Well I had to review my last post quickly to know where I left off, things can move at a snail’s pace or swallow’s (look it up, they move really fast).
Last week a couple of good things happened, the one that might have the longest lasting impact will be that myself and another local guy ran wire in the library in preparation for connecting a computer network and starting to offer computer and internet classes. It was one of those super days and I was able to walk home feeling as though I had accomplished something. Of course now I need to wait for a remodel of a room so I can actually set up computers, which I was hoping would be done already, but the two things that Peace Corps will teach anyone is patience and flexibility. Two things I thought I had, but am learning more of both quickly. That and people here don’t always have a lot of it, so it can test mine even more.
The second part of last week found me at an English Camp run by the Ukrainian Catholic University. I was only there for the last couple days of an almost month-long camp, so it wasn’t quite as active as I was hoping, the best way to describe it, as told by another volunteer as a Peace Corps PR tour, but did get the chance to meet some interesting people. Some of the most interesting people were some Ukrainian monks who are in a Monastery in Poland. I found them to be extremely engaging, curious about Peace Corps and truly honest good guys.

But the most interesting cultural experience was I had the opportunity to attend my first Ukrainian wedding. Another volunteer Liz Read her account here invited me to a wedding of two people from her town and with it being on a weekend I couldn’t see why not to go. One of the first things you’ll notice different at weddings, is there are plenty of very old traditions, which I didn’t always understand, and can they can go on the whole night. Plus this one was in a village so there was no way I could say no.
To get there we boarded a marshrutka (well two, but on the first we were told wasn’t going where we wanted to go so we jumped off, luckily, before it left). The second one dropped us off along the side of a rather deserted road and the only directions we had at that point was “third house”. Somewhere along the line the directions got a little garbled, because it sure wasn’t the third. We stopped and asked several women who pointed us in the right direction and as we got closer we were able to start to just follow the music. About 20 minutes later of walking on dirt roads we found the right place, not quite the third house, maybe the thirtieth.
Once there, I never fully understood what was going on, but rather just followed the tide of people and heard what explanations I could from Liz, who had been to one previously. Let’s just say I saw it start off with what was described as “buying” the bride with vodka(?), stuffed animals and carrying what looked like a washing machine into the house. Don’t ask me to explain why, I don’t know.
Then it was time to sit and eat; on the way each guest gives their gift and wishes to the bride and groom before they went to sit down. I thought that was kind of neat as each guest got the opportunity to talk to them individually, although briefly. Then it was time for food. One thing you need to be prepared for is to eat, and drink, the entire night. The tables are just chock full of food and drinks. And as to be expected there were plenty of toasts in honor of the couple and plenty more just for the sake of toasting. I was also promptly renamed Yura, several of the other guests at the table had a real hard time pronouncing my name, not an uncommon experience, so they just gave me a new name, that was the new part of people not being able to pronounce my name. So the rest of the night, I had to remember to pay attention to “Yura”, it got called out a good number of times and became more popular as the night went on.
After a good amount of food was consumed the whole place went out and we danced polkas, traditional dances and what I guess are traditional games. I found the games most entertaining, the one I participated in was basically pretending to drop your pants and do your business over a bucket and then run back, trade the over-sized underwear with the next person in a relay game. It came with sound effects and everything; I still shake my head when I think about it. The second game, which I thankfully sat out, was to see who could make the longest cord by tying pieces of clothing together. It started out with guys removing their belts and shirts (I didn’t see women get quite as involved in it), but ended up with competition getting the best of them and guys ending up in their skivvies. It was just as well I sat that one out. Don’t think this game will catch on soon at most receptions.
A cross between a game and a dance was also on hand, this involved handkerchiefs that several people had and a big circle of people dancing around them. The basic idea is a guy/girls waves the handkerchief at a girl/guy and they will dance in the center, put the handkerchief on the ground and exchange a kiss, then one of them goes back to the circle and the game is repeated. I was popular among the 40-something married women . But pretty much everyone got pulled out of the circle at least twice.
But it was then time for another round of eating and drinking. By this point I had what I think is an almost unique experience in Ukraine, an older gentleman who had been sitting across from me the whole night was concerned about the amount I was drinking, he didn’t want me to get drunk. Liz had never seen such a thing before and I sure hadn’t. To be honest, I didn’t feel like I had been drinking that much and had only been taking partial shots for a while before that. But it was real nice of him. I got a good kick out of it. It will be one of those things I will take with me for a while.
At midnight there was a group leaving and we were both pretty beat, but the adventure didn’t end once we got into the taxi with four other people, count that is seven people in one car (normal). On the way home, a wheel almost came off the taxi. Serious.
There was a sudden noise that I thought might have meant a flat tire, never fun, but it happens, but when we got out of the vehicle I could see that the tire was not where it should have been in the wheel well but about a foot outside of it with only a metal rod connecting it. My only thought at that point was, we could have died. But the driver jacked up the car, knocked the tire back into place with a hammer and we took off again, at a slower speed and him stopping to check it regularly. When the group of us got to Sokal, where I spent the night, he charged us extra for the hassle.
The wedding probably went on until 4 or 5 that next morning, maybe longer. But I had a good time in the time I was there and came back rather impressed. It was a good time.