BBБ (Bags, Bottles, Банки)

George Carlin had that great routine about how we live our lives in and around boxes. If you have not seen it, please do as it does a nice job of summing up our complicated lives with one simple observation. I had a similar epiphany (wait, I should wait two more weeks for that, I think) as I looked around my apartment the other night. I realized that my life in Ukraine revolves around Bags, Bottles, Банки (jars). Without these three objects my life would be eminently different...and damn near impossible. Let me explain.

Unlike in America where we receive plastic bags for almost every purchase, Ukrainians follow the European model of charging for every bag used at a shop. While in America we talk about changing for plastic bags in order to save waste and clean up the environment, in Ukraine it is a simple case of economics: people don't want to have to keep buying bags. Every kopek counts! Therefore, bags are purchased then used, reused, rerereused, and then reused one more time for good luck. Despite my best intentions, I don't always carry a bag with me so over the past year my collection has accumulated. I now have two big bags that house all the rest of my smaller bags. It used to be only one bag serving as home base but the collection kept growing and growing.  And while I only use three or four of these bags at most to do my shopping, I'm unwilling to give or throw the rest of them away. I've gotten the Ukrainian mentality of holding on to things in cases I may, just may, need them in the future. And this is not such a bad thing as it keeps me from wasting. Still, I feel that by the time I leave I will have a few dozen more plastic bags in my kitchen. Or perhaps I only started with two and they started reproducing.

Bottles are also in large supply in my apartment, specifically they are in my kitchen and my living room. Similar to the reasoning of plastic bags, Americans don't want to use plastic to cut down on waste and improve the environment. Ukrainians, on the other hand, use bottles for so many things. First, the water is not fit for drinking in Zhytomyr so it behooves locals to save their bottles and get them filled at fresh water filling stations.You can either have a person fill your bottles using a hose and a funnel or you can use a machine that takes your money and pumps out water.  I always make sure I have six five liter bottles of fresh water filled at all time for cooking and for drinking. Second, you never know when the water is going to go out. A few months ago it was announced the government was going to shut down the water in the entire city for three or four days so they could work on the pipes. Everyone had to make sure they had not only enough drinking/cooking water but water for cleaning dishes and flushing toilets. This time we had a warning so we were prepared. Other times you wake up in the morning or middle of the night, turn on the water and....gurgle, gurgle. It's a horrible sound to hear especially when you need to flush the toilet. So, I make sure I always keep several gallons in the bathrooms for that unexpected "pipe renovation".

The final "B" is only really a Ukrainian "Б" and it stand for Банки or jars. As with bags and bottles, you never know when you will need a jar. Whenever someone gives me homemade preserves or something from his/her garden, it will inevitably come in a jar with a plastic top. Also when I buy fresh honey at the market, it comes in a.....jar! So over the past months my jar collection has multiplied faster than a cage full of hamsters. And I learn a very important rule, never throw out a jar! The woman who works the desk of the dormitory was sure to chew me out when I tried to put some jars in the trash. Perhaps that's why I never throw them out.

Is it possible to break down life into simple concepts like boxes, bags, bottles, and Банки? Perhaps not, but it is a nice way to summarize my life in Peace Corps. And I don't have to carry around a small roll of toilet paper in my back pocket like I used to do. Plus, that's not a "B" and would not have fit into my nifty use of alliteration in the title.
                                                                                                                                                                 

Fit to drink and cook with

Waiting for jam and honey

                                             

Bags, Bags, Bags....

Do not drink! Use for flushing! 

                                             

A Return to Biķernieku Forest (Riga, Latvia)

Ah, yes, the posts are coming fewer and farther (further?) between. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. It actually means I am quite busy here at my site in Zhytomyr, Ukraine. As I begin my second, and final year as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer, I plan to spend as much time working at the university and preparing a long-term plan that will continue after my departure. What that is, I know not. But in the meantime, I have a backlog of adventures to report upon.

