Summer Jam Part 1

Recently I have been going to the beach. I did not lie on sand. I did not smell the sea. I did not fee the dry salt on my skin. I did not collect sea glass, but I did go to the beach. It was as close as I have felt to being home in a while. On the shore of the Dnister, Ukraine aft and Moldova and Moldova fore, I swam in the freezing water and layed on the very grassy shore. This is the first summer I have ever not been at home in Falmouth, surrounded by Buzzards Bay, Vineyard Sound, the salty air and my family, but I guess we all have to leave some day.

Beach

It is now summer. We finished classes and then proceeded with the 11^th formers graduation festivities. Quite an experience I must say. But more on that in a bit.

Old WWII Bunker

The last few weeks of school were wonderful and productive yet challenging. While I was overjoyed that the weather was improving, it was pretty tough to keep the kids focused. I do not blame them, end of the year, warm weather, counting down the days; who wants to be cooped up in school all day, so I tried to keep the lessons pretty fun and the clubs outside. I had tried to get our first interscholastic debate organized, but we couldn’t end up making it happen. A shame, but next year we will defiantly do it.

VE Day talk at school

I wont be finished with work just because it is summer vacation, in fact I only have maybe 2 weeks of free time to myself all summer. The rest of the time I will be traveling around Ukraine working at a bunch of other volunteers English camps and learning a little bit more Russian for myself. When I am not in other communities I will be here in MP working on my clubs, Olympiad training, wiffle ball etc.I am also in the process of planning a trip to Istanbul, or for you older generations, Constantinople. I am really excited for that.

My friend Sasha's birthday

We hard our gradation ceremony for our 11^th formers. A funny little thing. In America we call them graduates, but in Britain they are called “school leavers.” Being a school leaver/ graduate is like being a new born; you are only one for just a few moments. All the time before you are a student, then next thing you know you are alumni, but for those few moments in between, you are in limbo, hanging between childhood and adulthood, the past and the future. When you are a school leaver you are so hopeful and nostalgic at the same time, afraid to leave your bubble, but so excited for the experiences in the future. Longing for the past and future in equalamounts. Such a mixing of emotions only happens a few times in ones life, when you areactually in the process of transforming from one person from another, from a student to alumni, from a man or woman to husband or wife, to a parent, and I guess to the grave too. I thought about this process, and watched the parents and teachers who had seen these same childrenstart theirfirst days of school and thought as they did “Wow, they grow up so fast” but if you think about it, they do the most growing in those few moments that they are school leavers, that transitional period when we actually acknowledge and comprehend that we wont be coming back, that in reality we will have to move on to the unknown and we are ready, that is where we grow up, and we are right to think “they grow up so fast” because they do. It seems so cliché to think of the caterpillar to butterfly analogy, but there is a reason why we think of it, because it fits.

I was asked to make a speech and midway through it, I forgot what I was supposed to say, so as I reached into my pocket to get my cheat sheet the crowd irrupted in laughter. Peace Corps- providing comic relief since 1961. Being laughed at is just part of the job, people laugh at me on the daily and I am so used to it now. I also may think it helps me get things done. Oh look at the foolish little American in a tie, lets help him. I have to admit, it was funny. Then after I read what I was supposed to say I got so nervous I forgot it. I basically looked at the words and they didn’t enter my brain so I had to just wing it, which worked out fine. They also released doves, lolZ.

After the school celebrations, the teachers celebrated their own successes of finishing another school year together. All the gentlemen started out in the woodshop room playing dice and cards and I was shooting bones like it was my job. After a short feast I went with the Director to the more official party at a café in town but not before we both got kidnapped by the ladies who clean the school whom were having their own party in their room of the school. After spending some time with them, which is always hilarious because they force food and drink on you more than everyone while asking you dozens of questions and telling you to send greeting to your family in the United States, we left them to go to town. Ukrainians have stamina. After the second party I am about ready to give up and am just waiting for the point where I can dive in between my sheets for a food/ drink coma, but Ukrainians also have a talent of blowing you a second wind and once we reached the café I was ready to go. Since it was summer and Ukrainian people are so in touch with their natural surrounding we had to move the party out doors- to a village, on the river, that was 45 min away. So we hopped in cars, packed up a feast (my fourth of the day I may add, any one of them a substantial portion of food and drink), and went down to the Dnister. It was beautiful and the Ooha, a traditional soup you drink at the river was delicious.

Oohah

The next day was the second ceremony of the school leavers where they had their own party and then will wait to see the sun rise the next morning together as men and women. We went to school, they gave out awards to students and teachers alike we danced, took pictures and then proceeded to the café. This was a big to-do if I have ever seen one. The students entered with their parents all of them with their names announced over the speakers, dressed like movie stars. It was really special. All of the parents and all of the students and a few teachers all there together to celebrate, super touching. We sat down to, you guessed it, another feast, medieval style yo. They showed a couple clips of the students on their first day of school so many years ago, and everyone laughed and cried. We danced and sang and ate and drank. It was a wonderful celebration and I felt proud and honored to be included in such a tradition and they unity of the school, teachers, and students is so explicit, something I couldn’t imagine in the US.

One of my fears in life is globalization. When people loose their cultural identity and become more homogenous it makes me sick and I cant help but feeling partly responsible because of my nationality. When people change they usually do it so they can be more like the West, but at this party I saw a really beautiful combination of the old and new world. I was proud they my students actually knew how to dance like adults, doing the waltz and many other Ukrainian dances and traditions. Therewas no bumping and grinding at this party, no visible parentaldrama, no spiking of the punch caused anyone to pass out everyone was included and important. It was simply a celebration of adults of all ages. While the party was still raving with dancing and more plates of food, early in the morning I made my exit on sore legs. It was really cool.

Took up my rugs for summer, clean house

Still eating well

That’s it for school news, stay tuned for Summer Jam part 1 coming very soon.