Is the Bazaar Bizarre?
Activities
By  Kirk DiFrancesco, University of Minnesota

   What is the first thing to do after you unpack your bags and settle in?  The answer is to go out and buy all the little things that you forgot to pack or could not fit in your bag.  Being new in town makes it hard to know where to find tennis shoes and a phone card all in the same place.  Oh wait! There is a big place to find everything you need all at the same time.  It is the Bazaar, an area within the city of Lviv with numerous little stores. 
   On our little trip to the bazaar, we were accompanied by two of our Ukrainian female classmates (of course the girls know where to shop).  The whole area was probably the size of a football field.  The bazaar shops vary in size with rooms about 10x10’ to kiosks that stand five feet tall.  The whole bazaar was enclosed but not heated because they have a large entrance that stays open the entire time.  However, the shops were semi-heated usually with heaters provided by the shop owners.  On this particular shopping excursion we set out to find tennis shoes for my big feet.  Although they had about five shoe stores and three of them sold tennis shoes, I was out of luck because my feet are just too big.  The trip was not completely wasted, as I was able to buy a pocketknife and some other useful little knickknacks.  The girls, both American and Ukrainian, all seemed to have a great time looking at jewelry and various clothing items with prices so low that most Americans would be shocked.  Apparently, you can barter down the price at some stores but this practice is not welcomed in some of the more prestigious ones. 
   Overall the bazaar was a very interesting place, which I definitely plan to visit again especially since it is open every day of the week. For my next trip to the bazaar, I will be sure to bring my new Ukrainian classmates to help me barter as I just cannot barter well enough in Ukrainian yet!

Weather

   Since arriving here I have realized that I should have brought ice-skates instead of shoes.  Being from Minnesota I am used to cold weather and icy conditions. Minnesota is on the same latitude as Ukraine so I figured the weather would be similar.  It has actually been warmer here than back home but the outdoor conditions are much more slick.
   The American method of dealing with icy conditions usually consists of using salt and sand to keep roads and sidewalks clear and safe. The cost of salt and sand poses too high a cost for the Ukrainians to properly keep their roads and walkways free of ice.  It is a common sight to see individuals throwing a shovel full of sand from the backs of trucks to lightly sand the major streets. Here on the LSAU campus, you might see an elder Ukrainian woman spreading sand across the common path, which the students take to class each morning.  While riding in cars and marshrutkas, the trip can be pretty scary due to the icy conditions on which the vehicles drive.  These conditions encourage good driving habits and I have seen no accidents. 
   The ice was a slight dilemma with me one particular day when I tried walking to church in dress shoes with no traction.  Unfortunately for me, I slipped on the ice and fell flat on my back.  Almost all of the walkways here are covered with ice and walking can be a risky process. Gliding across the walkways can sometimes be safer than walking on them! 



       Sliding down the icy walkways and hills is one of the recreational activities for local Ukrainian children.  They sit down and smooth out the ice to skate down the hill like skateboarders.  Some of the American students join in by trying their luck on the frozen ground slide. 
      My mom always reminded me to wear a coat before I went out in the cold. We have found that the women watching us in the hostel take the same care. They are constantly worrying about us not wearing enough warm clothes and they make sure we have our gloves and hats.  It adds a certain comfort for us to have people who care around. We jokingly call them our Ukrainian moms. 

Education

   College students in the United States study quite differently than Ukrainian students at Lviv State Agricultural University.  At LSAU, a group of students study together from their first year until the time they graduate.  It takes approximately five years for a student to complete his or her education.  The typical number of students per group ranges from 20 to 24 and they are usually of the same age.  There are about 200 students in each class but the group always stays together. The students remain in the same major and are not grouped with students of a different major.  At Penn State, students majoring in Agribusiness, for example, may take courses with students from other majors, such as Animal Science.  This practice does not occur here at LSAU.  A positive aspect of this system is that students are able to pick who they want to study with. 
    The Ukrainian lesson at LSAU is called the “пара”(para-spelling). It consists of 45 minutes of class time, a five-minute break, followed by another 45 minutes of class. There is a 10 to 15 minute break between each “пара” and the students typically repeat this process 3 times throughout the school day.  Students take class together from 9 am until approximately 2 pm.  However, sometimes they stay until 3 or 4 pm in order to study.  One unique idea about this system is that they usually do not study at all on weekends because these individuals go home almost every weekend to see their families.



