tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45798791036323994042024-03-04T21:44:06.398-08:00Barb's AdventuresUkraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-20948088313758138782013-05-09T00:30:00.002-07:002013-05-09T00:38:18.521-07:00Hiking, traveling, picnic<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Time has
gotten away from me once again, so here is a catch up blog post of my latest
adventures. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The weather
has finally turned warm—hot actually-- just in time for spring hikes and
picnics. A couple of Saturdays ago I went hiking with Polina and a male friend
of hers (Dima), whom I ended up liking a lot. The first true “gearhead” I have
met here—told me about websites in America he orders stuff from. We started out
hiking through open fields, getting hotter and hotter, but then the old road merged
into the forests and there we were the rest of the day, eventually coming out
onto one of the many points in Crimea called “Kush kaya” which means bird rock
in Crimea Tatar. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The forests were
thickly carpeted with spring wildflowers, especially the bright yellow buttercups
we also find in America, and the spring vegetation coming up was green and
lush—truly a spring paradise. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLM5jhQR-TYwMgcDJAM0MKPkZh58lEKAy5Xc8FBe-yYwRIjoTa31pGBqGGihpyTApQcJZF1R0a2wszSdr4vOCqTdGv5ivHsQ_Cw_pI6W3fCjkkb5zj0sdMPyRFCozEVlSbEqRmuE0phy2/s1600/IMG_5528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLM5jhQR-TYwMgcDJAM0MKPkZh58lEKAy5Xc8FBe-yYwRIjoTa31pGBqGGihpyTApQcJZF1R0a2wszSdr4vOCqTdGv5ivHsQ_Cw_pI6W3fCjkkb5zj0sdMPyRFCozEVlSbEqRmuE0phy2/s320/IMG_5528.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4Q4ijI82UQIovBC4C29v3Hc7CyJUt6R1h2c3_LxOAbTzxeadYRTLCY06FNAMVxzyFcNPY72Eu1ktmaoeW0EIvIHKyDYS-gGNywUzTDlPehs1PkksJWzOI9UiHfKDMHd0BDFxlLdoNbvw/s1600/IMG_5541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4Q4ijI82UQIovBC4C29v3Hc7CyJUt6R1h2c3_LxOAbTzxeadYRTLCY06FNAMVxzyFcNPY72Eu1ktmaoeW0EIvIHKyDYS-gGNywUzTDlPehs1PkksJWzOI9UiHfKDMHd0BDFxlLdoNbvw/s320/IMG_5541.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dima posing in the wildflowers</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigED-yXjxHIOegKTtoFUvZOAAA3npqlAwnqlO1Yvpac93Am2j1G8FzWDIaExXqwNb18qNG772EvinFV15j9uDknqE9AF0uhIN4WdQrmxF-Auf7GHjhGLkzRJnMf5BbNtcbcvx97fVdPSKO/s1600/IMG_5550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigED-yXjxHIOegKTtoFUvZOAAA3npqlAwnqlO1Yvpac93Am2j1G8FzWDIaExXqwNb18qNG772EvinFV15j9uDknqE9AF0uhIN4WdQrmxF-Auf7GHjhGLkzRJnMf5BbNtcbcvx97fVdPSKO/s320/IMG_5550.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Kush Kaya--Bird Rock--Chatyr Dag in the distance</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSDRPOJDT8C0b7q7kNzyYb139nVKwcZWgGsdQg5zy1NCGzryel3lInc7b9WiTRkOBeBly4xYk3YS640rXvoOSYE9g_OEAQknFWhR4OrGcXw3Epi7sHTbBYigChRAnR0gtcvPkZ7rWOqyx/s1600/IMG_5557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSDRPOJDT8C0b7q7kNzyYb139nVKwcZWgGsdQg5zy1NCGzryel3lInc7b9WiTRkOBeBly4xYk3YS640rXvoOSYE9g_OEAQknFWhR4OrGcXw3Epi7sHTbBYigChRAnR0gtcvPkZ7rWOqyx/s320/IMG_5557.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polina and I at end of hike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Once again,
we were following Polina on her GPS and once again, she got on the phone to her
mother when the way on the GPS didn’t seem quite right. With her mother’s
directions we cut up a slope to the correct trail. Now I see why her mother
doesn’t even bother with a compass when she hikes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On Sunday,
there was the Window on America annual picnic. About 40 of us met at the train
station to take the very hot and very crowded and very old electric train to
Bakchiseray, about an hour and half away. However, one of the great things
about the electric trains is that you are constantly entertained by street musicians
who pass from car to car, making their living from the meager handouts they
receive. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSc-9YKADcJvUkRKx7qTbSxN3Hbm0QcE3H62R8MX9XfTeLzDHnMxm9x7F6W0KBi4AjzkiesQ0UBe49tY7EVlu3CCWZSKqNzVX4fkBHL_Abxa3j4Mjglyg55hqYbHZ8b29yzAImzdrtoaPZ/s1600/IMG_5594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSc-9YKADcJvUkRKx7qTbSxN3Hbm0QcE3H62R8MX9XfTeLzDHnMxm9x7F6W0KBi4AjzkiesQ0UBe49tY7EVlu3CCWZSKqNzVX4fkBHL_Abxa3j4Mjglyg55hqYbHZ8b29yzAImzdrtoaPZ/s320/IMG_5594.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We gather for a group photo at WOA picnic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-oXWgmtgwjq8ituS3BGQdZ2WID8wqyOOSBOpT5TtDuLUvBk3IYXqmajYjP_RkbgnTgr7Hq_tqU5MxGKiU2WhsUmPpimwTaCR_p-PkCa2GpcX4OSBh0tYGaIeW0fmk5fuSJVX0K6NWzP5/s1600/IMG_5607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-oXWgmtgwjq8ituS3BGQdZ2WID8wqyOOSBOpT5TtDuLUvBk3IYXqmajYjP_RkbgnTgr7Hq_tqU5MxGKiU2WhsUmPpimwTaCR_p-PkCa2GpcX4OSBh0tYGaIeW0fmk5fuSJVX0K6NWzP5/s320/IMG_5607.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hikers at WOA picnic; guy in cap a local PCV</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Once in
Bakchiseray, we all crowded onto a couple of buses to the “old city” and hiked
to a beautiful grassy meadow surrounded by the high canyon rock faces of that
region. I spent a lot of the day hanging out in the shade, but many of the
young people played soccer and volleyball. Those of us in the shade prepared
food, played cards, listened to and sang along with the several musicians among
the young folk. Eventually a few people wanted to take a hike and they turned
to me to lead the way! They all know what a hiker I am, and I was pretty
familiar with the area. But we didn’t get far—too hot, not enough time--but a
nice stroll anyhow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The
following week, the May holidays began—Orthodox Easter, May Day, and Victory
Day—which means there are many days off and lots of activities. On May 1<sup>st</sup>,
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>my PCV friend Joohee came to our house
for shashleek (kebabs) and then early the next morning, we took a 4 ½ hour bus to
the city of Kerch, the only major landmark in Crimea I hadn’t yet visited. It
is the furthest eastern city in Crimea—a short ferry ride away from Russia (not
that we PCVs can go there—visa is complicated). There are several volunteers
there, including one older Volunteer we stayed with.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We had a
nice time, strolling around the city center, climbing up the “mountain” in the
middle of the city on the “400 steps,” visiting the underground catacombs where
over 10,000 partisan resisters and Kerch residents held out against the Nazis
for six months, though almost all eventually perished. Now it is a museum with
a dramatic Soviet style entrance that leads to a long series of unlighted steps
into the catacombs. Our guide had a flashlight, as did a few of the people in
our group, but it was a very dark and somewhat spooky excursion, as they have
provided very little lighting. Not unusual here, but in our safety conscious
America, it would have never been tolerated. Sometimes I think the US goes
overboard in that direction, but in this case, at least a little of that
consciousness would have been helpful. Joohee and I held hands every time we
moved in fear of getting left behind! Though when they briefly turned off the
flashlights for a moment of silence at one of the memorials, the profound
darkness was something I perhaps have never experienced in my lifetime. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwd8QVYELqoPburzd7gO4zrPODU5_6IVdvEDzidTchV8NAHRecnM9WDNNeZ3RB-eRZIa941Cs9Lce4igDO2Ty2SeGFZTfvl3JK9o3qc4hqsuM1N91HGrHUpjvs_jNO57sFyVFAvYdSgF2/s1600/IMG_5904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwd8QVYELqoPburzd7gO4zrPODU5_6IVdvEDzidTchV8NAHRecnM9WDNNeZ3RB-eRZIa941Cs9Lce4igDO2Ty2SeGFZTfvl3JK9o3qc4hqsuM1N91HGrHUpjvs_jNO57sFyVFAvYdSgF2/s320/IMG_5904.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joohee on my right, on my left Christine who lives in Kerch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI1efPr3Yvhti6zF5rUcWZSZbbSFkPAtkeiwZFWk77FnJnRLtDHlT1thtItN74E9ESI1kHaSHiWSOwMvCJPP330mMvwqCdKDuZy-bXE0PdX5Ycl_PHjK6Sy_raY_71t6Z4pNUUl3A9nBx/s1600/IMG_5908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI1efPr3Yvhti6zF5rUcWZSZbbSFkPAtkeiwZFWk77FnJnRLtDHlT1thtItN74E9ESI1kHaSHiWSOwMvCJPP330mMvwqCdKDuZy-bXE0PdX5Ycl_PHjK6Sy_raY_71t6Z4pNUUl3A9nBx/s320/IMG_5908.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from top of hill in center of Kerch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1j4VA8J-xM_8K5t4pTUEBGp16G7TXNBvijRrichTyxngie4wjwC6_P468fdlTNbdJiJIc2e1jxlfAe6BqIkhJi6jvjNz4nu8h2231DwrtOrKJ97vR2ZUyODbCx0j_EbXd61aQkvytabI/s1600/IMG_5920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1j4VA8J-xM_8K5t4pTUEBGp16G7TXNBvijRrichTyxngie4wjwC6_P468fdlTNbdJiJIc2e1jxlfAe6BqIkhJi6jvjNz4nu8h2231DwrtOrKJ97vR2ZUyODbCx0j_EbXd61aQkvytabI/s320/IMG_5920.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to catacombs museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We just
stayed one night in Kerch, but it was a nice break. Joohee is leaving to go
back to the US soon, and I wanted to get back to go hiking on Saturday with
Alie from the Window on America center and her husband, Genghis. A couple of
their young friends joined us too, and it was a good day. Not a lot of real
hiking, mostly just following roads, but I enjoyed being with them all—talking
about Crimean Tatar history of the area, local flora and fauna, the house we
came across with a VERY high security wall armed with cameras which they said
must be owned by someone in the government, and any other topic that one of the
young guys who was happy about the chance to practice his English (often the
case) brought up. The day was extremely hot, but we ended at a reservoir, and
though we couldn’t really go swimming, we at least had the opportunity to wade
and cool down.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUe6sknYB49E4jRTSuU5AU-vGkElXrO8734eoAAOmlupgNGS5S1N_bG0vUPKB2lkIv0ulS6OQqvsDYV8UiKt6H6zL7RjCkn-3ayfamtOPQ8Tii_rX-vsB45_AWbV2wZzE0spZukaEpaid/s1600/IMG_5946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUe6sknYB49E4jRTSuU5AU-vGkElXrO8734eoAAOmlupgNGS5S1N_bG0vUPKB2lkIv0ulS6OQqvsDYV8UiKt6H6zL7RjCkn-3ayfamtOPQ8Tii_rX-vsB45_AWbV2wZzE0spZukaEpaid/s320/IMG_5946.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the reservoir</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgP8Ba8eoXrF9bCnHI3HqM_w7D4xfb_zjPQiKM3rG9l1dyPkO8DuDHANFiH9kZkj1NlDPXhtvE8xPozMU8kLYBCSD0Oyo7e9kV-3nBQACIY-3oJnwzv84zscFUtspEi69Y1Bi53vg09n3G/s1600/IMG_5950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgP8Ba8eoXrF9bCnHI3HqM_w7D4xfb_zjPQiKM3rG9l1dyPkO8DuDHANFiH9kZkj1NlDPXhtvE8xPozMU8kLYBCSD0Oyo7e9kV-3nBQACIY-3oJnwzv84zscFUtspEi69Y1Bi53vg09n3G/s320/IMG_5950.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alie and her husband Genghis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The
following day (Sunday) I spent a leisurely day at home, and then on Monday (the
official day off for the Easter holiday on Sunday), the family and I went in
the van to the annual Crimean Tatar festival of Hirdirlez. We only stayed a
couple of hours—enough time to walk around and see the displays, listen to some
music, watch Crimean Tatar wrestling and horse racing—and then took off on a
cross-the-mountain drive to the sea. Which would have been very beautiful, except
that when we got to the top of the mountain, we encountered a huge rainstorm
that followed us all the way down the mountain and along the sea coast. Eventually
the skies cleared, and I, once again, got to see that beautiful stretch of the
coast. It is considered the most dramatic scenery on the coast, and I long to
explore it more. Hard to figure out how to do without a car, though I bet
Polina and Nada know….</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Today is
Tuesday and I am back at the library, but just for this one day. There is yet
another holiday this week --Victory Day (from WWII or the Great Patriotic War,
as they call it here)--on Thursday and the library will be closed that day and
Friday. Next week I take off for my Close-of-Service (COS) medical appointments
in Kyiv and then off to Romania for a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I plan to be in Crimea most of June, leaving on the 26<sup>th</sup> for
my 3-week trip to Georgia. So much time for more Crimea exploring and hanging
out with all the people I love here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">With love
from Crimea.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-60848609067600235102013-04-25T05:47:00.000-07:002013-04-25T05:55:55.760-07:00Joys of my last few months in Crimea<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I see that
it has been over a month since I last wrote a blog post. This “winding down”
time is turning out to be very busy. Surprisingly-though it seems life often
goes this way—this has become a time of new people, new experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much of it has come from my decision to start
an English club at the Window on America center which I wrote about in an
earlier blog. The club has been a great success—I was happy to see how eager
the young (and a few older) people were to read and discuss American literature
and true life stories (from the National Story Project). The stories are easier
for them as they don’t use “literary” language, but they continue to slog their
way through James Thurber, John Updike, Kate Chopin, Alice Walker. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And because
I had been having so much fun doing the club, I decided to show some of the recent
3-part PBS special on the history of the women’s movement. And that led to
showing other documentaries—the Wounded Knee occupation in the 1970’s and the
Freedom Riders in the early 1960’s—and having discussions around these social
movements in America, something close to my heart. It has been such an
interesting experience—and enlightening in terms of learning about attitudes
and ideas from this part of the world—to be able to discuss so many different
topics with these Ukrainians. And for sure, it gives them a different view of
America than what they get from most American movies and television.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So I spend
as much time as possible at the Window on America center, getting to know the
young people there and the director, Alie, whom I greatly enjoy. We are kindred
spirits in many ways, and both of us are dreading the time when I no longer
will be coming to the WOA.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmkmHs7BuESkaG2DTHHQmML0OHNKvC-hYXhHrFQ4tAGDlri6LGbo4a30i3zjXV414b6Dvgy5l11wsoDpwGAasj_GhhulUA62DExP2vZWYn1-aiIit4dfbVudMGaoun_Y6TDm7k3W3Z2QQ/s1600/SAM_6474.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmkmHs7BuESkaG2DTHHQmML0OHNKvC-hYXhHrFQ4tAGDlri6LGbo4a30i3zjXV414b6Dvgy5l11wsoDpwGAasj_GhhulUA62DExP2vZWYn1-aiIit4dfbVudMGaoun_Y6TDm7k3W3Z2QQ/s320/SAM_6474.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my English club participants. That is Alie, director of WOA, to my right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The English
club I had started with my friend Elmaz at the children’s library where she
works ended up being very poorly attended, so finally I canceled it. The
director of the library wanted me to continue but when no kids show up they
drag kids out of their internet center who really don’t want to be there. So I
decided I wanted to do something else on my Wednesday afternoons (like cook
dinner for the family)! I did manage to get them a box of English children’s
books from the Books for Peace organization in the US, so they were very happy about
that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">My work at my
library is very slow, as I no longer have any projects to work on. But I am
doing a lot of translation work for them—providing English translations of
various project proposals Nadjie has written so they will have them on file for
future use—plus writing for the library blog and my own blog. I recently wrote
a blog post on “Ismail Gasprinskiy—a feminist”
(crimeantatarlibrary.blogspot.com) which was interesting to research and write.
