My day started with me getting up at 9am (just so you all know I am now 7 hours ahead of Maine.) and rolled out of bed and right into the kitchen for breakfast. I had some toast and a few clementines. Breakfast isn't the best here, but it could be a lot worse. Its not like I am expecting french toast or anything, just more fruit would be nice I guess.
After that I took my shower and got dressed and went out to get reacquainted with the city. I first stopped at the bank and took out 1,500 UHR which is about $190. I felt really rich at this point, we all know I'm not. I then went into a bookstore and bought a dictionary. I managed to tell the bookstore people that I didn't want a Russian dictionary in Ukrainian. Quite proud of myself for that.
I then started wondering around the city, but I started to get hungry and headed to catch the bus to the grocery store. I stumbled across a protest in one of the centers and grabbed my camera out of my bag and started shooting. I went right to the front and got as close to the action as possible, my mother is probably cringing right now as she reads this. It was a peaceful protest by the way. I went and asked some of the people who were running the protest who were about my age what was going on and they explained that a new tax law went into affect in January and it is making it very hard for small businesses and they want to law repealed. I then went back to my photographing and I started chanting with them when I could understand what they were saying and a woman who was part of the protest stopped me and asked if I could e-mail the photos to them. I said of course and ended up talking with these people some more and got my picture taken holding the Ukrainian flag. My arm band to join the Ukrainian revolution should be arrive in the mail any day now.
The rally ended and I went off to catch the small bus to the grocery store. I was probably in there for a good hour. There is so much to see and most of it is written in Ukrainian. I stood trying to find the right water for probably a good three minuets. You see the Ukrainians like the water with bubbles in it a lot and its hard to find still water. I stood there shaking bottles to see if bubbles appeared. I choose right in the end and good thing I did for paying $1.50 for 6 liters. I ended up with some fruit, yogurt, turkey, a chunk of cheese, some ramin noodles (Just incase), bread, juice, tea, sour kraut, and frozen broccoli. I then went to the check out and as the lady rang everything up the total just kept going up and I was thinking Oh no I've gone and spend way too much. Yea I spent about $12 on all of that. Broke the bank on that trip to the store.
I then went to the bus stop and waited for mine. When I got on it was decently full. At every stop more and more people kept getting on and it was getting ridiculous as I am standing there trying to hold my bag, all my food and my six liters of water. When the bus would make a sudden movement and I should have moved I didn't, it was that packed. I could not wait for my stop to come. They do have a cool system though where you pass your money up to the bus driver from person to person and now one takes it. Would this happen in America? Probably not.
I then walked to my hostel and made a sandwich for lunch out of the bread, turkey, cheese and sour kraut. It was ok, nothing to write home about. I then spent some time talking with some of my hostel mates. I'm pretty much the baby here and one of the only girls, so the big brother syndrome is happening.
I went for a late afternoon walk around the University, through a park and then some of Lviv. I ended up stopping for tea and pastries at a place I had been before. The tea was fantastic. It was presweetened and had lemon in it as well. I got a little chocolate cake and what I thought was a fried dough type thing. It was like a huge fried meat dumpling masquerading as something tasty. Huge let down.
I then came back to my hostel and chilled for a bit and then made dinner and then hung out with two Aussie and a Canadian and talked about things. Mostly travel stuff of course.
Now it is time for me to go to sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment