Христос воскрес! Easter in Ukraine

Easter is one of the year's most significant holidays in Ukraine. In fact, I'd say Easter is more of a season here than just a holiday, the same way that virtually all of December is Christmastime in the US. You start seeing the signs everywhere - the lines of people at shops, the seasonal paraphernalia, the festive feeling in the air and the bustle of preparation.

I picked up some flowers at the bazaar to adorn the kitchen table

Easter is interesting in Ukraine both for the traditions, and for the logistical details that surround them. As a newcomer here, I am equally fascinated by the divine and the mundane: the priest in his gleaming ceremonial garb, closely followed by brigade of men in rubber boots carrying plastic water buckets to keep him supplied. The 4am church services, the candles, the bells, the blessing of bread and wine - and then the clearance sale on Easter decorations at the bazaar almost immediately afterwards, and the huge lines of people at bus stops downtown on Easter Monday, waiting to head back home after their holiday weekend. Holidays manifest in fascinating ways.

The day before Easter: I just wanted a picture of the paska bread, but my host mom is very conscientious about making sure pictures look good, so she fixed up the whole table.

My childhood experiences of Easter in the US were definitely very different from what I've seen here in Ukraine. Yes, there are Easter baskets, but they are not filled by an Easter Bunny who comes in the night with candy and toys; rather, baskets are brought to church filled with bread, wine, and other foods to be blessed by a priest slinging rather intimidating amounts of holy water in the cold morning air. Thousands of people stand together in the dark, their baskets glowing with candles and draped with decorative Easter cloths. Or, as in the case of my host mom, they shove through the crowds like devoted fans at a rock concert, making sure they get their turn to be blessed.

Priest blessing the waiting crowds with holy water. He was closely followed by a bucket brigade, to keep him well-supplied. 

Leaving the church after we paid homage to the various icons inside. We came around 4:45am, and people continued to arrive until well after 8am.

In Ukraine, we also have Easter eggs - but we do not hide and then hunt for them. Rather, we have a competition in which two people at a time strike their eggs together, and the owner of whichever egg doesn't crack is declared victorious. I did pretty well at this, actually :-)

These Easter eggs are simple to make - you buy plastic sleeves, put them around the eggs, and then hard-boil the eggs in these sleeves so that they adhere. The paska bread takes quite a lot more work, though! 

Church is followed by a feast that is not for the faint of heart - especially given that we are feasting at 6am. On Easter there is no taboo about drinking alcohol early in the morning. I had something like 5 glasses of wine with my breakfast, to toast the resurrection of Jesus.

I think my favorite thing about Easter here is all the picnics. After my post-breakfast recovery nap, I took a walk along the river, and for a good mile the parkway along the shore was dotted with families out to enjoy the holiday. Men were out fishing, young people had stereos and soccer balls, old folks and families had picnic blankets laid out with cheese and wine. Many people took advantage of fallen trees to sit on, and most gathered nearby branches to build fires and makeshift barbecue spits. The rain deterred nobody, and some people even had tarps strung up in the trees to cover their little folding tables.

I got concerned looks if I tried to photograph the people who were out picnicking, so I just took a photo of this motorcycle. 

Easter Season is not quite over, it seems. Stores are filled with leftover paska bread, and people are busy visiting the graves of deceased loved ones to bring offerings of eggs and wine. My host mom was telling me that on the 24th, there will be another holiday specifically for memorializing those who have passed, although she already visited the graves of her parents the day before Easter.

To all those at home in the States, I hope all is well! I miss the chocolate bunnies and Reese's peanut butter eggs, but I am still glad to be here experiencing one of the biggest holidays in Ukraine!


I am required to say, "the content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Ukrainian Government.”

Моє місто - Чернігів (My city - Chernihiv)

Hello from Chernihiv, Ukraine!

First things first: I am required to say, "the content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Ukrainian Government.”

Okay! Onward with the blog.

When I was taken under consideration for Peace Corps Ukraine, I knew of exactly one Ukrainian city: the capital, Kyiv. That's where we flew into, but so far I have only seen the airport. My group - PC Ukraine Group 51 - is spending 3 months in Chernihiv, a smaller city about 2 hours to the northeast, for Pre-Service Training (PST). Look at the tippity-top of the map below, and you'll find it. 

I got this image HERE (citing sources is important, y'all)

I would say that Chernihiv and Kyiv have a healthy rivalry going (perhaps from back in the 11th-century golden age of Kyivan-Rus, when both Kyiv and Chernihiv were principalities?) To this day, people in these cities disagree about which city was built first, and which one has the oldest cathedral. Both cities are over 1,000 years old - although my host mom insists that Chernihiv was definitely here first. 

Transfiguration Cathedral was built in the 1030's and is the oldest building in Chernihiv.
Photo cred: My picture, don't steal it.  

White plaster was added some decades ago, but sections of the 1000-year-old original brick-and-stone construction are still visible. 

Chernihiv has a marvelous historical district called the Val, from the Ukrainian word for "ramparts." In Medieval times, Chernihiv was a walled city protected by a fortress. The fortress is gone now, replaced by a lovely brick walkway lined with cannons that make for great photo-ops. It's the kind of place where one goes strolling with a good friend and an ice cream cone (or hot chocolate at this time of year). Also - yes, you are absolutely allowed to climb on the cannons. It's great. 

