Slump

I wonder if you have been in any slumps lately.  For me, a slump is when I have no energy, no enthusiasm, no ambition, and basically am disconnected from everyone.  I've been in a slump this week.  It's Saturday morning as I write this and I haven't been out of the apartment since Wednesday.  For me, that qualifies as a full-fledged slump.  I've felt a deep loneliness with no emotional energy to do anything about it.  Sounds like depression, huh?  But depression lasts.  Slumps come and go.  As I awoke this morning, I realized as I opened my eyes to sunshine that I'm on my way out of the bad place I've been in for a few days.  A good long walk, an hour in the Cathedral of St. Volodymyr and a few candles placed near my favorite saints, a cappuccino at Glossary.  Just the recipe for slump-busting.

I'm sure this post surprises some who have trouble imagining me in such dark places.  But why must I be different from anyone else?

Quiet time for thinking

I've had a quiet few days and a lot of time to think and plan the rest of my time here.  It's going too fast, as always.  Yesterday was a communication day.  I did a lot of emailing and a few important Skype calls.  I have another call to do in about an hour.

The death by suicide of a 14 year old Buffalo boy saddened my heart.  These stories always do.  And his death had ripples.  People here in Kyiv, thanks to Facebook, were also talking about the sadness of it.  What made it doubly sad was that Jamey had made an "it gets better" video that is widely available.  Watching his video and then knowing that for Jamey it didn't get better caused me a lot of tears.  That gets juxtaposed with an it gets better video that was posted today on facebook of a young southern guy in Germany, probably military, who called home on video to tell his dad (he called him Daddy, and Sir) that he's gay.  His dad with no hesitation said, "you're my son.  I'll always love you."  More tears. 

So that was one kind of thinking.  I was also able to arrange for some articles to be written for publication here by a very talented writer who happens to be a Ukrainian Orthodox Bishop in NY.  We spoke about what the need is.  I mentioned the value of an essay he had written for a book.  He asked suggestions for expansion of the article which he will then pay to have self-published and supply me with a bunch to distribute here.

Around 1:30pm Wednesday, I decided I was hungry.  It occurred to me around then that I hadn't eaten.  Or maybe it was my cabbage addiction rearing its ugly head.  I went up to Glossary and had cabbage salad and then I had mlintsi (crepes) filled with a chicken, sweet red pepper mixture and sour cream of course.  delicious.  topped off with cappuccino.  I went back to the apartment and then walked down to the neighborhood supermarket to stock up on a few things.  I stayed up until after 11 chatting with friends on Facebook and Skype.

Reflecting on coffee a lot.  At home, I wouldn't touch instant coffee even in major caffeine withdrawal.  My sister, on the other hand, thinks instant is the only kind of coffee to drink.  I haven't bought regular coffee for my apartment so I've been drinking instant at home for these two weeks.  It's an ok warm drink but I think I don't consider it coffee and that's why I can drink it.  I always have to go out at least once a day to get cappuccino.

I have two more tasks and then a reward.  I have to make a video to send my church on Sunday and I have to make a Skype call.  Then later I'll meet a friend, probably around 7.  This apartment is so comfortable and soothing.  Lots of light, friendly neighborhood noises, close to everything.

an odd encounter

Yesterday, I was walking home to my apartment and saw an older American couple arguing over a map.  I stopped and asked "Can I help you find something?"  The woman just glared at me like I was a mugger.  The husband said "We're looking for the Opera House."  I pointed the direction and indicated it was only about a block and a half away.  The woman shook her head "no" because she had "the map" and they ignored my directions and headed off in the wrong direction.  I think I had a moment when I felt like I was a Ukrainian dealing with crazy Americans.  I wonder how often my friends here think that about me.