I am also working on putting together some kind of presentation about my four
years here for the “party” I will have on my last day sometime in the latter
part of June.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I have also
continued my hiking adventures with Polina and Nada (the mother/daughter team),
lately more with Polina, though not for any particular reason. I think Nada has
her own hiking pals she goes with. On one hike, Lilya from the library also
came—I am trying to get them connected so Lilya will have someone to go hiking
with when I leave. That hike involved a lot of crashing through the forests as
we mostly followed Polina’s GPS versus any established trails. I had thought
that perhaps Lilya would be a bit discouraged—she really doesn’t have that kind
of experience nor the footwear (that girl needs some hiking shoes!)—but she
ended up talking about what a great time she had and when can we go next? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQffYlGRWDnwK5C5mVK87ablBTDyLACpi0Jdg51gzzME7zXvJMWDEWTcz-1njI9GOvzQuiQ6uqiM5mFo5fE0Co0_LeSVfzo_WnYq3w-B_uyKvv9vJIb8tRrzzkuRsEELVE_bbhnN-QdAIT/s1600/IMG_5499.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQffYlGRWDnwK5C5mVK87ablBTDyLACpi0Jdg51gzzME7zXvJMWDEWTcz-1njI9GOvzQuiQ6uqiM5mFo5fE0Co0_LeSVfzo_WnYq3w-B_uyKvv9vJIb8tRrzzkuRsEELVE_bbhnN-QdAIT/s320/IMG_5499.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polina is also a photographer, thus the beautiful photos in this blog.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQffYlGRWDnwK5C5mVK87ablBTDyLACpi0Jdg51gzzME7zXvJMWDEWTcz-1njI9GOvzQuiQ6uqiM5mFo5fE0Co0_LeSVfzo_WnYq3w-B_uyKvv9vJIb8tRrzzkuRsEELVE_bbhnN-QdAIT/s1600/IMG_5499.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The last
hike I did was just with Polina (Lilya has been sick lately). Though the
weather was quite cold at the beginning, it turned into a beautiful day with
stunning views of Chatyr Dag and the surrounding mountains. We were on the
lower mountains across the valley from Chatyr Dag and hiked to three different
caves that Polina knew about. You would really have to know the location—the
entrances were always hidden behind a clump of trees—but the caves were large
and deep with magnificent rock formations. We went into all of them--the last
one the deepest where I followed Polina and her head lamp, crawling, slipping
and sliding down to the lowest cavern. Surrounding me in the darkness was the
deep silence of the cave, the slow dripping of water, the bizarre stalactite
and stalagmite formations outlined in the brightness of Polina’s headlamp.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Unlike the
others, Polina had not been to our final cave of the day (number four). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could see the opening across the canyon, so
set off using her GPS in search of it. But once we got there, we could no
longer see the entrance and couldn’t find it. After searching around for a
while, Polina got on her cellphone with whom, I thought, was one of her hiking
pals, but as it turned out, it was her mother and she knew exactly how to
direct us to the entrance of the cave. I told Alie about it and she said, “Yeah,
Polina’s mother is the GPS of Crimea.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I continue
on with making future plans—Kyiv for a few days in May and then Romania for a
week with my friend Carla—and also cousin Sara is coming for visit at the end
of May. And contemplating the future. I think I will have the opportunity to
return to Ukraine sometime next year and work for 12 months under the Peace
Corps Response program (for ex PCV’s), working with “high level functioning”
NGO’s, consulting on organizational development. I think it would be an
interesting challenge, but first and foremost, they have to have an English speaker
on staff! Most likely I will end up in Kyiv, but possibly Simferopol. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In the
meantime, I think at the end of June when I have to leave the country (my visa
expires), I am going to go to Georgia and perhaps northeast Turkey with my PCV
pal Cheryl, mostly with idea of hiking in the Caucuses. Then return to America
and hopefully have time to have nice long visits with my friends and family. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So that’s
my life right now. All of which could change at any time, of course. But re-reading
my blog post of January 8<sup>th</sup> when I talked about the difficulties of
this fourth year, I feel so glad that I was able to make my way out of that
slump and to embrace my life here in these last few months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things that I talked about in that post
haven’t really changed substantially—my difficulties with my home life and the
library and with the language still exist to some degree—but with the end of my
time here, at least in this program, I have been able to more successfully let
go of that over which I have no control and find new ways of being in this land
I love so much. And for that, I am grateful.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">With love
from Crimea.</span><br />
</div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajNyNs-cnwVE9QUnakVsCDnMhwfiDViGmY-ZaPZFmf6BfxaeIEPfTVCmS_37lcDZSjejlqk1c3tdZKrKzkySCHCz8G7OkMBsPl8L1pk7iSXXcSJO2OoOnNHFeatv7RoEiyewVaU9NBOP9/s1600/IMG_2384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajNyNs-cnwVE9QUnakVsCDnMhwfiDViGmY-ZaPZFmf6BfxaeIEPfTVCmS_37lcDZSjejlqk1c3tdZKrKzkySCHCz8G7OkMBsPl8L1pk7iSXXcSJO2OoOnNHFeatv7RoEiyewVaU9NBOP9/s320/IMG_2384.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That is the cave entrance in the distance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXyqMqeEmEKXqRz90KCCbmM-uu593szBQakuNmUN-iAtHSfuNIqY-5kKEa6eywXwGERNgcDBgddsaH6VF5p-maRsZBsQ2ra-tR5hfWJ4LJ-o0Pjp2FJQoTIuOTiPSB8eqDM0g0BH6JQzF/s1600/IMG_2289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXyqMqeEmEKXqRz90KCCbmM-uu593szBQakuNmUN-iAtHSfuNIqY-5kKEa6eywXwGERNgcDBgddsaH6VF5p-maRsZBsQ2ra-tR5hfWJ4LJ-o0Pjp2FJQoTIuOTiPSB8eqDM0g0BH6JQzF/s320/IMG_2289.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The meadows were filled with spring wildflowers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wD_BhHnGGX9b0w9onn9B83w3_rgDh2NT6WuKNcv1_jdlFHdRoc3aEbWu_mbtCMSijPgm29krq6Z0JDlxO49H9P_gFnfGFH2zDiP6l1fXOG1cxTxvnpSIXWhs2kCfEHruGAtPeH1lvuS6/s1600/IMG_2408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wD_BhHnGGX9b0w9onn9B83w3_rgDh2NT6WuKNcv1_jdlFHdRoc3aEbWu_mbtCMSijPgm29krq6Z0JDlxO49H9P_gFnfGFH2zDiP6l1fXOG1cxTxvnpSIXWhs2kCfEHruGAtPeH1lvuS6/s320/IMG_2408.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the formations in the caves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7hCyEq_U646NaHv8zj2g5FOq-sa31rpRPYTLIcUv19te0gwDgVLj5bXcqiGYbEBjs2w82TR-TBkdAJJoTGW2uGwqOquPRO3v6flHtluHI2XFgXWURzjNYklwPJa0cyajAHpxWw0T33NO/s1600/IMG_2482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7hCyEq_U646NaHv8zj2g5FOq-sa31rpRPYTLIcUv19te0gwDgVLj5bXcqiGYbEBjs2w82TR-TBkdAJJoTGW2uGwqOquPRO3v6flHtluHI2XFgXWURzjNYklwPJa0cyajAHpxWw0T33NO/s320/IMG_2482.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chatyr Dag from the entrance of the last cave.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69_jlgcXP506mer5U2AMGwRVNpIVlst6JYPkjYhZD0kapjVPoEbYWIzdEo4NcoIALklLgWr52ZznKt686Dos2f6krMxKB7hiiBKS-b3idcl4pgE0Gt9A2HUoIqM2pErQBU4uMSLQZIEJt/s1600/IMG_2350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69_jlgcXP506mer5U2AMGwRVNpIVlst6JYPkjYhZD0kapjVPoEbYWIzdEo4NcoIALklLgWr52ZznKt686Dos2f6krMxKB7hiiBKS-b3idcl4pgE0Gt9A2HUoIqM2pErQBU4uMSLQZIEJt/s320/IMG_2350.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></td></tr>
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Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-3382825407318325982013-03-19T07:46:00.001-07:002013-03-19T07:46:19.605-07:00A Hiking Day<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Sunday was
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this Tuesday, two days later. Discord at home, discord at work…how easily it
can erase joy and happiness if one lets it. But in the spirit of trying <u>not</u>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Two blog
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hikers I had met almost three years ago. I know now that if I want to go hiking
with them, I need to just ask. For a long time after I first met them, I waited
for an invite, despite Polina telling me to call her if I wanted to go.
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But now I
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early bus (6:30 am) to a nearby city where we could catch the only bus of the
day to the tiny village of Bolshoi Ooshele (Large Gorge). From there, we would
hike to a nearby waterfall, and then Polina and her friend would go on and Nada
and I would return, as Polina kept saying they were going "really
far," with the implication it would be too much for me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
We arrived at the village about 8:30am and started out on a very muddy road,
following a river through the forest and trying to skirt around the mud, and ended
up an hour or so later at a beautiful waterfall cascading over a canyon wall
into a deep pool—very inviting for a swim on a hot day, I would imagine.
However, on this day the temperature was barely above freezing and a wind from
the north made it feel even colder.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Polina asked
if I wanted to go on or go back. I turned to Nada and asked her in my stumbling
Russian (she speaks no English) what she wanted to do, in hopes she would say,
“go on,” and of course, that is exactly what she wanted to do. So all four of
us took off, hiking together up over a steep bluff and then the "young
people" went one direction (with a plan to explore a cave) and Nada and I,
another direction.</span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I wasn’t
sure if we had a plan to meet up later, but, as it turned out, I ended up
spending the rest of the day hiking with just Nada. We walked through leaf
strewn forests where the spring wildflowers were starting to come up, beside
rushing streams cascading over spectacular waterfalls, along the edge of high
bluffs with views all the way to the sea. It was my Crimean dream come true—to
spend a whole day tramping through the beautiful wilds of Crimea with this
amazing woman. I know in the U.S. there are women like her, but in Ukraine, 66-year-old
women such as Nada are very rare (or at least I have not met anyone else like
her, and people seem surprised that at my age, I am able to do the things I do).
She seemed to never tire, and I scrambled sometimes to keep up with her. I kept
telling myself, “If she can do it, so can I!” though in one particularly scary
spot, she got behind and pushed me up a rock ledge!</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, her knowledge of the land is astounding.
We followed no maps--indeed, the places where we went weren't marked on Crimea
hiking maps, which means even the map authors didn't know about them. Though
Polina now uses a newly acquired GPS, Nada doesn’t have so much as a compass.
She just headed off into the forests, sometimes following paths, other times bushwhacking
through sparsely vegetated<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>areas. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, she seemed to prefer to be “off the
beaten path,” versus following established trails or roads. She would look up at
the ridges and peaks and always know where she was, even recognizing when a
creek had altered its path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
consulting with me about what I wanted to see (one waterfall versus three?--a
consultation I barely understood as she speaks absolutely no English and I had
difficulty understand her Russian, and she mine) we followed a route in her
head that got us to four different and spectacular waterfalls. I had always
thought of Crimea as a dry land—and indeed the scarcity of water here is a perennial
problem—but that day there seemed to be water everywhere—rushing creeks that
became rivers, springs flowing out from under rocks and tree roots, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>waterfalls spraying over the lips of deep
canyons.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
Nada would point out various things as we went along, and I so wish I could have
understood all she told me, though in reality I comprehended very little. But I
did understand enough to know that she always made sure we "left no
trace" when we stopped to eat, thanked the place where we sat and rested, and
was very aware of any damage or changes humans had made in the environment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We hiked for
eight hours,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>stopping only for a brief lunch
(and of course we ended up eating the lunch she brought despite my efforts to
bring appropriate food--but bread and cheese and boiled eggs really don’t
compare to tasty meat cutlets and beet salad) and later for a snack (my only
contribution—apples). Finally, we ended up at a remote village where while
waiting for the bus, we got a ride to Sevastopol from someone going in that
direction (a common occurrence here with the understanding the passengers would
pay something, though in this case, the clearly wealthy driver refused our
offer of money) and then took the electric train (free for Nada as a “pensioner”)
back to Simferopol. And then for me a bus ride to Ak Mechet and a 15-minute
walk home. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I left that
morning at 5:45am and got back at 8:30pm, a long day, but a day I will never
forget. More than once as I was following behind Nada, I thought to myself, “Maybe
this is the reason I am still here in Crimea. What a wonderful gift.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">With love
from Crimea.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-32676779776812570182013-03-14T07:04:00.000-07:002013-03-14T07:15:33.790-07:00Rainy weekend activities<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I wasn’t
feeling too inspired to write a blog post, but then I started scrolling back
though old posts, looking for information for a going-away-project for the
library—I plan to make them a photo record of my work here—and realized how
wonderful it is to have all these posts I wrote starting almost four years ago. </span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So, a
little bit of catching up. The weather hasn’t been too conducive to hiking
these past couple of weekends, so I have been content to limit my hikes to my
now well-traveled route of walking the dirt roads of Ak Mechet to the nearby rocky
bluffs and following the cliff edge to the highest point, then down through the
forest back to Ak Mechet and my home, a hike of one and half to two hours,
depending on how energetic I am feeling and how distracted I get by bird
watching and the view. And what a view it is when the sky is clear and the
clouds are not obscuring the distant mountains. I will never tire of it—the
long tent-like silhouette of Chatyr Dag—the second highest mountain in Crimea—rising
above the plain, the distant Demerdji with its bizarre rock formations, the
snow covered plateau of Babugan extending to the sea. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Below the mountains, the rolling fields of
wheat change colors with the growing season and the villages nestled between
them look like toy towns. Always I look out on that landscape and feel so
thankful that I ended up here in Crimea and that this is my backyard.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I did have
some fun times these past couple of weeks, though, despite the cold and drizzly
weather. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the weekends was spent
traveling to Lenura’s parents’ village of Berezovka to celebrate her father Ablumet’s
65th birthday. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though I like visiting
her parents a great deal, I was dreading it a bit because it always means a
time of me sitting around not comprehending much of what the family is chatting
about, which is even more true when there is some kind of celebration and
Lenura’s aunt and uncle show up. Usually Serdar is around to help translate,
but he wanted to stay home and have a party for his friends and Safie also ended up
not going because she had a school obligation. So it was just the adults.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But
surprise, surprise, I ended up having a really nice time and for the most part,
was able to participate in the conversation. I don’t know what was different—maybe
I was just paying more attention? Not depending on Serdar to translate?
Whatever it was, I did feel much better about my language skills as a result. A
momentary victory, I know, but at least it must mean I have made <u>some</u>
progress…</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7tXeH2qRzS55WSehCEzPi7xFSBXv9u2dNlt7brGAM79xdT4mMxSVS2FRkyif6UjwKgthOdtVT-Lk4B94VdTgTmgsGY5NwOUCTuenOhcnpN_75tHEMfeYj6jueTZ1FDRk6dnMFMd5Pkgz/s1600/family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7tXeH2qRzS55WSehCEzPi7xFSBXv9u2dNlt7brGAM79xdT4mMxSVS2FRkyif6UjwKgthOdtVT-Lk4B94VdTgTmgsGY5NwOUCTuenOhcnpN_75tHEMfeYj6jueTZ1FDRk6dnMFMd5Pkgz/s320/family.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6n7r1o3LeWNeuyUHW2QylDyx-wKCA0RYYdMwKv2ouGkxiEcn-HMNZ_D754nvCvrkHIsqE4P9Tr5S61ftOSm90lrP94h2ntmaoGkyVhXixSW4QX5kxDRQVS0TLcozUPIseyR0TfEVP_At/s1600/family1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6n7r1o3LeWNeuyUHW2QylDyx-wKCA0RYYdMwKv2ouGkxiEcn-HMNZ_D754nvCvrkHIsqE4P9Tr5S61ftOSm90lrP94h2ntmaoGkyVhXixSW4QX5kxDRQVS0TLcozUPIseyR0TfEVP_At/s320/family1.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And on the
other weekend, I took off to Sovetsky, the home of my PCV friends Cheryl,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joohee, Brad and Bryna. Cheryl is in Italy
for three weeks, but the other three decided to have a going away gathering for
a nearby PCV who is leaving her site at the end of March. It was a small group—only
six of us—and mostly an excuse for all of them to cook up a storm. Both Joohee
and Brad are great cooks—Brad even made a loaf of his homemade bread (with
carrots and garlic) for me to take home. Men around here—especially Crimean
Tatar men—rarely cook, so we keep telling him what a great role model he is
being. His wife, Bryna, however, gets the short end of it as everyone wonders
why she isn’t being a good wife and “taking care of her man.” But they do
provide a lovely example of a marriage that is a partnership.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I stayed
overnight, and we had a nice time, eating, talking, drinking some homemade
wine, watching a really bad Tom Hanks movie in which he is a reluctant PCV, and
just generally enjoying each other’s company. Except for hiking with Cheryl, I
am rarely around other PCV’s these days—and thus rarely around native English
speakers—and it was a treat to be able to communicate so freely.</span><br />
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Weather
forecast is looking a little better for this weekend, so hope to get some
hiking in. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Much love
to all from Crimea.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-57577348762444401272013-02-26T00:42:00.000-08:002013-02-26T00:42:06.217-08:00Fun at English Club and the Hiking Begins!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Last
weekend was a treat—filled with fun activities and even a little alone time at
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friday afternoon I spent at the
Windows on America Center, enjoying talking with Alie, the director, and
helping her with some English translations; and then later the third meeting of
my little English club on American literature, this time discussing a story
called “The Witch’s Husband” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, a Puerto Rican American
writer. As always, I found fascinating the insights from this intelligent group
of young people. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The next
day at the Center was an all-day seminar on public speaking and debate put on
by a group of Crimean Peace Corps Volunteers. These sessions are held
periodically on various topics and occasionally I have helped with them, but I
wasn’t planning on attending this one. However, I was convinced by the pleading
of some of the young people in my group to “Please, come!” Hard to resist when
you feel so wanted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So the next
morning I decided to drop in for a while and ended up staying most of the day.
I would have remained until the end of the seminar but it was “Men’s Day” in
Ukraine—an annual holiday celebrating men (do they really need this?) to offset
International Women’s Day, which is a much bigger deal here-- and Lenura and I
had decided to make lasagna together, as it is a favorite meal of Neshet’s. I
told her I would do the shopping and get home early to help cook.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I had a
great time at the seminar—it was so fun to be around these lively, articulate
young people, all wanting to speak with me because I am a native English
speaker. It gave me a chance to ask about their ideas for the future of
Ukraine, democracy, living abroad, the beauties of Crimea, etc.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCblLuFZmUemXHVW76FM5TBXVkACisWohC-BLGb8dBCWfzDjEQJX7hINk8pDnVX9q5ebayHfqcdWtt6OHXSvtnMqHiJJ94YtFYvihhc4ut15LqTtyquGASDjyBoFUVLiUFfHwtNl-Cfcx/s1600/camp+elite+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCblLuFZmUemXHVW76FM5TBXVkACisWohC-BLGb8dBCWfzDjEQJX7hINk8pDnVX9q5ebayHfqcdWtt6OHXSvtnMqHiJJ94YtFYvihhc4ut15LqTtyquGASDjyBoFUVLiUFfHwtNl-Cfcx/s320/camp+elite+photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With two of the young people in my reading group</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And then
Sunday, despite the crappy weather, I went HIKING!!!! And the biggest treat of
all, I finally got to go hiking with the woman my age whom I had met three
years ago and had so admired for her vast experience of Crimea and ability to
tramp all over the place. Polina, her 30-something daughter who speaks English,
told me that her mother had been taking her hiking since she started school,
and that they had spent most of the weekends of her childhood out in the nature
of Crimea. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVULjL00oaJW5cIggxkJ8Wq9Nm-sZW7ihHG9eh_vyh_X1lav8iFvZcnt0gbVQdcrku73Ja8Sg5RHevTb7H-lEYTRBKr7lg9VsUExARn0kQP7GXihva9kT-VNWGpA-vDnPR8bq5svAHcSsj/s1600/IMG_4332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVULjL00oaJW5cIggxkJ8Wq9Nm-sZW7ihHG9eh_vyh_X1lav8iFvZcnt0gbVQdcrku73Ja8Sg5RHevTb7H-lEYTRBKr7lg9VsUExARn0kQP7GXihva9kT-VNWGpA-vDnPR8bq5svAHcSsj/s320/IMG_4332.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polina</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hznFvaFyJilbTuZgdVkYTfUHDe5wwPdb1-ukNF_LxoauOjIOjcGx7bz6Y8ZRx0aahPLXLE0b1nt1XYZMHmd9uB8_eQiu6ViRt0dPKCYyG8ueWho12rYn1c5J55Nsv-D8NwM0SgUG5zLo/s1600/IMG_4353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hznFvaFyJilbTuZgdVkYTfUHDe5wwPdb1-ukNF_LxoauOjIOjcGx7bz6Y8ZRx0aahPLXLE0b1nt1XYZMHmd9uB8_eQiu6ViRt0dPKCYyG8ueWho12rYn1c5J55Nsv-D8NwM0SgUG5zLo/s320/IMG_4353.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nada</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrIL3z6VpyfwhkVP2YeKt2o6AxGJ9AnHuR4bhwUZgDgVcTYkPt1izALaWF9gIW3xf6zxjPM459AAaDtWEuJuLybhDqpnxqECt_4E_0eyZZAL4JmyIa3tbMLwCuw6EvDnFjUSYJ9dKNLaz/s1600/IMG_4333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrIL3z6VpyfwhkVP2YeKt2o6AxGJ9AnHuR4bhwUZgDgVcTYkPt1izALaWF9gIW3xf6zxjPM459AAaDtWEuJuLybhDqpnxqECt_4E_0eyZZAL4JmyIa3tbMLwCuw6EvDnFjUSYJ9dKNLaz/s320/IMG_4333.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It was just
the three of us, and we met early in the morning at one of the bus stations,
taking a bus to the nearby city of Bakhchisaray and then a local bus out to the
edge of town. From there we just started walking, winding our way along the
tops of beautiful bluffs, looking at fossilized creatures from the ancient seas
that form the Crimean mountains, the rock formations and caves, the first very
few spring wildflowers, and a rare and endangered<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>juniper-like tree, which up until that time I
hadn’t known much about. We stopped for lunch in a wind-protected place on one
of the bluffs, and Nada and Polina pulled out potatoes and meat patties and
some kind of homemade liquor they added to the hot tea they had also brought.
