A day on the town and a tearful goodbye

Jordan and I spent the next day in L’vov but, having had enough excitement for a while, didn’t stray too far from the hotel. However, we did manage to eat at a Ukranian McDonald’s. see a parade of some kind of green and white fans, tour through the festival of L’viv, and make friends at a local café.

As it turns our, we are very good tippers. Firstly, we were generous even by Canadian standards. Secondly, I learned that tipping is not necessary in Ukraine and is done only for excellent service. Add some Canadian pins to that and no wonder the waitress was so happy with us. Whatever cultural norms we broke, I’m happy to have made her night. That smile was priceless!

Before we knew it, it was Sunday – time to find the airport. The plan was that Jordan would fly out of L’vov and that I would stay and wait for Brieanne.

We got a taxi early since we didn’t know how far away the airport was or how far in advance we needed to be there and because I didn’t want to miss Brieanne’s arrival. There ended up being no reason to fret because got to the tiny, two-roomed airport with plenty of time to spare. After hanging out for a couple hours and seeing our first Ukranian police officers in action, it was time for our good-bye.

I write “goodbye” not because it’s forever but because it felt like that. Ninety days is a very long time after spending most days together for the past four months and every hour together for the past week and a half. We grew together a lot over that time and I am thankful for that but it make this placement even more difficult. Even though I’m doing something I’ve always wanted to do and wondered if I could, I wished I could be experiencing the normal summer stuff with my friends, my family, and Jordan – or at leas that Jordan could be experiencing this with me. Travelling together was awesome and watching him leave was like finally realizing that I’m half a world away from the people I love.

Our Ukranian Journey

On Friday, we were up with the sun and made our way to the train station. I can’t thank Laura and Jasson enough for being such gracious hosts! I am very excited to return the favour at Christmas time! They both soot to wave goodbye at the train rolled away from Bucharest. Here begins the Ukranian journey.

The ride was interesting because neither Jordan nor I had happy stomaches/intestines. I am very glad to have brought my toilet paper and hand sanitizer since the train we were on was quite a bit less “frilly” than the ones in Canada. (According to Jordan, it was probably Russian and built in the ‘60s.) It did serve food though and, although we didn’t know it at the time, this was our first exposure to Eastern European style red borsche.

Among the characters we met were a Bulgarian duck judger (top of his country), and a eccentric Ukranian engineer, named Voldemere. The engineer must have drawn the sort straw because he ended up with Jordan and my stinky cabin. Strangely enough, he didn’t seem to mind. We talked together in broken English for most of the trip and told him of how we would be arriving in L’vov around midnight and weren’t sure where we were staying (we hadn’t had a chance to look up places to stay since we found out the train schedule). He seemed really concerned, which sent even more bells and whistles off in our heads as well. After more conversation, Voldemere ended up calling a friend to pick us up and take us to a hotel.

Now, I know this seems risky but our choices were to go wit this seemingly nice man’s fishing buddy or to fend for ourselves at midnight in L’vov (where we don’t happen to speak the language).

We were met in L’Vov by a heavy-set man with a beard and a limp. I was a bit frightened by his gruff appearance but, with emergency back-up plans in mind, we followed him to his car and driver. I kept my money and passport close and was ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.  Jordan, having remembered the description of ‘the man with the limp’ was a touch more comfortable but still uneasy – especially during the long, dark car ride down cobblestone roads.

It was difficult to communicate therefore difficult to build trust throughout the ride. (It’s amazing how important communication is to any relationship!) After the ride, we were left on a back street for a few moments while our escort found the entrance to our hotel. Believe me, we were watching that car and the surroundings like hawks!

A few minutes later, the man with the limp did find the hotel and we were welcomed to safety by a bit more broken English. This man turned out to be good and caring, even offering us his phone number incase we were in need. Yes, we safe but no, I don’t think either of us will allow ourselves to be in a situation like that again. We were very fortunate to have run into the people we did, to have struck up conversation, and to be Canadian. I learned to seek help from whatever resources I have and to always be open to building relationships with people. I thank Jordan for striking up that initial conversation with Voldemere and thank God for watching over us.

