Richard Collins

My name is Richard Collins, and I’m a Peace Corps volunteer. I was born in Valparaiso, Indiana. This is located about 45 minutes outside of Chicago. I spent much of my childhood and high school years in the city, causing trouble with my friends. I attended Purdue University for my Bachelor’s degree in History and Philosophy. Following this, I married my wonderful wife Alex, who is serving in Ukraine with me. We both stuck around Purdue while I received my Master of Arts in European History.

Shortly after graduating, we set off on our Ukrainian adventure in Peace Corps. Here, I am teaching English at the Kirovohrad Institute of Commerce, running English clubs, developing projects related to the environment, and frantically trying to learn Russian. My main goal in Ukraine is to help this great country meet its demands for trained specialists and native English speakers. So far, I have had the pleasure to work with some of the most self motivated people I have ever met.

I have always been interested in traveling and the unique hardships involved in crossing unknown territory, languages, and cultures, as well as the proud emotions attained from overcoming such obstacles. From this base of curiosity, I was immediately attracted to the prospect of becoming completely engrossed in another culture. In Ukraine I have found a rich culture with many similarities and differences to American culture. After having lived here for a scant seven months, I have fallen in love with Ukrainian cuisine, culture, and people. I would not choose to be anywhere else in the world right now.

As for me personally, I have a wide variety of interests. I enjoy running and playing sports like soccer and ultimate Frisbee. I am also a huge fan of the outdoors and love to travel and go backpacking. However, I also take pleasure in less active activities like playing video games and reading any book I can get my hands on. Furthermore, I love to watch movies and to debate their qualities. Finally, since arriving in Ukraine, I have become a huge admirer of borsht.

Alexandra Collins

My name is Alexandra Collins, and I’m a Peace Corps volunteer. I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My parents were in the Army, and because of this, we lived in several states all over the country. While I often did not like leaving my friends behind, I was always excited to see new places and meet new people. Finally, my family settled in Indiana, where they live today. I attended Purdue University, where I specialized in History and French. I also received my Master of Arts degree in Early Modern French History from Purdue University, where I was afforded the unique opportunity to spend the first year of graduate school in Strasbourg, France. While I was studying, I met my husband Richard, and we were married two years ago.

After we both finished our master’s degrees, we decided that the Peace Corps would be a wonderful and rewarding experience. After months of waiting, we set off on a long journey to Ukraine. In Kirovograd, I am happily serving as a native speaker of English to help teachers and students, as well as teaching English and Country Studies at the Kirovograd Socio-Pedagogical Academy. In addition, I hold after school speaking and cinema clubs for the students, as well as a children’s club for the teachers’ children. I feel very fortunate to be working at this institute, as I was welcomed and accepted instantly by its intelligent and interested students.

I am very pleased to be serving in the Peace Corps in Ukraine. Although some days are quite challenging, I fell that I have adapted well to life in Ukraine, and I am looking forward to the two years we will spend here. The city of Kirovograd is wonderful, and I have been accepted into the community by its kind and tolerant citizens.

My interests vary, mainly depending on the weather. In the winter I enjoy reading as much as possible, speaking with family and friends in America, and watching movies. When the warm weather arrives, it is difficult for me to stay inside. I enjoy running, playing basketball, walking in the park, going to cafes, taking pictures, and traveling to new places, which I plan to do a lot of during my time in Ukraine.

Greg Paul

I'm Greg Paul. I'm originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico but had been living in the Dallas, Texas area since 1990. I'm 64 and retired. My last position was with a nation wide (U.S.) Medical Transcription company. When a new client hospital account was obtained I would take all their medical dictation reports, redesign and integrate them into our proprietary transcription system. I would then integrate these into a systems package for the transcriptionists to use for that hospital. I would also integrate the hospital's system to work with ours. I'm also adept at and have designed several websites.

As a younger man, I worked with weapons control radar while in the US Navy. I also purchased, repaired and resold houses for my own account. I'm certified in first aid and CPR and lastly I'm a certified clinical hypnotherapist.

