Here are some of my memories from Month 6: Ukraine …
Not being able to understand the language at all
The Ukrainian and Russian languages have quite a different alphabet compared to English. When I tried to read signs, labels, etc. or listen to conversations, I felt like I was trying to read and listen to Chinese. It was a bit frustrating.
If it weren't for the McDonald's sign, you would never know
We can’t avoid an arctic shower!
It seems that we will experience cold/arctic showers every month of The Race, regardless of the presence of hot water heaters. The lodge showers were controlled by electricity, so when the power went out, we lost hot water for a couple days. But, praise God, we had hot showers and good water pressure for most of the month!
Living in a cozy loft in the camp lodge
For the first half of the month, we lived in a room with a loft (we called it “the cave” because there were no windows). It was incredibly cozy and peaceful, quite unlike our prior four months of lodging. We had Ikea-brand beds, nice mattresses, Target-brand sheet sets, and nice bath towels. We had A/C, ceiling lights and lamps, and electrical outlets in our room; these are World Race blessings! For the second half of the month, we moved to a normal room with 6 bunk beds and a normal twin bed … still cozy, but not quite the same.
The loft where Emily, Katie W., and I slept
Our second room with bunks
Living in a beautiful village (Kolentsi near the town of Ivankiv)
We lived in the countryside of Ukraine, which means, it was absolutely beautiful. To one side of the camp property were pine tree forests, to another, small sand dunes, to another, humble village homes, and to another, rolling countryside and buttercup fields. It was so charming and peaceful. FYI: Interesting fact about Ivankiv … it is the last major inhabited town outside the Chernobyl fallout zone.
Blessing Sergei and his wife, Sveta
Sergei is one of two Russians who maintain the camp property and buildings. Sergei is a humble, hard-working man who serves well. Andrew decided to have some of us from the World Race team and Abilene team bless Sergei’s property while others were working on the camp property. Over the course of a couple days, we expanded one of his gardens, dug a long trench to connect running water from the camp to Sergei’s home, and built an outside dining room, outdoor shower, and a new wood shed. We also put on a baby shower with the Abilene group for Sveta; she is due with their first baby by the end of the year!
The trench from the camp property to Sergei's home
The baby shower for Sergei and Sveta
Having normal American meals from Jenny
Whenever Jenny, Andrew’s wife, cooked for us, we were fed well. Chicken Caesar salad, red wine marinated chicken, sweet and sour chicken, and baked ziti were a few of the meals she cooked for my team. She also homemade quite a few desserts: brownies, cheesecake, and pies. It was also nice to be able to eat fresh fruits and veggies and have salads without worrying about a raging parasite infection a week later.
Pork chops, cornbread, and salad
Hannah Bashor – World Race alum
When we arrived in Kiev to be picked up by our ministry contact at the beginning of month 5, we were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by Hannah, a former World Racer. She spent one of her World Race months in Ivankiv, and after coming home from The Race, God called her back to Andrew’s ministry to serve for three months. It was so cool to hear some of her World Race stories and receive some of her God-given wisdom and insight.
me, Hannah, and Katie W.
Being around energetic American college students – culture shock!
This month I met more American college students than I could have possibly imagined. We met 27 students from the Abilene Church of Christ group and six others who came to serve as summer interns. I didn’t realize what a culture shock it was to be around so many Americans after being gone for just five months.
The Abilene, TX group, the Kelly family, and my World Race team
Humongous, blood-thirsty mosquitoes
Everyone talks about the mosquitoes in Africa and Asia, but I had no idea how bad they were in Ukraine. They are like Stealth bombers and attack the second you walk outside. I have never had welts that big from mosquito bites.
Emily got completely eaten up
Stale bread products regardless of packaging and date of expiration
The following conversation with Andrew says it all:
Andrew: “Are there any cookies left in the pantry to serve tonight?”
Julie: “There is a huge box, but they are pretty stale.”
Andrew: “You mean actually stale or Ukrainian stale?”
Julie: “Uhh, what do mean?”
Andrew: “Ukrainians don’t know how to make bread products.”
Julie: “Oh. Interesting.”
