Wednesday. What's there to say? A few things actually. Last night before bed, I had a real, hot shower. I didn't expect to have hot water but it was a good surprise. After the sandy mess that was Ultimate Frisbee, it was nice to clean off. The hot water was just a bonus. Cool water on a day like yesterday felt really good too. I'll definitely partake of it again tonight.
I also slept really well last night. I did, however, wake up before the sunrise and had a tough time going back to sleep. I only woke up once or twice in the night. When Tim came back after midnight, I barely even noticed it. I didn't even hear him shower. Apparently I'm getting used to the bed. Other than the biting insects, it's a nice room. It's on the fourth floor at nearly the opposite end of the hall from the elevators. I could take the stairs at my end but that still means I need to walk to the other end to get to the main hall.
Speaking of which, I wanted to talk a bit about my impressions of Zhovten Sanitarium. During part of the day yesterday, one of the facility staff turned on a radio with old music. It sounded like mostly hits from the 70's and 80's. I only recognized one song. But that music really adds to the antique feel of this place. From the vacuum florescent display of the reception clock to the wood paneling on the walls, everything just feels old. Yeah, to a big extent, that's because this place was built during Soviet times. The decor and design reflect that fact quite clearly.
This whole facility has a feel of "good enough." I think that's mainly a product of its history. In socialist systems and countries, there is no motivation to improve or excel other than the threat of a gun or prison. I have a feeling that that mindset still has a strong hold here. As if the USSR were still around. If something needs to be repaired, it only happens when absolutely needed. The plaster facades are crumbling. Windows are cracked. The steel shell of my porcelain shower floor is exposed and rusting. In general, this place just feels used. And not the 20,000-mile used car. More like a rental car that's been used to run the Baja 1000 five years in a row.
I'm not complaining about those things. Merely stating facts. I understand there may be underlying factors there that I don't see. Lack of money, resources, skills, or time for example. They also lend a certain historical atmosphere. Other than a time machine, this is the closest I'll likely come to seeing the USSR in real life. Judging by what I've seen, I'm glad it's gone.
"Good enough" is not how people should live. It's completely counter to the ethos of this camp. The students have come to us to learn, to improve, to grow. At the same time, we're surrounded by visual proof of the failure of "good enough." "It's the way we've always done it," is a boring way to live.
OK, that's enough of the critiques. We did actually do some fun things today. In the beginner English group, Andrew taught them about ordering food, finding things in a store and cheesecake. Elliot taught them "Head, shoulders, knees and toes." After the normal morning schedule, we skipped English Fun and moved into the week's video quest. Each team was given a song and two and a half hours. We needed to create a music video. My team's song was Wake Me Up by Avicii. Since there's a fairly obvious beat, I got to pretend to play it on the cajon. Vitaly, the piano and guitar wizard from English club, played guitar in the video. Ira from my team rowed our boat around and sat and listened. The rest of the team acted as zombies. I'll try to get the video after the week is over.
After the video quest, Sam and Jim from the Texas team gave a presentation about business and some of their basic principles. They tied it in nicely with their faith.
Today was also a new event called Tet-a-tet. It is similar to the conversation time we had last year. Only this time, we had about thirty minutes to talk to the students. That meant we could only talk to four in the time allotted. The Ukrainian staff also did something called "human library." It was a time for the students to talk to people from different walks of life. Max's background as a gangster and pastor was particularly interesting for them.
The night finished off with team time. Yesterday we were supposed to talk about Max's presentations but didn't have time for it. We made up for it with some discussion after Sam and Jim's talk. Then this evening we finally caught up on discussion questions.
The team time is designed as an opportunity for the students to voice their respective opinions about what Max says. Most don't share his views on faith, God and the Bible. And since he doesn't take questions, this is a time for them to talk and ask in a smaller, safer environment.
Alright, I'm tired now. I think I'll get some tea and let my phone rest and charge. I'll talk to you again tomorrow.
I also slept really well last night. I did, however, wake up before the sunrise and had a tough time going back to sleep. I only woke up once or twice in the night. When Tim came back after midnight, I barely even noticed it. I didn't even hear him shower. Apparently I'm getting used to the bed. Other than the biting insects, it's a nice room. It's on the fourth floor at nearly the opposite end of the hall from the elevators. I could take the stairs at my end but that still means I need to walk to the other end to get to the main hall.
Speaking of which, I wanted to talk a bit about my impressions of Zhovten Sanitarium. During part of the day yesterday, one of the facility staff turned on a radio with old music. It sounded like mostly hits from the 70's and 80's. I only recognized one song. But that music really adds to the antique feel of this place. From the vacuum florescent display of the reception clock to the wood paneling on the walls, everything just feels old. Yeah, to a big extent, that's because this place was built during Soviet times. The decor and design reflect that fact quite clearly.
This whole facility has a feel of "good enough." I think that's mainly a product of its history. In socialist systems and countries, there is no motivation to improve or excel other than the threat of a gun or prison. I have a feeling that that mindset still has a strong hold here. As if the USSR were still around. If something needs to be repaired, it only happens when absolutely needed. The plaster facades are crumbling. Windows are cracked. The steel shell of my porcelain shower floor is exposed and rusting. In general, this place just feels used. And not the 20,000-mile used car. More like a rental car that's been used to run the Baja 1000 five years in a row.
I'm not complaining about those things. Merely stating facts. I understand there may be underlying factors there that I don't see. Lack of money, resources, skills, or time for example. They also lend a certain historical atmosphere. Other than a time machine, this is the closest I'll likely come to seeing the USSR in real life. Judging by what I've seen, I'm glad it's gone.
"Good enough" is not how people should live. It's completely counter to the ethos of this camp. The students have come to us to learn, to improve, to grow. At the same time, we're surrounded by visual proof of the failure of "good enough." "It's the way we've always done it," is a boring way to live.
OK, that's enough of the critiques. We did actually do some fun things today. In the beginner English group, Andrew taught them about ordering food, finding things in a store and cheesecake. Elliot taught them "Head, shoulders, knees and toes." After the normal morning schedule, we skipped English Fun and moved into the week's video quest. Each team was given a song and two and a half hours. We needed to create a music video. My team's song was Wake Me Up by Avicii. Since there's a fairly obvious beat, I got to pretend to play it on the cajon. Vitaly, the piano and guitar wizard from English club, played guitar in the video. Ira from my team rowed our boat around and sat and listened. The rest of the team acted as zombies. I'll try to get the video after the week is over.
After the video quest, Sam and Jim from the Texas team gave a presentation about business and some of their basic principles. They tied it in nicely with their faith.
Today was also a new event called Tet-a-tet. It is similar to the conversation time we had last year. Only this time, we had about thirty minutes to talk to the students. That meant we could only talk to four in the time allotted. The Ukrainian staff also did something called "human library." It was a time for the students to talk to people from different walks of life. Max's background as a gangster and pastor was particularly interesting for them.
The night finished off with team time. Yesterday we were supposed to talk about Max's presentations but didn't have time for it. We made up for it with some discussion after Sam and Jim's talk. Then this evening we finally caught up on discussion questions.
The team time is designed as an opportunity for the students to voice their respective opinions about what Max says. Most don't share his views on faith, God and the Bible. And since he doesn't take questions, this is a time for them to talk and ask in a smaller, safer environment.
Alright, I'm tired now. I think I'll get some tea and let my phone rest and charge. I'll talk to you again tomorrow.
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| The main drag in in Zhovten. |
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| Our adopted kitty for the week. |
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