#peacecorpsstories

[peacecorpspatrice]

Back in September my fantastic sister @mlmccormick33 came to visit me here in Ukraine. We decided a great vacation destination would be Chernobyl because чому ні why not? Chernobyl was a small village just over 100km from Kyiv and was determined a perfect place to build what was to become the largest energy producer in the world. The Soviet Energy ministry wanted to build 12 reactors and in 1977 the first reactor was launched. In April of 1986 all that changed. There were 4 reactors operating with two more being built when the largest nuclear disaster in history occurred. An initial sarcophagus was hastily built around the exploded reactor not to contain the radiation but to protect workers who still operated another reactor for years afterward. What you see behind us in the first photo is a second sarcophagus finished in 2017. This is expected to be viable for 100 years while crews working with robotics disassemble the reactor and move the radioactive material to what has been determined safe storage (I really have no idea what that means). It was an amazing day with history, nature and science all wrapped up in one story. I’ll be posting more photos over the next several days of the whole “Exclusion Zone” as it is called. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #україна #chernobyl #nuclearenergy #radiation #чернобиль #ukraine #travel #science #history #energy #explore #peacecorps #peacecorpsukraine #peacecorpsukraine52 #howiseepc #howiseepeacecorps #peacecorpsstories #peacecorpsjourney #mypeacecorpsstory (at Chernobyl Exclusion Zone) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs5FKFuHL1G/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=33bhz8pkwrhg

[peacecorpspatrice]

I don’t remember anything about this metal sculpture. Only that I liked it. There is a one room building right after the security gates that serves as a modern art museum/interpretation of what Chernobyl meant to people and this is outside of it. I think many people still have a hard time making sense of it all and artistic representations help people sort out thoughts and feelings and hopes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #україна #chernobyl #nuclearenergy #radiation #чернобиль #ukraine #travel #science #history #energy #explore #peacecorps #peacecorpsukraine #peacecorpsukraine52 #howiseepc #howiseepeacecorps #peacecorpsstories #peacecorpsjourney #mypeacecorpsstory #nuclearreactor #sculpture #metalart #artistic #symbolism (at Chernobyl Exclusion Zone-Pripyat) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtaushmHVjo/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=exshgb6cl8d1

[peacecorpspatrice]

Comforts of home. Peace Corps Volunteers all over the world often get ill. Contaminated water, different hygiene practices for food, different illnesses and parasites can all be contributing factors. I was not immune. I’ve been battling some bad juju for many months and finally called on our in country medical team for help. My Peace Corps Dr was helpful, kind and a great translator when I needed it. Some fellow volunteers helped me out. I was well cared for. But I am far away from home and comforts of the familiar and it wasn’t easy. My local folks asked after me. Came by the house with food and asked if they could help me. But nothing is quite like a familiar voice, a good friend, who you can count on. I am finally better and can eat normal food! Pancakes with local blackberries it is! And all through it @kexp was there to keep me company, helping me maintain the familiar, providing great music to occupy my thoughts. There was news of home - the weather, The Showbox, events around town. Yes the comforts of home can be found in many different ways. I am grateful for electricity and internet so I can maintain this connection. Now for pancakes and more music! 🎶 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #pancakes #blackberries #comforts #comfortsofhome #kexp #friends #thefamiliar #music #independentradio #peacecorps #peacecorpsukraine #peacecorpsukraine52 #ukraine #home #україна #корпусмуру #howiseepc #peacecorpsstories #peacecorpsjourney (at Ukraine) https://www.instagram.com/p/BmnBv5RAhUh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=wch5a663d0rn

[peacecorpspatrice]

The Amusement Park in Pripyat is often photographed. Amusement parks like this (although in slightly better shape) are still found all over the country many leftover from Soviet rule. The amusement park here is often seen as a symbol of the nuclear disaster. It is now slowly rusting away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #peacecorpsjourney #howiseepc #howiseepeacecorps #mypeacecorpsstory #peacecorpsstories #peacecorpsukraine #peacecorpsukraine52 #amusementpark #pripyat #chernobyl #ukraine #nuclearenergy #україна #припять #чернобль (at Chernobyl Exclusion Zone-Pripyat) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtIHTdCnRb4/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=t55l5djxxw2o

[travelbranyik]

My book “It Depends: A Guide to Peace Corps” will be available on Amazon for purchase in less than 48 hours! 🤩 This is the second edition with new info and format for better reading! Prepare to buy your next copy!! 📚 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #peacecorps #peacecorpsbooks #peacecorpsstories #peacecorpslife #peacecorpsvolunteers #pcvs #rpcvs @peacecorps @peacecorpsconnect #bookoftheday #volunteerwork #books #volunteerstories #guidebook (at Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoVWb5pg1-O/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=k7tdyp3ko512

[peacecorpspatrice]

