I Eat Therefore I Am.

So, as you know I am studiously studying Russian, and interestingly enough the verb "to eat" is a derivative of the verb "to be" ectb. As if learning verbs wasn't hard enough right? But it is a cool little insight into culture and mindset of the region. As you can imagine, back in the old days, when language was just developing into what it is today, without eating you could not be and so we have the verb ectb.

Enough of the boring stuff. The past week has been great, the Chilean miners are being freed from the underground room they have been stuck in for 2 weeks which makes me happy, I found out my birthday is also International Rabies Day, and as of yesterday we are now allowed to travel unattended throughout the region on day trips! To mark this monumental occasion, our group plans to head up to the city of Chernigov to see some of our other Peace Corps compadres, check out some catacombs among many other activities. It should be a super fine time.

This past week has been full of a lot of Russian per usual along with other types of safety meetings, lesson planning, and teaching. The classes I have been teaching have been great and I am starting to recognize some of my students around town. During one visit to observe another Peace Corps trainee's lesson we were stopped outside the school by a group of 7th or 8th graders who all grouped around us and snapped a few pictures. I guess thats how Edward Cullen feels on the daily. If you are asking yourself, "Did Patrick really just compare himself to 'Jacob'''? Well, yes. Yes I did.

I had some time to do a little more fishing and it was nice to be on the water. I have started to find some little honey holes in the woods where at around 6 pm the water is boiling with rises. Sometimes I forget that I am not on the Winooski River in Vt, but the Desna in Ukraine. It is nice to know that even halfway across the world there are still many constants, and in Ukraine fishing is one of those. On my walk to and from class and around town I frequently pass men on their bikes or walking with fishing poles always adorned in cammo-wear, its pretty nice.

On a side note, Peace Corps provides us with a 180 page manual on cross cultural information. A number of us came upon page 70 which has some of the funniest dialogue that I have read in Peace Corps thousands of pages of informational booklets. Here are a few excepts of really funny things written by former host families about Peace Corps volunteers and how they perceive our weird habits as Americans because it is important to remember that though we are bombarded with new tacit cultural rules and strange new behaviors among the local people, we do a lot of things that they think is totally out of this world. And why shouldn't they? We are some weird people; us Americans! So keep in mind they are made to be funny, not offensive, and not all are totally true... so far.

"Please gain at least 10 pounds during your stay with us, or we will feel shame."

"Please have your 'special doctors' in Kiev measure your stomach, YOU DO NOT EAT ENOUGH!"

To females- "Please repress your urge to shake hands, or people might suspect you are a male cross dresser"

"If it's cold outside, we may serve you a small alcoholic beverage with your breakfast. You need to drink it, or else you will become chilled on your way to work, get sick, and possibly die. You say you feel conspicuous walking around intoxicated so early in the morning, but lots of people do it!"

note: it is not customary to smile at passerby's on the street in Ukraine, one of my favorites.

"Your constant smiling makes us uncomfortable. You smile at everyone, all the time, for no reason- sales clerks, bus drivers, people on the street. We worry this perpetual happiness is a sign of mental retardation. Would you go around screaming for no reason? No. Then please smile only with sufficient justification."

That was just a taste.

If you see my dad tell him happy birthday, he will be turning 25 on Oct. 15th!

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