Saturday, July 22, 2017

Same Old Song and Dance (edited)

Surprisingly decent airplane food. Well, most of it.
     It's that same old feeling again. Cramped quarters, cabin air, airplane food, and shared experience that makes traveling with friends so interesting.

     We're off and running. Most of us though are running on three hours of sleep or less. Myself included. As I write this (or rather beginning to), I'm sitting in the Warsaw Chopin Airport in Poland in a quiet lounge with airplanes unloading outside my window. But that's almost not enough to keep me awake. I'll need some serious sleep once this day is over. And it's not even half-done yet.
     Rewinding a little, I should talk about the team a bit. My church, Covenant OPC in Reading, PA, partnered with Emmanuel Presbyterian out of Wilmington, DE, to teach English at the X-Way Sandcastles camp in Kiev this year. Four people from each church joined in. They are variously scattered around me either sleeping or keeping occupied until our second flight comes in. I believe that we'll really gel as a team and come together well on this trip. If our meetings and first meal on this trip are any indication, it shouldn't be hard.
     Warsaw is only a stop along the way to Kiev. It's a welcome one too. I'm not sure I could handle another non-stop flight. After touch-down, I've got a feeling it'll be a while before we can really relax. Acclimating to the local time-zone is generally best done by staying up until the local bedtime. Sightseeing will likely be the order of the day until then.
     This routine of airports and security and passports is old-hat to me. I've done this plenty of times before. But this time I've got a team of my own in tow. That'll certainly throw a few more interesting kinks into the mix. But so far, so good. Things will take off quickly after tomorrow. Church in the morning, some more sightseeing, then final prep for camp. Then the craziness begins.
     I may update this as we go through the day. Or just a few words before bed. But for now, I've gotta get my team to our next flight. See you in the next post.

Edited 7/22/17 @ 17:45
Most of our team, Ukrainian and American, on the bus.
     Well, we made it. We're finally on the ground in Kiev. It's down time at the moment but we're recharging and getting ready for a small night out.
     The team all made it safely though security except for a small hiccup, Aijalon left his phone on the plane. He did eventually get it back. We got out of the airport about an hour late after the phone situation and exchanging money. It'll be fine though. We're learning to be flexible.
     For me, the ride into the city from Borispil airport felt kind of like coming home. It's been almost ten full months since I last set foot in Ukraine. Ten months of American life really made me happy to see familiar sights here again. The Rodina Mat, marshrukas, Novus and other things. On top of that, I got to see friends from before waiting for us as we walked out of the security zone at the airport.
     Right now we're resting in our digs for the weekend. It's a hotel (with air conditioning!) on the western side of the city. The beds are comfortable, the linens are clean, the view is great and we've got a few minutes to just sit still. Later we're going out on the town for some dinner and to show the newbies (Aijalon and the Emmanuel team) around Kiev. That should be fun. To my eyes, it'll all be familiar. But I'd like to see how they look at the city.
     It's time to head out now so I'll sign off here. Have a good weekend and look for the next post in a day or so.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the update and the pictures!! Glad you all made it safely!! We continue to pray for the entire team and the Ukrainian students who will be coming to camp. Thanks to all for serving!!

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  2. Thanks again Brian for your updates. These are always very helpful. Love the photos.

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  3. So good to hear from you. Keep up the good work, Brian. And don't feel like you need to do all the work as far as updates. Make others chime in, too!

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  4. Thanks for the update. Tie Aijalon's phone around his neck. :)

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