Day 6 at camp

I think I'm finally getting acclimated to camp life here in Ukraine and actually enjoying my time here. My mood is significantly better, my stomach is getting used to the food, and the kids are warming up to me. Despite the lack of a schedule and planning, my days doing improv have come quite handy - the games and the actual act of improvisation (thinking up the lesson plan as I go). We're pretty much almost through the shit book we were given so a majority of the time left will be spent on games and learning more about American culture and traditions. I'm thinking of doing a whole session on Asian American culture since I doubt they even know that there's such a thing.

With only about 4 hours of instruction per day, there is A LOT of downtime. The other teachers, Michelle and Cait, and I just lounge by the pool, nap, have hair parties, watch episodes of Friends, go to the seaside, and indulge in a little bit of alcohol when the kids are away with their counselors. One great thing about Ukraine - CHEAP ASS ALCOHOL. It's so nice to unwind at the end of a long day with some Ukrainian beer or a dessert wine.

It's hard to imagine that at one point, I was considering joining the Peace Corps. Though I have no doubt I would survive, life here can be quite tough which I've gathered from the numerous stories from Michelle and Cait. Cait's been here for almost 2 years now and is counting down the days till she's back home in Ohio. Michelle has been here for a little over a year so she still has a ways to go though 2 years can really fly by. Even though I've only been in Ukraine for about a week, I have such a deeper appreciation for my life back in the Bay Area, even more so than when I backpacked in Yunnan. Life here is so simple and at the same time so limiting relative to the fast-pace, consumer-driven, and limitless opportunity I have back in the Bay. If I ever catch myself complaining in the future, I will definitely think back on this experience and thank God that I wasn't born anywhere but the Bay.

So I've spent enough words bad-mouthing Ukraine so onto what I do like. I like that there is an actual summer here. Never in my life have I just worn my bikini almost 24/7 with maybe a dress or top thrown over it. It doesn't get below the upper 70s at night so even last night, I had to take a quick dip before heading to bed. I also like the children's curiosity for what lies outside Ukraine. For a country whose government is very closed off to the rest of the world, the children here are just as worldly as many other Europeans I've met throughout my time here. It's a trait that I find most American children (and some adults) are lacking in. Lastly, the relaxed atmosphere is a nice change from the high-stress life back at home. Although sometimes, as I've heard from Michelle and Cait, Ukrainians tend to be lazy, at least at this camp, the relaxing nature seems suitable. They don't plan or schedule anything around here, and though it stressed me out quite a bit in the beginning, I've learned that maybe I'm not as free-flowing as I thought I was. I'm only free-flowing in a more structured society.

I have a feeling by the end of this camp, I might not want to leave...haha.
And the pictures below, body art/disco night and the grasshopper that I caught on my neck...O_O

Surviving

The rest of my time in Spain was spent exploring the rest of the city, eating delicious tapas, and hanging out with a group of couchsurfers. Couchsurfing is really an interesting way to meet people from all over the world; however, beware of obvious creepers. I had more than a handful of strange messages from Andrea, Alfonso, Pedro, etc. wanting to host, hang out (one-on-one), filling their messages with one too many winky faces.

And now to Ukraine. I have been in this country now for almost 5 days now and wow...I feel like I've been here a month already. The traveling alone to the camp that I'm teaching at took almost 3 days - 1.5 hour bus ride, 3 hr. plane ride, 2-hour bus ride, 1-hour car ride, 15-hour train ride, 1-hour bus ride, and then a 10-15 minute taxi ride. I left Barcelona around noon on Tuesday and arrived to the camp on Thursday morning around 9am. That will probably be the longest journey to one destination I will ever make in my entire life, and I'd rather not try to beat that feat.

