Thu/Fri- First Impressions - I was very lucky to hook with CS hosts Alex and Elizabeth. They have a place in the historic riverfront area so it's both near the city and close to beaches and parks wow the million dollar lifestyle but their apartment is simple. - Friday walk around through old town - up Andrew Street to the upper city, Museum of History, Golden arch of the old city walls etc ... everywhere is nice Wow again - I expected it to be like Europe, like Nichky Novgorod in Russia, but this is even better ... Yes all the cities in Asia are chaotic shambles compared to the Europe, but this city is not only better than them but Kiev is actually above all the other cities I know in Europe in character and appearance - Internet .. bit difficult to find .. walk along main boulevard Saturday - more exploring - My stomach aches from some bad egg in Delhi 1 week ago so I felt weak ... sugar and coffee kept me going - Wow again thi city has everything not only river and beaches, history and character, but many high points with views. - The Lavra - historic monastery area - suppose? to have under ground caves but I missed the entrance somehow. ... The hyped up "Museum of Minatures" was pathetic I thought ...it's just a room of 20 microscopes : you might as well be looking at a full size thing ..BORING.. - Walked futher East to the Museum of the Great Patriotic War : Like a $100m Disneyland park just completed at the end of communism the complex is huge, but is dominated by a statue like the Statue of Liberty - I walked back 3Km along the road above the river past the parliament building to the main boulevard Kreschatyk, which is pedestrian only at weekends. I went up to Tolstoy to use the internet. Sunday - Sun - The plan was to get up early and go to the Heritage park and then meetup with people in the afternoon...but I am still sick so was running a bit slow. - Folk Architecture and Life Museum - This is a huge park full of relocated wooden heritage building. I have been to similar places in Ulan Ude in Siberia and Riga in Latvia. It was OK, but not stunning as it was so similar to those 2 places. - Meeting-up with People - On Friday and Saturday everyone had been busy, Sunday everyone was free at the same time, but in different places - Meet Richard - I got back to town and I went over to the properous Pecherska to meet Richard he was a mine of information. He taught in Moscow years ago and has been here 8 years, but is not optimistic about the future here. - Meet Gary for theatre -Then I rushed over to the Sofia Cathedral where another teacher Gary from the BC was with Lyanna a trainnee journalsit from the Post . They were watching a theatre sketch show put on by The Kyiv Players (local English teachers). -I made it over to see the second half of the theatre show. It was OK, it was just amateur sketches put on by local English teachers not bad acting but no great stories. - Gary is an interesting bloke he was teaching in Moscow a couple of years, but have now been with the British Council for a few years before they sent him here 6 months ago..... Last year he did a trip from where they sent in Damascus through Iraq and Iran to Armenia to Georgia. - Massive storm rain came so we sheltered in a cafe on Andriivsky Street (the winding old street going down from the upper city to old town by the river). Sun- Meet CS Ukraine boss - Then we got called over to a meetup of the local CS ambassador EVGENIY and his friends and a Czech bar on Artemis St. As well a him and his wife Olga Protasova ( the graphic designer) there were 6 or 7 other Kiev CS people there including an architect. Nice people, but not my scene really I'm not really a big drinker and the place is a bit flash and expensive. EVGENIY and his friends are the drinking types and ordered the 2m beer tower (which are a bit of a scam as they have a lot of ice in) and today since I had a bad stomach I stuck to Coca Cola. - Just got a message from Ben Gilbert he's just got back and has to fly out again so I won't get to meet him this time. - It's interesting to see how the people live in a different world to us from Western Europe they can travel here in the Eastern countries very eaily o they have all been to the Caucuses and place lie Belarus very easily ..which must be a very cheap holiday for them. - I never did get to meet up with the Mike the American teacher as he was busy on a date at the Lavra and by the time I phoned him from the bar it was too late. - It' a bugger not having a phone .. I haven't used one for about a year and mines touchscreen has just but from the temperature change between India and here .. so I really need to get it fixed. - I got back to the apartment and my host Elizabeth had only just got back from a weekend in the countryide where she is having her dog trained for duck hunting. Monday - still Ill - I was supposed to get organised and work out where to go next .. but I am till under the weather from my stomach bug and as is often the case the mall job like washing ate all the day away. I only just got around to checking my email on Tueday afternoon. - My host was asking me if I recommend any English school and I explained it' not just a question of picking a school and then expecting your English to improve like magic, but that student need to plan and develop a whole strategy around their own needs and abilities I realised that aside from just being an English teacher that is perhap where my own niche lies : helping people plan i.e. being a learning strategy consultant and then sending them away to learn on their own mostly for free. Tue- I think I poisoned my host - I've had a bad stomach for a week now, giving me low thinking energy unless I drink a coffee. Last night i made baked potato salad for Elizabeth and she's been off work today and throwing up ... although she thinks it was the many green peaches she picked and ate whilst we walked the dog .. I didn't eat any peaches and I am OK Tue - Conversation Club Meetup - This was interesting to see : every Tuesday night they meet in Puzata Hata (the Ukrainian equivalent of McDonald's) to chat in English and other languages. I was one of the foreigners that provide stimulus for conversation etc. - Wed - CS games night in Hydropark. I met up with some of the guys fom last night to play volleyball in this Soviet style beach park, but we didn't have a volleyball net. Thu - - Met up with some of the Conversation club people again - took a while to find the place.

- someones Ukraine photos 1 someones Ukraine photos 2 http://weecheng.com/europe/bbs/kyiv/kyiv2.htm

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