Tomorrow at 3am, we will head to the airport to make our trek home. It will have been exactly two weeks since we left FL, to travel to Ukraine. In some ways, these days have gone by slowly and it felt like 3 in the afternoon, by 10am. But in other ways, it feels like I just got here! I begin to miss my home and my family, but in the same minute I think about what it would be like to live here. I know as soon as I get home, I'm going to want to turn right around and come back to this beautiful place. I've experienced a lot in these past two weeks, and I couldn't be happier with the adventurous memories I've made.
Here is a list of a few things I've learned during this trip-
1. People do as they please. You can walk into a notary office and expect to see that the noter just didn't come in that day.
2. We are impatient and spoiled Americans. If you need to practice patience, just spend a few days in Ukraine.
3. A lot of things don't make sense. At least not to us. For example: In order to cross the street, you must go down three flights of stairs, walk through an under ground mall, and walk back up three more flights of stairs.
4. You're lucky to find a/c in a building. And if it's below 70 degrees, you're children better be bundled in a couple sweaters and a hat. Always a hat.
5. They actually have correct portion sizes. And no preservatives or added junk in their food.
6. You can buy a week's worth of groceries for less than $70
7. Sour cream, sour cream, sour cream. It goes on anything and everything. It's like their ketchup.
8. The sun comes up before 5am and doesn't go down until after 9pm.
9. Car seats and seat belts are overrated.
10. Kids younger than me will walk the streets and take busses by themselves.
11. You can ask for a bathroom by saying either "water closet" or "toilet".
12. 95% of men wear fitted clothing. Including shorts, that are just a little too short.
13. Most of the people here are very kind. They offer big smiles and help if we need it. Even if we can't understand each other.
14. Nobody uses driers. Even if they're wealthy enough to afford one, they choose not to because they believe it damages clothes. Which really, in fact is true. I think we should put this one into practice.
15. Everything opens at 10am. Well, at least restaurants and stores. I don't know why, but everywhere you go, ten o'clock.
16. Pretty much everyone acts like they know each other. A total stranger will walk up to someone and ask them something (of which I have no clue, because it's all in Russian) and they'll politely answer and exchange smiles and "spaseeba"s.
Sixteen is an odd number to leave off on, but that's just all I came up with at the moment. There is so much more that I learned and experienced in this beautiful country. I took an eight hour train, (nice compared to the twelve hour ones we had to take last time) rode in two different "taxis", played with a group of kiddos at an orphanage, walked the streets of both Odessa and Kiev, tried sushi and borsch for the first time (not together), got a temporary tattoo, took loads of pictures in Maiden (where the protests took place), had my hair braided, and even met a fellow adopting family! Whew! I am so beyond blessed and thankful to God for providing this amazing trip. It seriously was a dream come true. I know, that God willing, I will be back here again one day. Only He knows what for. But this is not goodbye!
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