Last February I made a trip to Riga, Latvia (http://rlopcukraineblog.blogspot.com/2016/02/memorial-run-bikernieku-forest-outside.html). It was cold, windy, and wonderful. I had a great time and I made sure to schedule another stop when I visited the Baltic countries during the summer. I especially wanted to spend more time visiting the Biķernieku Forest which lies just three kilometers from Riga city center (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikernieki_Memorial) When I went in February it was hovering below zero and I decided to run out and back. Since the site is not well marked I had trouble finding the official memorial; rather I found one of the many marked burial sites. It certainly was moving but there was no coherence. Now that I had the time and the temperature on my side, I decided to do some more exploring. With my camera in hand and my backpack filled with snacks and water, I headed out to the forest. This is what I found....

I discovered that the official memorial is somewhat well-marked, that is if you know where to look in the first place. There is a map that explains the layout of the site and a pathway which leads from the road to the forest. In the center of the memorial there is an altar under a gazebo-type sculpture. Surrounding this centerpiece are slabs of granite which are sticking out of the ground much like gravestones, perhaps reminiscent of a Jewish cemetery, perhaps. In a curious note, the stone comes from the Zhytomyr region where I am currently living. As you walk amongst the rows of slabs you see the names of cities where (I'm guessing) many of the victims came from. Or perhaps there are there to names cities where Jews were persecuted and exterminated. I was unsure and there was no information to help. Although it was summer, I was once again the only person there. So there was an eerie quite as I walked around the memorial. I think I was moved the most by the various stones that sat on different parts of the memorial, many of which were marked by names and dates. But that was not the end of my exploration.

I decided to move further into the forest, away from the memorial. Although there are many marked trails, there are other paths that are smaller and more overgrown. As I wondered further in, I began to think about the people who were brought here: all of them innocent, most not expecting their ultimate fate. There were more posts emblazoned with the Star of David. To the side, a bit off the path, were filled-in pits with grave-like stones marking something or someone. Then what looked to be a flower caught my attention, buried beneath the underbrush in the trees. That is when I found the unofficial memorials. Off in the thicket or beside a tree under some weeds I began to find makeshift graves. Stones or flowers were laid out in rectangular fashion to mimic a gravesite. Were those that were murdered buried under these stones and flowers? Or were these sites randomly placed by someone who wanted another way, another method to remember those who perished? And who made these markers? Was it someone who knew much but did not want to tell? There were so many questions that I wish someone could have answered. But no one was around. And to me that was what made me sad. Here is a place more people should visit. (Depending on your count) thirty or forty-six thousand people should be remembered on a daily basis. But here was another former Soviet Republic Holocaust site that was not advertised in travel guides and not marked on any road sign. To find a place like Biķernieku Forest you had to know what you were looking for. And even if you did speak the language, chances are the locals might not even want to admit to knowing about the site. 

Anyway these were the thoughts passing through my mind as I stumbled my way through the overgrowth. The forest was peaceful, almost too much so. As heartbroken as I felt, I was glad I returned and hoped to return again in the future with friends and family. But I had to be going. It was only noon and I had to get back to town so I could catch a train to return to Salispils, the next step of my journey.

Biķernieku Forest 

The Path In

Introduction to Memorial

The Main Site

Altar with Memory Stones

Gescher, Germany with Marked Memory Stones

Massacre Site?

Marker with Dates

 Unofficial Grave

 More Unofficial Graves Off the Beaten Path

 Order Amongst Disorder

 Barely Visible 

 Not Forgotten - Deeper in the Forest

 More Memories

 Not Forgetting

Candles and Stones

What Do You Know, a Post About Salo!

