Nikolai Gogol... google that ish

CLICK HERE - now was that so hard?

the black and white makes him look so serious

So we all know how Walt Disney has Disneyland as his claim to fame - well Mr. Gogol has my town, Mirgorod / Myrhorod (Миргород). 


While you and I both know I actually live in Harkushyntsi, I find myself in Mirgorod probably four times a week (it's only 3UAH and buses run all day) so I've since adopted it as my own (a subsequent post will be provided on Harkushyntsi in the near future). 

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Located in north central Poltavs'ka Oblast, Mirgorod is centralized to a lot of other major Ukrainian Cities (which I'm pleasantly happy about). Being located in central Ukraine I think will make traveling to other major cities on either ends of the country much more feasible. 

• 1.5 hrs to Poltava
• 3 hrs to Kyiv
• 4 hrs to Kozelets 
• 4 hrs to Kharkiv
• 4 hrs to Sumy
• 4 hrs to Dnepropetrovsk 
• 10 hrs to Odesa
• 11 hrs to Sevastopol
• 12 hrs to L'viv
• 12 hrs to Mount Hoverla (Carpathian Mountains) 

My town is actually named after the title of a compilation of short stories written by Nikolai Gogo way back in 1835. While I would like to eventually get my hands on a copy for sentimental value, Ukrainians and Russians love this guy and have probably snatched up most of the copies. 

The town has around 40,000 people and is a very common resort city for Ukraine as well as Russia. And apparently Canada too (ran into four Canadians in the past 2 days). We have beaches, boat rentals, super markets, fountains, concerts, swans, hotels, etc... and because it's such a major tourest attraction, a lot of buses and trains that normally wouldn't run though this size city do pass through my town! I'm also happy to say I'm not alone here - two other Youth Development volunteers from my group are within 10 to 20 minutes from me. 


Poltava region in general is very flat and has a large farming community so I want to buy a bike asap. A few weekends ago I went on a 45km bike ride to the surrounding villages and it wasn't too exhausting - I excited for what else I can find here.


Things I've already found via велосипед (bicycle): 

• a lake
• herds of animals
• gigantic sunflower / wheat fields
• possible camp sites

Today I went on a photo tour of the city with a buddy and here are some of the results.

and yes, that last photo says Robin Hood, and yes, that is a castle. 

Camp HEAL

So one may ponder what do volunteers do for the three months during summer? The answer my friends are SUMMER CAMPS and/or TRAVELING!!

Given my noobie status, and a lack of knowledge of well... everything, I was fortunate enough to be recruited to such an opportunity along with the other two new volunteers in my rayon to partake in a week long summer camp (July 1st - 8th) in the oblast just north of me, Sums'ka, in the town of Okhtyrka. The theme of the camp was primarily on prevention and awareness of HIV/AIDS as well as volunteerism, teamwork, and active citizenry. Let's just say I ended up having a blast!

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Because PCV's are awesome, most apply and receive grant money to support these camps - in the case of Camp HEAL, food and lodging was completely free for councilors! This camp was located on this resort compound which had this weird "world" themed. And when I say "world" themed, I mean each room was named after a city around the globe (except for Mexico, which was just Mexico... always screwed over).


The camp was an English immersion camp run by volunteers and a couple nationals so all the lessons were done completely in English. The students ranged from 9th to 11th formers as well as university students from all over Ukraine. It was amazing to see some of the levels of English. I ended up being more of a logistical aid to the directors of the camp as well as photographer and help facilitate a few lessons. It was great meeting other volunteers both near and far my site, as well as veteran and noobie. Hearing about their experiences in service was a great way to better grasp what my experience could be like - and now I'm super excited! 

Here are some highlights from Camp HEAL. 

yay for grant money!

had to go big for July forth

 

Ivan Kupala - July sixth and seventh
aka best Ukr holiday

councilors

group pic

Summer Itinerary

So I get a lot of questions regarding what I'm going to do this summer - and for a while, I definitely had the same question. Anyhoo, here's what (presumably) I'll be up to:

• June 20 - 29 English club at my school
• June 30 - July 8 Camp HEAL in Okhtyrka
• July 11 - 29 Ukrainian language tutoring every other day
• July 11 - Aug 12 English club, teaching kindergartners in my town and Myrhorod
• July 17 Poltava Excursion 
• Aug 14 - 19 IST conference in Kyiv
• Aug 20 Sorochyns'kyi yarmarok
• Aug 21 - Aug 26 Camp LEAD in Kryvyi Rih
• Aug 27 - 31 chill / maybe in Dnipropetrovsk
• Sep 1 first day of school!

I reserve the right to change/alter my schedule at any point.