Transcript Slide 1

Our Kerch Flat Tour!
Want to see how Peace Corps folks live?
Why? Well, Peace Corps Volunteers in Ukraine arrive at
their sites with only about a hundred pounds of luggage
- two bags and a carry-on is all you can bring! And
when it is time to leave here twenty-seven months later
we are still only authorized a hundred pounds – just two
bags and a carry-on is all you can take home with you!
So, our lifestyle is pared down and modest. We live simply. Most of the things
we accumulate here will be left behind when we leave – but we will certainly
take away some wonderful memories i
Well, time to tour our cozy Crimean flat!
Before I actually take you inside our tiny flat, let’s take a
quick look at the outside of the building.
We live just two blocks from the Black Sea – among the
trees near the Ferris wheel in the lower photo on the left.
Our courtyard window in the fenced garden above, is
behind the little store above right. Our street-side
window looks out on the edge of the outside seating
area. You will see when you get inside.
OK. Let’s go in – the entryway is dark and scary which
seems typical of all Ukrainian apartments we’ve visited.
I told you it was dark in here! This is a typical entryway.
We live on the ground floor at the bottom of the stair on the left. The doors
opening into our flat are double-wide and padded; common features here.
No windows in doors either. Entryways and public areas seem to be rather
dilapidated and poorly lit here in Ukraine. OK, come inside where it is light.
In Ukrainian tradition one removes their shoes and dons
slippers when entering a home – Here’s our entryway.
Directly in front of you when you enter our
flat is this map of Kerch and the door to
the toilet. Toilet access in flats is often in
the front hallway.
The arched doorway on the left of the map
goes to the kitchen.
Front door
Toilet door
We are still in the entryway. Let’s look inside scary Ivan
(who is old and rusty, not dirty). Here’s my RussifiedSpouse in his fur hat. On to the kitchen…
Welcome to our kitchen!
The photo on the left is from the entryway
and the other photo looks back at Ivan.
A quick peak at the toilet - yep, no sink in there. It is in
the water closet off the kitchen. Another typical
arrangement here! The usual TP is brown and harsh.
I am standing in front of the doublewide entry doors looking at the built in
wardrobe behind Ivan, our tiny soviet-era refrigerator. The toilet door is on my
right. I can touch both Ivan and the toilet door at the same time – it is a small
space. Ivan has a view into the kitchen, which we will visit in a moment.
The sink and cupboards
Our modest selection of cracked, chipped
soviet-era, flat soup bowls: similar to what our
host family had in their modest cupboards.
People use what they have and are still
getting used to having choices available.
This modest kitchen is typical of a family
kitchen in any flat here.
We bought the coffee cups on the top shelf.
The 2-burner stove and the rest of our kitchen storage!
Mark talks on the mobile
phone by the kitchen window
where the reception is best.
Storage is limited, but we
shop daily.
Peace Corps asks Volunteers to live the way our co-workers do, so our standard
of living reflects how locals might live.
The view from the kitchen window on a rainy day. There
are often 8-10 cats perched on the bench in our garden.
The tour continues with a visit to the water closet and
laundry room. Step inside and have a look!
We have a small electric
hot water heater. Many
PCVs have gas kolonkos
which provide on-demand
hot water and are great
when they work. They can
be problematic and
dangerous!
Some PCVs in Ukraine
have no indoor plumbing
at all! Many days we do
not have water and/or
electricity due to
infrastructure challenges.
Our flat was recently remodeled so we have a fine shower arrangement. When
PCVs visit us, we encourage them to take a luxurious hot shower!
A little about our laundry facilities before I show you our
kitchen table and then step into the main room on my left
for the rest of the tour!
To the right of the water
closet sink is our drying
rack and our 2 buckets
which we use to do a
load of laundry each day.
Weather permitting, we
hang our laundry on a
line in the garden, but
during the winter we
drape them o the steam
radiators where they dry
quickly. We use cold
water to launder. The
soap is strong and things
soak several hours then
soak in rinse water.
Living room
Water closet
In a Ukrainian home, six-eight people would gather
around this table to sip vodka and feast on a dozen tiny
plates of pickled veggies, rye bread, and salo.
OK, we are in the living room.
In these photos you’re looking back at the kitchen
door. We purchased two bookshelves for the flat
The other furnishings were here already.
Above the small bookshelf is a USA map.
We divided the living space with the tall bookshelf
(you see the corner of it in the bottom right photo).
Behind the kitchen door is a
map of Ukraine - we’ve
marked locations of our
fellow Group 28 PCVs.
The living room!
The TV gets three channels and poor
reception. Two volume choices LOUD
and soft, both with static. TV shows are
in Ukrainian since is the official language.
Most people speak Russian though!
Note my laptop in front of the couch
More living room views.
Our “coffee table” is made from a piece of wood propped
on our emergency water bottles. I drape a bedspread over
it and my lap top is usually parked there.
The couch, covered with a rug is typical. It is very hard
and serves as a narrow double bed for our guests. Most
people’s living rooms are sleeping rooms at night. Private
spaces are not standard here.
We made the “wall”
behind the couch from a
bedspread supported on
a metal rod attached to
the tall bookshelf. This
gives us a separate
sleeping and dressing
space.
A look at Mark’s work space.
Mark decorates our Christmas tree
which perched on the small bookshelf.
This little table is Mark’s desk. This is where he spends many hours each
evening studying Russian and working on lesson plans. The window is on the
wall with the Russian alphabet. The bed parallels the desk on the wall on the
other side of the window.
In the middle picture you are looking toward Mark’s desk from the living room.
You can see a small corner of Mark’s desk in the upper left corner of the photo.
An overview of the living space.
The top two photos look past the
living room to Mark’s workspace and
our sleeping space hides around the
corner near the window on the
opposite wall. Now you can see the
yellow fabric “wall” with the plant
perched atop (behind the couch).
The lower photos are taken looking
back toward the kitchen door. You
can see the bookshelf that faces the
sleeping area and Mark’s workspace.
The pothos plant is visible on top of
he bookshelf in the photo on the
lower right.
Now, on to the sleeping area.
On the other side of the yellow fabric wall hangs a brown
bedspread - our headboard. Our very narrow bed is on
the floor and now has a gauzy mosquito net canopy
around it to provide an illusion of privacy and romance.
The street window is
at our feet (in the
lower picture).
We can hear the sea
at night.
Here’s the view from bed of Mark’s work space just a few
feet away. There is a large window here. The ceilings
are really high in our flat – we could build a cozy loft
here.
Ed the Duck stands guard on the
windowsill.
Today he watches White Dog and Black
Dog on their usual rounds.
Views from our street window - there are always cats,
dogs and shoppers frequenting the small store or visiting
at the tables when they are out. The park and the sea are
across the street on the right behind the red water pipes.
This orange cat lives outside our window. He makes us
think of Bubba, our own big orange guy, staying on a farm
in the USA along with our dog, Miss Zoe Mae.
Well that’s it! Now you have had a tour of our cozy nest!
Come see us if you can!