update

ukraine and russia's bedazzled santa clause (дід мороз - father frost) with his granddaughter (снігуронька - snow maiden) who takes style tips from queen amidala are the stars of the new years and christmas holiday season here in ukraine.

Myrhorod rang in his arrival with a free concert that i accidentally fell into - молодець мені

i will have these skillz mastered

twas a village christmas

with the american christmas season come and gone, ironically as I write this post which will have had its "post date" altered, ukraine feels more like our traditional christmas for many reasons.

my project will all my
english clubs

• it finally started snowing
• ukrainian christmas falls on the seventh of january
• christmas trees (or new years trees) go up around the twenty eighth of december
• stores in town have lights and santa paraphernalia
• і тд.

however, that doesn't mean I can't bring / force some "early" holiday cheer to the students in my school. a lot of our american traditions for christmas and new years are combined in ukraine, which makes distinguishing between the holidays much more difficult for myself during the holiday season. 

that sadly took about 25 minutes to perfect

the 25th ended up being pretty low key. with just a small"ish" gathering of local friends over some chilled beverages, tunes of christmas carols, white elephant exchange, and intense discussions over the super powers. it was just enough america to get you back in the holiday spirit for the evening even though outside that apartment door the holiday spirit hadn't picked up yet.

the big finale before holiday break, schools put on a play of sorts where santa and his granddaughter are the main star. kids dress up in costumes (not quite sure why) and go hybrid carol / trick-or-treat for money or candy.  

Dec 1: World AIDS Day

What some of you may not know about the country where I currently serve, but Ukraine has the fastest growing HIV rate and the largest population of reported HIV infected individuals in all of Europe. Sadly it's a very hushed/controversial subject (understandably) where even in schools the main aspects regarding HIV transmission is just overlooked and untaught. Furthermore, a large proportion of Ukraine's older generation is under the pretense that this issue isn't one of Ukraine's, but of that of other third world countries.

1.4% of Ukraine's population is reported HIV positive
1% is the minimum requirement to be considered an epidemic

the tourism regions of the south are highly affected

While working in Kozelets, the lesson I taught on HIV/AIDS had to be "edited" due to sensitivity issues. I was glad to hear that in my new school had an open policy and a faculty mentality that all the information should be available for it's students to hear. 

 anti AIDS posters students made at my school

The HIV/AIDS working group provided lots of material and ideas to jump start my lessons and trainings I have sense held on the topic. Using my school as a gauge, I have sense held Healthy Lifestyle training sessions on HIV/AIDS, stigma/discrimination, smoking, and alcoholism at what I think is up to six different schools in neighboring villages! While obviously I don't teach in perfect Ukrainian and I'm thankful for my Ukrainian partner to back me up, it's been a great way to meet and reach an audience of students outside my own school. Not to mention utilize some of my micro bio knowledge!


I did a showing of A Closer Walk which features Ukraine as one of the three countries it focuses on in regards to the AIDS crisis. If interested, I highly recommend you to watch it - my students found it very personal.

The Obligatory Thanksgiving Post

I don't think anyone should ever be too "old" or "cool" to make a turkey hand - so forcing my 8th through 11th formers was all but sickeningly justified. Though no frets, my younger kids also got in on the action.

apologies, the SLR unfortunately doesn't go everywhere I do, and the iPod doesn't take still shots well

While yes, my work did include holding turkey day presentations (which were awesome might I add), I got to also celebrate it in true Amurican fashion... with Western Murder Mysteries, Saunas, and a total of 3 turkeys of course. 


The day of thanks was actually broken up into two separate weekends - chronological order went as followed...

Thanksgiving #1

My Poltavian family Thanksgiving + Kristen (an outsider) was held in Kotel'va, which boarders Sums'ka Oblast to the north. 

View Larger Map

As mentioned previously, festivities at this gathering included a murder mystery (an impromptu play) under the code name : Fort Griffin Clock Tower Celebration at Clyde's Bar and Saloon. General introductions were as follows.

Howdy All,
It's my much esteemed pleasure, as your recently appointed Sheriff, Slim Pickens, to cordially invite you this Friday, November 19, year of our lord 1875, to celebrate our newly constructed clock tower in the center of our fair town of Fort Griffin. Festivities gonna be held at the Clyde's Knothole Bar and Saloon, just a holler from the town center, startin bouts when the wolves howl, with a chili cook off, games, open bar, live music, n' dance shows. I'm purdy new here to your fine budding city, and I know a lot of us have howdied but ain't shook yet, so I'm lookin forward to acquaintin myself with all you fair, God fearing citizens.  I'm certain ain't nothin' gonna go wrong on such a grand 'occasion! Below you'll find your entrance card. Make sure to read your specific directions. Finally, remember to dress and act your parts at this fine establishment, or you'll be 'bout as welcome as a skunk at a nuptial. 

I was deemed worthy to play Buck - Outlaw meaning...

You’ve been an outlaw since … ahh but it’s too painful to say (starting this vague story multiple times in the night would be ideal). You’re tough, you don’t have much of a rhyme or reason for acting so, but you are. You like it when bad things happen to people, you make up your own western themed curses minus the real swear words. You used to have a love affair with Candy the can-can dancer. You let your tough exterior guard down to let her in and she ripped your heart out. And it makes you mad! It especially makes you mad when someone disrespects or has something bad to say about her. The outburst or rage is occasionally followed by a sad streak that comes on real strong and may be accompanied with weeping. Any attempt at consoling (or mocking your weepin’) will be me with another streak of mean. You have noticed the occasional eye from that new can can dancer, what’s her name? Picker, Poker, Pepper…..? She is cute but there just isn’t room in your sore heart right now. You absolutely cannot stand Mr. Tinker the Piano Player, and you are not quite sure why.
Speaks: a gruff voice which turns to high pitched whining when weeping

Cliff notes version - Candy/Priest died, I cried, yelled, and got angry (a lot), investigation commenced, culprit was found, I shot her, and we all continued to hate Mr. Tinker. 

we're all still in character

Overall, impressively quirky and fun. 