home to Kyiv

Sunday was quiet in Mariupol.  Sasha had to work so I didn't get to see him before the woman who managed the apartment rental came and got the keys.  I went over to the market to stock up on food for the train home.  This market in Mariupol had the best bakery.  The breads and rolls were remarkable.  I bought two savory rolls stuffed with cheese and red sweet peppers and one sweet roll with a sweet creamy cheese and raisin filling.  The requisite water and juice boxes completed my snacks for the train.  I took a taxi to the train station.  It cost a whopping $2.75.  I was in plenty of time for my train.  I was on the same number wagon and berth as coming but it was a different car because this one rode much more smoothly.  I had a very nice woman as cabin mate for the trip home.  First order of business on overnight trains is always to make your berth up with the clean plastic-wrapped sheets and pillow cases, hang up towels and change into comfortable traveling clothes which for me are t-shirt and loose shorts.  I changed before my cabin mate arrived and then vacated so she could change.   Then, without conversation, we settled in for the long ride home.  I read and dozed and ate and read and dozed and ate.  The train ride was much smoother, for the most part and I was able to sleep in fits and starts.  I hope I didn't snore.  My cabin mate didn't, thank God.

We arrived in Kyiv at 9:38, right on schedule. It was a beautifully sunny cool morning so I decided to walk to the apartment from the train station.  Uphill for the first half, level or downhill for the second.  Not bad.  I took my time and worked out all my stiff muscles on the walk.  When I got to the apartment, I showered for a long time.  Only having sponge baths for three days was bad with no hot water in Mariupol.  I made up for it in spades.  I threw in a load of wash and puttered around the apartment and then decided to walk up to Glossary for lunch.  I never liked the flavor of fresh dill until I came here.  I never was addicted to cabbage salad until I came here.  Cabbage salad isn't even on the menu at Glossary any more but they make it for me. I may just have to bring the waiter home with me.  I think I talk to him more regularly than anyone here!

Just as I was finishing lunch on Monday, Zoryan called and invited me to come over to see his agency's office.  I met him at a metro stop and walked over to the office.  A couple of guys who worked there had been at a conference I spoke at in May and it was good to see them.  One of the guys just returned from two weeks in China.  He went with his mother on a dentist's convention.  We had some really good green tea he brought back.  After a while, Zoryan and I went out to walk for a while and had coffee and dessert a coffee shop he favors (кафе хаус) which isn't even Ukrainian, it's a poor transliteration of the English Coffee House.  He went back to work and I headed home on the metro.  Oh, based on my frustrating experience trying to buy train tickets, Zoryan wrote a blog entry about it in relation to the influx of foreigners they are expecting for Euro 2012 next year - major football event.  He then translated it into English and I polished it and he sent it to the local English-language newspaper, the Kiev Post.

I had no schedule at all today, Tuesday, so I lazed around all morning, catching up on email, setting up appointments for Skype calls this week, talking to two Orthodox bishops in the US, one in Schenectady, NY,  who will write articles that I can use here and the other who is in Quebec and who will visit me when I get home.  Around 3 I headed out to Glossary again and had cabbage salad and a bowl of solyanka ( a rich savory soup with various kind of meat and sausage).  And that's my day.  I'll spend the evening relaxing. Maybe I'll go out to the market briefly to pick up a few things.

the train ride

3pm Thursday:  So, with Zoryan's borrowed carry-on, not too full of stuff since it's only a long weekend away, I stopped at the market to by some stuffed breads, cookies, juice, water and a dark chocolate bar.  I decided to walk to the train station since it was only 2.1km from my apartment.  Half uphill, half downhill.  On the uphill parts, I walked more slowly since my backpack and carry-on were more than I'm used to toting.  At the train station, I found my track with no problems and boarded my train car about a half hour before the departure time.  The other occupant of my compartment was already there, a nice Russian man.

We took off on time and shortly after that, a very cheerful conductor came to take tickets.  The other man showed his ID, so I pulled out my passport.  She grinned widely and said in English:  "Oh, OK, good luck!"  Right after we got started a young guy stopped looking to borrow a phone charger.  I had left mine in the apartment because I didn't anticipate needing it.  So, I'm on my way, writing this now while it's all fresh in my mind.

