Dovhe Pole and Veliki Gaiivtsi (Velyki Heivtsi)

Saturday - woke up, after breakfast went for  short bike ride. Too bad my back is so bad, would like to ride more. Lots of people ride bikes here; the land is very flat and it's easy to get around, even on an old single speed bike. In Dravtsi, you really don't need a car; you can get where ever you need to go by foot, bicycle, or a 25 cent bus ride.

In Baranintsi, I met a woman while taking photo's of a building. I struck up a conversation with her by asking if this was the school. She knew immediately that I was an American, and asked where I was from, did I have family here, what was I doing? I told her, and she said her family was "Dudash", and she had 5 brothers  who had left to work in Pennsylvania. I told her I was from PA, and I've heard the "Dudash" name!!! I had been worried she might be mad because of seeing me take pictures, but she was really friendly, like most people I've met here.

After short bike ride, slept all afternoon with sore back and legs. Got up for Julius's birthday party.

 Went to Dravtsi church for service, recorded singing, then when to "Mlin" restaurant for party. Ate for 6 solid hours. We started at 5PM, and the last course was served 11:15PM. One thing they have here is an abundance of food. The soil is unbelievably fertile (after thousands of years of fertilizing with manure); I've never seen such a variety of fruit trees, vegetables, and flowers. I think because of the latitude, summer is longer here, too. At least it seems like daylight is longer than back home, the sun is in the sky longer, spring comes much earlier than home.


Sunday - Klara's son Misha and his family are leaving today for the Black Sea. They're driving through Romania to Bulgaria; they said it's a lot cheaper to stay in Bulgaria than Crimea, and its more scenic, too. Said goodbye, Misha said will keep in touch by Skype.

Marta's granddaughter Natalya drove me to cousin Etela and Josef Vasko's house in Dovhe Pole. Along the way, we saw a stork nesting on top of a pole. Anichka told me it was a "lilika". I told them my grandparents had neighbors named "Lilikuch"; they said there were many people with that name in Dravtsi and Baranintsi.

Etela and Josef Vasko live in two story house with son Mityo and his wife Natalya, and their daughter Stella, and daughter Nikoletta, her husband Rob, and newborn child Denis. Etela loves needlepoint, and has incredible embroidery everywhere in her house.

Of course, Etela made me eat - I had "pelmeny", which are pirohi with meat inside. Then we went to the Dovhe Pole church. The church is new, about 6 years old, very beautiful. It looks very deceptive - from outside it looks large, but inside it's very small. But beautiful, and great acoustics. In both this church and the Dravtsi church, I saw one custom I thought was pretty nice: during the reading of the Gospel, the little children come and kneel around the priest.

After church, Etela's son Mityo took me to Veliky Gaiivtsi, where they were holding a celebration for the 650th anniversary of their village. The village is mostly Magyar and Csygani (Gypsy) with a 35% Rusyn population. Most of the singing was in Magyar. I was surprised; on paper, written Magyar looks like the worst, most impossible language on earth, but when I heard it spoken and sung, it was very pretty. There was food, beer, singing, dancing. Good time was had by all. And no "bouncers" or "rent-a-cops" or police. No need.

After the festival, Mityo took me to the school for a dinner party. His wife Natalya is the school director. More food. And a new soup - "Bograch" (?), spicy and very good. I don't know what's in it; afraid to ask, but it might be the best soup I've tasted so far. Every day I've been here, I think I've tasted a different soup. A quick word about Rusyn food: Rusyn cuisine is a hell of a lot more than halubki, halushki, and kolbasi. Rusyn food is as varied as Italian cuisine. There is an incredible variety of Rusyn foods that we never experience in America. Rusyn cuisine is very diverse and rich, with lots of influences from neighboring countries, especially Hungary. Their hams are on a par with Italian prosciutto, they have excellent cheeses, their homemade wine is similar to Tokay (which was a favorite of the Tudor monarchs). I'm surprised by how ignorant we Rusyn-Americans are about our own culture and heritage.

After dinner I had a tour of the Veliky Gaiivtsi school. It's a small school, but impressive. They have about a 10 to 1 student-teacher ratio. Robert, one of the teachers and under-director told me that in this school, the smallest class was 8 students, the largest 12. The minimum allowed is 5 students per teacher. They put a priority on education in the Ukraine - unlike America. No wonder Ukrainian children seem far more advanced than American kids. I saw their science labs, their computer rooms. These kids might not have indoor plumbing, but they're getting a far better education than American kids. AND HIGHER EDUCATION IS FREE!!!!! (but in America we think we have our priorities right - a first rate military and a third world education system!!!!!)

One week left here. I don't want to go home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!