The Borderland Chronicles

In Ukraine repairs to homes, cars, anything of that sort, are done hastily. They are meant not to solve or restore things to their natural working order, but merely to extend the life of what it is that’s failing, to simply band-aid it, if you will, so as to get a few more months of use out of it. God forbid you go out and just buy a new whatever it is and install it.

And so early this morning, after about six months since my last electrical outage, as I turned on my chainik to boil water for coffee, my outlet blew along with my breaker box on my hallway wall, emitting a small shower of sparks, turning my apartment dark.

And this during the weeks leading up to the centralized heat being turned on. The weather’s turned from very warm to chilly; the past week’s temperatures were in the 40s and 50s. My only salvation during the times in which the central heat is off is a small space heater that Peace Corps provides its volunteers. As I write this I’m layered in T-shirts, a sweatshirt, an old Pendleton flanel, two pairs of socks and wool cap. The temperature on the thermometer I keep near my desk reads 43 degrees. If I take a deep breath and exhale I can see my breath.

Also as this is being written there’s a repairman pounding away at something in the hallway, cursing in Russian and saying to himself, “I don’t get it!” I went out to purchase new parts for my breaker box this morning, which I’d done before and had worked in the past. This time around, though, that didn’t do the trick. I had to have an electrician – the same guy that’s been here three times in the past 14 months – come over to fix this mess.

Peaking around the corner I can see that the repairman’s not done, but there does happen to be a sizeable mess of wires, sheetrock and wallpaper strewn about the floor. No doubt he’ll leave that for me to clean up when he leaves. But I only mind now that this mess gets fixed. I need heat and light. I need to plug my MacBook in before it dies on me.  And I need my coffee.

Oh, Ukraine.

Posted in Artemovsk, Culture, Heat!, It's Cold!, Life, Peace Corps, Russian, Ukraine |

The city of Artemovsk has heat! Earlier this week (Central Heating, Oct. 5) I wrote about the frigid conditions in which I was living. Well, that’s over now. It began with a long, low-rolling moan. The sound seemed to be coming from the wall. Slowly, I pressed my ear against the puffy floral wallpaper, tracing the noise to a radiator below my window. It was the heat. The flip had been switched, the warmth released. No more wearing down parka and wool socks to bed, wound tightly in multiple blankets, knees tucked into chin, teeth chattering. Tonight I rest knowing tomorrow will be warm, no matter the temperature outside.

But while I bask at home, some fellow PCVs continue to suffer through this unusually early Ukrainian cold spell. To them, I say, hang in there. The vodka here is cheap, and so is a blanket. Those things, along with a decent roof over your head, can keep you warm until Oct. 15, when everyone else’s central heating system kicks in.

Posted in Artemovsk, Blogtober, Heat!, It's Cold!, Ukraine |

Like most apartments in Ukraine, my heat is derived from what is called central heating. It’s turned on once a year, and off once a year. Right now the temperature outside is 38 degrees. Inside my apartment, it’s a cozy 48. No amount of blankets and wool socks keeps me warm at night, when the temperature drops into the 20s or below. And it’s the same story at the school in which I work. The warmest room in the place is the cafeteria. I teach wearing a parka.

When I think about it, I imagine a crotchety old Russian man sipping from a vodka bottle and playing chess alone in a basement deep underground gets to decide when to lift the lever that supplies Ukraine with heat.

Today I asked one of my fellow teachers when the proverbial switch is flipped, and she told me it might happen Oct. 15. I’m crossing my fingers, but not counting on anything. If I’ve learned anything about Ukraine, it’s that nothing here happens when it should.

Posted in Artemovsk, Blogtober, Heat!, It's Cold!, Ukraine |