I, of course, had my usual meager offering of sliced cheese and bread. Really,
when am I going to become a better Ukrainian hiker?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYub_IVcpu1Epv-Z3En0NDJxJKi6K4ASFwz-z3yUG0LP2HQNQ_YjxOIdA8CDnXVjtn-mkqogwuMtM0MDOTzhmvmEsJPXo2ZMQj0DDjE4LMjpmEGETkZbTi8HERGgAJh2_OwX-c2OVZPLf-/s1600/IMG_4338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYub_IVcpu1Epv-Z3En0NDJxJKi6K4ASFwz-z3yUG0LP2HQNQ_YjxOIdA8CDnXVjtn-mkqogwuMtM0MDOTzhmvmEsJPXo2ZMQj0DDjE4LMjpmEGETkZbTi8HERGgAJh2_OwX-c2OVZPLf-/s320/IMG_4338.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CaydNnO4hd9-Eskes00VCo9NW392p1tGAcgiqftFroacCeMKyOt8tQ4c_7xAVkeF08FxUtnJtAj-PRXB0WOcOsYxKEGhbjHEBKiPVM89zmtobsg8cfbXuVX8Kv-uvY1sThoZtmV1EKry/s1600/IMG_4343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CaydNnO4hd9-Eskes00VCo9NW392p1tGAcgiqftFroacCeMKyOt8tQ4c_7xAVkeF08FxUtnJtAj-PRXB0WOcOsYxKEGhbjHEBKiPVM89zmtobsg8cfbXuVX8Kv-uvY1sThoZtmV1EKry/s320/IMG_4343.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6I9138mkqY7iyj7aFZxSmc3B7wOQuj6n60TRgnMLygdA67JLrt_l6ugzxeQrQMSaUgmhKi0M8i7PjKY1AzdtOOLFRkjJXhjLzDAN9hXNwk3EqU-MhhlPMaTrsyODihMfGzJTSPqpUBZ5o/s1600/IMG_4327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6I9138mkqY7iyj7aFZxSmc3B7wOQuj6n60TRgnMLygdA67JLrt_l6ugzxeQrQMSaUgmhKi0M8i7PjKY1AzdtOOLFRkjJXhjLzDAN9hXNwk3EqU-MhhlPMaTrsyODihMfGzJTSPqpUBZ5o/s320/IMG_4327.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Despite it
being cold and foggy with limited views—they both kept lamenting that they
weren’t able to show me the beautiful views because of the weather—I had such a
wonderful time and was so very grateful to be there, to be with them. I hope it
is the first of many more hiking adventures.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">To add to
the enjoyment of the day, when we were sitting at the bus station in Bakhchisaray
at the end of our hike, five of Nada’s hiking pals showed up, also at the end
of their hike in a nearby area—all “old” women like us, and one token man. How
I loved sitting there, looking at their lined faces animated with their joking
around about their adventures. Truly, Crimea is a hiker’s paradise, and not
just for the young. How lucky I am to be here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">With love
from Crimea.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-36465031132873060012013-02-21T02:18:00.003-08:002013-02-21T02:24:16.041-08:00Some new activities<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4579879103632399404" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So
today I thought, “why not just try and enjoy myself these last few months here?”
To quit worrying about what I did and did not accomplish, what I can
still accomplish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To just let it all
unfold whatever way it is meant to be. In my typical fashion, I can get myself
pretty worked up about my life. As Pema says, “Lighten up!” And that is what I
am going to try and do.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I do continue to be in
a much better mood since I returned from my trip, more positive, less inclined
to negative musings. I decided to start doing some English clubs outside the
library and see what develops. Elmaz, the young woman at the library who spoke
some English and whom I have so enjoyed working with the last couple of years,
left the library in December for a different job at a children’s library—better
pay and more conveniently located for her. It is on the route to my tutor’s, so
I stopped by there soon after she began the job to see how she was doing. We
got to talking and decided to try and do a children’s English club together.
This is a different children’s library than the other one I worked at, and I
found the director to be very friendly and open to new ideas, a rarity here in
Ukraine. The first meeting of our club was last week and wasn’t
very well attended, but we are hoping it will grow. Two of the students that
came to my old clubs showed up, and it was great to see them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The library also invited me to participate in
a seminar they are presenting on tolerance in libraries. They wanted me to give
an American perspective. I said, “Sure, I would be glad to,” feeling so
encouraged that someone is talking about the concept of tolerance. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In addition to my time at the children’s library, I am now spending Friday afternoons at the
Windows on America (WOA) center in the Crimean Tatar University (not its
official name and other students besides Crimean Tatars go there, but it was
originally founded to teach Crimean Tatar language teachers and so many people
still refer to it as the Crimean Tatar University). WOA is a project of the
U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. In every oblast (an oblast is like a state in the US),
the embassy donated computers and books to create a center where people could
come to learn about the U.S. and also learn English. Usually the center is
located in the main library of the oblast, but for some reason it ended up at
KIPU—the Crimean Tatar University. I had conducted an English club there in the
past, but now it seems to be a much more active place. The current director is
someone I had gotten to know a little, so I talked with her about doing an
English club to discuss American literature with the idea of introducing the
participants to some American writers they may not be familiar with, especially
women and people of color. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We have had two
meetings so far, and it has been great fun. What a lively group of intelligent
young people, some of whom are very good English speakers and all of whom are excited
to read and discuss whatever I present to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Plus I love spending time with Alie, the director. She is also a good
English speaker and sort of a kindred spirit. She loves to hike and with her
husband she gets out almost every weekend when the weather is good. Cheryl and
Lilya and I ended up hiking with them once this fall. </span><span lang="RU"><a href="http://bwieseradventures.blogspot.com/2012/12/autumn-hikes-october.html"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://bwieseradventures.blogspot.com/2012/12/autumn-hikes-october.html</span></a></span><span lang="RU" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So I look forward to those possibilities as the weather warms up. Alie
also reconnected me with the young woman and her mother that I had met hiking a
couple of years ago. </span><span lang="RU"><a href="http://bwieseradventures.blogspot.com/2009/10/tv-and-cave-city.html"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://bwieseradventures.blogspot.com/2009/10/tv-and-cave-city.html</span></a></span><span lang="RU" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She works upstairs from Alie and
wants to do some hiking together too—maybe even this weekend if the weather
cooperates. </span></div>
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Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-15489820514217413322013-02-12T02:19:00.001-08:002013-02-12T02:19:23.200-08:00Winter travel ends with Paris<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And finally
Paris.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because my friend Casey and I
failed to meet up in Istanbul as planned, we decided to rendezvous in Paris at
the end of her three months in Syria, where she needed to report into MSF
(Doctors without Borders).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having never
been to Paris, I was more than happy to meet her there. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In this
part of the world, going to Paris is on par with going to America. My family
and my friends at work were most excited—and envious-- about that part of my
trip. I tried to oblige their interests with lots of photographs and souvenir
shopping (doesn’t everyone in the world need a miniature Eifel Tower?). </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And Paris
is as beautiful as everyone says it is. I basically spent almost the whole
three days just walking around and taking in the sights. We did make it to a
couple of museums—the Louvre was free as it was the first Sunday of the month, and
then the garden behind the Rodin museum, filled with his work. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would love to go back someday and see how
even more beautiful it must be in the spring and summer. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Following
my time in Paris, I flew back to Kyiv, took the overnight train to Simferopol,
and arrived home tired but happy to be back, for which I am so grateful. On to
my next six months of living here and seeing what life brings.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLSM4KYRwbLDXbSkzXpPoJtEPAjddRjypilwnm5MPlINUDzlBrsxgN6-Yw1uY3-DtivVn-GG9jhESsrIzc0raxjHFpzYcRHF-7yyeY0kaO4RnxtJ9_Rqnizyzb4gyiKHKwmv-UkZzGMT9/s1600/IMG_3383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLSM4KYRwbLDXbSkzXpPoJtEPAjddRjypilwnm5MPlINUDzlBrsxgN6-Yw1uY3-DtivVn-GG9jhESsrIzc0raxjHFpzYcRHF-7yyeY0kaO4RnxtJ9_Rqnizyzb4gyiKHKwmv-UkZzGMT9/s320/IMG_3383.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On a bridge across the Seine filled with locks. A tradition I have seen in Ukraine also</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of the Louvre.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting out the sleet.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the sky clears in time for a pic of Casey.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Venus de Milo in the Louvre.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We found a copy of Sara's book!</td></tr>
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Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-73976829621604059122013-02-12T01:16:00.002-08:002013-02-12T01:17:44.001-08:00Budapest, Hungary<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And on with
our winter travels. From Zdiar we took a train across Slovakia to be able to
see some of the countryside. Unfortunately, it was one of the older trains and there
seemed to be little or no heat. After six hours we were a bit frozen,
especially poor Cheryl who was nursing a cold.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We ended up
in the capitol of Bratislava in the southwest corner of the country, and then
caught a train to Budapest—luckily a shorter and much warmer ride. Spent the
next three days wandering around the beautiful city of Budapest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Divided between the flat “pest” side and the
hilly “buda” side (they were once two different cities) by the Danube River,
Budapest is a wonderful city to explore on foot. Every street corner seemed to
bring new architectural wonders and the bridges spanning the river gave us some
great views of both sides. The weather continued on with its lousy winter
weather cycle, but it cleared somewhat on the last day. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A couple of
the highlights of the city for me: The Baths: Budapest is situated over deep
underground hot springs, and they have provided the city with hot mineral baths
throughout its history. A day at the baths is a fine thing—we chose the old
bathhouse in the central park of the city frequented by the locals. Fifteen
dollars got us a day long pass to hang out in one of the three outdoor pools or
many indoor pools, sauna, etc. Extra money gives you massages, pedicures,
various therapies, any spa activity you can think of. But we were content with
the pools and spent all of our time in the outdoor pools, going from the
slightly cooler one with the very fun whirlpools and the hotter pool where one
just floated in the water ad soaked up all that warmth. And indeed it was the
local hang out—we saw men standing chest deep in the water engrossed in a chess
game set up on the pool’s edge and many families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it also seems to be a good place to meet
people. I got to talking with one woman around my age from Ireland who had come
to Budapest to have dental work done, apparently being of much higher quality
than in Ireland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had quite the
discussion about periodontal disease, implants versus dentures, new state of
the art dentures (she thought mine looked great), etc., etc. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When we finally dragged ourselves out of the
baths, I was feeling pretty good in both body and spirit.</span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">House of
Terror: This museum, housed in the building that was first the Gestapo
headquarters during the Nazi occupation and then the headquarters of the secret
police during the communist years, is the most powerful museum I think I have ever
been to. Though it wasn’t created for tourists, and few of the signs are in
English, there is enough English in the exhibits to understand what they are about
and you almost really don’t need it, as you are carried along by the multimedia
presentations in every room. Many of the videos of survivors telling their
stories were subtitled in English, plus there were English handouts in each
room. Perhaps most haunting was the slow descent by elevator to the basement
level where the cells and executions were located, watching as you go down to a
video of a former guard describing how executions were administered. The final
room of the exhibit is a “victimizer” hall, with small photos from that era of
many of the administrators of punishment, many of whom are still alive. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I wish I
had come to the museum with more energy to stay longer, but I was glad I had
made an effort to experience what I did, as this is part of the history of the
people in this part of the world.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdbBW8rQ6Yt3HubVV86TxJvafG8_jyuekmtr7edoys8VMJMyt-ml_McFMEjnTIEOI6iHDNKS_nJF0J9JzgaRFhMEyga2GdEUz4b00ZHzXTH1bRWT-aNXh4FqVGhVlJpiV20DjTpzzQzpy/s1600/IMG_3216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdbBW8rQ6Yt3HubVV86TxJvafG8_jyuekmtr7edoys8VMJMyt-ml_McFMEjnTIEOI6iHDNKS_nJF0J9JzgaRFhMEyga2GdEUz4b00ZHzXTH1bRWT-aNXh4FqVGhVlJpiV20DjTpzzQzpy/s320/IMG_3216.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holocaust memorial along the banks of the Danube River where Jews were shot and thrown into the river.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House of Terror museum, former home of Gestapo and communist secret police.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Baths--one of the outside pools.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside of an old synagogue.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking across the Danube to church high on Buda side.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking across Danube to the Pest side.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House of Parliamet on Pest side.</td></tr>
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<br />Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-72595906480541297072013-02-11T05:27:00.001-08:002013-02-11T05:27:16.242-08:00Winter traveling--Zdiar, Slovakia<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">What a
difference a break in routine makes--one of the huge benefits of travel, for
those of us who are lucky enough to get to do it. Here I am, a few days back in
Crimea after my 2 ½ weeks trip, and I feel so much better about my life here
and the upcoming months. Perhaps it won’t last but it feels good to be thinking
in more positive ways.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So, a few
highlights of my sojourn. My PCV pal Cheryl and I took off on a 25-hour train
to Lviv in northwestern Ukraine on a snowy Sunday afternoon. I had woke up that
morning feeling pretty sick—wanting to throw up kind of sick—and as the morning
went on and it didn’t go away, wondering how exactly I was going to be able to
get on a train and travel for 25 hours. But with help from mystery meds
provided by Lenura, it eventually went away shortly before I took off and I got
on the train with lots of anticipation of our upcoming journey. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We had a
10-hour layover in Lviv before catching a midnight train to Krakow, Poland.
Lviv is a beautiful old historic city that we had both visited before and we were
looking forward to seeing more of its lovely buildings, plus hangout with a PCV
who lives there. But the weather began its trip-long plague of our plans with
an ice storm that made it difficult to walk around and prevented our PCV friend
from flying in that day. We did manage to slowly shuffle our way to one museum
but then spent the rest of the day hanging out in cafes until time to go to the
train station.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Train
travel in Ukraine is very cheap--$18 for our 25 hour trip from Simferopol to
Lviv—but cross border travel gets much more expensive--$60 for our 6 hour trip
to Krakow. But the train was much more luxurious with a wash basin in each
compartment! Quite amazing. We didn’t get a lot of sleep however, with a 1am
border crossing that seemed to go on forever and our forgetting the time change
and getting up an hour before we needed to. But we got to Krakow early in the
morning and had a whole day to once again explore the city we both had visited
on separate trips the previous year. The following day we took two buses across
the Polish border to the town of Zdiar in the High Tatras of Slovakia, where we
spent the next three days in a hostel called the “Ginger Monkey” (never found
out why, I’m sorry to say).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We had come
there with the intention of me doing cross country skiing and Cheryl snow
shoeing—which were available according to our email correspondence with the
owner of the hostel—but he, unfortunately, was gone to Prague during that time
and his fill-ins really didn’t have a clue. Mostly people come there to
downhill ski, as there are local resorts nearby and larger resorts higher up in
the mountains. But we didn’t really care—it was a beautiful little Slovakian
village nestled in the mountains and just so peaceful to be there. We spent the
first day just walking around, asking at every ski shop we saw about cc skiing
and snowshoeing and enjoying the views of the spectacular jagged peaks of the
High Tatras--when the weather lifted enough to see them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually we did find a place that rented
snowshoes and made a plan for the next day to hike to the ridge behind us and
follow a trail through the forest and down the other side of the mountain. It
turned out to be a struggle to get up the ridge on our not great snowshoes with
the wind blowing, but the climb was worth it as the tall spruce trees on top of
the ridge were covered in a flox of white snow, and the occasional views of the
distant peaks magnificent. My snowshoes fell apart on the way down and I had to
return using only one snowshoe, but it was worth it.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Eo7PNoW8EUvMCF0WUkpdyMgLrT1CtFxN34zBSul-bK4VkqgJDOOa0LE2oi6obhKtu6bI78rA8eUZoI4s0Bc3P5yUqVAhFHXKVvN7r3VBWEq-t38F4fLtvdkCfVXnXkNyPqv-7nQs4UzQ/s1600/100_1698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Eo7PNoW8EUvMCF0WUkpdyMgLrT1CtFxN34zBSul-bK4VkqgJDOOa0LE2oi6obhKtu6bI78rA8eUZoI4s0Bc3P5yUqVAhFHXKVvN7r3VBWEq-t38F4fLtvdkCfVXnXkNyPqv-7nQs4UzQ/s320/100_1698.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the High Tatras from our hostel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdV9rHvevMYAWlepeCO9zpIr7svGO1kvwntaWWBJ58YNGkRiDvEEiJfgZ4cSIaE58iTECTblfc6uJ0hqdWFq0INSZlFYTfdxUWn0CkH8gDMYxOUXBGavfKbK5K1fs4j2RioOXyupjRo50R/s1600/IMG_3185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdV9rHvevMYAWlepeCO9zpIr7svGO1kvwntaWWBJ58YNGkRiDvEEiJfgZ4cSIaE58iTECTblfc6uJ0hqdWFq0INSZlFYTfdxUWn0CkH8gDMYxOUXBGavfKbK5K1fs4j2RioOXyupjRo50R/s320/IMG_3185.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ginger Monkey hostel. We were in the upstairs right room.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down hill ski resort in the Tatras.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the lodgings there.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lake where I found some peaceful cross country skiing.</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The forest on the ridge behind our hostel.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High up on the ridge.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The
following day I was determined to get some cross country skiing in—that being
the main reason I wanted to go there in the first place—and Cheryl decided to
come along for the ride. We caught an early morning bus that took us to a
village higher in the mountains, and then from there an electric train to a
downhill ski resort that had advertised cross country skiing. It was a
beautiful place, with the jagged snow covered peaks so close, and indeed, they
did have cc ski rental and a few trails. So off I took, first on the flat trail
around the lake, and then beckoned by a trail that climbed up a hillside.