I attended Cerritos College in Long Beach, California and the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

I would rather play sports than watch. Some activities dear to my heart: I played and taught tournament tennis with numerous victories and once, won the singles, doubles & mixed doubles in the same tournament. I was a contestant and medaled in Pepsi Standard & Nastar ski racing, organized, played, coached and won division 2 & 3 men's and women's soccer and did the same with several adult co-ed "indoor" teams. Love boating, volleyball, dirt bike desert racing. I have numerous hang gliding flights off of 10,600 foot Sandia Peak in Albuquerque, NM, love sky diving and powered parachuting. I love high mountains, secluded desert outbacks, blue oceans & white sandy beaches.

I love all types of music except Heavy Metal or Rap. I sang in a US touring concert choir for 5 years. Tour highlights were singing at Radio City Music Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Ford Theatre/Concert Hall in Detroit, Michigan. Played first chair trumpet 3 out of 4 years in a concert/marching band, played piano for 4 years, played violin for 2 years. Especially enjoy blazing symphonies and eclectic "space" music and have composed some of my own.

I even had a large really cool stamp collection that got lost in a move somewhere along the way. :)

During the spring and summer of 2008 I had the opportunity of a lifetime. I was invited to help crew on a 55 foot sailing yacht. We started in April in Terragona, Spain traveled across the entire Mediterranean and ended the trip in September in Marmaris, Turkey. Here's a web page I designed to help family & friends to follow our journey: www.zzax.com/sail.

In October of 2009 I flew from Texas to Ukraine to marry my sweetheart. We were married in January of 2010 in Kirovohrad. In February of that same year I happend into another wonderful life experience. I was at the main library in Kirovrad and was blessed with the opportunity to help a group of Kirovohradians with their learning of the English language. They are a fabulous group of people and I feel honored to be able to help them. They all tell me they are really enjoying the help but I know "I" am the one that is really having the most fun. I get unbelievable help from the staff as I know very little Russian. I am most grateful to Irina Nesen for her help. My input there would be much diminished without her help. A heartfelt "thank you" to everyone employed there. They are all gracious and wonderful people. If you ever get to Kirovohrad, make SURE you stop at the library and meet some of them!

Laurie Pines

Laurie Pines is a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Kirovograd, Ukraine. She is in the TEFL program at the Teacher Recertification Institute. This is Laurie’s third tour in the Peace Corps having served in the Philippines and in Tanzania, East Africa as a teacher. She comes from California and has a daughter and a son, both of whom are doctors in New York City. Prior to coming to Ukraine Laurie worked for 24 years in Silicon Valley as a computer programmer and 14 years as a secondary school teacher. During the academic year 2002/2003 Laurie was on fellowship in Washington, D.C. and worked in the U.S. Senate on education legislation. She is enjoying her time here in Ukraine working at her institute and takes pleasure in working with the Kirovograd public library staff and their English clubs.

Colleen Wheeler

A frequent visitor to Chizhevsky Library’s Window on America is Peace Corps Volunteer Colleen Wheeler. Colleen came to Kirovograd in June 2007 and teaches marketing and management at Kirovograd Institute of Commerce and Kirovograd Pedagogical Academy, a post she will have for two years.

Peace Corps is a non-political, non-religious governmental organization funded established by U. S. President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to promote world peace and friendship. Peace Corps has three goals:
1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women by supplying teachers and other development volunteers.
2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

Colleen leads an English Club for Professional Women which meets at 19:00-20:00 pm every Monday, an English Language Film Club which meets at 16:00-18:30 every Wednesday and an English Conversation Club which meets at 16:00-17:00 every Monday; all these groups meet at Window on America on the second floor of Chizhevsky library. She also takes advantage of the facilities and resources at Window on America for tutoring and conversation with other Ukrainians who want to practice English.

Other Peace Corps activities include weekly visits to Detskiy Dome for games and activities with Peace Corps Volunteers Jenny Wyly and Alia Waly and weekly visits with Volunteer Alia Waly to the State Flight Academy for conversation and English practice with pilot and air traffic control cadets who are preparing for all-European English language tests. Other functions include an English conversation club at Kirovograd Institute of Commerce and an English conversation club for children at the Pedagogical Academy.

Colleen enjoys travel and exploring Ukraine. She lived in Chernihiv for her first three months in Ukraine and has visited several Ukraine locations including Kyiv, L’viv, Odessa, Vylkovo, the Danube Delta Biosphere Preserve, Kherson, Uman, Kharkov and Chernivtsi. She has also traveled to Krym, visiting Alushta, Alupka, Yalta, Simferopol, Nikita Botannical Gardens, Livadia Palace, Tarhankut and Sevastopol. During her Peace Corps Service, she also visited St. Petersburg.

