Randi with an i

Meet Oksana, and my other Peace Corps counterparts

February 13, 2020 Randi

I wanted to take a second to give a shoutout to some pretty dang amazing Ukrainian nationals today!

If you haven’t noticed, I tend to use the word “counterparts” a lot.

Peace Corps really tries its best to promote sustainability, and it does that in Ukraine by co-teaching.

I mean, think about it. If I waltzed into a Ukrainian high school and started teaching English on my own, I’d be putting a Ukrainian out of a job. Not exactly fair, right?

So, Peace Corps assigns what are called “counterparts.” They’re the Ukrainian nationals that every volunteer works closely with in order to do their job well, and to do it as sustainably as possible.

Peace Corps Training: In-Service Training, AKA, IST

February 9, 2020 Randi

What’s Peace Corps without the training?

This past week — and my next few weeks/ weekends — have been and will be full of Peace Corps training. This past week was In-Service Training (IST), next week I have a safety training and then shortly after that, I’ll have Project Design and Management.

It’s a lot, but it’s to be expected. IST is kind of a new-ish concept, apparently. Our Pre-Service Training used to be longer, but Peace Corps recently decided to cut it short and then add a new In-Service Training session a little bit into our service.

That way, we could do some training with our counterparts after we’d gotten a little bit acclimated to our sites and all.

So, all the education volunteers (and our counterparts!) recently traveled to Konche Zaspa for a few days of training, starting on Monday.

My new Ukrainian apartment! Take a tour of my Peace Corps housing.

January 21, 2020 Randi2 comments

GUYS I DID IT IT HAPPENED THE STRESSFUL NIGHTMARISH APARTMENT SEARCH IS OVER AND I HAVE AN APARTMENT HERE AT SITE!

Like, I thought apartment searching in Chicago was hard?! Oh no. Oh no no no. Oh Randi. No. It’s a million times harder when A. You can’t speak the language, B. Nobody wants to rent to a foreigner, C. You’re working with a Peace Corps-established budget of literal pennies, D. Your apartment has to meet safety and security standards set by Peace Corps, E. You’re a single woman living in a “traditional” culture, F. Your selection of apartments is… really interesting, G. You’re relying on flaky realtors and sketchy websites, H. You need a pre-furnished apartment because you don’t have furniture because you own two suitcases worth of belongings…

…I could go on. Apartment searching in Chicago was easy peasy compared to trying to find housing in the city of Khmelnytskyi!

But! The traumatic search is over! I have moved to my new lil Ukrainian apartment!

Christmas (AKA, New Year’s) in Khmelnytskyi

January 11, 2020 Randi

It’s the moooooost woooonderful tiiiimeeeeeee of the year!

NEW YEAR’S.

Also, Christmas.

Christmas in Ukraine is a little… well, strange. During the Soviet era, religion was discouraged. Rather than giving up Christian traditions, Ukrainians played along.

“Christmas? Oh… no. This is my New Year’s Tree.”

(I am not kidding.)

Celebrating New Year’s rather than Christmas kind of stuck around even after the Soviet Union collapsed, and now, New Year’s Eve is the big winter holiday celebrated in Ukraine.

Because most Ukrainians adhere to the Orthodox calendar as well, Christmas is mostly celebrated on January 7 in Ukraine. My host family was an exception. Mama Natasha is a devout Catholic, so I celebrated Christmas on Dec. 24 and 25, while most of my Ukrainian friends and counterparts held off until early January.

However, the dates of actual Christmas are kind of irrelevant here. Christmas-slash-New Year’s is celebrated for weeks at a time.

I just wanted to share a few highlights from my first Christmas-slash-New-Year’s here in Khmelnytskyi.

A Christmas-time trip to Kyiv for flu shots — just kidding, we went to see Star Wars

December 30, 2019 Randi

I’m not gonna lie, I started panicking WAY before I left for Ukraine about how tf I was gonna see the new Star Wars movie.

But I'm gonna be able to see this while serving in the Peace Corps right?!?! https://t.co/qTgKN5tbvC
— Randi (@RandiMShaffer) August 26, 2019

I have receipts.

But, luckily, several of my new fellow PCV friends are also massive nerds, so they did all the dirty work of finding a movie theater in Kyiv that offered an English-language version of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” and booked tickets and an Airbnb and everything.

Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving in Lviv

December 4, 2019 Randi

Here it is! My first big overnight trip in Ukraine!

I recently celebrated Thanksgiving at my site with a group of incredible new Ukrainian friends, who learned about the U.S. holiday from a previous volunteer, and loved the idea of it.

But, if an American holiday is an excuse to travel and see other volunteers in-country? I’m all over it.

Several of my friends and I booked an Airbnb, and spent the Thanksgiving weekend exploring the Ukrainian city of Lviv!

Old traditions and new friends: My first Thanksgiving in Ukraine

November 29, 2019 Randi

Hopefully, you know that Thanksgiving is a very American holiday. It’s not as universal as Christmas or New Year’s. Thanksgiving Day — as it stands on the calendar, at least — is celebrated solely in America, by Americans.

Until it isn’t.

I’ve mentioned before that Ukrainians love holidays and festivities and will turn just about anything into a celebration if they can. So, when the chance came for some of my new Ukrainian friends to celebrate Thanksgiving, they pounced.

Marina Krut in concert in Khmelnytskyi

November 12, 2019 Randi

The other day, I had the chance to go to my first Ukrainian concert.

Because my host sister Ira lives in Kyiv and works as a music journalist for Kyiv FM, she knows pretty much everything there is to know about Ukrainian music and artists. She also gets tons of free tickets and backstage passes… really cool stuff!

She recently visited Khmelnytskyi, and gifted me a ticket to see Marina Krut, a Ukrainian singer and bandurist, in concert.

Meet my Ukrainian host family, the Khmelnytskyi version!

November 10, 2019 Randi

Whew. It has been a MONTH! I feel like everything is happening so quickly I don’t have time to soak it all in, and I’m so afraid I’m going to forget all of these wonderful, incredible sights and experiences I’m so lucky to have.

One thing I won’t ever forget, though, is my host family.

These people have already been so kind, wonderful, welcoming and generous, I know I will never, ever forget them.

And it’s only been a month since I’ve known them!

Spelunking in Атлантида! An underground adventure in Ukraine’s crystal caves

November 5, 2019 Randi

I did not ever in a million years think that my adventure in Ukraine would involve freaking CAVE DIVING, but guys, I went spelunking last week!

Yes, spelunking. In a REAL cave. Filled with crystals and bats.