    The school year operates from September to April.  LSAU is unlike some schools throughout Ukraine, because oral exams are not given at LSAU.  All exams given to the students are written.  After the students go through 5 years at the university, they can return to LSAU to become teachers if they choose to.  At the end of their fifth year, students must complete a state exam in order to graduate.  Students must pass this exam in order to get a job.  This exam can be taken up to three times.  LSAU second year student, Yarek Snitinskyy, explained that teachers are often quite involved in the process of studying for the state exam. The educational system here at LSAU is beneficial and it helps build special relationships between the students.   

Marshrutka- Ukrainian Shuttle System
Culture
By By Jared Stewart, Iowa State University

   Iowa State has Cy-Ride. Penn State has Cata.  Minnesota has the Campus Circulator.  Lviv State Agricultural University has the Marshrutka.  After being spoiled by the services of our entertaining chauffer Petro, we learned the more common transportation method of the marshrutka.  Marshrutka is the Ukrainian word for shuttle bus.  They resemble a large conversion van or small bus.  However, they fit almost 30 people in them; even more during the “rush hour” periods.  Marshrutka’s can be seen throughout Lviv.  With hundreds of marshrutkas zipping around Lviv, we can go just about anywhere.  However, with the help of our Ukrainian counterparts, we have figured out that Marshrutka 80A will get us from the university in Dubliany to Lviv the fastest. 



   One of the main reasons the marshrutkas are so popular is that they are extremely cost efficient.  A one-way trip from Dubliany to Lviv, or vice versa, costs only 80 Kopikas; about 15 cents.  This compares to a taxi that costs between 25 and 30 Hyrevnias; 5-6 dollars.  The marshrutka is the preferred transportation of the students here at the Lviv State Agricultural University in Dubliany.
   One downfall is that they don’t run all night.  We learned this after a late night of dancing when we had to fork over the extra money for a cab.  The Ukrainian students told us that the marshrutkas stop at 11:00 p.m. 
    Although the marshrutka doesn’t accommodate to it’s taller patrons, (Kirk and I are about 4 inches too tall to stand.) it is by far the most efficient means of transportation that we have found.  “Next stop:  Carpathian Mountains!”

By By Randy Koontz, Penn State University

   Lviv State Agricultural University lies on the outskirts of Lviv and is located in Dubliany.  There are four main buildings that makeup this university and each building has a faculty.  There are six departments, which are called faculties.  The faculties at LSAU include: Economics, Mechanic Services, Agronomy, Agribusiness Management, and Land Survey.  Physical fitness plays an important role for the education at this university and many sports are offered. These include basketball, soccer, volleyball, weight lifting, table tennis, chess, and power lifting.  The housing complexes are located on the campus and are called hostels. Approximately 2,000 students live in the hostels. Some of the students travel from different communities such as Dubliany and Lviv.



   In the United States, at a typical large university there are usually a large number of faculties that do the teaching whereas at LSAU there are not as many. About thirty full-time professors and 200 associate professors provide the education to the 5,000 strong student body. The strong foundation of this university includes biology, agronomy, economics, and agricultural engineering.
   The Rector (President) of Lviv State Agricultural University is Dr. Volodymyr Snitynskyy. LSAU is considered to be one of the highest educational colleges throughout Ukraine. It was founded in 1845 as a Farmers School. The achievements of this university have been connected with well-known scientists throughout Ukraine. One famous scientist is Professor H. Kjah. LSAU is establishing international contacts throughout the world and currently has eight foreign contacts.
    Look forward to our next newsletter to learn more about LSAU.

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