In the hotel, downstairs for breakfast, I leave the restaurant to go back to my room as I left my belt pouch, credit cards, money, and passport there and don't remember locking the room. My mind is in a daze after maybe the best sleep I've gotten since leaving home and what I usually get when home: 9 hours.
My body is functioning well though as I run up and down the stairs to my third floor room. But not my mind as I was waiting in front of the elevator with a woman and deep in thought I failed to notice the elevator must have come as she suddenly was no longer there.
Earlier I had called the American to see about getting together to finish our conversation interrupted by the meeting at the orphanage and my going to look at apartments and I learned he already had found a home for the dog and lined up another orphanage to pursue his toy project.
One of my many concerns about this new teaching project is continuing my blog. Thus far I haven't told the people I interact with about my blog or mentioned their names as I want them to be anonymous and unaffected by anything I might write about them or have my thoughts and writing influenced by concerns for them and their reactions. At some point however my teaching colleagues and/or students will learn I'm writing a blog and may read it
I don't want to not talk about all these people and in particular I want to write about the American so I decide to show him what I've written so far before I publish as a test case to if this is going to cause problems.
She is headed to Tallinn, Estonia by bus, a two-day journey, but she will break it into 4 days and stop on the way. From her home in Eastern Ukraine close to the Russian border but in a safe area, she is traveling alone and we agree that it is a great way to travel as you meet and interact more with local people and learn and experience much more that way.
We go into a cafe which has two levels of identical stores where they sell an incredible selection of chocolate and the young woman mentions the health benefits of the dark chocolate when I'm deciding what to buy for family back home. I would mention that here but then it won't be a surprise. Whoops.We then go up to the cafe room on the fourth floor to talk and as we do I tell the American of my concerns about blogging about him and the others I have met and will be interacting with. He says it's no problem, he never reads blogs, but I have him read it anyway. He does and indicates its OK like "whatever" and I am relieved that I can continue blogging which has become a big part of my life and influences and drives my "adventures"
He shows me some of the other projects he is working on, the websites he has developed on the Internet. Wind and water driven turbines which in answer to my question he thinks could be used to generate power for my cottage in Nova Scotia (it has a powerful brook running by it) where the cost of electricity (which heats my house) has grown exorbitantly.
We discuss an American program to supply used computers and other discarded equipment for use here in Ukraine where there is a desperate need for such. The program is going to be shut down and I volunteer to go to the embassy while I'm in Kiev where I'm heading today to lobby for its continuance.
He indicates he is going to fill up my time with all kinds of projects. I indicate he'll find me a very difficult "employee" and will fire me even before I quit. At this point in life I'm not looking for more to do, or for in any way losing my independence or being accountable to others (including the teaching project) so want to make this clear. He disputes the "employee" word and doubts he would "fire" me.
As attractive as his projects are I have a number (far less than he) of my own that I don't want to sacrifice for his. Fortunately, I am selfish enough that this is not a serious risk,
Most amazingly, he shows me a whole curriculum of Ted talks which he has designed, the concept for which, I had discussed with the professor and thought had evolved from our discussion. As I had agreed to find some Ted talks to discuss with the students and review these with the professor before I returned to teach I am delighted that this assignment is already completed. My plan is to start off in any way they suggest and then alter to my own ideas after I get a safe start.
I have a number of ideas of my own as to how to learn a new language which I am developing as I pursue learning Ukrainian. Teaching these students could be a terrific laboratory for testing and evolving my ideas which is one of the attractions for taking on this project.
Also joining us at the cafe is a woman who graduated from the music school in Lviv. She is a pianist but has moved on to working with "orphanages". Questioning how it can be that the "orphans" here have parents visiting them I learn that many are "civil orphans" a status acquired due to their families being unable to take care of them due to economic circumstances or the orphan's medical condition so that it becomes the responsibility of the state to take care of them.
I tell the "pianist" that I attended the symphony for a second time last night she asks how it was. And I respond that it was wonderful with a conductor from Azerbaijan who was enthusiastically acclaimed in the small so-intimate (we all agree) concert hall so much smaller than the large grand opera hall.
At the hotel I get my stuff and set out for a taxi to take me to the train station. The hotel guy would get me one for 800 hrvnias but by walking my wheelie bag 2 blocks over the cobblestones in the square I am able to get a taxi for 50 hryvnia, around $2.50.
Taxis were not able to be found in the square in front my hotel because of some crazy auto event I witnessed from my balcony.
Never a dull moment here in Lviv!
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