today was our last day in Ukraine.
we spent the first half in a craft marathon with the kids. then i filled waterballoons as we watched rain clouds roll by. we were hoping it wouldnt rain so we could have a campfire, so of course it rained.
it stopped raining and dried out just in time to do the campfire anyway, and all the kids roasted marshmellows. we signed t shirts and played guitar and sang songs. then Nastya, the little girl who had been sitting on my shoulders all week, came up and gave me a hug and said, in english, "I love You." that was a pretty good feeling :)
im really glad i had the opportunity to go on this trip, though i am ready to be home. i know it's an experience i will never forget and a piece of me will always be in Kiev, Ukraine.
Friday, June 24, 2011
dill is the spice of life.
so today we went back into the city.
we went into an underground mall and ate, you guessed it, McDonalds.
after that we went to the Chrynobyl Museum, wich was pretty heavy.
after that we ate dinner at 'Tequila House,' a Ukrainian Mexican restaraunt. the food was good, but definatly did not taste mexican. it was a pretty good break from the food at the Ark, wich is delicious but always full of Dill. so much Dill.....
we went into an underground mall and ate, you guessed it, McDonalds.
after that we went to the Chrynobyl Museum, wich was pretty heavy.
after that we ate dinner at 'Tequila House,' a Ukrainian Mexican restaraunt. the food was good, but definatly did not taste mexican. it was a pretty good break from the food at the Ark, wich is delicious but always full of Dill. so much Dill.....
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Hauling rocks and flammable garbage
today during VBS i took some of the older kids outside to play basketball, they were much better than me.
after that i went back to building the sidewalk. we tore up an excisting asphalt sidewalk and i hauled that away and brought rocks back to level it up for the cement. at least i dont feel bad about missing trips to the Y this week anymore.
tomorow we're going into the city for dinner, i hear we're going to "tequilla mexico" :) i wonder how well the Ukrainians do mexican food... then we'll be touring the Cherynobyl museum, since we're about 60 kilometers from the site :) i'll post again tomorow after i check to see if i glow in the dark.
after that i went back to building the sidewalk. we tore up an excisting asphalt sidewalk and i hauled that away and brought rocks back to level it up for the cement. at least i dont feel bad about missing trips to the Y this week anymore.
tomorow we're going into the city for dinner, i hear we're going to "tequilla mexico" :) i wonder how well the Ukrainians do mexican food... then we'll be touring the Cherynobyl museum, since we're about 60 kilometers from the site :) i'll post again tomorow after i check to see if i glow in the dark.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Football > Futbol
so today was my first day working VBS with the kids. we started out singing songs, and the kids got really into the hand motions. except one boy, Roma, didn't know what to do and kept holding my hand the whole time. after music we did crafts, the kids were painting little treasure boxes. i was trying to help a little girl, Nastya, pick colors, but it didnt seem like she understood english. then all of a sudden she points at her picture and says "redblueyellowpurplegreenred!!!!" then we bonded over the international language of crayon drawings.
after lunch we played group games with the kids. Nastya descided that she wanted to climb a tree and kept almost falling, so we just put her on my shoulders, then we couldnt get her to come down :) we played dodgeball and across the ocean.
after that i helped frame the second half of the sidewalk. the first half is poured and drying, the second will be poured in the morning.
after we all ate dinner, the kids started playing soccer in the yard. i went inside and brought out the brand new football we had had shipped over and started throwing it around. after a few minutes, the kids were throwing the football with me and the soccer ball was sitting in the dust, where it belongs :)
after lunch we played group games with the kids. Nastya descided that she wanted to climb a tree and kept almost falling, so we just put her on my shoulders, then we couldnt get her to come down :) we played dodgeball and across the ocean.
after that i helped frame the second half of the sidewalk. the first half is poured and drying, the second will be poured in the morning.
after we all ate dinner, the kids started playing soccer in the yard. i went inside and brought out the brand new football we had had shipped over and started throwing it around. after a few minutes, the kids were throwing the football with me and the soccer ball was sitting in the dust, where it belongs :)
Monday, June 20, 2011
very tired
we toured kiev by double decker bus today, it was really fun.
after lunch, we started the construction project. we dug up an old sidewalk and put down gravel to get ready to pour new cement tomorow. the best part was that all my work stuff was in my check bag, wich got lost until right after we finished working today... blisters are fun too though.
