Resources

If you're interested in finding out more about the Peace Corps or the countries in which the Peace Corps operates, you may find some of these links helpful...

About the Peace Corps

The Peace Corps website has a lot of information, although it can be hard to find. Here are some specific links I think are worthwhile:

About Ukraine

These websites have a lot of good information about Ukraine.

Peace Corps in Ukraine -- This is a semi-oficial website for the Peace Corps program in Ukraine. Aside from having a lot of general information about the country, there is also a great FAQ for new volunteers to Ukraine. Probably the best I've seen online.
Peace Corps -- Information about the programs (or "jobs") Peace Corps has in Ukraine, including the number of volunteers and the date the program started.
CIA World Factbook -- A lot of statistics about country size, economy, politics, etc. This is the best site for maps.
CountryWatch -- A more digestible (smaller) list of statistics for Ukraine, as well as news headlines. You have to have an account in order to read the news articles, but just seeing the headlines can be interesting.
Lonely Planet -- More varied information, including history and travel tips. This is a great site.

Reading List

I've picked up, or plan to pick up, many books in preparation for my journey. I probably won't have time to read them all, especially since the list keeps growing:

Borderland: A Journey Through the History of Ukraine, by Anna Reid: Reviewers call this one concise and a good overview. I ordered it.
Ukraine: A History, by Orest Subtelny: This is a much thicker volume, and has a lot more detail. Also one I ordered. (And one I know I won't finish before I leave.)
Kiev: A Portrait, 1800 - 1917, by Michael F. Hamm: The history of the city. My local library was supposed to have this one, but I couldn't find it on several visits. Oh well! Found it used.
Ukraine: The Bradt Travel Guide, by Andrew Evans: Also on order.
The Magic Egg and Other Tales from Ukraine, by Natalie O. Kononenko: Also on order. My library had a book of Ukrainian folktales, which I've devoured. If you know me, you probably know how fascinating I find folklore and fairy tales. I feel like I learn more about the culture by reading its stories than I do by reading its history.
Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia, by Orlando Figes: The library had this one too. This is of course not specific to Ukraine, but appears to be a very good (and interesting) record of the cultural and artistic history of Russia.
The Fracture Zone : My Return to the Balkans, by Simon Winchester: This I actually rented from Recorded Books as an audio set. It's quite interesting. An account of the reporter's experiences in the region, with some history thrown in. I don't remember anything specific to Ukraine.
The Balkans : A Short History, by Mark Mazower: Another audiobook from Recorded Books. This one, however, was pretty dull. I had trouble paying attention.
Black Sea, by Neal Ascherson: I started this one, was distracted by Romanovs: Autocrats of All the Russias, then was distracted by something else. (I never finished Romanovs, either.) I haven't yet returned to it.
Cafe Europa: Life After Communism, by Slavenka Drakulic: This I picked before I knew where I was going, although I still plan to read it. It's written by a Croatian woman, and talks about her experiences in the Eastern European region (Albania, Romania, and elsewhere). Actually, I think this might have been the book that distracted my from the Romanovs, before something else distracted me from it.
Exit Into History: A Journey Through the New Eastern Europe, by Eva Hoffman: Another memoirs, this time from a Polish-born woman who, during 1989, went back and traveled around Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and the then-Czechoslovakia. It looks fascinating.
Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey, by Isabel Fonseca: This one I did finish! A very interesting look at the Gypsy culture and society as it exists in Eastern Europe. This is a little dated; it was published in 1995. There's also a lot of great general history.
Singing on the Heavy Side of the World, by John Deever: I have not picked this one up yet. It's written by a Peace Corps Ukraine volunteer from the early 90s.
Nine Hills to Nambonkaha, by Sarah Erdman: One of the best books I've read in a while, this one has nothing to do with Ukraine. It was written by a Peace Corps volunteer to Cote d'Ivoire (the Ivory Coast) in Africa. I can't recommend it highly enough.