Daily Life: This and That

New house and new room, with high ceilings, entrance in back of house, up flight of stairs to a lovely porch; Natalia in pink and white with Tonya, Olga and two Lydas, friends of Natalia's, having tea in the living room. And my guitar man.

Change: Here are photos of my new house and new room. It's a beautiful place in the center of town, a great location. My new host is Natalia (another Natalia!), a wonderful, vibrant, modern woman with 3 grown sons (Philip, Ivan, Boris, in their late 20s),who live in Kyiv, one married to a teacher who is fluent in English, and a daughter Anna at university in Khargiv. Natalia has a women's clothing store on the first floor of the house. She got back from Kyiv yesterday and it was an instant friendship. She is happy to have me here, and I am happy to be here. We celebrated with tea and friends. It's such a warm feeling. And now I'm cooking again, too, and enjoying it.

Guitar man: My guitar man is a street musician who is out most every day. I usually drop a few

hryvnia in his guitar case as I pass. It's hard to talk with my limited Russian, but he knows I am the Amerikanka, and he understands that I love classical guitar and classical music. Now when he sees me coming he starts to play Brahms, Mendelsohn, Bruch and some of the songs Segovia used to play, and he serenades me. I stop and listen for as long as I can, applaud, and walk on my way feeling embraced by the music.

Post Office Drama: The ladies at the post office all know me by name: “It's Francie. Anything from America?” they shout back and forth. The answer is usually no. I greet them with big smiles, and they do the same. It's interesting because I've had nothing but bad experiences at the Post Office: lost mail, slow mail, no mail, returned mail, and postage due mail for my not picking up a box of books soon enough! I have smiled through it all, however, and now I am rewarded with warm greetings everytime I go into the Post Office. Something I dreaded has turned into something I enjoy, but I don't expect to get any mail any more, unless it comes from the Peace Corps in Kyiv. Anything from America remains iffy. This is not to discourage you from sending a card every now and then, however. I think it would please the ladies in the Post Office, too! Send to me c/o of Vera Flyat, A/R 14, Starobelsk, Lugansk Oblast, Ukraine 92700 (I notice Vera using this zip code now).

Stray dogs: There is a stray dog problem here as elsewhere in Ukraine, and we were warned how to deal with the dogs if they are aggressive. Mostly they bark but then back off as you pass. I got nipped once in the back of an ankle as I walked through the park to Victoria's, but that’s the only time it’s happened. Recently, a dog has adopted me, wagging its tail whenever he sees me coming around the bus station. I’ve taken to carrying cookies or pieces of bread in my pocket to toss at him, and then we both go on our way. I don't know if this is a good thing or not. I wonder what he will do in winter, for instance, but these scruffy dogs seem to survive, often wander in packs, and find comfort I suppose in one another. At least I like to think so.

A plant for Luba: I returned to Luba’s recently to drop off her house keys and pick up shoes I had left behind, and a few other things, and to bring her a pretty plant I had bought as a present. She loved the plant, as I knew she would, and immediately put it in the window of what used to be my room. “Fran’s plant,” she said with a smile. We sat at the computer for a few minutes to say we will always be friends. I felt so much better after seeing Luba, and letting her know how much I care for her. And I know she feels the same way. Friendships are not always easy, but they are always important to our souls.

Ivan Savich and Ukrainian Poets

Collage: Upper left, from a Leon Savich book of poems; his grandson Dmitriy, in Ukrainian shirt; Savich friend Vera and others reading and remembering; lower left, the poster of Cossack Savich on horse of freedom; lower right, historian Mikhail, poet Anton, library director Iryna Andreenova.

The Library sponsored an interesting forum last week commemorating the 10th anniversary of the death of Starobelsk poet Ivan Savich. I had never heard of Savich, but by the end of the day I had a pretty good understanding of his life and works and his contributions to the cultural life of Starobelsk and eastern Lugansk. Savich wrote in Ukrainian, and explored Ukrainian themes in his poetry, which got him in trouble with Soviet authorities, who had him jailed and sent off to the Gulag in Siberia for 8 years.

