Between my 3 camps, I was away from site for almost a month straight (June 15-July 15 minus 2 nights at site in transition from one camp to another), and I have to say that I am so happy to finally be home and have nothing to do for another 3 weeks.
My homecomings in the past have often been downers. Going from a high-energy experience to sitting alone in my apartment is never enjoyable, but this time, circumstances have changed.
1.
I feel very encouraged by the participation of my students in Camp SLAM. This was the first time I’ve been able to get any of my students to participate in one of my summer camps, and they were all so thrilled and thankful that I feel optimistic about getting them involved in more things in the future. In the past, when I’d mentioned a yoga club or a running club, interest was half-hearted, and I lost most of my drive when the attendance at my English club dropped to about 3 girls. After talking with some of the girls who came to Camp SLAM though, I think they really do want to do a yoga club at school. I am thrilled. Between Hayley and I, I think we can get some of these younger girls involved in athletic meetings after school, and that just sounds fun. As for the boys, Natasha, my counterpart, came to Camp SLAM as a chaperone, and she is very interested in getting Frisbees for our school. Now, I’ll admit, I hate Frisbee. But, I’ll suck up my pride and ignore the fact that I’m horrible at it if it means I can get a group of students together after school.
2.
I have a site mate! Hayley arrived to Novoazovsk a little over a month ago, and I am no longer 3 hours away from the nearest American. I am now more like 2 minutes away. Hayley is a Youth Development volunteer who will be working at my school, and the arrangement is a little unique, as the Peace Corps almost never puts 2 volunteers at one school at the same time. I’ve had to promise my RM about a zillion times that we will get along and not hate each other, and on meeting Hayley, I am sure I’ll be able to keep the promises. She’s from Alabama, and if nothing else, we will at least be able to commiserate together when the cold weather hits. Also, the more time I’m with her the more country my accent gets. Watch out Nashville, I’ll come home and you won’t even know I was gone.
3.
Summer selection at the bazaar. This is my absolute favorite part of summer in Ukraine. The bazaar just blows-up with color. I actually had to stop in the middle of the bazaar and think, because I was so overwhelmed by the amount of cheap, fresh fruits and vegetables. I literally didn’t know where to begin, because every booth has everything I had ever dreamed of during the sparse winter.
I decided to spread my love all over the bazaar, and I began at the mini-stalls on the street leading into the bazaar entrance. These booths sell produce grown in our town, and I was pleasantly surprised when I asked one woman how much the berries cost and her response was, “Are you Jessica?”
Yes, I need only say 2 words, and people know I’m not from around here.
On my confirmation, the woman next to the berry lady excitedly started filling a bag with apricots, and the berry lady handed me the entire jar of berries. Both of them insisted that I take the fruit for free.
I have absolutely no idea who those women are or what I’ve done to earn their free fruit, but it truly made my day. Sometimes it’s nice to come home to a place where everybody knows your name.
