Today, we let the little ones spend most of the day playing in our apartment. We ventured out in the rain to go to Cilpo (the grocery store up the road) and to the coffee kiosk at the same shopping center. And then, ventured out again to have dinner at a restaurant that serves great pizza and has a small play area for children. I think this was the first time I had ordered in a restaurant without Mike or another Ukrainian- so it was good practice for my language skills- and I understood about 80% of what the waitress was talking about.
Mike had a Hope & Life meeting at the office in the afternoon, then prepped for his 6:30pm Advanced class.
Some cool, potential things in Hope & Life's future:
-Crisis pregnancy center (a place for women with unplanned pregnancies to go and receive support).
Hopefully, it will include free: ultrasounds, counseling, medical support (to an extent), etc... should be very cool.
I recall, on one of our past trips to Ukraine, a story that one of the pastor's told. His wife was pregnant with their 3rd child and had gone to her local clinic for a regular monthly appointment. She ended up waiting for a long time to see the medical staff because they kept taking women who were there for abortion procedures ahead of her. She was amazed as woman after woman went before her to end her pregnancy.
A crisis pregnancy center, with the aim of encouraging women to keep their babies and offering biblical counseling, would be awesome.
We'll keep you posted on any developments.
It took me almost 2 hours to get Solomiya to go to sleep, so I am off to do some therapeutic baking: banana chocolate chip muffins made in a cake pan because my muffin tin bit the dust.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Morning Tea
 |
| morning tea in their pajamas |
 |
| coffee at a cafe (solomiya was peeking under the table) |
 |
| good times with uncle mike (sophia is pretending she is a lady bug that fell on its back; solomiya is concerned) |
Saturday, November 3, 2012
It was cold today...
 |
| Cousins brushing their teeth together before we left for the afternoon. |
 |
| At Lviv Chocolate Factory. The best part of this outing was when Sophia (sitting on Uncle Mike's lap) looked up and asked him, "So, what are you doing, baby?". |
 |
| Walking up to the castle. |
 |
| Amazingly beautiful church. |
 |
| Ivan and Tetyana got married today. |
 |
| Made it to the castle! Solomiya was wiped out... |
 |
| On the pedestrian bridge in town, there is a local custom to put a lock on the bridge when you get married (with names, date, etc...). This lock is definitely the coolest one I have seen so far. |
Friday, November 2, 2012
Riding The Spinny Thing
 |
| Solomiya and Sophia riding the 'spinny thing' behind our apartment. |
 |
| *** |
- played with Sophia and Solomiya inside and outside
- went for a walk
- had coffee at Oksana's apartment
- found a public bathroom in Vopak
- went to the bazaar
- went to Vopak
- ate lots of homemade food
- recovered from jet lag
- rode the spinny thing
Thursday, November 1, 2012
November: 30 Days of Blogs
Goal for this month: blog every day.
Today, Mike is driving to Budapest to pick up my sister and niece from the airport. Their plane has officially landed and Solomiya and I await their arrival.
Today was spent preparing for this event. Solomiya and I cleaned the apartment, did laundry (hung it outside and it began pouring rain... blah), went shopping for food, cooked the food, played on the swing, talked to Grandpa and watched a few Russian cartoons.
I'm trying to keep S up until Chrissy and Sophia get here, but I don't think it's going happen. It's 6:41pm and I can tell bed time is quickly approaching.
Today, Mike is driving to Budapest to pick up my sister and niece from the airport. Their plane has officially landed and Solomiya and I await their arrival.
Today was spent preparing for this event. Solomiya and I cleaned the apartment, did laundry (hung it outside and it began pouring rain... blah), went shopping for food, cooked the food, played on the swing, talked to Grandpa and watched a few Russian cartoons.
I'm trying to keep S up until Chrissy and Sophia get here, but I don't think it's going happen. It's 6:41pm and I can tell bed time is quickly approaching.
 |
| While I was cooking, Solomiya was "cleaning" out the cabinet. |
 |
| Can you see she is sitting in a big frying pan? |
 |
| -aerial footage- |
 |
| Add caption |
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Election Day
Today is election day in Ukraine.
Interesting video: http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t3#/video/world/2012/10/27/black-ukraine-election.cnn
Interesting article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20090654
Sorry. Tried to embed them, but it didn't work.
From the BBC website:
23 October 2012 Last updated at 16:48 GMT
A newly-formed Udar party is
lead by boxing champion Vitali Klitschko
With the exception of local elections in late 2010, this is the first nationwide ballot held under President Viktor Yanukovych since he came to power earlier that year. This is also the first election since 1994 in which the opposition leader, jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, is not running.