Just before I boarded the train, I got a text from a friend laughing at me.  In Europe, dates are written differently and I had messed up a date.  for example, today is September 15, written 15.09.  the train left at 3:06, written 15:06.  When my friend in Mariupol wrote, I understood his email to say he would pick me up at the train at 16:09.  What he said was that he'd pick me up at the train on 16.09.  Oy!  It's the little things that trip you up.

Oh, I just found out that my compartment mate has really stinky feet.  Not a good omen for the next 17 hours!  More later...

4pm.  Ok, a few minutes later: they young guy who was looking for the phone charger came by with about 6 bottles of cold beer in his hand.  He stuck his head in and said "Hey, friend, you want beer?"  I thanked him and declined.  I think it may be a wild night on this car.  He's with a group of his friends.

6pm  We stopped at a station for about 15 minutes so, at the suggestion of the friendly conductor, I got out and walked around the platform to stretch my legs. There were a lot of people getting on the train.  One woman walked by me with three large dried fish in her hand.  No bag, just dried fish.  Pretty big ones too.  Now I have to ask someone how one goes about eating or preparing these fish.  They're dried with the scales on so I assume one doesn't just munch them as they are.

9pm.  so we are having a little excitement.  The guy who offered a beer came and shouted at my cabin mate and made him go wash his feet.  He then decided that he needed to practice English with me, so he dragged me off to another empty compartment and had our conductor, Natasha bring me a green tea.  His friend, Dimitry joined us and the four of us had a nice conversation.  the tea really hit the spot.  It cost 50 cents.  Nikolai is a chef and trying to learn English so he can go work in Germany.  Dimitry runs a 'sushi taxi' - people phone in orders and he sends them out.  I guess it's like pizza delivery.  We pulled into a station where we'll stay for 20 minutes and they went off in search of varenyky, only mildly offended that I wouldn't be persuaded to join them.  They are really fun guys.  The poor guy they yelled at doesn't seem to be terribly offended but I was embarrassed for him.  Apparently his food odor traveled outside our compartment.  Socks and feet got washed and things are definitely better.  I'm sure the night's antics are not over yet.  Stay tuned.  And remember that all this is being written over a many hour stretch.

I decided that I'd try to get some sleep and went back to my compartment.  I can't say that I slept well because the train bounced all over the place but I dozed off and on.  Nikolai checked in fairly often to make sure I was all right and to comment on my poor neighbor - who was sound asleep.  Nikolai kept pouring in beer and the more beer he drank, the more he pursued Natasha.  Judging from the sounds, he achieved his goal.

It began to get light a bit after five with three hours to go.  I was really ready to get off that train.  Around 7:30 Sasha called me and said that I should take a seat outside the train station and he'd get there as soon as he could.  It is a delightfully cool morning so sitting outside reading was no chore at all.  True to his word, Sasha arrived by bus and by bus we came over to his office for a while.  Of course it's on the 5th floor with no elevator.  We hung around there until my apartment was ready. We talked and ate raisin cookies and drank jasmine tea till our teeth were floating. Then we walked over to the apartment.  It's a nice, old-fashioned place.  Quite honestly, all that was on my mind was to sleep.  The train ride was exhausting.  So, Sasha went off and I slept for about three hours.  When I went to take a shower, I found that no water came out of the hot water tap.  It's currently shut off for the building.  I just wasn't up to a cold shower, so I dabbed.   At 7 we walked back over to the office for a meeting of Sasha's group.  It was good to see familiar faces and laugh at their antics.  It's quite a young group and they can be high-spirited.  The meeting ended around 21:30 and Sasha, Maxim and I walked back towards my apartment.  We decided to drink a beer but drinking in parks in not allowed, so we came back to my apartment and talked for an hour or so.  Since the last bus was at midnight, they left in time to catch it.

