An RPCV’s Thoughts on His Trip Back to Ukraine.
Jeffrey Janis served in Ukraine in 2004-2006 with Group 26 as a mid-career economic development volunteer in Khmelnitsky. After many years as a fundraiser, he now works at UCLA as the Peace Corps Campus Recruiter. He also serves as a regional officer for the RPCV Alliance for Ukraine. Jeffrey has been back to Ukraine many times since his service and just returned from his sixth trip to visit his former host family. He reflected on his time in Ukraine below.
I am a PCV Ukraine 2004-2006 – Group 26. This was my 6th trip back to visit my host family. They live in a small village about 60 miles east of Kyiv.
The first thing I did when I got there was sit on “my stool.” Whenever I am sad or stressed and someone says “Go to your happy place” I always picture myself sitting on that stool in the kitchen talking with my host mother as she cooks. I always feel an overwhelming wave of unconditional love, support and zero judgements when I am with them.
I always regretted that I never tried eating holodetz. And I can now report that I think it’s as disgusting to eat as I expected. My host parents love to eat raw garlic cloves. They believe garlic has antibiotic qualities and I ate more raw garlic cloves than I could count. And yes, I had my share of salo and samagon. My host father doesn’t like to drink alone, and since my host mother doesn’t really drink much, he now had me as a drinking buddy. We had at least three shots of vodka – with every meal. And yet somehow I never was drunk.
I forgot that mealtimes in Ukraine are not fixed as in the US. Breakfast was as early as 8:00 or as late as 11:00. Lunch was as early as 11:00 or as late as 3:00. Dinner was as early as 4:00 and as late as 9:00. And instead of asking them for my typical breakfast of yogurt, fruit, and granola, I ate what they ate for breakfast – soup, schnitzel, vegetables, potato pancakes, dumplings, chicken, meat cutlets, or fish. One night for dinner we had soup of milk, sugar, and rice. It tasted like a very liquidy rice pudding, but much better as the milk was so fresh. They now have a water filter on the kitchen sink so I was drinking that water instead of buying bottled water (I decided to not ask when they last changed the filter.).
I still don’t understand some things. My host mother would use a wooden cutting board, cut raw pork, then put some cheese on the same board and use the same knife and cut me a piece of cheese. There was raw meat on the counter tops and on the table, and it was wiped off with a cold wet rag and that same rag was used to wash the dishes – in cold water with no soap. Food items, including cooked meat, would be left on the counter for 24-36 hours. And I have never gotten sick in their home. Must have been all of the raw garlic cloves and samagon!
Technology has changed how we are able to communicate with each other. They now have WIFI in their home which made it easy to access Google Translate, which also allowed us to have deeper conversations.
I asked how much Peace Corps paid when I stayed with them. They had absolutely no memory of how much they were paid. They are now retired and her pension is $125 per month and his is $150 per month. I then asked them, “If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?” I immediately thought of the song “If I were a rich man” (Fiddler on the Roof takes place in a village about 60 miles from Kyiv, which is just about where they live.). They both answered that they wouldn’t want that kind of money as there really is nothing they want or need. I was dumbfounded that they have so little, yet feel like they have so much.
Their village hasn’t changed much. The only major change is that they now have 3 small supermarkets, which is 3 more than when I lived there! I spent most of my time just hanging out: eating, drinking, sleeping, talking, reading.
I then went to stay with my host sister and her husband for two nights. They live about 45 minutes west of Kyiv in a new complex which is quite beautiful and modern. She paid $15,000 for a small one bedroom apartment. I didn’t know that when you buy a new condo in Ukraine – it comes with literally NOTHING. Just the four walls. NOTHING ELSE! They had to design the interior unit and then build it out. This cost another $10,000. One day we went to the forest for shashlik, which brought back all kinds of wonderful memories.
I then checked into an AirBnB in Kyiv just off Khreschatyk. Kyiv has changed dramatically since my last visit in 2015. Kyiv has gone from feeling like a former Soviet city to an Eastern European city. English is spoken and written everywhere. Part of this is because Russian is no longer taught as the mandatory second language so many people are now taking English. Kyiv now has incredible stores and supermarkets and restaurants. You can find whatever you want in Kyiv, including many very high-end stores and at U.S. prices. I cannot figure out how people can afford the high costs of things. And the city is clean. The people are nicer and they are smiling. Kids are running around laughing and are happy. When I lived there, women often dressed in highly sexual ways. But not anymore. They were dressed very nicely and had a European flair. I always found Ukrainian men to be unattractive and even that changed. I kept looking at both the men and women and saying to myself – wow – they are so attractive. People are eating better and taking better care of themselves. Kyiv went from having only 3 gyms to more than 30 in the past 5 years.
I LOVE Georgian food and have not found any good spots in the US. I ate at a Georgian restaurant every day that I was in Kyiv! One day I saw a friend who is a current PCV who gave me a good overview of what it’s like to currently be a PCV. Another day I saw a Ukrainian friend who is now a COO of a small bank. He is incredibly smart and well educated and gave me a good overview of the political and financial situation in Ukraine. He mentioned that corruption has decreased dramatically, and you can no longer bribe the cops as they all now wear cameras.
I had lunch with a Ukrainian friend who still works for the Peace Corps. She was able to give me her perspective on working within the Peace Corps and working with current Volunteers. I also spent one day with a friend who is the Chief Rabbi for the Progressive Movement (Reform) in Ukraine. He gave me an update on the Jews in Ukraine. I was shocked to hear that Ukraine went from being the most anti-Semitic country in the area to one of the least.
My flight home was at 6:00 am. My host sister and her husband insisted on bringing me to the airport. This meant they had to leave their house at 2:00 am to pick me up by 3:00 to get me to the airport by 4:00 and then they wouldn’t get home until 6:00 a.m. I don’t know many Americans who would do this for anybody.
But we all know that this is typical behavior for a Ukrainian. I miss them already.