Musings of an Ukraine Traveler

Well, Rah Rah and I are very comfortable in our "arranged room." Not exactly camping out but it is like moving into a new place and you can't unpack or all your stuff hasn't arrived.

 The new owner of the flat is very gracious. He won't take any rent, but may take a little something for utilities. Found out a couple of interesting things. Luda has been asking my coordinator for about 5-6 griven a month because I supposedly went over my 150KW. The lady meter reader told Asya and me that she hasn't paid any of the electric bills since I moved in!  As for my bathroom being left in tact, I guess one of the men that was helping her persuaded her not to take it by asking what she wanted with that old stuff anyway.

 No water since last night so I am looking forward to a hot shower in Lisbon tomorrow night. Did go to the hairdresser today and got my hair washed and cut. Looking forward to seeing Claudia and Ken and having great adventures. Will get it up on my web site as soon as I can. I will be home the 11th! 

Love you all.

Dear Friends and Family, 

Well I am no longer "camping out." Moved most of my things into the new apartment last night and will sleep there tonight. It is very large and has lots of storage space. Kitchen and bathroom are in much better shape than my former apartment. I also have 5 beds! so can have lots of visitors. I have lots of cleaning to do but that's Ok. It will keep me busy and out of trouble. 

Rah Rah is adjusting and has found all kinds of new places to explore and hide. The weather is nice so he is out on the balcony a lot. He can't climb on this one. It is metal. 

Yura will set up my computer in the new apartment tonight if he has time so I am not sure when I will get back to you. I am going to Vinnytsia Friday and will return Sunday afternoon. 

My new phone number is 011-380-4130-3-2233. 

Love you much.

Dear Family,

 It's the second beautiful, sunny, spring day here in Korostyshiv. I have my 4th and last load of wash hanging on the balcony and got the flat tidied up. I am saving the big cleaning for Saturday when I am supposed to move. Trying to keep myself from anticipating too much as it is Ukraine! While I was gone, the Druhalchuks, Zhanna, my coordinator, and the new landlord have met with the zhek (people who are supposed to take care of the building--I guess like a "super") to get pipes replaced for this flat and the one I am moving into. The pressure is so bad that Acsya took pity on me and brought me three huge buckets of hot water for my wash on Friday morning!

 I don't know if any of you have talked with Ken and Claudia yet, but Lisbon was absolutely wonderful. I couldn't get enough of it and of course there is so much more to see! My hotel was right on the corner of the main square, Rossio, and my from my balcony I could see everywhere! It was an old hotel, clean, neat, and the service was quiet and friendly! We usually met every morning in the square and then took off to explore Lisbon, Sintra and Fatima. We used taxis, trams, buses, and the train. The only form of transportation we didn't use was the metro and that's because we ran out of time. We ate the most wonderful food, bought lots of souvenirs and marveled at the historical castles, palaces and monuments. I will try to get the web pages up by this weekend and of course I will bring other postcards and pictures home to share. I know Ken got a lot of pictures too.

 Of course I had my usual misadventures and they all came in one day--Thursday, my departure from Portugal. Since my flight was leaving at 5:50 I got up at 3:00 so I could be at the airport at least two hours ahead to get through customs etc. The front desk got me a taxi and we sped (Lisbon taxi drivers SPEED) through the deserted streets to the airport. I blithely walked in and stopped to get my ticket out of my usual spot! No ticket! I who have traveled extensively for the past 10 years and always put my ticket in the same place had decided this time to put it somewhere else in the room instead of in suitcase. I had not seen it in my final check; had not even thought of it! So, I hailed a cab, sped back to the hotel (glad for the speed) and managed to convince the clerk to let me back in room, grabbed the ticket and back to the airport with lots of time to spare. If it had been later in the morning, I doubt if I would have made it! 

I was flying KLM so the transfer point was Amsterdam and I was looking forward to an hour plus layover to pick up candies etc. Schippol airport is the most wonderful airport in the world. Ergonomic chairs in groupings or alone with soft lighting; computer centers throughout for everyone! Anyway, the plane was delayed 20 minutes while they repacked the luggage so I had no time in Amsterdam except to walk to my gate! 

