They say that every Ukrainian woman makes borscht using her own special recipe.
Each pot is unique from the one sitting next to it. There is a basic recipe that includes water, meat, cabbage, onion, carrot, potatoes and seasonings. But every woman gives it her own flair. I remember in training how my host mother, had a borscht recipe that used rabbit meat instead of the traditional chicken.
The rabbit meat added what I thought to be the perfect flavoring to the pot of borscht, but I’m sure some of my cluster mates would have disagreed with me. They would have told me that their host mom made the best borscht. Even my host father had his own recipe for borscht; I don’t think it was as good as the rabbit one, but it was still pretty darn good. But that’s just the way borscht recipes are, pretty darn good even if they all happen to be different.
When I was considering applying for the Peace Corps, I talked to a recruiter to try and get some answers to all the burning questions I had. I remember telling people how he wasn’t very helpful because he didn’t tell me what I should expect in Peace Corps.
His answers for my questions always started out with, “It’s hard to say because everyone’s service is different but..,” and then he’d finish with a very broad, vague answer. I was frustrated. I wanted to know exactly what I should expect. Now I know what he meant and why he couldn’t say much. It’s true, everyone’s service is different.
Just like a pot of borscht, everyone has a different recipe for Peace Corps service. Everyone starts with the basic ingredients like a host country, a new language, a working assignment, and twenty-seven months abroad. But once you add all of those things into the pot, it’s up to the individual volunteer to create their own flavors. Volunteers have different sites to add to their Peace Corps recipe.
Some of them are teachers at schools and some of them work in community or youth development. A fair share of volunteers join working groups to add more of their own interests to their service. Some volunteers travel from site and others like to stay close to home during their service.
Some volunteers enjoy their life in small villages while others enjoy their lives in larger cities. Not all volunteers have hot water. Not all volunteers have indoor toilets. Most don’t seem to care if they have all of these things or not.
I’ve heard many times that borscht tastes better the day after you make it. From what I gather, this is because all of the flavors in the pot get a chance to sit and meld with the other flavors in the pot. The strong flavors are balanced by the mild flavors creating a whole new flavor. And, if you’re making red borscht, the extra time gives the beets a chance to turn everything in the pot a deep red hue.
The same is true for Peace Corps service; it gets better as it ages. We all remember our training. It was nearly three months of intensive study of a new culture, language and profession.
But each day, you could lie in bed at night and think about how this day was better than the previous day. Maybe today you learned the alphabet or you realized that you could read a shop sign.
The next day you would lie in the same place and realize that you can now conjugate the verb ‘to eat’. Each day improved on the previous day. Once you arrive at your site, you come to realize that those daily victories don’t stop. Every day you feel like you learned something new or took a step in the right direction. Before you know it, your pot of borscht is more than ready to eat.
If I’m ever asked by someone wanting to know what to expect in their Peace Corps service, I’ll tell them they should expect to learn to make their own borscht.
This blog entry is written by Danny Zawacki, an American Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) currently living and working in Konotop, Sumska Oblast, Ukraine. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, the U.S. Embassy hosted a competition among all Ukraine-based PCVs andposting the top three essays. This essay wonthird place. You can read the first & secondplace winning essays here.
Prime Excursion Bureau welkomes you to meet Mr. Savca's Hut
05 July 2011
16.03.2012 “Weibocalypse”: China’s new microblogging rules go into force
On March 16, new real identity rules imposed on China’s microblogging platform Weibo go into effect; dubbed “Weibocalypse” by China’s internet community . The Provisions on Administration of Weiboke Development (the Provisions) include core provisions in Article 6, which requires pre approvals by the Beijing city authority before launching a Weibo account, and Article 9, which requires that a user provide his or her true identity. Chen Jihong, a Beijing-based partner at Zhong Lun Law Firm said that “overall, the Provisions regulate not only issues of approval and true identity, but also general issues including compliance with the law and privacy protection”.
