Today was my first real day in Kiev, and the 9 hour time change is killing me! My body doesn't want to sleep when it should, so I ended up getting up at 4am and talking with my mom on the phone and skyping with a friend. It's awesome to be able to stay connected to people at home even though I am half way across the world, and I feel very blessed to have such amazing people in my life! Today I started out by going to orientation with the girls and our coordinators here in The Ukraine. Our coordinators, Anna, Oleg, and Kirrill, are amazing to work with and such great people. We went over our rules and how to stay safe, etc etc. got our schedules for the upcoming week, and went over some activities we wanted to do here like snowboarding, museums, the ballet and opera, and whatever else we decide! It was overhwhelming to say the least, but I am so so so excited for it all to begin! After orientation we had a walking tour of the city around the main square. When people say it is cold here, they really mean it! -25 and wind does not make for a nice stroll around the city, but it was so fun and the city has some amazing architecture and sites to see! The coolest buildings in my opinion are the onion domes that are throughout the city. Onion domes are the old buildings, mainly cathedrals, which have spiral gold rooftops and intricate designs.
Another site that was interesting was The Golden Gates of Kiev which is a major landmark of Kiev and a historic gateway in the ancient city fortress. After our tour we were taken to a Ukranian restaurant and introduced to typical Ukranian food - I was clueless as to what anything was! But I ended up with good food despite the fact I didn't know what I was ordering! We all ate borscht, a staple soup in most Central and Eastern European countries, and Vareniki, basically a dumpling filled with meat or potato, very similar to a pierogi.
I had a great day learning about the city of Kiev and even managed to learn a few words:
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Orthodox golden Onion domes of St. Michael's Cathedral
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Another site that was interesting was The Golden Gates of Kiev which is a major landmark of Kiev and a historic gateway in the ancient city fortress. After our tour we were taken to a Ukranian restaurant and introduced to typical Ukranian food - I was clueless as to what anything was! But I ended up with good food despite the fact I didn't know what I was ordering! We all ate borscht, a staple soup in most Central and Eastern European countries, and Vareniki, basically a dumpling filled with meat or potato, very similar to a pierogi.
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Borscht and Vareniki
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I had a great day learning about the city of Kiev and even managed to learn a few words:
Pryvit - hello
Na na (pronounced pa pa) - goodbye
Diakuiu - thank you
I can already see the charm of Kiev and the history it has to offer. I am so excited and blessed to have this opportunity to study abroad, nothing could beat this!
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| Chilly day in Kiev, but so so pretty! |
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| St. Sofia's Cathedral - breathtaking! |
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| The girls - Kyla, Sarah, Me, Nonika |
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