Back to Bucharesti

We were in such a rush to catch the last bus to Bucharest that I hadn’t had time to take a bathroom break. I really needed a washroom. Really bad.

After some failed attempts with shopkeepers and even the subway, I was getting anxious to say the least. (Don’t be too grossed out - I’m sure you know this feeling, when you’re actually afraid to laugh or even smile because you think you’re “gunna blow” . . .) Tie was running out so I pleaded with a server at a Romanian Thai food restaurant. He must have seen the desperation in my eyes because he broke store rules to let me go.

Those Canadian flags came in handy once more here as an appreciated thanks for access to the facilities. A couple other situations have also showed me that Canadians really are liked around the world. It’s nice to know we have friends in so many places – let’s keep it that way.

It was after the washroom fiasco that Laura picked us up for a quiet night of pizza, YouTube videos and quality time with their cat, Kiwi. I really like this style of travelling that is ore like visiting – sure we planned on seeing the sights but that was never the be-all, end-all of the trip.

The next day, our plan of sightseeing in Bucharest turned out more like a bathroom and bucket tour. To make a long storey short, Jordan spilled his cookies and I got to play homemaker by taking the opportunity to try to take care of him, do some laundry and check email. Let’s just say I’m new to this caretaking business, as I managed to offer him carpet cleaner instead of the blue Gatorade I was going for . . .  I felt so bad! Jordan survived though, and the laundry turned out just fine. I still got a bit of a tour, too, when Jasson and I went to the grocery store. According to him, the tour could be considered complete the moment I stepped in some dog poo. The dogs are everywhere and so are their remnants!

That night, we had a delicious dinner at Jasson’s favourite restaurant, Caru’cu Bere. This place has an atmosphere much like The Duke in Waterloo but is three floors big, serves marvelous dinner, and is complete with dancers – of the classy traditional Romanian variety. Caru’cu Bere is famous for its large quantities of beer (since it was once a beer museum), but Jordan and I, with our sensitive stomaches, stuck to lemonade. Jasson tackled the beer with ease and the German couchsurfing marathon runner next to us felt at home with his red wine.

When perusing the menue, my brain wanted something Romanian but my stomache was craving the 399 Midwood classic – baked beans. Thus, I was ecstatic to learn that pork n’ beans are an old Romanian staple. Horray!

Dinner was fantastic and Jordan managed to get some soup down. Our brested desert was also quite good.

The Treck to Scenai

On Wednesday, we began our trek to Senai. It was a really long, fun hike with feelings of amazement, nervousness, power and determination. I had a tougher time then Jordan but we both had our moments of frustration and weakness – also replaced by wonder at the remarkable landscape and plant life.

My favourite part still sits vividly in my memory. It is this one spot in the forest where our route kept going up and up and up. There was roughage – tree roots, rocks, snow, you name it – everywhere and we made our own way to the next trail marker. I could feel a nice burn in most of the muscles but it wasn’t enough to need to stop and instead fueled them with fresh mountain air.  It was exactly like I had imagined.

We took some great photos and reached a peak before expected. When I looked among the path and saw sky between the trees, I was convincer we were almost at the peak.  Once up there, however, we saw a very large valley and much more climbing to do.

You see, no one ever warned me that walking on a mountain is like riding a boat. In fact, it reminded me of kayaking from Pottahawk last year: the water is nondistinctive so it throws off our perception of distance as do the treeless fields and long hills of this trip. On the mountain, this portion of the hike was surprisingly longer than it looked.  I was pretty tired, cold and cranky by then but, since I really just get quiet when that happens, I didn’t complain much – I just bucked down and kept moving at my turtle-like pace.