Without a map and no knowledge of the trails, I found myself on a very
difficult trail that at home I might not have attempted. I kept asking myself
what the hell I was doing, out here on this trail alone, constantly wiping out,
and even occasionally taking off my skis to get up a hill. Eventually I did
make it back down to the lake, managing not to embarrass myself by falling in
front of all the people who were standing around. After that, I spent a
peaceful half hour striding around the soft snow of the lake, and enjoying
those hills from a distance. Ah, cross country skiing in the Slovakian
mountains. I’m sure it has more to offer somewhere!</span></div>
Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-58934672736351856612013-01-08T04:35:00.001-08:002013-01-08T04:38:38.912-08:00Some thoughts on this fourth year<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Every time
I think, “Okay, no more blog writing, who is reading it anyhow?” I come back to
it at some point. Maybe it is the fact that I have a fair amount of free time
and writing what I have been doing is something I enjoy and gives me a task to
fill my time at the library. But maybe it is more than that, a way to not
forget my life here, to reason out some of what I am feeling, to put it down on
paper and take a look at it in hopes of finding understanding. Whatever the
reason, here I am again.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s hard
to think about how to write about my life of late. This fourth year in Crimea
is proving to be by far the hardest of my life here. I would have thought—and
indeed anticipated—the opposite. The increased familiarity with my work,
language, home life, culture, surroundings –all should have proved to make my
life easier,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>richer, my work more
productive—but, unfortunately, I seem to be experiencing the opposite. For a
long time I have thought how impossible it will be to tear myself away from my
life once that time comes, but right now, I am almost counting the days,
certainly the months, until I am able to leave. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For sure,
much of my disquiet comes from my increasingly stressful home life. I think what
I am witnessing is strife families experience the world over as their children
become adults and want to spread their wings and fly away and the parents want
to hold that child tight in their nest. And that classic family dynamic is
overlaid here by the politics of oppressor/oppressed cultures and how the
children chafe under those restrictions. Think “Fiddler on the Roof” and you
get the picture. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And for me,
I bear witness to all of this and feel I have some understanding of it, but I
don’t really. I grew up in a middle class white home in America where I was
pushed out the door as soon as I was able to fly and at least in my parents’
eyes, all the world was open to me. Also, my limited language skills mean I
experience all of what goes on in a foggy haze. I want to be there for support
for who needs it, to be able to challenge abusive behavior, to lend what little
advice I might have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when this has
to take place in Russian, the possibilities for anything meaningful are so
greatly diminished, as is my understanding when so much of what is
said—especially in anger—goes by me. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">My work
life is also proving difficult. At my library everyone is consumed—as they are
every year—by some kind of annual report they must present to the Ministry of
Culture, entailing their activities of the past year and plans for the future.
There are many raised voices, harried discussions and whispered conferences,
none of which I understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would like
to be of help in some way, to feel useful, but that is, of course, not a
reality. As usual, I hover on the edges, only barely understanding or
participating in what is going on. My role here is something I have gotten used
to and am not much bothered by, as long as I can spend my time working on
grants or projects. But with that avenue of activity at least temporarily dried
up, I find myself at such loose ends and wondering exactly what I am going to
do these next few months. Lately it seems I mostly spend my time haranguing my
friends with long emails that they, with their busy lives, have no time to
answer. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But all is
not so grim. This past weekend we had a wet snow of several inches, the first
of the season. On Sunday, Serdar said, “Let’s go up to the mountain,” meaning
the forests and bluffs near our home, something we hadn’t done for a long time.
Actually, I had woke up that morning feeling a continuing annoyance with Serdar
for some of his behavior of late and wondering what to do about it. So I
welcomed this unusual overture from him. Off we trudged in the deep snow,
planning only a short hike, but it turned into a 3-hour excursion along the
snow covered bluffs with the snow clinging so heavily to the low trees that at
times the path was completely obscured. It was magical and unearthly beautiful
and in the solitude of that walk, we began to talk about his life and all that
has been troubling him—and me—these past few months. High up on the bluffs with
the foggy skies obscuring the distant mountains and villages, it felt like it
was just us in the world and we were able to talk with a honesty and depth that
we seemed to not be able to do at home. Later when Serdar had gone on ahead, I
paused in the snow-filled sanctuary and gave thanks for the gift of that
afternoon. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">With love
from Crimea.</span></div>
Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-25955194819512494392012-12-27T02:02:00.005-08:002012-12-27T02:02:45.124-08:00Living with uncertainty<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s Monday
morning, December 24<sup>th</sup>, and here I am in my office in the library. I
had thought I would be on my way back from my visit with my friend Casey in
Istanbul, but, alas, it was not to be. I did get to Kyiv the first part of last
week and had kind of a nice time there. It was very cold with a freezing wind,
but I had dressed for it, so for the most part, I was okay. The deep snow on the
ground was beautiful to see, walking through the botanical gardens on the way
to the Peace Corps office. As always in the winters here, the major problem is
not the cold, but the snow and subsequent ice that accumulate on the sidewalks,
making it so difficult to get around. Luckily, in Kyiv, there is an extensive
subway system, so if one can brave the crowds, it is definitely the way to
navigate the city, especially in the winter. I am used to the “metro,” as it is
called here, and do not find the crowds a problem. And now, thanks to the Euro Cup
being held here last summer, all the subway signs are also in English.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Spent my
time working on closing grants at the Peace Corps office, going to the dentist
for a teeth cleaning, eating falafels at my favorite Middle Eastern café,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>visiting the Germany Embassy to inquire for
Serdar about studying in Germany (his latest idea), and having a brief meeting
at the Netherlands Embassy to pick up books donated to our library. The
Netherlands Embassy was quite impressive—a very modern four-floor building with
an open atrium and a great espresso machine (so appreciated that cappuccino
after waiting out in the cold for the embassy to open).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On the long
overnight train back to Simferopol, I thought of all the great things Casey and
I would do in Istanbul, but mostly just the opportunity to spend time with a
fellow traveler talking about this life of volunteering overseas, hashing out
ideas for “What next?” Got back to town early Wednesday morning, spent the day
getting ready for the Istanbul trip, ignoring the sleeting rain hammering on
the window. But early next morning when I got up to meet the taxi to the
airport, I wondered if I would be going. Out at the airport, the cancellations
and delays were happening already. I sat there for three hours in the unheated
terminal and watched my flight get delayed and delayed and then cancelled. The
flight got re-scheduled to the next day, but the same thing happened again, as
the weather only got worse.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So no visit
to Istanbul. And another lesson in living with uncertainty, that though we make
plans, and wish and hope it will be so, there are no guarantees. I was feeling
almost desperate to be out of my environment here, to be with a kindred soul
that I could really talk with about all my confused feelings as of late. But,
as always, I was able to adjust. Spent Saturday walking around the Simferopol
center--going to the art museum which I have been meaning to do for the last
year (having never been there), walking along the river, strolling a bit
through the park where the Chernobyl monument is located. And then Sunday up
into the forests near my home, which were transformed into a winter wonderland
by the snow crystals clinging to the branches. And it helped me to remember
once again how lucky I am to be living this life.</span></div>
Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-61624129747855948872012-12-15T11:10:00.002-08:002012-12-15T11:10:34.052-08:00Some winter travel plans<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I look back at those
last few blogs posts and all those pictures of me and my hiking companions in
t-shirts and rolled up pants legs and sigh in longing for that weather filled
with warmth and light. As I write this, I am sitting at the library looking out
at a gray and gloomy day with a cold rain and darkening sky—and it is only 4 in
the afternoon. Once again I check the internet to confirm what I know to be
true—that despite the feeling that I am living in a southern climate on the
Black Sea, I am in the exact same latitude as my northern city of Minneapolis. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will have to find other ways to get through
these next few months besides those weekend hikes of the autumn.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But I do have a few
trips planned, so that helps. This coming Sunday evening I am off to Kyiv on
the overnight train for a couple of days. The real reason I am going is to get
my teeth cleaned (!) in my on-going effort to retain the few teeth I now have
left. I could probably find a dentist here in Simferopol, but the dentist in
Kyiv is paid for by the Peace Corps, plus I know they are closer to the western
standards I am used to. So I am combining the trip with a few items at the
Peace Corps headquarters—closing out the two Peace Corps grants I have open and
a few medical things like our annually required flu shot. Probably the only
truly interesting thing I will be doing is going to the Netherlands Embassy to
pick up a copy of a book they are donating to the library (more information on
that on my library blog in upcoming weeks). According to TV reports, Kyiv is
inundated with snow (the most in 100 years!), so walking—my favorite way to get
around the Kyiv center—should be interesting…</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I’ll be back in
Simferopol for a day and then off for four days to Istanbul to meet up with my
friend Casey who is working with Doctors Without Borders in Syria. I’m not sure
what to make of the fact that now Istanbul has become my sort of local
international meeting place (it was only four months ago that I met cousin Sara
there for a long weekend)--Istanbul…a city that seemed so exotic to me (if I
thought about it all) a few years ago. It is still exotic, of course, but now
it almost feels like going to Chicago from Minneapolis.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And later in January
my PCV friend Cheryl and I are going to take off for 10 days to Poland,
Slovakia, and Budapest. The idea came from me wanting to cross country ski
somewhere this winter and having met a Scottish guy at the hostel in Krakow
last year who had just gotten back from cc skiing in the Slovakian mountains. I
thought, “Well, give it a try and see what it is like.” He did say the hostel
was mostly young folks, and so since this trip was originally planned with
Serdar, I asked Cheryl to come along too, so I would have a companion to have
fun with (Serdar I knew would hook up with folks from the hostel as he did last
year). Though now it looks like Serdar won’t be able to go because of school
and financial restraints. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We will mostly be
traveling by train and bus—a 24-hour train ride to Lviv in northwest Ukraine, an
afternoon and evening of hanging out there (maybe to a performance at the
famous opera house), then a 6-hour overnight train to Krakow. Cheryl was there
last summer and loved it as much as I did, so we will spend a day and night further
exploring Krakow. Then a 3-hour bus ride to a village across the Slovakian
border in the mountains called the High Tatras. We will stay there several days
in a hostel with the plan to cc ski (me) and snow shoe (Cheryl) and probably
much of it together, though Cheryl tells me she doesn’t really like cc skiing.
There is also a big downhill place nearby, but I don’t know if either of us
will try that.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Then we will take a
bus or train across Slovakia to Budapest, Hungary and spend two days there. A
cheap flight on Hungarian airlines will return us to Kyiv, and then an
overnight train back to Simferopol, and for Cheryl, two more hours on a local
bus to her village. Whew! It’s called traveling on the cheap in East Europe.
Luckily, both Cheryl and I are into that traveling style. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4579879103632399404" name="_GoBack"></a>An
adventure it will be!</span></div>
Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-16397970035127445132012-12-04T05:41:00.000-08:002012-12-04T05:41:26.357-08:00A couple of excursions in November<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">By
November, the weather had tuned a bit cold for extended hikes. That combined
with short days (Crimea has one hour less daylight than Minnesota) meant that
our “hikes” in November became excursions to several sites both Cheryl and I
have been anxious to see. We were accompanied on these trips by our friend
Dima, who was back in Simferopol after working on a fishing trawler all last
year off the coast of Africa. Being a fluent English speaker, he was very
helpful in translating signs and other information.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">All of these photos were taken by Cheryl. I have gotten very lazy about bringing my camera! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk46EzonbSBmAeZkllLm3LTCChAfVy4CbkP_-UoxR6eBpalWGKsAInnJYWirJo1t_1YSKBCUa6RbLXDU3GOwQ6oCt82uneek4LJf2h4OoMcP5i5MoeR7-2nPCavE14vGBlymCZ5f67ki1m/s1600/inkerman+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk46EzonbSBmAeZkllLm3LTCChAfVy4CbkP_-UoxR6eBpalWGKsAInnJYWirJo1t_1YSKBCUa6RbLXDU3GOwQ6oCt82uneek4LJf2h4OoMcP5i5MoeR7-2nPCavE14vGBlymCZ5f67ki1m/s320/inkerman+003.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first trip was to the <b><span style="font-size: small;">St. Clement cave monastery </span></b>and ruins of the<span style="font-size: small;"> <b>Kalamita Fortress, </b></span>located in the town of <span style="font-size: small;"><b>Inkerman</b></span>, outside of Sevastopol. Here are Cheryl and I in our cover up garb for a visit to the monastery. We had brought head scarves and the monastery provided the "skirts."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_C7IMU_zhn9WMjhuIHV9IOsMkVcV6vFu0vviHgi3BCUFy-aLMyyrlvZblQVRp391oERfpu6xZxbpFT015O3xq_5vgFkOaYtVj7IHICbkxWUIk8IBaY1fz3jPLRvKA296P5JdSjyMD1n0/s1600/inkerman+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_C7IMU_zhn9WMjhuIHV9IOsMkVcV6vFu0vviHgi3BCUFy-aLMyyrlvZblQVRp391oERfpu6xZxbpFT015O3xq_5vgFkOaYtVj7IHICbkxWUIk8IBaY1fz3jPLRvKA296P5JdSjyMD1n0/s320/inkerman+006.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Dima on the road up to the monastery. Founded in the Roman empire and then abandoned for centuries, it was resurrected during the Crimean Athos era of the Russian empire (18th-19th centuries). It was closed down during Soviet times, but now is one of the most active monasteries in Crimea.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main entrance to the monastery. It extends into a network of caves in the cliffs behind it. One of the monks sits in front.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ruins of the Kalamita Fortress built in the 15th century on the ruins of a fortress dating to the 6th century BC.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fortress stands on a hilltop overlooking the Black River where it flows inland from the Black Sea.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the round towers of the fortress wall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our second excursion, Joohee, another Volunteer friend from Cheryl's village, decided to join us. It was a cold and windy day, but we decided to go to the coastal town of <span style="font-size: small;"><b>Balaklava</b></span> to see the secret Soviet submarine factory, now a museum. <b><br /></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the entrance to the factory, located in a water cave deep in the hills, allowing submarines to submerge out at sea and surface in the factory, undetected by US spy sattelites of the Cold War. Now it is a museum.<b><br /></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSuMeuOIy8lcqYyonRxggFDQuN3JeiY70fy7FIelySfjU5RdzMdm2IITa41ZEC7o1yyhkCbTZYmc2z2tu28xwktxYGW4T8BaonQrR13UF5rkqkNFs7sQ8KHrMThp_mMr3cIh_iD5Dlssw/s1600/100_1034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSuMeuOIy8lcqYyonRxggFDQuN3JeiY70fy7FIelySfjU5RdzMdm2IITa41ZEC7o1yyhkCbTZYmc2z2tu28xwktxYGW4T8BaonQrR13UF5rkqkNFs7sQ8KHrMThp_mMr3cIh_iD5Dlssw/s320/100_1034.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The undergound facility was large enough to accomodate 3000 people and was stocked with enough provisions for a month in case of a nuclear attack (also from the Cold War era). Occasional display rooms of submarine replicas and parts broke up the long tunnels, but mostly it was a fairly creepy place.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzaXkFZO9wkq_kf5dwkQb6UEBQZp5ttQXPqy1r-mCl_AawDGrw2Y5PEKC9drLeW8Ud2yqEEjM9cTIc-DL2mz8vMV1-5lwOsCAR7803MBKizn0iMI0KDM1W-NdMGABQ3ylRtvb13K86U8y/s1600/100_1064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzaXkFZO9wkq_kf5dwkQb6UEBQZp5ttQXPqy1r-mCl_AawDGrw2Y5PEKC9drLeW8Ud2yqEEjM9cTIc-DL2mz8vMV1-5lwOsCAR7803MBKizn0iMI0KDM1W-NdMGABQ3ylRtvb13K86U8y/s320/100_1064.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the beautiful Balaklava harbor. The submarine factory is located in the hills across the way.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlqkjhSzp6lyOo-BglM9dWd9Lse_WWH73I2ZIe5pA7LE-3WuC-gFBV8MY8S1tTYTVhwa2HE8BT0CUe8awSNeL2OxbeMj2Gm3hogyLJQUW4YscAMkuogW3SJKPvQrYhsl8TWd79rEbrc7E/s1600/100_1071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlqkjhSzp6lyOo-BglM9dWd9Lse_WWH73I2ZIe5pA7LE-3WuC-gFBV8MY8S1tTYTVhwa2HE8BT0CUe8awSNeL2OxbeMj2Gm3hogyLJQUW4YscAMkuogW3SJKPvQrYhsl8TWd79rEbrc7E/s320/100_1071.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The remains of yet another Black Sea coast fortress, located on the cliffs high above the sea.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4tRaQ36OWfmufDjhj9UJXZDAyzKkblqETkphi5OgvcatAsAIci9wYUaS3nd0Cxo7PxQ4nyX09UPyqEBQZzQeAVvO1J_qKIJnwauEh-qxYHuVn_6LiUVdSfeC57emk_VxSCzOt4CSn8pT/s1600/100_1076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4tRaQ36OWfmufDjhj9UJXZDAyzKkblqETkphi5OgvcatAsAIci9wYUaS3nd0Cxo7PxQ4nyX09UPyqEBQZzQeAVvO1J_qKIJnwauEh-qxYHuVn_6LiUVdSfeC57emk_VxSCzOt4CSn8pT/s320/100_1076.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail up to the top of the cliff was a little dicey, but the views of the coast are some of the most spectacular I have seen in Crimea. The Balaklava harbor is to the right in this picture. It is hidden at sea by a narrow entrance.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd7Kk7P23Ptd_RDCDfcaZbnHKjZLBaUVYHL30wx_gOWYQIWWJga7TI31INBOkYms_f1es3AxVN5PB-AEo0hvvLD_XNt-7Emd0zaVmhVsml7tKTi7Bvy0EcaYYcpZhRhXzIr0iEqmPXyh5/s1600/100_1077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd7Kk7P23Ptd_RDCDfcaZbnHKjZLBaUVYHL30wx_gOWYQIWWJga7TI31INBOkYms_f1es3AxVN5PB-AEo0hvvLD_XNt-7Emd0zaVmhVsml7tKTi7Bvy0EcaYYcpZhRhXzIr0iEqmPXyh5/s320/100_1077.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful Crimean sea coast.</td></tr>