The Library has all 30 of his books, and they were proudly on display around the reading room, along with a nice exhibit and a great poster of one of Savich’s birthday celebrations (Savich as a Cossack riding a horse to freedom, holding a Ukrainian flag). Best of all, Starobelsk poets, writers, an historian, and literary people came with their own books and memories to talk about Savich and to read his poetry. I didn’t get it all (зто нормолно), but what I got was moving. This was a strong Ukrainian nationalist in the tradition of Taras Shevchenko, Ivan Franko, Leslie Ukrainka, and the more modern Lina Kostenko of Kiev, right here in eastern Ukraine.

According to his grandson, Dmitriy, who was present at the forum, he was a wonderful man, creative and funny, a determined man, tolerant and social, who knew other famous poets like Volodymyr Sosvura and Mikhail Rylskiy. Dmitriy, wearing a traditional embroidered Ukrainian shirt under his jacket, reminded me of many people I had met in western Ukraine who were strong patriots, proud of their Ukrainian heritage. I leaned over and asked Anton: "Is Dmitriy from Starobelsk?" "Sure," he answered, "he takes after his grandfather."

When I got home I googled Ivan Savich but couldn't find the Starobelsk poet who had died in 2000. That was disappointing, indicating that he is not widely known. I did, however, find Sosvura (1898-1965) and Rylskiy (1895-1964) and they present an interesting contrast.

Sosvura, like Savich, wrote in Ukrainian and eventually sought to promote Ukrainian traditions torn asunder under Soviet rule. He too was jailed, for what was called at the time "nationalistic undertones," meaning a reverence for things Ukrainian, rather than total commitment to the Soviet regime.

The following Sosvura poem demonstrates this, in feeling and language. Actually, its message goes beyond "undertones" to outright Ukrainian patriotism!

"Love Ukraine
sleeping and waking
Cherish Ukraine, its beauty
forever, living
And a new language, and its nightingale.''

Rylskiy, on the other hand, was faithful to the Soviet regime, wrote in Russian, and praised the communist revolution. He was a member of the Communitst Party and won the Lenin Prize for poetry in 1960. These three poets must have had some interesting conversations, Savich the youngest, and perhaps the wisest.

Unfortunately, I cannot read the poems in Russian or Ukrainian, so I am looking for English translations. I am sure a lot is lost in translation, but sometimes you can get the essence of the words. I wish someone would take this on as a scholarly project, beginning with the poems of Savich, a prolific writer who is largely unknown. Nothing gets you into the heart of the matter, in this case into the essence of what is Ukrainian, faster than a poem. Translating poets who wrote in Ukrainian would be a great contribution to our understanding of this great country now struggling to coaloesce its own national identity.

Of one thing I am certain. Savich knew Taras Shevchenko’s poems like his own. Shevchenko was revered then, and still is; he is considered the father of Ukrainian literature, and he had a tremendous influence among generations of poets, writers and artists after him. Among Savich's favorites must have been “Testament,” because Shevchenko's love of Ukraine shines through.

“When I am dead bury me

In my beloved Ukraine,
My tomb upon a grave mound high
Amid the spreading plain
So that the fields, the boundless steppes,
The Dnieper’s plunging shore
My eyes could see, my ears could hear
The mighty river roar.…

Oh bury me, then rise ye up
And break your heavy chains.
And water with the tyrants’ blood
The freedom you have gained.
And in the great new family,
The family of the free,
With softly spoken, kindly word
Remember also me.”

Learning About Japan, and Haiku

Olga with our Holiday Tree, writing Haiku, learning about Japan.

There's a fascination about Japan in Ukraine. I don't know why. But it's come to our English Club. Our last three meetings have focused on things Japanese: the history, culture, arts, myths and facts. Maria, a former English student at the University and now a teacher at a nearby Polytechnical Institute, led the sessions. She brought in videos and information on her computer. Beautiful photos of cherry blossoms and spring on the streets of Tokyo, the real and the sublime. We gathered round and had lots of conversation. We enjoyed some arts and crafts, making origami pumpkins (easier than peace cranes), boxes, tiny flowers and animals.

We talked about Haiku poetry--what it is, how to write a Haiku—and read poems by Basho and others. We talked about seasons and themes; we made lists of words; we talked about the feelings the seasons evoked. We played “what do you see now?" If someone said I see a scarf, I'd ask "what color." A red scarf. Let’s add color to our words. I see a tree. What color? A green tree and gold leaves. I see books. What kind? Many colored books on many subjects! Okay. Great images for a Haiku. Some members focused on winter. What words tell us about winter? Words tumbled out. White snow. Snow angels. Snowballs and sleds. Cold and ice. All great words for poems.

