18 October 2013

18 October 2013: SASW

Friday, I got up early, got dressed, had a breakfast of Kasha, and walked down to Russian. We were meeting early, so that we could have more Russian before several hours in Petrovski. In class, we learned a whole new subject – moods. I was scrambling to write them down as we learned yet another set of words – frequency. I managed to write all of them down, as well as their pronunciations and spellings before we were done. After class, V showed us her pre-rotation report on us (I need to learn how to cook and speak more Russian in the community), and we went to get the marshrutka to Petrovski.

Once on the correct marshrutka, we called Obukhiv 2, to know when and where to get off. Petrovski is the last stop, so we didn’t have to worry about getting off at the wrong stop. Once there, we were met by R and the cluster, and we walked down the roadbed to where R lives. He lives a small walk from the bus stop, but a beautiful walk. Petrovski reminds me of various, very rural, farming communities in the mountains. There were farms with poultry, goats, and cows on our walk down, as well as a corn field. We got to R’s house a little early, so we had tea/coffee before our Safety and Security Workshop.

Our SASW was run by SP, the head of PC Security. SP will have a combined 40 years in the military and law enforcement next year. He's a qualified sniper, a lawyer, was a combat engineer, former special forces, former militzia (police), is taking classes to become a licensed psychologist, and can speak about 5 languages fluently. I feel safer already.

Our SASW went over some of the risks that PCVs can face, as well as how likely they are. Some things are high risk (marshrutka accidents), others are low risk enough to make SP roll his eyes (terrorism). He also pointed out that what might come across as anti-American sentiment is (usually) just drunks saying what they can in English. We also went over Ukrainian law. You much carry your documents on you at all times, as there is a law that says that the police can ask to see them, and you must show them. But, you have the right to make a call before anything can happen. If you have your temporary residence permit, but only a copy of your passport (recommended), you might get fussed at (and potentially arrested) by a police officer who speaks absolutely no English (and, in my case, might take further offense that I’m speaking Russian). If the cop wants to arrest you, you are allowed, in fact you are encouraged, to make a phone call. I asked about reaching into my purse for my phone, and was told that Ukrainian police hold neither the opinion that everyone is armed, nor that everyone is reaching for a gun. We learned about the resources available to PCVs, and went over the manuals that we need to read and remember.

We took a break for lunch, and learned they had brought lunch for us: black bread, spicy cheese, and some sort of sausage. I washed and shared my grapes, as well as my cheese and chocolate.

After lunch, we went over the Ukrainian police force. They do not have a good reputation here, but it is for corruption, not brutality. There are many anecdotes about how good they are at doing their jobs – finding a perpetrator in under 5 hours, in a city the size of Charlotte, that the victim couldn’t clearly describe. SP says that he is more than satisfied with the police force here. Especially how they treat PCVs. We are told to ask for a police officer’s ID, and then to write down his name and position, so that SP can verify who he is talking to, if he needs to talk to them. We are also told to call him before we sign anything or give any statements.

After that, we went over what we needed to keep in our Emergency kit. This kit includes our entire medical kit, as well as a cook kit, a hygiene kit, and water. Then, we went over the Emergency Action Plan, and how it gets implemented, as there are many sections of the EAP. After the EAP, we went over the two highest reported crimes: theft and harassment.

We went over the basic ways to avoid becoming a victim of theft. There are people who decide who is to become a victim. Foreigners are the primary targets. So, speak a minimum of English. Project confidence, but not over-confidence. Know where your valuables are. Never pull out your wallet in the crowd. Keep you back to the wall. Watch out for distractions. Basically, be aware of yourself and your surroundings.

Harassment. In Ukraine, what is harassment in the US might not be harassment. We saw several examples of how to avoid harassment. The first is that ignoring someone who you don’t know isn’t rude in Ukraine. If someone says “Hello,” you aren’t obligated to saying “hello” back.  Then we went into workplace harassment. There are reports of a (usually) female volunteer, who’s male colleague or boss, harassed her. The example we were shown was of a PCV’s colleague putting his hand on her shoulder, leaning in over her work, and basically acting a bit creepy. American creepy, that is. The way to get around it – make up an excuse about wanting tea. Offer him your seat. As your counterpart how to mention that you don’t feel comfortable when someone leans over you. You see, in Ukraine, that sort of behaviour is expected from men, as they believe that they need to cheer-up a colleague especially a female colleague who is looking sad or depressed or worried. It’s not intentional harassment – he had no idea that he is making you culturally uncomfortable. This is another example of why you need to take a step back and think before you react to anything that is a cross-cultural moment. We need to remember that we need to avoid doing anything that could ruin our working relationship with our colleagues, but we need to be not uncomfortable.

SP also went over housing security, as there are certain requirements on PCV housing. We will be given a Carbon Monoxide and Smoke detector, as well as a fire extinguisher, and a natural gas detector. We then went over fire hazards, so that we know how to make fires less likely to happen.

We were given some tips as to how to integrate successfully. We need to make the right contacts. Accept and extend invitations. Don’t drink in public places. And become involved in the local community.

After our SASW, we took the bus back to Obukhiv, where we cleaned V’s flat, and went back to our host-families. On the way back, I was put more money on my mobile. I had dinner with my host-sister, and then I did my home task while watching “Everybody Dances,” which is competition show. I was doing my home task from about 7pm until about 1130pm. If you count travel to and from Petrovski, the breaks between units, lunch, dinner, and dessert, my day started at 830am, and ended at 1130pm.