In Kirovograd, Colleen is learning to cook traditional Ukrainian dishes like borshch, vinaigrette, cyrniki, and paskha and takes particular pleasure in the plentiful supply of beautiful, tasty vegetables and fruits available in the city. She enjoys walking in the city, especially during the spring and summer when the air is sweet with the scent of flowers and fruit. She also likes exploring the many bazaars, large and small, throughout the city.

She finds the people very friendly and always willing to help; although Peace Corps provides excellent Russian language training, she is always grateful for help from those who know a little English or who can understand her gestures. She also enjoys books and movies from Window on America as well as performances at the Philharmonic.

In America, Colleen grew up in the state of Kansas; Kansas is called the Sunflower State and is in the center of the United States. She also lived in the north-central states of North Dakota and Minnesota, in the northeastern state of Maine and, for nine years before coming to Ukraine, in the southeastern state of Florida.

She attended universities in North Dakota and Minnesota and has a B.A. in mathematics, an M.A. in mathematics and an M.B.A. in business administration and marketing management. She worked as a marketing manager for many years and taught mathematics and marketing at several colleges and universities.

Colleen has a daughter Cindy in California, a son, Tim in New Jersey, a granddaughter, Montana and a grandson, Richard. Tim has been to Ukraine twice; Montana accompanied her father on his first visit. Colleen also has a father who lives in Kansas, a brother and two sisters. She keeps in touch with her family and friends by email and by Skype, an internet telephone system.

Barbara Schlieper

My name is Barbara Schlieper and in the USA I live in the city of Seattle, in the state of Washington. I have a husband and two grown children - a son who works at Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston, Texas and a daughter who is an Americorps volunteer in Monticello, Utah. My husband manages cross country bicycle trips for the American Lung Association of Washington. He and I are both retired and are now free to pursue our passion rather than the income we needed while raising the children. I will be sixty years old in September. I have been an English teacher in America for twenty years, teaching secondary students, and also have worked as a case manager and an executive secretary at AT&T Wireless Services. I have a broad background in the use of English in both academic and business settings.

I am currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the city of Kirovohrad. My work assignment is at the Sukhomlinsky Teacher Recertification Institute where I work in the office of Iryna Tailerivna Kossa, the Chief Methodologist for the study of foreign languages in the Kirovohrad oblast. I conduct classes for teacher training at the Institute as well as monthly seminars for city teachers and twice a month seminars for selected young teachers in the Kirovohrad region. I also conduct a weekly "Tuesday at the Movies" club at Window on America in the foreign languages division of the Chizhevski Library in Kirovohrad.

"Movie Tuesdays" provides an opportunity for me to meet and talk with Ukrainian teachers, students and community members who want to improve their spoken English and practice communication with a native speaker. We watch an hour of a selected American movie with English subtitles and discuss themes, cultural insights, historical background and check the understanding of plot, character, etc. Students often have questions about language, actions and motivations of the characters. Having the movies in DVD format makes it easy to pause the movie while I answer questions or explain confusing events. I plan to continue to offer "Tuesday at the Movies" during my service in Kirovohrad which will end in December of 2005. The staff at "Window on America" have been helpful and enthusiastic and I enjoy working with them. I look forward to bringing many Ukrainians to a closer understanding of our culture and our language and thank them for their generosity in sharing their country and culture with me.

Christina Juo-Han Hu

My name is Christina Juo-Han Hu, and I am from Virginia Beach, Virginia. I have a degree in foreign affairs and German language and literature from the University of Virginia. I speak Chinese, English, and German. And I hope to learn Russian during the time I am here in Kirovohrad.

I am a Peace Corps volunteer serving in Kirovohrad. I work as an English teacher at school number 5, also known as Gymnasium named after Taras Shevchenko., and I also work with English as a Foreign Language teacher in seminars and conferences. My goal is to contribute as much as I can to English learning at the secondary school level.

The Television Club is a fun way to learn English. I hope with the showing of American television shows, I can share American culture along with language practice. The Television Club is a way to practice various skills in language training. The listening and speaking are the main focus of the Club. The Television Club is a great way to practice listening skills while watching the shows, and speaking skills while discussing thoughts and ideas from the shows.

Everyone who is interested in English learning is welcome. Showing times are Wednesdays from 16:00 to 18:00.