Now we write! Groans. “Nah, I can’t write a poem.” That’s Dima. He just wants to talk!
,
Three lines, I reiterate. We can be flexible on the 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables format. Take your time. Think. Look over your words. Help each other out. Before we knew it, voila! We had about a dozen Haiku poems. Dima, who is a good English speaker, determined to converse, doesn’t like to study, write, or do poetry. But guess what? Dima wrote some good lines, and with gentle prompting added adjectives and color. I made him redo them a few times, into three lines. Why re-write? Because you can do it, I assured him. Three lines, Dima, not four. Dima, who had never written a poem, wrote a nice Haiku. I read it (asked what the blue and yellow stood for!), and we clapped. He was proud of his effort, rewarded me with a big grin. There's a first time for everything, I told him. Never give up!

Here are a few of our Haiku poems. The are now on our Holiday tree (photo above), along with other crafts and Stacey's garlands of little origami flowers.

The falling snow is white,
His hair is snowy white-
A man is tired, falling like snow. --Olga

Winter is a time to sleep
and dream in white-
whiteness all around, immovable. --Alosha.

People are waiting for miracles.
Snow and wind whirl around icecles--
Is it a fairy tale? --Maria

At night the round white moon shines,
But anyways guys in blue and yellow
Let’s play with snowballs. -- Dima

A gold autumn day to enjoy.
Everything is okay as the red leaves fall
and take away my memories. --Maria

15 Reasons for 15 Computers!

"We are the World" English Club posters, 2010.

The English Club is excited about the Library’s applying to the Bill Gates-funded Bibliomist project to get 15 computers and internet access. Members wrote a support letter and came up with 15 reasons our Library needs 15 computers. The excitement is radiating out like a stone thrown into a pond. It's a good thing for Starobelsk at a time when there's not a whole lot of good news. We got almost 50 names on the support letter, including those of students in Natalia's English classes at the University. Here is a copy of the letter:

Dear Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,

We the members of the Starobelsk Library English Club and members of English classes at University support the Library's application to the Bibliomist project for 15 computers and free internet access. We discussed this at Club meetings and came up with 15 Reasons for 15 Computers.

1. To make our teaching and learning more modern, and the world of knowledge more accessible.

2. To bring our community into the 21st Century."

3. To increase internet access for students who do not have it at home.

4. To increase access to different cultures around the globe, connect to global village. (We are now studying Japan and have studied other countries too.)

5. To make our studies, including English language, more interesting.

6. To give teachers access to materials & resources from around the world.

7. To COMMUNICATE, with friends, family, new friends.

8. To do research in subjects we study and are interested in, to discover new information.

9. To get latest news from around the world.

10. To get sports news from around the world, watch football.

11. To look up "how to" fix things, like plumbing, cars, practical uses

12. To have access to the global media, new for us in Ukraine.

13. To shop on line.

14. To open new opportunities for jobs, work and living worldwide.

15. To travel the world!

We hope you will "e-power" our library! We need computers and internet access! Thank you. Signed by members of the Starobelsk Library English Club and students from English classes at the Starobelsk branch of the Luhansk Taras Shevchenko University.

"Know Your Rights!" Project Winding Down, But Not the Need for It

"Informed citizens are empowered Citizens"

In these photos, top, meeting in a corridor after being denied a room (in Kurachevka village), Sergei talking to the audience and victims. Next photo collage (above), meeting under a beer tent (Kalmykovo village), Vera and Sergei discussing (green) "Know Your Rights" booklet with aid of powerpoint presentation (lower left).

"We had our challenges," Vera Flyat, head of Victoria NGO, said, “but the ‘Know Your Rights’ project moved ahead.“ She was talking about some forms of resistance and harassment that accompanied the project along the way. Her office lease was not renewed by the city; she was denied access to information; space for meetings was promised then denied. One “Know Your Rights” meeting was held in a corridor, some 20 people packed together. Another meeting ended up under a beer tent.” I was appalled, but Vera just said “that’s the way it is."