I'm on my 3rd day of lessons now, and I feel like I've learned more about this country and its people than I could've ever learned in any Eastern European history/cultures class. Because of its close ties with Russia and its anti-immigration policies, the country has remained extremely homogenous. Most of the places I passed by on my way to the camp looked similar to the rundown parts of China. I might even argue that it was worse than the Yangpu hole, the neighborhood I lived by when I was living in Shanghai 3 years ago. That I expected, but what I did not expect was my struggle to get acclimated to the environment. Having been so mobile for the past month and having backpacked through Yunnan living in some pretty rough conditions, I mistakenly believed I could pretty much handle any sort of rough living. I also think that having Lara as a traveling companion at the time, as well as having it been so long ago that I've forgotten how much of a struggle it probably was, makes this experience that much tougher. I feel more helpless than I've ever been since my first couple weeks in Shanghai.

Firstly, the food is hard to stomach. I haven't had much to eat the past few days since all the food here is foreign to my stomach and really bland. I have never been a picky eater in my life, but for some odd reason, I've never had to force feed myself in such a way just for survival purposes. Luckily, there is a fruit stand near the sea where I went this morning to get some fresh fruits. I've also started to take my vitamins so that will help with the lack of nutrients.

Second, I was told that there was already a lesson plan that would be provided upon arrival. There is none. I was given my books only after asking and this was 2 hours before the first lesson. If I hadn't asked, I would've received my books right before the first lesson giving me no time to prepare. Now, I've taught before but I think being in a strange country where I don't know the language or customs with the added stress of not knowing what was going on and what I was supposed to teach threw me over the edge for a bit.

Third, there is no such thing as a plan in Ukraine. It's considered bad luck to plan actually so people just don't. There is no set activity plan, no set meal time, no set lesson time, and no set time for anything. I've been able to figure out fairly quickly how to manage but the first couple of days was an absolute mess. Even this morning, I walked into class 15 minutes late because it started at 10:15 instead of like yesterday at 10:30. Pretty much, we do whatever the counselors feel like doing at the time. If they feel like they want more time to rest, the kid's rest time is longer. If they feel like playing a game with the kids, then everything else is put on hold until then.

Fourth, Ukrainians have very little to no interactions with Asians. Maybe I might be a little paranoid, but the first few days, I felt like some circus curiosity that was talked about, laughed at, and stared upon. I've read there is racism in the country, but I don't want to jump to conclusions since I don't get negative vibes from everyone. The counselors here are quite nice and the younger children are super adorbs. There are a select group of older kids, however, that are a bit rude though it could also be that high school kids can be assholes at times.

Overall, it's been quite a struggle here since everyday feels like a month, but it's getting better slowly. I'm starting to get a hang of how I want to run my classes, how to adapt to the ever changing non-existent schedule, the food, and I have accepted that since I'll be at this camp for another 10 days, I need to suck it up, throw some salt on it, and enjoy my time here as much as I can. I'm here for the kids so I try my best not to let my current negative energies carry over into my interactions with the kids. The camp itself is also not a bad facility and the Black Sea is quite lovely - filled with jellyfish that don't sting which is kind of cool. Who knows, maybe I might even end up liking it here at the end...haha.

So far in Spain...

I stayed in a flat I booked through airbnb that turned out to be an overcrowded hostel in the center of Barcelona full of bed bugs, flooding, power outage, theft, and without bedding and towels. That night, I slept on a rickety bunk made out of bamboo with nothing but my jacket as a blanket and a pillow borrowed from a semi-creepy 40-year-old from South Carolina. This was my introduction to Barcelona, but let me start from the beginning.

After my sad goodbyes with Lara, I flew off to Madrid. The hostel was surprisingly luxurious considering I only paid 10 euros. I had my own bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. I think I lucked out because no one seemed to have reserved any of the rooms in my unit. Yesss!! It was awesome. Little did I know, however, of the horrors to come.

After a quick breakfast of churros and coffee with Eddie and Clare (real churros look like Chinese donuts as well as taste like Chinese donuts), we got on the bus to head to Barcelona. You're probably wondering why I didn't just fly directly to Barcelona. Well, it's because I never actually plan anything hence the weird order of my time in Europe thus far.

When we got to Barcelona, we first headed to where Eddie and Clare would be staying. I had suggested they book through airbnb as I did. Ironically, Eddie jokingly stated that one of us would probably get fucked over since Barcelona isn't the safest of cities. Though his flat was down a seemingly sketchy alley, it turned out to be great. The host was super nice, and him and his partner gave us many great suggestions about where to visit and where to eat. The place also smelled of pine sol so you knew it was freshly cleaned. To top it off, they left a basket of fruit and one egg in the fridge for Eddie and Clare.