The election's conduct and outcome will have a major impact on Ukraine's future. It will particularly affect its relationship with the West, where concerns are growing about the state of democracy under President Yanukovych.
It will also decide whether Mr Yanukovych will be able to consolidate his grip on power, and may even pre-determine the result of the presidential election scheduled for 2015.
MPs in Ukraine are elected for a five-year term. Half of the 450 seats are distributed through a proportional system among parties, and the other half among individual candidates in single-seat constituencies.
Most of the better-known candidates are running on party lists. Out of more than 80 parties contesting the election, only a handful are expected to make it into the next parliament.
The most prominent are the two heavyweights and arch-rivals, President Yanukovych's Party of Regions and Yulia Tymoshenko's Fatherland.
Other parties with a realistic chance of winning seats include Udar (which means "punch" in Ukrainian) led by boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, and the Communists, an ally of the ruling Party of Regions in the current parliament.
Opposition parties have made attempts to present a common front, but remain largely disunited. Fatherland and Udar agreed to coordinate their nominations for first-past-the-post races, but the process has been marred by public disagreements.
Yulia Tymoshenko, a bitter opponent of Mr Yanukovych, could not run in the elections after being sentenced to seven years in jail over a gas deal with Russia. She has since been charged with new offences dating back to the 1990s, including tax evasion and theft.
Supporters of Yulia Tymoshenko
Mrs Tymoshenko denies the charges, saying they are part of a vendetta campaign by Viktor Yanukovych. His controversial election as president in 2004 was overturned by the Orange Revolution, in which Mrs Tymoshenko played a key part.
Mrs Tymoshenko's party, Fatherland, however, is contesting the election, with its campaigning being led by Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a former foreign minister and parliament speaker.
President Yanukovych has repeatedly given assurances that the election will be conducted commendably and described it as a "test of maturity" for Ukraine.
His opponents, however, complain that campaigning has been marred by violations such as misuse of state resources by pro-government candidates, intimidation of activists and an offensive against free media.
Western diplomats have voiced similar concerns. They also say that the vote's credibility has been dented by the absence of key contenders, such as Mrs Tymoshenko and Yuriy Lutsenko - the interior minister in her cabinet, who is now also behind bars.
The manifestos of the major parties bear many similarities. They all pledge reforms to spur economic growth, higher wages, pensions and other benefits, better education and healthcare.
The Party of Regions' campaign focused heavily on promoting its record as ruling party, contrasting the "stability" of the past two years with "chaos" during Mrs Tymoshenko's premiership in 2007-10. It advocates a "balanced" approach to developing relations with Russia and the West, saying neither should be given priority over the other.
Fatherland paints the election as a battle of good against evil and promises to impeach President Yanukovych. The party says it advocates European values and promises to reverse the current government's policy of raising the status of the Russian language.
In its manifesto, Udar avoids sensitive and polarising subjects, promising instead what appeals to as many people as possible, such as more empowerment to ordinary Ukrainians and a ruthless campaign against corruption.
Many candidates in single-seat constituencies tend to focus on local issues, often distancing themselves from party agendas.
Interesting video: http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t3#/video/world/2012/10/27/black-ukraine-election.cnn
Interesting article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20090654
Sorry. Tried to embed them, but it didn't work.
From the BBC website:
23 October 2012 Last updated at 16:48 GMT
Q&A: Ukrainian parliamentary election
A newly-formed Udar party is
lead by boxing champion Vitali Klitschko
Ukrainian voters head to the polls on 28 October to elect
a new parliament.
With the exception of local elections in late 2010, this is the first nationwide ballot held under President Viktor Yanukovych since he came to power earlier that year. This is also the first election since 1994 in which the opposition leader, jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, is not running.
What is at stake?
The election's conduct and outcome will have a major impact on Ukraine's future. It will particularly affect its relationship with the West, where concerns are growing about the state of democracy under President Yanukovych.
It will also decide whether Mr Yanukovych will be able to consolidate his grip on power, and may even pre-determine the result of the presidential election scheduled for 2015.
How is parliament elected?
MPs in Ukraine are elected for a five-year term. Half of the 450 seats are distributed through a proportional system among parties, and the other half among individual candidates in single-seat constituencies.
Who are the candidates?
Most of the better-known candidates are running on party lists. Out of more than 80 parties contesting the election, only a handful are expected to make it into the next parliament.
The most prominent are the two heavyweights and arch-rivals, President Yanukovych's Party of Regions and Yulia Tymoshenko's Fatherland.
Other parties with a realistic chance of winning seats include Udar (which means "punch" in Ukrainian) led by boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, and the Communists, an ally of the ruling Party of Regions in the current parliament.
