As part of Peace Corps service, I was asked to help manage some English clubs at the local library in Ivano-Frankivsk. I started by giving presentations each week on various topics – different states in America or different holidays – but with the help of some other volunteers and the clubgoers themselves, the project slowly evolved into something much more special. Each month centered on a different theme, with some sort of final project/event planned for the end. After a few weeks of presentations about the history of American film, for example, the club members worked in groups to write, act, film, edit, and even score their own homemade movies. We had our viewing flimsy cardboard trophy for and “Oscars,” complete with a best picture. Another time, while focusing on American music, I learned how some of the older members had had to build their own radios during Soviet times in order to secretly listen to their favorite Rock’n’roll bands. 

Through these clubs I was able to get to know and learn from many Ukrainians who I would have otherwise never had the opportunity to meet. I heard eye-opening stories about their lives, learned interesting bits of history straight from the source, and was lucky enough not only to watch meaningful friendships develop, but to make some lifelong friends of my own. 

I would advise anyone new to Ivano-Frankivsk to visit the Library of Foreign Languages. The lovely employees there manage all sorts of clubs for natives and foreigners alike, and I don’t think there are any better opportunities in the city to learn about and connect with the locals.