Saturday 10:30  So far this morning, I haven't done much.  I didn't get up till almost 10 and by the time I cleaned up and went over to the supermarket, the day is half over.  Sasha will come over soon and we'll head out to see the sea.  I haven't had coffee yet so that's going to have to happen soon.

Saturday 9pm: It was a really warm day in Mariupol and my apartment got warm and I got sleepy.  By the time I woke up, groggy, it was after 4.  Needless to say, on this second trip to Mariupol, it seems that I'm not destined to see the sea.  Sasha called and I met him in the park outside my apartment.  Getting coffee was the first thing on my agenda, and even though it was Nescafe, it tasted like ambrosia after a whole day of having none.  I will spare you the details of my attempts!  Suffice it to say that there were no matches in the apartment to light the gas stove and that the milk I bought last night was sour.

We walked a lot. I've told you before that there are lots of holidays in Ukraine.  Today is a holiday in Mariupol - City day.  The plaza outside my apartment is full of people and there's a rock band and in a little while there'll be fireworks.  I suppose it's a good thing I slept a lot last night and today because I will be treated to revelry until quite late tonight.

Tomorrow, Sunday, I will hunt for a church in the morning for worship and then find someplace to have coffee.  Hopefully Sasha will be free about 1 and I will leave for the train station at 4 for a 4:49 train.  I am in the same train car in the same berth as on the way here.  I wonder if I will have the treat of Natasha and Nikolai for the trip.  If I do, I will take Nikolai up on his offer of beer.

As I suspected before this weekend's journey began, I had no internet access all weekend so this won't post until I arrive back at my apartment in Kiev.

a meeting-ful Wednesday

So, I took deep breaths after my last blog entry and headed out for the day.  I had to be out of the apartment anyway when the maid came in the afternoon.  I went and had a coffee at Glossary and then met my friend, Anna, for lunch.  While with her, I made a brief video to send to my church and then I headed off to the train station, armed with the reference numbers for my booking.  30 seconds after I approached the "internet" window at the station, I walked away with the tickets in my hand.  I walked over to the Church of St. George and lit candles in front of my favorite icons and just sat in the quiet for a while.  I went back to the Metro and went to the Opera House area to meet a colleague for a business meeting over (you guessed it) coffee.  It was a productive meeting for about an hour and a half.   When I finished, I called another friend who wanted to meet, walk, and have yet another coffee.  We talked for a few hours and I came back to the apartment.  It's kind of a miracle that I slept like a log last night, going to bed at 10ish and getting up at 8:30 which is late for me, even here. I met the same friend for coffee this morning and he loaned me a small carry-on back to take on the train with me.  I'm going to shower, go to the market to pick up some stuff to eat on the train and then head out to the station for a 3pm train arriving Mariupol at 8am.  My friend there, Sasha, just emailed that he has a place lined up for me to stay and that he'll meet me at the train.  That's good news.  Now I'll just hope that I have a pleasant cabin-mate for the train ride.  Or at least not an unpleasant one.

Ready for the train

I left off my last blog entry going out in search of lunch.  Of course I ended up at Glossary.  Not only is a comfortable place for me; the food is also really fresh and good.  I had cabbage salad, mlintsi (crepes) filled with mushrooms and onions and topped with sour cream.  I broke my custom of starting with cappuccino and just had water, saving coffee till the end.  My waiter seems to have devised a custom of his own, serving two confections instead of one with the cappuccino.

It's a good thing I had two confections because the day started to go downhill from there.  I went to the office of the ticket agency a few metro stops away.  It was a secure building with a check-in desk and the two men "guarding" it decided that there was no way they were admitting me to the building.  Frustratingly, I didn't have the phone number of the agency so I went back to my apartment.  I checked email to find that the agency I couldn't get into had informed me that they couldn't get my tickets for me after all and I should go to the main train station myself.  I decided I should take a nap to regain my serenity.

