Week One: Completed

Hey everyone,

It is hard to believe, but I have completed my first week here in Lviv. It has been one of the most amazing weeks of my life!

I am glad to say that I am finally over jetlag. The last few days were really tough because I was really tired and a little bit sick, but now I am over whatever I had and I feel great! I knew I was over jetlag this morning when I got off the marshutka and I wasn't completely exhausted. I actually was energized after being on that stupid thing for 45 minutes. And by the way, I took the marshutka from home to UKU and back all by myself today for the first time. It was a bit of an adventure, especially coming home, but I made it! It was especially adventurous coming home because I was one one of those marshutkas which is really just a large van, and it was absolutely jammed packed. I wouldn't be surprised if there were 25 or 30 people on the marshutka. In Canada, safety regulations probably wouldn't allow more than 14 or 15 on. The sardine can-like conditions wasn't the issue though, but instead it was the fact that I couldn't see out the front window, so I had no idea where I was going! Luckily, I know the landmarks so I could see where I was just by looking out the side windows. I have been here one week, and the only thing I haven't enjoyed is the public transit system, but hey, no one does. And it's a part of the cultural experience afterall!

I have now gone around to visit all four of the l'Arche workshops here in Lviv. Normally, l'Arche begins as a community of disabled persons and their assistants, and then only later do they start up workshops. Here in Lviv, things have worked the other way. They have not been able to start a community where people live together simply because they haven't found a suitable place to do so, but they have the workshops. The four workshops combined are considered one l'Arche community because they have the l'Arche spirit. It is only a matter of time before a suitable piece of land is found and the money is raised to start up a proper l'Arche community. On Monday I will start my placement at the Busy Bees workshop in the afternoon, after my Ukrainian lesson in the morning. Starting a week Monday I will volunteer at the Busy Bees workshop full time from 10:00-3:30--the hours the workshop is open.

Aside from visiting the l'Arche workshops, I visited a psychiatric hospital for children and the Dzherelo (Джерело) Centre (pronounce the dzh as 'j' in job and roll the 'r' and you will sort of pronounce it correctly). We (Kim, Roxolyana, and I--I will explain who these people are later) happened to get to the psychiatric hospital just as the children were having play time, so we got to spend some time playing with the children. After their initial curiosity, the boys invited us to play soccer with them. It reminded me of many a recess at elementary school. The girls were a bit more shy and stayed off at the swingset playing amongst themselves.

The Dzherelo Centre was really nice. Yesterday we visited the l'Arche workshop there, and then this morning we were back for a tour of the building. The Centre is a really a one-stop building for any kind of support one could want for disabled persons. As I said, there is a l'Arche workshop there. Also, there is a daycare centre for disabled toddlers, facilities for rehab for physically disabled persons of all ages, facilities to aid speech impediments...it goes on and on. This centre is funded entirely by private donations, most of which come from Ukrainian Canadians. Actually, just a few weeks ago Her Excellency the Governor General visited the Centre. There is a hallway lined with pictures from her visit. I smiled with great pride (the good kind) when I saw those photos.

The highlight of our trip to the Dzherelo Centre on Thursday was karaoke! The druzhi (core-members), assistants, Kim, and I all sang traditional Ukrainian folk songs. Well, Kim wasn't. She can't read Ukrainian as well. Anyway, that was a lot of fun. Afterward I was told that the assistants (volunteers, most of whom were university age girls) were all impressed by my Ukrainian reading ability. Hey, what can I say? Haha.

Now, I should give you a list of names just so you know who everyone is...

Kim - The other Intercordian in Lviv this summer. She is a student at the University of Western Ontario in London.
Roxolyana - Our main support person and the administrative assistant at the Emmaus Centre (the central office of all of this stuff). She is a first generation American of Ukrainian descent. Her parents were forced out of Ukraine during the communist era. She speaks both Ukrainian and English fluently, so she has been our translator.
Pan Petro - My host father.
Pani Natalka - My host mother.
Yuri - Host brother. Age 20.
Pavlo - Host brother. Age 18.
Halya - Host sister. Age 11.
Marta - Host sister. Age 11.
Hanousia - Host sister. Age 9.
Vera - Kim's host sister. Age 19.
Katya - Kim's other host sister. Age 14.

Vera actually turned 19 today. She will host a birthday party tomorrow evening at her house, and I will be there. Многая літа! Many years!

On Sunday, Pan Petro's step-brother will be ordained a priest, and I will be there at the ordination!! It will be my first Greek Catholic ordination. He will be ordained at his monastery about 30km away from here. Yes, he is a monk.

Do know that I have been thinking of all of you back home, and I miss you. And please pray for all of us Intercordians. There are some who are having a really hard time.

Until next time,
Michael