Parents, they're an interesting bunch

Parent’s are an interesting thing, aren’t they. Most of us ‘young adults’ probably grew up trying to obey them as much as possible, but occasionally rebelling when we didn’t exactly agree with their point-of-view or rules. I wonder if every person reaches a point when they think, wow, my parent’s were really screwed up, or in my case, damn, they really had/have it together!
I would say that I listened to my parent’s advice fairly well growing up, but its not till I’m almost 23 Ѕ before I truly realize how much I owe to them. See, I am sitting here at a paint-covered table in my nice sized apartment just outside of Lugansk, Ukraine, yeah UKRAINE! A country that not so long ago was not exactly on most Americans available travel destinations, let alone having ‘tourists’ come visit you. So, after over six months of attempting to teach students here as a part of my Peace Corps experience, its kind of interesting to sit down and think about how exactly it is I wound up only an hour from a country that struck fear in many people’s hearts only a generation ago….
And I could ‘blame’ it on my sending in an application over 18 months ago to the Peace Corps and hopping on a plane from Philadelphia to Kiev, but it’s a little more complicated than that. I would have to say that some of it even goes back to my grandparents (so thanks Grandma and Grandpa). If it hadn’t been for both sets of grandparents setting out, working hard, pushing their kids, trying to give them the best, making them think independantely, there’s no way that my dad could ever have convinced (let alone thought it was a good idea himself) my mom to pick up our lives and move to Dhaka. (where the heck is that, I thought only 9 years ago) But again, here I am in a foreign world (still speaking very little Russian, languages aren’t exactly my strong point) with my parents only another foreign country away, my sister studying at a wonderful school in Minnesota after seven years overseas, my brother working for a wonderful company and married to the best sister-in-law a guy could ask for, and I have to say that yes, we are individuals who make decisions, but it goes back to Nurture vs. Nature. Nurture in this case definitely wins.
Another thing I wondered recently; parents often say how proud they are of their kids achievements and efforts, but do parents ever know or care how proud their kids are of them? Maybe its something I don’t say enough. If so I apologize. All parents, whether they don’t always get along with their children should know that at least a little, their kids are proud of them. Hey, I’ve made it this far, I am not addicted to drugs or alcohol, I have a job, life is good. So, I’ve got to say, Mom, Dad, I am proud of YOU. I always hear how you are proud of what all of us kids have achieved so far, but again, none of it would be possible without you!
I wonder how many parents of Peace Corps Volunteers realize how proud their children are of them, whether they be 23 or 79. Their parents must have done some good over their growing up to want to go out and give at least a little something back, huh?
While I would like to say that all of this was just random wonderings, but I have to again blame it on my parents, especially their recent (they are actually still on a train back to Kiev, which they will arrive to tomorrow morning) trip to visit me in Lugansk. I mean, come on, its not like Lugansk is on most tourist hot spots, but nevertheless they arrived in Ukraine last Saturday. I was sitting on a street corner near the apartment they had rented for the night because I couldn’t figure out how quite to open the gate, and there they were, after not seeing my mom for 9 months and my dad for 6. I was able to give them a brief tour of Kiev Saturday night and Sunday before heading off on the night train to Lugansk on Sunday. While the weather was pretty ugly almost the whole time they were here, they didn’t complain (well, not to much) and even were okay with sleeping on my couch for 4 nights. I was able to show them around Lugansk a couple of days, but I still worked two days, so they entertained themselves by walking around my neighborhood.
Again, it goes back to being proud of your parents… I understand that they have lived overseas for a while and traveled to almost 30 different countries, but it still takes a little courage to walk around (and run, which my dad did on two occasions with only a few Ukrainians giving him grief for wearing skimpy shorts while being out and about) eastern Ukraine without and language skills. I am sure they will send out an e-mail with even more description, but it was great to have them see where I live, how I live, etc. As I discussed with my dad, its one thing to try to picture where someone is living and what they do everyday, and quite another to experience it yourself.
I think that’s all for now, but again, thanks mom and dad for coming!!
With love,
Seth