A friend called to meet him for coffee so I walked down to meet him.  It had gotten very hot and I was overdressed.  Inside McCafe, it was really hot.  My friend arrived and decided we should go to an art gallery.  But I had to go to the train station to try to get a ticket.  We ended up having an argument and going our separate ways.  I went to the train station and my evening started going further downhill.  There were literally hundreds of people getting tickets.  I got in a long line and waited for an hour.  When I got to the window, the woman said "wrong window" but wouldn't tell me what window to go to; she just called the next person.   I went out to the lobby and found the Information desk.  The woman spoke no English and told me there was no more train today to Mariupol.  I knew that.  I said I want a ticket for tomorrow.  She pointed to the ticket windows I had just come from; then she called loudly "next!" and I was dismissed.  I gave up and set out for the apartment.  I took a wrong turn and got lost for a while wandering mostly uphill.  I was tired and discouraged.  I phoned my friend, Zoryan who was on a train back to Kiev.  He texted me a website to buy my ticket.  When I got back to the apartment, I found that, even though there was an "English" button on the page, all the reservation stuff was in Ukrainian.  I gave up and went to bed.  It's the first time I ever felt like such a stranger and foreigner in Ukraine.

I got up this morning determined to work my way through the Ukrainian website of reservations.  It took me quite a while with my dictionary, but I think I have managed to by first class tickets both going and coming back.  I saved the confirmation pages and emailed them to Anna, asking her to check that I did, indeed, buy what I thought I did.  I also asked her to print them out and bring them to lunch today.  Then I will go back to the train station with the documents to pick up my tickets.  I know where that internet window is.  However, until I have the actual travel documents in my hand, I won't be convinced the whole process of getting the tickets is over. 

Although I've tried to convince a lot of English speaking folks to come to Ukraine, I'll amend that to "come, but make sure you have a Ukrainian or Russian speaker with you when you have to do business."

You never know what a day will bring

I had decided that I needed an easy Monday.  My aches and pains from all the walking were catching up to me.  Did I mention that I didn't experience any jet lag?

So, I hung around the apartment in the morning and Vladimir came around 10 to pick up the things he had left here on Sunday.  We visited for a half hour or so.  After he left I read and relaxed for a while until cravings for cappuccino overcame me and I headed up the street to Glossary. (one of the best features of my apartment is that is so close to my favorite watering hole.)  After cappuccino, I read for a while and ordered cabbage salad - the first time I had it since I arrived.  It's kind of ridiculous that something so simple can taste so good to me - every time!  After my salad, I had pancakes with shredded zucchini, sort of like potato pancakes but with squash.  They were really delicious.  I finished with another cappuccino.  I don't think I ever mentioned that at Glossary, cappuccino is served with a small confection, a small ball of chocolate dough wrapped around a hazelnut then rolled in powdered chocolate.  It's a small sweet but really a nice touch.  With that final cappuccino, my waiter brought two confections instead of one. Ah, the joys of being a regular customer!  That plus my 5% discount card.

I went back to the apartment to lie down for a little while and read some more.  I surprised myself by sleeping a little.  I had a skype call with my Elder in the States for half an hour and left the house at 5:30 to meet Vladimir to go to a meeting. Meanwhile I had received an email from a colleague saying there would be a man at the meeting who wanted to talk to me.  He had been part of Exodus International for six years.  Vladimir and I went to the offices of an agency that cares for HIV/AIDS patients for our meeting with the Executive Director.  It was a really good meeting about bringing spiritual care into the lives of people living with AIDS.  The challenge is to make in accessible to people.  The predominant model is Orthodox practice but that is not acceptable for many people who are not Orthodox.

I met the young man from Exodus and we immediately began a rather intense conversation.  I've been on this road so many times over the years with men who've been damaged by ex-gay therapy.  He told me that, surprising to himself, he felt immediately comfortable with me.  I suppose we will meet again.  I left it completely up to him.

