Peace Corps: Ukraine & Guyana 2013-2016: A Bit About Our Time in Chernihiv

We arrived in Ukraine on September 18^th to begin our Pre-Service Training. Buses picked us up from Boryspil International Airport outside of Kyiv and whisked us off to the city of Chernihiv, where we’ve been staying ever since (except for a couple of administrative day trips to Kyiv).

Chernihiv is a good-sized city of about 300,000 inhabitants with a history that goes back more than a thousand years.

In the year 882 Prince Oleh traveled to Kyiv to overthrow the two Viking warlords who had ruled the city for nearly two decades. With Askold and Dir deposed, the period known as Kyivan Rus began (Rus is the Slavic term for red-haired Vikings). In less than a hundred years Kyivan Rus was largest state in Europe, covering all the territory between the Volga, the Danube and Novgorod. During this time Chernihiv was second only to Kyiv in importance.

Modern Chernihiv has earned UNESCO recognition for its well-preserved medieval buildings. It is home to five of the eleven oldest churches in Ukraine.

To paint a picture of our life in Chernihiv, we’ve put together a pictorial tour of some of the city’s most prominent sites!

This is the Chernihiv National Pedagogical University where Kathrina and I are team-teaching English classes twice a week. English is one of the departments in the philological college, where 300-400 students are learning English as a foreign language.

Approaching the early 11^th century Illinsky Church on the outskirts of Chernihiv. We visited the church and a nearby monastery during a cluster outing (the group of five Peace Corps trainees who work together learning language six days a week) led by our Language and Cross-Cultural Facilitator, Serhiy, at the end of September.

Statue of a monk outside the Illinsky Church.

Pinnacles of Illinsky Church.

Inside Illinsky Church.

Walking through the Antoniy Caves located beneath Illinsky Church.

According to legend, some of the bones found residing in these caves belong to the monks who died during the sacking of Chernihiv by Mongols in 1239.

A bit further south of the Illinsky Church is the Troyitsko-Illynsky Monastery. This is our cluster approaching the church located on the monastery grounds.

A close up of the façade of the Troyitsko-Illynsky Church.

The 58 m tall bell tower at the entrance of the Troyitsko-Illynsky Monastery.

Inside the bell tower at the Troyitsko-Illynsky Monastery.

View of the Troyitsko-Illynsky Church from the bell tower.

Originally built in the 12^th century (but reconstructed after being mostly destroyed during World War II), the Saint Paraskevy Pyatnytsi Church is located near the central square in Chernihiv.

As a sign of respect, Orthodox Christian women traditionally cover their hair before entering a church. Kathrina is observing this custom before we go inside. Outside, the building appears to be reasonably large; but inside, the heavy brick construction, the paucity of windows, the darkness and the cloying scent of incense make the church feel intimate and mysterious.

This is our cluster having lunch at a varenyky restaurant near the main square in Chernihiv. Both the varenyky and the juice (which is made from dried prunes) are typical Ukrainian foods. From left to right are Sarah, Leslie, Serhiy (our Language and Cross-Cultural Facilitator), Lauren and I.

These are delicious varenyky. Sour creme is optional but highly recommended and certainly traditional!

As a learning aid, our language training facility (Serhiy's apartment) is equipped with thousands of sheets of quick reference material. Every day, as we struggle to build sentences, it's fun to watch everybody's heads whipping back and forth searching the walls for the word or grammar point that will help us complete our elementary-school level sentences...

These are the verbs that will haunt your dreams and consume your soul. Ukrainian has a million versions of the word 'to go.'
Will you go right now? There's a verb for that.
Will you go in the future? There's a verb for that, too.
Ah, but you'll be going by vehicle? That's a different verb...

As you enter the city of Chernihiv, Saint Catherine’s Church towers above you on a hill across from the ramparts known as the Val.

The Val (city ramparts) contains many of the city’s historic buildings surrounded by a beautiful park. Many Ukrainian families were out this day collecting autumn leaves and weaving them into golden crowns for their children. We also saw many younger people walking with their friends and posing for photographs among the leaves, a common activity for Ukrainian youth.

Eighteenth century fortifications at the edge of the Val (city ramparts).

In the center of the Val (city ramparts) is a cluster of historic buildings. From left to right are the 18^th century Collegium (with the single golden tower), 12^th century Boryso-Hlibsky Church (the low building topped by the gray dome and cross), and the 11^th century Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral (partially obscured by the trees).