Opposition parties have made attempts to present a common front, but remain largely disunited. Fatherland and Udar agreed to coordinate their nominations for first-past-the-post races, but the process has been marred by public disagreements.
What about Yulia Tymoshenko?
Yulia Tymoshenko, a bitter opponent of Mr Yanukovych, could not run in the elections after being sentenced to seven years in jail over a gas deal with Russia. She has since been charged with new offences dating back to the 1990s, including tax evasion and theft.
Supporters of Yulia Tymoshenko
Mrs Tymoshenko denies the charges, saying they are part of a vendetta campaign by Viktor Yanukovych. His controversial election as president in 2004 was overturned by the Orange Revolution, in which Mrs Tymoshenko played a key part.
Mrs Tymoshenko's party, Fatherland, however, is contesting the election, with its campaigning being led by Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a former foreign minister and parliament speaker.
Will the poll be free and fair?
President Yanukovych has repeatedly given assurances that the election will be conducted commendably and described it as a "test of maturity" for Ukraine.
His opponents, however, complain that campaigning has been marred by violations such as misuse of state resources by pro-government candidates, intimidation of activists and an offensive against free media.
Western diplomats have voiced similar concerns. They also say that the vote's credibility has been dented by the absence of key contenders, such as Mrs Tymoshenko and Yuriy Lutsenko - the interior minister in her cabinet, who is now also behind bars.
What are the main issues?
The manifestos of the major parties bear many similarities. They all pledge reforms to spur economic growth, higher wages, pensions and other benefits, better education and healthcare.
The Party of Regions' campaign focused heavily on promoting its record as ruling party, contrasting the "stability" of the past two years with "chaos" during Mrs Tymoshenko's premiership in 2007-10. It advocates a "balanced" approach to developing relations with Russia and the West, saying neither should be given priority over the other.
Fatherland paints the election as a battle of good against evil and promises to impeach President Yanukovych. The party says it advocates European values and promises to reverse the current government's policy of raising the status of the Russian language.
In its manifesto, Udar avoids sensitive and polarising subjects, promising instead what appeals to as many people as possible, such as more empowerment to ordinary Ukrainians and a ruthless campaign against corruption.
Many candidates in single-seat constituencies tend to focus on local issues, often distancing themselves from party agendas.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
October 2012
As we stated in our last entry, the month of October has been quite busy for all 3 of us. Hence, the lack of current blog entries...
So, we'll give you a run down of our typical weekly schedule.
Sunday:
We leave for church around 10:45am. The service is from 11am - 2-2:30pm. Sometimes we grab some coffee with friends afterwards, a bowl of soup at 'Crazy Rocky's', or attend a seasonal festival/political rally/karaoke/or a local dance studio holding outdoor recitals in the city center (the last one we saw that made quite an impression on us was a group of girls and boys, maybe 6-8 years old dancing to 'Barbie Girl' by Aqua).
We usually get home around 4-5pm and chill for the rest of the day. (Chill = cook, clean, play with Solomiya, grocery shopping, Skype calls, lesson planning, therapy session planning, etc.).
Monday:
Russian lesson 10-11am for Annie. After this, Solomiya and I walk to the bazaar (outdoor market) to buy food for the week. We lug everything home and spend some time cooking enough food to last 2-3 days.
Mike teaches his Advanced class from 6:30-8:30pm, so he spends the majority of his day planning lessons, correcting tests, etc...
Solomiya hangs out in the kitchen with me or tries to break into the room where Mike is working. We also try to convince her to take a nap at some point.
Tuesday:
I leave around 10:15am for an 11am OT sessions with a little girl. I leave her house around 12 or 12:10pm and have a 12:45pm session with an older woman who had a stroke a few months ago.
Mike has a teacher's meeting at 12pm, so Solomiya hangs out with him at the English school. I usually meet them there afterwards and we walk home together.
In the evening, Mike usually goes out to the church for a men's meeting or prepares for the Wednesday night conversational group or his Thursday night class.
Wednesday:
10-11am Russian lesson for Annie.
1pm all 3 of us visit with our friend Andrianna. She is bed bound due to some type of neurological disease. We have a short OT session, talk with her and pray with her.
After this we head back home, have an early dinner and Mike goes to the weekly conversational English group at the school from 7-9pm. This is a free class offered at the school where the students/non students can practice their English in a more relaxed atmosphere. Once a month, we have it here at our apartment and I will make some type of American dessert (favorites so far: PB cookies, chocolate chip cookies, brownies with vanilla ice cream).
