"When you take two weeks' vacation in a country you don't get in very deep," Senteney said during an interview in Mattoon just a day before he headed back to the Ukraine. "You really don't get to make many friends like you do with the Peace Corps."
For the last two years, Steven Senteney, of Mattoon, lived in Ukraine helping with language education and environmental projects
Mattoon native answers the call of the Peace Corps
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer Thursday, August 4, 2005 10:18 PM CDT
MATTOON -- Now Steven Senteney knows what a friend meant about the Peace Corps when he said: "You've got to do this."
For the last two years, Senteney, of Mattoon, lived in the Ukraine helping with language education and environmental projects. And this month, the 26-year-old headed back for an extension of his work with the Peace Corps, which has helped developing countries across the world for more than 40 years.
"When you take two weeks' vacation in a country you don't get in very deep," Senteney said during an interview in Mattoon just a day before he headed back to the Ukraine. "You really don't get to make many friends like you do with the Peace Corps."
Senteney stayed for a time with a host family, who took him in as their own and taught him the fine art of "toasting" in the Ukraine tradition at Christmastime. "You could have 15 to 20 toasts. I told my host father I would probably stick with wine, not Vodka."
The Ukraine, which became an independent country after the breakup of the Soviet Union, is a developing country with many contrasts. A student might be working on a new computer and talking on a cell phone in his bedroom while his mother washes clothing by hand in another room. There might be a 25-year-old Russian-made car parked in front of one house, while a brand-new Mercedes Benz is parked and covered next door, while a horse-drawn cart meanders down the street by the houses. The parks are beautiful in the Ukrainian cities, but goats might roam free in them, Senteney said.
Modernity has made great inroads in the country, but many people are not overstressed by the clock. This was not just true for people in the countryside or smaller towns. It was also true for residents of Zhytomyr (pronounced Ja-Tomer), a city of 300,000 west of Kiev.
"The people there are much more relaxed. They are not as punctual. That was the biggest shock for me initially," said Senteney.
For example, consider the daily wait for the marchutkas, mass transit vehicles that are a cross between a van and bus with seating for 12-15 people. As a Peace Corps volunteer, Senteney was not allowed to drive on his own so he used the marschutkas, but he had to get used to their "full-or-no-go" schedules.
"They only leave when they get full," Senteney recalled. "So that might take about 45 minutes. Another thing about the marschutkas is that people can wave them down, too."
He was impressed with the professionalism of the Ukrainian educators he worked with at the Ukrainian schools. Senteney worked with environmental education projects and helped with teaching conversational English. His value as a "native reader" was prized in the classrooms of teenagers.
He also helped shoot down some misperceptions of America for the Ukrainians.
"I'd tell them I was from Illinois so naturally Chicago came up in the conversation. I had to explain that people from Chicago are not all gangsters. And I had to explain that not all Americans drive huge SUVs. But most of the people there like Americans. They just don't understand why we do certain things at times."
There are not that many cars in the Ukraine. In one apartment complex with about 1,000 residents, where Senteney lived for a time, there were less than six dozen vehicles parked in the lot. Another thing about the Ukraine is there is no tolerance whatsoever of DUI offenders. Partygoers are usually accompanied by designated drivers.
There were also similarities between the Ukraine, known as the Breadbasket of Russia, and Senteney's homestate.
"There is a lot of corn and soybeans and larger farms. And it is great riding through the countryside with the rolling hills and the woods," Senteney said.
In many ways, Senteney's extension of one year of work there is an honor: he was one of two out of 65 volunteers to receive an extension from the Peace Corps leadership.
He will celebrate his 27th birthday next week in the Ukraine, and he hopes others might gain from service in the Peace Corps as well.
"It has been a fabulous experience. If anyone is interested I would highly recommend it," he concluded.