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<br />Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-87388893206814224362012-12-03T05:38:00.003-08:002012-12-04T04:53:43.932-08:00Autumn hikes--October<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67t11ipvTxL6rxi7JcuoPtHbmsL4sWr4o3-8GnRp7nHa0anxNhhvLSxNRCmH_VDQelf47YjYZCPWhUMI-y6G3ZrAlCIlmsFcHOPNuvsiykkm4Nj1cKXLsY_Rl7bQ7iInPHVEhJv8zgs3K/s1600/100_0422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67t11ipvTxL6rxi7JcuoPtHbmsL4sWr4o3-8GnRp7nHa0anxNhhvLSxNRCmH_VDQelf47YjYZCPWhUMI-y6G3ZrAlCIlmsFcHOPNuvsiykkm4Nj1cKXLsY_Rl7bQ7iInPHVEhJv8zgs3K/s320/100_0422.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">October began with a beautiful hike to the cave city of <b><span style="font-size: small;">Tepe Kermen</span></b>. Here is Lilya looking out into the valley below.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUUnIEUP4bH2WENNdnLj1kgOGsldJSvyQiU1Ajq73sxfSzjnW5CjtQCsG_-pgYoU4jY1yM1GUUWGcRz0JEXNJ0pE3lASjx8KU7aNZInCzEdSw0CgEobzO-2y1UY2PuC7aCzUvRTHoJlSw/s1600/100_0517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUUnIEUP4bH2WENNdnLj1kgOGsldJSvyQiU1Ajq73sxfSzjnW5CjtQCsG_-pgYoU4jY1yM1GUUWGcRz0JEXNJ0pE3lASjx8KU7aNZInCzEdSw0CgEobzO-2y1UY2PuC7aCzUvRTHoJlSw/s320/100_0517.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tepe Kermen, as do most of the cave cities, dates to approximately the 6th century. Tepe Kermen has more than 400 caves carved out of the limestone cliffs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-x7cD7tsT9HX8UqV8KlZhppfrmo3ZFxIlkyr7WcuULU-IwM5tpN0ooRH_CSym-_Ud2cf-pC2Y39Gch428mdofHgslFkQsbPvf2RqeqQezu-iyz3U0sQusnu2SPvOKc-IEeKvusc6rAUt/s1600/100_0519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-x7cD7tsT9HX8UqV8KlZhppfrmo3ZFxIlkyr7WcuULU-IwM5tpN0ooRH_CSym-_Ud2cf-pC2Y39Gch428mdofHgslFkQsbPvf2RqeqQezu-iyz3U0sQusnu2SPvOKc-IEeKvusc6rAUt/s320/100_0519.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many of the caves are multi-storied, some even with stairs leading to upper levels.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvh346GXn98ICuOaLAxhP8draTNx0khxlz4AhQUxEUFzDRoOPNiIYvFlT3C-hl4OjSTd6WaTVc5O12z1_WCDeAL066DL6RQsVkNNcTee9Crz-WOS-nFMBcernZu4t3QY7qKwQ1qotbaV8/s1600/100_0529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvh346GXn98ICuOaLAxhP8draTNx0khxlz4AhQUxEUFzDRoOPNiIYvFlT3C-hl4OjSTd6WaTVc5O12z1_WCDeAL066DL6RQsVkNNcTee9Crz-WOS-nFMBcernZu4t3QY7qKwQ1qotbaV8/s320/100_0529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheryl and I pose on the stairs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBseFLQEGyBakEtb5hnMKlLsH8dElTPtQ04oP2YAcXN7869y_t7X1Pyfsr61sovXXOgZJ-V2Z_w3vh-yshD6Jr9UKP0HOzqlj87r_uPSvplA4XyE-LNVNoJqdO9JsqHccVaXTrCECCqOw/s1600/100_0611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBseFLQEGyBakEtb5hnMKlLsH8dElTPtQ04oP2YAcXN7869y_t7X1Pyfsr61sovXXOgZJ-V2Z_w3vh-yshD6Jr9UKP0HOzqlj87r_uPSvplA4XyE-LNVNoJqdO9JsqHccVaXTrCECCqOw/s320/100_0611.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the way we met a young woman from Finland who had come down to Crimea for a few days. She was out exploring on her own, so joined up with us on the trail back to Bakchiseray.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjOKuoyexf1Hq3cp72gNR3dNOgdG319vUKUe2Nxx1NatBPFmBmFpDJp6ok42A-lNn62y5Kq6w8E40Jc0PQ-fgw8hDFwfmvGPu2vJhum1iOssH4ANEjwwDvM6UuzFQTBz_77GBndkzsZgL/s1600/Lilya&Barb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjOKuoyexf1Hq3cp72gNR3dNOgdG319vUKUe2Nxx1NatBPFmBmFpDJp6ok42A-lNn62y5Kq6w8E40Jc0PQ-fgw8hDFwfmvGPu2vJhum1iOssH4ANEjwwDvM6UuzFQTBz_77GBndkzsZgL/s320/Lilya&Barb.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our next adventure in October was to the ruins of the <b><span style="font-size: small;">Surenskaya Fortress.</span></b> Here are Lilya and I in a window of the ruins. Unfortunately, many of the old ruins are scarred by grafiti.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FFSPxjHP8Zi3wLVXh1IO13F7yNlZoEvbIltoEIhWRsSJxPuRl3Z_UYtJepuGTatTTug37blvS55UF3WeiGPNj25ttQolwyvoanWqMAL4Xj4tpjIgVmLBv_LoZU-7u_DgtlTjsBAjgSmB/s1600/DSC06958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FFSPxjHP8Zi3wLVXh1IO13F7yNlZoEvbIltoEIhWRsSJxPuRl3Z_UYtJepuGTatTTug37blvS55UF3WeiGPNj25ttQolwyvoanWqMAL4Xj4tpjIgVmLBv_LoZU-7u_DgtlTjsBAjgSmB/s320/DSC06958.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surenskaya Fortress</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_m7aoW9RS1yU2Rfjy89CX89-RiKG1DPY7hcXujlGKWOI5ijxwk-xdBk7uVQMujJaGmocVr2d0AFaZW4aiRsKc6cyGLpM_hKv2RkW4cVVoLd6uqKQ7FNY0pjCJVpRRo6sJcilNtkpoXu-K/s1600/DSC06929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_m7aoW9RS1yU2Rfjy89CX89-RiKG1DPY7hcXujlGKWOI5ijxwk-xdBk7uVQMujJaGmocVr2d0AFaZW4aiRsKc6cyGLpM_hKv2RkW4cVVoLd6uqKQ7FNY0pjCJVpRRo6sJcilNtkpoXu-K/s320/DSC06929.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A distant view of the location of the Fortress and a familiar sight in the land around Bakchiseray where the cave cities and other ancient ruins are located. Only an hour or so bus ride from my city.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGMMk99TrTBoViqlDPbOp-JWFwP_SsgX-6Dms5bliD3A7PTK4Poh4gkkNeWVwk45o1fm16IF87tHOZuk_on5xDlGvXtI1k0kcJfUcS3fTSi4tuYPdNOXoqSDbLWrNOF8MgBDyMfc_KGHk/s1600/DSC07016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGMMk99TrTBoViqlDPbOp-JWFwP_SsgX-6Dms5bliD3A7PTK4Poh4gkkNeWVwk45o1fm16IF87tHOZuk_on5xDlGvXtI1k0kcJfUcS3fTSi4tuYPdNOXoqSDbLWrNOF8MgBDyMfc_KGHk/s320/DSC07016.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the cliff faces in which the natural erosion appears as intricate designs and hieroglyphics.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nYoLBFgiNGVtR2BxzqveHOvjaRnHSrD13JE5omqsP6kXYuTvl67X9ufFo3oYHpHDynSXdb4znVL94m8XjOO4YAu1GMJoUfStY3wMR5VI-HVEdIw3idToPKUYwXret-7Kxmrg7rleET1H/s1600/DSC07074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nYoLBFgiNGVtR2BxzqveHOvjaRnHSrD13JE5omqsP6kXYuTvl67X9ufFo3oYHpHDynSXdb4znVL94m8XjOO4YAu1GMJoUfStY3wMR5VI-HVEdIw3idToPKUYwXret-7Kxmrg7rleET1H/s320/DSC07074.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were fortunate to run into Alie and her husband Genghis at the bus station who were off on a hiking adventure of their own. They decided to join us when I told Alie that we were going to Surenskaya because she had told me it was her favorite place. They were great guides--the best part was making Turkish coffee for us over a fire. Here they are filling their water bottles at a spring.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfYj-q0kRhJrgxY8sH-WLdz60AzuLd7je_DOjLZ-VQ1jHvC5zR0lGBKNjoaxi6Lww9E4OCZSyZ155S_dZt6EGbEbFnSLW_mhRGpqhF-uag9-9YyAyfVv6yUrnanJb3ZprCWlqiaxjsWLL/s1600/IMG_0805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfYj-q0kRhJrgxY8sH-WLdz60AzuLd7je_DOjLZ-VQ1jHvC5zR0lGBKNjoaxi6Lww9E4OCZSyZ155S_dZt6EGbEbFnSLW_mhRGpqhF-uag9-9YyAyfVv6yUrnanJb3ZprCWlqiaxjsWLL/s320/IMG_0805.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our last hike in October (or at least the last one we took pictures of!) was to <b><span style="font-size: small;">Bolshoi Canyon</span></b> (Grand Canyon) of Crimea. I had been there before with the family, and this time Grace, who was here for the weekend, joined us. It was a beautiful fall day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKLAGJ63-ebMkOo8Dn0JhVMmIS0vTgzof7eBL9Qw7dbR-df9wuDGO4ZjPB_3RGCMYV-Ff1wgCWJXSyhlJkiBImZ3G6k-7o3mBWSwWRqGN3W-9o9qCi5o70NJ4qoUH1AEB8GrHZlXrt6hZ/s1600/IMG_0827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKLAGJ63-ebMkOo8Dn0JhVMmIS0vTgzof7eBL9Qw7dbR-df9wuDGO4ZjPB_3RGCMYV-Ff1wgCWJXSyhlJkiBImZ3G6k-7o3mBWSwWRqGN3W-9o9qCi5o70NJ4qoUH1AEB8GrHZlXrt6hZ/s320/IMG_0827.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lenura equipped with one of my hiking poles and hiking shoes from my pal Cindy. Last time we went she had slippery soled old leather shoes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serdar and Safie.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we all are, laughing as I scrambled to make into the picture.</td></tr>
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<br />Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-88492856715847744662012-12-01T06:38:00.003-08:002012-12-03T05:00:28.601-08:00Autumn hikes in Crimea--September<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first hike in September--<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Shuldan Monastery</b>.</span> An ancient monastery from the 7-8th centuries, it is still active with one monk living there.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to the monastery tucked into one of twenty caves high in the cliffs. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hiking companions--Olga, Cheryl, Anton, and Yulia--on the cliff top above the monastery cave.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the annual "Librarian Day," a few of us from the library took off to hike the<b> <span style="font-size: small;">Bakla cave city,</span></b> a short bus ride from Simferopol. This is Mavie, a neighbor and fellow library worker.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A distant view of Bakla.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many details etched into the caves.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Later in September, Lilya from the library, PCV pal Cheryl and I hiked <span style="font-size: small;"><b>Aya Dag</b>,</span> a forested mountain on the coast. Aya Dag means "bear mountain" in Crimean Tatar, and the mountain resembles a bear bowing low to drink from the sea. Many legends--ancient and UFOs--surround the mountain. This a view from the mountain top, looking out to sea at my favorite swimming rocks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of a nearby seaside town as we climb up the mountain.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheryl and I picking our way along the scree slope.</td></tr>
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<br />Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-60231451698883750442012-11-22T05:33:00.003-08:002012-11-22T05:38:50.405-08:00I return to Crimea and to my blog<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It has been
almost six months since I last wrote a blog post. I’ve been to America and back—for
six weeks in July and August-- where I sold my house and all my belongings save
for one box of outdoor gear, one kayak paddle, my<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cross county skis. Now I have more stuff here
in Crimea, though that isn’t much—clothes and a few books. So far, that feels
very good—when I think of something of mine that I had grown to love, or so I
thought—certain clothes or books or souvenirs from my travels—I feel no sense
of loss but only a kind of fond memory of something I once appreciated. Perhaps
when, or if, I try to reestablish a home for myself in America, I will miss all
those things, but I think not. When I envision a future home, it is a small
place—a single room with a kitchen and a bathroom—with few possessions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have learned to live with very little
here—I am hoping the comfortableness with that way of life will carry forward
into whatever my future brings.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I feel now
that my time here is starting to wind down. I know I have talked of possibly
staying on in Crimea after the end of my Peace Corps stint, but now I am
feeling that is less of a probability. I think that more than anything, for as
long as I am mentally and physically able, I want to continue to do productive
work in my life, but I feel the opportunities for that here in Crimea are
dwindling. The major part of my work at the library is drawing to a close. Most
of the grant work I have done at the library has been through the Peace Corps,
and now I am no longer eligible for any of those grants. I will continue to
search for other grant possibilities for the library but I know those are
limited.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But I feel
the major reason for my sense that my work here has little future is the
language barrier. Though I feel competent in getting around and having
conversations on a surface level, the language fluency necessary to have deeper
conversations—to discuss project ideas, to process successes and failures, to
just be creative—continues to allude me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I do feel there is much I could continue to do here if I could work with
English-speaking people, but at least in the Crimean Tatar world, they are few
and far between. It feels like I have come up against a wall—this is as far as
I can go—or maybe as far as I am willing to go—without the language to
thoroughly understand and partake of the conversations around me. Recently I
learned a Russian verb that in the negative means to “not take part,” and in
the example, referred to someone who could not take part in a conversation
because he didn’t know English well enough. And I thought to myself, “Yes, that
is me exactly.” </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In my home
life, too, I have come up against this wall. Lately, Lenura has asked me
several times “Am I sad? Is something wrong?” obviously picking up on the
current turbulence of my feelings about my life here, despite my belief that on
the surface, at least, I am carrying on as usual—I guess “body language” doesn’t
have that lost-in-translation problem. But despite my desire to talk with Lenura—to
try and find the words for what I am feeling—I shy away from doing that, the
memory so fresh of the last time I tried to talk about my feelings and her
ending being up hurt because of something I inadvertently said, and I not even
realizing how hurt she was until she told Serdar about it and then he told me. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So I am
beginning to think more about what my future will bring and trying to trust
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circumstances here and continue to be present to the abundant joy in my life. </span><br />
</div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And towards
that goal, I have made an effort to get out hiking practically every weekend
since I have been back from America. It is getting harder to do that now as the
weather turns colder and the daylight hours have shriveled, but what a glorious
autumn it was. In the next few blog posts, I will try to post some photos and
highlights of those tramps around Crimea.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Once again, with love from Crimea. </span></div>
Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-43621193330415561912012-06-15T00:42:00.002-07:002012-06-15T00:42:32.030-07:00A second trip to cave city Eski Kermin<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlys1CRwlPktsq-PqGQbtKCVrCremVgp7swP_TwiXP6aBskUKFpGZVdmsAWuav0pIMS2BYuZ0Fm9pqxQcq-UayN4FF-It72uPqTmoYguX25h-320bE7ok1sqT9b85Mxbos0vAT1FQbAYHi/s1600/DSC04482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlys1CRwlPktsq-PqGQbtKCVrCremVgp7swP_TwiXP6aBskUKFpGZVdmsAWuav0pIMS2BYuZ0Fm9pqxQcq-UayN4FF-It72uPqTmoYguX25h-320bE7ok1sqT9b85Mxbos0vAT1FQbAYHi/s320/DSC04482.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olga and I on the road to Eski Kermen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGksdtFqAsl60Pu_fOxSjoYPeX2awYfhMoXbuo24ccE61oNrijzr8sWaICJ-NItKOFv-LyiNuEYMOCz-C0xrDFmwpyQFU4x673zWSNfhEX7WJqVSeJbMIf-EKX-PcfJqKjbP3eaHSHmuI5/s1600/DSC04495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGksdtFqAsl60Pu_fOxSjoYPeX2awYfhMoXbuo24ccE61oNrijzr8sWaICJ-NItKOFv-LyiNuEYMOCz-C0xrDFmwpyQFU4x673zWSNfhEX7WJqVSeJbMIf-EKX-PcfJqKjbP3eaHSHmuI5/s320/DSC04495.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A friendly donkey along the way</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The road to Eski Kermen</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lilya and I share lunch in one of the caves out of the rain</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elmaz and Zarema pose in one of the caves</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Summer has descended
here in Crimea. Hot, hot, hot. Time for trying to stay in the shade, visiting
the sea, getting out my trusty fan—the best 5 griven (50 cents) purchase I ever
made in Crimea—for those oh-so-hot bus rides home from work. And probably also
time for suspending our weekly hikes. But we are hoping for at least one more
and that the mountains will be cooler. Sunday a small group of us will head up
to the beautiful Demerdji plateau, once again in search of the allusive Djur Djur
waterfall which Cheryl and I failed to find on our last hike there. This time
we will have some Russian native speakers with us, so that might help; however,
none of them have experience with this trail. Though if our luck continues to
hold, we will find someone on the way to the trail that will want to join us
and show us the route! It’s Wednesday right now, we plan on hiking Sunday, and
anything can happen between now and then. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I feel myself starting
to fade away from doing blog posts—maybe it’s a sign of Crimea becoming more
and more my real home—or at least one of them--and not a place where I am
visiting and writing blog posts about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, I never wrote blog posts about my life in Minneapolis. But I
also continue to feel that tug to record what I am doing, that desire to tell
people about this world in Crimea. I know that by now probably few people read
my blog, that my telling most likely does not have much of an audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, I feel the desire to keep on with it--I
think mostly in the hope that maybe someday it will give me something to grab
hold of when I think of my Crimean life. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So, what have I been
doing since that 11-hour trek on Chatyr Dag? Lots, it seems. Gearing up for my
departure to the States on July 6<sup>th</sup>—taking care of house selling
business there, making appointments, contacting friends and family, making
travel arrangements—plus trying to get a lot of work done at the
library—finishing writing a grant that is due June 30<sup>th</sup>, hassling
with bank transfers for two of our open grants, trying to finish up one of the
smaller grants. As usual, wheels turn frustratingly slow here, but I do have
faith that it all will happen by the time I leave. And if not, well, I will be
back.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And though it seems
the weekends should be a time of relaxation and catching up on sleep, I have
continued to pursue my current plan of trying to get out hiking one day every
weekend. When I was going through the doldrums in the winter, I realized even
more strongly how important it is for my sense of well-being to find myself at
least once a week out happily tramping the trails of Crimea. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So in keeping with that
policy, the following Sunday after Chatyr Dag, a group of us set off to hike to
the cave city of Eski Kermen. I had been there once before—on my first birthday
here—but we were rained out on that day and only got to explore part of the
ruins. I had always wanted to go back, so was glad for the chance. And I was
especially glad that Anton, even though he wasn’t able to go with us, came up
with an alternative route to get there which was a lovely hike along an old
dirt road that wound through forests and valleys bordered by high rock walls
that contorted into unusual rock formations.So much better than the asphalt
road through old collective farms that we hiked before.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WHlpKEVhtuhjdnrvKJ1iRRuQypJbPLwjQ8Q7vVj2Zoq_1zSlUM8qxIP177IT42PIjOTSKqRLiD7o9XbocAO0vHjjG6v1ZHroZIWvMHY55R87fodXreTZOpQnZSwTNN71xcIY4Sae6PlR/s1600/DSC04576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WHlpKEVhtuhjdnrvKJ1iRRuQypJbPLwjQ8Q7vVj2Zoq_1zSlUM8qxIP177IT42PIjOTSKqRLiD7o9XbocAO0vHjjG6v1ZHroZIWvMHY55R87fodXreTZOpQnZSwTNN71xcIY4Sae6PlR/s320/DSC04576.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view out a cave window</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_135Q7XFJOOT0GwI_oO-RrJ_Q6qRb-Mqjz65hVXtHBCkmaCfD5bCtn_ROSfPXVoRtnHretPk1AwPTIxtsoWydtfD0JRUre6TuM1gUspUmfl0VgMuq7xGab_zu-_m6aeQXLqtoh-VQpOue/s1600/DSC04600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_135Q7XFJOOT0GwI_oO-RrJ_Q6qRb-Mqjz65hVXtHBCkmaCfD5bCtn_ROSfPXVoRtnHretPk1AwPTIxtsoWydtfD0JRUre6TuM1gUspUmfl0VgMuq7xGab_zu-_m6aeQXLqtoh-VQpOue/s320/DSC04600.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olga</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QumkWKIIxSSKL_fSkUFfovPYMBccR0o2NzsOer-yuKXIN9DiCZjJ6u7KdJo_FNPeYBMCFlLGKYSHWenvxvq80gGzlK53W04CiUFlZHb0sYyZKLm8NRPvEo6IdEvCMVJ3gD85URPKiCSp/s1600/DSC04622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QumkWKIIxSSKL_fSkUFfovPYMBccR0o2NzsOer-yuKXIN9DiCZjJ6u7KdJo_FNPeYBMCFlLGKYSHWenvxvq80gGzlK53W04CiUFlZHb0sYyZKLm8NRPvEo6IdEvCMVJ3gD85URPKiCSp/s320/DSC04622.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the many caves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFABcD0rWocfAgpHRDRXB-rr3DrB6BWLtzSKU5u5UVbIzmy-RDXGSTpMF5e92xpQzKXViCeXohx3cwrv0He2_WmM6VW22pPmgYT3l3fGrz3qVTCsJM1UivGz-uHqgjep0X3cYfqmLtJCW/s1600/DSC04717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFABcD0rWocfAgpHRDRXB-rr3DrB6BWLtzSKU5u5UVbIzmy-RDXGSTpMF5e92xpQzKXViCeXohx3cwrv0He2_WmM6VW22pPmgYT3l3fGrz3qVTCsJM1UivGz-uHqgjep0X3cYfqmLtJCW/s320/DSC04717.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The intrepid explorer</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The cave city of Eski Kermen
is a vast network of over 400 caves carved out of the cliff walls on a high
plateau. Established in the 8<sup>th</sup> century BC, it was the home for the
ancient civilizations of Crimea and later the early Christians, as evidenced by
the altars and icons carved into the walls of the caves. Nothing is left of the
above ground structures, but the multi level caves are fascinating to explore.