Victoria NGO’s “Know Your Rights!” project is winding down, but not the need for it. It’s been a good project, an important project, made possible by a Small Project Assistance Grant from the Peace Corps with USAID support. Vera organized several public meetings and training sessions in Starobelsk and in small villages around it to educate citizens about their rights. Project lawyer Sergei Anatoly explained the laws and counseled grateful citizens whose rights have been violated and who needed advice. Many more people have come to Victoria’s office, now equipped with computers, supplies, and legal publications and books, to talk to him and to get information. It's a new community resource center. Victoria NGO also created a helpful “Know Your Rights!” booklet and powerpoint presentation for ongoing civic education, with Sergei’s invaluable input.

The public meetings were critical. Vera introduced the project and talked about the need for knowledge and action. I presented a brief talk about the ”Rule of Law” and “Balance of Power” in America, with handouts in Russian and translation help from Victoria volunteer Tonya. Sergei, a committed and accessible attorney, so important to this project, reinforced the message about knowing your rights and getting legal advice.

Audiences were patient and interested. They studied the booklet and listened intently as Vera and Sergei reviewed the material and used the powerpoint presentation to emphasize key points. What are the laws? What are your Rights? How do you get information? How do you get help? People said it was important information and they were glad to have it.

Audiences also enjoyed the brief American history session about the Rule of Law. There were questions about gaps between theory and reality, our sorry history of slavery, and how we change bad laws. I talked about the process of legislating, enforcing and reviewing laws, and about what kinds of social reforms have advanced the American ideal of “equal justice under the law.”

The “Know Your Rights!” project had its difficult moments. For me it proved more challenging than I anticipated, not the project itself, but the climate in which it evolved. The denial of Victoria’s office lease in the park necessitated a move and reorganization, which slowed down our action plan and forced some rescheduling. Deliveries of equipment, office furniture and supplies from Lugansk, where Vera could get better prices, were slow and cumbersome. Annoying harassments in the form of difficulties in getting documents and access to information cropped up. It's a time-consuming, relentless process of asking and requesting, phone calls and meetings, usually ending in failure. Village councils in some towns offered then refused rooms for meetings, as noted above. Vera and Sergei even managed, with help from Kwestya Flyat, to set up a powerpoint presentation under a tent (the photos don't do it justice). I was amazed and impressed.

For me the lesson is difficult but clear: The need for the “Know your Rights!” project, and for other civic education projects like it, is greater than ever, and Ukrainian NGOs, and their directors, need all the support they can get. If change does not happen from the bottom up, it may never happen.

A recent feature article, "The Secret State," in the Kyiv Post (5 November 2010) affirmed this lesson. Local municipalities, it argued, still operate in secret, without transparency, without accessibility or accountability to the people, “a holdover from Soviet times.” The frank article, by journalists Mark Rachkevych and Yuriy Onyshkiv, continued: “Democracies need openness to flourish, while autocracies thrive on secrecy. By that standard, Ukraine—nearly 20 years into national independence—is stuck in the Soviet past, with leaders denying citizens essential information.” The article quoted my friend Vovo Shcherbachenko, head of the East Ukraine Center for Civil Initiatives, who said "the vast majority of municipalities" stamp public documents, even including their entire City development plans, which are legally open to the public, 'for internal use only,' thus denying access to them. Such “essential information” includes "what are the rights of citizens." Without knowledge, without information, and without transparency, confusion and corruption reign, and also abuse of power and denial of human rights.

After working with Vera’s Victoria on the “Know Your Rights!” project, this article resonated on a profound level. I have seen Vera and other citizens bear witness to some of this secrecy and its sad effects. I have seen victims confused and in turmoil because of it. I have attended seminars with Vera in Lugansk, led by Vovo and Yulia of the East Ukraine Center for Civil Initiatives, on transparency, rule of law, and accessing information. There's no question that projects that support change from the bottom up are absolutely critical to Ukraine’s future.

That’s why the ”Know Your Rights!” project must not end. Vera and I are now writing a “Democracy grant” to the U.S. Embassy to continue and expand the project. I will feel a lot better about moving forward, and Starobelsk and this far-eastern region of Ukraine will be much better off, if Victoria NGO has the capacity to sustain this critical project and its powerful message: “Informed citizens are empowered citizens.”

"Healthy Living, Starobelsk!"

flickr logo photo superimposed on photos of Sergei's class.

