Finally, another installment from my trip to Ukraine. This will be recapping my first full day in Novograd-Volynski…a small town about 200km west of Kiev. It’s been just over a year now and I’m itching to go back but I don’t think I’ll be able to get there too soon, so instead I’ll make sure my next trip out is even more wondrous than this one was.

I woke up early that day (Tuesday morning)…which was actually a bit of a surprise to me as the time difference is 7 hours ahead of my normal time back in the States. Why did I wake up at what my body thought was 11pm or midnight? Probably a mix of the dogs barking outside and the excitement of what was to come in this giant unknown. I did manage to get a little more sleep until I was finally up at 9am local time and ready to get started with my first full day in town.

 

 

I got up, showered and sat around for a bit. Anxious and eager to get the day started, I really didn’t know what to think. The plan was to have Larisa’s son Vitalik come meet me at the hotel and we would meet her at her mother’s house where she was helping watch her baby nephew. I made my way downstairs and then stood there like a complete dork, not having a clue what to say to the girl at the desk as I walked downstairs to hand in my key. I stood there like a fool trying to figure out what to say and she finally said she spoke English. Whew! I told her I was heading out for a bit and handed her my key. I went outside…such a beautiful day…and sat on the bench outside the hotel. Did I mention how small and quaint this hotel was? It was rather picturesque to have that to my side as I watched life pass by on the street. Now that I finally had a chance to slow down for a bit and observe life as it happened, I was enthralled by the dichotomy of what I saw. People riding by on raggedy old creaky rusty bikes with a fishing pole over their shoulder or a basket of goods on the front. A new Lexus driving by. A horse pulling a small wagon behind. Old Eastern Bloc cars and buses driving past. Mother and son walking by on their way to…well, I have no idea where they were going.

 

 

I watched a couple buses pass by, having no idea which direction Vitalik would come from I looked up the street and down the street, probably looking like a paranoid crackhead making sure the coast was clear. Eventually Vitalik came up, we said hi, and we began our walk. This was my first real walk through town so once again I looked like a crazed tourist as I was gawking at everything that looked different than what I was used to in the States (which was about 99% of everything in front of, beside, and behind me). The first thing I noticed was a small magazine shack…except instead of magazines they were selling beer, soda, snacks. Well then…ok! We got to the main street and continued on our journey, across the river (a river that I would come to love and is the subject of many photos that I took) and then made our way through a small open air market. This too was a new phenomenon for me…not just in the sense of an open air market (I’ve seen those both in the US and abroad on travels) but more of what was being sold (camouflage clothing seemed to be a big item there, fish right out in the walkway, clothes, produce, etc) but also in the sense that what I was used to as an American was not the case here. People have a purpose there, there’s no meandering, no pondering, and no personal space. It’s in to grab what you want, pay, and you’re on your way. I came to realize that people weren’t being rude when bumping into me or squeezing in front of me to get something because, well because they had something to do and I was just standing there.

 

After Vitalik and I made our way through the market it was then back down the street that was so dark the night before. I could now see there were apartments to the left and to the right. Old Eastern Bloc style apartments of course. Trees everywhere. They were obviously old and looked to have been neglected for a while, but it was also neat to see kids running around playing soccer (it would take me just one more day or so to start calling it football like the rest of the world). Back down the narrow path we walked on last night in the dark…you could now see a beautiful countryside with gardens and old cottages everywhere. Beautiful…absolutely beautiful.

 

 

Vitalik and I finally ended up at his grandmother’s house. Inside we were greeted by Larisa, her mom, a couple of her sisters and baby Max. I sat down, my brain still taking in and digesting everything I saw. Everyone there was so accommodating…I think everyone (aside from Max) must have asked if I wanted anything to eat or drink at least three or four times. I did give in and have a coffee as my body was still saying “hey Chia, what the hell is going on? They day says late morning but you should be in a bed sleeping” plus I hadn’t eaten anything yet so I was already feeling a bit out of it (on top of my wonderment of what I’ve seen in my quick walk). One of Larisa’s sisters made me coffee…coffee unlike anything I’ve seen before. It was…dark. Very dark. Yet sweet. And coffee grounds in the bottom. I would later learn that this was Turkish coffee but for the time being I was shocked and amazed…and absolutely delighted as to what I was drinking. It was in a cup that most Americans would consider absolutely tiny as I think we may be the only nation in the world that thinks we need to get coffee in a 22 oz cup.

While drinking this lovely new concoction I was having short conversations with various family members through Larisa. They were actually surprised that I had walked from my hotel over to the house. It was perhaps a 30 minute walk…nothing new to me as I tend to walk as much as possible anyway in my normal life. I even chuckled a bit when they said I’m not a “typical American” because of the walking I did. Looks like we Americans have that image of doing nothing but sitting in our cars even in the tiny towns of Ukraine. Oh boy!

Alas…I’m noticing this post is already rather long and I haven’t even made it to lunch yet. Oh my! At this rate I figure each day in Ukraine will require two posts to convey the sights, the thoughts, the feelings that I encountered while there. Fair enough…I don’t want to short-change anyone!

 

THOUGHTS

• Everyone made me feel so very welcome and at home. Here I am, a stranger (from a strange land) “invading” their house and daily lives but I was immediately accepted as one of them. I felt that from the very first moment I met the entire family.
• Did I see hops growing along the side of the road while walking to Grandma’s house? I did! The beer dork that I am got totally giddy seeing hops growing along the guard rail on the bridge, along a fence down the path, etc. It’s the little things that make me happy.
• Seeing a MiG-21 displayed right there along the river was pretty neat. Funny to see these displays of power from a long-ago age of a cold war still on display.