Mir Hotel Kiev

We are here finally! Yay! We have had quite the experience already! When we got off the plane we had to fill out our paperwork for customs and wait in line. While we were waiting in line we saw a man holding a sign that said, "Scott and Lauren Posendek". We waved to him and he said something to the customs officers and got us to the front of the line at customs so we could get through. We got all of ...

... A priest? was throwing holy water at the crowd. Lancie and I went in the church and they were having a nice service. Again it was jam packed-standing room only. There was lots of singing. Later we walked across the street to the city's botanical gardens. It was more lie a city park, though.

... two middle aged Ukrainian women. They helped us confirm our cabin and even put my pillow in its pillow case when they decided I was inept. The scratchy blankets looked like they had probably been washed sometime in the 50s as well. The bathroom on the train was also an adventure. It is completely gray and water (hopefully water) is everywhere. It was extremely hot on board and of course the windows were not opened. Ukrainians have a fear of drafts and breezes ...

... with me to the train station, made for interesting conversation, very friendly, and then after calling my bank i got told well cause of the new chip not all machines accept it cause its so new, well, thats a help! Not, anyways, she made sure my accounts were all correct and such, anyways, i had to try more bank machines and found one that finally took my card and gave me money. So, with that all figured out i could enjoy what was around ...

... Tom Luben, to be stationed th**e. "We told them we w**e going to Tom Luben's site," Gilmour said. "They knew wh**e we w**e going. You have to fill out an itin**ary." Luben, who declined to be int**viewed, was stationed in Agua Fria, a remote village of a dozen or so families. Though the village is only about eight miles down the coast from the popular tourist beach of El Cuco, the only way in is a narrow dirt road litt**ed with holes and large rocks; along the road, men ...

... Am looking into many different options to spend the next year. Started thinking Thailand was calling me, but am leaning more toward Oman, Jordan, Dubai and Singapore with the intent of making some money first and then possibly touring Asia on the way home - obviously I am dreaming big, but... The gas wars with Russia seem to have quieted here. The weather has been mild considering it is January - now we are in the mid-thirties and there is no ...

... and another beating on the door. "Passports!" the lady was very manly with shockingly fake red hair and very long nails painted in pinto green. She was very gruff but the man behind her in camos and a gun on his waist was what unnerved me. I had left my passport out because I knew this was coming soon so I was the first to give her my documents. "Where?" she snapped at me. "Kiev then Odessa" I responded and she just ...

... color (all Ukrainian women dye their hair - no grey allowed) would be something useful to me on my next Ukrainian adventure. So... my hair is now dark auburn with much red highlighting. I also got a wild (and beautiful) manicure from Lia, my 19 year old Ukrainian daughter. This family has entirely made up for what the Peace Corps lacked: compassion, trust, inspiration and hope for a better future for Ukraine. I leave them with much love and trust that ...

Arno writing: I ate lunch at McDonalds today. If you want a combo you say for example "Big Mac Menu". Most of the workers know some English though. Today we went to our appointment to see what children were available for adoption. We met with a psychologist and translator. They asked us what age children we were interested in. They showed us several children and some had health issues. Even though Lancie ...

Ukraine wählt schon wied**, und ich bin schon wied** in Kiew. Am heutigen Freitag marschi**en die **sten Kolonnen durch Kiew, zur Probe. Üb**morgen wird das neue Parlament gewählt, und es geht, wie imm**, um alles od** nichts. D** amti**ende Minist**präsident Janukowitsch, Marionette des Ost-Klans mit kriminellem Hint**grund, will um jeden Preis in seinem Amt bleiben. Seine Mehrheit ist ab** alles and**e als gesich**t, und seine Partei arbeitet schon an einem ...