Arriving in Kiev at 2:45, I had no idea what the rest of the day would entail. First, custom lines were long, long. I really had to pee, but you can't get big luggage into Ukrainian restrooms plus they are downstairs with no elevator so I skipped that and headed for the bus. By this time it is after 4. Then we wait while every seat on the very large bus is filled and people are even standing. By then it is nearly 5. When we get to the bus station, I get off and ask for my luggage. The driver is furious with me. Tells me my luggage is on the side for the train station and he is not going to dig it out for me. So, I go on in to the train station. I drag my suitcase through the station to the back entrance--about a block-- and desperately hope there is a marshrutka going to Korostyshiv, other wise I will have to take a cab to the end of the metro and then get a bus! 

It is now 5:20 and I find the marshrutka. I am the first one. I ask him about time. He isn't leaving until 6. I run into McDonald's, pay my 20 kopeeks and finally get to a restroom. Then I sit and read until 6. Thank the universe, the driver took off with only 5 of us instead of waiting for the usual 20. Of course he was in rush hour traffic through the center of Kyiv. Remember Kyiv has 3 million people and they all drive like insane people. Well what would ordinarily be a 45 minute ride was an hour and a half so I got home at 7:30. It took me longer to get from Kyiv to Korostyshiv--almost 5 hours--than it did from Lisbon to Kyiv, four hours. 

Acsya had made me wonderful blinis stuffed with cheese and a whole cup of smetana (sour cream). I feasted, gave them their gifts and slept soundly. 

Well I am going to had outdoors for awhile and enjoy this beautiful day. I hope you all have a good day and a good week. I will write more later. 

Dear family and friends, 

As of last night, I am back on line. Dear Yura, genius that he is, figured out how to wire me up even though he knows nothing about computers--but he does know his electricity and wiring. After receiving 325 messages of which only 15 were not spam, I am going to change my email address. I will let you know as soon as it is done. 

I did get moved in on the 23rd and worked obsessively to unpack and clean the next two days. Wini came up and then we both took the train to Vinnytsia for a little R&R. Alice had dinner for 10 of us PCVs. It was wonderful. We cooked, drank, laughed and ate ourselves silly. I came home Sunday, worked Monday and Tuesday and today I am at home. The plumbers just finished working on my bathroom. The water pressure was too low to run kalunka and the water faucet fell off every time I touched it and no water flowed through the shower head anyway. My coordinator took me to magazine to buy all new faucets and shower this morning and supervised the start of their work. The water runs wonderfully and I have a new shower! I have to clean mess in bathroom, but I do it gratefully. I have been carrying pots of hot water into bathroom to wash clothes and to take my bucket baths. Scared to death I was going to fall with a pot of boiling water. 

My new apartment is very, very nice. There is a nice entryway with a good-sized coat and hat rack. The bathroom is all tiled and has a four-strand clothesline besides the drying pipes. The kitchen is a good size with lots of cabinets, an old stove, and an old but functional refrigerator. The living room has sofa, two armchairs, coffee table, footstool and entire wall (13 ft?) of wardrobes, shelves, bookcases etc--very nice, beautiful wood. The bedroom has a desk, a small sofa, bunk beds, two chairs and a good size wardrobe. The storage closet is also there. The balcony floor is tile and the poles are metal so Rah Rah can't climb out, but he can still watch what's going on in the plaza from small spaces between the siding and the floor. Very nice matching wall paper and drapes on all the windows. 

The family that owns the apartment moved out 3 years ago and just left everything in drawers, cupboards etc. The apartment was more dusty than dirty and I had to move some of their things into storage closet to have room for mine. Both sofas and the chairs make out into beds. Ukrainians are ingenious when it comes to making furniture serve many purposes.

 I can't take any pictures as Rah dragged my camera down from window sill in the other flat and drug it across the floor breaking the display screen. I can't format my card. I will get it fixed when I get home. In the meantime I will buy another digital in Kyiv as soon as I can.

Work goes well and as always at a leisurely pace. Zhanna has been great about letting me stay home to clean and unpack. Have started a youth environmental club to help with projects and of course am still studying my Russian. 

Jim and Joyce will be here in May and am really looking forward to that. Bought my tickets to Chicago last Friday and will order my ticket to Boise and Okla this week.  Also plan on finishing Lisbon pages. I have all the preparatory work done and finished one page. Looks like it will be about 5 pages. 

Well will see if I can get on line and send this so you will have it when you get up. 

Love you