Update

Okay so in case any one is still reading, I apologize for only posting once a month, well less than that at this point.  Anyways I will catch you up with whats new at school first. School started ha, so far so good.  The kids are great.  My school has 300 kids and a weight room and an office for me.  I feel kinda ridic having my own office when the teachers all share one big one.  I have it made.  The office is at a busy part of school so I have kids coming in to say hi and ramble on in Russian, its enjoyable.  I have had 3 weeks of clubs now.  I have a chess/checkers club that meets twice a week, I have two English clubs (one for younger kids, one for older).  I also have a sports club for boys one day and girls the other.  And we have set up our newspaper group, 13 students will be developing a monthly newsletter and running a website to go along with it.  I am pretty excited for the project, if all goes well we will recieve grant funding for a printer, computer, and camera.  My uncle came through big helping us get a great computer program to help us with the design and layout of it all.  Besides that I am continuing to work on developing my exchange program with my mom and am in the inital steps of trying to find a sister city for Pryvillya.

  Outside of school, I was in Kyiv a few weeks ago for a grant writing conference and an Environmental working group.  The Environmental working group is a bunch of PC volunteers that run summer camps, provide resources for other volunteers, and get the ball rolling on big environmental projects done by Peace Corps here in Ukraine.  It will be great to work with them.  I will do that and work with the Small Project Assistance Grant Review Committee.  USAID gives Peace Corps grant money to help fund projects run by volunteers.  The SPA committee goes over the grants, offers feedback, and helps prepare them to be sent to Washington to be read by USAID.  I will be apart of that team, it will be great to get grant writing and editing experience.

  Outside of work now... all is going well here. Went for a run today and not often do I really feel like I am outside of what I know and feel like I am in Ukraine or abroad, but I ran past a flock of chickens (flock?) then 4 goats and a cow and when I looked to my left I saw endless trees with 3 cities spread amongst them. One of which is Ceverdontsk , which has huge smoke stacks (the bread and butter of the old Soviet Industrail complex) and to my right there was the giant prymaid created by mine debris.  Did a double check of it all and quickly found myself back in reality having to walk before the stray dog near by, who didn't appreciate my need for running, got to me.  Love it.  The best for last, I will be heading to Paris in 3 weeks to spend time with Liz over my school's fall break.  I am beyond excited to see her!  She continues to enjoy France and started French lessons this week.  So yea can't wait to go there and visit!  Hopefully this satisfied whoever may read.  Hope all is well hope to hear from you soon.  

Bob

Home

I haven’t wrote for my blog for some time now, but I felt tonight would be a good chance to catch up. Tonight is my first night in my apartment in Pryvillya. This is the apartment that I will live in for the next 22 months. Living at camp was great, was able to make some really good friends and meet a lot of the kids in my town as well as the surrounding area. Since the last time I wrote quite a bit has happened. Liz came and visited which was amazing. We went to L’viv in the East of Ukraine which was so beautiful, so far my favorite city in Ukraine. The next weekend we were in Kiev, the capital. It was great just hanging out and exploring. During the week we stayed with my host family in Fastiv, which is near Kiev. I got to take Liz to the sauna, to the forest and spend time with my amazing Ukrainian family. Was hard to say goodbye to her again, but now she is living and working near Paris, so it is great to have her closer, as well as only one time zone away opposed to the 8 hour difference we were dealing with.

              Last week I was in Kiev again for a volunteer conference in Kiev. I attended the conference with my counterpart, Marinna. She is the English teacher at school 7 where I will be working. She has been nothing but amazing! We plan on starting a city newspaper through the school. Our goal is to have it be completely run by volunteers in the school as well as the community. With the revenue from the paper and its ads we will donate the money to community projects. Right now Pryvillya does not have a paper, and there is a void for it. So that will be my big project over the next years. Tomorrow I will meet with the school directors to figure out what else I will be doing. I really want to have a chess club, English club, and a sports club. Not sure if it is possible to do all of these but that’s what I am going for. I also would love to teach a few lessons during the week either on environmental issues or healthy lifestyles, the rest of the time I will be hanging out with Marinna during her English lessons.  

