TRAVEL WITH ME TO UKRAINE

“Flight 821 to Toronto will be delayed until 6:05 due to weather and construction.”

Day one of travel, and my first flight was delayed. If my plan was to stay in Toronto, this delay would not have been an issue, but since I had a connecting flight to catch, it was now my issue.

First flight: Two hours, middle seat, and a lot of anxiety.

Toronto, Ontario

My connecting flight was scheduled to depart at 10:05. It was 9:50 when we touched down in Toronto, and 9:55 when I made it off the plane. After that, it was nothing short of a movie scene. I dashed through the airport, weaving the crowds. By the time got to my gate I was exhausted and sweaty, but I made it in time for boarding.

Flight two: 9 hours, window seat, cramped legs and no way to make it to the bathroom without having to ask the two people beside me to move. So I made the conscious decision to dehydrate myself.

Warsaw, Poland

I landed in Poland at 1:00 pm local time. This time I was able to enjoy a nice 2 hour layover. Before my final flight.

Flight three: 1.5 hours, window seat, and exhaustion kicking in.

Kiev, Ukraine

When I made it to baggage claim, my fear was confirmed. My suitcase did not make the plane in Toronto. Luckily, after receiving such bad news, I was greeted with very friendly faces.

First meal in Ukraine: Domino’s Pizza

That night we caught the night train. This was a very new experience for me. I felt like I was in a Harry Potter movie.

We got on a big train and stepped into a cabin with two bunk beds. At about 10:00 pm local time I laid down and was out like a light. Unfortunately, due to the fact that it was mid-day in Canada, I woke up again within a few hours. I spent the majority of the train trip awake with my eyes closed, while fighting a headache from the sound of the train on the tracks and nausea from all the jerking and jumping. That was definitely the hardest leg of my travelling journey.

Krivoy Rog, Ukraine

Once in Krivoy Rog, we jumped in a tiny Taxi, no seat belts required, and made our way to the apartment. During this trip I realized two things, the roads here are much worse than the ones we complain about in Manitoba and people are even crazier drivers. Perhaps one of those is a result of the other.

First thoughts of Ukraine:

The trees are different.

The buildings are old but beautiful.

Light switches are placed a lot lower.

The weather is warm.

There are sounds and smells everywhere.

There are always children playing outside.

Ukrainians are very resourceful. I’ve seen flower beds decorated with car tires, and bottle caps.

There are stray dogs and cats all over.

Day 1 in Ukraine has consisted of a trip to the grocery store and the mall, receiving the keys to my little house, riding a Marshrutka (mini bus), beginning to learn the Russian alphabet, and trying my hardest to stay awake.

Words I've learned:

da (yes)

net (no)

preevyet (hi)

spasibo (thank you)

ya ne znayu (i don't know)