Monday was a monumental day for me here in Ukraine; culturally and culinarily speaking, that is! Despite having eaten it many times this was the first time I bought the national food, salo (сало). For those of you lucky enough to be in the know, сало is pig fat. Yes indeed, a nice (maybe not so healthy) slice of fatback with or without the skin. Of course this sounds terribly disgusting to most non-Slavs but it is the national dish for a reason. It was initially the food of the peasants as it was easy to cure and store for long periods of time.  In times of trouble, and there have been many over here, the people could always survive off of сало. And what made it so great (other than coming from the pig) was that it could be spiced with paprika, garlic, or salt to give it an extra flavor. People could also cook with it, add it to sausages, or make it into a spread to put on bread. There was also firm belief that сало would improve your skin, help ward off heart attacks (!), and dispense of a nasty tooth ache. Over time сало moved beyond the peasant lands to becoming a popular food with the general population. Nowadays the best way to buy сало is to go to the main meat market and choose from a dazzling array of choices. You are encouraged to pierce the сало with a small pointed utensil that is available for use by all. If it is too firm do not buy it, I am told. Once you get your prize how it is up to you how to eat it. For me the best way is to cut a piece, put it on bread and chow down. But don't forget to wash it down with a nice frosty glass of kvass (квас)!

More about Salo - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salo_(food)

Salo...as a delicacy? - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/06/salo-ukraine-national-obsession

 Сало with a touch of Meat

Washed Down with Квас 

Behind the Doors of 'Number One'

How often we walk through our cities and towns, past buildings that display no sign of their purpose. I never ask myself what is behind the door of the yellow house on the corner or the imposing building on the main street. We might actually be surprised or shocked at what goes on behind closed doors and high walls. This is certainly the case with One Lonstsky Street in Lviv.  Starting in 1918 with the Polish and ending in 1991 when the KGB skipped town for good, this nondescript building with the high walls was a prison and, virtually, a death camp for political prisoners. Today, if you know where to go, it is a museum of remembrance for future generations. I was lucky enough to read a few guidebooks and look at some maps so I knew where to find the National Museum and Memorial to the Victims of the Occupation. (http://www.lonckoho.lviv.ua/)

Much like memorials to the Holocaust in Riga, memorials to those killed by the NKVD and its successor, the KGB, are often difficult to find. Whether it's from a conscious decision (http://www.lucorg.com/news.php/news/4554), negligence, or a will NOT to remember, I am unsure. Either way, it took some time to make my way to the museum on a street I had walked upon in January. At that time I was looking for the Cat Cafe but little did I know that the building I was standing beside while waiting for a tram was the same place the NKVD killed between 1,300 and 1,700 political prisoners in late June 1941 as the Germans were preparing to roll into town. Many of these prisoners were Ukrainian nationalists, from religious orders, or people at the wrong place at the wrong time. (http://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine/lviv-museum-recounts-soviet-nazi-atrocities-66675.html). It's not surprising I didn't identify the place as a museum since there were no markings on the wall besides a wreath adorned with blue and yellow ribbons and flowers. (Clue #1) The real entrance is around a side street where you find an entrance with some printed information and a flag over the door.

When I went to the museum on a Saturday afternoon, I was one of the only people there. It was free of charge and a man in what I took to be a police officer's uniform let me in with a polite greeting. Once inside the place looked as it should, uncared for. The wooden floors creaked and paint was peeling from the walls. I had a feeling that this was intentional as much as for a lack of funds to pay for renovations. Either way, the effect was chilling. There was no doubt this was a prison. Walls were papered over to keep out the sun and cobwebs filled what passed for toilets. Then there was the door leading out to the courtyard. While there were plenty of exhibits in English, many were not. I was trying out my Ukrainian when I was approached by an older woman who appeared to work there. Oksana, as she was called, initial spoke to me in Ukrainian but soon switched to English. As we chatted she offered to show me around. She was a wealth of information and her English was very good despite her objections to the contrary. What she could not explain in English she said in Ukrainian and we split the difference. I was thankfully she offered to show me around as I got to see some places that are not open to the public;  including the basement where the condemned waited to die.

I will not go on and on but it was an important experience on my trip to Lviv. This is a city that has been tossed between the Poles, the Soviets, the Germans, and the Soviets once more. The previous governments still do not seem to want to invest in these types of memorials to events that need to be remembered and discussed. It has been suggested that recent events in Ukraine could have been prevented or altered if discussions about the Soviet past had been taking place. (https://euromaidanberlin.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/kgb-archives-in-ukraine-will-be-open-to-public/) Regardless, this is a place that more people, especially Ukrainians, need to see.