At one place, there is an ancient stairway carved out of the earth that goes
down into the darkness to a well that provided water for the town when it was
under siege. We didn’t venture down—it looked way too scary and you really
couldn’t see where it ended up. In the US, it would have been blocked offas
“too dangerous,” as maybe many of the caves would have been, but here there was
just a warning sign to be careful. And even that is a rarity in Ukraine. Safety
concern as we know in America is not a common practice in Ukraine.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Because Cheryl
couldn’t go at the last minute (she is now in the throes of her own visa
registration hell), I was the only native English speaker in the group. And
though everyone spoke a little English—the group consisting of the three young
women at the library who are in my English class (Lilya, Elmaz, and Zarema)
plus Anton’s mother Olga—I knew it would be a different experience to not have
anyone I could really talk to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
it didn’t much bother me. I have become so accustomed to communicating though
the language barrier, to be on the outside of conversations among Russian
speakers, that much of the time I am okay with it, that I don’t feel I need to
know everything that is being said. Indeed, sometimes I think it is one of the
reasons my life seems so peaceful here--the other side of the immense
frustration I often feel and frequently write about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I enjoyed being with everyone on the hike and
it was fine to sometimes feel alone amidst the group. It did not change the
underlying feeling of friendship and warmth, and, as always, I was so grateful
to just be here.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Love from Crimea.<a href="" name="_GoBack"></a></span></div>Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-49925063736077196092012-06-03T04:16:00.000-07:002012-06-03T04:16:00.967-07:00Trail Food on Chatyr Dag<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Recently after a truly glorious--though exhausitng--11-hour hike on Chatyr Dag mountain, I wrote this blog post for The Pickle Project. Here it is in its entirety because at the moment I am too lazy to edit it!</span></i></div>
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<span>One of the things that
has amazed me about food in Ukraine—and continues to amaze me after three years
of living here—is how Ukrainians never hesitate to turn an ordinary meal into a
banquet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Weddings, holiday gatherings at
work, birthday dinners at home, relatives visiting, breaking of religious fasts,
guests from a different country—the list is endless of the opportunities to
turn a typically “good” meal into a true feast.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But nowhere do I see
this phenomenon so dramatically as out on the hiking trail. More than once I
have been travelling with a group of Ukrainians, carrying all of our food and
water on our backs, only to sit down for lunch and watch them pull out a vast
array of differentdishes to share with everyone—a true trailside banquet. This
past weekend was a case in point. My hiking partner, fellow Crimean Peace Corps
Volunteer Cheryl Pratt, and I joined with our newest Ukrainian fellow hikers
for a day trip into the Crimean mountains. Our group was composed of: Lilya, a
young woman who works at my library; Anton, a young man we met on our last
hiking trip (where he helpfully guided us back to the right trail as we had
gotten a bit lost); his mother Olga, an attractive, very fit looking woman in
her forties who works as a psychologist in two local schools; and two
individuals we met on the trolleybus on the way to our starting point—Pavel, a
60-something TV technician, and his 13-year old son, Boris. Pavel had heard
Cheryl and I speaking English on the trolleybus while looking at a trail map.
He gave us lots of friendly advice on future trail possibilities, and then
askedif he and his son could join us that day. But, in truth, we ended up
joining them. Pavel turned out to be a very experienced hiker and had been on
the mountain many times and knew the correct route (which I was a little hazy
about). We also realized he was an excellent English speaker, a rarity in a
Ukrainian of that age. He told us that in his earlier life he had been a
professor of English at a local university. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As we began the long
trek up to the high plateau of Chatyr Dag (“tent mountain” in Crimean Tatar),
Pavel pointed out the vegetation along the way, frequentlygiving us the
Russian, Latin, and Crimean Tatar names, and told us some of the history of the
area --how the plateau was at one time used as a pasture for Crimean Tatar
shepherds and later Soviet collective farms--and also how to find some of the
fifty caves located on the vast plateau. What a wealth of information he had,
and oh so wonderful, he spoke English and I could understand him! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">After struggling up
some very steep inclines, we finally reached the plateau and made our way to
the lowest of the two peaks on Chatyr Dag, marveling at the views all around us
as we were on the second highest mountain in Crimea. To the south was the Black
Sea, to the east and west the peaks and plateaus of the Crimean mountain range,
and far to the north, the city of Simferopol.Somewhere in those distant northern
ridges wasmy village of Ak Mechet, where I so frequently gazed at this very place
we were standing on.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The fog from the sea
rolled in and out, temporarily obscuring our views and the warmth of the sun.
This sea fog is the reason that the Crimean mountains, though not high, are
considered dangerous, as the frequent and sudden fogs result in several deaths
every season when inexperienced hikers become lost and stumble over the steep
precipices on the edges of the mountain plateaus. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Deciding to take a
break after our steep climb, we all settled down on the soft carpet of alpine
grass and got out lunch. As usual, Cheryl and Ipulled out our standard lunch
fare—cheese, bread, hard boiled eggs, cucumbers (in season now), apples, and
cookies. Pavel and Olga, however, had other things in mind. First, Olga got out
a flower print plastic tablecloth and spread it on the ground. Then she started
hauling out food from her and Anton’s backpacks: a plastic container of cheese
pancakes (made from the local cottage cheese called tovorg which is frequently
sweetened with sugar); another container of cutlets (ground meat mixed with
onions and herbs and fried in the ubiquitous sunflower oil);a large bag of
cucumbers; bread (“baton” in Russian, what Americans call French bread); <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pre-made sandwiches (egg salad I think) on two
types of bread, white and dark; and apples and juice. Pavel added salo (cured
slabs of fatback, an Ukrainian national food)that he cut into small pieces with
his hunting knife, fried pieces of fish, and “blinchikis” (thin crepe-like
pancakes wrapped around some kind of filling) filled with a meat/spice mixture
that was quite tasty.<a href="" name="_GoBack"></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Both Olga and Pavel
assured us that all the food was “domashne”—made at home from scratch, as it
always is in Ukraine. Pavel even made sure that we knew his mother (whom I’m
thinking must be at least 80) made those blinchikis. And also, as always, food
was brought to share and in large quantities and was laid out in the middle of
the tablecloth where we all gathered around and chose from the many offerings.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think about our typical American hiking
lunches—each individual having their own sandwich and maybe an apple and a
couple of cookies (something I have learned NOT to do here in Ukraine)--and
think, “yep, these Ukrainians really have this food thing figured out.” What a
wonderful meal in the middle of what turned out to be a long and arduous hike. It
provided nourishment for our bodies and also a chance to share with other people,
who before that day were mostly strangers, the fruits of our labor. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rested, satiated,
filled with the pleasure of eating delicious food surrounded by the beautiful
scenery of Crimea, we were ready to trek on to the highest peak on Chatyr Dag,
a few kilometers away, and then down and across the lower plateau to our final
destination of the village of Perevalnoe and the trolleybus back to Simferopol.
Daylight had faded by the time we arrived in the village after our 11-hour
hike, but despite our tired and sore bodies, I think we were all filled with
wondrous memories of the day and the gladness of finding new friends to share it
with. And of having eaten some really good food.</span></div>Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-92009805433499935372012-05-17T23:07:00.004-07:002012-05-17T23:30:08.783-07:00My friend Robin comes to Crimea<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSO6IsJv534do3C49yq1gHKLbblGTouwGUFqaUGq4WkWDjtu7ZQnAaGfCCXwsbItaKmJmlfrOubkX0fdc-G2T6fgEvTydJaMNYMcNqXutav7DI0xlVyIiVVSGMuz7KxTaENyMJKQD4L5qj/s1600/IMG_3838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSO6IsJv534do3C49yq1gHKLbblGTouwGUFqaUGq4WkWDjtu7ZQnAaGfCCXwsbItaKmJmlfrOubkX0fdc-G2T6fgEvTydJaMNYMcNqXutav7DI0xlVyIiVVSGMuz7KxTaENyMJKQD4L5qj/s320/IMG_3838.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Hrdilez, the Crimean Tatar spring festival</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2RWSdKR_3ob26jkzjMDv4i0C-fc_mwOV1O5PlkIYcLh2vNnVfIu8UxzC337GXcQSqbJja7MzBsxePX4Wim3qaRxHtlQj5ZjOptQw5M37PR6eLWdbjNE3IuzoySJMVx4C62J3-tCues1D/s1600/IMG_3897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2RWSdKR_3ob26jkzjMDv4i0C-fc_mwOV1O5PlkIYcLh2vNnVfIu8UxzC337GXcQSqbJja7MzBsxePX4Wim3qaRxHtlQj5ZjOptQw5M37PR6eLWdbjNE3IuzoySJMVx4C62J3-tCues1D/s320/IMG_3897.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The caverns along the coast in Novy Svit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3FPnLBH2WU3bveb551Il1RLqoTVYVCaZ3vAP4HVFhO__3rTRY_rfPBrmhMY9I44Qkn6WiE-_nlTp2mkINUbA51XhCRj8-bYP70ZWWzN-q7fusFe9er4ln70EshdSkWhs12ndzSy2GqCf/s1600/IMG_3988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3FPnLBH2WU3bveb551Il1RLqoTVYVCaZ3vAP4HVFhO__3rTRY_rfPBrmhMY9I44Qkn6WiE-_nlTp2mkINUbA51XhCRj8-bYP70ZWWzN-q7fusFe9er4ln70EshdSkWhs12ndzSy2GqCf/s320/IMG_3988.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin at Swallow's Nest with the Black Sea behind her</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EYaTKB3t_O6ylCC5yFf7pa6FaQSYAHS3Kqrp49IHk-mOPp5BSHTO0tEqpvpWBY62N5qJqdT1doinIpnhBBvh1oRvCD0hMaKJIBSobN0Mtw_dIJ7d3QlXCvIqjRKGe2CkaZZXGsGat-vs/s1600/IMG_4037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EYaTKB3t_O6ylCC5yFf7pa6FaQSYAHS3Kqrp49IHk-mOPp5BSHTO0tEqpvpWBY62N5qJqdT1doinIpnhBBvh1oRvCD0hMaKJIBSobN0Mtw_dIJ7d3QlXCvIqjRKGe2CkaZZXGsGat-vs/s320/IMG_4037.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Serdar's university</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6MVUfE15z8rujNE2dPawR1eb1ey6VFv2LyDio8-8bPHGbuObkP481GDPjaEqU57O7Si1wr9M_4qB_XEJ84zHtGn-hUIszBpHGYnLmFfc_hewZa5BqGFMS0nRtJDcXzyZeuOHM4njOLKt/s1600/IMG_4087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6MVUfE15z8rujNE2dPawR1eb1ey6VFv2LyDio8-8bPHGbuObkP481GDPjaEqU57O7Si1wr9M_4qB_XEJ84zHtGn-hUIszBpHGYnLmFfc_hewZa5BqGFMS0nRtJDcXzyZeuOHM4njOLKt/s320/IMG_4087.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signing autographs at the Victory Day parade in Simferopol</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNznqVSmUQCHu2CuTQj9aJ35Tef9LScIcUxYZHPCtQd9TorX-ph1sAoJ0CTfphvSgQXLK1uETj3lV8eY6LUtgunA2K88bIj_jqg9r3DY1LtBy3YiOTogzjPMuUMgSyZCUkjRkiplAjOWOC/s1600/IMG_3673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNznqVSmUQCHu2CuTQj9aJ35Tef9LScIcUxYZHPCtQd9TorX-ph1sAoJ0CTfphvSgQXLK1uETj3lV8eY6LUtgunA2K88bIj_jqg9r3DY1LtBy3YiOTogzjPMuUMgSyZCUkjRkiplAjOWOC/s320/IMG_3673.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the library with Nadjie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQmWkPQM82BQvkX7MTiw8i5spOd6zDRf2wROtpXC7_oQbd4i8F89Byh-DZvhx8kX8EFEBDxgpsWpho5aZ-hDk0SF1KzlVmVz1uklOMlr1bOdZDl7K2knOil1eWOeZJ2O4K3bh2qXzC0qc/s1600/IMG_3770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQmWkPQM82BQvkX7MTiw8i5spOd6zDRf2wROtpXC7_oQbd4i8F89Byh-DZvhx8kX8EFEBDxgpsWpho5aZ-hDk0SF1KzlVmVz1uklOMlr1bOdZDl7K2knOil1eWOeZJ2O4K3bh2qXzC0qc/s320/IMG_3770.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out a "window" from one of the caves in Chufat Kale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5DV6_cdbh1emKV_p3wuR1r4cJbTNkH9BYt9-89_6MqU-LaApNXjHWO-m8bygF25rann15Pb-3The2qV7JEX8yuf7WYMDCs3Ye_2KvumX4LcdUGrrz-WwYz65Pdpicw4eRcPdnwdhEckP/s1600/IMG_8411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5DV6_cdbh1emKV_p3wuR1r4cJbTNkH9BYt9-89_6MqU-LaApNXjHWO-m8bygF25rann15Pb-3The2qV7JEX8yuf7WYMDCs3Ye_2KvumX4LcdUGrrz-WwYz65Pdpicw4eRcPdnwdhEckP/s320/IMG_8411.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last night with the family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
My last couple of
weeks was taken up with my pal Robin coming to visit me in Ukraine! What a great time we had. I had been planning
her visit for weeks, trying to narrow down all the choices to the best possible
places. We kind of ran out of steam at the end, but we managed to see some
beautiful sights in both Kyiv and Crimea.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I took the train up to
Kyiv to meet Robin’s plane and got us a nice apartment to stay in the center
(apartment rental instead of hotels is a common practice here and other
European countries—cheaper and usually a lot nicer). Robin’s visit happened to
fall on two major holidays in Ukraine—Labor Day and Victory Day. Labor Day is a
big communist holiday and sure enough, as we tried to get to the subway station
on the main street in Kyiv, we were greeted by large groups of people carrying
the communist party flag marching down the middle of the boulevard. I’m sort of
used to seeing communist party signs and paraphernalia, but I think it was
pretty interesting for Robin—a true ex-Soviet country experience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Besides our encounter
with the communist party, we also saw many of the famous historic sites in
Kyiv, did some souvenir shopping (for the nephew a Green Bay Packers Russian
matrushka stacking doll!) had a great meal at a Georgian restaurant, and made
our way out to Babbi Yar, the site of the worst single massacre of Jews in the
Holocaust. There are three memorials there, including a large beautifully
decorated menorah which marks the actual ravines where people were shot. The
whole area is a large suburban park now, and the ravines are mostly hidden by
dense woods. But here and there you come out into a clearing and peer over into
a ravine, and stop a minute and think what it must have been like for those
thousands of people who thought they were going to a different community and
instead were taken to their deaths. It was a peaceful place, those woods once
filled with such horror. Nature is so indifferent to the cruelties of humans.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Robin wanted the
experience of an overnight train trip in Ukraine, so I had booked a “kupe” for
our trip to Simferopol. We lucked out and got one of the new kupes, which means
the bathrooms are self-contained and not locked during the station stops
(because the rest of the time they use the tracks for their disposal), and we
shared our 4-person compartment with two delightful young people who spoke some
English. One of them was going to be married in five days, so it was pretty fun
to be in on his excitement. They both got off a few hours before Simferopol, so
we had the luxury of the compartment to ourselves for the always somewhat
hectic last few hours (imagine sharing a tiny bedroom with three strangers and
trying to negotiate getting up, getting dressed, putting away the bed things,
having some tea, packing and being ready to hop off the train the instant it
stops, as some trains only remain at a station for a few minutes).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Serdar and a taxi were
waiting for us at the train station in Simferopol, and we were whisked home to
a wonderful, warm welcome from the family, a welcome that only grew the longer
Robin was with us. There were many great meals, lots of laughter trying to
communicate with me as a translator (I didn’t do TOO bad…), pictures of family
and home to share, and on Robin’s final night, she took them out to dinner and
we all ended up dancing! Well, not Safie and Serdar—Safie occupied herself
taking videos of us and Serdar spent a lot of his time off somewhere talking on
his phone. But Neshet and Lenura and
Robin and I all love to dance in our own worlds, so it was a lovely experience
to share that passion across the barriers of language and culture. We did
Crimean Tatar dances, folk dances Robin remembered (or tried to at Neshet’s
urging) and plain own disco. What a joyful end to Robin’s visit to Crimea.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I won’t go into much
detail about what all we did in Crimea, as we traveled mostly to places I had
been before (and recorded in this blog) and that I knew she would love to
see—the spectacular coastal trail in Novy Svit, the palace of the khans and the
cave city of Chufat Kale in Bakchiseray, the trails around Ak Mechet that lead
up to the top of rock cliffs with beautiful views of the surrounding
pastureland and distant mountains, the annual Crimean Tatar spring festival of
Hirdilez where she had a chance to experience Crimean Tatar culture in full
display. We made the obligatory trip to Yalta, that being the one place in
Crimea almost all foreigners have heard of. There we did something new (for
me)—we took a boat tour down the coast to the “Swallow’s Nest”—a castle perched
on top of a steep cliff that is the often photographed symbol of Crimea and
even of Ukraine. I had been there before but had read that it was best viewed
from the sea. And I would have to agree with that, but what interested me more
was the whole view of Yalta and the surrounding coastline. I had often seen
pictures of that view from the sea and also reproductions of old paintings. Out
on the boat and gazing back at the original old waterfront buildings of Yalta, I
had a glimpse of how Yalta must have looked two hundred years ago during
Czarist times. If I could block out the ugly (to me) high rises that pop up
everywhere, I could understand how this beautiful coastal city was a haven for
writers like Chekov and a magnet for the Russian aristocracy. Yalta and the
surrounding mountains were also an ancestral home for many Crimean Tatars in
the centuries before Russia took over Crimea, and that too I could envision. Those few hours on the sea gave me an
appreciation of Yalta that I have<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4579879103632399404" name="_GoBack"></a> been hard put to find
amidst the glitz and commercialism of modern day Yalta, and for that I was
grateful.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love to all from
