witches and magic

I grew up in a bit of a conservative household. We dressed up for Halloween, but my mom wouldn’t ever let us be witches. Even when we were little and we watched Hocus Pocus, my mom thought that it wasn’t a good idea to dress up as the Sanderson Sisters. I wanted to be Sarah Jessica Parker’s character because she was blond and she was pretty. It didn’t matter though, because I was a chubby kid and as I said, we were forbidden from dressing as witches. I kind of left it alone after that, but then Harry Potter happened. First there were the books, then the movies, and then there was the lecture I sat in on at Oxford. An Oxford professor talking about witches? Sure!

My first attempt at dressing up as a witch was Halloween 2007 in Ukraine. I was a teacher and I wanted to throw my students a classic Halloween party. We bobbed for apples, ate Ukrainian donut shaped treats off strings, and danced to some happenin’ music. I dressed up a witch, partly because as an adult I had every right to do what I wanted and partly because I had a black shirt and skirt and making a cape wasn’t going to be very hard to do. I looked great…and scary. See?



Okay, so in this picture I don't look TOO scary, but still. I look dirty, right?

So yesterday, I went to watch the final Harry Potter movie with my friend, Chris. She dressed up as Professor Trelawney and quite frankly, she had the BEST costume in the whole place. I didn’t plan ahead so in about 45 minutes, I threw together a purple Rita Skeeter outfit. I was only missing the true ringlets in my hair and a quill. It was great.



This morning (or early afternoon), I am recovering from the midnight movie by lounging in my PJs, writing on my mac as I watch The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. It’s a great one. And again, it has that magic stuff. I love it! There’s something about magic and witches that I like more than all the vampires and werewolves that are so popular these days.

To be honest, as far as Sci-Fi/Fantasy goes, witches would always be my choice. My cousin loves the dragon stuff. My sister loves vampires and werewolves. My brother loves werewolves. I love witches and magic. I just do.

that dang language barrier

Japanese. Korean. Chinese. Indonesian. German. They’re all foreign to me. I barely know a word of any of the languages. Perhaps I could understand one word in a typical conversation. This would be only because the word is a cognate. I just don’t know enough foreign languages.

Today, I took the bus from the U of O to downtown Eugene. During that short seven to ten minute trip, I sat next to two people from Asia. Unfortunately, because of my ignorance about Asian cultures, I couldn’t even tell you where they were from or what language they were speaking. It made me sad.

While I was sitting there, I was writing in my journal. I stopped when I heard a word I thought I understood. I honestly believe they may have been talking about how no one understood them when they spoke on the bus. I heard, “they learn English in grade school, English in middle school, and English in high school.” And then there was laughter. Okay, so I’m not sure they were saying this, but as I’ve said before, I’m a tid-bit narcissistic and suffer from a slight case of Truman Syndrome and thus believe everyone is always talking or thinking about me.

As I sat there in ignorance, I was transported back to Ukraine. My friends and I used to visit Kyiv every few months. When we got together on the Metro, we were always loud. I tried to shut us up; I hated to be an obnoxious American, but it didn’t matter. We were loud. We dressed funny. And we always stuck out on the Metro.

One of the reasons I learned Ukrainian so well was to abolish the isolation I felt for being a foreigner. I think it’s important to learn and see other cultures. Learning the language of the other culture is an essential part of this.

Here’s the summer goal: No matter where I am this summer, I’m going to work on my Spanish. It’s important. A good chunk of our population in the Pacific Northwest grew up with Spanish as its primary language. It’s about time I step up to the plate and communicate effectively with my friends and neighbors. ☺

Ah, the Little Mermaid song

I’m listening to Part of Your World on my computer. I recently downloaded most all of my CDs to my hard drive so as to rid myself of all extraneous items in my apartment. A bunch of CDs sitting in a box aren’t doing me any good, right?

Part of Your World is from the Disney Princess Collection CD. It has special memories for me. Many are from my childhood, when I’d hang out with my cousins and we’d sing our hearts out. I’m pretty sure we could have started a band if our parents would have put a little money in it. ☺

I think my favorite, most recent memory of this song happened in 2007. I was still living in Ukraine. I’d gone to Bar (a town in Vinnytska Oblast) to visit my friend, Sheryl. She looked through my iPod and found this song. She blasted it and sang to the whole thing. It was AMAZING. The best part was that she got down on the ground and acted like she was Ariel on the rock. She even pushed out her hands as if they were the waves shooting out from behind her. I laughed harder than I had in months.

I love memories like this. They really help make crummy days like today just a little more happy.

