Sharing "Starobelsk Memories"

The English Club with the new 2011 calendar, hot off the press. Andrew ran out and bought me a rose, he was so pleased to have one of his very own. We had a great time at the English Club this weekend going over my new 2011 calendar, “Starobelsk Memories/старобельскии избранное.”

This is the calendar idea that was floating around for a while, sat at the Library, and just didn’t fly. So I decided to do it myself, as a memory book of my time in Starobelsk, something to leave behind here and to share with friends in America.

The calendar is a personal journal rather than a tool for promoting a cause, as originally conceived. The Library thought the start-up costs too high and the benefits uncertain. I understand. These ideas can be risky. Maybe the next PCV will run with it. Maybe the Library will think of ways to keep the cost down, the price up, and make a little money for books, computer supplies, and things for the English Club. Maybe another NGO will have uses for it. Or maybe the idea will continue to float.

Meanwhile, I have a bouguet of memories to mark my time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Starobelsk, Lugansk Oblast, Ukraine. Turning lemons into lemonade, that's what PCV's are pretty good at!

So what memories does this wonderful town evoke? This was our English Club "question du jour." We went month by month, talking about every photo, the design by Nikos--English Club member, teacher, graphic designer by hobby--and the seasons each encompassed. We talked about what makes a place special, unigue.

It was good English practice, and good fun. And I could see it really helped create a "sense of place," a sense of identity and belonging. I think that's why everyone loved the calendar. It spoke to one and all. Each page meant something special to each member, and also something shared. Their hometown. A sense of place.

How blessed I feel to belong to this particular community of memory, to share a sense of place in Starobelsk, Ukraine. I never imagined it. I will always cherish it. I will always remember.