First's

Hey Everyone.  I made it safely to Ukraine.  Despite their best efforts, Delta is not Qantas airlines, I've been so spoiled on those flights that all others pale in comparison.  The food was good, the company pleasant, but no individual movie screen.  We all saw the same three movies and my headphones weren't working and while I've "seen" the new Oz movie and the Life of Pi, I can't tell you what was said in it.  Perhaps on the flight home the headphones will work and I'll be able to make more sense of each story.  I wasn't able to sleep much on the plane, I can't exactly invade my neighbor's space like I would do if I were flying with family, so I was looking forward to a good night's sleep at the hotel, which didn't disappoint. 

As we were landing in Kyiv I was taken aback at how lush and green the area was - there had to be at least a half dozen different shades of green - everything from fern green to forest green.  There were trees everywhere, along the roads and trail lines like borders, I thought it very beautiful and such a stark contrast to Texas where we are having yet another drought and pavement everywhere.  I will get some pictures of that at some point to show you. 

I was very surprised by the Immigration / Customs processes - no forms to fill in.  Especially since I didn't need a visa to enter I figured I would complete all that when I arrived, to identify where I was staying or why I was here and who to contact in an emergency, but Immigration scanned my passport and stamped my entry.  No one asked me if I had anything to declare so I followed the crowd out through the exit.  Everyone on the team had the same experience and that has been the first standout for all of us.  Nothing wrong, just different and I think that will be the theme for the next few weeks, nothing wrong, just different, we'll all adapt. 

So our team met for dinner and we all had similar stories - none of us slept on the plane, we'd all skyped our families.  We walked about six blocks to our restaurant which is right across the square and park from where my team should be working.  It's going to be different for me, all this walking around, after all I don't have far to go when I work from home.  Luckily for all of us the restaurant we went to had their menus with pictures so I tried the Borscht soup (loved it) which is made from beet broth (I love beets) and then I had Liver (loved it).  As promised, pictures included. 

I managed to get a good night's sleep but since you all now know I'm a morning person I was up at 6:00 a.m. and have had to amuse myself till breakfast opens at 8:00 a.m. (Thank goodness only 10 minutes to go.)  Luckily on weekdays it will open an hour sooner.  Our team coordinator did mention that most workdays are from 9 to 5 or for government offices 9 to 6 or even 7.  Long lunches are the norm here so I will find ways to keep myself busy in the morning and I've been known to have the occasional long lunch with Brian from time to time so I will adapt.