Newport News Times, OR
Posted: Sep 15, 2006 – 08:46:34 PDT
Two years in Ukraine: Rural life in the former Soviet state
By Laura Eberly Of the News-Times
Villages in Ukraine are filled with contradictions: While most of
the teenagers in Romankivtsi text message one another on their cell
phones, the town has no infrastructure for indoor plumbing – villagers
either carry buckets to and from the town well or dig a well on their
property for water. (Courtesy photo)
Kay Eldon, assistant director of the Newport Public Library, has lived
in New York City, Israel and England, among other places, and is no
stranger to new cultures and ideas. As a volunteer with Heifer
International, a worldwide aid program that provides developing
communities with income-producing livestock and economic development
training, she has traveled to Ukraine and Armenia – experiences that
compelled her to once again join the international community as a
Peace Corps volunteer.
In the fall of 2004, Kay received her Peace Corps assignment to the
village of Romankivtsi, Ukraine. For the better part of the past two
years, she has spent her time and energy teaching English and
establishing an English language resource center at the Romankivtsi
Gymnasium, the local school. In her free time she practiced Surzhyk,
the regional language that includes a unique blend of Ukrainian,
Romanian and Russian; learned to live with temperamental electricity
and without running water; and brought a new perspective to a village
of people living – in many ways – in conditions of 19th century
America.
"I didn’t realize the culture would be so incredibly foreign, this was
way beyond what I ever anticipated," Kay said. The closest American –
and Internet service – was 2-1/2 miles away. "I had been to Ukraine in
2001 with Heifer International, so I kind of knew what I was getting
into – but not really. Ukraine has about 300 Peace Corps volunteers,
more than any other country in the world; partly because they have a
fabulous staff there and partly because there is a lot of need."
Countries that collaborate with the U.S. Peace Corps program invite
volunteers, so Peace Corps members are sent to areas where their
assistance is appreciated. "Because Ukraine wants to join the
European Union, they realize they have to get their standards up to
European standards," Kay said, including updating and expanding the
schools’ curriculum. In Romankivtsi, "before I came they had never
heard a native speaker of English. They’ve seen them in films, but
most are dubbed over," said Kay. During her visit, "they learned about
real Americans, not 90210 Americans, not Hollywood Americans. I made
it a real point to emphasize that."
The village of Romankivtsi has a population of about 3,500 people and
recently celebrated its 400th year as a community. "There are plenty
of animals in the village" and the unpaved streets turn to mud in the
rain, Kay said. Hammered tin is used for doors and gateways. "It’s
amazing because the stuff never discolors so it’s very attractive,"
she said. There is no infrastructure to facilitate indoor plumbing or
running water; the village well is the primary water source.
"The water had a heavy metal content, and could have had residual
radioactive fallout from Chernobyl," Kay noted, so she used well water
for washing and other utility purposes, but drank only bottled water –
which had to be special ordered. She rented a small house that came
furnished with ornate – if a bit musty – rugs on the walls for
insulation and color. "I had electricity most of the time, it came and
went at whim," she said.
In the winter of 2005, temperatures dropped below -40 degrees
Fahrenheit. "I had the wood stove going 24/7. I wore a hat and coat
inside," Kay said. "The wind chill was wicked."
The Romankivtsi Gymnasium where she spent much of her time serves 700
students in grades one through 11; there is no 12th grade and
kindergarten is held separately. Kay received grant funding to supply
an English language resource center with books, books on tape,
computer software and textbooks and asked family and friends to send
images of America, which she hung on the walls.
"The school is old and funky, it needed paint and a lot of repair; but
it’s the same thing as here, there’s no money so it doesn’t get done,"
Kay said. "I tried to set up Internet through the phone lines, which
were circa 1946, very old, very bad. Nothing would load and then after
a couple of minutes, it would disconnect. They didn’t have cell phones
when I first got there because there was no antenna," she
continued. Then, when the village got cell service, "people were
scrambling to get them. Many people didn’t have land lines because
they’re so expensive – they were skipping that whole stage and going
straight to cell phones," which require little to no infrastructure.
The village is a mixture of old and new: students at the school text
on cell phones while navigating muddy roads alongside horse-drawn
carts.
"A hard thing for me was the isolation, at first they didn’t get me,"
Kay said. "Women my age are grandmothers, they have no concept of
volunteerism. They didn’t understand why I would come and live
without running water and not get paid and I was like, ‘Well, cultural
exchange.’
"There were a couple of kids who really understood what I was doing
there, that they could really take advantage of me to learn English
and get a better understanding of the world," she continued. "I said
to them, ‘If you can learn English, you can travel.’ I wanted them to
learn how to dream. There were a few who understood that to get out of
Ukraine, they had to learn English. While their parents had gone
illegally into other countries to work, this could open legal
opportunities to make money and maybe come back and change the
village. I have hope for them."
Coming home to Newport "isn’t as strange as I thought it would be. I
came back to the same place, the same job. I’m still sort of hyper
aware of things like running water – and it comes out immediately and
I’m like, what is that?!" Kay said. "And washing machines, I think,
are one of the finest inventions. Washing sheets and towels in a
bucket is not really fun.
"I appreciate this country so much, and the way I live and the way I’m
able to live and the freedoms that I have. I did make some good
friends there and I do miss them and wish they had the opportunities
to travel that I have," Kay said. "For people who like to travel to
different countries, I would put Ukraine on the map as a place to
visit. The cities are pretty much like cities everywhere and the
people are incredibly wonderful; for people who want to do eco-tourism
and try new things, Ukraine is an absolutely beautiful place – but you
have to be willing to have an adventure."