When we made it to the top, we were greeted by approximately seven large dogs. Most were tied up though (thank goodness) so we made it safely to what would have been the place to catch the ferry down to the city of Scenai. However, it was cloudy (like an intense fog) and raining by then so the ferry was not operating. Thus began our journey to Scenai.

The walk down was also a challenge, but for another reason. On the straight-aways, we could see many trail markers but as soon as there came a fork in the road, our directions disappeared. Talk about choosing our own path! After some trial and error, we eventually made it down to the city and managed to get a ride to the bus stop. After a few hours and some questionable pizza, arrived in Bucharest.

(Forty) Five Minutes of Fame

Back at the hotel, I showered up and later braved the diva cup for the first time. For those who don’t know what that it, it’s a form of reusable feminine hygiene product (the link with more information is to your left). I like the idea because of its environmental implications and the possible convenience factor. Apparently it is also the most used and recommended product by female gynecologists (who would probably know a thing or two about that). However, I wouldn’t say I’m exactly diva material quite yet. Without getting into too many details, the set up was far too challenging for me to try again any time soon. It’s definitely a skill that I have not yet acquired. I’ve had my experience of stardom and would not like to repeat it for at least a couple years. When it comes to this strategy, the environment will have to wait . . .

The hills are alive

Up the mountains we went.

After going with Jasson and Laura for a quick hike to show them the view of the night before, we said goodbye to Villa Maria and headed for the hills – quite literally. To do so, our remarkable guides took us to a ferry up the mountain.

Just getting to the ferry was yet another cool experience. Since all the towns and villages around here are built into the mountain, we drove as far as possible and then parked the car to continue the trek to the ferry. ( I was convinced that there was some body of water we needed to cross because that has been my only experience of “ferries” but in this case, ferries are for the air – not water or land. ) On the way, we passed various street vendors, including someone selling fire-roasted corn on the cob. I didn’t get any but is sure looked good!

The ferry ride was awesome! Laura led the way, Jordan and I squished in with our large backpacks, and Jasson gripped a support beam for dear life. It was refreshing to see him – the entertainer and expert – out of his element (talk about always pushing your comfort zone). Well Jasson, we definitely appreciate it!

My head has been in the clouds before but never quite like this! It was about a ten minute ride up, over treetops and into the clouds. Imagine your first experience on a chair lift – then multiply it by at least ten times as the trees become specks and the village a blur of distant colour. This was my experience.

At the top, there was a damp chill in the thin air, air that was filled with cloud and the sound of wild dogs barking. We couldn’t see very far and we felt our of breath quickly (similar to the feeling after climbing up stairs when you’re sick and weak from a cold), but we made our way into the mountain nature reserve. Here we saw and climber huge smooth rock: placed and polished by glaciers years ago.

After exploring and taking some photos, we took refuge in the ferry shelter. Fresh honeycomb served as a delicious snack as we reviewed our route, plan and key phrases for the next few days. Jasson and Laura caught their last ferry down while Jordan and I set out for a place to camp.

We passed a hotel, a small church, a few campers and some Beware of Bear” signs before finding a place to settle. Our resting ground consisted of a flat area close to a creek and the forest, but only across a large field from a villa. We figured it was a safe enough place because we saw the remnants of a few previous campers’ (although in hindsight, I guess this could go either way . . . ).  For dinner, we made delicious pitas with salami, mushroom and tomato (freshly cleaned in cool mountain stream water). According to Laura, any clear, running water would be okay to drink so I figured it would be okay to wash veggies in. Both Jordan and I drank some of the water – mostly just because of the novelty of drinking out of a mountain spring – but I insisted on purifying most of it.

Be were both exhausted after dinner and a less than fruitful hunt for campfire wood so we ended up falling asleep really early (I remember it still being light outside). We woke up and talked a lot though – about school stuff and our ideas of all things.  It was nice to focus on something other than people in our lives and Beyond Borders (an opportunity that I am grateful for but which also comes with a lot of challenges). It is also very comforting to know that we are each so passionate about our studies that we teach each other and talk about it far, far away from school. I hope more people can find their passion as well.