             Besides that I have slowly been trying to piece together my apartment, slowly is key to that sentence. The workers remolded the whole place which was great, now I must buy all those random things that bring the apartment together. I live in a 6 unit building just off the main street of my town. I just went outside and it was crazy to see the surrounding area at night, so cool to see the age of the buildings, the street and the area near my apartment!  

 

               Also I must mention that my sister was married a few weeks ago, I can’t believe I was unable to attend. While in Kiev I was finally able to see pictures from the wedding, she looked absolutely beautiful! Pretty crazy I have a brother-in-law now, which I am super excited about, as well as a c ute little niece. 

  So yea during the next week I will get my apartment all set up, meet with the school directors to figure out what my work will be, and then in a week school will start. Kind of nervous to meet all the students at school, but at the same time super excited to do so. It should be interesting to say the least. Russian is coming along, try to stay focused on it but its hard sometimes not to get burnt out on it.  

 

         

I will end here, love to hear from any of you! Take care. Side note, love to get some mail my address is

ВУЛ. ПАВЛИКА МОРОЗОВА 9 КВ 2
ПРИВiЛЛЯ, ЛИСИЧАНСЬКИЙ РН.
ЛУГАНСЬКА ОБЛ.
  Ukraine 93191
(Ukraine in English will get it to the country, the Ukrainian address will get it to my apartment here)
The street I live on is named after a young boy who during the creation of the Soviet Union ratted out his dad for hiding land and money from the Soviet government. The boy was a popular figure during the cold war, communism before family.  

all is well here still, get to see Liz today!!!! We will be hanging out at my host familys place for the week since its the only place I am allowed to travel to away from my actual site.  

All is well at my site, i am still living and kinda working at the summer camp.  The second group of kids (160) have been there the last few weeks and when I return there will be the third and final group.  I get a lot of time to talk with kids, read, and study.  Its been a great place to hang out at, I would be super bored if I was living in my apartment.  Speaking of which my apartment has a ton of work to be done in it so it is probably best I am not living there.

 Looking forward to September when I actually start working.  I plan on having a sports club/fitness club/healthy lifestyles club, an english club, and a chess club.  Not exactually sure what I will be doing during the school day itself but I will find that out soon.  People here continue to be great and helpful!

 Miss my second wedding last weekend, my cousin got married.  Can't wait to miss my sisters and another cousins as well.  Def is hard being away from home and missing these big family get togethers.  Attached is my favorite three pictures from my summer camp.  A lot of people say that Eastern Ukraine is not beautiful but I have enjoyed it.

Hello Everyone, 

Sure maybe a few of you are wondering where I have been.  I have moved (kinda) to my perminent site and today is the first time I have been able to get internet.  I will be living in the East of Ukraine, a 15 hour train ride from Kiev in a city called Pryvilla.  Well a small village would be more accurate, a town of 9,000 people.  People knock the East for being the industrial part of the country and not as beautiful but I love my area, there is a river at the edge of town and trees as far as you can see in every direction.  If you look for it on a map it is on the southern border of Harkiev and Lugansk Oblasts.  I am in the Eastern most oblast, I can see Russia from my house.  (stole that joke from an 80 year old lady, but I find it funny).  I mentioned kinda above because until August 25th I will be living in a summer camp on the outside of my town.  Its been a town of fun so far! I basically just hang out all day and do whatever I want.  I get to eat with the kids at the camp and have my own big room.  The camp is huge, right now there are 160 kids, and they stay for 3 weeks.  They will be followed by 2 more groups for 3 weeks each.  Most of my stuff is in an apartment in Pryvilla so its been kinda frustrating trying to get back and forth when I need stuff, but considering that I get to practice Russian with people a lot, don't have to cook, don't really have to do anything but play all day- I will take it.

