Our time in Kerch has flown by. It is hard to believe that tomorrow will be our last day at the Hope Center. We've accomplished a lot here...from building steps on the infamous "Hill of Death" to painting murals in some of the sleeping rooms, washing dishes, pulling weeds, and building relationships with the wonderful nationals we've met here... Wow, what a trip!
The next 24 hours will pass quickly and before we know it, we will be entering into the "debriefing" stage of our trip. Please pray that the things we have experienced in Ukraine will translate into meaningful learning for all of us. We have had some great discussions thus far and look forward to many more "a-ha" moments during our looooooong overnight train ride to Odessa, ferry trip to Istanbul, and excursion in Turkey.
We love you, miss you, and can't wait to see you! Plus, we can't wait to eat chipotle and cereal and frozen yogurt and apples and in-n-out with you. :)
Love,
Team Ukraine 2007
SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT AIRPORT PICK-UP!
As of right now, plan on the original itineraries for pick-up. We will try to switch some flights for students who need to return earlier, but are unsure if that will be a possibility. Your student will contact you from the Istanbul airport if he/she has a flight change. Thank you for your patience and flexibility with this issue.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Our cultural immersion...
I know we just posted on the blog two days ago, but we had a free second at a computer and wanted to write a bit about our immersion in the culture of Ukraine.
Today (saturday) was a "free day," which gave us the opportunity to spend some time in downtown Kerch. We visited an ancient tomb that supposedly held the remains of a Ukrainian king and queen (until it was pillaged by grave-robbers). We also went to one of the most unique museums we'd ever been to! The museum was underground, in a limestone quarry that was used as a bunker-type hideout for soviet soldiers during WW2. It is the only one of its kind in existence. We climbed underground via two long staircases and found ourselves shivvering in the caves...the temperature difference between outside and the underground was quite extreme! The entire team huddled together during the tour, partly for warmth and partly because we were only given two flashlights and it was pitch black down there. The entire experience was incredible.
This afternoon, we spent some time shopping in downtown Kerch...most of the team purchased Ukrainian chocolate and our new favorite beverage, Coca Cola Light!!! (It is much better than diet coke...all of the girls are hooked on it!)
We have adapted to the traditional food here...which isn't all that different than food in the states. There is a lot of starch though, so we are all craving fruits and vegetables. As typical american college students, we look forward to our morning cup of coffee (which tastes NOTHING like what we are used to, but is still delicious!). Most of the meals consist of a meat dish, a potato dish, bread, a cole slaw-esque salad, soup, and more mayonaise than we know what to do with!
We spend our evenings taking leisurely strolls around town, challenging the camp workers to games of ping pong, hiking down to the black sea, and just enjoying one another's company...in true Ukrainian fashion! :)
Stay tuned for further updates!
We will head to church tomorrow morning and spend the afternoon relaxing and soaking up the Ukrainian sun as we lay on the coast of the black sea. Monday-thursday will be work days for us. We have two orphanage visits lined up in the mornings and will spend the afternoons doing manual labor at the camp. On friday afternoon, we will hop on a "sleeper train" bound for Odessa, Ukraine and then begin our mission trip debrief by boarding a ferry to Istanbul, Turkey.
We love you, miss you, and can't wait to see you!
Love,
Team Ukraine
P.S. Arthur and I passed out the letters you wrote to your students the other night and they were a big hit!!! Thanks for sending your love from the states...it really encouraged all of us to hear from you!
Today (saturday) was a "free day," which gave us the opportunity to spend some time in downtown Kerch. We visited an ancient tomb that supposedly held the remains of a Ukrainian king and queen (until it was pillaged by grave-robbers). We also went to one of the most unique museums we'd ever been to! The museum was underground, in a limestone quarry that was used as a bunker-type hideout for soviet soldiers during WW2. It is the only one of its kind in existence. We climbed underground via two long staircases and found ourselves shivvering in the caves...the temperature difference between outside and the underground was quite extreme! The entire team huddled together during the tour, partly for warmth and partly because we were only given two flashlights and it was pitch black down there. The entire experience was incredible.
This afternoon, we spent some time shopping in downtown Kerch...most of the team purchased Ukrainian chocolate and our new favorite beverage, Coca Cola Light!!! (It is much better than diet coke...all of the girls are hooked on it!)
We have adapted to the traditional food here...which isn't all that different than food in the states. There is a lot of starch though, so we are all craving fruits and vegetables. As typical american college students, we look forward to our morning cup of coffee (which tastes NOTHING like what we are used to, but is still delicious!). Most of the meals consist of a meat dish, a potato dish, bread, a cole slaw-esque salad, soup, and more mayonaise than we know what to do with!
We spend our evenings taking leisurely strolls around town, challenging the camp workers to games of ping pong, hiking down to the black sea, and just enjoying one another's company...in true Ukrainian fashion! :)
Stay tuned for further updates!
We will head to church tomorrow morning and spend the afternoon relaxing and soaking up the Ukrainian sun as we lay on the coast of the black sea. Monday-thursday will be work days for us. We have two orphanage visits lined up in the mornings and will spend the afternoons doing manual labor at the camp. On friday afternoon, we will hop on a "sleeper train" bound for Odessa, Ukraine and then begin our mission trip debrief by boarding a ferry to Istanbul, Turkey.
We love you, miss you, and can't wait to see you!
Love,
Team Ukraine
P.S. Arthur and I passed out the letters you wrote to your students the other night and they were a big hit!!! Thanks for sending your love from the states...it really encouraged all of us to hear from you!
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