Our conversation came to a sharp halt when Jordan thought he heard a bear. He simply stopped talking and I could feel his concern. We were both silent for a moment and then I quietly grabbed my whistle. I was afraid - even though bears usually become disinterested if you don’t move, or get scared away by a lot of noise. Mainly, my concern was that there is only one exit to the tent so we were out of luck it that’s where the bear was. (Plus, a bear has claws to make a who wherever it wants and we didn’t exactly have a knife handy.)  Also, it was dark and I didn’t have my contact lenses in or glasses on so I would not be able to see the bear, Jordan’s expression/gesture or even my escape route clearly.

After long moments of sitting in silence, Jordan took a look around the tent. He didn’t see anything so we figured we’d be okay. We had a couple more scares throughout the night but the barking of wild dogs felt like a protection. In the morning, we decided our scare was a false alarm – maybe other people walking or more dogs. Nonetheless, we hiked up to the hotel for the remainder of our stay on the mountain. The bear scare was part of this but so was the cold temperature and lack of food. Camping certainly helps one realize how important essentials such as warmth, shelter and nourishment are. I enjoy camping or a vacation but wonder what it would be like if that were home . . .

The walk to the hotel was beautiful, as was the 4-hour detour.

Unlike many of my own personal detours, this one was planned and not the result of getting lost or taking a “short-cut.” Instead of heading straight to the hotel, we used our precious daylight hours to check out a lake. On the way to the lake, though we found a cave so of course we checked that out too! We climber up to this tunnel of a cave, went in far enough for it to take a bit of a bend. It looked like the tunnel went a long way but we didn’t want to stray too far from the path. I’m not sure if it was imagination or instinct but I began to get a bad feeling about going any further so we got out of there.

 (With the reading I’ve done in my Beyond Borders classes and the preparations that have gone along with this journey, I can’t help but get a little bit philosophical here - we caught a glimpse of the cave but didn’t enter too far for fear of straying from the set path. There are new adventures and lessons to learn from leaving the beaten trail but that also means diving out of security and into the unknown. It’s a time for considering risks and gains and tradition plus guidance won out. Plus, that are many adventures and lessons on the path, too.)

The lake was a couple of bridges, bends and hills farther. It’s turquoise waters lay beautifully in a valley between two hills, calling for each hiker to take a dip. As tempted as I was, the air was cold and the water probably cooler so I refrained. After a few photos, Jordan and I headed for shelter.

It rained on the way back but that was okay – the temperature wasn’t too bad and the rain felt kind of nice. Plus, when it came down hard, it gave us an excuse to stop and rest. (Those packs take a bit of getting used to, especially for someone who spends a lot of her time studying back health!)

< Tip from the trail: Engage that core! It’s easier on the shoulders, a good strengthening exercise, and – once you learn to breathe with a tight core – a lot easier >

We made it to the hotel before dark and had enough time to get cleaned up before dinner closed. It was while Jordan was showering that I realized I had not really been alone just to think/read/write since my run on the morning I left Ontario. It was nice to just breathe and clean up a bit but I was good to go again before long. I thought I was a person who needed space but I’m realizing that I need people even more. People make me feel alive and motivated – they are my energy source and outlet.

Maybe it’s my passion for nutrition, maybe my desire to share my experiences and the influence of European culture, but whatever the case I’d just like to warn you that I will now be describing the details of dinner – so  skip this paragraph  if necessary. Mmmm.