after lunch, we started the construction project. we dug up an old sidewalk and put down gravel to get ready to pour new cement tomorow. the best part was that all my work stuff was in my check bag, wich got lost until right after we finished working today... blisters are fun too though.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
i get yelled at by an inebriated Ukrainian gentleman.
so, day 1.
we get up at 7 30 (half past midnight us time), and go to church. after getting lost in the Ukrainian version of Walmart, we finaly get into the church. it was a really awesome service, it was a Hillsong church, so the music (albeit in Russian) was really good. after the music, the preacher started saying things i didn't understand. thats when i realized the people talking behind me were translators : ) the message was really good, about how God doesnt want to change your passions and the things you love, but take you as you are and use your passion to serve him.
the most interesting part to me was the fact that the church was somewhat inconvenient to get too, but was still filled with people. that means that everyone there really wanted to be there, and everyone was actively involved in the worship service. also, there were no pew bibles. the preacher started a prayer over everyones bibles, and everyone raised up their own. there where shiney new ones, beat up old ones, cell phones, Ipads, and stapled-together sheets of paper. everyone there was involved enough that they got their own bible, however they could, and brought it with them. more churches in america should be like Hillsong Kiev was.
after church, we ate at the most traditional Ukrainian restaurant you will ever find..... McDonalds. the food at Rotten Ronnies is just a little bit different in Kiev. first is that they dont use preservatives, so the food is less greasy and the condiments taste real-er. also, the fired pies are made of whatever fruit is fresh localy, the filling is made in the back every day.
after leaving the Golden Arches, we took a tram to the top of the hill and saw the building formerly occupied by the soviet KGB, now the department of the interior. we saw a Russian Orthodox church, where service runs for hours and people come and go as they want. then we went down a street of souvineer vendors, where i enjoyed the advantages of the exchange rate (1 dollar to 8 Ukrainian "Grivna").
on the hour long tram ride back to the Ark (the first time all day i got to sit down on public transportation), my groups conversation was inturrupted by an inebrieated Ukrainian man who obviously really needed to talk to me. after yelling at me a few times in his language with me attempting to explain that i dont speak that language, i decided to the best course of action was to point at myself and say "America" a few times.... it didn't help. the Ukrainian woman beside me eventualy said that he wasnt even speaking Russian, so i just ignored him.
we get up at 7 30 (half past midnight us time), and go to church. after getting lost in the Ukrainian version of Walmart, we finaly get into the church. it was a really awesome service, it was a Hillsong church, so the music (albeit in Russian) was really good. after the music, the preacher started saying things i didn't understand. thats when i realized the people talking behind me were translators : ) the message was really good, about how God doesnt want to change your passions and the things you love, but take you as you are and use your passion to serve him.
the most interesting part to me was the fact that the church was somewhat inconvenient to get too, but was still filled with people. that means that everyone there really wanted to be there, and everyone was actively involved in the worship service. also, there were no pew bibles. the preacher started a prayer over everyones bibles, and everyone raised up their own. there where shiney new ones, beat up old ones, cell phones, Ipads, and stapled-together sheets of paper. everyone there was involved enough that they got their own bible, however they could, and brought it with them. more churches in america should be like Hillsong Kiev was.
after church, we ate at the most traditional Ukrainian restaurant you will ever find..... McDonalds. the food at Rotten Ronnies is just a little bit different in Kiev. first is that they dont use preservatives, so the food is less greasy and the condiments taste real-er. also, the fired pies are made of whatever fruit is fresh localy, the filling is made in the back every day.
after leaving the Golden Arches, we took a tram to the top of the hill and saw the building formerly occupied by the soviet KGB, now the department of the interior. we saw a Russian Orthodox church, where service runs for hours and people come and go as they want. then we went down a street of souvineer vendors, where i enjoyed the advantages of the exchange rate (1 dollar to 8 Ukrainian "Grivna").
on the hour long tram ride back to the Ark (the first time all day i got to sit down on public transportation), my groups conversation was inturrupted by an inebrieated Ukrainian man who obviously really needed to talk to me. after yelling at me a few times in his language with me attempting to explain that i dont speak that language, i decided to the best course of action was to point at myself and say "America" a few times.... it didn't help. the Ukrainian woman beside me eventualy said that he wasnt even speaking Russian, so i just ignored him.
less than on time flights
so getting here was fun.