How can we help Sergei with his “Healthy Living, Starobelsk!” project? That question has been on my mind the last few weeks.

I've written about how one thing leads to another here. It’s part of the Peace Corps experience. It happened with Victoria NGO and the Starobelsk Library, and now it is happening with the Healthy Living class I attended at the University, taught by Sergei Budyonny. After presenting him with photos of his class, we talked about his project.

Sergei would like to offer more Healthy Living programs for at–risk youth and young adults, reach out into the community more, as well as teach at the University. Drug abuse, alcoholism, HIV/Aids, and family violence are major issues here like in other parts of Ukraine, I'm learning. “It all seems so hidden,” I said to Sergei. “Yes, it is, because no one talks about it. They pretend these problems don’t exist here, but they do. They do." Then I remembered hearing Vera, at Victoria NGO, talk about domestic violence, alcoholism, and the lack of any intervention.

Are there any social services or government help? Sergei shook his head. Programs are limited. The City's family services department has too few resources to address the issues adequately, and the schools spend little effort in reaching their students. What a shame.

Sergei's Healthy Living project, through the local chapter of the Ukrainian Charitable Fund and ARDA, the Adventist social services nonprofit, would address these “hidden” health and social issues through ongoing public education and prevention programs, and eventually more intensive and extensive youth outreach. As far as I know, Sergei and his partner Oleg, an equally personable and enthusiastic person, are the only people able and willing to do this.

Sergei wants to be “a roving Healthy Living ambassador.” ровинг профилактики посол. Посол здорового образа жизни. He wants to offer programs around town that engage people in real conversations about the devastating consequences of drug abuse, alcoholism, sex without protection, and other alluring but dangerous activities including the porn industry, which is very big in Ukraine. Sergei wants to be able to show his videos and DVDs, and some powerpoint presentations: “to show the reality of the situation” and “to sound the alarm that we as a community need to do something about it.” He is a very effective and passionate spokesperson.

So what do you need? “Simple,” he answered right away, “a projector, a laptop, and a screen!" He has a great collection of teaching materials. He said he can get supplies from agencies he works through (the Ukrainian Charitable Fund and ARDA). Oleg would work during the day when Sergei is at the computer store, and he would work at night.

That’s it? "Yep, I’d pack ‘em up, get help from the agencies for printing flyers and publicity, and off we'd go, into the schools, the streets, wherever.”

Public Education and Prevention. It can be done. I added it up in my head and figure Sergei needs about $1,000 to start, not a lot in American dollars but prohibitive in Ukrainian hryvnia at an 8% exchange rate. Actually, I'd like to add $500 for a good public relations campaign, big billboards and a media blitz. A little goes a long way in Ukraine.

Now I’m thinking about writing another Partnership grant. I don't have time for a Peace Corps Small Project Assistance (SPA) grant or I'd go that route. I've emailed PC about my intentions. I can’t promise anything, I told Sergei. But he's ready to go, bless his heart. His commitment is strong. No matter what happens, he will continue to fight for Healthy Living Starobilsk. I hope we can help. Your thoughts are welcomed.

No Planning, No Connecting, Maybe

Suzy Sunflower, a true super creative PCV, at her English Club's Halloween party. What we won't do for our projects!

It’s hard getting coordinated when you don’t have a schedule or plan or itinerary, but it’s “normal’no” in Ukraine; we accept it. Sometimes things work out, sometimes not, like when I tried to coordinate a visit with my PCV friend Suzanne on my trip to western Ukraine. We had emailed, phoned, skyped and were looking forward to seeing each other again.

I said I'd call when I got to Lviv, but I didn't know our schedule. No problem, she said, I don't know mine either.

Suzanne, a beautiful California woman in retirement, was the first person I met when we started our PC orientation on April 1, 2009, in Philadelphia. We were raw recruits, novices, unsure of what we were doing. We’ve kept in touch ever since, although we are posted in opposite ends of the country. I’m in the far east, and she is in the far west, in a small town an hour north of Lviv, Dobrotvir, where she works with the library, on an HIV/Aids project, and various other projects. It’s been challenging but she’s done great things, a real trooper.

We never did connect. We learned later that we had been only a few blocks from each other in the center of Lviv. She had been running around to get supplies for a project; the people she was with had scattered (gone shopping, she said); she was at a café waiting for the women to return when I called. She had no idea what was going on.