I got home at 11 and stayed up till 12, catching up in brief chats on Facebook with friends at home.  This morning (Tuesday), I've had a few exchanges with a close friend in Mariupol.  We agreed that I would come this weekend.  I couldn't get a plane ticket to Donetsk at such short notice, so I will take the train (16 hours!) overnight on Thursday, arriving at 8 on Friday.  Friday night I will speak with my friend's group in Mariupol and answer the million questions people have.  Saturday, we will go the the Sea of Azov to enjoy the day in conversation.  I will take the train back to Kiev on Sunday night.  This time I will try to get a 1st instead of 2nd class ticket on the train.  the difference is 1st class has two bunks per compartment, 2nd had 4.

It's getting to be late morning here.  I've lazed around reading and drinking coffee and eating ham and cheese left over from Sunday.  Soon I'll head out in search of lunch and go to the train station to book my tickets.  Have I mentioned that I love Ukraine?

An unexpected series of events

Sunday morning dawned bright and chilly.  Fall here is very much like in NY.  Crisp nights and mornings with sun-drenched warm days.  I expected to go to the train station to meet newly-consecrated Orthodox bishop, Vladimir.  Instead I got a call from him.  He had already arrived and wanted me to meet him and a few friends at a metro stop so we could all come back to my apartment to celebrate Divine Liturgy together, his first.  He went to visit a Metropolitan Bishop, hoping to be ordained a priest, but came home, not only ordained a priest, but also consecrated a bishop.  So, as he arrived home, he hadn't even presided at his first Mass.  The five of us came back to my apartment and set up for worship.  It was a wonderful experience.  Vladyka (title for Bishop in Ukrainian) Vladimir was really touched by the Spirit at our conference in Kiev a year ago.  He arrived having certain preconceived notions about Christianity and denominationalism and had his heart touched irrevocably.  He recognized then and practices now the importance of people being able to pray together across denominational lines.  He and I stood beside each other at the make-shift altar for the liturgy.  My apartment may well smell like incense forever!  I have a feeling that we will have liturgy together here more times before I come home. After worship, we had lunch together and laughed and generally enjoyed our time together.

Here is a link to the photos online: please do not share these photos or this link, for local security reasons: https://picasaweb.google.com/nundabud/Liturgy?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNCE5czMgrGcMA&feat=directlink 

After they left, I headed out to the metro to have dinner with Rostek.  He met me at his metro station and we walked back to his apartment, making a brief stop at the market for grapes and wine.  I was a little bit disappointed that Kostya was not home.  I was looking forward to seeing him, too.  Rostek had made a great salad and cooked a chicken/eggplant dish.  Just before we ate, Misha came in.  Misha is a very talented hair stylist/barber.  After we ate and talked and laughed and drank some wine, he cut my hair which was badly in need of it since it hadn't been cut since June when he cut it last time.  During the haircut, I felt kind of faint.  I think because I ate more than I'm used to and had wine to boot!  He finished my haircut and requested my blessing for some stuff he's been going through.  I blessed him and he hugged me very hard.  I'm always touched at the faith people display here.  It runs so deeply in their lives.  At home, people would never think to ask a blessing.  It's a pity, I think.  It made me reflect on the idea that here the priest is a sacramental - a reminder that God is present and accessible.
Rostek walked with me to the metro station and I made my way home around 8:30.  I showered to get itchy hair washed off and went to bed to read briefly until sleep.  It was a wonderful day, filled with expected surprises, sort of like all my days.  Life constantly offers me treats.  I think today was, for me, what Sundays are supposed to be like.