Language Lesson: Here is an excellent example why Ukrainian so confusing to learn. The Г is my least favorite letter to try to pronounce. It isn’t an H and it isn’t a G. It is maybe a super soft g or a guttural h. Kind of. It is a very challenging letter for a native English speaker to pronounce and when listening to a native Ukrainian speaking at normal speed it sounds an awful lot like the Х which by the way is not an X but a short of Kh sound but pretty much without the K sound. Don’t even get me started on И or Й or І. Those all sound the same to me too when someone is speaking normally. Even slowly I can’t really hear the different. But back to the Г. I work primarily at our local government offices. But I do secondary projects with one of our local NGOs. It’s name is Оберіг Гніздучів or transliterated Oberig Hnizdychiv. Let’s look at the photo and the Cyrillic letters circled in yellow. Now look at the Latin letters circled in red. Ukrainian is supposedly a literal language. Each letter always has the same pronunciation. But with these two examples I beg to differ. I hope I can figure this mystery out so by the time I leave I can actually pronounce the name of the town in which I live. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #peacecorpsjourney #howiseepc #peacecorpsstories #peacecorps #peacecorpsukraine #peacecorpsukraine52 #ukraine #language #languagelearning #ukrainian #ukrainianlanguage #cyrrilic #neverstoplearning #україна #українськамова #мова (at Ukraine) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm79B0wgt8u/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1y07wnxkwm0b0

[peacecorpspatrice]

I have always preferred the absurd, unusual or funny over traditional images or art. It has been awhile since I have seen something here in Ukraine that is photo worthy and shareable. While in Mukachevo, a city in the SW corner of Ukraine I took the time to see the traditional, an historic castle high on a hill overlooking the city. Sure it was cool, there were some exhibits and nice views. But this made it worthwhile. A window near the base of a wall along stairs going up to an overlook area of the castle. Everyone else’s was bustling by to see traditional sites or stop in the souvenir store but I crouched down here for sometime to contemplate the poor manikins jailed in their cellar. There was a torture chamber exhibit on an upper floor, but this seemed more real life. Also it seems like a miniature ghost child is trapped in there too if you look close. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #peacecorpsjourney #howiseepc #peacecorpsstories #peacecorpsukraine #peacecorpsukraine52 #peacecorps #castle #cellar #dungeon #manikin #manikins #mukachevo #ukraine #history #travel #solofemaletraveler #solofemaletravel #explore #travelukraine #palanokcastle #замокпаланок #замок #україна #мукачево (at Мукачево / Мукачово / Мункач / Munkács Закарпаття) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm59ke7gVip/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=upnhpi1c5vbu

[estevanastorga]

Story Time

A Peace Corps recruiter has asked me to share a story of an experience in Senegal thus far. Here’s what I decided to share: One of my most memorable moments in Senegal took place during pre-service training. PST in Senegal entails the first two months of training where volunteers spend days at a time between the Peace Corps training center in the city of Thiès and language & cultural immersion sites in surrounding villages. The village I was assigned to was a small town of about 8,000 people called Bayakh. In Bayakh, 7 other trainees and myself lived with a respective host family and were expected to learn from them and interact with them. Trainees also meet with a Peace Corps Language and Cultural Facilitator for 5 hours each day to learn the local language and teach you about the cultural norms of the Senegalese.

After the first few weeks of training, my language group and I decided to meet at our friend Stephanie's house in Bayakh for some additional Wolof studying prior to our first big test the next day. Myself and 3 other "Toubabs" (what white foreigners are commonly called) sat outside on a mat taking refugee under the shade of her host family's house which separated us from the heat of the sweltering Senegalese sun. 

In the midst of studying, we noticed a young man walk into the property -- he seemed especially eager to see meet us.

"Hello! How are you?" he shouted in English from the entrance of the home's compound. He approached us all and began shaking our hands.

"This is my neighbor," Stephanie explained, "he practices his English with me and he helps me with my Wolof."

Noticing our notebooks, books, and flashcards sprawled across the space we were studying, Stephanie's neighbor replied, "Oh! You are learning!"

"Yes," I said, "We are studying Wolof because we have an exam tomorrow."

"Ah, yes!" he exclaimed. Then he looked and pointed at each of us individually with a huge smile on his face and shouted, "Sexist! Sexist! Sexist! Sexist!"

My friends and I were all completely shocked and taken aback. We all looked at one another with wide eyes while laughing uncomfortably. Without words, I could see we were all thinking the same thing, 'What the HELL is this guy trying to say?!'

Luckily, at that very moment, our Language & Cultural Facilitator had just walked in on our conversation. He chuckled at the spectacle he had just witnessed and after enjoying a good laugh decided to intervene, "What he meant to say was SUCCESS. He is wishing you all great success for your exam tomorrow." At that point, we all began laughing hysterically! We thanked Stephanie's neighbor for his kindness and also inadvertently thanked him for providing us with a great inside joke.