Ukraine in the Membrane

 
 
 
Ukraine in Numbers:
 
Times I showered: 12
Meals with rice: 5
Meals with potatoes: 10
Meals with pasta: 8
Number of KFC’s spotted: 0 (sad day)
Cups of tea: 4  (Obviously no longer in Ireland)
Cups of coffee: 32 (Have I mentioned that L’Viv is known for it’s coffee shops?)
Number of bananas I ate: 13
Number of times I ate New York Pizza: 9
Number of times I heard the phrase “Shalom, Y’all!”: 22

New food I tried and LOVED: vereniki, avocado, nectarines, pineapple on pizza
New food I tried and would love to never have again: borscht (Too bad Moldovans loved borscht, too. Hooray.)
 
Advice for future racers in L’Viv/ Ukraine:
 
1.     Learn some basic language:
–       Dobriy dane – Good day
–       Dyakuyu – Thank you
–       Piersic – peaches
Ok… So that’s basically all I learned, but trust me… I tried! The Ukrainian language is hard to speak and even harder to read. Their alphabet was created by a monk who mixed together a bunch of alphabets to make this one. My Ukrainian friends: Thanks for your patience with us and with our pitiful pronunciations. 🙂
 
2.     Visit our friends at New York Pizza. You can get a decent sized pizza and a cold Coke for around 4 USD.
 
3.     Try the vereniki. I only had potato vereniki and mushroom vereniki, but I’m pretty sure they would all be delicious.
 
4.     If you’re in L’Viv, visit Svit Kavy! It is the most fabulous coffee shop out there! You must order their signature ice cream! It is one scoop of vanilla gelato, one scoop of chocolate gelato, chopped nuts, melted chocolate, and coffee grounds. Trust me… AMAZING! (Also, if you want to order hot chocolate, make sure you order “Hot Cocoa”. Otherwise, you’ll get a cup of melted chocolate and a spoon. Delicious, but can be frustrating if it’s not what you were hoping for.)

 
5.     Make sure you meet our beautiful Blessing family (And give them a massive hug from me). They are definitely FULL of blessings.
 
Alright, that’s all for now! Ukraine was amazing, and the people we met were even better.  It’s been so wonderful to see how God outdoes Himself over and over again. He has blessed our team in so many ways, and we can’t wait to see what this month in Moldova has in store!

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Update: We have a financial deadline coming up in October. In order to stay on the mission field, we must have raised a minimum of $11,000. Again, thanks to your incredible support, I am almost fully funded with the entire $15,500 necessary for these 11 months. However, three of my beautiful teammates still need around $1,000 each in order to stay on the World Race. If you feel that God is laying it on your heart to donate toward their trip, please visit their blogs and meet these incredible women for yourselves. They are: Lindsay Burke (my wonderful team leader), Hannah Brents, and Mikala Wiegand. Thanks for everything! Love you all!