  Russian language is coming along, I tested at an intermidate high level when I was in Fastiv 2 weeks ago, which was really excited about.  However that apparently doesn't mean much because I feel like I don't understand anything now.  I keep studying everyday, but its hard battling with accents, fast talkers, unfamiliar topics, and the stress of wanting to understand.  The people at the camp have been great but I really wish I could be more of a help, its amazing how big of a language plays in culture.

  Pryvilla seems pretty nice so far, only having been here a little bit. I got to spend time with the mayor which was fun, and my co workers and director at my school all seem wonderful.  

  Liz is coming to visit in 3 weeks which I am beyond excited about.  We will head back to Kiev and to Fastiv for a few days to spend time with my host family there.  I am slowly making a list of things that will be requested from America, top of my list is 2 baseball gloves and a baseballs.  If there is anything else that you want me to have please contact Liz ha.

  I got a second phone with a new number if you need to get a hold of me +380 99 2618604.

Well I think thats all I got now, its been pretty interesting being unconnected from the internet for several weeks.  I never understood how people could go with out the news everyday but once you go cold turkey you quickly realize how none of it really matters.  Well I miss you all, hope all is well.

Peace

Bob

One more quick message before I leave for Kiev for the week.  Just want to let everyone know how great the experience has been so far.  Thanks for everyones wishes!  Plus I must also plug peace corps or any experience abroad.  We must interact with the world and let them know about what type of people they are, and learn about their people. I was so  lucky to live with the best family in Ukraine but they probably got the best American so it was a win win situation.  Thank you so much to them for having me! Hope all is well

Baby Chloe

Just wanted to let everyone know that Danielle gave birth to her and Andrew's kid, Chloe! She is 9lbs 2oz and 22in.  Sounds big to me! Much love and congrats to them.  Next week I will begin talking to baby chloe on Skype twice a week teaching her Russian.  I can't wait

My Political Side

My favorite quote from the past few months
"...The dangerous dogma of free market fundamentalism turns our attention away from schools to prisons, from workers conditions to profit margins, from health clinics to high tech facial surgeries, from civic associations to pornographic Internet sites, and from childrens care to strip clubs. The fundamentalism of the market put a premium on the activites of buying and selling, cosuming and taking, prmoting and advertising, and devalues community, compassionate charity, and imporvement of the gerneral quality of life,. How ironic that in America we've moved so quickly from Martin Luther King Jr's "Let Freedom Ring!" to "Bling! Bling!" as if freedom were reducible to simply having material toys as dictated by free market fundamentalism"
-Cornell West

My mom is traveling in Africa right now, super jealous. Feel so lucky to be here in Ukraine, to know that I have a cousin living Africa and a cousin living in Asia. Its so cool to see the we are all able to travel to so many different places in the world. Turns out that citizens in all these places find ways to be happy with out large amounts of money. My mom told me that she met a family that had 14 people living in a two bedroom house and they are still happy. So basically my point is that we can share some of our wealth to help the poorest in the world get basic shelther, food and health. Maybe a little more than the 0.2% of our GDP that goes to non military international aid (33% goes to Israel) than we give now. Despite what society and large corportations tell us we can still be happy without all the money that we think need, plus we can help others live with much better conditions.

I swan across a river in Ukraine yesterday. It was awesome. Then I made Palmeni.

Last week

My last week in Fastiv started today, freaking out a little bit about going to my new site.  Next monday we go to Kiev for 3 days of meetings and then swearing in, then I will be assigned my 2 year site!  Just me, no other Americans in the city.  Lots of random emotions going through me, but overall its going to happen next week and I have accepted that.  Last week here in Fastiv is going to fly by.  Pretty easy week, language lessons, training wrap up, and then our language interviews on Friday.  

Last week was great, after teaching at School 4 in Fastiv for 3 days we took all of our kids to Club Nadia (Club Hope).  An organization that holds events for local kids with disablities. So 20 kids from School 4, 10 kids from the other School in Fastiv where the other PC group works, and about 20 kids from Club Nadia.   The kids painted together, planted flowers, had their faces painted and presented the countries that they had made over the week at school.  Ton of fun seeing it all come together.  