Papered-over Windows - No light in or Out

Door Out to the Courtyard

The Long Hallway

"Luxury" Quarters

From the Photo Room

Inside Looking Out

Bathroom Facilities

Propaganda Room

Sinks and Peeling Paint

Once You Go Out, You Don't Go Back In

In the Cellar

The Padded Room

Solitary

Wall of Death

The Revolution is Just a вишиванка Away

May nineteenth seemed like any regular Thursday to me, and why not? I didn't have any particular reason to celebrate....but millions of Ukrainians worldwide did. As with any third Thursday of May, the streets are awash with people wearing their colorful embroidered shirts, the vyshyvanka (вишиванка).  Twenty years ago the streets of Donetsk in the east were not filled with these beautifully designed shirts so that is perhaps why I have no recollection of this day. But it is now 2016 and much has changed in Ukraine especially over the past two years.

So what is a вишиванка? It is a white long sleeved shirt that is woven on a loom and embroidered by hand. It's design speaks much of Ukrainain culture in that it features nature motifs such as flowers, leaves, vines, and the lozenge which symbolizes fertility. It also has many spiritual and superstitious connections as the symbols are located in vulnerable places such as the sleeves, neck, bosom, and cuffs. The motifs were placed there to ward off evil spirits and death. An interesting story can be found here: http://euromaidanpress.com/2015/05/21/legend-of-the-vyshyvanka-traditional-ukrainian-embroidered-shirt/. The вишиванка is not restricted to shirts either as the designs can be embroidered on dresses, aprons, pants, and sheets. You can also determine where a вишиванка was made as each region has its own design.

But what gives at gives this unofficial holiday its edge is the current political situation in the East. Ever since the EuroMaidan protests followed by the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, patriotism has been growing. Add to this the earlier Soviet suppression of Ukrainian embroidery during Stalin's drive for Russification, and you have a tailor-made political holiday. The вишиванка took center stage in the trial of political prisioner Nadiya Savchenko when she donned her white on white shirt (Poltava region, I believe). This small act was a thumb in the eye of the Russian government who wanted to make an example of her. (http://euromaidanpress.com/2015/01/23/nadiya-savchenko-the-pow-that-became-ukraines-poster-girl-for-independence/)

So next year, on the third Thursday of May, be sure to don your вишиванка and look towards Ukraine. To (mis)quote Billy Bragg, "...join the struggle while you may, the Revolution is just a вишиванка away!"

Remembering to Forget Victory Day

Sorry for the long wait. I have been having computer problems so I could not post for some time. I'm hoping this will make up for it.  Read on!

Twenty years ago, when I was first a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine, May 9^th meant nothing to me. Only after a friend came up to me later that day, breathlessly describing how she and her friends had cheered, yelled, and threw flowers at the veterans, did I realize I missed an important Ukrainian holiday. Victory Day (День Перемоги) celebrates the Allied Victory over the Nazi’s in World War Two, or as Ukrainians called it, The Great Patriotic War (In Russian: Великая Отечественная Война). As with many countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Ukraine has forever been surrounded by belligerents on both sides, usually Germany and Russia/USSR. Therefore, when hostilities broke out, Ukraine frequently became the prime battleground as wars ebbed and flowed in either direction. In the case of World War II, when the Germans initiated Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, the initial hope of some Ukrainians that the conquering Nazis would soon offer Ukrainian independence was quickly and harshly dashed. Throughout the course of the war, Ukraine was devastated as cities and towns were scorched not only by the Nazis but by retreating Soviets as well. When the war finally ended, as many as eight million Ukrainians lay dead (5.5 million civilian and 2.5 million military), according to some accounts. Anyway you slice it, Ukrainians suffered tremendously under the Nazis and the Soviets. For this reason, May 9^th has always been a day of remembrance, a potent mix of joy and sadness. That I missed the parade twice when I was first in Ukraine, made me determined to celebrate the holiday this time around. With more veterans dying every year, soon these days may be a memory.

