I Survived a New Year’s Celebrated with Ukrainian Vodka

Last week at school was filled with Christmas programs for the younger grades. Because of the programs, it meant pretty much the school was celebrating even though they weren’t on official break. Each grade level up to 6th (if I’m recalling right) had a performance of some sort. Most classes put on play including every student of the class. There were also individual performances by students such as singing, dancing and one student that looked small than the guitar he was playing had a solo jam session. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday all had performances. Parents, teachers as well as other students would watch the different grades. I taught a few classes but nothing stellar because I wasn’t informed ahead of time but I managed.

Wednesday after the last performance of the afternoon, the staff of 30 teachers gathered in the school cafeteria to enjoy some sandwiches, fruit and drinks to bring in the New Year. There were many toasts that went around. But the director got the most love for announcement that teachers didn’t have to come in on New Year’s Eve. I headed home around 4pm to enjoy the start of my long weekend.

The morning of the New Year’s Eve, I hoped a marsuka to Lutsk and met up with Jon, Cindy, and Laura (cluster mates) to head to Allison’s place in Volodymyr-Volynsky. Well we started early and finished late but overall had a pretty good time with one another. Most of those stories are inappropriate (because my mother reads this) so just asking me in person and I’ll share the craziness. We hung out Friday went to grab Pizza that was delicious as well as cheap. Pretty much just bummed around before heading home Saturday. I chilled out the rest of the weekend.

Dealing with the complexities of the Ukrainian bus system made me want to do nothing but sit around the house on Sunday. The bus ride was only an hour and half but the ordeal of getting on the bus makes it seem like 8.

First, you have to if you want to buy a ticket. One would think it would be a safe bet to for assuring a seat to your destination. On the way to Allison’s it actually slowed us up. Because some how the bus we bought for was canceled and we had to go back to the cashier to exchange. Where as if we would have just attempted to pay the bus driver after getting on we would have caught an earlier bus. But if you go with the cash route there are these women who work for the bus station who harass you for the ticket even though half of people don’t buy them. Let’s just say getting yelled at by a big Ukrainian woman is not how I like to start of my New Year.

Ok, say you settle how you are purchasing the ticket. The next challenge is where the bus will pull up. There are slots that are clearly numbered yet no number is on our ticket. On the signs, there are also the names of the cities that the bus is suppose to be going to but if the wrong bus pulls in you might just be headed for the wrong city. And in the end, we got on a bus that wasn’t in the correct spot nor did it have the correct city even posted on the bus itself. We were fortunate because Allison’s landlord husband was catching the same bus and helped us figure it all out. Let’s just say I made it.

So New Year’s is celebrated on the eve of the 1st and this day kicks off what I would call a country wide 2 week bash. This Thursday is Ukrainian Christmas which is then followed by old New Year’s. The vodka will flow until the 12th. I’m bracing myself and looking forward to after when my schedule will have more of a routine. Also hoping, praying and sending good vibes out into the universe so I can get an apartment. Right now it has been a little hard dealing with all the transition because I don’t feel like I’m settling into home; I’m just balancing in limbo until move to my permanent housing. So everyone please pray that my vice principle can find a suitable and cost friendly apartment.

Hope everyone had a great holiday and is dreading getting back to school or work. Miss you all.
Kat-Trine, Kat-Tren, Katya, Kate
(all the names I go by here)