Sebastopol World Friends

We were at an orphanage for five days. Th children were so loving, and
they appreciated our company so much. They couldn't stop hugging us,
and they wanted to play with us for as long as they possibly could. I
can definetly say that being at the orphanage was quite an experience.
Some down sides to the orphanage experience were that we weren't
prepared for what we were walking into. Almost all of the children
have special needs, which made it difficult, and they were very
clingy. I mean it's great that they had so much love to share, but the
dirty conditions they lived in made it difficult for some of us to
enjoy them hanging on us. I know we did a great thing by playing with
and helping these children, but better preparation would have helped
us a lot more with this experience.

Hey friends and family. We are having a really great time so far. Today we took a tour and saw the presidents office, a cool statue of a whole bunch of people. IT WAS HUGE. Next we saw the national soccer cup stadium that is still being built. Then we ate fast food and we had to order and all the workers spoke Ukrainian. Thank God for Natasha and her translating abilties!!!!! Then we went to a famine Museum and lit candles to remember the people who died from famine. After that we went to a Cathedral and went under ground into a catacombs and saw some pretty cool dead Saints. By that point we were all very exhausted and we needed to stop for ice cream. Then we went shopping in this cool place that was under the street because its much easier to cross under the street.

Travel is always a wearisome experience, but our student ambassadors, and their chaperone, Lyudmila Birko, were in high spirits and energetic as they emerged from customs at SFO. On the way back to Sebastopol, we stopped at the Golden Gate Bridge to give them an opportunity to stretch their legs, walk the bridge, and to see the beautiful cityscape of San Francisco and it's bay.

Upon arrival in Sebastopol, our guests were cheerfully greeted by their eager hosts. Smiles and laughter were plentiful. The attached pictures say it all.

The first few days have been amazing! Today we met with the head of the District of Chyhyryn. It was a short, but very good meeting. At over 2 meters tall (~6'4") he cuts an imposing figure. He spoke of competing in a national competition for most beautiful and attractive region of Ukraine.