28.12.2011 Holiday Classic From Ukraine – Carol of the Bells – Goes Clay
Kyiv, December 28, 2011. A famous Ukrainian folk singer Oleg Skrypka performed a renewed version of the winter holiday classic Carol of the Bells originally composed by Ukrainian Mykola Leontovych. This new rendition of the world renowned tune became a soundtrack for the freshly released Ukrainian animation film Shchedryk.
13.12.2011 INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL of GUITAR MUSIC "KYIV-2011"
13 to 18 December in Kiev will be start INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL of GUITAR MUSIC "KYIV-2011"
07.12.2011 Australia Contributes to Chornobyl Fund
Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Kevin Rudd announced that his country would donate one million euros for the Chornobyl Shelter Fund. Minister Rudd made his statement at the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Vilnius on December 6, 2011.
28.11.2011 Ukrainian Subway Station Rated One of World’s Most Beautiful
Zoloti Vorota (Golden Gate) station of Kyiv’s subway occupies 11th position on the list of the most impressive subway stops in the world, according to BootsnAll. The renowned community of travelers chose 15 subway stations in the world with the most outstanding application of art, architecture, culture, history, and technology.
22.11.2011 Festival Chervona Ruta Preserves Authentic Ukrainian Music
For the twelfth year in a row, the Ukrainian festival Chervona Ruta has opened the stage for the new talents performing Ukrainian music of different genres. The number of this year’s participants has set the record, bringing together 850 young musicians and performers. New to this year’s festival is the collaboration of performers from all regions of Ukraine.
22.11.2011 World of Rugby League: Ukraine celebrates five years in Rugby League
The Ukrainian Rugby League Federation (UFRL) is celebrating five years of the sport in the country.
17.10.2011 Ukrainian Painting Sets a New Record at London Auction
A painting by a Ukrainian artist set a new record at the Phillips de Pury & Co auction that took place in London on October 13, 2011. The art piece “Horse.Night” by Anatoliy Kryvolap was sold for USD 124,4 thousand which is the highest a painting by a contemporary Ukrainian artist ever grossed at an art auction.
03.10.2011 NSK "Olympic" to open a grand show
October 8 will be held the opening ceremony of one of Europe's largest sports complexes - NSK "Olympic".
29.09.2011 There will be held song festival in the Kyiv region.
October 1
at the Center for Culture and history, “Park Kievska Rus” (p. Kopach, Obukhov, District,
Kyiv region) will be a song festival" Slavic soul ".
12.09.2011 Europe’s Largest Fountain Opens in Ukraine
A unique musical illuminated floating fountain opened in the Western Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia on September 4, 2011. The fountain is the world’s only floating fountain mounted in the natural body of water and by its technical parameters can only be compared to one such water facility in the world – the Dubai Fountain.
05.09.2011 Ukraine Wins Gold in Triple Jump at 2011 World Championships in Athletics
Ukrainian Olha Saladuha became gold medalist in the 13th World Championships in Athletics, held in Daegu, South Korea. Saladuha won the finals in the triple jump competition among females and became the world champion.
31.08.2011 Three Ukrainian Soccer Clubs Go into Europa League Group Stage
Dynamo (Kyiv), Metalist (Kharkiv), and Vorskla (Poltava) won Thursday’s second legs of UEFA Europa League play-offs. Vorskla became the first Ukrainian team to make it to the group stage in the season of 2011-2012.
31.08.2011 Two Giant Fish Images Across the Border Become a Symbol of Polish-Ukrainian Unity
A Polish artist Jaroslaw Koziara created two giant images of fish on the grass on each side of the Polish-Ukrainian border. The tail of the first image lies on the territory of Poland with its head on the Ukrainian territory. The second fish is positioned facing the opposite direction. The artist intends to send the message of unity of the two countries – nature and art know no borders.
19.08.2011 Kyiv to host flower exhibition for two weeks
The official opening of a flower exhibition in Kyiv will take place at 10.00 on Saturday, Aug. 20. The exhibition will run at Spivoche Pole in the Pechersk Landscape Park until Sept. 4.
Borscht recipe