Well, frankly, neither did I. We had just had a great meeting of the Women of Ukraine at the medical university, heard Ospan on the bandoora, a treasured gift, and were going on a Lviv walking tour with Yaroslava from the University. I’ll call again, I told Suzanne.

We kept trying. Calls came and went. Time came and went. We couldn’t make it happen. “Oh well, we’ll connect another time,” we both agreed, as I was running with Olga, Tonya, Julia and Stefa to the Lviv theater, and Suzanne was running with her colleagues to catch a marshruka home.

“I’m looking forward to the day when I can understand what’s happening around me again,” she signed off at the end of one of our many phone calls. “Hey we’ve gotten really good at operating in the dark,” I replied. We laughed and knew we had connected afterall, just not in person!

For Loren's Birthday, November 12

With Loren in Tallahassee, at a favorite restaurant. Photo by sister Andy.

This is the blog I wrote for Loren’s birthday, exactly one year ago. I never imagined that Loren would not be here for another Birthday. In the scheme of things, his being 8 years younger than me, and five years younger than our sister Andy, the order would be reversed, and I should have gone first. Can anyone explain these things? I don’t think so. “God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform,” some people tell me. Maybe. The Serenity prayer helps, but it doesn’t alleviate the grief, and it doesn’t explain anything. My cousin Kathy comforted me with this thoughtful message: “It was quick, Fran. Loren was active to the last minute. He spent no time in a declining state…It could have ended so much more badly. Be sad for yourself; but be glad for Loren. Truly, Loren’s heart spared him a too-long life.” A “too-long life.” Something to think about.

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

My brother Loren is in Tallahassee, Florida, but he is also here in Starobilsk, Ukraine with me. That's because we are soulmates. We share a way of looking at the world and a way of being that transcend space and time. Although eight years apart, we are almost twins, as my poet friend Anton would put it.Loren is having a birthday this week, 12 November, so I think of him a lot at this time of year. He's a Scorpio with compassion.

I also take him places with me. When he drove me to the airport to see me off on my Peace Corps adventure at the end of March, I took his spirit with me. When I discovered Chernigov during my training, he was there, encouraging me to forge ahead. When I got to Starobilsk, he got here too. When I broke my arm, he was with me in Kiev. Whenever I see the moon, I see Loren, because I know he is looking at it too, and glorying in the fullness of being and the grandeur of the universe.

As I get to know Ukraine, he is by my side, giving me the ancient history of this place. He reminds me that this geography and culture go back thousands of years, to the time Jean Auel describes in her best-selling novel (and Loren's favorite book), Clan of the Cave Bear. Olga is the name of that book's heroine. Other names of people I write about in my blog, Anton, Natasha, Lara, Anna, are characters in novels by Tolstoy, he says.

Loren is one with the goddess who watches over the earth with compassion and goodness, the female counterpart of God, who teaches us to live in peace, to take care of her planet, to see the oneness and unity of people and the earth. This spirituality informs Loren's environmental work, his work for the poor and voiceless, his belief in participatory democracy, in changing society for the better from the bottom up.

"All things are connected," Chief Seneca said, exemplifying the ancient wisdom of the Goddess and the native peoples of America. So, while I am in Ukraine and Loren is in Florida, we are really sharing the same place, mother earth.

Now Loren is writing his memoirs about growing up with Asperger's Syndrome. My brother is a fierce warrior who fought a beast that held him back all his life. He never gave up. He kept fighting, even when he wasn't sure what he was fighting against. There was no name for it when he was a child in the 1950s or a young man in his 30s and 40s. Loren searched for himself without a guide, on his own, with grit and determination. Only our mother took Loren under her wing and gave him hope. His story is one of struggle and achievement against the odds. He has come to understand himself and the path he was put on at birth. It hasn't been easy.

I am proud of my brother for making his life one of purpose and meaning. He is my hero as well as my soulmate. So Happy Birthday, Loren. Good luck with your book. You're in my heart and soul. Your big sister, Fran

Your book is out Loren, and it's helping lots of people, just like you hoped.

Bonfires Around the World: Fall on Panfelova

Bonfires. It's an Autumn thing. Burning leaves, twigs and branches. A burst of fire towering into the night. A stream of charcoal smoke trailing into the heavens. Orange and gold flames glistening against black skies.