Thursday:
10am-2pm we meet at the Hope & Life office/English school for a weekly meeting/prayer time. Hope & Life is the non-profit we are joined up with here in Ukraine: http://hopelife.info/?lang=en/ ; http://hopeandlifekids.org/
Mike has his Advanced class from 6:30-8:30pm and I prepare for my OT sessions the next day. Solomiya sometimes has a Skype call with Grandma or Chrissymasi and Sophia.
Friday:
OT day for Annie 10:15am-2:30pm.
Mike and Solomiya hang out at home while Mike tries to prepare for his evening Beginner's class. Mike teaches it here in our apartment from 7-9pm.
S and I watch silly Russian cartoons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYniUCGPGLs&feature=related (this one is our favorite).
Saturday:
This day varies quite a bit. It sometimes involves OT sessions with new clients, going to dinner at a friends house, doing some shopping at a larger bazaar about a 15 minute walk away, cooking, Skype calls, blah blah blah.
I am sure you all found that quite thrilling.
More exciting news, is that my sister and niece are coming to visit NEXT WEEK! Yes, they will fly out Monday evening and arrive in Uzhhorod, Tuesday evening. We are so excited.
I think, nope, I know this is the longest I have ever gone without seeing my sister: 9 1/2 months. Crazy.
Solomiya is going to be so excited to have Sophia to play with for 2 weeks!
So, we'll give you a run down of our typical weekly schedule.
Sunday:
We leave for church around 10:45am. The service is from 11am - 2-2:30pm. Sometimes we grab some coffee with friends afterwards, a bowl of soup at 'Crazy Rocky's', or attend a seasonal festival/political rally/karaoke/or a local dance studio holding outdoor recitals in the city center (the last one we saw that made quite an impression on us was a group of girls and boys, maybe 6-8 years old dancing to 'Barbie Girl' by Aqua).
We usually get home around 4-5pm and chill for the rest of the day. (Chill = cook, clean, play with Solomiya, grocery shopping, Skype calls, lesson planning, therapy session planning, etc.).
Monday:
Russian lesson 10-11am for Annie. After this, Solomiya and I walk to the bazaar (outdoor market) to buy food for the week. We lug everything home and spend some time cooking enough food to last 2-3 days.
Mike teaches his Advanced class from 6:30-8:30pm, so he spends the majority of his day planning lessons, correcting tests, etc...
Solomiya hangs out in the kitchen with me or tries to break into the room where Mike is working. We also try to convince her to take a nap at some point.
Tuesday:
I leave around 10:15am for an 11am OT sessions with a little girl. I leave her house around 12 or 12:10pm and have a 12:45pm session with an older woman who had a stroke a few months ago.
Mike has a teacher's meeting at 12pm, so Solomiya hangs out with him at the English school. I usually meet them there afterwards and we walk home together.
In the evening, Mike usually goes out to the church for a men's meeting or prepares for the Wednesday night conversational group or his Thursday night class.
Wednesday:
10-11am Russian lesson for Annie.
1pm all 3 of us visit with our friend Andrianna. She is bed bound due to some type of neurological disease. We have a short OT session, talk with her and pray with her.
After this we head back home, have an early dinner and Mike goes to the weekly conversational English group at the school from 7-9pm. This is a free class offered at the school where the students/non students can practice their English in a more relaxed atmosphere. Once a month, we have it here at our apartment and I will make some type of American dessert (favorites so far: PB cookies, chocolate chip cookies, brownies with vanilla ice cream).
Thursday:
10am-2pm we meet at the Hope & Life office/English school for a weekly meeting/prayer time. Hope & Life is the non-profit we are joined up with here in Ukraine: http://hopelife.info/?lang=en/ ; http://hopeandlifekids.org/
Mike has his Advanced class from 6:30-8:30pm and I prepare for my OT sessions the next day. Solomiya sometimes has a Skype call with Grandma or Chrissymasi and Sophia.
Friday:
OT day for Annie 10:15am-2:30pm.
Mike and Solomiya hang out at home while Mike tries to prepare for his evening Beginner's class. Mike teaches it here in our apartment from 7-9pm.
S and I watch silly Russian cartoons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYniUCGPGLs&feature=related (this one is our favorite).
Saturday:
This day varies quite a bit. It sometimes involves OT sessions with new clients, going to dinner at a friends house, doing some shopping at a larger bazaar about a 15 minute walk away, cooking, Skype calls, blah blah blah.
I am sure you all found that quite thrilling.
More exciting news, is that my sister and niece are coming to visit NEXT WEEK! Yes, they will fly out Monday evening and arrive in Uzhhorod, Tuesday evening. We are so excited.
I think, nope, I know this is the longest I have ever gone without seeing my sister: 9 1/2 months. Crazy.
Solomiya is going to be so excited to have Sophia to play with for 2 weeks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)