For dinner, we had the restaurant to ourselves and a nice whole roasted chicken to eat – complete with the bone-breaking tools often served with lobster. We actually asked for lamb first but, when our waiter came back with a lemon instead, we figures chicken was a safer bet. For sides, we had bread (let’s just say it was a bit more solid than the bread from the farm), wine, a fried corn dish and were asked if we also wanted ‘chips’ (french fries). In eastern Europe, it’s popular to have meat with a side of carbs, carbs and carbs. Good thing I brought those delicious veggie bars! (Okay so they’re not exactly delicious – but the starving stray dog we fed one to managed to choke a piece down . . . and stopped begging for food.)

Dinner was great. Before we left the restaurant, I brought the waiter some Canadian pins and maple suckers. He was delighted and, in return, brought up peanuts and more wine, of the homemade variety. (Thank you Judy and Marvin!)

Even though we ended up making friends with the waiter, the next night wasn’t so great.

The first thing that went through my mind was the homemade wine, but I didn’t even have a full glass so that couldn’t be it . . . must be the altitude (1.5km), travel and my body doin’ its thing.

We had only planned on staying one night but since I wasn’t feeling up to par, we decided against going any higher. Besides, the hotel was cheap and a comfortable place to nurse back to health. By the afternoon, I managed to get up and hike up one of the smaller peaks with Jordan before dinner.

When I’m not feeling well, it takes some extra effort to climb the stairs and so, even though my cardio is pretty decent, I really felt the incline. I didn’t like being slow but Jordan had no problems waiting for me. When we made it to the top, we were both hungry so my habit of packing snacks came in handy. We had some trailmix and some of what you could call a protein shake but neither of us were hungry enough for one of those veggie bars (which tasted remarkably like tar). Even the dog we fed wasn’t too fond of it!

WE started our descent just in time. I realize my hand get really cold and white very quickly and that when I’m cold, tired and hungry, I tend to get tense – even if it’s at the top of a beautiful mountain. Part of this whole experience is about self discovery, and one of those discoveries is that I get quiet and then silently cranky even sometimes before I realize I’m uncomfortable. Seeing as Jordan realized this before I did, it must be a noticeable change from my norm – something I need to be aware of in Ukraine and something I am thankful for since it is an indicator of the way I project what I am thinking to those who are close to me.

Captain Underpants

We took a couple days to do the tourist thing – saw some castles 

(including Dracula’s), hit the market and ate lots of delicious food. There sure are a lot of sweets and cheese here!

I also found some really cool toys at one of the castles – they look like giant popsicle sticks attached by elastics to make an “X. When you through them with the flick of a wrist, they travel in a circle and return back to you like a Romanian Boomerang. What fun! I still need some practice as does one of the (other) children who bought one. His ended up over a barricade and in a forest. The boy’s dad was about to life the boy up and over the barricade by jus the waist of his pants when Jordan swooped in to the rescue.

It was like a slow motion tragedy scene: the toy scarcely missed a vehicle and flew up and over the barricade. After evaluating the situation, the man slowly reached to lift his son. “Oh no . . .” I muttered in disbelief as the father bent over and, with his thumb and forefinger, grabbed only the top of his unfortunate son’s pants. Luckily, our own Captain Underpants (or Captain America, according to Jasson) came out of nowhere,  soaring over the barricade and saving that young fellow from the most ultimate of wedgies!

Back at the villa, George kindly showed Jordan and I a path to a peak where we could overlook the range of hills surrounding a valley at this part of the mountain. The simple life is where it’s at and we were experiencing it: a shack on the hills, miles of plantlife, fresh air, a cow/goat, and good company. I often think the Western world should adopt this way of life but a weird part of me finds comfort in the hustle and bustle, appointments, plans and progress – I suppose that’s the reason for a vacation or weekend off as opposed to a total lifestyle shift.

Hello, Romania!

As many of you already know, I decided to do a bit of travelling while overseas for my Beyond Borders placement. Thankfully, my very supportive boyfriend, Jordan, wants to travel the world and so was happy to join me! We decided on Romania for our adventure because we both wanted to visit his cousin Jasson, avoid the touristy atmosphere, and stay relatively close to L’vov (which is where I would get picked up to begin my placement).