The view from the Val.

This is one of the small cannons. Somewhere out in cyberspace, there may lurk a picture of me climbing on one about three times this size.
Thanks Laura-Ashley for indulging my need to take a cheesy tourist photo. 

While Chernihiv definitely has plenty of appeal to the history nerds among us, it also offers most of the diversions of modern life. The Latin dance scene is pretty solid - plenty of opportunities to social dance and take lessons in salsa, bachata, zouk, and kizomba. I've been out dancing twice so far, and aim to go again this coming week. 

A salsa line dance at a party to celebrate Viva La Vida, a dance studio in Chernihiv that just passed the 6-year mark since its founding. Happy sixth birthday, Viva La Vida! 

There is evidence! I went dancing! This was at a venue called SkyDance. 
Photo cred: SkyDance friends, help me out here.
If you know who was the photographer on March 24th, 2017, let me know so I can credit him. 

There is a craft brewery in town, although I have not tried it. I've been too busy enjoying some soul-satisfying Lviv-style hot chocolate at a place whose name I'd rather not transliterate, so I'll just write it in Ukrainian - Льівська Майстерня Шоколаду. 

Say it with me: Chocolate Is Life.

There are plenty of other things to write about - our language courses, our meetings with various agencies and organizations, our nerves about site placement interviews next week, ongoing memorials for the soldiers who continue to be lost on the eastern front - but for now I'll keep it short and sweet. Although in June I will most likely be moving to another part of Ukraine, Chernihiv is my first Ukrainian hometown and I wanted to share it with you all. 

6,000 Miles, 70+ New Friends, and a Lot of Borshch

Hello! It's been a few weeks, but I'm home with a headcold and it has finally slowed me down enough to sit down and tend to my blog.

First things first: I am required to say, "The content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Ukrainian Government.”

And on we go:

Here's just a quick run-down of my journey from West Sacramento, California, USA to Chernihiv, Chernihivs'ka Oblast, Ukraine. 

• Saturday, March 11th: Hauled many, many bags and caught a red-eye flight to Washington, D.C. First success - bags were all under the weight limit! First failure - I forgot to keep my luggage receipts for reimbursement. 
• Pro-tip: Have a good backpack! I used my backpacking pack as one of my checked luggages, and it made my life much easier than if I were trying to roll everything.

• Sunday, March 12th: Landed in DC, locked my bags in the hostel, grabbed Mexican food with a local buddy, and then walked over to the Capital Mall to meet some of my new Peace Corps compadres. It was so great to meet in person with the people I'd been connected with for months via social media. Love you guys!!!! 
• Pro-tip: Fly in to your staging city a touch early so you can explore! Your extra day or two of lodging won't be covered, but your flight will be. Also, make sure you have arrangements for storing your luggage while you are out and about. 

•  Monday, March 13th: We checked in to our hotel in Georgetown for staging. We did some icebreakers, and tried to soak in lots of information that I am pretty sure none of us remember. Also, we got cupcakes. Or that might have been Tuesday. I don't know, but I do know I got the peanut-butteriest peanut butter cupcake that I have ever had in my life. No regrets there. My sole regret is not packing a giant tub of peanut butter for my life in Ukraine. 
• Pro-tip: If you have even the slightest inclination to pack peanut butter with you, PACK THE PEANUT BUTTER. 

• Tuesday,  March 14th: Departure day! And also, Stormageddon! Winter Storm Stella really sounded like she was going to delay our flight, but luckily that wasn't the case. We got some pretty pictures of snow, and still made it out on time. 

• However - we did have to entirely re-pack the luggage compartment of the bus because we failed to fit everything in the first time. I like to think of it as our first hands-on training exercise. 
• Pro-tip: Plan how your bags will go into the bus in an organized way (big, hard-shell suitcases can go in first, with smaller or softer ones on top. Carryons will quite possibly end up on your lap. Don't just throw everything into the bus and hope for the best. Especially if it's snowing and gross outside. 

Look at all these beautiful people. They each have over 100 lbs of luggage. 

• Wednesday, March 15th???? It was that vague sort of time that happens when you are journeying across time zones. Anyway, we transferred through Frankfurt and had to take some little bus around the tarmac for a ridiculous amount of time, and then spend a ridiculous amount of time waiting on the stairwell up to the plane. But it wasn't real time, right? It was, like, surreal travel time. 
• Pro-tip: Lufthansa Airlines serves free wine. It's a long flight - enjoy. But also drink some actual water, because you will hit the ground running upon arrival.  

• Wednesday, March 15th - I am pretty sure this was, in fact, Wednesday, March 15th. We got to Kyiv, hopped a bus to Chernihiv, and had some info crammed into our heads that we were too sleep-deprived to remember. We got to a hotel in Chernihiv, and then had a lovely traditional Ukrainian welcome ceremony with salt and bread. This hotel was to be our home for the next three days, until meeting our host families. 
• Pro-tip: Have some business casual clothes in your carry-on, along with your toiletries and anything else you will need for the first few days. We didn't get to unpack until meeting our host families, so I had to live out of my carry-on bag. 

And now, just writing all this has made me really tired!!! Long story short - we made it!