Wednesday Classes

I forgot to mention that yesterday, when Mom and I decided to head up to Olga for an hour or so, we had the minimarket down the street call a taxi. The taxi drive us about 30 yards up Vul Ruska before totally dying. We couldn’t figure out if the car was out of gasoline or if it just died. Nevertheless, he called another taxi to pick us up 5 minutes later. We decided to go ahead and get out of the car, not knowing exactly what the problem was. This car was so completely beaten up. When I got out of the front seat and began to open the back door to help Mom out, the plastic door handle completely came off in my hand. Mom had to open the door from inside to get out. Oh, the adventures I am having in this country…


Today, Mom went with me to class, which was great. I didn’t actually get to show her the way classes have been going here, bc the grad students are pre-occupied with other matters and the 4th year students are in the midst of taking exams, with occur once a year for all the classes they have taken that year. So, to put it bluntly, many students didn’t show up for class.

The students who did attend class received treats, however. Ron Smith, Furman’s baseball coach, gave me a bunch of junior Paladin Club t-shirts and hats. Mom had bought some American flag pins for Veterans Day activities at the History Museum and she brought some over. The students LOVE their US Constitution books that Senator DeMint’s office gave me, and were so excited that Norton and my colleagues in the history dept at FU had sent some books over to Ukraine, so I had a feeling they might enjoy these as well. Each of them received a t-shirt, and my grad students received a t-shirt and American flag pin. I gave Mykola t-shirts, and told him he could have either a NY Yankees cap or an FU cap or both. He chose both. Mom also gave him another bag of his favorite Starbucks coffee, which is not available in Ukraine. Yes, you read that correctly. I have found one of the few places on the planet where there are no Starbucks.

In my 4th year class, we had a Q and A about Ukraine and America and I enjoyed hearing the students discuss their lives in Ukraine…what they want to do, what they feel like their options are, etc. I learned that one of my students, Victoria, is the local weather woman on the local Chernivtsi station. I will keep an eye out for her now that I have a functioning TV.

In my grad seminar I talked with Anna about the Fulbright application and then informally discussed WWII from the American perspective with them. Afterwards I quickly read and edited an essay from a student who is applying for a student Fulbright scholarship. I also saw the book Fast Food Nation on Mykola’s bookshelf and asked to borrow it. A few years ago this was the book assigned for Furman’s Academic Reading Community, and so I frequently am asked if I have read it. I haven’t, but now I will. I’m looking forward to it. Perhaps I should have some McDonald’s fries just before I start it…I am told that if you read this book you will never want to have fast food again.

We had arranged for a driver top pick us up at the university, take us to the apt to get our rather large bags (Mom took some of my stuff home) and then take us to the strain station. He was supposed to arrive at 3:30. At 4, when he had not arrived, we finally got a taxi to do the same. We still arrived in plenty of time for our 4:44 train. I was able to get Mom settled and go buy some coffee for us for the ride.

Mom and I had a good time on the ride and it ended up being a great opportunity to just talk the night before she left. I thought about trying to finish my book, The Geography of Bliss, bc I wanted to send it home, but ended up bagging so we could talk more and get some sleep. I’ll finish it when I get home this summer.