There is silence at the dinner table, but not for lack of curiousity. My family and community have been through so much trauma, and their parents even more. Their parents lived through one of the greatest (albeit man made) famines in recorded history, while they have lived through the entirety of the Cold War replete with spies, secret police, and, if one was worldly enough, fear of nuclear annihilation. My host sister is among the first in 80 years raised in a forward looking society. I hope her eyes never harden and her gaze never shortens. When you stop worrying about the bread on the table is when you can set some sight on the future.
This past week, we are continuing to build the foundations of language. Strong, common words and verbs make the main supports while a smattering of grammar holds it all up. At the end of training, we must pass at the 'Intermediate Mid' level of a general lanugage test. I don't think we'll have any trouble.
More important is what happens at our 2 year site. As English teachers, it will be expected and accepted to speak English and not Ukrainian. Hopefully my language skills will not whittle down to 'How Much?' and the various ways to say Please and Thank You. What will make the difference is what site I get sent to. It is possible that I would be the only fluent English speaker in town. Also, it could be that the entire teaching staff speaks English. So much difference down to chance.
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