June 27, 2012

Ever since we arrived in Kyiv I have been intrigued by the metro system. I’ve wondered how it was built, the technology involved, the people that built it, what it is like in all those tunnels and quite frankly, where did they put all that dirt? One of the escalators is 105 meters down (well over 300 feet) and the ride takes 4 minutes and 30 seconds. And that is just the escalator to get down to the trains.

Well, this morning on my way to the temple at 6:00 I hopped on train #4805, I had no idea of the history tour I was about to take. As soon as I got on I realized there was something different about this car than all the hundreds of other cars I had been on since we arrived. The doorways, windows and heating vents were all trimmed out in beautiful hardwood. The ceiling was decoupages of newspaper articles about the construction and the celebration at the completion of the #1 (Red) line. The walls and windows were covered with fascinating pictures and murals of the whole historical event from the planning  to the completion ceremonies. I was in history heaven for thirty minutes. It was early so there weren’t many people on board after the first three stations so I was able to walk down the length of the car and study and read about what I had wondering about for the last 3 months. There were thousands of men and women involved in the building and designing the underground maze. I was able to see pictures of inside of the tunnels and realized that trains do cross paths in some areas, probably just before or after the transfer stations. I saw the pictures of men building the tunnels, laying track, installing the technology, and more. Men, women and children were working on the beautiful stations themselves. I think I have mentioned in previous posts how beautiful and different the various stations are. It is no wonder the people here take so much pride in this system. There is never any litter on the trains or in the stations. During Euro 2012 we have had the metro ladies directing the conductors and I saw pictures of them in the beginning and they wear the same skirts, jackets, and high heels that were worn fifty years ago. Oh, and yes, once again I did not have my camera. I will spend the next year watching and waiting for car #4805, camera in hand.

 

Lto R: Friend on the metro; metro escalator; new metro being built in Kyiv

Not everyone has a landlady as unique as our landlady. Tania is from Boston but comes to Kyiv at least twice a year when she is not off traveling around the world to some other distant land.  She arrived in May of this year and we got together for a fantastic Ukrainian lunch. She introduced us to Tatar salad and it is totally different but a pretty good substitute for Buddy’s. She was a photographer for National Geographic Magazine for eighteen years and she takes fabulous photos. Her book “Simply Ukraine” is already waiting for me when I get home.  She is undoubtedly one of the most interesting people I have met. Last Friday we went to the Karania-Maria Festival together. It is a festival held every year in Kyiv with over a mile of handmade crafts, folk dancing, musicians and food. What a great time we had together. She has the ability to work her way into the heart of everyone she meets, and it was so fun watching her deal with all of the merchants. She also knows just how to take the best photographs of everything on display. (You can see some of her photography on my facebook).  

She has gone back to Boston but I look forward to her return in September.

L to R: Tania, our landlady; Tania with fans in the Fan Zone; picture taken by Tania during a game in the Fan Zone 

 

On Monday evening we went to the Ukraine Symphonic Brass Band  “Sinatra in Concert”. It was fabulous. They had a Sinatra impersonator who was really very good. They performed all of Frank’s tunes and they were sung in English which was great for us, however we would have known all the words had they not been in English. The Ukrainian accent really added to the flavor of the evening and the only time it really came through was when he sang “New Yerk, New Yerk.”

Ukrainian Frank at the "Sinatra in Concert"

My friend from Pocatello who has been in Ukraine for a month, returned this week and I was able to watch her son while she completed temple work for her family. It was fun to see her again.

Lena and Rob

The people at the temple this week are from Yekaterinburg, which is on the European – Asian border. Yekaterinburg is best known as a city where the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed in 1918. As with the people from Novosibirsk they traveled long hours to get here by train. It is very humbling to meet these people and realize their great capacity for "Hope". They save their money for months, sometimes years, to come to the temple. They choose to buy ordinance clothing with money they have probably saved from their meager food budget to use while they are here and then put away and cherish the memories of being in the temple. Most of them realize it is a onetime event in their lives. They all hope to be able to use these clothes again "but if not................" (Daniel 3:18) That is just how very faithful they are and how important the Temple Covenants are to them.

To conclude: G.K. Chesterton, a British writer with great insight, said..."How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it; if you could really look at other men and women with common curiosity and pleasure...You would break out of this tiny and tawdry theatre in which your own little plot is always being played, and you would find yourself under a freer sky, and in a street full of splendid strangers." We love the people in Ukraine.

 Clockwise L to R: Beautiful embroidery; Ukrainian Musician, Beautiful wreath, Karina-Maria Festival

Karlene with Cossacks