The next day was our actual feast. Which involved food prep, some good old "2 hand touch" football (lightly enforced), feasting, lounging, sleeping.  


Since none of us had every truthfully prepared a turkey, we sought refuge in YouTube. Sadly, not all videos were too helpful - example.

Warning: what you're about to see may be disturbing 

  

A very successful Thanksgiving #1.

before 

during

after

молодець

Thanksgiving #2

#2 wasn't as easy of a travel though I found a new cheap way to get to Kiev (for only 25 UAH - aka 3 USD)! Stopping in Kiev also meant I got to raid the Peace Corps office for stuff Volunteers who have completed their service left. It's like going into Target, sometimes you score, sometimes you don't. 

View Larger Map

Anyways, we (Kym was assimilated) made our way to Rivne via a 4 hour marshrutka from hell. Not in the sense that it was in any particular reason awful, it was just unbearably hot. To the point where I turned to Kym and said, "is it ok for my eyes to be burning?". We left hell and made it to Dyadkovichi (uncle town?) where Maria, my old clustermate, lives. 


We ended up accomplishing much over the extended weekend.

• Learned Ukrainians are far better volleyball players then most PCVs
• Held a seminar on Thanksgiving traditions countrywide
• Saunas are always epic - especially for Miss Booker's 24th birthday
• Explored Rivne
• much has changed since Rivne was the headquarters of the Nazi Regime in Ukraine
• Reunited with old friends over an Ukr Disco
• I cooked some delicious mac and cheese from scratch
• and of course checked another Oblast center off the list

the noms

да, это вилка, спасибо Лидия

great hostess and her counter part

While it's hard to beat bourbon whip cream, 65 degree weather, Wii, and a home cooked meal as 2010 Thanksgiving had to offer, this one packed enough Amurica.

time to go home

A special thanks to the many photographers who's images can be found in this post.

iMovie's making me famous

So the word's out in my celo that I know how to make mildly decent looking films, so now the petitions for help are rolling in. The first being at my the local kindergarden. I work there once a week teaching a painting or craft project / simple english lesson. I then proceed to get fed lunch, whether I'm hungry or not (I find for a man, saying no to food shouldn't be in my vocabulary).

here's project №1

So this video was shown at a later point at some kindergarden county gathering. I later received a jokingly sarcastic comment from a neighboring PCV regarding "what the hell I did". Now he must now make a video for his community kindergarden. I swear sometimes it'd be faster to send a letter by word of mouth then through the Ukrainian mailing system. 

Triwizard Tournament - Ukr Version

Maybe it’s because I finally finished the last Harry Potter novel a few weeks ago but I find myself trying to find references to Mr. Potter in all aspects of my life, hence the name of this post. 

So come Tuesday and Wednesday I found myself not in school but rather on the school marshrutka packed with students to a neighboring village, unaware and anxious for what the future had in store. 

And when I say packed, I don’t think Americans can comprehend the Ukrainian version of packed. Not like every seat was filled, but like every seat was double filled with people also standing (safety always comes first, right)? But I really think this sort of forced interactions (both social and physical) between students of young and old really creates a more cohesive student body where they look out and care for one another. It’s been really interesting to be part of such a small school coming from an educational system where there was 3000 people in my high school. 

Sorry, tangent...

Arriving revealed hundreds of kids and an amass of other school buses at a school. I procured later that 11 different schools within the rayon arrived to partake in an annual competition between schools (hence the triwizard reference). 

My self imposed role was photographer and moral booster (the masculine word for cheer leader). Let me tell you, this “ish” was pretty legit. 

Once the singing and dancing ended, all the adidas wear was busted out - those symbolic 3 stripes were everything. It's crazy how much that company has such a hold on Ukraine. 

Competitions included, though not limited too (I couldn’t see everything)

• History of the region
• Traditional Ukrainian Dancing
• Singing
• Long / short distance running
• Jump roping
• Obstacle relay races
• everything thing from leap frog to hula hooping
• Long jump
• etc...

The only way to describe it was an odd track and field / academic league competition. It was by far the best few days I’ve had at school, I feel I really meshed with my target audience. 

Harkushyntsi school ended up placing 4th which wasn't too shabby.

наша команда

PYLC

One may presume this acronym to be similar to YMCA however you'd sadly be mistaken. The PYLC or the Poltava Youth Leadership Convention is a four day leadership summer training that goes on in Poltava (the oblast center) where students are bused in from all over the oblast to improve leadership and project design and management skills / hopefully чуть-чуть fun. While I didn't attend the training over the summer, a refresher weekend training was held which I was able to participate.

While this camp was mainly designed by PCVs, what separates it from other camps I've been involved in was that the activities were held in Ukrainian (or Russian). While I would like to say my Ukrainian is that supurb that I could teach a solid lesson on budgeting, sadly I cannot. Fortunately staffing the event were also Ukrainian trainers, who were awesome. In my village I seldom get to engage with Ukrainian twenty somethings so it was a welcomed change.

From my perspective the event was basically

• lesson facilitating 
• eating watermelon
• forced embarrassment
• painting
• making monies

Now I feel I need to clarity

• a watermelon eating competition was held to show students possible fundraising options. I happened to have eaten a massive lunch before hand, hence I lost
• embarrassment will be left unclarified
• painting refers to posters creation 
• making monies refers to soliciting nationals to partake in a photo shoot to raise money for a kindergarden

In the words of Borat Sagdiyev