Friday/Saturday

     I've finally had a chance to sit down for long enough to write out some things we've been doing. Yesterday wasn't very busy but it was a lot of fun. But Saturday was very busy. It took a while for me to be able to sit down, relax and think through all the things I wanted to say in this post. And for the first time, I have a guest writer. Since my mom is here, she'll be adding some of her thoughts here. I'll put her words in italics so you can see what she wrote.

My mom and Sasha.

     After my mom got in on Thursday, we rode back into town and went to the Eide's house for dinner. We got very lucky with the timing. Ten minutes later and I'd have had to try and get us there another way.  Brian did a great job with travel arrangements.  It's not as easy as it is in America to get home from the airport.  We took a bus ride, then walked through a train station (where we were in 2003) to the metro, rode the metro and walked out to where we were going to be picked up.  All of this while carrying a back pack and toting a 50 pound suitcase!  As it was, Tracy Eide was able to pick us up right at Nyvky. We had a very good dinner (pilaf) and time to talk. But thanks to the long day of traveling, mom and I needed to go back so she could get some sleep.  It was wonderful to spend time with the Eides.  They have been a blessing to Brian and a source of help with many different issues.  Jon Eide took us back to my apartment and I got my mom settled in.
     Friday wasn't really planned out ahead of time. But it worked out well. The night before, I got a phone call about a game night for Friday evening. Before that, though, we'd have to fill about eight hours. My mom wanted to go see where I do my grocery shopping. So I took her up the road to Silpo. That was in the middle of the snow storm she brought with her. Same as my dad, when they visit in the winter I get snow. Not that I'm complaining. I like snow.   I really enjoyed seeing where Brian shops.  It was a small grocery store but with all the usual amenities.  It was very busy, which surprised me.  Security is tight, too, with anti-theft devices on certain foods, security personnel and the sensors that you walk through when you leave the store.  We also had to walk (run) the gauntlet just outside the grocery store where there were individual merchants hawking their wares including 'fresh meat' including chicken sitting right out there next to the sidewalk.  Yum!!
     We had some time to relax and make sandwiches before our next thing which was a visit from a friend. She's going to the UK this weekend for a vacation so this was the last chance for her to see my mom. We had a good (but too short) time together. After that, mom and I watched an episode of Mythbusters. She took a nap before going up to meet the McLane family. We spent about two hours up there chatting. Mom was really glad to meet the people who've been such a blessing to me.  It really was a joy to meet the McLanes.  They were so hospitable and quickly felt like 'old' friends.  I am so thankful that the Lord has provided Brian with a support group of many different people.

     Unfortunately we had to leave there and head over to the office. Part of the English Walking group decided they wanted to do an English game night. We had a small group but a lot of fun. I taught everyone how to play Penny Hockey and we all enjoyed multiple rounds of Jenga, Uno, and Spot It. I like the Ukrainian version of Uno. Their house rules make it more active and interesting. You really have to pay attention. The two girls in the photo are from Monday night English, Vita and Yulia. Sasha (in the green hoodie) is the bassist for the worship band at Big City. And the two guys are brothers, Yuri on the left and Dima in the maroon. It looks like I might have to teach a master class on how to make Penny Hockey boards. It was a big success.
     For Saturday, I only had two things planned.  It was Brian's birthday but he wanted to surprise me! The details in between and after wore me out, though. In the morning, I had planned for us to meet up with two of my mom's friends from the English camps, Sasha and Alyona. We met at the Kiev Oceanarium on the left bank. It was a long ride over but we arrived nearly on time. We got to see all sorts of exotic fish and aquatic animals, including some very active stingrays and a pair of patriotic Ukrainian fish. It was hard to not touch the stingrays despite the signs.

     By the time we left the Oceanarium, it was lunch time. The four of us took the metro to the city center and walked to Pizza Veterano. I can say that the pizza is still excellent. We got two kinds, a meat pizza and a Hawaiian.  Pizza Veterano is a great little restaurant.  Brian wrote more about it in an earlier blog post.  The service and the pizza was excellent and it was quick too!
     People were starting to feel a little sleepy so we had to get up and move around. By move, I mean we went for a long walk. We went east along Kreshchatik to Maidan and then up the hill to St. Sophia's. The photo-buskers were out in force Saturday. Minions and all sorts of animals as well as pigeon wranglers all tried to get us to take photos with (and thus pay) them. Fortunately, we got through without too much trouble and went to our next location.
     Alyona heard that a children's toy exhibition was happening today. Turns out, it was more of an art-show/craft-show with a kids theme. But it was still fun. We got to see a Tesla coil demonstration. The owner even made it play music from the movie Gladiator.
     From the exhibition, we walked down part of St. Andrew's Descent and to a new part of the city. I didn't get a great explanation but that part of the city was newer but designed to look old. Some of it is old but it's been restored and painted. While walking through, we passed the church where the Ukrainian author Mikhaíl Bulgakov was baptized. That was an interesting bit of history because I'm reading his book The Master and Margarita right now. Or rather....I've been trying to read it for the past seven months. It's hard to take time to sit down and read it.  
     By that time, I was fully worn out and needed to go somewhere to sit down. So we decided that my mom and I would go back to my apartment.  I don't know what's wrong with these kids!  I still had energy to keep on going!!!
     Sasha and Alyona came over later for us all to have dinner together. I made fried rice and ham. It's turning into a bit of a specialty of mine.
     What I haven't mentioned yet is that Saturday was my birthday. I had more birthday wishes than I have received in years. Quite a few were so well thought out that I needed to say more than just "thanks" in reply. And it happened all day long. My phone kept making noise all day. I finally had to ignore it until I got back to the apartment and could sit down and answer everything.  Sasha and Alyona brought a birthday cake along for Brian (with 'Happy Birthday Brian' written on it in English).  Brian also opened all of his cards from his Covenant family.
     I am so thankful to have been able to spend this time in Ukraine with Brian and experience a small part of his life here. 
    I'll end it here. But for now, enjoy these other photos I took. These are from Saturday.

Ferrari's store is the best place to buy over-priced pencils and shirts in Kiev.

The cake and toy car kit that I had to put together. Both from Sasha and Alyona.