Faculty Party at "Mon City"

March 4, 2005

Disclaimer: All of the ideas and opinions expressed on this web page are mine alone and do not reflect the ideas, opinions or policies of the Peace Corps or the government of the United States.

On the evening of March 4, 2005 a number of the faculty members from the university where I teach gathered at the restaurant & club "Mon City" for a celebration honoring the women of our faculty and staff in the run-up to International Women's Day, which is celebrated annually in most parts of the civilized world on March 8. It was, like most Ukrainian celebrations, more fun than a barrel full of monkeys -the parts I remember anyway.

I don't know who was operating the camera, but I wound up in this shot.

The Man, The Myth, The Legend - Petro Vaymovich, with Olena Konstantinivna, who teaches German.

Natalia Stepanivna, one of my fellow English teachers.

Each female faculty and staff member was presented with a rose and a certificate of appreciation, most of which had their photos printed on them, thanks to my digital camera and some undercover phototography by Petro Vadymovich. This is Olena Petrivna just after having received her certificate.

In addition to receiving a rose and a certificate, many of the ladies got the moves put on them by dirty old men - all in the spirit of fun. Here is Stanislav Spirodonovich yukking it up with Svetlana.

That's me, with my back to the camera, dancing with one of my colleagues.

Stanislav Spiridonovich yukking it up with Olena Petrivna.

Petro Vadimovich proposing one of the several dozen toasts we drank that evening

And, what's a formal party without a guy showing up in a track suit?

The guy in the track suit is holding the two essentials for a Ukrainian party - mineral water ("voda") in his right hand (the chaser) and "vodka" in his left hand. Vodka is the Russian diminutive for water. It is "horilka" in Ukrainian - one of the five Ukrainian words I know.

As the night wore on things got a little rowdy and Masha, one of the German teachers, started pulling Lena's (our lab assistant's) hair.