As for me I am still doing good.  Been great to continue to read and have conversations with people about social and economic issues here and in America.  Also studying the recent economic crisis has been fascinating.  My impressions of America have changed a little, its been nice moving away and taking a whole new prespective on it all.  Super frustrating to see how spoiled we are in America, tons of money and oppurtunity, and see how we waste our great resources.  Still trying to figure out where it all went wrong socially and economically, oh and if anyone could explain why anyone is a Republican that would be great as well.  (If Glenn Beck or Rush are reading love to hear directly from you, David Brooks as well)

As for everything else, its pretty awesome.  Russian is coming along okay, kinda nervous to rely on just myself but I am at a point now that I can learn a lot studying on my own.  Plus I made Borsch yesterday so I think I am good to go.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Man having this blog thing is exhusting.  I would like to apologize to all of those who check my blog every day in hope of some new exciting Ukrainian stories.  Those people probably do not exist but in case they do.  Like always all is well here still. Been to Kiev twice since I last wrote.  A lot to see in the city, huge city, population around 4 million people.  Also went to a village near by, really cool to see black swans as well as what a small rich village looks like.  

Besides that training has gone by so fast, another 3 weeks and I will be on my own. Not looking forward to leaving my beautiful apartment, my family, and 9 other American volunteers that I have been training with.  To answer all of you who have asked if I am fluent in Russian, simply no.  Therefore, living on my own in 3 weeks in a small village should be interesting. Nervous for the move of course but excited (I think).

 So yea next few weeks consist of more language classes as well as planning our summer camp.  We will be running a 4 day summer camp for 7th graders. Should be fun if we manage to get through the whole language barrier.  Thats about all, and then of course packing and heading to Kiev for 4 days where we will be sworn in and finally get our site placements.  Kind of annoying not knowing where we will be going, especially since the Peace Corps will know next Friday.  

Been reading a lot lately as well, I am going to start a list somewhere on my blog of the books that I have read, maybe the ones I plan on reading as well.  If you have read one please let me know, I always love hearing what others have to say or think about things.  Well thats all I got for now, please continue shooting me emails, love to hear from all of you. Hope you have a great day!

Time is flying by here!  Been long and busy days which really help pass the time.  Last weekend we went to Kiev, it was a lot of fun! The city is very beautiful, was nice to travel a little bit and see a big city.  Sunday we are heading back to Kiev to meet up with some other volunteers, right now there is about 20 of us going, so it should be a lot of fun.  Things in Fastiv have been great as well.  Taught again on Tuesday, and have been busy with Russian all week.  At times its super tiring and hard to learn the language but the little times when I understand my family makes it so worth it.  I even answered the telephone at home yesterday!  First 75 percent of the call was great haha.  A few current peace corps volunteers came yesterday and are spending the weekend with us, which is great to hear about there experiences.  And they are awesome at Russian which is very encouraging, give it a year and I will be slightly better!  All is well, love to hear from all of you.  Take care! (love the picture, makes me feel very funny since Rita is laughing at me- its slightly like a Charlie Chaplin film between the two of us, very funny interactions but a very little amount of talking)

Another Holiday!!

These weekend was another holiday.  They have a tradition of going to the graves of loved ones and eating food and leaving candy and bread at the gravesight.  The cemetary was way different then any American one that I have seen. Each person has a small fenced in area, some have little benches or tables inside of the fenced area.  The tombstones also had a picture of what the person looked like.  So we went to the cemetary for a few hours and then came back here and ate a lot of food!  Katie, Vanessa, and Alicia joined my family for the festivites.   

Another long week ahead of me, teaching my second class tomorrow.  Plenty of Russian practice ahead of me tonight.  Wednesday I am going to Kiev with my group and Katya, our language instructor.  I can't wait to see the city, plus after this we are allowed to travel there alone, which will serve as a nice meeting place with our scattered peace corps volunteers.  Thursday we assist the english teachers in the schools and Friday and Saturday more training!  Hope all is well with everyone at home, love hearing from you all.  Have a great day!