Crimea, where it is lonely without my friend Robin.</div>Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-294756702442972812012-04-27T00:39:00.001-07:002012-05-17T06:19:07.819-07:00Return to Paragilmen<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Mt. Paragilmen</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQ7ZiOkJkmFmaaMA5PPTB2e4xAflGF1upamFdpLTa6PDhmBhkhel6bRI22FwB9eXoY4Nn_GQbCHonqRaRYjw367J3xjlRbVHWsZDYHIRCxuCtWWPKMmfsNtrOrfjbE55T7ty71VmpTqqV/s1600/IMG_7718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQ7ZiOkJkmFmaaMA5PPTB2e4xAflGF1upamFdpLTa6PDhmBhkhel6bRI22FwB9eXoY4Nn_GQbCHonqRaRYjw367J3xjlRbVHWsZDYHIRCxuCtWWPKMmfsNtrOrfjbE55T7ty71VmpTqqV/s320/IMG_7718.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I think we might be jumping right to summer here. Sure
warmed up fast, but these beautiful sunny days are such a treat after our long drawn
out cold winter. Last weekend I made it out hiking once again with my PCV pal
Cheryl and our “protégé,” as Cheryl calls her, Lilya from the library. This
time we went to Mt. Paragilmen down on the coast where I had gone with Safie
and her classmates last fall. Then we never made it to the top of the mountain,
as fog descended and obscured the plateau in a thick wall of grey, and our
guide wisely (as it turns out because later we encountered a pair of hikers who
had come down from the top and said it was snowing up there) chose to keep his
charges on a path at the base of the mountain. So I resolved to go back when
the weather was better and there was a chance of hiking to the top.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Here we are at the top!</b></div>
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<b>Anton, one of our new hiking companions.</b></div>
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As usual, I only vaguely knew where we were going and the
maps I had were of little use. But we got off at a trolleybus stop somewhat
after our original destination along with a group of backpackers who also didn’t
seem to know where they were going. But after rearranging gear from our long
trolleybus ride, we all started trudging back up the highway to the turnoff
that I remembered from my previous trip. We soon lost the backpackers as they
appeared to be going somewhere other than Paragilmen, and Cheryl and Lilya and
I started searching for a trail that I was sure must exist somewhere that would
lead us to the top. On the map, Paragilmen is marked as a botanical reserve and
I had read a brief description of it on the internet that talked about the rare
plants found on the plateau. So I
assumed there would be many trails leading to the top, and we just had to find
one. But apparently that isn’t the case, as we started off on several trails
that looked promising but then just petered out in the forest. Eventually we
just took to bush whacking our way up, something that Lilya wanted to do from
the beginning but was held back by Cheryl and I’s cautiousness. Ah, the
optimism of youth—“Get lost? What’s that? We can’t get lost…”</div>
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As it turned out, it wasn’t too hard going. I could tell
from our map that the back side of the mountain gradually sloped upwards and
the woods were not so leafed out that we couldn’t mostly continuously keep the
peak in sight. Finally we arrived out on to the openness of the plateau and
were greeted by magnificent views of the sea in front of us and Babugan plateau—the
area of the highest peaks of Crimea—behind us. </div>
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There was only one other group of people up there—a woman
and her two young sons—so it was not the popular hiking destination I thought
it was, and thus the lack of trails. We asked the woman how they came up to the
plateau, and she told us of a different approach which sounded a lot more
promising, trail wise. We determined to try it on our way back. </div>
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But first we took some time to roam the open plateau,
amazing at the beauty of the surrounding area, taking many pictures, and
eventually settling down to some lunch. This time Lilya did not bring a whole
feast and just brought things to share, obviously with the idea of depending on
food we would bring too. Maybe that first time with us she wasn’t sure us
Americans would bring any food!</div>
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We searched some for the 1000-year-old yew tree that was
supposed to be nestled in a crack in the rocks on top, and finally realized it
was probably the sprawling tree in front of us. Most of it was clinging to the
rocks over the vertical cliff face, so we really couldn’t see its thick and gnarly
trunk without leaning over a very scary precipice. But it did remind me some of
the very ancient trees you sometimes find in the high mountains of California. </div>
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<b>Dima with Lilya.</b></div>
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The weather started to turn windy and cold and it looked
like rain might be rolling in with darkening clouds, so we decided to try and
find the trail the woman told us about and make our way back down. They had
long gone and we watched in what direction they left, but when we tried to head
that way too, it seemed a mystery about where exactly this trail was that they
were talking about. But while searching we came across a clearly well used
trail that seemed to be going in the direction of the Babugan plateau behind
Paralgimen, and we decided to take that, thinking it would eventually hook up
with a trail that would take us down to the sea. As we went along, it continued
to be a well used trail which was reassuring, but it continued to go in the
direction of Babugan, which was not so reassuring. However, we didn’t want to
turn back and end up bush whacking our way down, so on we went.</div>
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And as fate would
have it, we happened upon two young men—Anton and Dima—who were coming down
from Babugan and knew the way out, and we ended up hiking with them the
remainder of the afternoon. I mostly hiked with Anton who was eager to
practice his English, and what a sweetheart he was. He grew up in Crimea and talked
about his love for the land and how so many people did not understand that. When
I told him how much I loved Crimea he seemed grateful that I recognized the
beauty and specialness of this place. I didn’t get much of a sense of his
companion, Dima, but Cheryl spent some time hiking with him and also said he
was delightful. Much to everyone’s surprise, when I parted I asked
Anton for his phone number with the possibility of arranging for all of us to
go hiking again. He was excited about the idea—kind of an English language
hiking club—so we made some tentative plans for a future hike. I’m not sure
exactly how Lilya felt about them, but it turned out they all went to the same
university and shared the profession of computer programmer, so had much in
common. That and the fact they liked to hike! I’m thinking, “Here are some nice
young men for Lilya to get to know (who doesn’t have a boyfriend).” But they aren’t Crimean Tatar, and I know most
Crimean Tatars (96% is the figure I remember reading somewhere) marry within
their people. But hiking partners? Seems that could be anybody. Well, I am sure
I will have some interesting stories to report from our future hikes.</div>
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Love to all from Crimea where it is finally spring and my
circle of hiking companions is ever expanding.</div>Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-51420134927963232022012-04-18T11:04:00.004-07:002012-04-18T11:14:18.638-07:00Mangup Kale and a new hiking palIt’s Wednesday, the day I usually stay home, walk to the bazaar, cook dinner. All of which I did today—made chicken chili, one of my better family pleasers. Some of the things I come up with aren’t always too popular. <br /><br />Stormy weather today—a blasting wind rattling the roofs, debris flying around. Indeed, Serdar called from the center to say that a roof had blown off one of the buildings, smashing some cars (hopefully they were parked and without occupants), and one of the cables for the trolleybuses had snapped. Neshet isn’t home yet and it is getting kind of late, so probably the traffic is a mess too. We have winds like these in Crimea somewhat often—no tornadoes I don’t think, but very powerful winds that can cause a lot of damage.<br /><br />Been trying to figure out at the library exactly what I am going to do in this upcoming—and last—year as a Peace Corps volunteer, what I want to accomplish. We still have two PC funded projects to complete, and the possibility to apply for another one in the fall. Along with my English teaching, blog writing, and various other tasks, I can keep myself fairly busy, but I still feel the need to focus on a larger goal. So I decided I am going to put a major effort into raising funds for the bookmobile project. I don’t know if I will be able to accomplish it—I don’t think the odds are on my side and I’m not really a very good fundraiser—but it is an idea I so love and I want to at least give it a try. I don’t want the year to be over without at least having made that attempt. I have this continuous vision in my head of a brightly painted “bibliobus”-- as we call it in Russian-- with Gasprinsky Library in big letters on the side, tooling over the countryside, serving those remote Crimean Tatar communities scattered across the peninsula.<br /><br />The other thing I decided is that I am going to go hiking every weekend, unless I have something else I need to do or no one to do it with. I know it is what I love the most, what feeds that deep love I have for this land. I am lucky that I have such a willing hiking partner in my PVC buddy Cheryl, and now I have found a new hiking friend, one of the young women at the library. After a weekend outing, I would come into the library and tell about my adventure, and she kept saying she wanted to come too. I wasn’t sure how serious she was, but then last weekend she said, “Okay, when are we going to go? How about this weekend?” So I said, “Sure, let’s go.” Called up Cheryl and made a plan to go to Mangup Kale, a place Cheryl has wanted to see and where Lilye (the library friend) had never been. It’s one of the renowned “cave cities” of Crimea, which aren’t really cave cities but the ruins of ancient settlements high up on plateaus above the surrounding valleys, with caves carved into the cliff walls. I had been to Mangup Kale once before but would gladly go again.<br /><br />Our plan was to go on Monday because it was a holiday (Easter the day before) and everyone had the day off from work. By Saturday the weather was looking iffy, and Lilye called to ask if we were still going. I said “Yes, Cheryl and I will probably go no matter what,” so she said, “Okay, I’ll be there.”<br /><br />I didn’t really know what to expect of Lilye as a hiking partner—she hasn’t worked at the library very long and I barely know her. She is in my little English class and does speak some English and is eager to learn more. But I wondered how it would be with a pretty much non-English speaker all day and Cheryl and I’s not so good Russian. But it turned out just really wonderful. She was a great sport—didn’t have the proper shoes or clothing, of course, and carried food in an oversized purse—but that didn’t stop her from merrily trudging along wherever we led her. Which, unfortunately, wasn’t always the best idea. I couldn’t exactly remember how to get up to the plateau so we got off on a trail that ended up being very difficult at the end—pretty much straight up on a slippery muddy slope. We were all breathing hard, clinging to roots and rocks trying to get a footing, constantly peering up at the plateau top which never seemed to get closer. <br /><br />But made it we did, and of course, it was so worth it—what a beautiful, magical place. We walked around a bit in awe, but then decided to rest awhile before we really started exploring and have some lunch. So Cheryl and I got out our usual cheese and bread and fruit. But Lilye opened up that purse she had been lugging up the mountain and in typical Ukrainian style, pulled out a feast for all of us—a loaf of bread, a large bag of boiled eggs, a Crimean Tatar dish called burman which is a layered pastry with vegetables, bags of cookies and candies, a can of something that we didn’t open. We all shared everything that we had brought, but Cheryl and I’s offerings looked pretty pitiful in contrast to Lilye’s banquet. We Americans really don’t know how to prioritize things—like the importance of having lots of food no matter where you are. <br /><br />After totally stuffing ourselves, we spent the next couple of hours wandering around the plateau, climbing into the caves, taking lots of pictures. Reluctant to leave, we had to scurry down a not-quite-so-steep trail (the “right” trail) to make it to the one bus that leaves the nearby village in time for Cheryl to get back to Simferopol and her bus home. We all agreed that it had been a wonderful, glorious day and Lilye said, “Next time you go to the mountains, can I go too?” And of course we agreed—she was a joy to be around and having a Russian speaker came in handy when we were trying to figure out exactly where that “right” trail was. She said she doesn’t have any friends who like to do this kind of thing, and when I think about it, I bet that’s true. Though quite beautiful in the way young women are here, I have never seen her in a dress or high heels, the typical attire for many of the women at work. She is always in jeans and looks like she could bound out onto a trail at any moment. So I am glad that we can give her that opportunity. And next weekend we are off together again on yet another adventure.<br /><br />Love to all from Crimea.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Which way??</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1nBNIPakxj18LVo8lw-vLzI6iab_iquaAChQUr_GGvuacc6mzUDMVdoWmgxCZGJqwkVXkdCgdRVPmJt4ZA_le3vi_bxGTsecMrHRUUJxPmMNzUPyqZwdb-Zi0E7trS-NUtnM0C1gey3V/s1600/IMG_7651.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1nBNIPakxj18LVo8lw-vLzI6iab_iquaAChQUr_GGvuacc6mzUDMVdoWmgxCZGJqwkVXkdCgdRVPmJt4ZA_le3vi_bxGTsecMrHRUUJxPmMNzUPyqZwdb-Zi0E7trS-NUtnM0C1gey3V/s320/IMG_7651.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732803798984410210" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Lilye, our new hiking partner.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kfzSzdo_x7hspbxBHxrszh052LzA-tF8G4g2cPLAA8uhq436dCBY9lO2Nv20xVs4Z3DzI5w3-6gfuv6dNXEcrxc5bV5hJ1zvr9Wx5d9l375N9rgOfNkZUh2m2LPZUwEJQkxDfqlGQjyP/s1600/IMG_7646.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kfzSzdo_x7hspbxBHxrszh052LzA-tF8G4g2cPLAA8uhq436dCBY9lO2Nv20xVs4Z3DzI5w3-6gfuv6dNXEcrxc5bV5hJ1zvr9Wx5d9l375N9rgOfNkZUh2m2LPZUwEJQkxDfqlGQjyP/s320/IMG_7646.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732803791197603026" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Remains of a 14th century fortress.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbh9rLJCA4rBMK0xoV_6fNp0leL8ty8ME_qdySoTWLaCcq16xzrCay_voc0f0s9hlIrQN8Kx2mdR79386U1uYr4gZJKGLS0t5PN4Y-XoC2zfhsaRGUPblTGTqutTLk_-F-5zL8ouOCNn7S/s1600/IMG_7638.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbh9rLJCA4rBMK0xoV_6fNp0leL8ty8ME_qdySoTWLaCcq16xzrCay_voc0f0s9hlIrQN8Kx2mdR79386U1uYr4gZJKGLS0t5PN4Y-XoC2zfhsaRGUPblTGTqutTLk_-F-5zL8ouOCNn7S/s320/IMG_7638.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732803780666431986" /></a><br />T<span style="font-weight:bold;">he three of us gather in front of a "window."</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKRUJNE4y4uUDLJ7e3s7tfaG0LlOLiTxZcghbRz5MTZmFseNxFq-VxuIHoph4a1cqiSllmXLborLJJjM_GmamZcVJ3NsYK47vXWzM_Iitoq-vKH-H053SnuaRto2yAbLDGyWejzWV3JFf/s1600/mangupKaleApr2012+029.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKRUJNE4y4uUDLJ7e3s7tfaG0LlOLiTxZcghbRz5MTZmFseNxFq-VxuIHoph4a1cqiSllmXLborLJJjM_GmamZcVJ3NsYK47vXWzM_Iitoq-vKH-H053SnuaRto2yAbLDGyWejzWV3JFf/s320/mangupKaleApr2012+029.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732803772112590594" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Looking out from one of the caves.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_OqoaPJXL4VJ3lNTCDcaBGTFm7ivvWvKE8GaRKi-Ns477LkFqWggkGC9Bc9d4d4qJzhR7BAFI0E8dgKU2vtMtXsNbp6dU-iE1HV1kFA3Vzj2XbPkQAsL4QnilxxthpHgbbHnE-dB45-D/s1600/IMG_7659.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_OqoaPJXL4VJ3lNTCDcaBGTFm7ivvWvKE8GaRKi-Ns477LkFqWggkGC9Bc9d4d4qJzhR7BAFI0E8dgKU2vtMtXsNbp6dU-iE1HV1kFA3Vzj2XbPkQAsL4QnilxxthpHgbbHnE-dB45-D/s320/IMG_7659.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732803805151347922" /></a>Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-28032184073584395092012-04-14T07:09:00.006-07:002012-04-14T07:36:35.041-07:00Back to adventuringAnd on with my life here. The visa registration process is over, now I can focus on other things. And the weather has finally moved a little more towards spring. Not that we aren’t without cold and sometimes windy and rainy days, but we do have some bursts of warmth and sunshine, and I am determined as always to take advantage of them.<br /><br />Besides as many local walks as I can fit in, I am starting to do some hiking in the mountains. But first, there was a trip to Yalta for a day with Nadjie to celebrate her birthday. Nadjie has a friend who lives in Yalta whom I have met several times. He is always inviting us to come and visit, so for her birthday, Nadjie decided to take him up on it. Luckily, he wasn’t busy and agreed to meet us at the bus station.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLszb2VsaGAcZ42Yf1Ov6BCAr_acGXgG5yuIyKZ8kL6i2cTe_OH1Lxxt_PT3PugOtamWHyktWqhC0bPh9tVjQbJ-reExjdlxzlClDyCs_HjRN_bPM25oK5opuHhr5WAMhf9biJeJZPwPv3/s1600/IMG_7095.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLszb2VsaGAcZ42Yf1Ov6BCAr_acGXgG5yuIyKZ8kL6i2cTe_OH1Lxxt_PT3PugOtamWHyktWqhC0bPh9tVjQbJ-reExjdlxzlClDyCs_HjRN_bPM25oK5opuHhr5WAMhf9biJeJZPwPv3/s320/IMG_7095.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731262432451598178" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Nadjie and Stanislav on the terrace of his cafe.</span><br />His name is Stanislav—mother Russian, father Kazan Tatar. He was born in Siberia but has lived in Yalta for 35 years. I don’t know how he ended up in Yalta or what he did in the years previously—he is my age. Someday I hope to get more of his story. <br />I have been to Yalta several times but only with other Americans or stumbling along on my own with a guidebook. So it was a real treat to be shown Yalta with a native, someone who lived there before it became so developed. Though I didn’t always understand what he was saying, I was able to absorb enough information that the next time I take a visitor there, I can be much more helpful.<br /><br />We took the trolley bus--free for us pensioners (basically anyone over 55)-- down to the water front and spent the day strolling from one end of the boardwalk to the other, Stanislav pointing out different landmarks along the way. Though it was windy and a bit cold, it was still pleasant to be there. We finished our excursion by ending up at the café he owns. It wasn’t open—is only open for the season—May through September—but he broke out some champagne and cognac in the typical birthday celebration style here, and the toasts began. Nadjie pretty much doesn’t drink, so we kept it to a minimum, but I could tell she was pleased by the attention. She kept saying that Stanislav and I are her only true friends, which though I don’t like to think of that’s true, perhaps it is.