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What did you do this week (and weekend)?
As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their week. Did you accomplish any goals? Suffer a failure? Do nothing at all? Tell us about it!
I am a bit late to the topic but also this may be a bit crazy for some people, but I have spent the past 7 days in Ukraine, specifically between Lviv and Ternopil. I flew from Sam Francisco to Zurich to Warsaw to Rzeszow. Stayed overnight in Rzeszow then took the train to Przemyśl then boarded the train to Lviv. Overall, a long two days of travel but very quick.
The moment I unpacked my bags in Lviv, an air sirens went off, so I got a taste of Ukrainian life pretty quickly. Of course, I went to the shelter in my hotel and was the only one who actually went down there. I stayed for the entire hour. I met someone after the alarm and got a quick tour of the city across two days. This weekend, I traveled on an old Soviet-era train to Ternopil and met another friend and her friends. Very fun day as I spent the day going to different restaurants, walking around the lake and city, and having drinks with Ukrainians in a Mexican restaurant. The next day, I walked alone since my friends were at work. Scary part was an air sirens went off when I was very far away from any buildings and I wasn't sure where to go or what to do. No one else was concerned about the danger so I spent my time sitting outside watching the sky. Saw nothing. I returned to Lviv that day.
Then today I spent time with a friend all day and bought a Ukrainian vyshyvanka, which I think I look quite dazzling in!) Long air sirens today though as I went to the shelter twice. Nothing happened here but there were apparently explosions in Ternopil.
Tomorrow I take the bus direct to Warsaw where I will stay the night and return to the US on Wednesday. I am deeply saddened and feel like I am leaving a part of myself behind on this trip. I feel relatively safe and comfortable being here, and it has been a great opportunity for me to reinforce my love of the Ukrainian language and make my love of this country stronger.
I will return here soon.
You're trip sounds so interesting! I'm always eager to get first hand experience of cultural or historic events and this conflict will definitely be one of them. What drew you to going? Did you have any experience or tie with Ukraine before your trip?
I have been talking to people in Ukraine for 4-5 months now, and taking tutoring sessions with someone in Kyiv for about 50-60 hours since August. It is definitely surreal to be here these days and to see their response to the danger. I think at this point they feel if they have to stop what they are doing, then the Russians have beat them.
Since I have been learning the language and following the country very closely since February, I knew I wanted to visit here more than any other place. The only experience or tie that I had was the people I have met these past few months.
To be honest this is only my second international trip (last one was nearly 10 years ago) and this was my first solo international trip. Very few people know where I am but I made sure my itinerary was available to those people. Most other people think I am in Poland.
That is so exciting and brave! It's amazing how a place can really capture the imagine and heart in such a short period of time. I'm glad you had a fantastic trip and really appreciate you sharing it with us here.
Wow, thanks for sharing!
I bike camped along the Greenbrier River Trail (West Virginia) with a few folks from the bike camping meetup I run. Total mileage between Friday, Saturday, and Sunday ended up being 105.7 miles (~170 km). Had a blast, and the scenery was absolutely beautiful.
I drove 14hrs out to Bozeman MT to do some hiking and climbing before it gets too cold. Though I'll probably have to go again for snowboarding later this winter! It's an ordeal on my body to drive so much and be active all weekend too, but the adventure fills my soul.