"My friend who is RPCV from Ghana (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) once told me the second year of Peace Corps is a gift for surviving the first year. That is exactly where I am. I had a rough go adjusting and settling into teaching. I would get frustrated with how Ukrainians did things and how they didn't match up with my strongly held American ideals. Painfully slow, I learned a lot about the fair and unfair expectations I had for myself and my Ukrainian experience. I had to change my American perspective, I had to see things and adapt to situations in a Ukrainian mindset. "I've learned what it is like to be a true optimist that being by choice, how to survive a line at the post office, a sense of humor is almost sometimes better than being gifted at language, patience is worth a million dollars, what fish Jell-O tastes like, the genuine kindness of Ukrainians, the awesomeness of feeling a student finally getting an idea, how to bathe in the dark with only a bucket of water, mesh can be fashionable if worn correctly and one student can change a bad day to a good one. This experience really does test you on every level, but also rewards you on many. "For now I am happy to represent America in a former Soviet Union country where some of the older generations believe that we are intrinsically unhappy people and the younger generations think we are all like Britney Spears and drive Mercedes. When starting to apply for Peace Corps, I had my heart set on Africa. Now after a long period of settling in, I have realized I have landed where I was supposed to. I'm currently more than halfway through the experience and know I still have so many more things to learn in this interesting and culture-rich country of Ukraine. Africa will still be there in December when I finish."
Kate Schmidt was originally assigned to Turkmenistan, but the country's government pulled its invitation to the corps and by late October 2009 she called the Ukraine her new home
Special exhibit planned for local Peace Corps volunteers
By Marianne Gillespie
Chillicothe Times-Bulletin
Posted Mar 06, 2011 @ 10:30 AM
[Excerpt]
Currently meeting people of all kinds is 2005 Illinois Valley Central High School graduate Kate Schmidt.
While she attended North Central College in Naperville and majoring in sociology, she volunteered in the community, in other states and in Africa.
"On a college trip, I was able to witness a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer revisit the small Ghanaian village that she had served in for two years," recalled Schmidt. "It was amazing to see the strong relationships she had made with Ghanaians and inspiring to hear of her projects during her service. I developed a passion for volunteering as well as seeing the world and new cultures during college. Joining
Peace Corps post graduation was something that made sense and just felt right."
Originally, she was assigned to Turkmenistan, but the country's government pulled its invitation to the corps, Schmidt said. By late October 2009, however, she called the Ukraine her new home.
She lives in Kivertsi, Volynska Oblast, in the most northwestern part of Ukraine, is a town of 12,000.
Schmidt teaches English as a foreign language volunteer at a small school of 150 students as well as doing secondary projects after school such as English clubs and work summer camps.
The former Lady Grey Ghost, which was part of the team who played in the State tournament in recent years, also is planning an after-school girls basketball program.
"My friend who is RPCV from Ghana (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) once told me the second year of Peace Corps is a gift for surviving the first year. That is exactly where I am. I had a rough go adjusting and settling into teaching. I would get frustrated with how Ukrainians did things and how they didn't match up with my strongly held American ideals. Painfully slow, I learned a lot about the fair and unfair expectations I had for myself and my Ukrainian experience. I had to change my American perspective, I had to see things and adapt to situations in a Ukrainian mindset.
"I've learned what it is like to be a true optimist that being by choice, how to survive a line at the post office, a sense of humor is almost sometimes better than being gifted at language, patience is worth a million dollars, what fish Jell-O tastes like, the genuine kindness of Ukrainians, the awesomeness of feeling a student finally getting an idea, how to bathe in the dark with only a bucket of water, mesh can be fashionable if worn correctly and one student can change a bad day to a good one. This experience really does test you on every level, but also rewards you on many.
"For now I am happy to represent America in a former Soviet Union country where some of the older generations believe that we are intrinsically unhappy people and the younger generations think we are all like Britney Spears and drive Mercedes. When starting to apply for Peace Corps, I had my heart set on Africa. Now after a long period of settling in, I have realized I have landed where I was supposed to. I'm currently more than halfway through the experience and know I still have so many more things to learn in this interesting and culture-rich country of Ukraine. Africa will still be there in December when I finish."