no problem at RDU, but when we get to JFK it starts to get fun. we land at one terminal and have to leave from another... at the other end of the airport. so that means we had to go thru security again. then we rush thru the airport to get to the flight before it takes off and just barely make it. we get on the plane, wich was the biggest plane i have ever been on, and start trying to find our seats. i find mine, and it's occupied by a french guy who doesnt speak english. the flight attendant explains that he's trying to sit with his wife and would i please switch with him and i did because i didnt really mind. after finding my new seat i discovered that im not even in the same compartment of the plane as anyone else who speaks english..... it wasnt all bad, they had on demand movies. so i start watching some movie and when i finish that one i watch another... then i notice that we have yet to take off. we were delayed for 5 hours at JFK for several reasons that i dont understand because the pilot spoke french. so after we take off we got served a meal, wich was surprisingly really good, but it might just be because i was really hungry. halfway thru the flight i opened a container of oreos and shared them with the one french guy who spoke enough english to tell me what the pilot was saying, and i was surprised to learn that he had never heard of oreos before.
so when we get to paris, the first thing we notice is the lack of food vending in the airport, and when we finaly do find it we notice that the euro is worth alot more than the dollar. then we were delayed at paris for an hour wich was nothing comparitvely. if Air France ever offers you a pre-packaged lunch that looks like chicken and tastes like fish, don't eat it. you wont like it, and it wont like you.
finaly, 24 hours after taking off from RDU, we land at the Kiev airport. we packed in like sardines into this little seatless shuttlebus and brought to the terminal, where we were greeted by a representative, in full combat fatigues, of the Ukrainian national army. the weird part about it was that he couldnt have been any older than me. we didnt have any trouble at the immigration desk and went to get our luggage. i walk over to the group, who is standing around a pile of luggage, but mine wasnt there. so i got to extend my tour of the worlds air system with an in-depth look into Ukrainian baggage claim. after learning that lines mean nothing to Ukrainians, i filled out 3 copies of the ukrainian/airfrance customs forms (with the help of a translator) and left with just my backpack. i had one extra t shirt, so i figured i'd be good for the week.
the ride to the Ark was really interesting. no two buildings looked alike. also, the other drivers were scary. i could never permanently live here. Jane, who runs the Ark, keeps telling me that i cant be polite, i dont like it.
so we got to the Ark and i was so jet lagged that i just decided to sleep and worry about the rest later.
no problem at RDU, but when we get to JFK it starts to get fun. we land at one terminal and have to leave from another... at the other end of the airport. so that means we had to go thru security again. then we rush thru the airport to get to the flight before it takes off and just barely make it. we get on the plane, wich was the biggest plane i have ever been on, and start trying to find our seats. i find mine, and it's occupied by a french guy who doesnt speak english. the flight attendant explains that he's trying to sit with his wife and would i please switch with him and i did because i didnt really mind. after finding my new seat i discovered that im not even in the same compartment of the plane as anyone else who speaks english..... it wasnt all bad, they had on demand movies. so i start watching some movie and when i finish that one i watch another... then i notice that we have yet to take off. we were delayed for 5 hours at JFK for several reasons that i dont understand because the pilot spoke french. so after we take off we got served a meal, wich was surprisingly really good, but it might just be because i was really hungry. halfway thru the flight i opened a container of oreos and shared them with the one french guy who spoke enough english to tell me what the pilot was saying, and i was surprised to learn that he had never heard of oreos before.
so when we get to paris, the first thing we notice is the lack of food vending in the airport, and when we finaly do find it we notice that the euro is worth alot more than the dollar. then we were delayed at paris for an hour wich was nothing comparitvely. if Air France ever offers you a pre-packaged lunch that looks like chicken and tastes like fish, don't eat it. you wont like it, and it wont like you.
finaly, 24 hours after taking off from RDU, we land at the Kiev airport. we packed in like sardines into this little seatless shuttlebus and brought to the terminal, where we were greeted by a representative, in full combat fatigues, of the Ukrainian national army. the weird part about it was that he couldnt have been any older than me. we didnt have any trouble at the immigration desk and went to get our luggage. i walk over to the group, who is standing around a pile of luggage, but mine wasnt there. so i got to extend my tour of the worlds air system with an in-depth look into Ukrainian baggage claim. after learning that lines mean nothing to Ukrainians, i filled out 3 copies of the ukrainian/airfrance customs forms (with the help of a translator) and left with just my backpack. i had one extra t shirt, so i figured i'd be good for the week.
the ride to the Ark was really interesting. no two buildings looked alike. also, the other drivers were scary. i could never permanently live here. Jane, who runs the Ark, keeps telling me that i cant be polite, i dont like it.
so we got to the Ark and i was so jet lagged that i just decided to sleep and worry about the rest later.
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