We finally found internet!

Monday, May 07, 2007 (Ukraine time)

We made it to Kiev, Ukraine at 10:00 Sat. May 5. That was about 2 am CST so it was the middle of the night for us. We are still trying to switch our body clocks. Morgan and I got a bit of reading done for several hours in the middle of the night because we couldn’t sleep.
Our interpreter (Dima) met us at the airport and we got to our apartment around noon. It is a spacious apartment and has most of what we need. This picture is of the girls in our kitchen. It has a nice bathroom with modern plumbing and hot (fluctuating) shower. Modern plumbing was a prayer request but I guess I should have prayed for heat. The govt. controls the heat for the city and it is turned off. We got extra blankets so the sleeping is cozy and we wear all our layers during the day. We have a little glassed-in balcony that gets really nice when the sun shines. I am praying for more sun!

We took a nap on Saturday and then ventured out to find water, food, and supplies. After striking out several times, I felt like I was on Survivor and just needed water. We did come home with that and Sprite! They sell water here “with or without gas” (carbonation). Luckily Jon knew that from his previous trip and knew to look for the bottled water with no bubbles pictured on the label. We sat down to a meal of beef jerky and Sprite. We did bring some Nutrigrain bars, jerky, protein bars, and a few other prepackaged items along. It was a lot to carry but doesn’t look like much now. Especially the jerky.

Sunday morning we really struggled getting up. We couldn’t sleep much until about 6 am which coincided with bedtime at home. We headed out after lunch to again look for a place to eat and an internet café. We did find a pizza place about 2 blocks away that has their menu in English also!! The waitress couldn’t speak it but another patron at the next table jumped in to help. She said lots of people around here speak English. We just hadn’t found any yet! We had asked quite a few people (well, pointed in the Russian/English translation book at the question) where an internet café was and had struck out.

Each time we come home we sit down and look for words and phrases in Russian to learn before our next trip out. I am trying to get Amber and Morgan to learn them since they have better memories. Amber has a good memory and practiced Russian words with Lienna late into the night when she was at our home. So I am hoping she will step up. Of course, being a woman, I am the one who is asking the directions so am most frustrated with not knowing the language and trying to pronounce the words. After yesterday, I have no more dreams of being on the Amazing Race!

Today we met an American living in Kiev who was hosting her parents for a couple weeks. She was very helpful in guiding us to free internet after we had spent another couple more hours looking and asking with no luck. We can now sit in the lobby of the Radisson and have free wireless internet. The drawback is that only one person can be on the internet at a time and so it gets boring for the others. I also wonder how long they will let us four travelers hang out in the lobby of such a nice hotel.

We have walked a great deal and are now glad to know this internet is right near our apartment. We are happy!