My Peace Corps Group in Fastiv with Mayor

All is well

All remains well here in Fastiv Ukraine.  Last Sunday was Easter, easily a day I will never forget.  Worth giving you the time stamps on this one

12am-1am followed the cubs and bulls online

1am-2 am Sleep

2 am- 4am Walked to Church where our bread was blessed with water, along with thousands of others, (around 25,000 people go to the church to have food blessed between midnight and 7am)

4 am- 6 am- Eat recently blessed food and take traditonal 3 shots of Vodka, which apparently turns into 5 if american is present

6am-12pm sleep

12 pm- 5 pm Picnic in the Forest along River with traditional easter food and Ukrainian Vodka

5 pm- 10 pm More food and drink with my family, Katie, and 6 of their friends

10 pm- midnight- classic rock music and sleep

Was a new way for me to do Easter, but I have every intention of returning here next year for it.  Taught my first classes this week- 6th and 7th graders on the dangers of smoking.  Continue to learn Russian and job training.  Sunday there is another holiday where we go and visit the graves of deased family members. Teach again next week and will hopefully visit Kiev.  Thats all I got for now, all is well.  Love hearing from all of you.  Tiffany got engaged yesterday which is super exciting!  Hopefully Tom and her do not mind getting married in Ukraine.  

All is well here still, I have it so lucky, my host family is great and I have a great support here in the city with the family, my fellow peace corps people, and our trainers.  Its super busy but so far really good.  I want to the Orthodox church this morning which was very interesting to see..  The church is 300 years old, built of all wood with no nails.  This week was pretty busy with the Russian training and the technical training.  Everyweek we have about 20 hours of Russian lessons and another 15 hours of technical training.  I am really enjoying it.  Okay my 8 year old sister is not allowing me to type anymore so I just wanted to let all know that I am doing well. Love to hear from you

Went to babushka's house last night for dinner, it was such good food.  Not a bad meal yet!  Today Bogden, Vanessa, and I are going to walk around Fastiv and map the city.  Should be pretty exciting.  Russian is slowly coming along, I am trying not to use Bogden's awesome English as too much of a crutch but for the mean time its making it easy!  Mentality all of this is a little tiring, plus with missing my friends and family, and especially liz its a little wearing, but I am living with a wonderful family and have great support via Peace Corps staff.  Hope everything is well in the states.  Orlando Pace and Cutler to the bears.  Cubs opening day on Tuesday!  MSU vs.  UNC in the National Championship game, hopefully the big ten can get some revenge, even though I have ill feelings towards MSU (sorry dan).  Well please all keep in contact.  Enjoy your Sunday

Scratch the one cents a minute thing.  Not that cheap ha.  Stick to emails or posts on here. Email is bobschlehuber@gmail.com

Hello All,

I made it safely to Ukraine.  I arrived yesterday to my 3 month home of Fastiv.  My host family is amazing.  I am living with a mom, a dad, their 15 year old son, and 8 year old daughter.  The food has been great and the apartment is very nice.  I will be learning Russian while I am here, which is scary but exciting at the same time. . All incoming calls are free, feel free to call me. Anyways, I am safe, excited, motivated, nervous, tired, and everything else inbetween.  Hope all is well with everyone!

Hey Guys,

Hope this is working alright for you guys. If you guys want to skype me just search my name. Also I will be getting a cell phone in the next weeks that you can call me via a calling card. I am at JFK waiting to leave for Frankfurt. 5 hour lay over there and the to Kiev. After that a 3 hour bus ride to our hotel. Mix of emotions obviously, but I am with a great group of people. Miss you all

Welcome

Welcome to my blog.  Hopefully this will be simple for everyone to look at and use.  Not sure how the internet will be in Ukraine but hopefully I can keep everyone updated on my trip.  I am pretty excited and nervous to leave, thank you all so much for your thoughts, and of course please stay in touch with me as well.