Do you remember that scene from ‘Home Alone,’ where the parents are running through the airport to the tune of ‘Rockin’ ‘Round the Christmas tree?’ Their eyes are wide, faces full of panic, brains strategizing and exit plan, and legs moving faster than ever before.
Now picture that scene to the tune of some quick Ukranian folk music, some hyper students, and a variety of languages coming from every which direction. This is my Sunday night adventure!
Personally, I enjoyed the sprint to the subway, the hustle down the escalators and the adrenaline rush of squeezing onto the subway car. (Okay, a few close calls of not fitting in and being left stranded alone in were a little bit frightening, and I may have shown my inner athlete, but we all made it!) Chris, a fellow student, wasn’t so keen as he hobbled his fastest on his bum knee. Together, as students, tutors, and friends, out group must have made quite the sight!
Let me explain how we found ourselves in this situation:
Our Sunday in Kyiv began calm enough . . . we had a relaxing start, visited a monastery and took a walk in the resting place of many saints. At the monastery, I enjoyed the peacefulness above ground, prayed a little bit, and watched the birds flitter about (while most of the other tourists listened to our Ukranian-speaking guide). When we were finished at the monastery, we were joined by our exceptional tour guide, Olia’s friend Youlia. Earlier that afternoon, we had made a list of places we wanted to visit and Youlia was determined to make it happen! So, off we went trucking around the city, Youlia in her best tour-guide, city-slicker pace and the rest of us straggling behind as we tried to really experience the atmosphere while keeping our photo stops brief.
We didn’t have Youlia wit us the whole weekend but definitely did the most sight seeing when we were with her (see Brieanne's blog of eventually for a more complete description of our daily itenerary). From cathedrals to castles, government buildings and city squares to beaches, parks, muay thai, break dancing and traditional restaurants, it felt like we got a taste of everything. We were filled with new experiences and memories to last, but above all, I will never forget that golden gate. In fact, it was so instrumental to the outcome of our day that I decided to write a poem about it and, of course, share that with you.
The golden gate
It’s the reason we’re late
To visit or not was quite the debate
And Youlia’s decision decided our fate.
‘It’s a must-see,
A gotta be
there.’
‘It was the entrance to our city
and a very quick stop
that to miss would be a pity’
WE had an hour
To transport ourselves to the gate,
Out hostel and our train
No way we would make it . . .
Was Youlia insane?
Maybe,
But we followed her lead.
After all,
If anyone, it’s she we should head.
The Golden Gate was once the official entrance to Kyiv so how could we consider ourselves there if we missed the entrance? We knew we were cutting it close but, with optimistic heart and our faith in Youlia, we pushed on!
Perhaps we should have had more realistic hearts and placed our faith in our watches instead.
I am very glad to have visited such a monumental piece of Ukraine
We found ourselves back at our hostel half an hour and at least two subway transfers before our train’s departure. Once everyone had their stuff, we took off – legs pumping, mind strategizing and eyes wide. . .
* * *
Despite our attempts, and the valiant efforts of our guides (Youlia plus her boyfriend), we missed our train by approximately two minutes. After a panicked exchange of Ukranian words between our tutors and tour guides, (including ideas to taxi to the next train stop, scramble to buy a ticket fro the next train, and have a sleepover at Youlia’s), we found tickets for a train scheduled to depart in an hour.
I thrive on moments like these: most people are stressed, some are complaining while others crying, some are frozen while others take action or a chickens with their heads cut off. I know I can take on all these roles but I personally feel that I I usually do what needs to be done, usually with exaggerated calmness. In this case, my role was to do what I was told, make sure that seemed reasonable, and lighten the mood a bit.
For example, one of my favourite moments was when Kalyn and I managed to make eye contact while running through the crowded subway. I giggled and we were both smiling, enjoying the run and the excitement. After all, what could we have done but laugh at ourselves?
We did catch that later train, had a nice warm mashed potatoe snack, and got back to our billet homes safely – just in time for a great day at Internat! Whew!
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