Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday in Chernivtsi

It has been a relaxing few days and spending this time in Chernivtsi has been nice. Of course having my mother here has been super special as well.

Sunday, we slept in and decided to go to Knaus for lunch. No one was sitting outside in the Biergarten yet...perhaps when it gets warmer. We walked to the stores over on Olga Koblyianska. Mom and I had fun looking for a few hours.

Around 7:30, we hobbled up Olga to get to the gym. She sat outside in the new cafe area and had a coffee and read a magazine (in English, her Cyrillic literacy just isn't quite there yet...neither is mine...ha!). There were people of all ages watching tennis on TV, having coffee, and playing ping pong outside in the gym's courtyard. No one was actually in the gym when I was working out, which was fine with me, bc then I can turn off the Russian techno music, but it was really nice to see all these people out on a Sunday night with friends and family. This place is so much more alive now that the weather is becoming warmer. The foot traffic on Olga has increased considerably. I like Chernivtsi in the early evening, my favorite time of day.

We took a taxi back to the flat after stopping at the mini-market.

The time has gone by so quickly the past few days, and I think part of it is bc simple acts of living require an inordinate amount of time here. Mom is seeing this. The days go by quickly bc we stay busy even though it doesn't always seem like we are accomplishing much. My life in America is so much easier. I rarely ever think of heating and cooling my living space, except to adjust my electronic thermostat. I never think about the water heater unless it breaks. I never wonder if I'll run out of hot water and certainly never worry about lighting a fire 30 minutes before I want to shower. I only take my trash to the bottom of my driveway at home, whereas here I walk it several blocks. If I want my dishes clean at home I throw them in a machine that washes them for me and if I want my clothes dry I put them in a machine that dries them for me. Not here. Dish washing by hand and the only things that dry my clothes here are air and sunshine. I certainly have become more aware of the many blessings of my life, but also aware of how simple things can be if we just allow them to be that way. Perhaps it is my new energy-minded self talking, but I get a gain a sense of satisfaction knowing that nature dried my clothes. I loved hanging the clothes on the line in Cinque Terre, and I like putting them on my metal apparatus here.

On Monday, we heated water for the instant Nescafe coffee (I must admit I am looking forward to my drip coffee maker when I come back), took showers and did laundry. I spoke in Mykola's class at 1. He wanted me to talk with his class about the Fulbright Program and offer suggestions for the application process. After I told them their application needed to be driven by their desire to pursue a specific topic in graduate school and not by a desire to go live in the US for two years, I don't think they were too interested. Oh, well. I hope some will be!

Today at the university, Mykola gave me 2 copies of the student newspaper that features an article written about me. The student (his very bright daughter) googled me to prep for the interview and I was very impressed with her, especially given that she is 16 and in college. He told me that the editor's comments introducing the article state that I am "famous throughout Europe and all the United States." This made me howl! I must tell everyone that any yahoo can appear on a website in the US and those internet sites are certainly not an indication of any celebrity status.
 
Then I walked to an apteka/pharmacy to try to find some contact lens solution. I think I found the correct type...the bottle has Bausch and Lomb on it so we'll see. I had called Delta Airlines for the fourth time bc I need to discuss 2 issues with them. I finally got someone to answer on my way to the pharmacy (it was 7AM East Coast time so I thought it would be a good time to call) and then about 5 minutes into the convo we were disconnected. Please, Delta, email me back. Calling you from over here and waiting to talk is such an ordeal.
 
I took a short cut through the fresh market on my walk back to the apt. I used to like this place. Now that it has warmed up, visiting this market is high powered sensory experience that is not pleasant. The smells and sights are really something to take in. I walked past the butcher area and stopped in my tracks about 2 feet beyond the doorway. I had to go back to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Yes, CT, those really are 2 pig heads sitting on that table.

 
Um, wow.

Then I came back to get Mom and we took a taxi to the pedestrian street she likes. We looked at shoes, lunched on holubsee and varynky, and then took a cab to the train station to buy our train tickets for Wednesday.

I

 love, love, love looking across the street and seeing my Mom in Chernivtsi! I had to go across the street to the ATM, and took this when I was walking back.

Then we took a cab back to the food market to get some things for the apt. and food for the train. The taxi ride home costs the equivalent of $1.12 USD. Unreal.

One thing that amazes me is the sheer number of people I have encountered that speak some English in the past few days. There still aren't many, mind you, but relative to how many I encountered in my first 2 months it, it seems like a lot. They must have all come out of the woodwork when the snow melted. I've also noticed an increase in dog poo on the streets. I don't know if something different happens to it when a dog goes on the snow, but let's just say this stuff is all over the sidewalks. I can't walk ten feet without seeing a pile of it.
 
We have been keeping an eye on the news regarding the volcanic ash situation. British airspace is expected to reopen tomorrow. My Mom is supposed to fly back to the states on Thursday. I read today that this is the worst travel disruption the world has ever experienced...20 countries have closed airspace, and 77% of European flights have been cancelled since last Thursday. Britt and Sandy evidently were on one of the last flights leaving Paris for the US and I'm so glad they arrived home safely.
 
Tonight we are hanging out at the apt and are about to head to bed. One more thing before I go to bed. I just had to look up my own cell number and I am annoyed with myself.

I am usually very good at memorizing long numbers. However, I rarely see or give out my Ukrainian cell phone number here, and I can't seem to get this number to stick in my head. It is 12 digits long,which may be part of the problem, but that has never stopped me with credit card numbers, bank account numbers, etc. Oh, well. Perhaps my brain knows I will only need this thing for 2 more months and thus it just won't settle into even the short term memory bank. It is kind of making me crazy, however, bc I have to look it up whenever I need it and I'm just not used to having to do that.
 
Off to read another chapter in The Geogaphy of Bliss. I have arrived at Great Britain. Speaking of, I think the weather there is very similar to what we are getting here in Chernivtsi. The high today was 13 degrees C, and so was London's.

OK, so I was too tired to post this last night and need to add another day. Mom and I celebrated Mother's Day today since I will not be in the US on the day devoted to Moms. I made coffee this morning and made a special breakfast of yogurt, muesli, and banana slices. She loved it. Then I gave her her gifts...2 from Paris and one from Kyiv. She loved them as well. Putting a big smile on her face is always so gratifying for me.

I finally got in touch with Delta, and was able to arrange wheelchair assistance for her for all the segments of her trip. Plus, I obtained the info the Embassy has wanted me to get about my flight changes for June. Whew. Finally!

Mom and I packed our stuff, and went up to Olga for about an hour and a half.

The cathedral looked nice on this dreary, drizzling day.

Then we wento my minimarket on Olga one more time bc Mom wanted pineapples with dinner...I knew she would like my new pineapple dish!

Tonight, I received a phone call from the airlines informing me that I would receive a full refund for our cancelled tickets to Athens. Love that Carpatair...their customer service makes Delta look TERRIBLE.

Tonight we cooked a healthy dinner at the apt, and I finished grading papers so I can return them tomorrow. I am looking forward to class tomorrow; the students are supposed to make presentations and will also have the opportunity to ask me anything about America.

We will be getting on the train to go to Kyiv tomorrow afternoon. Looking forward to showing Mom the joys of the 16 hour train ride (yes, the train that arrives in Kyiv earlier in the day is one hour longer than the one I usually take).

I was informed this evening that the breaking news on the BBC tonight was that Heathrow reopened, and that all UK airports have reopened and will be flying tomorrow. So, Thursday may go totally as planned, or not at all. We shall see! It is always an adventure around here.