Thursday and Friday

 Roman and I came to the apartment from the train station. He was a little amazed that I was so comfortable on the metro and knew how to find our connections. The first thing we did was to shower and then hand wash some clothes. (When I get home, I will kiss my washer and dryer!). We each started reading and first he fell asleep and then I did. After about an hour we woke up and went out to look for crosses as baptismal presents for the guys from his church we had baptized on Sunday. On our way to get crosses, we decided to stop for lunch and wandered into a Turkish restaurant. Lunch was good and relaxing and I think we release the last of the effects of the long train ride. We looked all over the neighborhood for a religious goods shop (which are quite common in Ukraine) and finally decided to go to a local Orthodox church because there are usually shops inside the church. We entered the compound of a huge church undergoing construction. There was a shop which according to the sign should be open but was not. We crossed the compound to a much smaller old church and there was indeed a shop with a young woman attendant but she was just watching the shop until 5 when the owner would return. So we left and went back to the apartment to work on our presentations for the conference on Friday. We called Rostek and arranged to meet him at the metro stop to have a cappuccino at McDonald's before coming home. Then we headed back to the shop in the big church. It was an impressive shop but the two women running it were so rude that I walked out. Roman took their behavior for granted. It seems that such behavior is common and a leftover from Soviet times. We went to the smaller church and were able to buy the crosses and chains we needed. The woman assured us that they were already santified (blessed) by the priest. We added our prayers and blessings just to be sure. So the guys will get thrice-blessed crosses. When we met Rostek, we sat for a long time enjoying the warm evening before heading home. Rostek stopped to buy wine and cheese. I stayed up very briefly before sleeping because we had to get up early on Friday to leave for the meeting place for the conference. We chose the place at the main train station (actually we were supposed to go to the end of the metro line) and eventually our bus was full and we headed out to the conference center, almost an hour outside the city. I was only able to take two pictures before conference started. Here they are: The conference began with introductions and speeches by the organizers. I was interested to know that there are now 33 legally registered LGBT organizations in Ukraine, 11 more than last year. We then were divided into groups of 10 to play an ice-breaking game. In spite of the language barrier it was fun. Our "secretary" recorded answers. Then it was time for a coffee break, free time and lunch. It was really good to see people I had met from the various cities I visited. They greeted me like old friends. Lunch was really good, a big cabbage salad, a hearty soup and a kind of casserole of pork, potatoes and carrots with a side of risotto. After lunch we returned to session and after a report on our ice-breaking activity which brough a lot of laughter, a a report on LGBT statistics as well as anti-gay statistics for Ukraine for the past year, it was time for my first "job" - to help moderate the session for religious groups. It was a fairly small meeting, perhaps 25 people. The best things is that it was civil. We never were able to get to the heart of the disagreements but those who had been so at war on the internet for the past few months were able to talk together - it was a start. Another coffee break and it was time for my plenary presentation. Anna, my language teacher, was my translator for my presentation, although many understand rather than speak English. I began by acknowledging my pleasure at seeing friends from all over Ukraine and then made a joke about my name. I told them that this conference was the first where I was called James - the humor was in part because if you can see James spelled in Cyrillic, it bears relation to no name anyone had ever seen. I said that I was usually called Jim, which still is strange but not so much for them, and that in Nikolaev, they call me Jimmy. I told them that the details, specifics and references for my presentation were available in an electronic booklet they would receive during the conference. It's a booklet in Russian produced from a conference I was involved in in Timisoara, Romania in 2009. It's about dealing with the attacks of conservative religious groups. I had made a powerpoint presentation of only six slides. We opened for questions afterwards and there were several. When the moderator said our time was up, the whole group started rhythmic clapping until I stood again and took their acknowledgement. I was touched and embarrassed by their warm welcome and acceptance of me. After two more presentations, it was time for supper. Again, a big salad of cabbage and then a veal cutlet with mixed vegetables. Very tasty. Unfortunately, I was not staying for the whole conference but was going back to Kiev. The driver took me to the end of the metro line and I made my way to the center, changed lines and came home to Kharkivska, dragging a little, alright, a lot. So I stopped at McDonald's (it was after 9 by then) for a cappuccino. I walked the half mille to the aparment very slowly. My feet and a lot of other parts just plain hurt! No one home when I got there but about a half hour later, Rostek and his bf arrived and then went back out to shop for supper. No way I could eat again so I went to bed. Today we will head out to a park that has a museum of ancient wooden churches and village houses and is along the banks of the Dnipro river so there is a beach. One of my friends sings in the choir of an Orthodox church so I will meet him Sunday morning at 8:15 and go to Orthros and Divine Liturgy with him. After that I have nothing but language lessons and wandering Kiev until the middle of the month when I will return to Donetsk for a wedding.