Lost in Ukraine

March 9th, 2018

    So I hadn't explained it thus far, but Andriy refused to go ANYWHERE with me.  He wouldn't leave the house.   Remember how I expected him to be waiting at the bus stop when we arrived.  Yeah, well I also expected him to want to go and be wherever I was.  God can sure put you in your place sometimes right?  All of these expectations of mine never truly took into account who Andriy actually is and what he had just gone through.  I just waltzed my happy self into his world and expected him to respond how I wanted.  There are a lot of "I's" going on here and it would take me a day or two to look beyond my selfish expectations and into the heart of the matter.

    So, I say all that to say that as Kostya and I had prepared to leave that afternoon my mutlitple attempts at trying to get Andriy to go with us were unsucessful.  So Kostya and I made a plan to make sure that I got back to Andriy's house that evening.  I took pictures of land marks, made note of the approximate time it took from his house to the hotel and Kostya had sent a message to me with the street name, in Russian of course, so that I could show the bus attendant.

   Once we made our way to the Hotel, Kostya upped his parental game! He was such a parent! He instructed that I call him before he left - because I had WiFi there at the hotel.  He would then call grandma to let her know I was on my way so that they could be waiting for me at the bus stop.

   After much preparing and a thourough walk through Kostya finally agreed to leave.  He was so reluctant and nervous and I was basically pushing him out of the door!  He was so protective and did an incredible job making sure I got places safely, so it really was so hard for him to leave.  Tears were even shed.  He's that good ya'll!

   So after a MUCH needed shower I felt like a new woman ready to conquer these next few days.  I should share that both Kostya's house and Andiry's had ways to bathe.  I can't quite remember if

This is the image they would have put on milk cartons

Kostya's had a shower attachment or just a tub.  Kostya's apartment did not have hot water because the higher up's are the ones who decide when to have it on or off or to fix it if it is broken.  This was nothing new to them and I could have boiled water to make a warm tub, but was content just waiting until we made it to the hotel.  At Andriy's house they had the one bathroom with a tub in it that did have hot water and I could have used, but showering alone at the hotel was much more appealing.

   After a few minutes there to myself, using the WiFi to connect to my family back home I left to go to the store to grab some of Andriy's favorites.  Sprite, chocolate, chips and water.  Seeing as I could not read the labels on anything I stuck to what I could recognize.

   Now would come time implement Kostya's detailed game plan to get me back to Andriy's house.  After I finished at the store I went back into the lobby of the hotel so that I could call Kostya to tell him I was leaving.  Think over protective parent.  He nailed it and I was SO THANKFUL!  He then called Grandma and let her know I was on my way and off I went to the bus stop.

   

Bus number 1

First order of business was make sure and get on bus #1.  There are multiple buses that come in and out of that little stop, all of which take you to various parts of the city, so making sure I got on bus number 1 was KEY!  Nailed it!

   Next was to show the bus attendant the street that Kostya gave to me so that she would know that I needed to be let off at that one, this of course after I paid!   When I showed her the image (it was on my phone) she looked blankly at me as if to say "and"?  I pointed at it and said "I need to go here" she continuted to stare at me very annoyed, but I did manage to get a small nod out of her so I was confident she'd get me where I needed.

   Here would be a good place to indicate that it was now dark and snowing, so recognizing any of the original land marks was nearly impossible, especially crammed in the sardine bus.  However I paid as close attention to everything I could along the way.  I could tell we were getting close if not already there, but she had not given a look my way since I first got on the bus.  So continued to sit and trust.  Then came and went a very familiar store.  As we passed it I thought, I am pretty sure that was the store at Andry's stop.  I got up, showed her the image and she nodded and pointed ahead as if to say "the next one".

    The next stop came, she spoke her language with her hands pointing to the door. I not understanding a word of it, got up and got off the bus.  It made a left turn and there I stood.  I looked around and realized that I was not anywhere that looked familiar.  There were not any lights, no store, one small bench along the road that would be the bust stop, a large building on the corner, and houses to my right.  I was officially lost in Ukraine.

Fan girling over all the SNOW

    With the tail lights of the bus heading down one road I knew which way to not begin walking.  I started walking in one direction for what felt like a long while, but was getting me no where.  So I then turned around and walked the opposite way still to no avail.  As I walked aimslesly back and forth I was racking my brain on what I could do.  My options.

 1.  Walk through the metal barricades that protect the houses and go up to someones door.  But then what?  I didn't speak their language.  The only word I knew that would come close to explaining my predicament would be "Kashmar" - translated to Nighmare.
2.  Keep walking.  I knew that I had just seen the place I should have gotten off at I just could not for the life of me remember which direction we had come from.
3.   Go back to the stop I was let off at, wait for bus number 1 to make it's way back and take it back to the Hotel and start over, or for the love of Jesus at this point I would just stay there and try again in the DAY LIGHT!

   Here came headlights... I moved out of the road, which is where I was walking becaues it was the only place that didn't have 2-3 foot snow to walk through.  As it passed I realized it was bus number one, my ticket back to the hotel.  So this set option number 3 into the forefront of my mind.

  Then God broke through.  I had remembered that when I landed a few days prior my phone had sent me this message about buying a plan that would allow me make international calls.  YES!  You see my main concern was that Kostya had called grandma when I left the hotel so she would know when to be at the stop. Now about 45 mintues later, 25 mintues or so after I should have been there I wasn't and I wanted to somehow let her know that I was ok and I would either get there or try again in the morning.  So my plan was to call Matt, have him call Kostya so that Kostya could call grandma and let her know.

   I sign on, agree to all the terms and costs - which at this point who even cares how much it costs right?

   I call Matt.  He doesn't answer.  Of course he doesn't.  He always has his phone, but nope... Not this time!  Gramted it was somewhere close to midnight - 1 am Central time, so he gets a pass.  So then I think to call my mom, but I know my mom and I know she would have freaked out if I told her I was lost.  So I called Matt again, and praise God he answered.  He was SO confused of course as I had been calling him through google hangouts, but this time it would be just a regular phone call coming from me who was across the world.  I explained to him what had happened and that I needed him to call Kostya.  I told him my plan to get back on bus number 1 and ride it back to the Hotel to try again.  As I was on the phone with him and continuing to walk here came the bus again.   The only trouble was I was not at the stop and was instead in the middle of the road.  I began to wave like you see in the movies.  Crazy lady standing in the road waving down a bus that is coming right at her.  I move of course before it got hairy, and the bus stopped there along the road.  I climbed on and all glory to God it was a NEW BUS LADY!  Apparently there are more than one bus number 1's with differing attendants.

   I show her the street and she SMILED and nodded as if to say "yes, it's just right up here".  I began to get out my money to pay her and she then shook her head to tell me not to worry about it.  The bus began and would come to another stop.  This time the lady looked toward me, smiled and pointed her hand toward the door.   "Spasiba" - Thank you, I would tell her as I climbed off.

   This time as the bus pulled away I saw the store and outside that store stood Andriy and his Grandmother.  Ah.  Praise God!  Then Andriy, "Mom, why did you not get off the bus, I saw you on there and then it just kept going"  I said "WHY DID YOU NOT CHASE THE BUS"!

   We laughed our way back to his house, Kostya was revived from this heart attack and I made it safely back into their warm and cozy home with the sprite, chocolate, chips and water.  Necessities that would have kept me alive for at least a couple of days while lost. 😉