We then headed over to meet my host to check in to the flat I had booked. Well, Enrique (my host) turns out is almost never in Barcelona. Instead, he has a helper named Omar who can't speak a lick of English handle everything. Omar made us wait almost half an hour as he searched for my keys. I didn't mind the wait as the Spanish are known to take their time. After retrieving my keys, he then had us walk about 10 minutes to the actual flat. I didn't mind that either though it would make more sense to have the guest meet at the flat, especially since they are usually lugging around heavy bags. When we finally went inside the place I would be staying, Eddie's face said it all. There was a dog running around and people littered the very narrow hallway. To make it even more cramped, there were a couple of sofas crammed into the hallway for seating. At this point, I was still fine. I figured the Berkeley dorms were even smaller so no big deal. Then we saw my room - dark, crowded, and filled with people's stuff just strewn about the place. There was a dresser that couldn't really open because the bunk bed was in the way. The bed was made out of bamboo and quite rickety. I inquired about where I could lock up my stuff, and I was told by Omar in Spanish with the help of Eddie's translation that "we all live in harmony and don't steal." (Later I found out 3 laptops were stolen.) I was actually still willing to put up with the place at this point. I figured it's like a hostel, and 20 euros a night is pretty standard for Barcelona. (I think this was me just trying to make the best of a situation that was about to turn way worse.)

After dinner, I went back to the room to get ready to sleep when I realized, I had no blanket or pillow, just a thin sheet that didn't even cover the entirety of my mattress. I also had no towel in which to shower with. After getting a pillow from a guy who had previously been spending the past half hour checking out dudes and seemingly sending messages to them to hook up and a towel that my French roommate just happened to find (he sniffed it to make sure it was clean), I begin to think that maybe I couldn't handle the place for 4 nights. As I lay in my bed curled up in my jacket and trying not to think about what kinds of bacteria lay in my bed and pillow, I thought back to my backpacking trip in Yunnan where I lived off yak tea, slept in the mountains, and went without a shower for a week. If I could handle that, I figured I could handle a little bit of discomfort. Besides, I didn't REALLY need a blanket. It was 70 degrees out after all.

The next morning, I woke up and got ready to head out. Just as I was about to message Eddie, the guy who had lent me his pillow stopped to talk to me. He told me of the 3 laptops that were stolen, of the bed bug infested half of the flat, about his current roommate who is infested with bed bugs, about the shadiness of Enrique and Omar, and it was then, I decided that I would get the fuck out. Just as I was thinking this, Omar comes in with pillows and blankets for me. Just as he is about to hand me those items, the ceiling in the bathroom bursts open and water just starts pouring out like Niagara Falls. I called up Enrique and told him I was moving out. Poor Omar though. Not only was he trying to keep the place from flooding, but he was also on the phone with Enrique trying to figure out my refund situation. You'd think the craziness would stop there. As I was hurriedly packing up my things, the power went out. I quickly finished packing without even bothering swimming to the shower to grab my toiletries and got the fuck out of there. I power walked to Eddie and Clare's flat and what would've been a half hour walk turned into 15 minutes. So in the end, everything did turn out okay. We had a fun day at the famous Gaudi-designed segrada familia, paella by the beach, and drinks on La Rambla, a famous strip in Barcelona full of shops and restaurants. That night, I slept at their flat on a couch half my size. At least I didn't have to use my jacket as a blanket, and then today, I checked myself into a Best Western. I never thought I would think Best Western to be luxurious but it totally is!

Today, Eddie and Clare left so after getting settled into my hotel, I explored the northern part of Barcelona by bus and spent the late afternoon at the beach people watching, eating chocolate con churros, and reading.

Despite the craziness from the beginning, Barcelona is a BEAUTIFUL city. Everyone here is super fit and super relaxed. The food is amazing. The weather is perfect. This city is the epitome of summer vacation.