We took the night train to Kiev on Monday night. I much prefer it to the day train. Still, it is quite an experience. George bought tickets at our arrival. Apparently there were no tickets. But Constantine knew someone. “Me, mafia,” He likes to say. Our train left at 11:23. Natashia and I were busy looking at pictures when it pulled up. People began running in every direction. Dave asked if we shouldn’t be running, too. But Natashia didn’t seem worried so I didn’t either. Come to find out, George told her not to. He said our car would pull up to where we were standing. Not so. There are no last calls with the train. You’re either on or you’re not. And frankly, they don’t give a flying hoot. So we grabbed our luggage and ran. Natashia asked a stewardess how close our car was. She told us we better run faster. Insert Indiana Jones music.

On the train you can either sleep in the common area or you can pay more for a booth containing four bunks. Natashia told us some stories about the common area. One time a drunk man above her rolled out of bed and cut open his head. Thankfully we had a booth, a little less entertaining.

The fourth bunk in our booth went to a businessman. This is a common and popular way to travel. Not a bad way to go either. What’s better than being gently rocked to sleep {with occasional sways and jerks giving you the feeling the train has run off the tracks, but you get used to it}. Although, the aroma is a little more pungent, as it always seems to be here and the bathroom is something you want to avoid. Back to the businessman… He was very polite and very silent. Dave was quite surprised when he stripped in front of me to put his pajamas on. Thankfully I was absorbed in my book and didn’t notice.

Dave was concerned we would sleep through our stop. But that was unnecessary. About an hour before you need to get off someone throws open the door and loudly tells you to get up.

Irina met us and we spent a couple of hours at the nearby McDonalds filling out paperwork for the embassy. McDonalds is always packed. Even though they don’t serve breakfast and it’s seven in the morning. But no one there seemed to have a problem with eating a Big Mac at that hour.

Dave and I were on our own at the embassy. I wish we had taken a picture. There was a large crowd of people waiting. Natashia said it is always like this. You can apply for an appt and they will give you a date to come. But you still have to wait in line. She says sometimes you wait for half a day and sometimes you wait all day and have to come back the next. Then they can look you over once and deny you without even an interview or a reason. We were sent right in. I guess because we are Americans. We filled out documents and waited, as usual. There was another couple doing an adoption and two men with fiancés trying to get a visa. Dave thought it was funny that the men, obviously wealthy, were twice the age of the women, both blondes. A win-win situation, he said. Natashia told us later this is very common here. After a couple of hours there we were off to the attorney to sign more papers and to get a power of attorney.

At the subway station

Natashia and her roommate, Lena {also a translator}, were kind enough to let us spend the afternoon at their place. The apartments are similar to where we are now but the grounds are much cleaner. We rode the subway from downtown to their apartment on the other side of the river. After that experience I think I can more fully appreciate the feeling of an animal trapped in a stampede.

After a much needed rest we headed back downtown to meet the Soderberg’s. Kiev is beautiful right now. It’s funny how impressions can change after increased experience, ie staying in Dniprozherzhinsk. And after all, it is spring. The trees and tulips are blooming and the weather is perfect.

The Soderberg’s, Lena {their translator} and I took the night train back to the lovely Dniprodzerzhinsk. We were leaving at eleven again and Dave’s flight was scheduled to leave the next morning at 5:30. So after dropping us off at the train station Irina and Natashia would drop him of at the airport. I’m anxious to find out how his night in the airport was. It is a little scary, to say the least.

This time Lena and I shared a booth with two businessmen. They were not so quiet. They were boisterous but friendly. Lena said we were very lucky. I slept much better this time.

I had forgotten my first reaction to this town until Leslie asked if these apartment building were inhabited. I remembering thinking that we must be in the slums. When walking down the main streets you see beautiful women, dressed to the hilt, and nicely dressed men {it surprising to me that such people can carry such and odor.} It was interesting to find out that these men and women live in these apartments. They are just different living standards than we are used to.

Ok, here’s my philosophical side again. So tune out if you’re not interested. Today I was listening to a BYU devotional given by Arthur Brooks called, “Why Giving Matters.” He said that people who give are more prosperous, statistically. He talked of the importance of giving and the resulting happiness. At one point he said that when governments take upon themselves the responsibility of eliminating poverty the country invariable deteriorates, they are no longer prosper. {If you want his exact words you can find the talk at BYU Speeches online.} This man is an economist, so he was speaking not just theoretically but statistically. This has been fascinating for me to consider as I am living in a country trying to break free of the effects of a communistic government in the past and a socialistic one now.

Car garages

My day was pretty quiet and uneventful. I took the girls on our usual outing to the store. They did much better today with their allotted gryvnas. I gave them each six; Karina a five and a one and Liuba some smaller bills. Karina was very upset by this. She could not understand that although Liuba had more bills they had the same amount of money. She wanted Liuba to give some back to me and even cried. I hope in the end she understood.