But times have changed and so has this important holiday. As Ukraine is embroiled in another war, May 9^th has taken on a new significance. There are now pointed connections made between the Great Patriotic War and the war simmering in Donbas. The name of the holiday has also changed from Victory Day to Victory over Nazism in World War II (День перемоги над нацизмом у Друній світовій віній). In fact, the term “Great Patriotic War” was removed from Ukrainian legislation altogether and replaced with the term World War II. Due to recent legislation, as of 15 May 2015, Communist and Nazi symbols are no longer allowed in Ukraine. Instead of the Hammer and Sickle flags and the Ribbon of St. George (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_of_Saint_George)and other Soviet symbols, Ukrainians now wear a red poppy. (http://uatoday.tv/society/ukraine-celebrates-daly-of-victory-over-nazism-in-world-war-ii-645162.html)

So how have these changes affected the citizens of Ukraine? From new reports and my own observation, feelings seem to be mixed. Many of the older citizens, especially veterans, do not want to forget the Soviet Red Army who saved them from Nazi aggression. How can people turn their backs on history and forget how this country was saved by German domination by the Communist Party and the USSR despite some other unpleasant history? There are many others who see it differently. Ukraine was forcibly taken over by the Soviet Union, and then by Germany, followed by a return of the USSR. What is there to celebrate?  So it may take many years and the deaths of the last veterans to finally dictate the future of this holiday. It seems to reason it will also take a definitive answer to the war in Donbas as well. Perhaps the victory of 1945 will be superseded by a new victory and a united nation in the coming years.

But what is still important is for people to remember loved ones. That is why citizens still were leaving flowers by the tank monument in Victory Square. They also walked up the hill to lay more flowers and listen to the bands playing at the Eternal Glory Memorial. Everywhere you could see the remaining veterans, smartly dressed in uniform with chests full of medals. For those who were no longer alive, loved ones carried pictures. What astonished and heartened me the most was the respect shown both the living and the dead. Citizens would walk up to soldiers and ask to take a photo or went up to a widow to offer condolences. And I guess that was the message of the day in Zhytomyr. Remember and respect those who came before even though time and old ideals have passed. I think there is a lesson here for all countries dealing with their pasts.

 Living Memory

 Non-Forgotten Soldier

Tanks for the Memories

Pictures from the Past

Victory Column

Not Your Average Easter Egg

Писанки (Pysanky) are not your typical Easter egg. In America we often dye our eggs one or two colors (perhaps more) and go hide them somewhere. But писанки are not just dyed, they are written on (писати) using beeswax and simple wooden and metal tools. The designs on these eggs are not random, rather they are deeply rooted in Ukrainian culture and tradition. For example you will see designs of nature such as birds, trees, along with modern Christian symbols. There is also a sun-type design which originally represented Дажбог (Dazhboh) a Slavic sun god. The colors also represent many different things such as the moon/stars/harvest (Yellow); purity and virginity (White); and new life (Green). There are also many superstitions such as the maze-like designs that are said to trap evil spirits. But like in Western culture, eggs are seen as a sign of rebirth and as an official beginning of spring. Писанки are given as gifts and it's always good luck and good form to give some to your local priest on Easter morning. So powerful was the писанки to Ukrainian culture that it was banned by the Soviet authorities as a religious ritual. As with some many things since independence in 1991, the art of писанки is making a slow but strong comeback. A spiritual and national rebirth, indeed! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pysanka) (http://learnpysanky.com/supplies.html)

How are писанки made? It takes eggs, beeswax, candles, a special stylus and lots of patience. I have tried to make писанки on two separate occasions. For me it was in exercise in concentration and language as I had to use my nascent Ukrainian skills to find out what was going on. In a nutshell, you gather wax from a melting candle and apply it to the egg. I saw some people drawing their designs but others skipped this part and began applying the wax. To get the wax from the candle to the egg you need to use a special stylus called a кістка. Holding the кістка carefully in one hand you must scoop the wax into the tiny funnel and hold the funnel over the candle. As the wax melts in the funnel it drips out the other end. As you work you learn how much wax to melt and how to guide the кістка over the egg. When you are finished with your first design you bring your egg to the jars where they are dunked in dye. The idea is to build up several layers of designs and several layers of colors. Every thing which is covered in wax will not receive the dye. So this is a process that can continue as you build your artistic masterpiece. Whenever you are finished you burn the wax off by holding the candle to the flame. You then polish your писанки and varnish it with a coating of egg yolk.

While I was not very adept at making писанки I was many people who were. This is a real art form that speaks almost as much about culture as it does about religion. Perhaps next year I will make an every bigger artistic statement!

 Notice the кістка in the right hand.

 Teacher in action.

 Dyes and other tools of the trade.

 Language teacher explaining the steps.

Completed писанка

Easter Is Upon Us!

Last week, Orthodox Easter (Пасха) came to Ukraine. While I was here for celebrations twenty years ago, I don't quite remember getting so involved in the occasion. I think an important reason for this was that I was located in Donetsk which still had a very Soviet feel. There were churches but not as prominent as in other parts of the country. So the whole holiday sort of passed me by. But this time, things were different. I made a conscious effort to participate in the Easter festivities. 

As the holiday approaches you can feel the excitement in the air. Special Easter cakes (paska/паска: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paska_(bread)) appear in the markets and people begin to make the traditional easter eggs (pysanka/писанка) Then comes Thursday which sets the church services in motion. Known as Чистий Четверг (Clean Thursday), this is the day you clean your house...and your soul. People head to church after work where a mass seems to continually be in session. You enter, buy a candle (or use your own), and then ask a fellow worshiper for a light. I was unsure of the protocol so I asked for a light, listened to my prayers, and then blew out my candle in unison with the rest of the church. This process was repeated twice before I decided to head back home. While I did not attempt this, you are supposed to keep your candle lit as you go home. If the candle remains lit the whole way, you will have a good year and your soul will now be clean. I wondered how this could be done if the particular Thursday happens to be windy or rainy. I was told to bring a lighter. Hmmmm.....

Saturday is a bustle of activity as people rush to the market to buy last minute provisions. The line then seems to be drawn between the die-hard worshipers and the casual/less hard-core worshipers. If you are a die-hard, you go to the church all night and stay until morning to see the sun come up. I believe there are prayers and perhaps some solemn marching around the church. (Need to check on this as I have received some conflicting information) If you are still somewhat hard-core you arrive at the church at four o'clock and wait for the sun to come up. I am neither and I am locked in the dorm at night so I did not venture out. But I did go to the church on Saturday evening. Much like the all-night/early morning crowd, people show up to get their baskets blessed by the priest. In your basket you place any food that you want blessed. Unlike Catholic Easter, there are no bunnies and baskets are not filled with candy (well, not much anyway). Looking at the people lined up around the church, I saw everything from sausage, to chicken, to fruits and vegetables, cakes, etc. Apparently, people wait in line while the priest comes by with a bucket of water and a sponge-like device on a stick. After their food is blessed, the people quickly leave to be replaced by another group. I'm not sure how long this lasts but wave after wave of worshipers kept coming to the church Saturday evening. 

So what exactly happens on Easter Sunday (or Великий День/Great Day) depends on the family. Many people will go to church and stay for a little while...or hours on end. Most people take their blessed baskets and eat the food the next morning. About that time горілка (vodka) also makes an appearance. I believe many people use this as a day to be with family, enjoy the renewal of spring, and enjoy a nice drink. And you can finally eat your паска. I was told to do things properly you can't eat your special Easter bread until Sunday morning. And I was good...kind of....I did try the frosting. 

 Lining Up the Baskets/Shielding the Flame

 Blessing in Progress

 The Faithful Bow Their Heads

 Patiently Waiting

 Keeper of the Flame

 Pow! Right in the Kisser

Baskets at the Ready