Saturday

I got up at 5, hoping to have a skype call with friends at home but that didn't happen.  I left the house around 7:30 and walked to St. Volodymyr Cathedral to visit my saint friends.  After making the rounds of my special saints, I realized that I'm more like my father than I thought.  We had statues of saints and holy pictures all over the house.  when my dad got home from work, he'd made the rounds and visit all his saints.  That never occurred to me until today.  I wonder if it's genetic.  After leaving the cathedral, I walked the long way down to Khreshchatek St. to McDonald's where I was meeting Anna for coffee.  She brought me a cell phone to use while in Ukraine since I left mine at home.  Anna headed off to visit her grandmother about an hour away from Kiev and I walked home, again the long way.  I walked through a farmer's market and was amazed at all the possibilities.  There were so many flavors and colors of honey for sale at several stalls.
When I got home, I got a message from some of my friends, telling me that my friend Vladimir had gone to Russia and been ordained and consecrated bishop.  He's 30.  He's coming home by train arriving early Sunday morning.  I'll be with other friends at the train station to meet him.
In the afternoon I walked to International Square and met Zoryan for lunch.  We went to a Crimean reastaurant where I left my borrowed phone.  I went back but the waitress who was obtuse when she waited on us was also obtuse about my phone.  I'll try again tomorrow but will bring a native speaker with me.  Hopefully they have it.
While Zoryan went to get set up for an international LGBT arts/crafts festival, I went and had a cappuccino then headed over to the place of the festival.   Some of the photography was very impressive and I saw many people I had met in the spring when I was here.  Lots of hugs and kisses.
I left about 6:30 and walked home, mostly uphill.  I don't think I'm going to use the metro very much this trip since everything is within a mile or two walk from my apartment.  Good deal.  My legs and feet are protesting but I'm happy to be getting the exercise.

P.S.  (added Sunday Morning)  After I went to bed, I heard the stranges thing:  music.  I thought it was Liszt.  I then thought I must be hearing a neighbor's stereo.  I then realized it was the phone I thought I had left at the restaurant.  It was in a side pocket of my backpack.  A relief!

Traveling and first day

I think my bad luck travel streak is broken!  Even though my flight out of Rochester on Wednesday was an hour late and even though we got into JFK at 5:30 and even though my flight to Amsterdam was at six in a different terminal, I made it.  Of course, after running faster than I have in twenty years, I was red-faced and panting.  The woman taking boarding passes asked "Are you all right, sir?"  I suppose I looked like a madman.

My flight from Amsterdam to Kiev was a bit late leaving also but I did arrive safely.  The line at passport control was really long and it took an hour to get through.  The employee of the agency from which I rented my apartment was there to meet me, and in short order we were on our way to the apartment.  The agent I had dealt with, Oleksandyr was there to meet me to show me everything.  It's in a really nice neighborhood on the same street as the National University of Kiev.  It was rainy and about 65 degrees.

I settled in and took a nap, after realizing I had left all my Ukrainian currency at home and also my adapter plug.  I went out walking Thursday night for about an hour.  My street is a hill so I'll get good exercise.  I turned in around 10 and got up at 8.  My hips hurt some.  Friday morning, I went to the supermarket down the street to stock up.  As soon as I got home and made coffee (instant), I remember other things I wanted to buy. 

By this morning, all my electronics were dead.  I went out this morning in search of an adapter plug.  I got royally lost.  this is a different part of Kiev than I am used to.  After wandering blindly for a few hours, I found a metro station and went to Glossary cafe.  My usual waiter had a huge grin and brought me my usual with a hearty "Welcome back to Kiev!"  I was touched that he remembered my usual after months.  He told me I could find an adapter at Bessarabska market.  I set out and failed to find Bessarabska Street.  However, in a metro station, I found a small shop that sells batteries and he had adapters.  I bought two and headed back to the apartment.  I found it with no difficulty, not like the last time I was here and got lost for a week.  Now I will recharge all my electronics and be good to go.  I'm relaxing for a while and then will go out in search of dinner.  I've asked Rostek and Kostya but haven't had a response yet.  Tomorrow morning I'll have coffee with Anna and then lunch with Zoryan.  There's a rainbow festival tomorrow at 5, sponsored by Zoryan's agency.  I'll attend that.

So, I'm back to a place that feels like home, and even when lost, I'm confident I can find my way.  All my friends here are reaching out delighted that I have returned.  They don't seem to know that they are the delight.