FAQ about Ukraine

Note: This was done for a class I had recently. Just wanted to share some of the things I do in my fabulous life as a grad student.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ukraine
By Sharece Bunn, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Ukraine

When I tell someone that I spent 27 months as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine, I usually get asked many questions. Not many people I meet know a lot about Ukraine. Some don’t even know where Ukraine lies on a map. To help clear this up, I have answered a few simple questions about Ukraine. These answers are based solely on my personal experience and readings I may have done while I lived there.

Where is Ukraine? Is it in Europe?
Ukraine is in Eastern Europe. Ukraine is just north of the Black Sea. It borders on Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Belarus, and Russia. Some people wrongly assume that Ukraine is just a part of Russia. Ukraine gained independence in 1991.

What are Ukrainian people like?
Ukrainian people vary in personality, just like they do any place in the world, but Ukrainians tend to share several traits. In public, Ukrainians often have a stoic, stern expression, scaring visitors. But this reserved public appearance changes the moment you make contact with the person and engage him or her in a conversation. Most Ukrainians are very hospitable. It would not be uncommon to meet a random Ukrainian on the street or at the market, chat for a few moments, and be invited into that person’s home for a meal.

What language do they speak in Ukraine?
Ukraine’s national language is Ukrainian. But most Ukrainians also speak Russian. School children are required to take language courses in both Ukrainian and Russian. Ukrainian is more melodic than Russian. In western Ukraine, the language tends to be a mixture of Polish and Ukrainian. In central Ukraine, people speak Sergic, a combination of Ukrainian and Russian. In Kyiv, which is the capital of Ukraine, Crimea, southern Ukraine, and eastern Ukraine, people speak predominantly Russian. In these regions, speaking Ukrainian may seem nationalistic to the locals, who remain loyal to their Russian neighbors.

What’s the weather like?
Ukraine has four distinct seasons. The winter tends to be extremely cold. The winter of 2005-2006 was reportedly the coldest winter in 30 years which temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius. Spring was moderate. Summers were very warm which led people to swim in the polluted rivers. Fall was gorgeous and tended to have a crisp cool air on mornings when there was no rain.

What do Ukrainians think about Americans?
Depending on their exposure to Americans and American culture, Ukrainians have different views on Americans and life in America. Many young teenagers imagine that American life is similar to that of life on the original Beverly Hills 90210 television show. Thus, many students believe that America is merely Hollywood. I was often asked if I had met Angelina Jolie which to me seemed preposterous.

Although most Ukrainians I met saw America as a rich land full of opportunity, there were also those who were well educated on the politics and economy of America. One such person challenged the true prosperity of America. With such high national debt, he wondered if America should be considered a rich country.

How do people dress? Are they interested in fashion?
An old Beatles song has the words, “Ukrainian girls really knock me out.” Ukrainian woman are traditionally thin and beautiful. As long as girls keep their figures, they can shop for the tight-fitting shirts and rhinestone jeans which dominate the clothing market. Dressing up is essential to going in public. Although it may be appropriate to wear sweats to the neighbor’s house to buy a jug of milk, once Ukrainians hit the main drag of town, shoes ought to be shined and pants and shirt had better be clean.

How does the standard of living in Ukraine compare to that in America?
Ukrainians are on a different scale of living than Americans. A middle-class American family would be a rich family in Ukraine. Although more cars are headed on the road in Ukraine, families would never have two cars.

In 2007, women who worked in shops in small towns in Ukraine made one hundred hryvna a week, a total of 20 dollars. My one bedroom apartment cost me 20 dollars in rent per month. Many older homes and some newly built homes do not have indoor plumbing. If people build their houses in stages, they may have to wait to do plumbing until later and will often make do with relieving themselves on the street while they wait for the house to be complete.

What are some common hobbies? What do they do for fun?
Children in Ukraine like to play soccer. Boys often want to be like Andriy Shevchenko, their star “footballer.” Other common interests include reading, embroidery, and watching TV. Friday and Saturday nights are reserved for Ukrainian parties, when friends gather at the disco to drink vodka and dance.

What kind of work do they do in Ukraine?
Ukraine is called the breadbasket of Europe. Agriculture has always been a dominant trade. Jobs in Ukraine are similar to those in America. There are teachers, lawyers, bank tellers, postal workers, shop keepers, preachers, cooks, retirees, you name it. Ukrainians generally have a very strong work ethic. Various difficulties in the country’s history have made them this way. It’s quite common for people to work past the normal retirement age. In an attempt to lower cost of living in Ukraine, Ukrainians also grow their own food in gardens.