Thanksgiving in Ukraine

Being an American holiday, Thanksgiving isn’t recognized in Ukraine, but we were fortunate to be able to celebrate it with some of our fellow volunteers. We traveled to visit a friend of ours who lives in the city of Dolyna, near Ivano-Frankivsk. We spent the day with some Peace Corps friends, Charlotte (lives in Dolyna), Michael, and Margaret. On Friday we prepared an excellent traditional turkey on behalf of Michael’s connections with a friend at the US Embassy. For the most part the women took over the kitchen, while the men were sent hunting and gathering for all the necessary ingredients and last minute items. Not too bad of a deal for the guys!! We enjoyed a Butterball turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green beans with almonds, carrots, and corn pudding. For dessert we had a pumpkin pie and a Jello No-Bake Cheesecake (Yes, we were spoiled!!!). Just thinking of it makes our mouths water!

On Saturday, we met with the representatives from the business center in Dolyna who Charlotte works with, Sasha and Vasil, who escorted us on a tour of the region. The area was quite breathtaking since the city is located near the base of the Carpathian Mountains. On the tour, we visited a monastery and also explored some really cool rock formations that were inhabited over 500 years ago. After some breathtaking views, squeezing ourselves through some rock passages, we headed back to Dolyna.

That afternoon we made our way back to Ivano-Frankivsk for another gathering, this time with a larger crowd of both Peace Corps volunteers and Ukrainian counterparts. In all, there were 26 of us to share in food and friendship. Saturday was also the day that Ukraine recognized the devastation of the famine during Soviet times. This occurred in 1932-1933.

We are now back at site finishing up the first semester at our schools. Students are preparing for examinations and also for regional competitions in various subjects. Our work in the orphanage is going well as the children are learning simple English phrases. We are still living with Oksana, our host mother, as housing is an issue in a town of our size. Hopefully we will have our own place in the New Year.

The weather has been cold throughout the month of November, and we anticipate snow any day. It only snowed a little bit, during the first few days of this month.

As Christmas approaches, we are elated that our family and friends have brought 3 precious babies into the world, Elijah, Kaitlyn, and Victoria. We wish all our family and friends a safe and happy holiday season with much joy!!! We will write more after our time in Germany with the Doperak family.

Love, Beth and Scott

Fall Break – Kolomyia & Crimean Cultural Tour in Bakhchisaray

The first week in November was fall break in all secondary schools throughout Ukraine . Our schools had no requirements of us during the week, so we helped some of our friends with tourism projects they are organizing in Ukraine . We spent Friday & Saturday night in Kolomiya at a bed & breakfast the first night and at a private cottage the second night. The bed & breakfast had a write up in the Lonely Planet and the host, Vitalik, was exceptional, always making sure we were comfortable and happy with our stay. The cottage is also run by Vitalik and was recently constructed with handmade furniture and all the latest amenities. Located about an hour outside of Kolomiya on several acres of private land, we are able to relax and enjoy nature’s fall colors.

On Sunday morning we traveled to Ternopil where we got a train to Bakhchisaray, Crimea . Our friend Anna has been working on a pilot tourism project and had set up a special tour to get feedback. The project is a Crimean Tatar cultural tour run by a woman named Shevkiye. There were eight of us participating in the tour, all Peace Corps Volunteers. We stayed in Shevkiye’s home, ate Tatar home cooked meals, went on excursions, and learned about the history and culture of the Tatar people.

Tatar culture is fascinating. Crimean Tatars are the indigenous people and a central part of the history of Crimea . They have a diverse background, with ethnic connections to Europe, Turkey , and Mongolia . In 1944 the Tatar people experienced national genocide by Stalin, resulting in mass deportation and almost 50% of the people dying. In 1987 their rights were restored and many returned to their homeland in Crimea .

The tour - Our first day was an evening historical walk around the ancient cobblestone city of Bakchisaray, a trip to a museum where we viewed modern drawings of the city and artifacts from the early 20th century, and a traditional Crimean Tatar coffee ceremony. Day two was at Kahn’s Palace and a walk to the oldest Monastery in Ukraine that is built into the mountain wall overlooking a valley. Day three was visiting local Masters of jewelry, pottery, and embroidery. For dinner that evening we had an amazing shashlik (barbecue) party with a local Tatar family. There was so much food and everything tasted wonderful! Day four was purchasing local crafts and a walk to Chufut Kale, an ancient cave city of Crimea . The city was built by Christians, Muslims, and Jews where all religious groups lived in harmony. This was our favorite part of the tour because the view was breathtaking. We were able to catch a beautiful sunset as it cast a variety of colors over the land and city. Day five was spent taking pictures in traditional costumes and evaluating the tour.

All in all we had a very nice time learning about Tatar culture with friends and good food. Now we are back in Zalischyky finishing up the first semester before we head to Germany to celebrate Christmas with the Doperak family.