It’s universal. The Autumn poems we read in English Club mostly all refer to them. Here's Robert Lewis Stevenson, born in Scotland:
In the other gardens
and all up the vale
From the autumn bonfires
I see the smoke trails....
Sing a song of seasons
Something bright in all;
Flowers in the sumer,
Fires in the fall.

Katherine Mansfield, from New Zealand, paints an image of "children's noses...red as roses..." in the fires of an "Autumn Song." Mary Oliver, Ohio and Provincetown, USA, in her "Song for Autumn," sees “the piled firewood…longing to be on its way." And Roselynn Curro, in Rochester, NY, tells about a night “trick or treating” with her young son:
It is dark, crispy cold.
A silence fills the trees.
Soft sounds, faint lights,
The smell of burning leaves.

Bonfires around the world, connecting us through the senses, and bonfires here in Starobelsk, Ukraine.

So Princess (приинчесса), Luba’s cat, and I watched Luba build a bonfire in front of her house on Panfelova street last night. She added twigs and branches, stoked the fire, broke more branches off nearby trees, piled them on, and set the night aglow. The flames grew higher and higher, brighter and brighter, against the blue-black sky, against the backdrop of a gold weeping willow tree, one of the most beautiful I have seen. We stood mesmerized. Luba satisfied. We watched the fire crackle, sparkle, and shoot up into the sky, the unforgettable sights and sounds and smell of Autumn. Fall on Panfelova. Bonfires everywhere.

Sergei's Healthy Living Class

flicker photo superimposed on photos of Sergei's class, November 2010.

I went to a Healthy Living class at the university a few nights ago, taught by my friend Sergei, who manages my favorite computer store. I expressed interest and Sergei invited me. This class is given every year for incoming freshman. Drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, family violence, and alcoholism are major problems in Ukraine, and Starobelsk is not immune. Many PCVs work with these issues and at-risk populations. I've wanted to do something here too but have been unsure where to begin.

So I attended Sergei's class. He is an excellent teacher, informative, calm and confident. The class of 20 freshman, average age about 17, featured good discussion. I think there was more give-and-take than is usual in a Ukrainian classroom, lots of interesting conversation (in Russian but I got some of it) The DVDs that Sergei shows helped stimulate discussion. They are contemporary, fast-paced, full of rap, rock and animation, with serious and graphic messages against drug use, violence, disrespect for others, sex without protection. "Drugs and the porn life equal death" one documentary warned, showing relentless images of beautiful young people who have died from overdoses, violence and drug abuse, a message punctuated by thumping rap music.

Sergei's list of the “10 Most Important Things for a Healthy Lifestyle” contains all the usual prescriptions: Eat well, exercise, don't smoke, don't drink alcohol, don't do drugs, practice safe sex, moderation in everything. I added “have positive attitudes and strong values.”

Like everything else these days, Sergei’s class reminded me of Loren. Loren was not in good health, and maybe we didn't do enough to help him. Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the US; here in Ukraine too. Loren’s death was avoidable, but he could not control his weight gain. His eating habits were bad, his cholesterol high, his blood pressure high. We knew he had these issues, but I guess we didn’t know how bad they were. We reminded him about them, though, time and again and again, but Loren couldn't do it alone. It makes me sad. Loren was not healthy, and as I’ve written before, his overburdened heart overcame his impassioned will.

We did get him a physical trainer at Gold's gym, Steve, who was fantastic, devoted to helping Loren. But Loren could not or would not change his bad eating habits, no matter what Steve tried. Andy was there, right on it, checking with Steve and Loren almost daily. I reinforced Steve’s mighty efforts, cheering Loren from the sidelines. Could I have done more? My daughter Elissa said, "Mom, Loren was an Aspie, but he was an adult," reassuring me that really there wasn't much I could have done to prevent Loren's heart attack. I don't know. I have deep regrets about this, and about the loneliness he assuaged with food. Ah Loren, how could I have been a better sister? How could I have helped? Maybe I should have stayed home, in Florida? If only you knew how loved you were.

