Hot Dogs & Holiday

Зробив діло, гуляй сміло.
Ukrainian Proverb: When the work is done, have some fun.

This past week I'm pleased to announce that I ate my first Ukrainian hot dog! Though somewhat different than their American counterparts, it was a rather pleasant culinary experience. Rather than the traditional ketchup, mustard and relish condiments that we expect, the Ukrainian hot dog was topped with ketchup, mayonnaise, and a pickled beet and carrot mix, which was quite tasty. The hot dogs are sold by vendors in the market place and are what you would expect to see at the fair or at minor league baseball games. This hot dog vendor boasts that they have the "most delicious" hot dogs.

On March 8th nations all over the world (including Ukraine) celebrate International Women's Day. According to internationalwomensday.com, March 8th is a "global day connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential" and it "celebrates the collective power of women past, present and future." In Ukraine the holiday is celebrated by a four day weekend. As one Ukrainian described it to me, it is because you need to celebrate before the holiday, celebrate the day of the holiday, as well as the day after, and then you need the rest of the time in order to recover and be able to go back to work on Monday. This reminded me a lot of the average student's life at the University of Idaho.


For this holiday, husbands are supposed to give their wives a break from domestic chores, and all young boys are supposed to be good to the girls and say nice things to them. In my opinion, Women's Day is a wonderful holiday and surpasses both Valentine's and Mother's Day. Why? Valentine's and Mother's Day are fairly exclusive holidays. For instance, you have to either be in a romantic relationship or be a mother. Women's Day however is far less exclusive. The only requirement is that you happen to have been born with two X chromosomes and it does not discriminate on age or relationships status.

March 8th was celebrated by going to the orphanage after a long time away due to the flu quarantine. We presented the female staff with flowers, while we made sure each child got their share of candies and cookies. My beginning English class was cancelled due to the holiday, and it was nice to have an evening at home. The climax of the holiday however did not come until this past Tuesday. At the beginning of class, our students surprised Inna and me with chocolates and tea, and of course every gift that is given is accompanied by a speech of health, happiness, and love! Apparently the class had gotten together and arranged this special surprise! What a treat! We were obviously quite stunned. This display of appreciation most certainly made my day, week, month, maybe even year! It is always a struggle when you are working to serve other people, and you aren't sure if you are appreciated or even making a difference in their lives. So needless to say my students gave me the most wonderful gift, better than tea or even chocolates...affirmation.