Even though I will only be gone for a summer, I had a hard time leaving Turkey Point and Waterloo. Even though it meant leaving earlier, it was nice to have this buffer time and Jordan to help ease the transition.

As difficult as it was to leave friends and family, we were both excited about the adventure and even thoroughly enjoyed the plane ride. I forgot how fun panes are! I mean, we sat for a while and watched these giant machines take off, then got on one ourselves and enjoyed dinner and a movie. The flight itself felt like a vacation after the hustle and bustle of travel preparations. We even stopped by Frankfurt for a quick cold one.

This may not seem like much to the average traveler, but I’m the kind of person who enjoys the journey – especially when it’s in good company!

The first day in Romania is definitely one of my favourites We were exhausted when we arrived in Bucharest, but the excitement of new people and environments to explore kept us going. Jordan was reunited with Jasson at the airport and I got to meet Jasson and his wife, Laura there. We didn’t waste and time:

After a quick stop at the grocery store, we made our way to Laura’s family’s farm for some fresh milk and cheese. On the way, we saw many Romanian children and elders casually sitting along the road selling stuff -  cows, horses and stray dogs close at hand. Besides the animals and goods to sell, it reminded me of how people in my family would sit and visit on the porch with the neighbours.

AS far as milk, cheese and homemade wine goes, there was no need to stop by the side of the road since plenty was waiting for us at Laura’s cousin’s farm on the hill. To get to that house – a log cabin of sorts – we parked along the side of the road and then headed down a path, over a bridge and up a hill (which is part of the Carpathian Mountains), through a forest of plum trees. When we reached our destination on the side of the mountain, we were greeted by a man, woman, cat (later named Carl), and copious amounts of cheese, sausage, homemade bread and t’swika (homemade Romanian plum wine). There weren’t any chairs to “pull up” but rather we set out a blanket and enjoyed the snacks picnic style. The food was delicious and the view breathtaking as we peered through the plumb trees to the village below. The sound of wild dogs barking only added to this new atmosphere. I didn’t understand the spoken language but I certainly understood the smiles and gestures as a warm welcome to their home and country.

Jordan awed the crowd with his natural taste for cheese, meat and t’swika while I caught some good luck by having a plum flower pedal land in my glass. Whatever combination it was between luck and help from above, it sure came in hand for the remainder of the trip.

Later than we intended, we left the cousin’s home with tswika and fresh milk. I quickly realized that feeding people is a large part of this culture, as is giving all that you have. It’s not a bad outlook.

I was also exposed to the bathroom culture. My first relatively indoor squatting experience took place at Laura’s cousin’s home, but we also made a bathroom break at her mom’s house en route to Villa Maria. Laura and her mom are very close – another example of the importance of family. Luckily for us, Kate and William were getting married on TV and so her mom had a distraction and didn’t feel the need to feed us.

Running on fumes and fresh cheese (and more fumes), we caught some Zzzz’s on the way to Villa Maria, our home for the next couple days. The villa is very nice and VERY reasonably priced. It’s located on the side of a mountain and had all we needed for cooking and showering facilities – plus a very friendly stray guard dog (now named George).

We cooked dinner on an open fireplace outside, met some tourists from neighbouring countries, had a taste of palinka, got to know Laura and Jasson, and headed to sleep after some serious bonding time.

Hi all

Thank you for so patiently waiting for my update! The transition has been rough and I’ve had some work to do learning the language and whatnot, but my head is clearer now so I look forward to sharing my experiences with you.

I wish I could blog about everything that happens but I’m a pretty reflective person so if I wrote everything I experienced and my reflections, I think it would be too much. Plus, then I’d have no stories left to tell you about when I get back! Thus, I’ve decided to share some highlights and lessons learned but not quite relive the day-to-day adventures. Enjoy!