And so I left Sergei's class hoping these young students get the message, and wondering how I might have helped Loren get the message. Sergei and I walked home together in the silence of the night, gold trees shimmering against a black sky, beauty everywhere. Loren’s spirit everywhere. Sergei’s good work a shining light. Everything is bittersweet these day, but Sergei's commitment to addressing a serious social problem brought me back to the present. It's important work, and Loren would have thought so, too. Now I wonder if there's more we can do in Starobelsk to bring Sergei's class to a wider audience.

Library on a Roll: E-powering the people

"Integrate Into the World!" The English Books Collection. Below, "Creative Ukraine" Exhibit.

The Library is on the move! Its English book collection, under the great slogan “Integrate Into the World,” is mostly up and being used. The Library is refreshing not only its collections but also its exhibits. It put up a new “Creative Ukraine” exhibit of books, arts, crafts, and photographs. Beautiful and inspiring. The library reading room is full of things made by English club members, like colorful posters, photographs, masks and origami pumpkins. The Library is looking more festive and welcoming than ever!

Best breaking news of all: The Library is now applying for the final stage of the Bibliomist project: getting 15 computers, support for internet connectivity, and training on how to use the new technology.

Bibliomist is the multi-million dollar project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to bring computers and internet access to 1,000 libraries throughout Ukraine. It is managed by IREX, an international management NGO. We have worked for over a year to make sure Starobilsk is one of those libraries. That dream is closer to becoming a reality.

“E-powering the Library will e-power the people,” I wrote in my letter of support for the Library’s application.

It’s been a step-by-step process leading up to this proposal. First the Library started an English Club, which has been a great success. Then it established an English language books collection, thanks to donations of books from Toledo, Ohio, and gifts of $900 from American friends to a Peace Corps “Partnership Grant.” It is considering a work-study program with the University, a new collaboration, to insure ongoing assistance with the English Club. Next it applied for and received a Bibliomist grant for community outreach to English teachers and increased promotion efforts. During this process it acquired a “sister” or partner library with the Boyd County Public Library in Kentucky, with the help of Amanda Stein. New computers and internet access will increase opportunities for information exchange between our small library and the award-winning Boyd County library. These things take time, but the foundation has been laid. They are all FIRSTS for the library.

Continuing to build on these evolving projects, the library has just applied to the US Peace Corps to get its very own Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV). That’s why Marat Kurachevsky’s visit a few weeks ago was so important. I’ve done a lot with the Library (a secondary project) but my primary assignment has been with Victoria NGO, and for that we developed the “Know Your Rights!” project and got a SPA grant to implement it and have done some work in organizational development for future growth. Another "democracy" grant is underway.

A new PCV specifically assigned to the Library would be another first and ensure the sustainability of the English Club and English books collection. Most of all a new PCV will be able to provide ongoing support for computerizing the Library, cataloguing and uploading its collections, getting online, and training the librarians in using the computers to better serve their visitors. And maybe if (or should I say "when"?) the Library gets those 15 computers with internet access (and hopefully WIFI connectivity) the new PCV can help create a real Internet Café for the Starobilsk community, too.

It's been a dream since my first visit that the Starobilsk Library evolve into an exemplary Bibliomist site, getting computers and using them to modernize, reach out, and provide free public internet access. The Library is on its way to becoming a more entrepreneurial, more modern multi-purpose community resource for Starobilsk and the entire rayon. This is a wonderful achievement for the Library and its director Iryna Andreenova. The Library is on a roll!

How to Give and Receive

As part of our efforts to share American traditions, I use this photo of my great grandson Philip, the cutest child ever, dressed up as SUPERMAN, going door to door with his mom on Halloween night in Toledo, Ohio. Gran-E went along too, and took this photo. I call this a "how -to" photo: how-to go trick or treating. Dress up in a great costume, I explain, put on a mask if you like, like the ones we made in English Club, and be sure to have a plastic pumpkin, or a nice bag. I'm holding up the photo to illustrate. I tell them some people even use a pillow case. Yes, that's right, a pillow case. Very big, to give the message that the person wants lots of candy. Not just a few pieces of candy, many pieces. The latter, I say, is an example of American greed. I don't have photos of that, and I don't know people like that, I assure them. This lesson in cross-cultural understanding, though, has a mostly positive spin: Thanks, America, for showing us how to give and to receive, and for promoting the fun side of American traditions.

Sure, Fran, any excuse to show us Philip!