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SmlNuW_NHrWccrkk3fbt1V5GW99P6MZqO5luyPGMjDfsHPzYT-w7UBbJFz3XxFej-vhV7xI2NAFeuxSlTSz20ZScuObCEB__5cTFHJvRYLasEYz4kgxup0BX-41ZbPvt8HM119V4W0px/s1600/IMG_7082.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SmlNuW_NHrWccrkk3fbt1V5GW99P6MZqO5luyPGMjDfsHPzYT-w7UBbJFz3XxFej-vhV7xI2NAFeuxSlTSz20ZScuObCEB__5cTFHJvRYLasEYz4kgxup0BX-41ZbPvt8HM119V4W0px/s320/IMG_7082.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731262427481307474" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Stanislav's cafe.</span><br /><br />The following weekend, Cheryl and I took off for a true hike. The weather forecast was iffy, but more and more I realize exactly how unreliable the forecasts are here, so we just decided to chance it. She got an early morning bus into Simferopol (a 2-hour ride for her) and met me at the train/bus station. We also took off for Yalta, but instead of going into Yalta, we caught another minibus once we got there to the Uchan-Su waterfall and an 8 km. hike on the Botinsky Trail. We had heard about this hike and been wanting to try it. And I’m so glad we did—what a stunning trail along the mountains high above Yalta with magnificent views of the surrounding countryside and the Black Sea.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Wmfh_oSjXTm78RU7T1xEs5vIciPoBLsq44y1iiHF428raGrcS4GqI6XZ37Ej6988-ZZ_chnvIIxDWXUT4M7Jg2GFKpwFMLIFdlLflbUiYmgDGXHH-GyBWdwB5azzWGtSXMVRU4hQEktH/s1600/100_9381.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Wmfh_oSjXTm78RU7T1xEs5vIciPoBLsq44y1iiHF428raGrcS4GqI6XZ37Ej6988-ZZ_chnvIIxDWXUT4M7Jg2GFKpwFMLIFdlLflbUiYmgDGXHH-GyBWdwB5azzWGtSXMVRU4hQEktH/s320/100_9381.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731261774514178338" /></a><br />We started the hike at Uchan-Su, the highest waterfall in Ukraine. I had been there once before but there was little water running then. But in Yalta the weekend before I had seen how high the river was that comes down from the falls, so I wanted very much to see it again. And we were rewarded for our efforts.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjN-fSA1JKZbAyh7Cn9lgDu1TMIHl-giZJCHtBmhrI4CmOEixpc79aqtc-kr25Oupnw1HQhHn6VZyQEXk5Z_aUJFCa4iL6w4hKpgDLWDcpReF8unARPZxrqYLYfw4Xv5Szwe1jer9Tahh/s1600/100_9349.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjN-fSA1JKZbAyh7Cn9lgDu1TMIHl-giZJCHtBmhrI4CmOEixpc79aqtc-kr25Oupnw1HQhHn6VZyQEXk5Z_aUJFCa4iL6w4hKpgDLWDcpReF8unARPZxrqYLYfw4Xv5Szwe1jer9Tahh/s320/100_9349.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731261758831329618" /></a><br />Uchan Su means “flying waters” in Crimean Tatar and what an apt description it is of the water bursting over the mountain top high above us and “flying” down to the rocks below. As is true of many famous sites in Crimea that are accessible by car, there was a small admission fee to take the path to see the falls. When we came to the gate, the woman there said something to me about “souvenirs,” or so I thought, but I realized after a few minutes she was saying “pensioners,” and that I could see the falls for free! Yet another reason to keep my grey hair here in Ukraine, despite probably being the only woman I ever see without colored hair.<br /><br />When we left from the falls area, she gave us directions on how to get to the beginning of the trail, and off we went. And miraculously enough, we were able to find the beginning with no detours and indeed, never got lost on the entire hike. A first for us, I think. Trails here are poorly marked, if at all, plus there are numerous side trails that don’t appear on the maps, destined to confuse us map oriented hikers.<br /> <br />The weather was beautiful—at least at the beginning. Later it turned windy and cold and rainy, but we were near the end of our hike by then. We passed many waterfalls and rushing creeks which we crossed over on poorly maintained bridges—missing floor boards or holes in the floor boards.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2hQ9CxlpvpNPoi3wfrNdxpx4BxT6ffUp-7D_clOOij2JRgWsdQeX0vAqOgZF6C54H3ZyB8I1C5EnOO9EgbcC37r5KAsch_lfbh_kW0qsV7hlxBItRd-79NADktkk-49D7EdO7frO1ptR/s1600/100_9367.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2hQ9CxlpvpNPoi3wfrNdxpx4BxT6ffUp-7D_clOOij2JRgWsdQeX0vAqOgZF6C54H3ZyB8I1C5EnOO9EgbcC37r5KAsch_lfbh_kW0qsV7hlxBItRd-79NADktkk-49D7EdO7frO1ptR/s320/100_9367.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731261768529388338" /></a> The trail wound through forests of tall pine trees—what looked like red pines—and out onto exposed bluffs high above the valley. We encountered a few other hikers, but mostly we were alone to soak up the brilliance of the day. The trail is named after the physician of the last czar of Russia—Nicholas II—who “established” it (in reality it was probably used for centuries by Crimean Tatars and other early inhabitants of the peninsula) and exhorted Nicholas and his family to get out and hike for their health. He also established another trail below their summer home of Livadia Palace (the site of the Yalta conference) which I hope to hike someday.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL946UpokSSf239hbWjXWyqQ10S8N3i9PcGnM1-Ff1SpFUAbZczozGRb4-yONfyKYpm4H0u0xQl0rKrqnrulx5NrJhgj_xXmZ34RTStWyBCcTwdwomMJsvhNEDZ83TPW_PE_7z8A5-Di15/s1600/100_9383.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL946UpokSSf239hbWjXWyqQ10S8N3i9PcGnM1-Ff1SpFUAbZczozGRb4-yONfyKYpm4H0u0xQl0rKrqnrulx5NrJhgj_xXmZ34RTStWyBCcTwdwomMJsvhNEDZ83TPW_PE_7z8A5-Di15/s320/100_9383.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731261780983707474" /></a><br />It made me so happy to finally be out in the mountains I love so much after such a long and hard winter. Spring wildflowers were starting to come up, the birds were chattering away, and the water was running. Kind of like Minnesota, though below me was not Lake Superior, but the Black Sea surrounded by a world far different from Minnesota.<br /><br />With love from Crimea.Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-70818893286092483682012-04-09T04:38:00.005-07:002012-04-10T00:23:01.839-07:00In Pursuit of a Visa IIIMy visa quest is over!! After a final return to one of the two passport desks Nadjie and I had been frequenting, I received the final stamp on a document that says, yes, I can be a volunteer in Ukraine. Though, unfortunately, only for one year--which means I have to go through this process all over again next March in order to stay to the end of my service, three months later. Sigh… But’s that a year away and right now, I am very happy to be done with it all and not have to think I am going to spend yet another afternoon in yet another government office.<br /><br />As for Nadjie, I am sure she is even happier than I am. I knew of the difficulties of dealing with any kind of government agencies in Ukraine and the rampant corruption (as Serdar’s cousin told him: “Want a driver’s license? You can take the driving course or buy one which you probably will have to do anyhow because unless you slip the examiner a LOT of money, you won’t get a license no matter how well you drive.”). But actually experiencing the bureaucratic mechanisms here created a whole other level of understanding of just how very difficult it can be to be a Ukrainian citizen. And here’s why:<br /><br />The physical space: The offices were invariably open only for a few hours two or three days a week and even those hours weren’t sacrosanct—twice an official up and left in the middle of the two hours the office was open despite lines of people waiting to see him. Usually the hallways were crammed with people. No waiting areas, sometimes a row of chairs in an already small space, no organization of the waiting process (numbers or sign up lists), few or no signs explaining processes, documents needed, etc. Though obviously people were used to the situation and there was a certain etiquette about the waiting process, something I have observed in other places. People always asked who was last in line, and for the most part, followed the waiting order. Except when someone with more “pull” barged into an office in front of whomever was next in line. Much grumbling occurred among people still waiting, but, clearly, that too was a common event and like so much else here, was accepted with a sigh of resignation-- “What can you do?”<br /><br />The officials: Well, I guess it goes without saying—unfortunately-- that they were almost without exception rude, unfriendly and unhelpful. As an example, an official in one office approved some form that required our “landlord” to be there for the signature. A couple of days later, an official in an office across the hall said angrily, “No, this form isn’t correct. You need do redo it.” Which required the landlord to make yet another trip in his oh-so-kind agreement to help us. And on it went.<br /><br />But what I found really hard was the affect it all had on Nadjie. Her hands would shake; she would frantically stumble through her previously organized documents looking for the right form; she would just quietly acquiesce to whatever demands were made. At the first office we went to when the official clearly didn’t understand what visa I needed, it was I who had to say to the woman, “No, you are wrong. This is what I need.” Nadjie told me later that if she had said that, the official would have thrown her out of the office. And whether or not that is true, her fear and aversion to the whole process were very real. At some point in the weeks it took for all this happen, she said to me that because I am an American, I am receiving my visa very fast—that it took ten years to get her son registered an a Ukrainian citizen when they moved here from Uzbekistan. And, indeed, everyone I told about our registration attempts, just rolled their eyes and said, “Yes, of course, this is Ukraine. You should have seen what it was like when we came here from Uzbekistan.”<br /><br />And so, despite the immense frustration I felt with the whole visa registration process, what it really became for me was an intense learning experience that gave me yet another bit of understanding of what life is like for all Ukrainian citizens, but especially for that “other” class of citizens, the Crimean Tatars.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Here I am all legal in Ukraine!</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lmYn4y0z15fmlu4elpCLuXAKSfrfc1fByeLLOeRuUJGF9e6QaTYo9iSGH6ap1QWOz1Unu4mmG-uTUITks6RvdIpYtZkj1kTPI9mnT6qn7iCD0KyJ0zEqj7onkDr_mdOi89kVXMpMz6Dr/s1600/IMG_7524.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lmYn4y0z15fmlu4elpCLuXAKSfrfc1fByeLLOeRuUJGF9e6QaTYo9iSGH6ap1QWOz1Unu4mmG-uTUITks6RvdIpYtZkj1kTPI9mnT6qn7iCD0KyJ0zEqj7onkDr_mdOi89kVXMpMz6Dr/s320/IMG_7524.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729416104975388434" /></a>Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-10289989692083860562012-04-05T06:28:00.001-07:002012-04-05T06:30:49.145-07:00In Pursuit of a Visa IIEskender, a grizzled older man I estimate to be in his late 60’s, owns an apartment building--of sorts—more of an overgrown house--in Kamenka, one of the five compact Crimean Tatar settlements on the fringes of Simferopol. I had heard of Kamenka but had never been there, as it is on the opposite side of the city from Ak Mechet and a long bus ride from the center. It took us a while to get out there and then it was some time before we actually found Eskender’s apartment building. We wandered around the unpaved courtyard looking for him, trying not to bother a woman who was washing her clothes at an outdoor spigot (no water in the apartments?) and finally gave him a call. He pulled up in a beat up old Soviet car and escorted us down to his “office,” which turned out to be a dirt floored room underneath the building that you had to access through something that looked like a coal chute. We sat down at a makeshift table, and I looked around, trying to make sense of the place. Someone, at least some of the time, seemed to live there. Whether or not that is Eskender, I don’t know. There was a cot covered with old blankets, a hot plate, the little table we gathered around, several rickety chairs, and stacks of papers, books, boxes, foodstuffs, cups, and all kinds of other odds and ends everywhere.<br /> <br />Eskender and Nadjie proceeded to totally converse in Crimean Tatar so I was left out of the conversation even more than I usually am. But this wasn’t deliberate, I’m sure. As I learned more about his life, my guess is that Eskender always communicates in Crimean Tatar if that is a possibility. Yes, Nadjie translated, he would serve as my landlord and had the proper documents. I didn’t realize exactly what he was agreeing to, because, as it turned out, his being my “landlord” meant that he had to make at least four trips to the government offices with us and had to deal with the not-too-friendly workers in these offices—more on that aspect of my adventure later.<br /> <br />A couple of days after our visit to Eskender’s office, he showed up at the library with the documents we needed, and he also brought the book he wrote about his life to show me. It was not a polished looking, publisher- generated book, but rather a collection of many papers which were clearly not typed on a computer, loosely bound into an oversized folder. He wanted me to read the two introductions that someone had translated into English. They were obviously the work of an internet translation program because, as usual, the translation was very awkward and sometimes made no sense at all. But it was possible to extract the basic facts of his life, and what a story he had to tell.<br /><br />I didn’t have enough time to really absorb all of his story, but the gist was that he was part of what is called the “National Movement” among Crimean Tatars—the movement while they were in Uzbekistan to return to Crimea. Petitions were circulated, letters written, trips taken to Moscow to meet with officials from the Soviet government, and nonviolent protests that resulted in movement leaders, including Eskender, spending years in prison. He lost both his son and daughter—his daughter murdered at age 19 by some thug he knew in prison. He came to Crimea in 1967, over twenty years earlier than when Crimean Tatars were officially allowed to return, and was deported several times.<br /> <br />That is as much information as I could gleam from the introductions and what he told me, but it made me want to know more of his story. And perhaps I will have that opportunity, because he very much wants to have his book translated into English, and I offered to help him. I have since been back out to his place in Kamenka to return documents he had given us, and I offered once again, but I know it might take a long time for him to trust me enough to work with me. But I will be going out there once a month to give him the 100 UAH tax the government requires for my “apartment,” so perhaps we will get to know one another and slowly we can start making his dream a reality. For me, I would love to have a project such as this—I think it would help me with my language and also further my understanding of the history of the Crimean Tatar people. And I just think his story, among many other Crimean Tatar stories, needs to be told. If I can help do that, it will be time well spent.Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4579879103632399404.post-50869042307991302392012-03-27T06:56:00.001-07:002012-03-27T06:58:29.928-07:00In Pursuit of a Visa IMy life has been consumed these past few weeks with the process of trying to receive a visa to be in Ukraine until the end of my service which is now July 2013. As I said in earlier posts, the Ukraine government changed their visa laws last October, requiring a new form of visa for all foreigners, which has resulted in Peace Corps Volunteers taking over our own registration process, something that had previously been done in Kyiv without our involvement.<br /><br />Right now, this only affects those of us who are extending and the group that was sworn in last December. However, all new groups will have to abide by the new registration process, unless the pleas of the U.S. Embassy are successful in changing the requirements, which they mostly likely will be, given that the Ambassador is now meeting with the Ukraine Minister of Foreign Affairs.<br /><br />However, for Volunteers like me, who cannot wait for the outcome of these high level talks, it has been a nightmare. Initially, I was told to wait for the central registration process to happen in Kyiv once Peace Corps learned of how many documents were going to be required in Crimea. But the visa I received from the Moldova trip expires at the end of March, and with no word from Kyiv, my Peace Corps manager told Nadjie and I we had to start working on getting the registration done in Crimea. <br /><br />So we have spent every day for the last two weeks in various government offices, pursuing the elusive visa. Our biggest stumbling block has been the fact that landlords have to be involved in the registration process, providing documents proving their ownership of the house/apartment. Almost all landlords are reluctant to do this, as they are fearful of added taxes, etc., but in the case of Crimean Tatars, people don’t even have ownership documents. I discovered this fact when Neshet went with me to the registration place, only to be turned down because of not having the right documents. He has a document showing ownership of the land, but not the house. When I asked him why, he explained that when Crimean Tatars first returned to Crimea, they were only allowed to build houses in remote, unpopulated villages such as where Lenura’s parents live. They were denied access to land in Simferopol, where, of course, there was a much greater possibility of finding work. So people just started to squat on empty land surrounding Simferopol and began to build their houses. Eventually the government acquiesced (after a prolonged protest in the city center), and five “compact settlements” were established around Simferopol where Crimean Tatars could own land and build houses. At some point they were given deeds to the land, but by then, for the early settlers like Neshet, the houses had long been built without the required permits. And thus, they have no document showing that they own a house. Which begs the question of how they will pass their houses on to their children, and could the houses ever be sold. Many people have built substantial homes and over the years have continued to add improvements, such as what Neshet has done with our house. But all that work and money apparently will never be able to come back to them until there is some further development in the land reparations dispute.<br /> <br />But as it turns out, with the visa registration process the government doesn’t really care if you actually live were documents say you do--they just want some landlord to come forward and register you as living there. So we asked around Ak Mechet and the library to find someone who might possibly have the right ownership documents. Most people didn’t, but finally someone at the library told us to call someone she knew in one of the settlements who owned a large building with various apartments, and he agreed to act as my landlord.<br /><br />So that brings me to the next stage of my adventure—my meeting with, as it turns out, the legendary Eskender Umerova.Ukraine Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02351845415144728834noreply@blogger.com0